Maverick by Ellis Leigh

Author:Ellis Leigh [Leigh, Ellis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-944336-13-4
Publisher: Ellis Leigh

Maverick

The single sun of Earth wasn’t all the way over the horizon when I awoke. Stacy rested in my arms still, her head on my chest, her eyes closed and her breathing even. Asleep. Quiet.

Unmasked.

This was the female I’d wanted to see. The real one. She’d shown herself to me in flashes on our date, and I wanted more of that person.

I ran a finger down her cheek, unable to resist touching that soft, sweet-smelling skin. Her eyes blinked open as I reached her chin, and she smiled. That look devastated me.

I crooned for her. Again. Unable to hold back the purring sound of my people.

I had no idea what made me open my mouth, but when I did, the words that came out were not at all what I’d expected.

“I’m not who you think I am.”

She blinked but didn’t look surprised. “Neither am I.”

“I am not from Earth.”

No reaction. Just that same soft look in her eyes. “I knew something was different, but I didn’t expect that.”

“We weren’t allowed to tell.” I still wasn’t by Ampetheia’s rules. But if I was going to possibly claim this female as my mate, if I was going to ask her to stay unmasked with me, I needed to be able to do the same for her. No hiding for either of us.

Stacy stayed quiet for a long moment, eyes unfocused, hand still against my chest. But then she frowned. “Is Hudson like you as well?”

“Yes.”

“My sister still loves him.”

“And he loves her.”

She snuggled closer. “Okay, then.”

That was…too easy. “Okay, then?”

“Sure. My sister’s smart. Smarter than I’ll ever be. If she’s okay with the whole not-from-Earth thing, then I can be too.”

“That’s it?” I pushed her back so I could see her face. “No argument? No demands for information?”

“Maverick, do you know what these scars mean?” She rolled slightly, showing me what looked like wings along her back. I’d noticed them the night before, but I had been too worried about pleasing her and myself to ask. The harsh, dark pink lines stood out against her golden skin in the morning light. Undeniable marks from severe wounds. Obvious signs of a battle fought.

“No,” I said as I traced one around her ribs. “Tell me.”

“I had kan-sserr, which is a sickness.” My translator threw many images to define cancer, all of them ugly and hard. Whatever that particular threat was, I never wanted it near my mate again.

“I don’t like this kan-sserr.”

“Nobody does. Kan-sserr is a horrible, cruel disease that takes over your body and destroys you from the inside out. Mine spread to a few areas, one being here.” She grabbed my hand and settled it over her breast. “See the round scar? It’s not as easy to spot as the ones on my back.”

I traced the line in question, noticing another matching one on her other breast. A pale, near-perfect circle around the darkened area in the middle. “What is this from?”

“I had breast kan-sserr as a teenager. It’s super rare and hard to treat when you get it so young, but I got it.

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