“When we ran into Drago, he'd called her his bitch. It was obvious, by the way she recoiled, that he’d raped her. You know Silas, there’s no way he would have kept his hands off her. I wasn’t about to hand her over to that viper.”
“You realize this is going to mean war, right?” Rafe asked.
“I know.”
“Looks like we need to start bringing in our allies then,” Rafe said with a sigh.
“And calling in every damn favor we have,” Kaia added.
“I have contacts too,” Baz offered. “Please, let me help. Let me prove I want to fix what I broke between us. Let this be the first step.”
Kaia watched him. “Okay,” she finally said after a moment.
“Thank you, beautiful. You won’t regret it.”
“Let’s get to work. We’ve got a lot to do. It won’t take long for word to reach Silas that Drago compound was breached. He’ll know we have her and he’ll figure out we aren’t handing her over. I’m going to go check on our guest.” With that she left.
When she reached the room Shar now occupied she had food and water with her. She’d made a pit stop to grab them. She knocked then called out. “Shar, it’s Kaia. I’ve brought you something to eat and drink. Can I come in?”
There was a soft click as the lock disengaged and the door opened a crack before one green eye peeked out. “You’re alone?”
“Yes, I’m alone,” Kaia promised.
“Okay. You can come in.”
The door opened and Kaia stepped inside, carrying the tray with her. “As I said, I come bearing gifts—food and water,” she said, setting the tray on the low table in front of the seating area.
“Thank you. I am a little hungry,” Shar admitted.
“You’re welcome. I need to talk to you. I need to apprise you of what’s going on. We should sit.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Shar said as she took a seat.
“I’m just going to get right to the point. Less than a week ago I didn’t even know you existed. My young charge, Aimee, got herself into some trouble and in order to get her out of it I took a mercenary job. That job turned out to be you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I was hired to get you out of Drago compound. I’m supposed to hand you over to my employer, however that’s not going to happen.” She saw Shar tense and held up a hand. “Let me explain. The man who hired me is a viper. I didn’t trust him and had already made the decision when I rescued you. Upon our return here, I learned from an associate of his what he planned to do once he had you and that solidified my decision. What that means is that war will be coming to me and my people. You’ll be safe here, I’ll see to it. I’m not letting him get his hands on you, Shar.” She reached out and touched her hand and warmth seeped into her. It was similar to the feeling she got when she touched Baz and Rafe. It startled her because she knew what it meant. Her eyes widened and she glanced at the other woman. Shar’s eyes were wide as well.
“What…what is that?” Shar hushed.
“Mate bond,” Kaia whispered.
“Mate bonds exist? I always thought they were a myth,” Shar replied in surprise.
“They do. I’ve found them twice before. One is strained. He…left two years ago. He’s come back but I don’t know if we can fix the damage his leaving did to the bond. May I?” Kaia asked, holding her hand over Shar’s arm.
Shar nodded and Kaia gently traced her fingers up Shar’s arm. The warmth spread. “You know, the first thing I noticed about you was your eyes. They’re so luminous and stunning,” she murmured. “We’ll take things slow. I know…I know Drago hurt you deeply. I won’t ever push you for something you’re not ready for.” She lifted her hand and gently cupped the other woman’s cheek. “We’ll move at your pace.”
“Thank you,” Shar said, leaning into the touch. “He…forced himself on me. I told him no but he didn’t listen. It hurt and he didn’t care.”
A tear slipped from her eye and Kaia wiped it away. “If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him slowly just to make him pay for the pain he caused you.”
Shar smiled slightly. “For some reason I believe you. You said you have two others, who are they?”
“You’ve already met one. Rafe. He…” Here Kaia’s voice faltered. “He’s dying. He has Ataxia Sacer.”
“Oh no. Kaia, I’m so sorry. How long does he have?”
