Page 28

“Beck,” Alik says the name slowly, like he’s making sure he gets it right, even if he’s not entirely sure what it means.

“Yes, Beck. He’s your phinnek pup, although at the rate he’s growing, he’s not going to be a pup much longer. The first trinket I brought you was a wood-carved phinnek.” I’ve still never seen any evidence of them.

Alik slowly rises and walks toward the doorway of the containment cube. He enters it and heads for the farthest corner that sits in a narrow shaft of shadows and darkness. He kneels down, picks up something off the floor, and comes back. When he sits across from me again, he places whatever’s in his hand on the table. It’s the phinnek carving I first brought.

I lift my eyes to meet his and smile. “You kept it?”

Alik nods.

“Did you keep all the trinkets I brought you?”

Again, he nods, and my heart swells. Is it weird how happy that makes me?

“I’m glad you still have it. When I saw it in the market square, it reminded me of Beck and I thought you might like it. I know he misses you, but your mother is taking extra care of him.” I truly think the phinnek is the only thing holding her together at times. “So are Olivia, Quinn, and Lindsey. He’s being spoiled until you get better. Mak—she’s Janik and Olivia’s phinnek—treats him like an infuriating little brother. We thought at one time there might be a chance she was his mother given their similar coloring, but Janik says she’s been with him since he found her abandoned next to her own dead mother.”

Alik grows less agitated each time I say Janik’s name—or appears to—which has been the entire reason I keep using it. I don’t want him to freak out when his brother’s name is said. And not just for me either. The madness isn’t good for him, and if he has any chance of returning to his old self, then he needs to be treated like the person he was before.

“Mo-ther,” Alik says.

I nod. “Your mother, Queen Veroneek. Your family has grown in the time you’ve been…ill.” Like I always do when I bring up his family, I’m cautious with what I say. “Horek is your cousin and now he has Quinn and a baby on the way. While Carrik isn’t related to you, Lindsey is his heart’s fire and she’s like my sister, so you also have a new sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and a niece or nephew since she’s pregnant too.”

While I study Alik, I can’t help but notice how much happier, maybe, he gets with each new relative I list. Or maybe I’m just projecting my feelings.

“Ver-neek. Hor-ek. Quinn. Car-rick. Lind-see.” His pronunciation isn’t perfect, but he’s really trying and I can’t help but feel my heart opening just a little further.

“I know you’re still tender about this, but I’m going to say it and I need you to breathe with me when I do, okay?” I wait until Alik nods before continuing. “You also have a brother and a sister-in-law in Janik and Olivia. He was born a few anums before you. So, I’m sorry to say, it’s not just you and Horek any longer.”

I’m so tense waiting for his reaction that my neck hurts. When Alik keeps breathing in a slow and steady pace to match mine, my muscles start to relax.

“I’m glad I’m part of a growing family. After my granny died, I was mostly on my own until I came here.” It’s a risk, but one I take when I reach across the short distance between us and lay my hand on Alik’s. He freezes, and so do I. We do nothing more than stare at one another. I’m barely breathing when I continue. “I’m glad you’re part of that family, even if it comes out that we’re not actually mates.”

I can’t begin to think what will happen if I’m not Alik’s heart’s fire, but that’s future Devon’s problem. For now, I just need to get through the rest of this…date? Carefully, I remove my hand, but the second we break contact, he clutches at it, holding it gently between both of his. It’s the only reason I don’t jerk away. Alik’s not hurting me. In fact, he took great care not to considering how long and deadly his claws are.

He could retract them, but maybe he’s forgotten how, along with everything else. Maybe he just needs a reminder. With my free hand, I reach out and glide my finger along one of the razor-tipped claw.

“Alik, could you try something for me?” I pause. “I know you don’t want to hurt me, but it’s possible you might accidentally do so with these. Bohnari have the ability to bring their claws out at will as well as draw them back inside their fingertips. Do you think you could do that?”

He watches me with the intensity of a predator, and carefully shifts his attention to his hands. I’m fascinated by the concentration on his face. A little crease appears in his forehead, and his eyes narrow as they laser focus in on where we’re touching. It happens so fast, I startle. One second, Alik’s claws are extruded and the next they’re gone.

In fact, it’s done so quickly, I don’t feel the sting or see the narrow strip of blood welling along the length of my thumb until he yanks his hands off mine and stumbles backward off the stool. His arms are outstretched and the horror on his face breaks my heart. I jump down from my seat and approach, but for every step I take, Alik takes two backward, lengthening the distance between us.

“It’s okay, Alik. Nothing more than a scratch, I promise.” I’m pleaded with him. “You didn’t hurt me. Really. See? It’s almost stopped bleeding already.”

I have no idea if it’s true or not, but I can hope. I glance down to be certain. Sure enough, it’s a surface level scratch. One I might have gotten from a sharp stick or a nail. Nothing life-threatening. I hold it out so he can see I’m telling him the truth.

“Look. It’s nothing.”

Finally, he stops moving and lets me get close enough for him to reach out and observe for himself. He carefully takes my hand in his again and studies the inconsequential mark. To my shock, Alik bends and runs his tongue along the minor injury. A shudder courses down my spine. I did not expect that or how good it would feel.

“No. Hurt,” he says.

I shake my head and take in a stuttered breath. “No hurt.”

If I thought the confirmation would be the end of it and Alik would release my hand, I’d be wrong. Instead, he slowly traces the length of each of my fingers. Goosebumps rise on my skin, and I’m pretty sure I’m trembling. Whether it’s from nerves or desire, I can’t say for certain, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the latter. Because holy shit, I’m aroused.

His now clawless fingertips run over the back of my hand. He flips it over and traces the lines in my palm. Slickness and heat pour from between my thighs, and I just know he can smell it from the way his nostrils flare and his eyes brighten from onyx to a flash of red. God, why is that so hot?

He travels his fingers up my arm and draws his fingertip over the ridge of my collarbone. A full-body shiver runs through me. Heat radiates off Alik, and I want to press myself hard against him and soak it up.