“But I do think he's worthy of a second chance.” I glanced at Braxis. I had meant a second chance on Hell but as I said the words I remembered that I had promised Braxis a second chance with me, and I needed to be honest with my men about that. “He wants to... uh...”
“No,” Malik growled. “Do not ask that of me, Mvarra. It's bad enough that you wish me to put aside my fury and forgive him. I will not allow the bastard to court you. You are mated tome. Even if I were to accept him, you can't mate him.”
“That's not true,” Braxis said firmly.
“Yes, it is,” Malik argued. “Her neck bears my mark. My venom runs through her veins. You can't add yours, you might...” Malik trailed off.
“Kill her?” Braxis asked with a lifted brow. “We both know that's impossible.”
“One woman mating two Bleiten is impossible!” Malik roared. “You will not touch her, Braxis! You want my forgiveness? Stay the fuck away from my mvarra!”
“Mal,” I said gently. “He killed one of his own men to protect me.”
Malik was trembling with rage. It took him a second to shift his furious stare to me and slow his breathing. “What did you say?”
“Braxis was injured in the attack on the Triari outpost,” I explained. “When his men found us, I was trying to heal him.”
“Us?” Malik snarled, then shifted his stare back to Braxis. “You took her with you on a raid?!”
“I had to,” Braxis growled. “I couldn't leave her on the ship.”
“You're a fool,” Malik hissed at Braxis, then turned his attention back to me. “And what's this about healing him?”
“I told her to flee,” Braxis said softly as he stared at me. “But she wouldn't leave me to die.” He shifted his stare to Malik. “She stayed behind at great risk to herself and saved my life.”
“Fuck me,” Malik whispered irritably. “That's what did it, isn't it? That's what made you love her?”
“No.” Braxis glanced at me. “That's what made me realize that I was wrong about her and once I did that, I could finally admit what I felt.”
Malik grimaced and stretched his bunching muscles.
I looked back and forth between the men, then added, “Braxis' men thought I was hurting him, not healing. I was pressing on his wound, covered in blood. They...”
“One of my warriors disagreed with my treatment of Amara,” Braxis took up the explanation. “When he found her with me like that, he became enraged. I was taken to the med bay and he used the chance to steal the Silver Tongue from me. When I came out of the med mod, one of my crew was waiting to inform me that Amara was in danger. I realized then that the Silver Tongue was missing and made the correct conclusions. I shifted into battleform because Amara had informed me that the Tongue doesn't work on Bleiten in battleform. But even if I hadn't known, my rage would have forced the shift upon me because I found her dancing for my warriors in nothing but wet underthings.”
“What?!” Malik roared.
“I killed the warrior responsible,” Braxis said viciously.
“Did he truly, Amara? Because if he's lying to protect this man—”
“I witnessed the kill,” I said. “Braxis drove back the rest of his men and told them that I had saved his life, not threatened it. Then he helped me through the aftermath.”
“Helped you through the aftermath?” Malik narrowed his eyes.
“I was in shock—traumatized over what I'd been forced to do and what had nearly been done to me. Braxis got me through it,” I admitted. “Malik, please, I know he's done a lot to us but you know that I did my part to inspire his hatred.”
Malik sighed. “It was a battle, Mvarra. He'd already tried to assassinate you. You merely used the weapon you had available. I was wrong to make you feel as if that were dishonorable.”
“No, you were right. It was dishonorable. Perhaps with another enemy, what I did would have been acceptable but not withthosemen inthatbattle. They didn't deserve it.”
“Perhaps they didn't,” Malik finally conceded. He looked at Braxis and grudgingly added, “I will think about what you've both said. Return her quickly and untouched, Braxis.”
“We will be on our way shortly, Prince Malik. It will take us one to two days to get to Earth.”
“Make it one,” Malik growled. Then he softened his expression as he looked back at me. “Be careful, Mvarra. Don't trust him and don't you dare let him comfort you again. That ismyright.”
“Okay, Malik. I'll see you soon. Give the others my love.”
