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She draped her arms over my shoulders, sliding her fingertips through my hair at the nape of my neck, making tingles shoot up my spine. Her cheek rested against my horns. “Is it the mate bond?” she asked so softly the words were barely more than a whisper.
“Yes.”
She was quiet for a long time, and her hands never left my head. Then, just as I thought I couldn’t wait for her reply for a moment longer, she said, “All right. We can make this work. I accept your apology.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “You didn’t know what you were doing, I understand that. A mate bond means it will work out. I’ve been around your kind long enough to respect and trust that.”
I looked up into her eyes, the gray of them looking blue against the monochrome walls of the mothership. She still had tears in her eyes, and I wondered if she only agreed to give me another chance because of her respect for the mate bond. But I wasn’t going to question that now.
“Thank you.” I buried my face in her belly. “I’ve never experienced this thing you humans call love, but I think this is it.”
She sobbed again. “I was so worried when you were hurt and healing. They wouldn’t let me see you while your skin was growing back. I just wanted to be next to you. I—I think I love you, too.” The tears were streaming down her face now. “No. That’s a lie. I know I love you. That’s why I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, about us, for days.”
Her words filled me with elation.She loved me. “My mate.” It was all I could say before the happy ache in my chest stole my ability to speak.
I don’t know how much time passed with us just holding each other there before the door finally slid open.
“You okay, Sam?” It was the human male who had wished her good luck earlier.
Sam cleared her throat. “Yeah. It’s… It’s the mate bond.”
“I’m not surprised. These Pip models know what they are talking about.” Then he looked directly at me. “Don’t leave just yet. Stay so we can get your Pip fixed up. We’re getting the pieces ready for him. Wait about two minutes before you take her to your shuttle, will ya? And I’ll distract Jask’l and get him out of your way.”
“Thank you, human.”
“It’s Aaron.” He grinned. “Oh, and Sam, you should ask him how he found out where you were.”
“Okay. Howdidyou find out where I was?” Sam asked after Aaron left and we waited for him to do whatever he needed to do.
“Our Pip talked to their Pip.”
“How does their Pip know where I am? Or evenwhoI am?”
“TheirPip overheard its hunter talking to his mate about their Tech Wizard working on the third mothership with a female Tech Wizard from another group.OurPip also intercepted a call between Ror’k and Mo. They were talking about an exchange of personnel, and Mo said that it wasn’t exactly an exchange because it only went one way. He put the two and two together and concluded that you were the other Tech Wizard.”
“Smart shuttle. Now, let’s get back to him.”
I stood, lifting her up with me and setting her belly down over my shoulder with her ass up in the air.
She let out a squeak.
“Fear not, my mate. I got you.” I took giant steps through the familiar ship to where my shuttle was docked.
“You got our Sam back!” Pip exclaimed as I stepped into the shuttle. “And you’re mates now. See! Told you so.”
“Yes, Pip. I should’ve listened to you from the very beginning.”
Sam giggled. “That’s going to go to his head.”
“It already has,” Pip agreed. “Oh! And the other Pip’s going to teach me how to play chess. Anyway, I’ll leave you two for now so you can…you know.”
If a shuttle could’ve winked, it did. The lights brightened for a moment before dimming again. Then they continued to dim into a soft, romantic mood, and sensual music started playing softly in the background.
“Pip must have been waiting for ages to use that trick,” Sam mused. “Where did he find the getting down music?”
“Getting down?”
“You know, sexy time?”
“Oh, yes.” Humans had far too many words for that, as Pip had recently taught me. “I’m unsure that it is possible to get any further down in our current position.”
