Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
The keywords in her comment catch my attention. She hasn’t seen overprotective and controlling yet. I don’t care what her father did up until tonight to keep her under his thumb. What she will have with me won’t even come close to resembling that relationship, but overprotective and controlling are my middle names.
It’s time to ease my mate’s nerves, so I slide one hand down to hers, lift her fingers to my lips, and hold her gaze as I kiss the tip of her pointer before piercing it with my quill.
“Ouch.” She tries to pull her hand out of my grasp, but I hold tight and prick the next two fingers in quick succession.
“What are you doing?”
“There’s a tiny quill behind my front teeth. I can use it to inject you with my serum. It will calm you.”
Her breathing relaxes as I speak. That’s how fast my essence works on her. She frowns. “I don’t like it. Don’t do it again.”
I smile. “That’s not for you to decide, Little one. Papi will prick your soft skin anytime I think it’s necessary.”
“Papi? You told my friends your name was Zingerrr.”
“Zingar,” I say, correcting her pronunciation a bit. “That is my name, but you will call me Papi, Little one. It’s customary among my people for our mates to call us Papi.”
She clears her throat. “Are you really going to take me to your planet?”
“Yes, Little one. We’re going upstairs to my apartment now. We’ll spend some time together before a pod comes to take us to the mothership. Once we’re there, the ship doctor will examine you to clear you for the trip. We’ll most likely be on a transport vessel headed for Eleadia before your father wakes up in the morning.”
“I’m scared.”
“I know you are. That’s normal. I’d be concerned if you weren’t. Shall we go upstairs now?” She doesn’t really have a choice, but I don’t want to make her feel even more trapped than she already does.
She glances over her shoulder toward the door. “Mary is probably freaking out.”
“Zack will make sure she gets home safely.”
Bailey leans into me, her small arms coming around my neck. “I feel strange,” she mutters.
“Your body is aligning with mine. You’ll feel closer and closer to me every minute, Little one.” I tuck an arm under her bottom and stand, lifting her into the air. Her feet dangle far from the floor as I hold her against me at eye level.
She leans her cheek against my neck as I turn to exit Zack’s office and reenter the club. I walk fast along the wall until I reach the door that leads to the elevators. Seconds later, we’re alone again in the hallway.
“It was loud in there,” Bailey whispers.
I chuckle. “Yes, Baby girl. Very loud. I’ve been here waiting for you for four nights. That music was very strange to my ears.”
She leans back to look at me as I step into the elevator. “Waiting for me?”
“Yes, Little one. Fate chose you for me. You were always mine, the one I came to Earth to find. It was just a matter of time before you came to Club Zoom so I could claim you.”
Her brow furrows. “You think Fate is a real thing?”
“I know it is.” The doors open again, and I step out into my temporary apartment, holding my girl close. “For my people, it’s very obvious. The second you stepped into the club, I inhaled your scent and knew you were mine. For humans that sensation is so foreign that you’re struggling to grasp what you’re feeling. Over time, you will understand.”
I move to an armchair and sit, angling my Little girl so she’s seated sideways on my lap.
She lowers her gaze. “This chair is huge.”
I smile. “All of the furniture in this apartment is larger. I’m seven and a half feet tall.”
“Are all of you really that tall?”
I nod. “Yes, and our homes are proportionately larger than the ones on Earth.” I don’t tell her that she won’t be permitted to climb on the furniture without me. She’s not ready for that information.
I’ve often privately snickered at how overprotective my friends are with their Little girls. Now that I’ve found my own, I understand. She’s already so precious to me that I grasp the need to instill dozens of rules to keep her safe.
“Tell me about your father, Little one,” I encourage. I want to know everything about her. Now is a good time to start. The next few hours will be challenging as I introduce her to customs she will undoubtedly balk at.
She sighs. “My mother died when I was a baby, so it’s always been just the two of us. He’s very strict.”
“He won’t like finding out you went to Club Zoom, I guess.”
“No. He will lose his mind when I don’t answer his phone call in the morning. He’ll come to the dorm to look for me and probably wake up the entire building when he finds me gone.” She shudders.