I struggle to leave her to her bath when every impulse demands that I stay. I recognized the scent of her need in the cleansing room. I long to taste her sweet nectar on my tongue. The drive to mate with her, to claim her fully as mine, consumes me. My stav is engorged and presses insistently inside my mating pouch, desperate to seek the warm, wet heat of her center. But she is not ready to take me as her mate. I must wait for her decision.
What can I do to prove to her that I am a worthy mate?
With a heavy sigh of frustration, I head downstairs to take note of our supplies. I must make certain that my mate is well cared for while we are here, though I don’t know how long that will be.
I cannot risk contacting Tai right now for fear that my father or cousin would intercept my message. I will have to wait at least a few days before I make the attempt. Right now, we are safe. If my father even suspected I was here, Tai would already have reached out to warn me.
I move to the kitchen. The stasis unit is fully stocked, so we should not want for food while we are here. Everything is in order, as it should be. I wonder when the caretakers were last here. They are only scheduled to come by a few times per cycle to make sure the house does not fall into disrepair.
My father never comes here anymore, and I only visit rarely, never for longer than a day. My father believes I find it as painful as he does to even think of this house and that I have stayed away as well.
Light footsteps at the top of the stairs draw my attention and I look up to find Skye staring down at me, dressed in the fresh robes I left outside the cleansing room door.
“I like it here,” she murmurs as her gaze travels over the room. “But are you sure we’re safe?”
This is not the first time she has voiced this concern. I hate the hunted look in her eyes as she asks yet again. I give her a faint smile as I struggle to push down the painful memories of my mother that this cabin brings to the surface.
“My father would never look for me here.” She opens her mouth as if to object, but I interrupt. “Would you like something to eat?”
She smiles. “That sounds wonderful.”
It doesn’t take me long to prepare a meal from the stasis unit. I’m not sure what she likes, so I bring her a sample spread. It seems she prefers fruits and vegetables to the various meats I’ve lain out. Recalling her blunt teeth, I suppose it makes sense that humans prefer a vegetarian diet.
She lifts a piece of tavi fruit to her nose and delicately sniffs it. Cautiously, she takes a small bite and smiles. “This is amazing. What is this?”
“Tavi fruit,” I explain, watching her devour piece after piece. Tavi is the preferred food of fledglings because it is easily chewed, but I do not tell her that. I am already hovering over her as if she were a fledgling. When she is finished with her second plate of food, I ask, “Would you like more?”
She shakes her head softly as she chews her final bite. Sitting back in her chair, she rests a palm over her abdomen. “I’m so full, I don’t think I could eat anymore even if I wanted to.”
She looks down at her hand. “On the ship, we were always rationing, you know. And sometimes, if there was an issue with the crops, I remember my mother used to give us her portions during those times, and still, we would be so hungry…” She trails off as her gaze drifts to the far wall, lost in the memory. “I think this is the first time I’ve eaten so much. I’m sorry.”
I reach out and place my hand atop hers, resting on the table. “You do not need to apologize. We have plenty of food and you need not ration.”
Her eyes snap up to meet mine. “Really?”
I nod. And at this moment, I vow that she will never know hunger again.
She turns her palm into mine and gently squeezes my hand. “I haven’t thanked you for saving me… again.”
“There is no need.”
“Yes, there is, Raidyn. You defied your father. You’re being hunted by your Clan because you helped me.”
“It is nothing,” I reassure her, because it is truth. Any Drakarian would do this for their mate. Especially their linaya.
“No, it’s not,” she denies firmly. Tears gather in the corner of her eyes. “I’m worried about you. What are you going to do?”
My brow furrows softly. She is worried about me? No Drakarian female would worry for a male unless he is her mate. It pleases me immensely that she is so concerned for me. Perhaps she does have feelings for me, despite her insistence that she does not wish to be my mate.
“I have given this much thought,” I begin. “We will hide here for a while. Then we will go to the Fire Clan to find your friend.”
Worry flashes in her eyes. “But I thought you were enemies. That it wasn’t safe for you to enter their territory.”
“Prince Varus and I were friends once.” I sigh heavily as the memories return. “We used to be as close as brothers.”
“What happened?”
“My mother and I were traveling through Fire Clan territory and were caught in a sandstorm.” I swallow against the thick lump in my throat. “When the Fire Clan found us, my mother insisted they
