“Surely he’s kidding,” I grumble.
“I don’t think so.” Mia nods toward the women John is now talking to. He has collected all their waivers, and he is literally quizzing them.
“Shit,” I mutter as I dip my head and start skimming.
Five minutes later, he’s back. He takes our waivers and looks them over before returning his gaze to us. “Do you understand the risks involved in entering Club Zoom?”
“Yes.” I’m not going to be snarky with John. I don’t want him to kick us out before we’ve even had a chance to see a single hot guy.
His expression is serious as he asks us, “What happens if you’re chosen by an Eleadian male?”
“We get whisked off this planet far, far away and never have to return.” Okay, maybe I am going to be snarky with John.
He smirks. “Is that something you’re looking forward to?”
I shrug. “It’s not a bad idea.”
Mia grabs my arm and squeezes, silently telling me to shut up, so I purse my lips.
John tucks our waivers into a folder and points toward a door across from where we entered this room. “Have fun, ladies.”
Before he can change his mind, I grab Mia’s hand and nearly drag her into the club. This is going to be epic.
Chapter Two
Ganrax
All the air is trapped in my lungs as I make my way through the throng of women jammed into Club Zoom. My goal is predetermined. I spotted my Little girl from the control room one floor above this dance floor several minutes ago.
Admittedly, I was skeptical. I still am skeptical. When I first saw her on the monitor, my heart leapt in my chest. I’ve been here on Earth five days. There are six other Eleadian males in this club right now, watching and waiting to find their perfect mate, their Little girl. They warned me when I arrived that I would know when I knew.
They were right. My skepticism extends from the fact that the female I’m aiming for is not the sort of female I expected to fall for. Eleadians tend to go for demure females—the kind who do not stand out in a crowd.
The female I honed in on through the monitor is the type men on Earth drool over—tall, hour-glass shape, heavy makeup, long hair, tight black dress, heels, chin held high with confidence, tanned skin, and a winning smile.
I’ve done my homework. Human males refer to her type as high-maintenance. They like to date them, keep them for a while as arm candy, and fuck them if they can manage to get their legs parted.
I wince. Fuck is a human word that sounds so very crude, and yet my understanding is that the men here use it flippantly behind the backs of their females.
In my studies, I found very little evidence that humans develop the kind of bonds with their mates that Eleadians do. They’re rarely as committed to their life partners as we are. They don’t cherish and worship them. If they did, they wouldn’t use words like fuck to describe their mating habits.
The music is very loud. The dance floor is crowded. Females of every size, shape, and race are pawing at me as I make my way through them. I hadn’t expected the pull toward my mate to be quite so magnetic. In this room filled with hundreds of females, I expected to be bombarded with more scents than my brain could process. Instead, my mind is blocking everyone but my mate.
Yes, it’s stunning, but I can scent my intended from across the room even though I can’t see her in person yet. Her scent is already filling me, consuming me, bringing me to my knees.
I’m not alone. Another Eleadian male is by my side. He believes the pixie of a female who seems to have arrived with mine is his chosen. I’m grateful we aren’t after the same female, though my understanding is that wouldn’t have been possible. As soon as I spotted her on the monitor, she was mine. Already, without me having met her yet, she is aligning with me. No other Eleadian male will be drawn to her. Her fate is sealed.
Suddenly, I manage to politely shake off the last few females blocking me from my intended, and there she is. Her back is to me. She’s talking to her much shorter friend, but she stops. Her spine goes rigid, and her head pops up.
She can’t see me yet, but she has sensed me. Even though that’s not something that happens to humans, it’s so powerful that even human females experience it with our species.
I stand behind her, only a few inches separating us, inhaling deeply, memorizing her scent. Her hair is a glorious fall of thick waves down her back. Her skintight black dress accentuates her curves. I can see why human males find her type attractive, but on the other hand, that’s probably not the case at all. The reason I’m drawn to this female is because she’s mine. Fate brought her to me. It wouldn’t matter what she looked like; I would be magnetically pulled to her.
I sense her fear and anxiety. I can smell it, as well as feel it, wafting from her emotions. I’m breathing heavily. I want to touch her. When I do, some of her panic will ease. When I nick her skin, more of her anxiety will disappear.
For some reason, I’m savoring this moment. I know things are going to be difficult for the next several hours. Though human females flock by the hundreds to Club Zoom, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of my kind, they don’t usually believe they will actually be chosen.
It’s mindboggling. I’ve been told these females must read and sign an extensive document indicating they understand the risks of entering the establishment. By now, all of society is aware that once they have stepped into the club, they might be chosen and not have the option to return to their lives on Earth.
And yet, these females take a risk no Eleadian will understand, and then they seem shocked and unwilling when push comes to shove.
Their unwillingness lasts only as long as their intended Eleadian mate permits. We have the power to convince them they belong to us, but in most cases, it’s best to give them a bit of time to come to that conclusion on their own. Starting the relationship without permitting a female to believe she has any freewill in the decision is apparently not wise.
I inhale deeply, nearly moaning around my Little girl’s pheromones. She’s wearing too many conflicting scents—her body soap, her shampoo, the makeup on her face, and some sort of perfume. All of those are competing with the powerful pheromones that belong only to her.
I’m anxious to remove those smells from her body so I can lower my nose to the crook of her neck and breathe in nothing but my Little girl. Soon. I need to tread carefully first.
Females are whispering around me. They’re aware that I’ve made my choice. I ignore their comments and groans of disappointment. Meanwhile, my Little girl is still facing her friend. I have yet to see her face other than on the monitor.
She’s fighting the magnetic pull. She’s fighting it because she’s nervous and rightfully scared. Understandable. And yet I’m anxious for her to turn around. I’m sure I’ve only been standing here a few seconds; it seems like longer.
Her arms are tanned and bare. The tight dress she’s wearing has tiny straps at her shoulders. By human standards, I know this is sexy. Human males love this sort of clothing. It’s out of an Eleadian male’s realm of comprehension because we would never cover our female’s bodies in any clothing at all, but I’m aware how attractive she is.
I take a step closer, leaving only inches between us. I’m breathing her in, savoring every moment of this first meeting. I’m guessing she’s five-ten, and she stands over six feet in the heels, but I’m seven-six, so I tower over her.
I can see her friend over the top of my mate’s head, but she has backed up, scrambled really. She’s shoving herself into the corner of the room, putting several feet between her and her friend.
I know why. She has sensed my friend Surgient who has come to claim her. She seems even more panicked than my own Little girl.
