Alien Knight Blind Date Disaster

blood and eat people.”
“I know what a Blood Market is.” The king rose to pace the room once more. “But not how you managed to track one on this planet.”
“I told you, I have friends in low places.”
“Who are these friends? I would meet with them myself,” Dagan demanded.
“No. I don’t give up my sources.”
“Then I will throw you in an interrogation room until you change your mind.”
Falden stepped between her and the king even as Sasha stood and placed a hand on her mate’s shoulder. “She’s had a shock. She’s in pain. She’s afraid. Leave her alone for a few hours. Give her some time.”
Isabella knew the king was studying her, but she could not tear her gaze from the fascinating flickers of light she could see dancing along the surface of Falden’s skin.
“You will not harm her.” Falden stood toe-to-toe with the king, and if her head hadn’t been aching so badly, she would have cried. No one had ever stood up for her like that. Ever.
“I’m sorry, Falden. I’m sorry I can’t reveal my source. That’s not how it works. Sevron told me to trust no one but the king. Now I have told you everything I can. Sevron suspected there was a traitor on the base, more than one. He said the bad guys knew the Caldorians’ surveillance schedules, where they would be and when. He said someone was fudging the numbers on your inventory counts, taking weapons and anything else they can sell.”
“Why did he not come to me?”
“I don’t know. I think he was afraid you would interfere in his search for his brother.”
“I would have. The safety of the many comes before the needs of the one. I must protect my warriors and this planet. He had no right.”
“I know. I understand. You would have tried to stop us.” She looked up at Falden, hiding nothing. She needed him. She was in pain. She felt weak and scared and nothing was going the way she had planned. Which would have been fine, she could deal, but the migraine was literally making her see spots. And flames. Blue, dancing flames teasing her vision like mystical sprites. “I really need to talk to the prisoner. If I can talk to him, I might be able to get him to talk.”
“No.” The king was adamant.
“You won’t even know what to ask him. Neither one of you. You live here, on the inside, in your little bubble. You don’t know how to exist on the outside.” She looked at Falden, an apology in her gaze as she spoke the truth. “Your warriors don’t know how to blend in, how to shop, how to drive a car. We can spot you guys a mile away. You need me. I can get answers for you.”
“It’s too dangerous, Bella. No.” Falden understood her desire, but he didn’t like it. No fucking way was she getting anywhere near their prisoner. The thought of Isabella putting herself in such a precarious situation made him want to kill something. Fear gripped him with cold, hard talons. Only centuries of self-control kept him from throwing her over his shoulder, taking her off planet where she would be safer and pounding his cock inside her until she couldn’t remember her own name. How had his small, fearless female managed to discover an intergalactic Blood Market? She had no idea how much danger she was in. None.
Falden took her hand and began pulling her out of the room, his need to protect her boiling over into anger. “Dagan. Sasha. We’ll get back to you. Isabella and I need to talk.”
“Certainly,” the queen responded, her blue eyes filled with worry. “It was nice to make your acquaintance, Isabella. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you,” Isabella shouted to make sure the queen heard, cringing at the volume. Falden had whisked her out of there so fast she felt winded.

Chapter Eight
Fury wasn’t the correct word for the simmering heat hiding just beneath her overheated skin as Falden escorted her to another safe area of the base.
She knew a prison when she saw one. Even if it was a very nice prison, with a fluffy sofa, a large—very large—bed and a television screen on a swivel mount so she could watch mindless fluff while seated on either piece of furniture.
Falden stood behind her as she looked her fill of the room. It was about the size of a large hotel room, and there was one door, behind which she assumed she would find a bathroom with all the necessary facilities.
“So I’m to wait like a good little girl while you go talk to the bad guy?”
“You will be safe here.”
“I want to talk to him.”
“You will not—”
She was too angry to allow him to finish. “The bad guy you only caught because of me, I might add. I would bet anything he was there that night to find me, not you. I lured them out of hiding. I did the months of work to find him. To make them trust me. I am the one who risked everything to help Sevron track down those assholes.”
“And if I had not been there, they would have killed you and your friend, Jessica.”
That stopped her cold and made her shiver. She wasn’t an idiot. He was right. She’d probably be dead if not for him. But why keep her from talking to a prisoner? The bad guy had to be surrounded by guards. How dangerous could it be? “I never thanked you for that. I would be dead if not for you. It’s true.”
“Isabella.”
She didn’t turn around at the entreaty in his voice, sensing him behind her. Closer than he’d been before, his heat at her back. The fact that she ached for him to wrap his arms around her and make her feel safe, cared for, protected, just made her angrier. She’d been a fool. The sex had been good. Great, actually. But now that he’d