Noir Kioko had only ever seen one human before his undercover work brought him to the diner at the Luna Terminal, and that was at a distance. Humans are rare, most of them disappear without a trace, and he hopes hanging around the restaurant will give him a lead on the smuggling ring he’s investigating. There was no way he could’ve known the human would turn out to be his mate, and no way he can let it show without putting his mate in danger and possibly jeopardising his mission.<br><br>Max Welch is the proud owner of the only restaurant within a light year’s distance. He left Earth four years ago to create a better life for himself, but he hadn’t considered the possibility of scary alien pirates making his restaurant their favourite hangout spot. As a measly human there isn’t much he can do about it, but as one of the pirates starts coming by almost every day he has to come up with something before he loses all his customers. That the giant cat man is rather nice to look at changes nothing.<br><br>When rumours of another human arriving at the space station start to circulate, Noir's species trafficking infiltrate and observe only mission may need a revamp. But will Noir be able to protect his mate and another one of his rare species?

It Doesn't Translate

Max took a calming breath and cursed himself for spacing out.


He forced his mind to focus on what pastry he had to offer. Few species tolerated dairy products. “I...erm...I have vanilla ice cream.” Max kept it for himself. He liked eating some on those nights when he felt heartbroken, unwanted, and alone. Ice cream might not help that, but he still kept it for those nights.


“You do? Could I have some, please?”


Max was as stunned by the polite manner as he was of the request. “Of course, sir.”


He heard Bair mutter something as he hurried towards the freezer in the back of the kitchen. This was one strange day.


He quickly scooped up some vanilla ice cream and placed it in a bowl. He didn’t dare put anything on it, who knew what kind of topping was offensive?


Chapter 4