Chapter 10
LemAN didn’t like the way he left things with Teagan and she refused to answer his comm link pages. He didn’t even have time to explain to her that he had unofficially claimed her as his mate.
His mate.Goddess, that sounded right to him. Teagan was his mate and he didn’t have a chance to really appreciate that. She deserved so much more, a mate who would proudly claim her in a public ceremony before everyone and pledge his love and loyalty. For a long time he thought the Goddess had forsaken him. Now he felt truly blessed.
What had possessed him to claim her? Was it just the spur of the moment? No, he had been fighting his feelings for her a while now but after the medic brought up the true bond mate idea, he knew it was true. He had been broken inside and somehow she filled the pieces that were missing. Deep down he always knew that she belonged with him as he belonged with her. The only one keeping them apart was him. Still, this wasn’t the best time or place to claim a mate. They were possibly about to enter battle with the enemy and were far away from help from Katiera.
Finally it was time for him to get ready to leave. He walked to the docking bay and spotted his second commander waiting for him outside the shuttle. They clasped forearms.
“The crew is ready, and the pilot is doing last-minute adjustments,” Second Commander BorIS told him.
“Thank you. You’ve taken care of getting this ready and I’m trusting you to take care of our crew. There’s something else I need you to promise me, but it’s a personal promise. I’m calling on our longtime friendship.”
“I already told you I would look after the Earth female and make sure she makes it back to Katiera safely.”
“Teagan’s now my mate.”
He looked at LemAN in surprise. “Truly? You claimed her?”
“I did, but she doesn’t realize the meaning of it all yet. We didn’t have time to talk. If something happens to me…”
“She will be granted all rights as your mate.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, are you two going to stand out there talking all day or are we going to get this thing going?” Teagan yelled from inside the shuttle.
Both men looked surprised as they entered it. She was sitting in the copilot’s seat, wearing a warrior’s uniform. It was too big for her. LemAN noted that she’d tied some kind of belt around her middle and had to roll up the pants because they were too long.
“What are you doing here?” LemAN demanded.
Teagan shrugged. “Going with you.”
“No, you’re not. We’ve discussed this. You left and refused to take my calls. Now you want to bring this back up in front of witnesses?”
All the crew members, including the second commander, left the shuttle to give them some privacy. Her cheeks turned bright red.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you in front of your men. I just thought you would have a harder time saying no if others were around to back me up.”
“I am only trying to protect you, Teagan. You have no idea how much you have come to mean to me. If something happens to you…” He couldn’t finish the sentence and turned his back to hide the emotions coursing through his body. He would be devastated if something happened to Teagan. Losing another person he cared for was unacceptable. He felt her arms wrap around his waist from behind.
“I know. I feel the same about you. It scares me that you have pretty much stolen my heart. If I lost you now, I don’t know how I’d deal with that.”
LemAN turned around to face her. “I’m a warrior. Trust me to know what I am doing.”
She cupped his face. “I do trust you, but you need to trust me that I won’t do anything that will put me in trouble.”
“These Morinians, I don’t know if they are truly different or not. We could be heading into a trap.”
“I could stay in the shuttle and monitor everything. There’s a compartment below for supplies. I could hide there and monitor you and the crew and the ship.”
“Only if the pilot remains with you and will take you off the transport if danger arises.”
“Not without you.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Yes. It is the only way I will allow you to come along. I need to know that you will be protected at all times.”
Sighing, she nodded in agreement. “Fine.”
