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“Perhaps not, but it was hilarious,” Cazar disagreed with a chuckle. “I have been enamored by you since the moment we met.”
“What if you’re just saying that now because you’re hopped up on Joe Juice–”
“That sounds disturbing,” Cazar interrupted.
“–but what if you kick him to the metaphorical curb and your feelings for me dissolve? What if you regret being with me?”
“That isn’t possible.”
Evie raised a brow. “How do you know?”
“Because you are ingrained into my very being, Evadora. I understand that sometimes on Earth relationships dwindle and fade, but my brothers and their mates are proof that the bonds held here on Aragnok are sacred. And when we claimed each other, I took that vow to heart. My very soul is yours until I pass from this life. I won’t ever regret that.”
Evie sucked in a trembling breath, her eyes widening with emotion. “I wish I wasn’t strapped into my seat right now.”
Cazar’s lips pursed in confusion and this time she laughed at him. The sound seeped into him, warming him up from the inside out.
“I just want to hug you, and kiss you, and tell you that I feel the same way,” Evie declared happily, her gaze softening as she stared at him. “I honestly never thought I’d want to be in another relationship until I met you.”
“Why did you volunteer to become a mate if you held no interest in it?” he asked curiously. “Did you have obligations on Earth that Aragnok could assist with?” He knew Alex had volunteered in order to procure a kidney transplant for her younger sister. Had it been a similar situation for Evie?
Evie looked away as she cleared her throat, her once expressive face swiftly growing shuttered.
“I didn’t exactly volunteer to come here,” she answered quietly, her voice barely carrying over the sounds of the spaceship as turbulence began to gently rattle the vessel.
How was that possible? She read the look on his face easily before continuing. “It’s a bit of a long story, but essentially, I was engaged to someone for a time. He was a senator’s son, kind of like you.” Evie wrinkled her nose in disgust. “No, not like you at all.You’reamazing. Stephen was sweet at first. Doting on me and attentive. But the more time I spent with him, the more I got to see him for who he really was. He wasn’t a good person at all.”
Evie ran her hand through her golden hair, clearly agitated. “I broke our engagement off and he became extremely possessive. He would call me at all hours of the day, or show up to my job, or my house, uninvited. I tried to involve the police but nothing seemed to work. No one cared that he was stalking me.”
A darkness rose up out of nowhere inside of him, opening its jaws wide and snarling viciously. The sound echoed in Cazar’s head, filling him with a primal, instinctive rage that he welcomed eagerly. Whether it was the parasite finally showing itself or simply Cazar, he didn’t know. And he didn’t care.
He wanted to slaughter the male Evie spoke of so casually. Her voice was so flat, as if she’d been dealing with the twisted scoundrel harassing her for ages and had become resigned to it. He wished he was on Earth right now so he could hunt the pathetic human down and rip him in half.
Perhaps bite his head clean off and–
“Baby, you’re growling.” Evie’s voice drew Cazar out of his sinister musings. He blinked once, unsure of how his thoughts had derailed so quickly. “Do you want me to stop talking about it?”
“No.” Cazar snarled, the sound coming out distorted and wrong. He cleared his throat until he was sure his voice had returned to normal. “Please, continue.”
Evie eyed him warily but did as he asked.
“The day he broke into my house, I took matters into my own hands. I knew no one would help me but I was ready for Stephen.” Evie exhaled, squeezing Cazar’s hand for comfort. “I knocked him unconscious, tied him to a chair, and then essentially electrocuted him until my neighbors heard the screaming and called the police.”
Cazar’s wrathful thoughts ceased immediately and his eyes widened, completely fascinated by his mate’s confession. She’d ambushed a male and tortured him for daring to wreak havoc on her life? The thought was frightening and… highly arousing. He wasn’t sure he ever wished to risk her ire, but knowing she was capable of taking down a threat single-handedly made him proud to call her his.
“I am in awe of you,” Cazar growled, his vision flickering to gray only once before returning to normal. “What happened then?”
“I was arrested, but I wasn’t in jail for more than a few hours before Stephen’s dad, the senator, bailed me out. He blackmailed me into coming here. He said it was to keep Stephen from bothering with me anymore.” She bit her lower lip. “My whole life was uprooted without my consent. I didn’t even sign the official paperwork, it was all forged, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.”
Her words settled in his gut like lead.
“Evie,” Cazar said softly. “How have you been coping with this so well? Coming here must have been awful for you.” He felt guilt gnaw at him. And when she’d needed him for comfort, he’d turned her away.
Cazar was determined to ensure his mate only had the best this life had to offer her. He would do everything in his power to be there for her, always, from this moment on. She’d given him the chance to start anew, to be a better male to her, and he wouldn’t squander the opportunity.
She shrugged nonchalantly, pulling his hand up to place a small kiss on his knuckles, repeating his earlier affections. His heart skipped a beat at the delicate brush of her lips.
“I can think of a few reasons why it hasn’t been.” Evie smiled at him then, and he swore the world around him shifted, everything tilting on its axis.
