Chapter 10

Chigs took stock of Dafari as Emmy led him by the hand to her ex-fiancé's table. The man's artfully mussed blonde hair flopped rakishly over his forehead, and he wore a simple yet immaculate tunic emblazoned with a black and silver Syndicorp logo. He was chatting with the waitress, who beamed at him with obvious flirtation. She laughed and tapped her fingertips against his shoulder before turning away.

Dafari leaned close to his red-headed companion and muttered something, then caught sight of Emmy and Chigs approaching. He seemed to only have eyes for Emmy, and a slow, appreciative smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

You can't have her. The thought came unbidden, but the jealousy burning a hole in Chigs's chest was real. Emmy was amazing. Everything a man could want in a mate, from her generosity and kindness to the undeniable passion smoldering beneath her kiss. Chigs still had a hard-on from their embrace on the dance floor. And the way Dafari was looking at her now made Chigs want to pound the man's supercilious face into mush.

Dafari rose as they drew near, his ice-blue eyes roving suggestively over Emmy's lush curves. "You look more ravishing than ever, Emmy."

"Still a flatterer, I see," replied Emmy, rewarding the man with a small smile. Chigs's fists clenched involuntarily. He knew she was acting, but the thought of her being taken in by Dafari's saccharine charm made his stomach roil.

Dafari grinned in response before turning to thrust a hand toward Chigs. "I'm Dafari."

Chigs accepted Dafari's handshake, squeezing a bit harder than necessary. "Charles Montegue. Emmy's husband."

To his credit, Dafari didn't wince, though he did flex his fingers slightly as he lowered back into his seat.

The red-haired woman extended a hand to Emmy. "I'm Irina. It's good to finally meet you, Emmy. Dafari's told me so much about you."

"Really? Nothing bad, I hope?" Emmy replied with surprising lightness.

"Not at all," the other woman laughed and cut Dafari a reproachful glance. "Sometimes I think he regrets ending it with you."

Emmy's eyebrows shot up and her cheeks pinkened. Clearing her throat, she put a hand to her chest as if flattered. "I'm not sure what to say to that."

Chigs didn't like where this was going. Holding Emmy's chair for her while she sat down, he asked, "Would you like a drink, peanut?"

"A glass of wine would be great," she said.

"I've got this," inserted Dafari, flagging down a nearby finofan server. "A bottle of Chardonnay for the table and an order of calamari." He smiled at Chigs with a challenge in his eyes as the finofan scurried off. "Emmy loves calamari."

Chigs scowled. Maybe a well-aimed punch to the jaw wouldn't be so out of line, after all. He moved his chair close to Emmy's and put an arm around her shoulders. "Emmy loves a lot of things."

Dafari smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "So, how did you two meet?"

"At a bar like this one. I heard her laugh from across the room and knew she was someone special," Chigs beamed at Emmy with full admiration. "It was love at first sight."

"We're on our honeymoon," Emmy said with a nervous laugh, then looked at Irina. "What about you two? How long have you been dating?"

Chigs wondered if she was jealous of the other woman. Might Emmy might still harbor feelings for Dafari? The mere thought of her getting tangled up with this qumli again made him see red.

Irina was explaining how a mutual friend at her lab had introduced her to Dafari. "We've only been dating for a month, I think."

"So, you two work together?" asked Emmy.

Dafari eyed her over the rim of his wine glass. "No. I moved on not long after you left."

"Why?" Emmy asked, a little too eagerly. "I thought you were determined to become the lead researcher for that project."

Chigs squeezed her shoulder gently, hoping she understood his unspoken hint to take it slower. She continued staring at her ex intently.

Irina shot Dafari a warning glare and set down her glass. "Let's not discuss work," she said, her voice soft but clear. "It's my first night out in weeks and I'd rather not spoil it with shop talk." Turning a smile on Emmy, she said, "Tell us, what do you two like to do for fun?"

Without waiting for an answer, the woman began recounting a story about a recent trip she and Dafari had taken to the finofan moon. Dafari joined right in, describing their float trip through an underground river system and the exotic creatures they'd seen.

Chigs wasn't great at using his ionic power to sense another person's heartbeat, but he could feel Emmy's pulse racing. He recalled Emmy saying Dafari never had time to travel when they were together. Now it was like the qumli was trying to rub it in her face. Chigs cracked his jaw. If Dafari's no longer with the project, then this conversation is useless. The mission had turned into a dead end.

"Peanut, we're going to miss the sunset if we don't go now," Chigs said, interrupting one of Dafari's long-winded recounts. He stood and pulled Emmy to her feet, smiling blandly at Dafari. "Thanks for the drink. Perhaps we'll add Finofan to the end of our honeymoon."

Dafari shot to his feet and hurried around the table. "It was great to see you again, Emmy."

It looked as if he was about to hug her, and Chigs felt a growl swell in his chest. He snagged Dafari's hand, forcing the man to back up a step. "Good to put a name to the face, Dafari."

Dafari returned the grip with a firmness that rivaled his own. "Charles." His gaze tracked toward the holo-projector at Chigs's throat, settling there a moment too long. "Good to meet you, too."

Hearts beating double time, Chigs quickly guided Emmy away from the restaurant, forcing himself to keep his gaze focused straight ahead. Did the man suspect something? If Dafari looked hard enough into Chigs's fabricated background, he was bound to find inconsistencies. The entire mission could go sideways in a heartbeat.

As soon as he and Emmy were alone in the elevator to their suite, he turned to her. "I think we've been compromised. We should pack up and leave immediately."

"What do you mean?"

"He looked right at my holo-projector. I think he suspects something."

Emmy's shoulders relaxed, and she laughed. "He was probably just sizing you up. Dafari's very competitive, especially when it comes to women." Her laughter cut off and regret washed over her lovely features. "I'm sorry we didn't get any information that could help us find your mate."

His stomach tightened as he realized he hadn't even been thinking about his mate. He just wanted to get Emmy as far away from here as possible.

The door to the honeymoon suite slid open, and Emmy stepped ahead of him into the soft, post-sunset light flowing in from the suite's balcony doors. The way the pink light bathed her curves took his breath away, and when she turned to him, he was captivated. She'd just faced down the source of a painful memory on his behalf. And here she was, still more concerned about him than herself. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had made him feel so cared for.

As he gazed into Emmy's eyes, his certainty that his dream was a divine calling wavered. What if his interpretation was wrong? The longer he spent with Emmy, the more uncertain he became. It felt like there was something between them, something that would cease to exist if he followed the path ahead.

Ellam Cua, guide me!He was beginning to doubt this entire mission.

He disengaged the holo-projector and ran a hand through his beard. "We're only here because of a vision. I'm wondering if it was only a dream after all."

"Don't discount your dream just yet," Emmy said, hurrying to retrieve her data pad from her luggage. "The SAC units you saw exist—I saw them myself, remember? Before we give up, I'll try to reach out to some of my other colleagues here on Aleigh." She plopped onto the chaise lounge, kicking off her sandals and drawing one bare foot up under her as she perused her contact list.

The sundress she wore left her shoulders bare, and the gentle curls of her hair fanned across her creamy skin. Chigs wanted to run his fingers through it, to press his nose against her throat and inhale her sweetness, to explore the softness of her curves. I'm going to do it.

The thought rocked him to the core. Was he actually ready to abandon his vision?

He thought back to the way Emmy had kissed him, how her mouth had opened to his prodding, and her heartbeat had raced against his. On the dance floor, she'd clung to him like she'd meant it. It couldn't all be an act, could it? She had to feel it, too. There was something between them.

He stepped closer to her, his hearts thudding like drums in his chest. "Emmy, I need to tell you something…"