My brow furrows deeply. “Present myself?”
“As a potential mate,” he replies. “You have already been claimed.”
“Claimed?” My tone is indignant. “Like I’m some sort of possession?”
He tips his head to the side to regard me. “You are mine.”
“Wait a minute.” I shake my head. “I thought… you were giving me a choice.” I gesture to the bed. “You said we didn’t have to mate if I did not want to.”
“Not until you are ready,” he agrees.
“What if I’m never ready?”
“Do you not wish to be mine?” he asks as if the very idea shocks him to his core.
Before I can respond, Healer Vonar bows slightly, backing toward the doors. “I will leave you alone to talk.” He disappears into the hallway.
Chapter 9
Raidyn
“What if I don’t want to be married?” she asks.
I cock my head to the side. This word translates as bonded, but surely she does not mean that. I feel I must ask anyway. “You… do not wish to be bonded?”
Her gaze travels up and down my form. “I—I barely know you. And we’re not even the same species.”
I do not understand. “What does that matter? We are fated to be together. Everything else is unimportant.”
“Unimportant? Just how do you know we’re supposed to be together?”
I place my closed fist to my chest, directly between my two beating hearts, watching in satisfaction as my scales begin to glow in the fated mate pattern beneath my touch. Her mouth drifts open as she ogles my chest. “This tells me you are mine and I am yours. The mark would not appear otherwise.”
She kicks her leg out as if trying to shake my tail loose from her calf. Afraid I have made her uncomfortable, I quickly retract it. “Look, I don’t really understand what’s going on here. You tell me that women are worshipped here, but I just got thrown in jail by a guy that looks like you but much older. Your father, I’m assuming?”
Ashamed at how she was treated, I lower my gaze. “Yes. He is the king.”
“And you’re the prince?”
I nod. “But my father is King in name only. The warriors have looked to me ever since my mother’s death.” Closing my eyes briefly against the grief, I continue. “My father has not been the same since she died.”
A gentle touch to my forearm draws my attention. I find Skye staring up at me, something akin to sadness behind her blue eyes. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” I reply softly. “She passed many cycles ago, but the deep ache of it still remains.”
She turns her gaze to the opposite wall, seeming far away. “I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. I’m sorry, Raidyn. I truly am.”
Tears gather in the corner of her eyes, but she quickly blinks them away. My mate is no stranger to loss, and I wonder whom she grieves. However, I do not press her, because I understand how painful such memories can be when they surface. I will wait until she is ready to share that part of her past with me.
“Thank you,” I reply.
A moment of silence settles between us and I glance around the room. I want to stay here with her, but she has said she does not wish to mate yet. So, perhaps I should sleep in the adjoining chambers. I am reluctant to leave because I worry that my father might order her imprisoned again if he suddenly changes his mind or is manipulated even further by my cousin Durzain.
She lifts her gaze to mine. “I need to get back to my people, Raidyn.”
I have considered this as well. We must find her people, but as I think on the way that male attacked her, I am loath to return her to them. Especially now that I have her by my side and have vowed to protect her.
I frown. “But one of them tried to attack you. Are the other males dangerous to females like him?”
I hope they are not, and I pray what I witnessed was not typical of their mating practices. I know some species force-mate their females. The very thought sickens me.
“No, they are not,” she replies. “And I appreciate your rescue, but I’m talking about the other women. My friends. I need to get back to them.”
I shake my head. “No. It is too dangerous. If your own people are capable of attacking you, you are not safe among them.”
Her mouth drifts open but she quickly snaps it shut. “No one has tried to hurt me but John. My friends would never—”
“If you do not know with utter certainty that the other males would not attempt to harm you, then it is not safe.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I will not return you to such danger.”
“Danger?” She spreads her arms wide in exasperation. “I’ve been in danger since the moment I got here. Your father had me thrown in a cell!”
She is right. As much as I dislike the idea of taking her back to her people, they must be warned. Even though I did not believe it at first, they would probably be better off with the Fire Clan. Even if Varus’ people claim all of the females, at least I know they will treat them as if they were females of our own race. Not make them feel as if they must choose a male that is presented to them like Durzain has convinced my father we should do.
It may not be safe for us to remain here either. My cousin has my father’s ear and I do not trust him. But neither is it safe for her to return to the desert—not without me, at least. She still has not deemed me a suitable mate. I believe she does not sense the bond as I do, and the mark has not manifested on her body.
She is mine, however—of this, I am sure. I must simply convince her to want
