Rhal Part 2 (Scifi Alien Serial Romance) (The Ujal) by Erin Tate Page B

sweet and kind with the darker edge that made him sexy as hell. He had those dimples that had a woman wanting to get closer and then his eyes would go dark and the female would be torn between running and dropping to her knees.
    He was a balance and Cara… seemed hell bent on going for the guy that was all bad.
    But damn, he was pretty to look at.
    “Hey,” she smiled at the pretty, pretty man—er, Ujal. “What’s up?” She peered past him to see the group of males he’d been leading now doing push-ups in the shallows. “I see you get to babysit this morning. Where’s…” Cara swallowed her question. She didn’t wanna know where Rhal was. “Anyway, do you want a cup of coffee or anything while you watch them humiliate themselves?”
    That grin widened and something inside her fluttered to life. Heat surged in her blood and her skin felt stretched taut. Oh man, she had it bad. Ten days without Rhal and she was turned on by one of his closest—close-ish—friends.
    “Cara?” He frowned and stepped onto the porch, his fluid strides bringing him closer. His shorts were loose and free flowing, the wind snatching at them and outlining every part of him.
    Every part. Including there and he was big there . She licked her lips, attention flicking from his groin to his face and back again. Her pussy throbbed, an ache forming and wrapping around her.
    What the hell? She’d been attracted to Niax in an abstract way, but…
    “Are you all right?” His voice was deep and husky and she wondered if he recognized her growing desire.
    “What?” She shook her head, clearing her arousal from her mind. “Sorry. Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
    “You have not been to UST lately. This is the first time I have seen you out here in a while. Just checking in,” he murmured.
    “I’m fine. Good, even.” With his skeptical look, she pasted a smile on her lips. “Promise.” She lifted her mug and shook it gently. “Just drinking my coffee and Rina has me going in to work today. In fact,” she quickly drained her mug and grasped the arm of the chair, “it’s time I showered and got ready to go.”
    Niax was there in a flash, his hand outstretched to help her rise. Old world manners, alien looks .
    She grinned and placed her palm on his. “Thanks…”
    Or, at least that’s what she’d tried to say. It sorta came out as a hiss that ended with a harsh inhale followed by a throb of overwhelming pain. Her palm in his burned, agony embracing her hand in a fiery hold and the bone-crushing ache singed her nerves.
    It slithered up her arm, like an animal under her skin, pulsing and twisting until it enveloped her entire body, turning her into a throbbing ball of agony. She dropped her mug to the porch and snatched her hand from his. She cradled it against her chest, softly petting the injured part of her.
    “Cara?” There was no missing the unease and concern in his tone.
    “I… I…” She what? Felt as if her body was on fire because he held her hand? That sounded dumb.
    But that’s exactly what happened. She placed her palm on his and then… the pain slowly lessened with each passing second and when it lessened to a manageable level, she carefully unfolded her hands to reveal her palm.
    Her… orange palm?
    The sun’s bright rays glistened off her skin. No, her scales . Scales. On her palm.
    Scales .
    On her palm.
    “Niax, I…” her attention went from her hand to him and back.
    “When did you take a mate? I did not believe he would ever… I heard Rhal had…”
    Dumped her. She knew the end of his sentence even if he didn’t say the words. “I haven’t mated anyone. I,” she swallowed hard. “What is this?”
    Niax reached for her hand once again and she scooted backward, unwilling to let him touch her. She wasn’t ready for that amount of pain again. He immediately took a step back, his hands raised. “I will not touch you. I am sorry. Cara, this type of change within a human female is typically the result of