Jorik

      She turned bright red and her smile faded a bit as she turned away from me and found some busy work behind the counter.

      I’d pushed her far enough for one day, I supposed. My beast growled in disagreement as I moved to sit down in a seat in the corner, far from both her and the door. I turned my chair so I could pretend not to notice as her glance wandered to me over and over. My beast fought me, hard, but I was not an animal. Not yet. I didn’t want her afraid.

      I wanted her hungry. Hot. Ready for my touch and my cock.

      That first day, she’d offered me a hand-held food cone filled with vanilla ice cream. The next day, chocolate. Each day I visited, she gave me a new flavor. After weeks of visiting, I hadn’t tried all the possibilities. I didn’t give a shit about them. All I cared about was seeing her smile at my arrival, the brush of our fingers as she passed me the dessert which was meant to offer cooling relief from the hot Florida air.

      I wouldn’t cool. Not until she was mine. Until I sank into her, filled her with my seed. Claimed her.

      I was content. For now. We talked; each day I learned more about her. An only child, she had lived in Florida her entire life. Her parents were dead, although she didn’t share details of their demise. The ice cream store was not hers, she was the manager. Her dream was to own her own store, rather than work for another, although I learned she did not have the wealth to follow that passion.

      This made her vulnerable. Working for another. Dependent on that human’s attitude or whim. I did not like knowing my female was at the mercy of another for survival.

      No. I would win her. Claim her. I would take care of her.

      If she’d have me.

      But not here. We could not mate and live on Earth. The human government would not allow such a union. She would need to be willing to leave Earth behind forever. Her life. Her neighbor’s orange cat, whose photo was taped to the wall behind the register. I had discovered the creature was called Pumpkin—named after an Earth vegetable of the same color.

      The fact that a scratching, hissing creature that killed small mammals and birds would be her favorite pet gave me hope that she could learn to love my beast as well.

      If not for Gabriela—I loved knowing her name and rolled it around in my mind—I had no reason to return to Atlan. A few cousins were all the family I had. The promise of wealth and riches, estates awarded to a Warlord who had been lucky enough to survive both the Hive and his Mating Fever. I would be wealthy, if I returned home. I could care for her on Atlan, make her happy. Give her a palace and fine clothes, servants to clean the dishes, rather than see her hands rough and reddened from such hard work. I wanted to give her enough money to pursue her passion now. Here. But I had none. I was not paid in Earth funds and Atlan currency was meaningless here. We were given an odd, striped plastic card that the human retailers accepted for payments.

      Money or not, her dreams became mine. I wanted to fulfill her desires. I knew. My beast knew.

      She was mine and I would have her.

      Nothing would stand in my way.

      Content to simply be in the same space with her, I enjoyed the sensation of the cold little candy bears heating in my mouth and sticking to my teeth. We had nothing like this ice cream treat on Atlan, and I discovered a liking for the shocking combination of freeze and sweetness exploding on my tongue. I relaxed, exactly where I wanted to be.

      The human criminal did not check the corner when he entered the store with the small weapon in his hand.

      It would be his last mistake.

      Humans called the primitive projectile firing weapon a gun. It was basic. Prone to misfiring. Loud and had limited range and shooting capabilities.

      All in all, the small silver metal weapon was inferior in every way. But it could kill my female.

      Gabriela saw him at once, and the look on my sweet female’s face as she stood behind the machine that held Earth money made my beast surge forward before I even thought to regain control. Her cheeks, usually flushed pink, went pale. Her eyes were wide and held fear. Her body shook and not with laughter.

      I noticed this in the blink of an eye. The door was close to her position. Too close. In less than a second, the male gripped her shoulder with one hand. In the other, he held the gun to her forehead. They both stood behind the low counter where she normally accepted payment from customers.

      Tall, for an Earth male, dark hair peeked out from his billed hat. An oversized T-shirt only accentuated how thin he was. I could snap him like a twig. Blue pants worn by most humans drooped about his waist. Markings covered both his arms. Tattoos, I’d learned, with odd pictures and images on them. He was much larger than Gabriela, his grip sure, his intent obvious.

      “Jorik!” she cried, her eyes widening as I approached. She was quaking, trying to tilt her head away from the gun. “Run.”

      Run? As in leave? Now? With her like this? Being threatened? My fists clenched at the thought of her trying to save me. Me! While I was dressed in my Coalition uniform, I wasn’t armed. But I didn’t need a weapon to help her.

      His gun was nothing like an ion pistol, but I knew it could kill, especially pressed to her head. Earth was a primitive place. Without ReGen wands or pods, people died from bullet wounds all the time. My Gabriela could not survive such an injury.

      My beast rose and I felt myself growing bigger, taller. Broader. This… this… asshole threatened what was mine?

      When he saw me, his eyes widened.

      I grinned. He might think to intimidate a small female, but he was no match for me. He could empty the entire contents of his primitive weapon into my body, and unless he blew a hole in my head, I’d still tear him in two.

      “You