He chews the last piece of food and swallows. “So what do we do now?”
“First. Give me the whisperer.”
He picks it up from where it had been resting on the bed, along with the remote control for the screen, and hands both to me. His fingers brush mine. “You are scared.”
“And you aren’t?”
“Yes, but it is a familiar kind of fear. It is better to have a decision made than to live…” He pauses, trying to find the word in English, instead of using his word and letting my whisperer translate.
“Live in limbo? It means to be in a place of indecision.”
He sighs and nods. “That is near enough.”
I put the remote on the counter and the whisperer in my pocket, then I retrieve the key to the cell, along with his sword. “How many are out there?”
“Two, but I can still sense the others, as they are not out of range.”
I hand him his sword. He draws the blade and makes a couple of swings.
“Will you show me how it works?”
“No, because it will take time for me to recharge.” He taps one of his kam.
I unlock the cell, but neither of us opens the door. It’s as though once he steps out, he cannot go back in.
“If the other two are out of range, we should act." Waiting won't make it any easier.
“They are. I have not been physically active since I was locked up. I hope I can protect you.” He sheaths the sword and belts it on.
“Patrick said I have to protect you.”
Tiril snorts as if that is the funniest thing he’s heard in a long time. “I should not laugh. It is not your fault you are tiny.”
I scowl at him.
“I’m the one who knows where the supplies are.”
“And I am the one who knows how to use a sword…we will make a good team.” He almost sounds convincing. Almost. Then he pushes open the cell door and steps out.
For a heartbeat, I think he’s going to run straight out of the lab, but then he walks over to me and wraps one arm around my waist, lifting me off the ground.
I don’t need to stifle a yelp that might draw the soldiers' attention, because his lips close over mine as if he has been waiting far too long to kiss me. My arms wrap around his neck, and I melt against him as the kiss deepens. His tongue slides against mine, soft yet demanding.
I’ve been wanting this since the first time we kissed.
Why did I hold back?
He growls and then lowers my feet to the ground. “We do not have time for what I would like to do…assuming you want to choose me?”
“I do.” Even though it is reckless to be falling for an alien. To be choosing him as my mate, knowing he will be bound to me for the rest of his life.
But he is okay with that. It is something that he expects to happen.
“I think we should leave. If the stars favor us, tonight we will feast beneath them."
That sounds like the best date a man has ever suggested.
21
