Page 52 of Cheating Fate

My stomach dropped at the even more shocked, then disappointed look on her face. She hadn’t been afraid. I’d just panicked and misinterpreted her reaction. Except now, her disappointment gave way to embarrassment. Zhara swiftly propped herself up, lowering her dress that had ridden up to her belly, before sitting at the edge of the bed.

“You don’t need to apologize,” she said in a small voice, eyes cast down, and looking just as mortified as I felt. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Feeling like a complete idiot, I just stood there, my brain miserably failing to come up with some clever reply that would make her feel better.

“Yes, I did,” I said sheepishly. “I totally ruined the moment, because I got overly excited. And I thought my actions scared you.”

Her jaw dropped, and she looked at me like I’d grown a second nose in the middle of my forehead.

“You didn’t scare me, Gavin. I can count on one hand the people who make me feel half as safe as you do,” she said, genuinely stunned. “Yes, you got excited. And honestly, I’d be offended if you hadn’t. But you didn’t hurt me.”

I snorted. “The last thing you ever have to worry about is me not being excited in your presence,” I mumbled, my cheeks burning.

Ancestors, I was so pathetic…

She giggled with embarrassment. And while I was still feeling like a complete clown, seeing some of the tension bleeding out of her shoulders seriously lessened some of the one stiffening my back.

She rose to her feet and flattened some non-existent creases on her dress.

“Anyway, I should get my butt back to training before Dad gives me an earful,” she said timidly.

“Right. We wouldn’t want that,” I replied awkwardly.

Fuck my life… Can I be any lamer?

She gave me an even more awkward smile, then went to put her shoes back on.

“I’ll see you later,” she said, hesitating before coming to give me a chase kiss on the cheek.

That stung.

I quietly escorted her to the entrance door of the guest suite, annoyed by the uncomfortable silence between us. I opened the door and held it for her. She gave me a grateful smile and walked out only to stop on the other side. Zhara partially turned sideways to give me a strange look.

“If your actions ever scare or hurt me, I will speak up, Gavin,” she said with a firmness that struck me hard. “I’m not meek and don’t freeze in fear. If I don’t say anything, it’s because I’m onboard with whatever we’re doing.”

She didn’t give me a chance to reply—not that I actually knew what I would have said—and simply walked away. I watched her receding back, fiercely berating myself. I’d not only ruined our first real intimate moment, but I’d also indirectly insulted her. Zhara was indeed no damsel in distress. She could literally rip an enemy’s soul right out of their bodies.

But her powers don’t work on you…

And that always lurked at the back of my head. I couldn’t even begin to imagine a scenario where I would ever want to harm my soulmate. However, that first night when Khel forced me to acknowledge the extreme level of violence I was capable of during that scenario seriously shook me. In my berserker haze, I had not realized the extent of the savagery I had indulged in. Although I still couldn’t picture something like this ever happening with my woman, the violent desire she awakened in me actually frightened me.

I wanted to believe that my lack of experience explained the overwhelming sensations that tiny bit of friction provoked. The moment I flipped her onto her back, I’d pinned her wrists to the mattress to keep my hands busy. Otherwise, I would have torn her dress to shreds before unleashing my passion on her.

Heaving a sigh, I went to the holodeck next to my suite where Zhara informed me they had uploaded multiple virtual training modules for me to complete during my recovery. It was essentially theoretical stuff mainly pertaining to galactic laws and rules of engagement. Right now, I would have given anything to crack some skulls instead. At least, I actually liked this stuff, so in no time, I ended up falling down a rabbit hole and really soaking it all up.

My com going off startled me. Only then did I realize that more than four hours had gone by. To my surprise, the message came from Nana Maheva. I didn’t even know she had my number. I groaned inwardly when the message read for me to drop by the kitchen for a snack. The elder women of Zhara’s family seemed determined to kill me from a burst gut or lethal indigestion. Granted, the food was excellent, but I was starting to feel like a goose being force-fed for some foie gras.

Still, I wasn’t going to offend her by declining. However, as I approached the kitchen, the most delicious aroma of baked goods had my mouth watering. I couldn’t tell what expression Maheva saw on my face, but she immediately burst out laughing with an indulgent smile.

“Fear not, sweetie. I am not going to force feed you like I already know Jhola did,” she said with a mischievous glimmer in her yellow eyes speckled with green that her daughter, Aunt Lee, Mama Amalia, and my beautiful Zara had all inherited. “This is just a sweet treat I hope you will enjoy.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said sheepishly as I approached.

She pulled a covered plate from the counter next to the oven and brought it to the island. I stared at the lid hiding its content with undisguised curiosity. The bratty old lady was deliberately making the mystery last as she turned around to go grab a fork in the drawer. Only once she set it next to the mystery treat did she lift the lid.

My jaw dropped.

“A piece of a chocolate ryspak tort!” Mana Maheva said proudly.