Rebellion (26 page)

Finding one’s psi-mate is something every Sandarian hopes for, but when Ian Cavacent accidentally starts the bonding process with the Earthling, Dani, he has to fight his desire with every ounce of his being. If the process is completed, it would be both political and financial suicide for Ian and his family.

A natural klutz, Dani somehow always manages to land on her feet and win her mixed martial arts matches. At home on Cat Island, her balance is thrown when bazillionaire Ian takes notice. Unfortunately some butt-ugly Torog aliens also take notice, sending her life spiraling out of control and into Ian’s arms. But Dani isn’t the type of woman to let alien voodoo decide her future or her mate…no matter how gorgeous the man is or how much pleasure he gives her.

For centuries the Cavacents have mined Earth for a precious element, carnium, while protecting the planet from other alien species. Thanks to the Torogs, Dani and Ian must flee to Sandaria. As Dani learns to use her newfound psi powers, the empire crumbles around them.

Will their love be strong enough to keep them alive and get them back to Earth?

Alien Attachments available now in digital and print.

Learn more about Sabine at
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/30581

A dark-skinned male and a tall blond female danced around each other, bamboo sticks at the ready, waiting for an opening. Sitting on the warm iron bleachers above, Ian Cavacent leaned forward in anticipation. The old warehouse on Cat Island doubled as many things. Tonight, it hosted the weekly mixed fight competition. The popular event drew crowds from as far away as Nassau. Humans jostled for a seat or stood in groups around the improvised, oversized boxing ring. The target of his interest was the blond woman. He’d come to watch her for the past few weeks. A friend of his human support agent, Jared, she fascinated him. He had a rule to avoid women on the island, but there was something about this one. She intrigued him. And not for the usual reasons, either. Yes, she was pretty, beautiful even, but there was more to it than that.

Jared slid into the seat next to him and handed him a beer. “Dani said you were stalking her.”

“I don’t stalk.” Ian took the plastic cup. “Besides, I wasn’t aware she knew I was here.”

“Yeah, she told me that too.”

Ian took a long pull on the beer. “There’s just something odd about her. Maybe it’s the way she moves. Her motions aren’t practiced, she’s constantly off balance, and yet she pulls in win after win. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the fights were rigged.”

The crowd quieted, and tension rose as the timer ticked down to zero.

Below, the two continued their dance, circling each other. The man lunged and Dani twirled with an awkward step, but still managed to dodge the swing of the bamboo. Sweat dripped into the cleavage of her sports bra and down the small of her back, leaving a dark stain in the fabric. She parried left and right. As usual, her maneuvers were halting and lacked grace.

Ian winced when Jared erupted in one of his booming sneezes. Dani shot an annoyed glance their way. Big mistake. In that fraction of a second, her opponent swung his bamboo. The jagged tip grazed the skin below her left eye before slamming into her wrist. The impact pushed her over the edge. She ducked, nearly fell over, spun around and in a surprisingly fluid movement, sent her opponent’s stick flying. The crowd erupted with cheers and jeers for both sides. Money changed hands and the tension evaporated. The two opponents approached each other. Cradling her wrist, Dani declined a handshake. They shared some good-natured words before they left the floor.

Ian’s powerful psi allowed him to see a purple mist radiating from her injuries. “That’s going to hurt,” Ian said.

“Dammit,” Jared mumbled, grabbing one of his ever-present tissues. “Can you tell how bad it is?”

“Not yet.”

“Well”—Ian swallowed the dregs of his beer—“she may have won, but she’s going to be out of commission for awhile. She’s not going to be happy with you.”

“Yep.” Jared wiped his nose. “I best go down and apologize. Come with me? She knows you’ve been watching. Be kind of weird at this point not to say hello.”

A wave of anticipation washed over him. Aside from his three support agents, he limited his involvement with humans to the occasional short-lived affair off the island. Yet his reaction to spending time with this woman surprised him.

“You know I prefer to keep my involvement with humans away from here.” Still, he was tempted. On the verge of changing his mind, he sensed a pending communication. “Hold on, incoming message from Marco.” Marco was the Earth Protector, or EP, currently on duty. He waited a beat for it to arrive.

We got company, boss.
His com relayed the message.

“Apologies are going to have to wait. Someone’s paying Earth a visit.” Ian said.

Jared followed him out the back door.

* * * *

Dani wiped the sweat from her brow and followed Dugo out of the fight area. Bazillionaire Ian Cavacent and her friend Jared were leaving out the back. Ian always kept to himself, and as far as she knew, never fraternized with the locals except Jared. His recent interest in her sparked an explosion of fantasies. Even better, he seemed the type who would be okay with a “nothing complicated” scenario. And he was hot. Seriously hot, hence the fantasies. She’d love to get him in front of her camera…and a few other places. Those wavy blond locks and smoky green eyes.
Yum. Why haven’t you contacted me, Mr. Cavacent?

Dugo interrupted her musings. “Someone needs to tell Jared to take his allergy meds.” He nodded toward her arm. “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” She gave him a good-natured nudge with her other elbow. “You almost got me there.”

He took a hand towel off the supplies table and handed it to her. “You’re bleeding.”

The medic came over and applied antibiotic ointment and a butterfly bandage to her cheek. “You should have that looked at.”

“I will,” Dani said.

Dugo tossed the towel in the laundry bin. “Glad I missed your eye. Seriously, man. I didn’t see you comin’.”

“And that’s the way it’s done,” Dani said with all the swagger she could muster. Which was a lot, even with the pain radiating from her wrist.

Dugo laughed. “So what do you say? Have a drink with me?”

“Dugo…”

“Hey,” he said, shrugging. “I never see you with no one here. You fly around the world and take your pictures, but this is home. Why you not date anyone?”

“Who says I don’t?” Dani could tell by his stance he wasn’t buying it. Didn’t matter, he didn’t have to. It was her business. “Gotta go. Catch ya next time.”