Page 49 of Cheating Fate

“Just so you know, you will have to eat these types of meals for the next few days as we need that fuel to finish mending your body,” my mate said, this time with a sliver of compassion.

“I can hardly breathe, I’m so full,” I whimpered with an exaggerated air of distress.

She laughed and playfully slapped the back of my shoulder.

“Stop whining, you big crybaby,” she said teasingly as she stood up. “Let’s bring this inside and then we can go for a walk while you digest.”

I gladly stood, my stomach feeling on the verge of bursting as we brought the leftovers and dirty dishes inside. Jhola all but kicked us out, giving both of us an earful for not letting her do her job. Zhara laughed and kissed the older woman’s cheek, which only earned her a resounding slap on the rear.

“Ow!” she exclaimed with pretend shock while rubbing the ‘sore’ spot and looking at Jhola with an overly wounded expression.

“Off you go, you brat!” Jhola said, pointing a finger outside.

“Fine, you bully,” Zhara mumbled.

“What was that?!” Jhola demanded.

“Nothing!” Zhara exclaimed before grabbing my hand and all but running out of the house through the patio doors.

I laughed, loving the genuine affection and playful nature of my mate and the staff—although they were really extended family. It immediately made me feel at home as I shared the same type of interaction with my Nana Hope.

We walked hand in hand through the large garden leading up to the ryspak orchard, chatting amiably, with Zhara sharing various anecdotes of fun times—and a few more reckless ones—with her brothers and friends. Each time we walked past a specific area, she would point it out with vivid details about the incident. Although she had told me about some of them over the years, she’d never been able to go into as much detail as they were always recordings that she had to keep relatively short. It still felt surreal to me that we were finally together.

As we walked under the soothing shadows of the ryspak trees, their sweet scent permeating the early afternoon, I couldn’t help picturing her running around as a child being chased by her brothers in a wild game of tag or hide and seek.

“How do your brothers feel about me staying at your house for the next short while?” I suddenly asked.

Zhara shrugged. “They’re totally fine with it. In a way, their overprotective side may even be relieved so that they can be nearby if needed—not that they think it will be. But Tharek might act up a bit.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Because he’s jealous,” she replied in a self-evident manner with a hint of discouragement. “He believes that you are taking Vahl and me from him.”

“That’s ridiculous!” I exclaimed, even though it didn’t really surprise me.

“I know. And deep down, he knows it as well. But emotions have a mind of their own. In truth, he both resents and loves you,” she added pensively.

My brow shot up. “How so?”

“You saved us,” she replied, looking at me as if I’d said something silly.

“Right,” I replied, feeling a little stupid.

“But he struggles to find his place among us,” she continued, a slight frown creasing the chevron-shaped ridges of her crihnin. “He hates that he is too young to join the Sentinels with us. Now that we’re all intensively training, he feels even more isolated. Technically, Rhad and the Dherven twins shouldn’t be with us as they are one year younger than the eighteen-year minimum age requirement. But with the Great War looming, and in light of their incredible maturity, the Sentinels are giving them and most of the other seventeen-year-old Titans a pass.”

I nodded pensively. “Yeah, I can totally see that. But I do not worry about it. He and I will be friends. Anyone who loves you is a friend of mine.”

She beamed at me and pressed herself against my side. I wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her even more tightly against me before kissing her temple. By the Ancestors, I was crazy about her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked with a slightly concerned expression.

“Aside from my stomach still being a little overly full, I’m feeling okay. I’m just annoyed and itching to get back to action,” I said with frustration. “I hate feeling weak and tiring so easily. I cannot recall a single day where I wasn’t training, performing in some sort of physical activity, or taking part in some high-intensity sport.”

She gently caressed my back with her hand wrapped around me.

“You’ll be whole again very soon. All your organs are healed. You just need to rebuild the strength in your muscles. Focusing on rebuilding muscle mass is one thing—and I will do a lot of that for you, which is why you need to eat a lot. But I cannot wave a magic wand for your heart. You need to do cardio. And for your breathing, you need to work your diaphragm and intercostal muscles. So that means reasonable, but frequent visits to the holodeck. At least, I can help shorten the rest time between each session so you can get back to your old self even faster.”

“Fine,” I grumbled.