The huge, hunky alien opened the door of an expensive looking sports hover car and Loretta climbed inside. Usually she wouldn’t just run off with a stranger, but he had just saved her and all of the other hostages. Aside from that, he was probably the sexiest man she’d ever seen. A strapping seven foot tall superhero with faintly green skin and sharp fangs inside his mouth, Mylash Shin was a force to be reckoned with.

She sat beside him in the car as he drove across town and gazed at his muscled thighs inside his skintight uniform. She could see the swell of his thick chest and a hint of the massive cargo he held between his legs. She felt a quiver of desire stir in her lady parts. She could tell the guy was as hot as a lava flow, but it didn’t make sense to her why she would be turned on in the middle of the most traumatic event of her life.

She chalked it up to stress, sat back in the luxurious car, and waited until he brought her somewhere safe. He finally parked in front of the Draconian Consulate. He opened her door and tried to hold her hand as they walked up the stairs to the front door, but she pulled her hand away with confusion and looked up into his crystal blue eyes.

His face gave away nothing, but he opened the door for her and she stepped past. She was just happy to be safely away from the chaos on Wall Street.

“It looks like the secretary is gone for the day,” Mylash said, looking around the bright open building. There was no one sitting at the desk at the center of the room. She followed Mylash to a smaller room where there were couches and computers. She sat down, took a deep breath, and let it out.

“Would you like something to drink or eat?” he asked.

“Some tea would be nice,” she said. All she really wanted was to take the bus back to Alabama and hug her grandma and brother and sister.

“All right,” he said, looking around. “I’ll try to figure out what that is.”

He disappeared through another door for several minutes, then came back with a steaming cup of tea which he handed to her with a massive grin on his face. He stared at her like that as she sipped the warm liquid. It was unnerving how he looked at her, and she couldn’t understand why. Finally, he took a seat beside her. That goofy expression didn’t leave his face.

“Loretta Franklin, I have a proposal for you.”

“What?” she asked, hoping that he would explain why he was looking at her like she was the last piece of birthday cake.

“I have reason to believe that you are my mate. I would like to make you an offer.”

“Your mate? You’ve got to be kidding me.” She laughed and set the tea down on a side table.

“I felt it the moment I laid eyes on you. Believe me, I am as surprised as you are. I told Commander Or I would not be entering the mating lottery as I did not want to mate with a human. But clearly my inner dragon has other ideas. My mating impulse has already begun. I need you. I will do anything to have you.”

“Wait, wait, wait. What are you talking about? I thought the Draconians used a computer program to match them with their mates,” she said.

“We do. But only because it usually speeds up the process. If our mate is standing right in front of us, our inner dragon can identify her. Once the mate is identified, the mating impulse begins. If I do not mate with you, I will slowly lose my mind.”

“Talk about pressure,” she said, standing up and backing away.

“Loretta Franklin, if you enter your DNA into the computer program, I will ensure that you receive the full bride price of five hundred thousand dollars, even if we are not a match.”

“So let me get this straight. You’ll give me five hundred thousand dollars if I let you test my DNA?”

“Yes. Do you find this arrangement acceptable?”

“What happens if I am your mate?”

“Let us first test your DNA before we decide on that. My inner dragon insists that you are my mate, but I would still like a second opinion. If the computer program comes back that you are not my mate, my mating impulse should end. I will then be free to continue my mission on Earth.”

“I guess I can help you out since you did save me from the terrorists. What do I need to do?”

“I need a swab of your DNA.” He handed her a large Q-tip and instructed her to rub it on the inside of her cheek. He did the same with his before approaching a computer terminal. He tapped a few buttons and dropped both of the Q-tips into a dispenser. Mylash and Loretta both stood and waited while the computer calculated. A moment later, a blue light blinked with a soft buzzing sound.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

Mylash turned to her and put his hand on her shoulder. The smoldering look in his eyes was too intense to bear, and she had to look away.

“That means that you are my mate.” He grasped her hands gently in his and pulled them to his mouth. He pressed a passionate kiss to the pulse points on each of her wrists. It sent a shiver of desire down her spine.

“What now?” she asked.

As Mylash was about to speak, an insistent beeping sounded through the room. He flicked a spot on the wrist of his suit.

“Commander Or, what can I do for you?”

“General Shin, you need to return to the command ship immediately. The terrorists who attacked New York have just threatened further actions against humans if we do not leave the planet immediately.”

“I’m on my way,” he said before flicking the spot on his wrist again.

“I have to go,” he said, still holding her hands.

“What about the money?” she asked, somewhat breathless.

“I will bring it to you. Where are you staying?”

“I rented an inexpensive room in New Jersey.” She quickly wrote the address on a slip of paper she pulled from her purse and handed it to him. On one hand, he had offered her five hundred thousand dollars. On the other, he was giving her feelings that she couldn’t explain. Confused and disoriented, she didn’t know what was going on. Giving her address to a strange man was not the kind of thing she normally did. However, General Mylash Shin, leader of the Draconian commandos, wasn’t just any man.