Klath approached and then pulled up short. “Aletta?”
She turned to look at him, and Gark growled again, but this time, instead of being a purr like rumble in his chest, it had a threatening tone to it. His arms tightened again, and he bounced to his feet while holding Aletta.
“Gark!” She smacked him on the shoulder. “Put me down. Now.”
He grumbled, but lowered her to her feet, one arm wrapped protectively around her, holding her to his side. It wasn’t lost on Aletta that he’d shielded her from Klath’s view.
And then he crumpled to the floor.
“There’s something wrong, Klath.” Aletta dropped to her knees next to Gark, feeling for his heartbeat. Surely it was too fast.
Klath nodded, eyes serious as he looked over Gark. “Yes.” He ran his portable medi-scanner over the twitching warrior.
“Oh, my god. Gark!” Her hands shook as she picked his up and held it in hers. “You know something. Tell me.”
Klath looked away, snapping the medi-scanner shut. “I’m sorry.”
Was Gark dying? What was he sorry about? If he didn’t say what was wrong, she was going to strangle him.
“Klath. Tell me.” She bit out, ready to do violence.
“The Gnaggarian side of his biology has been triggered into dominance by the mate bond.”
Aletta’s brows furrowed. Gark had mentioned mates, but that was just a marriage thing. A piece of paper. Wasn’t it?
“The mate bond.”
Gark’s eyelids fluttered, and his hand twitched in hers. His skin was flushed, a purple tint to it, sweat pouring from his brow. Aletta swallowed the lump in her throat. He’d tried to warn her, hadn’t he? That she was his mate. And she’d said what, exactly?
She flushed.
She’d rejected him. She’d thought he was trying to control her. What if he wasn’t?
“And it makes Gnaggarians like this.” She gestured to Gark with a nod of her head.
“No.” Klath shook his head.
“Explain.”
“What’s happening to Gark is what happens when the mate bond is rejected.”
She closed her eyes. “This isn’t the worst of it, is it?”
“No. There are so few documented cases of Gnaggarians finding their one mate, let alone those with mixed blood. And a rejected mate is very rare.” Klath paused, and she wanted to scream at him to tell her. No matter how bad the news, she needed to know.
He shook his head sadly. “There’s nothing I can do. I’m afraid that if the bond continues to be unreciprocated, he’ll go mad.”
An arm snaked around her shoulders as Dylan eased herself to her knees next to Aletta. Only then did she let the tears fall.
CHAPTER 20
ALETTA
It took both Vox and Jarden to move Gark to his cabin, the two warriors straining under his bulk. Once they’d placed him on the bed, he’d somehow sensed he was in his own space and had lurched to a sitting position, fists swinging. Once the two warriors had left, he’d settled, and she’d been able to make him comfortable.
Now she was curled against the headboard, Gark’s head in her lap while she stroked his hair. He was still feverish, but hadn’t gotten any worse over the past day since they arrived back on The Lady, thankfully.
But he still hadn’t woken. She sighed. Klath had told her she’d done as much as she could. Now it was up to Gark.
