The Alien’s Obsession by Zoey Draven

Chapter Eighteen

Kirov took a steadying breath, hurtling them towards Troxva in his hovercraft. The supplies and belongings that Kirov had loaded in beforehand were slowing their pace, but with luck, Vaxa’an wouldn’t realize that Lani was gone until late morning tomorrow.

Because eventually, Vixron would grow suspicious as to why she hadn’t emerged from her sleeping quarters. And the moment he found her gone, he would immediately alert Vaxa’an.

Whether the Prime Leader would immediately come after them or not, he didn’t know. They would reach Troxva hopefully before she was found missing and his longtime friend and warrior brother would try to hail him there on the Coms first.

Kirov would explain, but it wouldn’t make him regret capturing her and taking her right out from underneath Vaxa’an’s protection. She was his fated mate, whether she wanted to accept it or not.

Vaxa’an could strip him of his rank, take Troxva away, and exile him from Luxiria because of his actions, but Kirov would never regret it.

Lani was standing in the circle of his arms, like a couple nights ago, pressed between his body and the control panel. There was still much to be said between them and Kirov knew that once she realized they were going the opposite direction of the mountain ranges, she would be furious.

But Kirov would take her fury. He would absorb it and bury it inside him until she understood.

He’d been surprised when she’d showed up at his window and he was still wary about what she wished to discuss with him. Especially once she found out he deceived her.

Fabric whipped around his legs and he looked down, his Instinct purring its approval seeing her in a traditional Luxirian dress. It was a deep, deep blue that contrasted beautifully with her red hair. Her skin appeared luminous against the rich, dark color.

“Where did you get this?” he murmured down to her, running his fingers down one of the straps, eliciting a shiver from her.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, her body certainly recognized Kirov as her mate.

They hadn’t spoken a single word since they left until now and Kirov longed to hear her voice.

“Kate,” she responded, tilting her head up to look back at him.

He tried to read her expression, wondering what seemed different about her. But something was different and it wasn’t just the dress. There was a softness in her gaze that hadn’t been there before.

“Do you like it?” she asked, her voice shy and hesitant, like she wanted him to like it, like she wanted to please him.

“Tev,” he said. “It is beautiful.”

Once they reached Troxva, he would have a couple dozen more made for her from the best seamstress in the outpost.

His female flushed in pleasure and they dropped back into silence.

They had only been flying for another handful of moments before Lani began looking around at the landscape, her neck turning, searching for something that was familiar to her and finding nothing.

“Um, shouldn’t we be there by now?” she questioned, confusion infused in her tone. “Where are we? Are we going somewhere else?”

Kirov inhaled a slow breath. He looked over his shoulder and could no longer see the Golden City in the distance. They were out of sight and safe for the night.

“Kirov,” Lani said, squirming in his arms to face him.

She looked up at him and Kirov saw the exact moment she realized what was happening. Her eyes flickered over to the travel sacks he’d loaded into the hovercraft and she gasped, her lips parting, her eyes darting to his.

“We…we’re not going to the meadow, are we?” she asked slowly, her neck craned up to confront him directly.

He might all well tell her right then, though she already knew.

“Nix, female,” he said, just as slowly. “We are not going to the meadow.”

“You…” she blinked, her eyes widening, and then that familiar spark of anger lit her gaze. “You just kidnapped me without me knowing it! You’re taking me to Troxva, aren’t you?”

He exhaled an impatient breath. “You are hardly a child, so nix, I did not do this ‘kidnapping’ to you.”

“That—that’s not the point,” she returned. “Oh my God. I can’t believe you. You had me thinking you weren’t even going to say goodbye and you were planning to take me all along, weren’t you?”

Kirov would not deny it. “Tev, I was always coming for you this night. You just showed up at my window first, saving me the trip.”

Lani’s mouth dropped open. “You—you—ugh!”

Kirov looked over her head, to the stars, to his Coms on the control panel, ensuring they were on a direct path for Troxva before he turned on the auto-pilot mode.

If they flew through the night, they would reach his outpost by mid-morning, possibly later, depending on how much drag they experienced with the load he was hauling back.

“You wish to fight about this,” he said. “I am prepared for it.”

“You could have, oh, I don’t know…asked!”

Kirov narrowed his eyes.

“You made it quite clear that you saw no future for us,” he bit out and something flashed in Lani’s eyes. Something that looked like…guilt. “So, nix, I did not ask. I acted, because I already knew what your answer would be.”

“It doesn’t make it okay,” she said, though some of the indignant anger had lessened in her voice. She inhaled a long breath. “You can’t make big decisions like this without consulting me. I’ve felt terrible all night and all day and here you were, planning to take me to Troxva whether I wanted to go or not.”

“Your place is with me,” he growled. “Until you realize that, I will be making more decisions like this when it concerns you, when it concerns us.”

Lani’s eyes flared, her nostrils flared, and her mouth tightened.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered, turning back around to face the control panel, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kirov cursed under his breath, running a hand over his horn. He felt like he was losing his goddamn mind. Ever since last night, he’d felt…unhinged.

“Female…” he said, softening his tone, reaching out to touch a lock of her hair.

“No,” she said, her tone clipped. “I’m mad at you. We will talk later once I calm down.”

Kirov blew out a breath, but he knew that she needed time. She would forgive him eventually.

She had to.

Turning from her, he crouched down in front of one of the travel sacks he’d loaded and shook out a fur blanket he’d packed from his sleeping platform.

He approached her and carefully draped it around her shoulders, wanting to keep her warm during their journey at the very least. He doubted she would let him hold her at this point.

“Thank you,” she sniffed, her tone remaining like steel, her back straight and still. But for some reason, as he watched her pull the blanket tighter, Kirov fought back a small grin.

“You are welcome, female.”