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It’s my first chance to really look at her. Before I made the snap decision to drag her aboard, she let me have my fill of staring. Surprise and confusion clouded her eyes as I announced that we were mates. I, too, was in shock at seeing her. Was this the spirit’s way of telling me I had no right to leave without acknowledging our bond?
When she told me that she had no intention of staying on theHeir, my brain short-circuited. My confidence that leaving the bond unconsummated was the right choice evaporated in that instant. I reverted to instinct.
“What is this?” she rasps, clutching the hallway railing that’s usually meant for holding on through impact or zero gravity. “Why are you doing this?”
“If you don’t intend to stay onThe Rightful Heir, then you will stay here,” I say.
“That’s no— You ca— I-I—”
She’s vibrating with so much anger she can hardly string together a sentence. I slowly reach to comfort her with a hand to her shoulder, but she flinches visibly. My hand hovers in the air; I don’t dare to move it further.
“You’ll have to answer for this.”
I drop my arm. “I understand this choice might have a bearing on the strength of our matebond, but—”
“No, I mean, you’ll have to answer for this because I’m the king’s guest,” she says, having summoned her voice again. She straightens her back, looks me straight in my eye, and proceeds to use a commanding voice I never expected from her. When we talked before, she was soft-spoken. “You’re going to turn this ship around right now. You’ve made a huge mistake, and you’ll have to answer for it to your Ka’lakka. If you don’t want to beg him for mercy, then call your pilot immediately.”
I try very hard to keep in the laughter, because she’s being brave. I’m well aware I have a frightening stature and a forbidding aura. It likely wasn’t easy for her to gather herself and start bluffing. Because that’s what my clever female is doing— bluffing.
“You’re a personal guest of the king?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “You said yourself you knew about the humans, so you should know. I’m the guest of Niko La’Nira’s mate. He’s very close to the Ka’lakka, so if I make a complaint against you, there’ll be consequences.”
“Oh? So you’re very close to the Ka’lakka yourself then?”
“W-well… He’ll be wanting to know my whereabouts when I’m nowhere to be found!”
“I see. That’s no trouble at all. Shall I call Mak now and let him know? We’re just taps away from breaching the dead zone that surrounds theHeir.”
Two blinks. Her lips twitch.
“It was a clever effort, little flame,” I say, unable to hide my amusement any longer. “But I’m not turning this ship around.”
Her amber eyes light up like blazing suns. “When I give you a piece of my mind, it’s going to wipe that smile—”
The door to the bridge at the far end of the hall slides open.
“What the rut are you up to?” Ruka demands as she stomps out. “Are you planning on—”
She stops short at the sight of my mate.
My female doesn’t waste any time.
“Please help me,” she cries, running down the hall. “This lunatic just snatched me off the airfield, and he won’t let me leave! My name is Kaye. I’m a human friend of Raina Jones, Niko’s mate. Do you know him?”
“Niko?” she repeats flatly. “Sure, I do…”
I feel like a villain from a folktale the way she’s running to Ruka. Ruka darts a glance at me for some help to understand what she just walked into.
“Kaye is my mate,” I announce, striding over to join them. “Kaye, this is Ruka. She’s a member of the king’s guard.”
“Then why the rut didn’t you leave her onThe Rightful Heir?” Ruka demands, putting a comforting arm around Kaye’s shoulder.
Viro appears now, stumbling out of one of the bunk rooms. He sees my female before he sees me, and to my great irritation, a grin stretches across his face.
“What is this lovely creature doing aboard this ship?” He says, just as I stomp over and grab him by the neck of his armored air seal. “The name’s Viro—ach!”
“She belongs to me so keep your eyeballs to yourself,” I growl against his cheek.
