She made her way out of the room and found Hysterian sitting alone in the bridge. Quietly, she made her way toward him. He stared out the porthole of his ship, and as she looked at the view, she discovered they were still on Elyria. He hadn’t taken her to the stars.
Or to Earth.
To be taken prisoner.
He’d helped her, saved her. She owed him everything.
Alexa licked her lips, knowing the fight had left her back at Dimes. “Whatever you decide to do to me, I won’t fight it.”
“Is that so?” he purred.
He could do a lot to her, a lot more than just turning her over. Alexa straightened. This was her penance. “Yes.”
But she hoped he had an inkling of mercy—
“You’re mine, Alexa,” he said, rising. The captain’s seat swiveled as he turned and faced her, staring her down.
She wasn’t sure if she heard him correctly. Her brows wrinkled. “What?”
“Say it.”
She stared at him, surprised and confused.
He took a step forward. “Say it.” A wildness touched his eyes.
“I’m yours.”
As the words left her, she felt them blanket her skin, becoming a part of her.
Now in front of her, his hands cupped her head. Teal eyes searched hers. “Say it again.”
“I’m yours,” she whispered.
And just like that, she killed him.
She saw it happen, the change that came across his face, just what she could read above the lip of his mask. Hysterian softened, his cold layers defrosting. The hard edges, the taut frame, the bulging muscles relaxed. The sheen of his secretion on his brow dried up.
“I love you,” he said, his fingers spanning into her hair. But then his softness fled as his fingers tangled into the pale strands. “Never leave me again.” It was a warning. A threat that if she did, worse things would happen than what already had.
Alexa shuddered, grasping his hands. “I’m a half-breed.”
“And I’m a fucking frog, princess.”
She closed her eyes as he clutched her to his chest. “It won’t work.”
“We’ll make it work.”
“And your skin? My dad? Everything else?”
Hysterian’s arms banded around her like chains. He wasn’t ever letting her go. If she hadn’t wanted to stay, it would’ve been terrifying. But as it was, she settled.
“Tell me what to do and I’ll do it,” he said, surprising her. “These last weeks without you have been torture. Why didn’t you tell me?” He growled, squeezing her. “Why didn’t you say? I’m furious.” His voice cracked. “I’m…”
“You can hurt me if you want,” she breathed.
He jerked back. “Never.”
Her eyes flooded with tears. “I love you.”
