Mission: Guardian Angel (Veslor Mates Book 2) Read online

  Roth stood and held out his hand in the Earth way of greeting. “Commander Bills spoke of you.”

  The human clasped Roth’s hand firmly and gave it a shake. “He spoke of you, too, and the kind of despicable treatment you’ve had to endure so far since you were assigned here.” Anger took over the male’s face. “I wish I were twenty years younger. I’d beat the tar out of Bradley for how he treated all of you. It gives everyone in the fleet a bad name when someone breaks the rules and takes advantage of their rank to cause misery to others. I’ve been around long enough to remember why the fleet was formed. It was for this kind of opportunity, to work with other species and build stronger alliances. Some humans think we’re the superior race but the truth is, we learned we’re small potatoes in the scheme of things once we took to space. I’m happy to work with the big boys.”

  Gnaw cleared his throat. “Do humans believe we are youths? Your kind has called us boys before. We’re fully matured.”

  Roth growled a warning at him.

  Clark chuckled. “Sorry. Earth speak. Boys is another term we use for men in the fleet. For example, ‘me and the boys like to drink beers.’ That kind of thing. It implies camaraderie.” He glanced at all of them again. “You’re definitely all fully matured. If you were kids, you’d be the ones kicking everyone’s asses on the playground.”

  Drak liked the male, despite not being certain of what all his words meant. Playgrounds were for games. Not fights. He didn’t ask for clarification, though. Humans were strange creatures at times.

  “Would you like to eat with us?” Roth retook his seat.

  Clark sat but didn’t grab food first. “I already ate, but I’d love to get to know all of you. I’m going to be your personal pilot from now on, too, besides being the one assigning your duties. I used to be a tactical team leader in my twenties and thirties but I got too old to fight. My aching joints were kicking my ass more so than whatever enemy I was taking on. I’m a hell of a pilot, though. Not to toot my own horn but I always fly Commander Bills if he’s in the mood to get close to some fighting. Not that he does often anymore. That’s for younger people. Aging sucks.”

  “Why?” Gnaw appeared confused.

  “Aching body parts comes with age in humans. So…I should tell you a little about myself. I’ve never been married…no woman wanted to take me on longer than a few months. I’ve been with the fleet for twenty-six years. When I hit my thirtieth-year mark, I’m going to retire to a nice little colony I have picked out. The weather’s always pleasant there, and it’s become the place to go.” The human grinned. “I hear there’s a lot of single ladies, too. I’m hoping an older one might move in with me once I’m planted in one spot.”

  “You want to find a mate?” Drak asked.

  Clark nodded. “That’s what you call married, right? We won’t be having kids, though. I’ll be a few months shy of turning fifty when I retire. That’s for the younger people too.” He waved toward his lap. “The equipment still works great but I don’t want to be chasing little ones around. That’s why I want to find someone near my age.”

  Gnaw leaned closer. “Does your rod stop working after a certain age with humans?” He pointed at his lap to show what he meant.

  “Sometimes.” Clark laughed. “Rod, huh? We call it a dick. The doctors can fix most problems but I don’t want kids. I have a younger brother who has seven of them. He looks way older than me. I think it was all that chasing and stress from raising two boys and five girls.”

  “That’s interesting,” Roth replied.

  “What about you boys? Are any of you wanting a mate? I read your files. It says you’re all currently single.”

  Roth took that question. “Goupings such as ours have a difficult time finding mates.”

  “Why is that?” Clark appeared genuinely interested.

  Gnaw answered him. “We’re fighters who travel often. Our females prefer males who remain in one place. It’s important to them to keep a stable home for cubs. They also believe it isn’t healthy moving them from place to place or living on ships in space.”

  “That’s relatable.” Clark nodded. “We aren’t that different. No woman wanted to fly all over the place with me, either. It’s tough on them. They want to stick close to family and such. Out here in space, it’s all about who you’re working with and the excitement of the next assignments.”

  Drak noticed the moment Abby entered the cafeteria. She glanced around, met his gaze, and smiled. He stood as she approached. She came right to him and touched his arm.

  “I told you that I’d find you later.”

  He remembered his manners. “This is Clark Yenna, Abby.”

  She turned to give the other human a nod. “I’ve heard good things about you from the commander.”

  “You must be Abby Thomas.” Clark stood and offered her his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Thomas. Glad you made it back safely.”

  Drak didn’t like it when they shook hands. No male should be touching her, but he muted the growl that wanted to burst forth because it was an Earth custom. Veslors didn’t like it when other males touched a female they were interested in, and she’d agreed to let him bare part of his body to her.

  Roth shot him a warning look. Drak understood. They were amongst humans who didn’t understand their ways. He gave a sharp nod to say he understood and wouldn’t attack the male. Clark wasn’t challenging him for Abby’s interest by touching her. It didn’t mean that Drak liked it, though.

  He put his arm around her waist and sat, drawing her onto his lap. That would make it clear to everyone around them that he had a current claim on her.

  Abby flashed him a curious glance but didn’t protest.

  Clark glanced between them and arched his white eyebrows. It created wrinkles on his forehead.

  “Drak and I are very close. He saved my life.” Abby adjusted her body where she perched his lap, getting more comfortable, and then put her arm around his neck, resting her hand on his other shoulder. Her expression grew serious as she stared at Clark. “I should warn you that I’m very protective of Drak and this grouping. Howard swore you’re a great guy who he trusts, but please know I’ll be watching everything. That’s why Rogers is in deep shit. I believe in blunt honesty, Mr. Yenna. There it is. He fucked with them. I busted his balls. You fuck with them in any way, I’ll become your worst nightmare.”

  Clark’s eyes widened but then he laughed. “I like you, Miss Thomas. You’re direct. I’ll be the same. I’m nothing like that slime ball. I heard what Rogers did—all of it. My priority is keeping these boys safe and treating them fairly. You have my word, but you feel free to watch away. I think you’ll be impressed.”

  “You do use a lot of ball terms,” Drak whispered.

  Abby chuckled, turning her head to grin at him. It put her lips very close to his. He glanced at them, the urge to taste them strong, but he resisted. Instead, he peered into her green eyes. They were so beautiful.

  “We do.” She glanced around the table at his grouping, before addressing Clark again. “I came to help them get situated with a decent living situation.”

  Clark’s face scrunched as he looked at Abby. “What’s wrong with their current one?”

  “You mean the one-bedroom cabin they’ve been forced to share since they arrived?”

  “Son of bitch,” Clark sputtered. “Are you shitting me?”

  “I wish I were. I spent a few hours today with the department that assigns cabins. On record, the Veslors were assigned to four different cabins, but the logs only show they’ve accessed one since their arrival. That’s the kind of bullshit Rogers has put them through since.”

  Abby glanced at Roth. “I’ve set up a tour for your grouping to see one of the unused family suites on deck four. They contain three bedrooms with two bathrooms. There’s a fourth room used for an office space. It’s the size of a bedroom, but it doesn’t have a closet. That room does have a door for privacy, though. I’ll also show you four si