How good would it feel to pound into her? He wondered if she was a screamer. How long had they been testing? There was no need to test any longer because he knew it as fact now and couldn’t wait to cement the bond.
“You are,” he said again, more certain in his assertion than in anything else in his life.
There was so much pity in her eyes. “I can’t be. You must be mistaken. Do you even remember my name?”
He tried to come up with something, anything, but failed. “I do not,” he admitted. “But I know you are my mate.” He gathered her into his arms, and she let him, not putting up a fight. It felt immediately better to be touching.
“How?”
“I know it the same way I know how to breathe.” He took her hand and pressed it to his chest, urging her to feel his heartbeat. “When I look at you, something inside tells me that I’ve been searching for you my entire life, and now I have finally found you. And you are mine.”
She shook her head, and unshed tears welled in her eyes. “You’re making this really hard, Ranek.”
“Then make it easier for me. Tell me your name.”
“Maya.”
“Maya,” Ranek said the two syllables reverently, repeating it under his breath, tasting it, and enjoying the way the alien name sounded in his ears. “Maya, my love.”
“You can’t just decide I’m your mate because you don’t remember anything else.”
He met her gaze. “I didn’t decide it. The Goddess did.”
Instead of comforting her like he thought they would, his words had her frowning in earnest and shoving him away. “I can’t be your mate, Ranek. Because you already had one. And it’s not me.”
Her words had him stumbling back. No. That wasn’t possible. Surely if he had a mate, he would remember her face, her name, something. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, forcing his brain to work. He tried to think of a Tallean female, one he loved, one he would move planets for, but his mind remained blank.
“The Goddess would not…”
“Stop!” she said sharply, putting her hands up to hold him away.
Twice now her eyes had darkened at the mention of the Goddess. Slowly, all the puzzle pieces locked into place. They were dealing with pirates, and the ship they were on was very old, a model the Dominion hadn’t used in decades. And it was clear by the way she acted that Maya was not a slave. In the Dominion, that would be all she could be. It was the way the Dominion ran things. That, combined with her negative reaction to the mention of the Goddess and the presence of pirates, made it clear. They were in the outer planets.
Fuck. He’d really messed things up.
Many in the outer planets despised the Goddess, and even many of those who pretended to fear her in places like New Rhea only pretended. Hell, Ranek wasn’t exactly devout himself anymore, though he couldn’t remember why.
“I made my way to the outer planets,” he said, watching her face.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“I see. But regardless, you are my mate, and nothing can change that,” Ranek said as the door slammed open.
Two males he did not recognize stormed in. Pirates. They really were in the outer planets. The Dominion was known to hire them to do their dirty work, especially when they needed it done in the outer planets, but they didn’t suffer the criminals on their own lands.
“Adorable. A declaration for the ages. Shame you won’t enjoy the future you’re dreaming about.” The one with a large scar on his forehead grinned while lifting a comm unit up to Ranek’s face. “Yes, this is the guy,” he said, turning to his friend. “The Stars smile kindly on us today. Not only have we found the female and the dragus pup we came looking for, but it turns out there’s a bounty on his head too. We’re going to get paid twice.”
“Murder?” Maya’s whisper drew their attention.
“Don’t you know, female?” asked the fat one standing closest to her. “Your new mate here is a wanted felon. Broke out from a Dominion prison a while back. Murdered a bunch of people on the way out here. Blew up a space station and stole that shuttle we saw back at the mining station.”
How was it possible? Ranek did not remember doing any of these things, but he also could not deny any of it, because deep inside he knew it was true. What type of male was he? And by the shocked look on his mate’s face, he’d hidden it all from her. He must be a monster.
“You’re probably better off with one of us,” said the one with the scar, his leer plainly showing what he wanted.
Ranek let out a low growl, unable to stop himself. If this idiot laid a hand on his female, he’d find himself dead. Ranek didn’t care that he was unarmed and the other male had a blaster; it wouldn’t matter when he disemboweled him with his claws.
“Yeah, too bad our contact is willing to pay so much for you and that little mutt.”
