by Frost Kay
Allie stared at the handsome male in her room for a moment before scurrying over to her closet. She quickly pulled a dress over her head, tugged on panties, dropping the towel to the floor and tugged her long damp hair from the neckline. “I’m dressed.”
Blade spun and paused, staring.
She ran her hands along the little white babydoll dress and curled her toes into the carpet at the look he gave her.
He exhaled and slowly moved toward her like she’d run from him. But it was the furthest thing from her mind. She’d never had anyone look at her like he was right now—with heat, longing, and compassion. She wanted to take everything he was projecting and wrap herself in it.
His fingers touched her wrist comm, and she shifted nervously.
“These are illegal, you know.” Smooth, Allie. Real smooth.
He smiled. “Yes.”
“What if I get caught with it?”
“You won’t get caught.”
“I’m really clumsy.”
“I’m aware,” he said dryly.
“But I guess I’m not really law-abiding anyway. My family brews moonshine. Technically, it’s still not that legal, but everyone loves it so much, and it brings in so much income that our government turns a blind eye.” Allie snapped her mouth closed. Why did she have to ramble when she got nervous?
“You don’t need to be nervous.”
She jolted. “How did you know...?”
“Your face is really expressive. And I know you.” He adjusted the distorter again. “You ready?”
“Yeah. So, what’s my disguise?”
“You’ll be taking one of Karma’s unused aliases. Don’t freak out when you change. You’re still you.”
“Okay.”
He tapped something into her wrist comm and twisted the small screen. “Give it a moment.” His thumb ran along the back of her hand once before he dropped it and took a step back.
The air around her hummed, and her skin softly vibrated. She giggled and scratched at her arm. “It tickles.”
Blade smiled. “Look in the mirror.”
Mirror. She didn’t want to. But she forced her feet to turn toward the mirror. She wouldn’t let Sloven get the best of her.
A small gasp escaped as Allie’s reflection blinked back at her. Pale pink strands of hair started at her roots and fell in soft waves, deepening into hot pink at the tips. Delicate pointed ears peeked out of her hair as if to say hello. She reached up and touched one point. Her eyes darted back to the male standing behind her. His ears were much more pointed than hers.
“Why are my ears different to yours?”
He shook his head. “Of course, you’d notice that difference. Your ears are rounded, because this alias is part Human, part Av.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m playing a hybrid?”
He nodded, his gaze soft. “That’s what all hybrid children inherit from their parents. It’s a perfect blend,” he said softly.
Allie watched him. There was a wealth of emotion in that statement. “You want children?”
Blade straightened and stared unabashedly at her. “I do. More than anything.”
She shivered, her belly swooping. She needed to get herself under control.
Allie continued her examination. Her complexion was a creamy ivory color with a pearlescent quality. Her figure was still around the same size, but she was a bit willowy. It was a little disjointing. Her chin was pointy. But what she liked the most were her rose-gold eyes. “These are killer,” she squealed, pointing at her eyes. “This would make for an amazing costume.”
Blade blinked at her.
She winced at the stupidity of the comment. Of course, she wouldn’t use this for a party. This is serious. But, in all honesty, she’d happily dress like this all the time.
“So, when do I get to try out my new looks?”
“Tomorrow, at the Scarlet Kiss. You’ll be working with Karma. And you’ll have to call her Allie.”
Allie blinked. “Well, that’s a little weird.”
“You’ll get used to it.” He glanced at the door and back to her. “We need to debrief you and prepare you for the next couple of days. It’s going to be a lot to handle.”
Her life since she’d been drafted in had been a lot of craziness. It couldn’t be much stressful that being uprooted and forced to live on another planet. “I can handle it.” She glanced at her bed and then back to the door. “Let’s make this quick.” She paused. “What’s my new name?”
“Pepper.”
She rolled the name around in her head. She liked it. “Pepper what?”
No hesitation. “Pepper Xrir.”
Butterflies took flight in her belly. Blade’s last name.
“And who exactly is Pepper Xrir?”
“My new mate.”
Her breath whooshed out. Somehow, she knew pretending to be his mate wouldn’t be a hardship. But she’d have to be careful. How badly could things really go?
A psychopath, an attractive fake mate, a secret identity, and a clumsy Human mixologist…
Who was she kidding?
It was a recipe for disaster.
18
Give Me Sleep or Give Me Death
Her first day as Pepper Xrir sucked.
After being whisked away from her apartment and warm bed the night before, she was dumped at the lab.
Allie rolled her neck and frowned at herself. Well, she wasn’t exactly dumped, but it felt like everyone disappeared almost immediately and she was left with a lumpy pillow, a thin blanket, and a hard cot for company. It was laughable that they expected her to sleep, but she tried. Unsuccessfully.
As the hours ticked by, she had found herself wanting to stab whoever was snoring in the corner. The thought of anyone else sleeping while she wasn’t able to made her irritable.
When everyone had filed in the next morning as chipper as squirrels, it made her almost homicidal. Only psychopaths were happy in the mornings. Nonetheless, she’d forced herself from the horrible torture device that was supposed to pass as a bed and had shuffled like a zombie across the room to pour herself a cup of tea.
The day progressed and so did her exhaustion. But the worst was how the team kept looking at her when they didn’t think she was paying attention. Allie blew a piece of her hair from her face and glared at Kale who was blatantly staring at her.
“Seriously? Don’t you have something better to do than watch me?”
Kale grinned, his eyes sparkling. “It is my job to watch you.”
“Creepy,” she muttered, turning her back to the Kanji. She didn’t have enough energy to deal with his shenanigans.
When would this day end?
Her gaze slid to the cot and then to the sparring pad. The floor had to be more comfortable than the cot.
“Allie?”
She blinked slowly in Lev’s direction, pulled from the haze of her thoughts. “Yeah?” Please have good news.
“We’re going to move you to a more secure location now. Are you ready?”
She chuckled and pointed a finger at the abandoned cot. “If it means I don’t have to sleep here again, I’ll go anywhere you’d like me to.” She glanced behind him, looking for Blade. He hadn’t shown his face all day. He’d been suspiciously absent.
“You look like you just sucked on a lemon.”
“How do you know what a lemon is?” she grouched, following him into the hover bay.
“I’m not completely ignorant of Human culture.”
She snorted as he held the black door of the hover open for her and hopped in. A sigh escaped her as she sat into the comfy seats. Heavens, she should’ve snuck in here earlier and slept.
Kale materialized at the hover and hopped in. The door slid silently shut behind him as the two males settled in their seats across from her.
“So where are we going?” she asked.
“To a safe house.”
Allie rolled her eyes at Lev’s vague answer. The Av was incapable of giving a
straight answer. “How did Karma do today?”
“She did great. None of your regulars suspected a thing. She passed with flying colors.”
“Has anyone contacted her?” she asked, her throat going dry. All she could see was her friend’s wife lying in a pool of blood.
“No one out of the ordinary has come in contact with Karma.” Kale said as the hover moved out of the bay.
Out of the ordinary. They didn’t know it was Sid that they were looking for.
Allie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from spilling the information about her friend. She couldn’t say anything. Lives were at stake and if Karma was as good as they said, she’d figure out what was going on.
“That’s good,” she whispered. The hover darted around other vehicles, and her eyelids began to droop. Right as she started to slip into sleep, a hand touched her arm.
“We’re here,” Kale’s deep voice murmured.
Allie forced her eyes open, her surroundings blurry. Lev slid the hover door open and stepped down into a darkened bay. He held his hand out, and she took it, still trying to make sense of where she was. The toe of her shoe caught on the stair, and she stumbled into Lev, his arms wrapping around her.
“We’re almost there,” he said softly.
Allie nodded and let Lev guide her through a dark door and into a softly lit elevator. Lev placed his hand against a scanner, and the doors closed behind them.
“Isn’t Kale coming with us?” she asked as the elevator lurched upward, the pale green light making Lev’s skin even more alien.
“No, he’s staying with the hover.”
The elevator slowed, and the doors slid open. Her jaw dropped as they stepped into an enormous apartment. The open plan design lent to the incredible view of the city. Her sandals clicked against the rich wooden flooring as they moved into the room. Plush cream sofas surrounded a lit fireplace that cast a warm glow over the apartment. She briefly glimpsed a modern kitchen as Lev directed her to the couch. Allie pulled her sandals off and sank her toes into the soft navy rug that lay before the fire. Her knees gave out as she flopped onto the cream couch, a moan escaping her as she snuggled in.
“Give me a moment, and I’ll make sure the room is ready for you.”
“Uh huh,” she muttered as she watched the flames dance in the darkness.
She’d just rest her eyes for a moment.
Allie snuggled closer to the fluffy pillow underneath her head and tugged the warm blanket over her shoulders. She inhaled deeply and sighed in satisfaction as an incredible smell teased her nose. What was it?
A thump sounded from the other room, and she smiled. Jer could sneak up on just about anyone, but in the mornings, she was as quiet as a stampede of elephants. Smiling, she cracked her eyes open and bolted upright.
She definitely wasn’t in her room.
Allie pushed her hair from her face and clutched the dark gray comforter to her chest. This definitely wasn’t where she’d fallen asleep. Another thump sounded from the other side of the door. Carefully, she slipped out of the bed and tiptoed to the door, pulling the blanket with her. Cracking the huge wooden door open, she peeked into the living room. Nothing. Her breath caught as a she glimpsed Blade in the kitchen. Shirtless.
Holy bananas! He was so hot. Silvery scars crisscrossed his muscular back in slices that didn’t detract from his attractiveness but made her heart sad for him. How did he get those scars?
Blade spun, displaying more male perfection than she could handle seeing so early in the morning. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she quietly pulled back into the room and shut the door. She twisted around and leaned against the door to take in the room she’d slept in. It was clearly a masculine room with deep gray and black accents, but all of these things seemed to disappear because of the massive bed that dominated the space.
“Who needs a bed that big?” she muttered as she moved closer, running her hands along the black metal footboard.
Allie jumped as the door shuddered behind her.
“Allie?” Blade deep voice called from the other side.
She cleared her throat a few times. “Yeah?” she called, her heart in her throat.
“It’s time for breakfast.”
“Okay.”
She held her breath as she heard his footsteps move away from the door. Not that she could hear him. He moved like a ghost. Allie hurriedly tossed the blanket on the bed and ignored the yummy smell that wafted from the bed she wanted to roll in. A door to her right led to an enormous bathroom with an old-fashioned clawfoot tub that could fit at least four people in it.
She groaned and eyed the tub. “If I’m going to live here for a bit, you and I have a date this week.” Her mouth popped open as she turned to the mirror. The distorter was still in place. She patted her pink hair and brushed down the wrinkled white dress she was wearing. What she wouldn’t give to have something clean or to be able to see her own face. It was disconcerting to say the least.
Wandering out of the bathroom, she eyed the closet across the bedroom. Blade had to have something she could borrow. She strode to the bedroom door and popped her head out. “You mind if I borrow something? I feel disgusting in this dress.”
“Sure. Take whatever you need,” Blade’s gruff voice called from the kitchen.
“Thanks.”
She closed the door and slinked toward his closet. A smile curled her lips at all the black garments hanging in neat, pressed rows. Allie yanked a black button-up shirt from a hanger and tossed her dress on the floor before putting it on.
Dear Lord, there was the smell again.
She pulled the collar up and sniffed. How did he smell so fantastic? She froze when another thump sounded in the other room. It was time to get herself under control. How embarrassing would it be if he walked in and caught her sniffing his shirts like a total creep?
She chuckled. Well, everyone else sniffed her so it was only fair that she should be able to sniff someone every once in a while.
Allie picked up her dress from the floor and made the bed the best she could. It involved her climbing over the mattress a bunch of times by the time she was finished. She puffed out a breath as she left the room and followed the smell of breakfast.
“I made something simple…” Blade said as he spun around. He paused, his eyes raking up and down her body in a way that made her toes curl and a fiery blush cover her face. She tugged at the bottom of the shirt, even though it was almost to her knees. “I see you found something to wear.”
A shiver worked through her at the rasp in his voice. “I did, thank you.” She pulled her gaze from him and forced herself to take a seat on one of the tall stools lining the breakfast bar. “This smells amazing. My mama used to make oatmeal all the time. Sometimes it had bits of apple, dried cherries, or raisins. But the best part was the brown sugar and cinnamon.” Silence met her statement. She peeked at him from beneath her lashes.
Blade swallowed and jerked the spatula toward the oatmeal bowl in front of her. “I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will. I can’t remember the last time someone cooked for me. Jer burns everything she touches.”
“It’s what mates do for each other when they accept each other.”
Allie’s spoon hovered before her lips, and the oatmeal slopped over the edge and back into the bowl. “Excuse me?”
“Fake mates,” Blade said, his expression blank.
“Right,” she muttered and took a small bite. They were fake mates. All pretend. She needed to remember that. Time to change the subject. “So, what’s the plan for today?”
“We’re going on a date.”
She choked on the oatmeal and coughed, her eyes watering. “Sorry.”
Blade placed a glass of water before her and watched her expectantly.
Allie gulped down the water and wheezed. “Won’t that look suspicious?”
He shrugged a shoulder and seemed to stare off into space. “Not after yesterday. We had someone use your sam
e distorted alias. We staged our first meeting yesterday.”
“First meeting? Like when you smelled me and…” She dropped off at the amused look on his face.
“Something like that.” He tossed the spatula into the sink and wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. “All that matters is that Sloven now thinks I’m no longer a threat to Allie Sai.”
The oatmeal seemed to sour in her stomach at the mention of the king. “I worry for Karma.” The king was a monster and devious.
“She’s got this. And she’s being looked after by a very capable team.”
That hadn’t stopped him from getting into Allie’s apartment. She forced herself to keep eating, even though she didn’t taste any of the meal. When her spoon scraped the bowl, she smiled and hopped down from the stool, padding around to the sink to rinse her dish. “When do we leave?”
“A little later. Lev, Coal, and Virgil are coming by later and then we’ll start our day.”
“Okay.” She rolled her neck, a sick feeling rolling in her belly since the mention of the king. “Do I have time to take a shower?”
“Take as long as you like. We don’t really have to go anywhere until later. You could even go back to bed if you’d like.”
She nodded and spun, moving out of the kitchen. Pausing, she glanced over her shoulder. “Thank you for lending me your bed.”
Blade stared at her, his expression somber. “I liked seeing you in it.”
Butterflies took flight in her tummy, and she practically sprinted out of the kitchen. Blade was dangerous. Dangerous in more than one way. If she wasn’t careful, it would be so easy to lose her heart to him.
19
Big Beds are Better
Her second day as Pepper Xrir was way better.
After breakfast with Blade, she’d soaked in his incredible tub until she feared she’d turn into a mermaid. Entirely wrinkly, she’d hauled herself from her new best friend and forced her boneless self into the bedroom.
A pretty, cream dress lay on the bed along with sparkly heels that she might have screeched over. But, as much as she liked the outfit, the bed was more enticing. After changing back into Blade’s shirt, she crawled under the sheets.