His expression grows sad as he mentions his sister. I reach out to cup his cheek. “I’m sorry about your sister, Varus.”
“It has been three cycles, but I still miss her,” he murmurs.
“My parents died three years ago, too. It was so hard watching them suffer before they passed. I think about them every single day. I think it’s normal to miss the ones you’ve lost so much.”
He hugs me close, tucking my head under his chin as he nods in a tiny movement. “I believe my sister would not have liked you.”
Taken aback by his comment, I pull away just enough to fix him with a mildly offended look. “Why? Because I’m… different?”
A sly grin twists his lips. “She was very protective of me and always teased that no female would be good enough for her younger brother.”
I laugh. “Well, if she’d ever had a chance to meet me, she would have changed her mind, because I am wonderful.”
“No,” he answers seriously. He reaches out to gently cup my face, tracing the soft pad of his thumb across my cheek. “You are perfect, my linaya.”
A smile curves my lips a moment before he captures my mouth in a passionate kiss, leaving me breathless and wanting.
When he finally pulls back, he whispers tenderly, “Rest, my mate. I should be well enough that we can leave this cave in the morning.”
Curling up in his arms, I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes as he wraps his wings tightly around us.
I could get used to sleeping like this every night.
Chapter 17
Varus
When I wake in the morning, I notice that almost every ache and pain of the last day has vanished. I am not entirely healed yet, but I am ready to leave this place. I am eager to take Lilliana to my people, introduce her to my parents, and proudly announce to our subjects that she is mine.
I lean down and gently nuzzle her hair, inhaling her delicate scent deep into my lungs.
She stirs lightly in my arms then lifts her head to look at me. “Good morning.” She gives me a sleepy smile. “How are you feeling?”
“Fully recovered,” I reply. “Now that you are awake, we can fly to meet my people.”
“Your people? I thought you were taking me to mine?”
“Now that Raidyn has seen you, he will hunt for your kind.”
“What? Why?”
“As I mentioned before, there are few females left in our race. All are now considered precious.”
Her brow furrows deeply as if my answer troubles her. A question lingers just behind her eyes. I wait patiently for her to ask, but she remains silent.
I continue instead. “We need to return to my city so that my warriors can accompany us to retrieve your friends. We can bring them back to our city and protect them.”
Worried green eyes meet mine as she reaches up to gently trace the pronounced line of my brow. “Are you sure you feel well enough to fly?”
“Yes.” I pause and wonder if her question held a hidden meaning. Is she as eager as I am for our first mating? “I suggest you eat and drink before we leave. It will not be safe to stop for sustenance in case the Wind Clan is searching for us.”
“How far is your city?”
“Valoria is less than half a day’s travel. But before we leave, I must check on your injury.”
She smiles. “It’s fine, Varus. Look.” She raises her forearm proudly. “It’s already healing.”
Deep, red gashes mar her forearm. Although they are no longer bleeding, they are far from healed. I suspect, however, that her species does not heal as quickly as mine, because she seems pleased with the minimal progress her wound has made.
This presents yet another problem. My concerns for her safety have grown exponentially. I can only hope that our fledglings, if we can have any, inherit my natural healing abilities and defenses. I will be a stressed male indeed if our fledglings are all born defenseless like my beautiful mate.
“I would like for the Healer to assess your wounds once we reach the castle.”
Her brows shoot up to her forehead. “Castle?”
I nod.
“You live in a castle?” she asks incredulously.
“Yes. Contrary to what you may believe, my people are not primitive.” I arch a brow at her. “We do not live in caves.”
She laughs. “Still upset about that, huh?”
“My race is very advanced,” I protest. “Just because we choose to isolate ourselves from most other space-faring races does not mean that ours is a primitive existence.”
She frowns. “How many other ‘space-faring races’ are out there?”
“Thousands.”
Her jaw drops. “But this planet is relatively safe, right? From pirates and such?”
I can only imagine how devastating the space pirate attack on her ships must have been to instill such fear in her. I move quickly to assuage her worries. “You need not worry. We possess excellent defense technology.”
She releases a sigh and relaxes in my arms. “That’s good to hear.”
I tip my head to the side. “Do you know what species attacked your ships?”
She shakes her head. “They looked a bit like your people, but more lizard-like. They had green scales and the same vertically slit pupils, but no wings. And somehow, they were able to speak our language.”
The word lizard does not translate for me, but her description of their eyes and advanced communication tech tells me the pirates must have been Rovarans, a disgusting race. They are known throughout the quadrant as mercenaries of the lowest kind, many of them slavers.
“I believe you encountered Rovarans. They are easily dealt with. You do not need to fear them anymore. My people will keep yours safe.”
She leans against me. “Thank goodness,” she says, shivering slightly. “They were terrifying.”
I rub her shoulders in a soothing gesture. “I will kill any who dare try to harm
