Grady's Awakening by Bianca D'Arc Page B

never seen. A golden god with that extra spark of life in his gorgeous blue eyes—that quintessential something that was missing from every other Alvian she’d ever met. He could feel.
    Emotions were new to him. There was little doubt he had some trouble interpreting the impulses that must have been so confusing to him at first. Gina admired the fact that he’d taken such a dangerous chance and joined the experiment. Not only that, but he’d overcome what had to be poor odds to succeed in his quest to understand and experience emotion firsthand. She gave him credit for that.
    Most warriors she knew—most men of either race, for that matter—didn’t spend a lot of time pondering their existence. To have undertaken such a drastic step, she knew Grady Prime had searched his own soul, long and hard. It was an attractive thought.
    Almost as attractive as she found him. The attraction grew with each breath, each word from his mouth, each moment in his presence.
    Now she was being sent away.
    The mission was one she had eagerly accepted and had looked forward to implementing for some time, but things had changed in the space of mere minutes. Why she found Grady Prime so compelling, she had no idea. She wished things could be different and that she could have just a little more time to discover the answer.
    But it was not meant to be. Sooner than she’d expected, she would leave here—leave him—and move on to the next part of her mission, the next part of her life. If she was successful, it would be some time before she could return to the protective fold of the Zxerah Brotherhood. Even then, there was no guarantee she would ever cross paths with Grady Prime again. These few minutes were probably all they would ever have.
    Gina felt a pang for what could never be. She knew her duty was not only to the Patriarch, but to her own race. If things went well, all life on this planet could change for the better. It was the goal she had dedicated her life to, and the only thing that should really matter. The only thing she could let matter.
    “I’ll start with the Chief Engineer,” the Patriarch continued his fast-paced decision-making. “Grady Prime, would you be kind enough to record an introductory message I could deliver to Davin and his mate? I would take you with me to perform the introductions in person, but your mission here is too high profile in certain quarters and I cannot interfere with it to that extent. Under no circumstances do I want the Council aware of my movements at this critical time.”
    Grady Prime answered in the affirmative and Gina’s eyes were drawn once again to his firm jaw, his sparkling eyes and the sheer strength of the man. He was appealing on a visceral level that was hard to resist.
    The Patriarch went on with his plans. Gina didn’t really listen. The others were all talking now as he stirred them up. Only Grady Prime and she sat in relative silence and watched. He watched everyone, and she watched him. At least, she thought he’d been watching everyone, but after a while, she realized he was covertly scrutinizing her.
    And then he wasn’t being so covert.
    They stared into each other’s eyes as the conversation and planning went on around them, each unblinking, unsure what the rapt attention of the other signified. Gina felt it. Her empathic abilities were low key, but Grady Prime was close enough for her to read and he wasn’t adept at hiding his emotions yet. They were still too new.
    After a while, the conversation died and the dinner was over. Some of the men had already been dispatched to get the ball rolling on the Patriarch’s plans. The rest followed quickly after. Only Sinclair Prime and the Patriarch remained as she and Grady walked with them toward the exit.
    The Patriarch thanked Grady once more before leaving the group just outside the building. Sinclair Prime gave them a speculative glance before saying goodnight himself and leaping into the air to fly away.
    “May I