"That is why Zhoren arranged this Hunt. The High Arbiter. He saw what I was becoming. Without a bond, without an anchor, I would deteriorate. The violence would consume me entirely." His eyes met hers. "I would become the thing I was made to destroy."
"And now?" she asked again.
His hand was still on her face. His thumb traced her cheekbone, gentle in a way that seemed impossible for hands built for destruction.
"Now there is you," he said. "Now I am anchored."
She understood, then. Understood what she had given him when she said yes. Not just a mate. Not just a bond. A lifeline. Something to hold onto when the violence threatened to pull him under.
She had saved him.
The realization settled into her chest, heavy and warm. She had come here desperate, drowning, grasping at anything that might save her family. And in the process, she had saved him.
"I'm glad," she said. "I'm glad it was me."
They lay in silence for a moment, the jungle sounds washing over them. Then a thought surfaced, one she had pushed aside in the chaos of the past days.
"The Khelar," she said. "The one that attacked me. How did it get through? I thought the island was protected."
His jaw tightened. "I do not know. The Marak's defenses should have been impenetrable. Someone failed, or someone betrayed. I will find out who." The promise in his voice was cold. Final.
"But you were watching."
"I was watching." His arm tightened around her. "Nothing would have happened to you. I would never have let it."
She believed him. Through the bond, she felt the truth of it; the absolute certainty that he would have torn the world apart before letting anything take her from him.
"So what happens now?" she asked. "With us. With... this."
He was quiet for a long moment. Through the bond, she felt him gathering words, weighing them carefully.
"We are different," he said finally. "You and I. Different species. Different worlds. Different lives." His thumb traced her cheekbone. "You may find this hard to accept, in time. The bond, the mating... it is permanent for me. But if you wish to leave?—"
"No." The word came out fast. Certain.
He went still.
"It's strange," she admitted. "All of it. You're not human. You're not even close to human. But I've connected with you harder than I ever have with any man." She laughed, the sound surprising her. "Maybe you're the only one who can handle me."
His chest rumbled beneath her cheek, a deep vibration she felt more than heard. Amusement, she thought. Or agreement. The sound of it buzzed through her bones.
Then she went still.
"I want to stay on Earth, though." The words came out quieter. "I have people I need to take care of. My family. Aria, Angelo... I can't leave them."
He tipped his head, studying her face. "If you allow it," he said slowly, "I will stay here. On Earth. With you."
She blinked. "Can you do that? Won't your... masters object?"
"The High Arbiter will have no choice but to agree. A bonded warrior cannot be separated from his mate. It is law." His voice was matter-of-fact. "It will not be easy. We will need a safe location, somewhere I can remain hidden. The Marak has resources for this. They have concealed others before."
"Others?"
"Bonded pairs who wished to remain outside my home planet. It is... not common. But it happens." He paused. "I will stay hidden from the humans. I am very good at hiding. I do not need much. And human food..." Another pause, considering. "The creatures on this planet are palatable."
She snorted. "Palatable. High praise."
"Besides." His hand curved around the back of her neck, possessive and gentle. "I will be able to protect you." A pause. "Not that you need it."
