3. Aldyn

Chapter 3

Aldyn

D enya .

I didn’t get a good enough look at her when I first walked into the store, but once I got close, the recognition tore through me.

My mate.

The one person in all of the worlds, all of the galaxies, who could save my life. Of course, that life hadn’t been in such immediate danger until a few moments ago. I didn’t know what sort of tool the alien who had us trapped was using, but I didn’t like it. I had seen a lot of things in my twenty-eight years but never this.

Not exactly.

Force field? Sure. Teleporters? Of course. But some kind of tool that could knock people unconscious from a distance? No. That was something different altogether. And I didn’t like it. There was no use giving him the benefit of the doubt. This guy wanted to hurt us.

But he hadn’t yet caught my denya.

No, she was in my arms. Quivering. Quaking. She was scared, and it was all my fault.

Shame washed through me. But if I let her go I was afraid she was going to scream and give us both away before we could find a way out of the store. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the feel of her body pressed against mine.

I had to find out her name. Was it so much to ask? She was beautiful. Human. With deep brown eyes and dark hair hidden by a cap. I couldn’t help myself as my free hand reached up and removed it, freeing the silken strands. They wove around my fingers as if they had a life of their own.

I wanted her laid out on my bed.

But I couldn’t think of that now. Not when we were in such danger. Not when the alien holding us captive could find us at any moment. Would she scream if I let her go? Was she going to help me get out of this mess?

She was my mate. I trusted that she was capable. No mate of mine would give up so easily. It took a certain inner strength to be mated to a Detyen. We had problems of our own.

Most of those problems were solved by the mating. But she didn’t know about that yet. She was human.

It was a miracle that humans could be our mates. My species, the Detyens, had only found that out in the last few years. But it was why so many of my people had flocked to Earth.

In the two years since I had moved here I hadn’t even gotten a hint of recognition. I had begun to give up hope.

Despite the dire situation, hope was all I could feel now.

But she had to work with me first. We had to figure a way out of here. I didn’t want us to become victims of the alien that was holding us captive.

I wanted to know her name.

“Don’t scream.”