Her heart pitter-pattered in her chest.
When he’d collapsed, she’d thought he was dying, and that she’d lose him forever. A part of her would forever be linked to him.
Maybe it wasn’t as strong as the Gnaggarian mate bond; she was human after all, but it didn’t need to be.
She bent her head and kissed Gark on the temple.
“I choose you, Gark. I accept your claim.”
Right before her eyes, over the space of no longer than a minute, his breathing settled, and his skin returned to its usual bronzed hue.
CHAPTER 21
GARK
He woke in his bed, head pounding and his mouth dry. His eyes felt gritty like he’d been stupid enough to go into the desert in a sandstorm without a mask. He slowly pried them open, thankful that the light was low with the glow of the sleep cycle.
He knew without turning that Aletta was next to him, her breathing deep and even. He turned his head to look at her with a smile, which quickly turned into a frown as he took in her rumpled clothes and the dark circles under her eyes. She looked utterly exhausted, even in sleep.
The last thing he remembered was running to The Lady. Then nothing.
He scowled. That wasn’t exactly true. He remembered Aletta rejecting his claim and the feeling of being torn in two. And he remembered the gradual loss of control over himself.
He brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead, then pulled his hand away reluctantly. She wouldn’t want him touching her. His chest tightened like a band was squeezing the air from his lungs.
Had he succumbed to mate fever? He raised a hand to his forehead. But he was cool, not sweaty, and he was thinking perfectly clearly.
Except he didn’t remember the last…how long had he been asleep?
Lady’s tits, had he locked himself in his cabin with Aletta?
Horrified, he eased himself from under the covers and swung his legs to the floor. Something crunched under his foot.
Gark looked down, lips curling with distaste at the mess strewn over the floor of the cabin. Clothes, shoes, towels…the entire floor was covered. And the chairs.
He lifted his foot, grimacing at some kind of pudding on a tray from the mess that clung to his sole. This was disgusting.
Aletta stirred next to him, eyes opening and blinking as she yawned. She stilled, pushing herself to sit. “Oh, good. You’re awake.” She slid over to his side, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
“What happened to my quarters?”
She snorted. “You happened to your quarters.”
He stood up, careful to find a clear spot on the floor, which was difficult. ”What?” He looked down at himself. He was naked except for a pair of shorts he wore when training. “I don’t understand.”
Aletta patted the mattress next to her. “Sit, and I’ll tell you.”
He sat.
“What do you remember?”
Gark frowned. “The transport, and the cages.” He thought for a second. “Running with you to get back to The Lady.”
How I felt when you rejected me.
Gark leaned his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his raised palms. He knew the stories. A Gnaggarian male’s unrequited mate-bond would send him mad. He’d kidnap the woman and run off with her. Exile planets were full of low-classmales who had felt the call to an Elite woman and were exiled by her family.
Those males were feral, barely fit for coming into town for supplies once a quarter turn. Some towns banned them. Others had a designated day for them to collect their orders. But outside of that time, they would be arrested at best, or executed as a danger to the community.
