Rhal Part 1 (Scifi Alien Serial Romance) (The Ujal) by Erin Tate Page A

grip and jerked away from him. “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”
    “Cara—”
    “What do you want, Rhal?” Because it isn’t me.
    He sighed, and she imagined him running his fingers through his midnight hair, his black eyes holding so much fury. His scales wouldn’t flutter though. It was proof of a true warrior when he could control his scales though strong emotion surged through his veins. “How did you get into the press conference, Cara?”
    “Miss Marte,” she corrected. She wasn’t Cara to him. Not any longer. When she followed him into darkened corners, when she listened to his whispered words and touched his warm, bare skin, she was Cara.
    He growled, the tone dropping so low it was almost imperceptible. “Miss Marte, how did you get in and why were you attending the press conference?”
    She gritted her teeth. “How’d I get in? That’s your question? Seriously?” She snorted. “No apology. No backtracking. No begging for a chance to explain.” She shook her head. “I shoulda figured, huh?” Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “Fine,” she snapped. “I followed the guys with INBC. Your security guys check badges and bodies at the door and give a general direction with very few attendants between the entry and the pressroom. It was easy to slip into their group. A sweet smile and a pretty face, right?”
    It was one of the things they’d discussed in the few months they’d been spending time together. He’d constantly bitched about the teens being distracted by women.
    His lips formed a grim line across his face. “Why were you there?”
    “Because I’d heard rumors like everyone else in the world. The prince took a mate. It just so happens Rina is my best friend, and she’s been hidden away by the Ujal for the last week. I wanted to see her and learn the truth myself. And then I heard about the changes to her body and…”
    I wanted to know if I’d be changed if we mated . She took a cleansing breath before she continued. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe he hadn’t known about a human-turned-Ujal’s ability to carry hatchlings. Maybe he wasn’t a liar, and she was freaking out for no reason. She released her purse and retraced her steps, going back toward the door. She tapped the wall, and the lights in the room slowly rose, gradually taking them from darkness to light.
    It’d only been a week since she’d last seen Rhal, but his appearance stole her breath. From his black hair to his colorless eyes, and then the muscles that covered him. Most Ujal males were strong, their bodies firm and honed by swimming through the sea, but Rhal was something else entirely. His body looked as if carved from granite, the lines sharp and deep. He didn’t look strong; he was strong. He didn’t bend to the whim of the elements; they bent for him .
    It was heady to be the center of his world, to live and revel in his attention. It was beautiful and glorious and lonely when he released you.
    Cara cleared her throat. “I wondered if, because of her mating with Tave, she’d be able to carry his hatchlings. I could have waited, but I wanted to know, and she’d answered the other questions about the changes, so I asked.” She took a steadying breath. “And now I know. The question is how long did you? Was it a line? ‘Baby, I’d mate you, but I want a family, so see ya ‘round’?”
    “It was not as you describe.”
    Such a guy answer. Cara shook her head. “Then what was it like? Tell me. Because you broke my heart, Rhal. You told me I wasn’t enough because I couldn’t give you children, and now I find out I could if we mated. You’re part of Tave’s inner circle. You mean to tell me that when you said goodbye, you didn’t know I could give you hatchlings?”
    His face was a mask of harsh lines and deadly concentration. It was a look that sent everyone scurrying. One that had the guards ducking around corners and made some of the youngest cry. His fury was nearly