Read Online Kozav by Celia Kyle, Erin Tate - Free Book Online Page A

“Dam Hall, healers will be here momentarily to escort you to our ship.”
    Dam Hall fluttered her hand, a gesture much like his kouva’s. “I’m fine now,” her voice was so soft and brittle. “There’s no point in dragging me into space just to hear there’s nothing that can be done. Then you’ll have to bring me back down all over again.”
    The small smile he received was weak and tender, and a look to his mate showed him she had the same beliefs.
    They truly thought…
    Kozav grasped his mate’s hand and pulled her into the room, not stopping until they stood in front of Dam Hall. “I was told that human females do not like being told what to do. They find it offensive. So, I am sorry for what I am about to say, but your anger will not change my decision.”
    He gently squeezed Grace’s hand and then lowered himself, carefully reaching for Dam Hall’s. He cradled her fisted hands in one of his own. “Dam Hall, your daughter is my mate, my one.” The ill female’s gaze bounced between them. “I have handled this badly by stealing your daughter from you when you needed her, but I swear to the skies that you will suffer no longer. You will return to the Preor ship with us permanently.” His mate gasped, but his focus was on the frail woman before him. “You will be made comfortable and our healers will do all they can to make you well. I swear it.”
    It was a vow he intended to keep. Neither female would ever know another day of heartache, pain, or struggle.
    Ever.

10
    T he Knowing made her stupid . No, Kozav made her stupid. Actually, him being all sweet and promising to take care of her mom made her stupid. Just… all of the above. Everything from waking up until this very moment was a great big ball of “make Grace stupid.”
    And it’d worked. Because now she was in his—their?—suite while her mother was in medical and Kozav was doing whatever Primary Warriors did. When the healers and additional guards, as well as Sobol joi Zurer, had appeared in her apartment, Grace sensed an underlying tension that thrummed through them all. And it hadn’t dissipated when they’d arrived back on the battleship.
    Kozav had escorted her to their suite and promised he’d only be gone a short time. She was to rest and then he would return and escort her to medical to check on her mom. He didn’t want her wandering around alone and getting into trouble. Her words, not his. He just emphasized the resting.
    Well, she’d rested—for five minutes—and then she’d paced for thirty more. Now Grace was ready to rock and roll right down the hall to find out how her mother was doing and whether the Preors could do anything for her. For the umpteenth time, she thanked God for the Preors. Even if they didn’t have a cure, her mom would at least be clean, fed, and comfortable until the end. The end when the Pol Mutation won.
    At the thought of the end, her eyes burned, tears gathering. Dammit, she wasn’t normally a crier, but Kozav… having him turned her into one, apparently.
    Grace blinked the moisture away and shook her head. She wasn’t going to go down that sentimental road. Not right then. Maybe later when she wasn’t so worried about everything in her world blowing up. For now, she’d gather her brass ovaries and find her mother. Her mate could—
    It was weird to think of Kozav that way. Her mate . The Knowing manifested between them and he was her mate .
    The one thing she’d been searching for all this time (for all the wrong reasons) and now she had one. He hadn’t been found in the Intergalactic Mating Agency offices, but on an exam table. She still hadn’t quite come to terms with the concept of a winged alien mate, but she needed to. Soon. Before he expected her to share his bed. Not that it’d be a problem for her. Already she craved him, her body attuned to his, and her mouth watered when she wondered what he’d taste like.
    No. Bad horny Grace. She needed to find her mother.
    The only way