Page 65 of Cheating Fate

“No. I don’t want you to take contraceptives. It’s simpler for me to just get a vasectomy so that you don’t have to take unnecessary drugs that could have side effects. Anyway, it’s easily reversible,” I said forcefully.

The way her face melted warmed me to the core. She smiled and kissed me.

“Our contraceptives are safe, but I agree that it is smarter to go with a vasectomy instead,” she concurred. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” I said affectionately. “I’ll schedule an appointment—”

Zhara tsked me, then lifted her torso. She glanced between us and placed her palm on my pelvis. My groin tingled for a second, then my mate beamed at me.

“Done,” she said smugly.

I snorted. “Remind me not to piss you off. You might decide to shrivel my balls to the size of prunes!”

She laughed. “I wish that were true. Sadly, your Braxian genes automatically block any psionic attack launched at you. You only get to enjoy the beneficial stuff. But don’t let that get to your head. I can cut off your cock and your balls in other ways… like with my bladed braid.”

“Ouch?!” I said with pretend horror.

She chuckled. “Just don’t piss me off, and you’ll be alright. Anyway, I’ll heal you back up if I ever do. I rather like how you use them on me. In fact, after we wash the mess you made, I wouldn’t mind an encore.”

I burst out laughing. “Your wish is my command, my love.”

Careful not to let my cock pull out of her, I got out of the bed and carried her to the bathroom, chest against chest, and her legs wrapped around my waist.

Chapter 14

Gavin

The next day, I returned to the military base for the first time. General Praghan would announce who made the cut to join the Sentinels, followed by a celebration. Obviously, neither Khel nor Ghan confirmed that my companions and I were in the clear. Zhara also didn’t have that information. Based on the fact that Vahl claimed me as part of his team and would escort me to Dantor, I wanted to believe that this included my fellow Braxians.

When I discreetly tried to pry, I was gently but firmly told to wait like the others.

As I walked onto the training grounds where everyone present was idling as they waited for the stragglers to arrive, many heads turned my way. The friendly nods and admiring glances warmed me to the bone. They’d already shown me a great deal of appreciation due to my performance with the training modules. But that rescue mission on the Talabor secret base made the rounds and increased my mystique.

While I could be egotistical and a braggart, this made me feel humble instead. Usually, I would puff out my chest and strut amidst pureblood Braxians and revel in the fact that they feared my greater combat skills. At a subconscious level, I understood that revenge on behalf of my father prompted part of my need to boast and dominate. As a hybrid, he had been treated horribly, even getting beaten to an inch of his life merely for being mixed.

But with these people, I didn’t have to prove myself superior to be treated with respect. My greater talent only meant greater accolades. It wasn’t a necessity just to give me the right to live without fear.

I spotted my fellow Braxians huddling near the section where our unit would line up once the ceremony began. Boisterous as always, they got even louder shouting their greetings once they saw me approach.

They took turns slapping my shoulders or back with enough force that they might have dislocated something had I not been Braxian myself. Despite that brutality, it didn’t hurt me. It stung in a rather pleasant way, largely fueled by the genuine warmth behind the welcome it expressed.

They took turns, examining me from head to toe, teasing and jeering at the fact that I no longer possessed any of my old scars. Those constituted a great source of pride for Braxian males.

“Well, well,” Curok said mockingly. “Someone has become rather scrawny. Did they feed you at all?”

I scrunched my face with a haunted expression. “The Ancestors take your tongue! Do not speak such horrendous words. Jhola might hear you. They’ve been force-feeding me nonstop. If you think I’m scrawny now, you should have seen me a week ago.”

They laughed, taking great pleasure in my only partially playful distress. While I was indeed a bit less bulky than before, most people wouldn’t actually notice it. My mate had done a fantastic job of rebuilding my mass. But you couldn’t fool these males. They spent their entire time weighing and assessing each other to determine who was the apex alpha of the bunch. It also informed their chances of taking each other down, one-on-one.

“Seriously though,” Nolar chimed in with a haughty expression. “You already had the girl. There was no need to get yourself roasted to a crisp.”

The others laughed while I huffed dismissively.

“I needed to work on my tan. Next time, I’ll read the instructions a little better,” I deadpanned.

Nolar snorted. “Well, see that you do. It was boring around here with no one to pick on.”

I stared at him, not fooled in the least by his attempt at looking nonchalant, and maybe even abrasive, as he spoke those words.