Chapter 26
Drake walked out onto the rocks, watching the waves crash around him. They were green, the exact color as his mate’s eyes.
She isn’t your mate, he reminded himself.And she never will be.
In the distance, the gnarsharks circled. He wondered how long it would take them to finish him off.
Zantharian males who didn’t mate would die, but some refused to wait for the inevitable. They found other means of ending the suffering. Gnarsharks were the option he found most palatable.
He knew he still had a couple of days left, but he couldn’t stand seeing what he could never have. Jamie was so beautiful, and he knew he wouldn’t have the strength to refuse her if she submitted to him.
Drake couldn’t risk her accepting him out of pity. He would not be a burden to her for the entirety of her life. When she tired of him, as she eventually would, he’d be stuck to her like a lodestone.
Noruma forbid if she ever preferred another male. He would not be able to allow him to live, and she would never forgive him.
This way was easier. A short swim, and then eternal darkness.
Drake was surprised when he felt the wind of an approaching vessel. He turned his eyes to the craft as it landed next to his own.
The hatch opened and a figure stepped out. The sunlight lit her from behind, setting her hair ablaze.Jamie.
The hatch closed behind her and once she was a few steps away, it took off. Drake caught sight of his brother at the controls before the ship whipped away.Fuck.
“What are you doing here?” she asked when she got close enough to him.
He didn’t respond. She came to stand beside him, catching sight of the circling fins in the distance. “What are those?” she asked, shading her eyes with her hand.
“Gnarsharks,” he said at last.
“Sharks? You came out here to look at sharks?”
He watched her in silence and saw realization hit her.
Then he felt her fist hit him. Hard. In the arm.
“You asshole! You lied to me. You said you were going to rest. Instead, you come out here, ready to feed yourself to sharks rather than mate with me!”
Drake wanted to laugh. As if he would choose a painful death over the bliss of her embrace. “You know it’s not like that. But I refuse to force myself on you, and I knew you were too kind to refuse me once you knew the consequence was my death.”
“But you didn’t even bother to ask me how I felt about you.”
He stared into the distance, feeling that life was absurd. “It doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t!” She grabbed his arms, pulling him low enough for her to grab his face. “I love you!”
His eyes grew big, his heart thumping in his chest. He wanted to grab her, to crush her to him. But doubt clouded the issue.
“You’re just saying that.” His voice was little more than a whisper. “You are sacrificing yourself to save me. I won’t allow it.”
The crack of her hand on his cheek rang out. “You bastard. How dare you say that!”
Drake pulled away, his eyes stormy, but before he could speak, she gripped his shoulders and pulled herself up until he was forced to hold her.
“I love you, Drake, regardless of whether or not you’ll die without me. I love your bravery, your wit. I love the way you protect me, but you still respect my opinions and accept my wishes even if they run contrary to yours. I love your spirit, your strength. And I love being in your arms.”
He looked deep into her beautiful green eyes, seeing the truth in their depths. Still, he had to be certain.
“You don’t know what you’re saying. If we do this, you’ll be with me until you die. I won’t leave your side willingly. And there is a good chance that we’ll have a child.”
