3013: UNITY: A 3013 Novella, стр. 7
Fuck that, he should pull her into his arms and never let go.
The only problem with that was he couldn’t fucking move.
“I am Vesera Lyrica Snowden, and this is my royal guard, Alden Cloudspear. Thank you for welcoming us to your world.”
Her softly spoken words seemed to stroke over his skin, marking him in some sort of intangible way. It made him even more sure that she was his keeper.
Lyrica.
Her name was as lovely as she was.
Gabriel opened his mouth to respond with his own greeting, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, his mouth snapped shut and his jaw clenched. He struggled to hold back a shout as searing pain swept through him, almost making him double over.
What the fuck was happening?
Unsure of the answer to that question, he tried to brace himself as another wave of intense pain swept through him. Fuck, that hurt. It felt like something was trying to turn him inside out. He squeezed his eyes shut when his vision wavered, and he fought down the nausea that rolled through him. Forcing his body to comply, he opened his eyes again and sought out Lyrica.
“Gabriel?” Harris whispered next to him. “Hey, you okay?”
No, he wasn’t okay.
His keeper was trying to kill him.
Chapter Three
“Well, this is certainly unexpected,” Lyrica whispered, sheer joy in every word as she stared into the eyes of her mate.
The other half of her soul.
As soon as the door to the space cruiser had opened, Lyrica had immediately been drawn to the big, handsome male standing in front of the little group waiting for them. And when her gaze had met his, she had immediately known that he was her soulmate. The revelation had been so shocking she had almost tripped over her own feet. Sheer will had kept her on her feet, and the magnetic connection that she felt between them had pulled her toward him.
After her conversation with Alden, she had finally been able to get some sleep. Surprisingly, the strange dreams that had plagued her for most of their trip had been absent. At least, as far as she could remember. She had woken feeling refreshed and filled with excitement. The buzz of anticipation had almost driven her crazy as she had prepared for their arrival.
When they had gotten close to Earth, Lyrica and Alden had received a message that the Commanders of the Capital, Gabriel Titan and Harris Ferraro, would be waiting for them on the surface. She’d had no idea which commander her mate was until the male next to him had whispered his name.
Gabriel.
She was extremely attracted to him, but that was no surprise. The gods had blessed him with a raw masculine beauty that took her breath away. His face was made up of sharp, angular features, and his iridescent blue eyes indicated that his genetics might not be completely human. He was a tall male, with gorgeous dark skin and extremely short black hair. His uniform was molded against his muscular body, and she longed to run her hands over every inch of him.
While the other males present were also impressive specimens, there was something special that set Gabriel apart from the rest. He had the commanding presence and an air of authority that would have made him stand out in any crowd. She noticed the others deferred to him, not speaking or moving as they waited for his direction. Lyrica wasn’t too pleased that the two females were standing so close to her mate, and she briefly considered using magic to put some distance between them.
Jealousy was a new emotion for her, though she was slightly mollified by the way his attention stayed on her. Besides, using magic on the humans as soon as she stepped foot on their planet wouldn’t exactly win their trust.
Alden had waved his hand, weaving a simple spell so their words would not be overheard or carried on the wind. “This is a problem.”
Unable to take her gaze off of her mate, she murmured, “This is destiny. He is mine.”
“And the other is mine.”
“Oh, Alden, how wonderful!”
“Did you know?” The suspicion in his voice would have offended her if he didn’t sound so vulnerable.
“I had no idea,” she assured him. “It was fate.”
Somehow, fate had sent them on a journey that had led them both directly to their soulmates. Destiny could be a wonderous thing, but that didn’t mean it was always logical or easy to explain.
A low, animalistic growl had her turning back toward her mate. Gabriel’s tense, angry expression eased as soon as her gaze met his again. Had he really made that sound?
Was it odd that she’d thought it was incredibly sexy?
That was it. She had officially lost her mind.
After she introduced herself, she struggled to figure out what else to say. Did she come right out and claim him? Tell him exactly who and what he was to her? As far as she knew, humans didn’t sense their mates. If her information was correct, most of them didn’t even believe in fate.
But Gabriel wasn’t just human.
His iridescent blue eyes marked him as being part D’Aire, which was a race she was hoping to learn more about. She wasn’t sure if he knew they were mates, but she knew he felt something. The proof was there right in front of her. While Gabriel now wore a stoic expression, she somehow sensed his emotional chaos. She wondered if he felt the same mixture of