Samantha snickered. “I know this isn’t the time, but…his name is Murgen the durgan? Does that sound ridiculous to anyone else here?”
“Murgen the durgan,” Arc echoed, grinning. “You’re right. It has a certain comedic ring to it, doesn’t it?”
Drakkal couldn’t argue that, but it wasn’t enough to ease his agitation. He needed to leave, to hunt, but how could he? The terran was one person in a sprawling city of billions. His first encounter with her had been so improbable as to have been nearly impossible, and the chances of another meeting were infinitesimal.
“Sorry, Drak.” Sam’s voice broke his thoughts. Her face was troubled, her concern genuine. “What happened?”
“I rescued a female terran from a fucking zoo,” Drakkal replied, struggling to keep his tone as even as possible, “and she took my gun and used it to rob me.”
Arcanthus lifted a hand to his face and covered his mouth. Mirth gleamed in all three of his eyes.
Drakkal jabbed a finger at Arc. “Don’t.”
Arcanthus shifted his hand, revealing one corner of his upturned lips. “But it’s so hard not to.”
“Kraasz ka’val, at least make an effort!”
Arc’s tongue slipped out to run over his upper lip. “Was this one of those mythical three-meter-tall terrans? Did she overpower little Drakkal?”
Drakkal halted his pacing, spun toward Arcanthus, and roared, “She’s my mate!”
Samantha and Arcanthus stared at him with wide eyes and slack jaws. Drakkal’s thundering heartbeat and ragged breaths rose in volume to fill the ensuing silence. Slowly, his frustration shifted, altering into a combination of despair and a crushing sense of helplessness. He clenched his fists, resisting those emotions. He wouldn’t allow himself to fall into that state of mind.
“That’s…an unexpected twist,” Arcanthus finally said. “Was this some sort of strange azheran foreplay? She steals from you, you track her down, then make love?”
“Yeah. Nothing turns me on like walking naked throughthe fucking Gilded Sector. She has no ID chip, and she’s not going to appear in any registries or databases. I don’t even have a name for her.”
“Oh. Well, we all face challenges.”
Samantha smacked Arc’s chest and glared at him.
Arcanthus winced and rubbed the spot she’d hit. “All right,sorry. I’m only teasing in what I can assure you is good nature.”
“Good,” Drakkal said, resuming his pacing. “Then it shouldn’t upset you to know that Murgen isn’t a customer anymore and the deal was cancelled.”
Arcanthus’s expression sobered. “What?”
Drakkal drew in a deep breath through his nostrils and told Arcanthus and Samantha everything—from his arrival at Murgen’s manor to his bare-assed walk to his hovercar.
When the story was done, Arcanthus sat with the bridge of his nose pinched between a forefinger and thumb. “That’s…”
“A blow to your precious reputation?” Drakkal suggested drily.
“Well, yes, but I was going to sayunfortunate. Had I known about the whole slaves being kept in a zoo thing, I’d never have agreed to do business with him.”
“And Drakkal would never have known his mate existed,” Samantha said.
Arcanthus sighed. “What happened todon’t be stupid?”
“Did you ever once listen to that when you were after Samantha?” Drakkal asked.
“I thought about it, even if I didn’t always obey.”
Drakkal grunted and dropped back onto the couch. He lifted his right hand and dragged his fingers through his mane. “You never obeyed. But it was me who messed up this time.”
“Are you sure she’s your mate?” Arcanthus asked.
Drakkal tipped his head back and turned his unfocused eyes toward the ceiling. He’d felt lust before, had felt attraction,had once even mistakenly thought himself in love…but all of that was nothing compared to what he felt now. This desire, this consuming need, this instant obsession, it was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.