“Yeah, right.” She shoves a sweet treat, a small round pale pink ball filled with a soft inner, one of my favorites, into her mouth. “Whatever, Driok.” Her eyes widen as she chews. “What is this?” She points at her mouth.
“It is an eper. A delicacy from my region,” I reply.
“Tastes like strawberry,” she says, reaching for another.
“You have them on your home world?”
“We have a similar tasting fruit.” The second eper goes into her mouth. “Not this though,” she says through the mouthful.
I’m not sure I’ve seen anything more gorgeous in my entire life. A female filled with food she is enjoying.
As well as enjoying being filled by me. It is my duty to sate her in every way.
“You are very weird,” she says, her eyes fixed on me as she reaches for another eper. “I hadn’t realized.”
“In what way?”
“You’re trying to be so big and bad, and yet you’re not exactly any good at being in the wilderness.”
“I am big and bad.” I flash her my fangs. “But for you, I am simply your mate.”
“Yeah, about the mate thing...” she says, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t know if I am your mate.”
Involuntarily, I tighten my grip on her ankle.
“You are,” I respond. “Sarkarnii only rut for their mate.”
“But Sarkarnii don’t just up and leave.” She finishes her food and folds her arms. “You did.”
My chest tightens. I wanted this to be our moment, not to allow the rest of the world’s problems in, not to have to explain to her exactly what I do or how I do it. My Maggie is perfection, and I didn’t want what we have to be sullied this soon.
“If I could have stayed, I would have, spitfire.”
“I only have your word, Driok,” she says, and I detect a sadness in her voice I dislike a whole lot. “From what I’ve seen, Sarkarnii move the celestial bodies to be with their mates. But you chose something else over your mate.”
I can’t disagree with her. I did leave Maggie, even though my rut was in full flow, because I thought I had no choice.
But perhaps I did. And perhaps I should have taken it.
MAGGIE
Driok is uncharacteristically silent when I challenge him about his decision to disappear on me, without a word and without a trace.
Of course, I was too damn proud to ask any of the other warlords where he had gone, contenting myself with snippets of information from my friends mated to those warlords, right up until the day I realized it had been far, far too long without a period.
Like I didn’t already know it would be just my luck my one night with Driok would result in me ending up pregnant while he was missing in action.
But it’s not like I haven’t faced down adversity before, on my own.
I was prepared to do it all again. I was prepared to be on my own, with my baby, and carry on.
But here is Driok, larger than life, still not prepared to tell me why he left, and yet I still let him in.
I let him in again and again. What does that say about me? I’m still here, with him, in the comfortable quarters he could have brought me to at the beginning of our trip, rather than adamp cave so he could show me what a terriblebarbarianhe would make.
Although, this place does show what he can do, such as operate the food dispenser which always seemed beyond me, as well as making it warm and comfortable.
Not that it changes anything. Driok left, without a word, and now he’s back, he wants all of me once more.
