“I believe in you, Theme. That’s why I hired you to be on my crew in the first place. We’re going to do this. Tomorrow is the last day we’re stuck on The Instigator. We won’t get away with the Orbs, but we’ll at least get out with our lives. That’s all that matters.”
Sawoot smiles. “What about Chris and his cronies? I used to have thing for Felix – before he was laughing at you taking his punishment.” She shakes her head. “You know, that lot always did kind of piss me off. I’m glad they showed their true colors before we risked our necks for them any further.”
“Chris and his little group are going to be Captain Aelon’s problem once we’re gone,” I nod. “Alright – are we all clear on the plan?”
My two crewmembers nod in unison.
“Good,” I grin. “Then, Theme, you go to your chambers. Sawoot – I need to talk to you.”
Theme says his goodnights quickly. He’s not comfortable being alone with us as it is, and I think he’s grateful for the opportunity to duck out.
Once he’s left, I gingerly sit down on the couch. Sawoot refills my cup as I try to find a way to sit that doesn’t hurt my still sore bottom. Even when I’m away from Aelon and his triad, I’m left feeling what they did to me.
It’s not what they did to my body that I’m worried about. Why can’t I stop thinking about him?
As if reading my mind, Sawoot sits down and says: “You want to talk about the captain, don’t you?”
I wince. “Yes. Well… I hate him… But there’s something about him, isn’t there?”
She laughs. “He’s got too much swagger for his own good. I don’t pretend Aurelians have no effect on me - that’s for prudes, and there are a lot of women who’d never admit their attraction. I think it’s because once you do, people automatically assume you’re going to run off and join a harem.”
“You think Aelon has a harem?”
She thinks carefully, her tongue pressing against the inside of her cheeks. Then, she shrugs.
“Maybe – but I don’t think so. He doesn’t seem like the type to spend more than a single night with the same woman. Can you imagine him sitting around, surrounded by dozens of them? He’s way too intense.” She sighs. “He’s a delicious cocky bastard, though, isn’t he?”
I snort. “Worse than any I’ve seen! Gods – those men who tried to rape you… I think he was friends with them.”
Sawoot looks down. “I’m trying not to think about that. It was bad enough living it – and it’s only thanks to Garrick that I’m still... unmolested.” She looks up – the smile gone from her face. “That fucker Kit was a beast, and so was his triad. They’d have ripped me apart.”
Garrick. There’s something gallant about the name, which he certainly was.
My smile fades too.
“Sawoot – this might sound crazy, but I have the feeling that Aelon thinks I’m his Fated Mate.”
Her eyes widen.
“Exactly,” I nod. “That’s what’s been really bothering me. Like, what if… What if I am?”
Sawoot taps her fingers against the table as she thinks.
“Then, I’d say you’re lucky.”
“Lucky? Really?”
She nods. “Yeah, of course!”
She leans in closer.
“You know, some people claim the Bond can control your mind, but I don’t believe it. Remember my friend from the harem? She asked the Aurelians about the Bond once. The leader of that triad told her that all the Bond does is enhance any desires you already have.”
Her eyes flash mischievously.
“So, I’d ask you, Tasha – is there anything lurking inside you that you’re scared might awaken?”
I look down, suddenly embarrassed.
To be honest…
Oh, Gods… My cheeks burn with humiliation.
There was something about being completely powerless that had turned me on when Vinicus and Aelon had delivered that spanking, in front of the entire crew. I’m so used to being the decision maker – the leader. I’m used to being the one who has to make the split-second decisions that mean life or death to my crew.
When Vinicus first held me down across his lap, I’d realized how helpless I was. I felt truly powerless for one of the first times in years. When I’d kicked and fought to escape Captain Aelon’s grip and couldn’t get away… I’d realized I was completely in his control…
…and I’d liked it.
It was bad enough experiencing that contradiction naturally. I can’t even imagine how it would feel to have that particularly shameful desire enhanced and amplified by the power of the Bond.
I shudder. “The problem is, the Bond isn’t between one of them and their Fated Mate. Each triad are a package deal – you’re Bonded with one, you’re Bonded with all of them.”
I shiver, thinking about Aelon and his battle bothers.
“Iunia looks like a brute,” I muse, “but I actually think he’s the smartest of the three. Vinicus? He is just a brute.”
Sawoot laughs. “So, with those three you’ve got an insufferable, cocky bastard, an intellectual, and a brute. It sounds like the start of a joke – they all walk into a bar – only your life is the punchline.” She snorts. “Sounds like enough to keep things interesting, at least.”
Then, Sawoot leans in, a serious tone to her voice.
“Tasha. If you think there’s even a chance you’re Bonded to them – even a slim one – you have to take it. Just imagine – you’d live for thousands of years. Isn’t that worth whatever side effects it comes with? It doesn’t change anything about you. If you hate them, you don’t have to stick around. Take their precious Bond and get the hell out of there if you so choose!”
I swallow hard.
That seems almost cruel. Aurelians spend their entire lives searching for that one woman who can bear them their heirs. If they found their Fated Mate and she left them…
Well, they might do something crazy. In fact, they
