Monsters After Dark: A Beastly Paranormal Romance Anthology by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reticent Desire Publications
Published: 2021-10-25T18:30:00+00:00

Krell and I lay in the ruins of my bunk, still wrapped around each other, our hearts racing as though we’d run a marathon. My throat hurt, raw from the screams of joy my alien lover had forced from me. I ached where his fingers had gripped tight enough to bruise. My muscles burned from exertion.

I’d never felt happier. If those minor pains were the price of sharing my bed with Krell, I’d pay it gladly. Though we’d run out of bunks to share in a hurry.

My laughter at that thought got Krell to open his eyes and raise a quizzical eyebrow. “What is so funny, Izzy?”

My heartbeat had just calmed down. His growling tone started it racing again, and my cheeks heated. “Nothing, really. I was just thinking about what I’m going to tell my family about this damage.”

I gestured helplessly at the broken bunk, the shredded bedclothes, the chaos we’d caused in our coupling. Krell looked around too, his face darkening. Was that a blush, or did it mean something different in his species? There was so much about him I didn’t know.

“You don’t need to tell them,” he said, speaking slowly as though feeling his way across a frozen lake and unsure if the ice would hold his words.

“Sure, I guess I can repair the bunk before I get home, but I don’t have the tools to do it well. They’ll notice, and even if they don’t, there’s nothing I can do about the sheets you tore. I’m just going to have to face the music.”

“No.” Krell spoke with such finality that I couldn’t help shutting up. “I did not mean you should conceal it from your kin. I meant…”

He trailed off there, the self-assurance with which he’d started speaking already gone by the time he finished. Muscles tensed under his skin, and I bit my lip, waiting for him to finish.

“I meant I will tell them.” Now his words came out fast, bitten off. As though he was afraid of my reaction, but that was ridiculous. This was a man who’d jumped from one ship to another without a spacesuit.

The silence between us stretched out, awkwardness filling the room. Krell’s forehead wrinkled, his lips tightening as he watched me. This mattered to him, and I swallowed, trying to find the right answer.

All that came to me was a question. “What do you want to say to my family?”

I winced at the sound of my voice. I’d tried for a calm and reassuring tone and hit nervous and breathless instead.

“That you are my mate, and if they object…” He paused there, visibly rephrasing his statement before continuing. “If they object, I will listen respectfully, but the decision is yours and mine, not theirs.”

I swallowed again, my cheeks burning and breath catching. It took no effort at all to understand what he’d intended to say—Krell would have no issue with fighting my family. Still, I was glad he’d stopped himself. As trouble filled as my relationship with my parents was, I wasn’t at the point of wishing harm on them.

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