Free The Pearl (Galactic Jewels Book 1) by Jen Greyson Page B

females to your bedchambers?”
    He winked.
    I’d never met a species with a smaller vocabulary than the LinnOw. His aversion to talking was only displaced by his excessive flexing. I groaned. “Please leave. Please.” I so didn't want him here when the Samarian arrived. I didn't want anything about my time with her tainted by his obnoxiousness.
    He didn’t budge. Didn’t say a word.
    Why? Why wasn’t he leaving? Why wouldn’t he go away? Why did he think he was... I blinked.
    And backed away. My heart rate escalated and my subconscious brought tidbits I’d overlooked to the forefront of my thought.
    What if he wasn’t drunk? What if he was telling the truth, implausible as it seemed?
    Surely what he’d said wasn’t possible, was it?
    I’d dismissed the possibility of another human because there’d been no record of one. Dirk’s datafile held his conquests and celebrity accolades. No one had cared where he’d come from or what species he was—it was a non-issue in light of the other facts about him.
    I narrowed my eyes and tipped my head, studying his features again, comparing them to what I saw every morning in the mirror, looking for tell-tale ones Fransín had missed last night in her manipulation of the sim. Details so small as to be easily overlooked when I hadn’t cared what he was.
    Individual eyelashes, dilating pupils, rhythmic breathing, all features common—and unique—to creatures that had originated on Earth... My palms clenched. No way was I checking his fingertips for the telltale sworls and confirming they differed from mine. I’d seen enough.
    Worse, I’d known and dismissed the fact when I’d boarded, reacting correctly when he’d popped into view in the transporter room—and explaining why the air sensors hadn’t adjusted on my arrival. They'd adjusted on his.
    I groaned, accepting the truth.
    Dirk Battleship was human.

C HAPTER 12

    L AST HUMAN ALIVE was no longer my other title.
    Why did he have to be the other one?
    At least I’d never encountered him before now, less than one Samarian hour away from mating with a Hemperklu. Had anyone discovered the truth, they might not have allowed me to become the pearl. Though our coupling might not have been a factor, I mean, less than one percent of the universe’s population saw the extinction of humans as bad… I squeezed my eyes closed, needing to focus. My mind whirled and my lungs hurt like I’d breathed in the wrong air mixture. His humanness didn't matter. Not today. I was the pearl. A pearl with a presentation to get ready for.
    I drew myself up to my full height, embodying the power and prestige of what this position stood for. “Thank you for confirming my decision to date outside our species.” I turned and stormed out.
    “I’m your date tonight,” he called after me. “I’d leave only if you’re willing to offend an entire galaxy and forfeit your final decision."
    I stilled and a surge of adrenaline tripped my heart and clamped my lungs closed again. I fought to swim through the onslaught of emotions. I didn’t need this. Not now. I’d deal with the details of another human later, as the pearl, with the Hemperklu. We’d make a policy together. I inhaled through my mouth and out my nose. My back still to him, I asked for clarification, “What are you talking about?”
    “According to Section 412.3.7zyl, if you refuse a representative, you relinquish your choice and the Ambassador controls the Union.”
    “I know that.” I turned in a slow rotation. My hands trembled and I felt more nauseous than when I’d arrived. “I was referring to your ridiculous statement about being my date.”
    “I am your date. The whole reason you’re here.” He spread his arms, indicating the room and explaining slowly, like I was an idiot.
    “Thought you were human.” I bit out the words, throwing his stupid statement back at him, begging him to deny it even though I already knew it to be true. And disturbing.
    Why hadn’t M