Hoss’s hands tingled after briefly clasping Agnes’s slender shoulders. He shook with desire, and his nostrils flared. What was happening? He’d never responded to a woman like this before. And he was famous for seducing the women of Zalarian, leaving a trail of broken hearts, before they had been annihilated.

But none of them had been his designated mate.

Determined to stay in control and not end up like his weak father, he took several deep breaths until he was sure he wouldn’t transform and kidnap his mate, who looked at him warily.

He stared into her fearless grendor-shaped eyes that mesmerized him. Grendors were fierce predators on Zalara and their eyes were shaped like diamonds. If she weren’t careful, her spunk would get herself killed.

He was barely aware of the security officers surrounding and aiming their weapons at him. A puny officer grabbed each of Hoss’s arms and clamped handcuffs over his wrists. “You have the right to be silent.”

He could easily break free if he wanted to, but it would violate the Confederation’s directive–planets with inferior technology were not to know of their existence.

“You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

He quit paying attention to the officer rattling off more of his rights. How could touching Agnes’s shoulders so briefly send him over the edge? She was a dangerous temptation––one he refused to sample.

But even as the thought entered his mind, his gaze was drawn to her blouse that was opened at the top. A glisten of sweat caught his eye, and he glanced at her full breasts, large enough to satisfy the hunger of a man. Her gun was sheathed on a belt that curved around the wide hips of a strong and amble woman. His heartbeat quickened, and he was one step away from doing something really stupid. He gulped deep breaths, trying to remain calm, but every twisted nerve was on the brink of unraveling.

Breathe, just breathe.

He slowly realized she was studying him, as if to see what he would do.

Trying to be his normal debonair self, he flashed her a smile. “Finding any answers?”

“Maybe.”

Her confident voice triggered a warning inside him.

“You need to be careful.” Hoss’s grin faded. “You’ve no idea of what he’s capable of.”

The puny officer clasped his arm. “Shut up.”

“No.” Hoss jerked his arm free. “Listen to me, you’re in danger. The bastard’s going to keep on killing.”

“Wait, officer.” Agnes held up her slender hand. “You know who did this?”

Hoss nodded. “He’s just begun. The body count is going to rise.”

“Is he your partner?” she asked softly.

“No. You’re not listening to me.”

He couldn’t hide the anger in his voice, and it was louder than he wanted. Most of the women he’d been with would have of shrunk from him, but not Agnes. She studied him as if waiting for him to stew in his own juices until he revealed unwanted secrets.

He met her curious gaze. She’d better get used to bitter disappointment. He’d a lifetime of hiding the skeletons rattling in his soul.

Another larger officer came along the other side of him. “He’s yanking your chain, Detective.”

Agnes winced.

Hoss growled, his dragon threatening to cut loose on the taunting man, daring to ridicule her. The officer’s face paled, and he kept his trap shut.

She lifted her chin. “I’ll be the judge of that, Officer.” She did the strangest thing and pulled out a flat screen out of her jacket, then took a picture of Hoss.

He frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Studying you, of course.” She examined the screen rather than looking at him, as if she could discover some of his secrets.

He thought humans only possessed the polygraph machine to discover whether someone was lying, which wasn’t reliable. Had humans discovered something he wasn’t aware of? He squirmed uncomfortably, his palms growing sweaty, at the idea of her unraveling his past.

She tilted her head at the car. “Take him down to headquarters. I’ll question him later.”

He had to be imagining it. There was no way the little screen would reveal to her his secrets. Human technology was centuries behind developing such a device.

Before the two security guards led him away, a gray-haired man crowded between them. “Agnes, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Tom.”

He gave Hoss a death glare. “This man’s dangerous.”

“I realize that, Tom.”

Tom jerked his thumb. “Take him to headquarters.”

As the officers were leading Hoss away, Tom lowered his voice, but not so low that dragon ears couldn’t hear.

“Agnes, your intuition isn’t going to tell you a thing. Your brother never would have stooped to relying on mumbo-jumbo.”

Hoss glanced over his shoulder.

Agnes’s cheeks burned red. “I realize that, Tom.”

The self-assuredness in her voice had vanished.

He whirled around, easily breaking free from the two security guards. Fury burned inside Hoss’s chest, the dragon threatening to fry the old fool into a crispy critter. “You think you’re more equipped to find the killer?”

Hoss didn’t bother hiding the scorn in his voice. Tom actually took a step back, his face paling.

The officers seized Hoss’s arms again.

As Hoss was being restrained, Tom puffed out his chest. “I am the senior detective, and yes, I am more capable.”

His arrogance would only play into the Mistonian’s trap. Hoss narrowed his eyes. “Then, you’re a fool.”

Tom’s face turned five shades of purple. “Get him out of here.”

The two men led him away.

“Do that again and I’ll taser you,” the bigger of the two men warned.

Hoss ignored him.

Blast it! He should have held his tongue, but no one here, including Agnes, knew how dangerous Daidhl was. Hell, he didn’t even know if he had the ability to stop him. The Orion’s navigator wasn’t his mild self anymore and most likely was dead. The Mistonian controlled his empty shell. Cosima had said the Mistonian possessed hidden powers, but besides being able to turn invisible, he had no idea what else the bastard could do.

When they reached the car, the officer opened the door. “Lower your head.”

Hoss practically had to kneel on the ground to get into the vehicle, which was too cramped for his long legs. His knees were scrunched up to his chest.

He took another look at Agnes, who was concentrating on looking at her screen, which he hoped was just a way of her solving cases. Something was odd about her.

Once again, he’d lost his cool over this woman. He’d never reacted with such anger over Topaz correcting a female crew member he had been involved with. Sleeping with women without a commitment had always been his style, but with Agnes, he’d wanted to fry Tom for ridiculing her.

He froze, remembering how his father used to be so protective over his mother, but his mother had mocked him. No matter what he did, his mother rejected him, breaking his spirit. Hoss refused to end up a broken man. He needed to solve this case, mate with Agnes, then get the hell away from her.

He leaned his head back on the leather seat. Agnes wasn’t a match for a possessed Daidhl. He needed to convince her that she was in danger. She said she’d talk to him later. He just hoped it wouldn’t be too late. He kept thinking of the murdered woman and wondered whose mate she was designated for. Unless another species magically materialized, the Zalarian would never be mated and his lineage would die.

The security officers started the car. He’d read about these contraptions that were so much slower than their spaceships.

Yellow tape was draped across the front door of the little, white house. Officers milled around in the front yard, while others kept curious on-lookers back. Hoss wished he had the power to see through walls like some of the other aliens, but Zalarians didn’t possess this ability. “What happened to the woman inside?”

The smaller of the two glanced in the rear review mirror. “That’s none of your concern.”

“Oh, so you don’t know.”

“Yes, we do.” The brawny one scowled over his shoulder as he was driving. “The woman was–”

“Keep your mouth shut, Johnson,” the other one yelled. “And keep your eyes on the road.”

Hoss stopped trying to goad them when neither would bite. They weren’t as dumb as he thought. After a short distance, they parked in front of a two-story, red-brick building with a huge glass pane window. A semi-circle stone wall sat in front with a mountain logo and the name Arvada Police Station written on it.

Johnson, the husky officer, opened the car door. “Watch your head.”

Hoss didn’t bend low enough and smacked his forehead on the rim of the car. Pain blinded him for a minute as dizziness swirled around him. He was roughly drawn out of the car, nearly stumbling onto one knee.

“I told you to watch it.”

Johnson’s hard voice penetrated the fog in his brain.

“Your compassion is overwhelming,” Hoss muttered, trying to control the anger burning inside him.

“That’s what you get for attacking an officer,” the scrawny one growled.

“I wasn’t attacking her.”

“That’s not what I saw,” Johnson grumbled.

Hoss wasn’t going to get anywhere with these two self-righteous humans. They’d already made up their mind. “I want to speak to an attorney.”

“We’ll notify one for you.”

By his tone, it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

He was escorted to a Plexiglas window where an older brown-skinned woman with glasses sat. Her eyes widened when she looked at Hoss. “What do you have, Simms?”

The skinny man gripped Hoss’s forearm. “Attacking a police officer, Evelyn.”

Evelyn frowned. “You don’t look injured.”

“Wasn’t me. He attacked Detective Malloy.”

“What? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She foolishly met with him alone.”

Evelyn glared. “I’m sure she had a good reason.”

Johnson laughed. “She did. She thought she could read his mind. Stupid mistake.”

Evelyn boosted her double chin in defiance. “She just investigates differently.”

Simms mumbled underneath his breath. “For a fruitcake.”

Hoss glowered. “Don’t talk about her that way.”

Simms rolled his eyes. “Buzz us in, Evelyn.”

Evelyn pushed a red button. “Sure thing.”

A metal door clicked then slid opened. Johnson and Simms led him through the doors to another front desk.

Johnson unlocked Hoss’s handcuffs.

“Take off your Batman utility belt,” Johnson said.

Hoss lowered his voice. “No.”

He stepped closer. “Do it. Or I’ll do it for you.”

Hoss would like to see him try, but Topaz would be less than pleased if he cut loose on these two security jerks.

He reluctantly removed the belt and handed it to Johnson, who put it into a plastic bag.

“You’ll get your little superheroes belt back when you make bail,” he said.

Hoss realized that they thought the weapons were fake, which would hopefully save their lives. Otherwise, they could zap themselves into oblivion.

Johnson tossed the plastic bag roughly onto the counter.

Hoss winced. “Be careful with those.”

“Sure, Batman.”

Hoss clutched his fists and pressed them to his side to keep from slugging the arrogant officer.

He was finger printed. He smiled to himself, because his prints would not match any human––unless they had dragon shifters on Earth. Once again, he was photographed. He didn’t understand why the humans needed so many photos of him.

He was led through the station, booked, and put in a dreary cell. The large cell had a couple of metal benches, a stained urinal, and steel bars that pressed against a scratched, Plexiglas window. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the caked-on dirt.

But it was his fellow roommates that caught his attention––a scrawny, wiry man, two blood-shot eyed men, who by their smell had drenched themselves in alcohol, and a muscle bound one, who kept cracking his knuckles––definitely Arvada’s rejects.

The knuckle-cracker sauntered over to Hoss and flickered his gaze over him, as if he were sizing him up. He stood a couple of inches shorter than Hoss and obviously thought he was a bad-ass. “What are you in here for?”

“Attacking a police officer.”

He cracked his neck. “Think you’re tough, do ya?”

The others watched warily, as if afraid of what the man would do, and quickly went to the other side of the cell.

Hoss met his hostile gaze. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“Then, you should have thought about it before you came here––pretty boy.”

He’d been called many things, but pretty boy? Never been called that. What an idiot.

The man swung and Hoss easily caught his meaty fist with one hand. The man’s eyes widened in surprise. Hoss forced him down onto his knees. “Now, was that very nice?”

He beat on Hoss’s arm. “You’re breaking my hand.”

Hoss roughly shoved him away. “Then, keep your mitts to yourself.”

“Asshole.” Luckily, the man hobbled to another seat, cradling his hand against his chest, while the other three stayed huddled in the corner, whispering among themselves.

Hoss sat on the bench staring at the pitiful bars. They’d be so easy to melt or break in half. However, escape was out of the question, since it violated the prime directive of keeping their existence a secret.

Irritating diplomats! His people’s only means of survival was at risk. Could he convince the stubborn Confederation that Zalarians would die if he didn’t break through the cell? Highly doubtful.

The Confederation would have insisted he try a more peaceful approach.

He sighed heavily. All he could do was wait.

Minutes turned into hours.

His roommates dozed or paced back and forth in the cell except for the tough guy, who held his wrist to his chest. Hoss didn’t feel sorry for him. He was a jerk-off and, from the shiny bruise on one of the red blurry-eyed men, Hoss assumed he’d been one of his victims.

He remained seated, trying to be patient, but failed miserably. He bounced his leg incessantly, drawing the scowl of the wounded man, who was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

Hoss couldn’t stop worrying about Agnes and Daidhl. If someone didn’t let him out of here soon, he’d be doing a lot of explaining to the Confederation.

Footsteps echoed across the tile floor. He held his breath as he moved his leg a mile-a-minute. A guard unlocked the door. “Anonghos?”

“Yeah.”

“Come with me.”

He exhaled slowly. The others looked up and murmured. He thought he heard the word interrogation.

Hope soared inside him that Agnes would be waiting for him. He hurried over to the guard.

“Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

Hoss obeyed, letting the puny handcuffs be clamped onto his wrists. The guard led him away from the depressing cell and his derelict roommates.

He was escorted to a small room with a table and a few chairs.

He unlocked Hoss’s handcuffs.

“Sit in the chair.”

Hoss complied dutifully. The guard re-chained one of his wrists to a large metal hoop drilled into the table that he could easily break and blow his cover, but he played the good prisoner.

“Detective Malloy will be with you shortly.” He quietly exited, leaving Hoss alone.

She was coming. His knee jumped up and down repeatedly, smacking the table. He wished he had a free hand to put on his knee to steady it, because his knee had a mind of its own.

Stay calm. Stay calm.

He gazed at a gigantic, dark window that covered one wall. With his dragon eyes, he could see that it wasn’t a window, but a one-way mirror. Men were behind the mirror, but unfortunately, his curvy mate wasn’t with them.

The door opened. Any hope that she would listen to him vanished. Her angry face would have frozen Zalara.

She shut the door and slid in the chair across from him. She had dark circles underneath her angry eyes, as if like him, she’d hadn’t slept.

“There’s been another murder.”

“When? Where?”

“Downtown. Outside the movie theater. She was on her way home after watching a movie with her friends. Throat slit, nearly decapitating her just like the last one. Her tongue was cut out of her mouth, and she’s missing her liver. Care to speculate?”

He grimaced. “Bastard.”

“I want you to listen to me very carefully. I’m the lead investigator on this case, and I want answers.” She stood and leaned across the table. “Tell me about your partner.”

He needed her to trust him. “I don’t have a partner,” he said softly. “I’m not a murderer.”

He caught a whiff of her feminine scent that inflamed his need to mate with her. He struggled to concentrate on what she was saying and fought against the ancient urges to take a mate. Her finger brushed against his, and another shock zapped through his blood stream, teasing his dragon. An image formed in his mind of her running her smooth hand over his tense muscles.

She snatched back her hand and rubbed it as if it hurt, but luckily there wasn’t a blemish on it.

“I want answers.”

Her serious tone immediately reminded him of Topaz, who was fiercely protective of his crew and ship. Anyone stalking his crew would have find themselves facing a fierce enemy.

Agnes was no different. She wanted to save those women.

The door opened. A tall woman with curly brown hair wearing a blue suit and holding a briefcase entered. Her heels clicked across the floor.

Agnes groaned, as if her worst enemy had entered the room.

“Interrogation’s over, Agnes. I want to have time alone with my client.”

“Hi, Kathy. How’s it going?”

“Same as always, but enough with the pleasantries. If you’ll excuse us…Unless, of course, you plan on charging him.”

Agnes didn’t look at her, but flashed him a scowl that burned up his soul. “No. We don’t have enough evidence…yet.” She folded her arms and smiled at Kathy. “But you already knew this, didn’t you?”

Kathy winked. “Of course.”

Hoss stiffened. “I’m telling you I didn’t do it.”

“Not another word.” Kathy put her brief case on the table, then opened it. “Do you mind, Agnes?”

She motioned with her hand. “He’s all yours.”

Once again, her spicy feminine scent teased his dragon. He wanted to grab her delicate hand and suck every slender finger until she was panting for more. He drew on his self-control, shoving his passion back. His whole body shook. Damn it. His mating instincts were growing stronger every time he was near Agnes.

Remember the mission.

She quietly opened the door and left.

“Kathy Strong.” The dark-haired woman handed him a small card. “You’re Anonghos, correct?”

“Yes, but I go by Hoss.”

“Okay, Hoss. You didn’t admit to anything, did you?”

Hoss shook his head. “No. I didn’t do anything.”

“Good, then based on their flimsy case, I should be able to get you out in less than two hours.” Concern filled her eyes. “Are you all right? Your face is ashen, and you’re sweating.”

“I’m fine,” he lied.

“Don’t worry,” she said, obviously not believing him. “Everything will be fine.”

Kathy Strong had no idea how wrong she was, but she was damn good. She actually got him released in an hour and a half. He walked out of the police station a free man with the stipulation he stay away from Detective Malloy. A stipulation he definitely planned to break.