"Why didn't you kill him?" The question burst out of me. "When you were in his office. Why didn't you just—"
"I did." His voice went flat, dead. "I had my hands around his throat."
I stared at him, my heart hammering. "What stopped you?"
Ahrick's jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath the skin. His eyes were haunted when they met mine. "He threatened to hurt you."
The air left my lungs.
"So I let go." His voice cracked. "I let that bastard live because the alternative was losing you. And I can't—Merrilee, I can't survive that. I can survive anything they do to me in those pits. I can survive Hewes's threats and Persico's games and every broken bone they give me. But I cannot survive a world without you in it."
"So I won," Ahrick said, pulling me back against him. "I disobeyed, and I won, and you're safe for now. That's all that matters."
"No." The word came out choked. "No, that's not all that matters. You disobeyed Hewes. You painted a target on your back. Because of me."
"Because I choose you." His hands cupped my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. "I will always choose you, Merrilee. Every time. No matter the cost."
Tears burned behind my eyes. "What's he going to do to you?"
"I don't know." Ahrick's thumb brushed across my cheek. "But I know what he'll do to you if you stay here. And I can't—I won't let that happen."
Understanding crashed over me. "You're sending me away."
"I'm keeping you alive." He pulled me closer, his forehead pressing against mine. "Persico won't let him kill me. Not while I'm making money in the pits. As long as I keep winning, I'm valuable. But you—you're a liability now. A weakness Hewes can exploit."
"I'm not weak."
"I know you're not." His voice was fierce. "But you're mine. And that makes you a target ."
The tears spilled over. "I don't want to leave you."
"I know." His arms tightened around me. "Merrilee, I know. But I need you to trust me. I need you to let me finish this."
"Finish what?"
"Killing Hewes." The words were flat. Final. "That's why we came here. That's what needs to happen. And I can't do it if I'm worried about keeping you alive."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him that I could handle myself, that I wasn't some fragile thing that needed protecting.
But I'd seen Hewes's face in that crowd. Seen the rage when Ahrick won.
And I knew Ahrick was right.
"How long?" I whispered against his chest.
"Three days." His hand stroked through my hair. "If I don't come for you in three days, you use the comm unit to contact Nansar. He'll get you off Palaydium."
Three days. Seventy-two hours. An eternity and no time at all.
"And if you do come for me?" I asked, even though I was afraid of the answer.
"Then Hewes is dead, and we're free." His voice was rough with emotion. "And I'm going to complete the bond between us and truly make you mine."
I pulled back to look at him. Really look at him. The blood drying on his skin. The exhaustion in his eyes. The determination that burned beneath it all.
"Tell me about the bond," I said quietly. "Tell me what it means."
He was silent for a long moment, his hands still holding me close. Then he spoke, his voice low and reverent.
