I blinked back the tears that were threatening and tried to push away the awful memory of Chud Larson looming over me, his nose streaming blood as he promised I was going to pay.
“He…he said you always took…took a calming tea before the…the Mating Flights,” I finally got out. “He said you…you wouldn’t come for me.”
“Auri…” He cupped my cheek in one big, warm hand and tilted my face up to his. “You’re under my protection now,” he told me. “I’ll always come for you.”
“Thank…thank you,” I whispered and then my tears overflowed and ran down my cheeks, even though I was trying to stop them.
Ryse sighed roughly and pulled me to him. Big, strong arms came around me and my face was pressed to his bare chest, which smelled comfortingly of his warm, masculine scent.
“Suh…suh…sorry,” I managed to get out at last. “I just…last night…”
“Last night you were nearly raped because I was almost too late getting to you,” he said grimly. “That’s fucking frightening. It’s all right, little one—you can cry if you need to.”
And so I cried. For just a moment, I let myself feel weak in his arms—let myself feel like a girl who had been frightened and nearly violated—which I had heard all my life was the worst thing that could happen to me because it would ruin all my value to a future husband.
But I had no future husband here—just my Wing Leader who still thought I was a man—thank goodness—and who held me anyway and let me cry.
Ryse, who didn’t seem to mind that I was getting his chest all wet, stroked my hair and murmured something soothing. I didn’t understand what he said but I didn’t have to—it made me feel better…made me feel safe—safe in his arms.
At last the sobs tapered off and the tears dried up. Swiping at my eyes, I looked up at him.
“Feeling better now?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“A little,” I admitted. “How…how did you know to come looking for me?”
“Figured that Larson would take the opportunity to come after you, so I didn’t take my usual tea,” he said. “And I had M’alex in my head, warning me that you were in danger.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“He took time out of a Mating Flight to warn you about me?”
Ryse shook his head.
“No—M’alex didn’t rise last night. In fact, he’s never risen for a Mating Flight.”
“He hasn’t?” I shook my head. “Why not?”
Ryse shrugged.
“He says he’s waiting for the right female—for his mate. I can only imagine how much worse last night would have been if he did rise.” He shivered. “God and Goddess, I would have gone out of my fucking skull!”
“How different was last night from a regular Mating Flight?” I asked curiously. Now that I had gotten over my fear and let my feelings out, I was much more able to talk.
“It was about ten times more intense, for one thing,” Ryse growled. “Mating Flights aren’t normally like that.”
“Well, what usually happens?” I asked. “I mean, I saw…all kinds of things. People doing things I didn’t think they would want to do under, er, normal circumstances.”
“Usually it’s just a lot of fooling around,” Ryse remarked. “Mostly cadets kissing and groping some. Nothing like the fucking orgy that went on last night.” He raked a hand through his hair. “The ones who don’t like other males will generally take a sleeping draught or a calming tea when they hear the horns to help them deal with their, uh, urges.”
“Oh, so that’s why you usually take something?” I asked, looking at him from the corner of my eye. “Because you don’t, er, like other males that way?”
“That’s right,” he said, frowning, as though he was trying to convince himself as well as me. “I don’t. Last night was just…”
“Last night was an anomaly,” I finished for him, since he seemed to be groping for the right word and couldn’t find it. “It was just a one-off. Nothing to be ashamed of.”
Ryse looked relieved.
“You think so?”
