“Not all find their fated mate. And now that there are so few females, the bond is even rarer.”
I remember he told me about the Great Plague that killed many Drakarian women and rendered the rest infertile. My mind drifts back to the flu that burned through our ships three years ago, the dark memories returning like a tide to the shore.
“I’m sorry your people have suffered so much loss,” I tell him. “We lost many as well during the viral outbreak that took my parents a few years ago. A strain of the flu swept through on our colony ships. We lost almost half our people during that time.”
“My hearts grieve with yours,” he whispers into my hair.
“Thank you.”
“Before the Great Plague, nearly as many females as males lived on Drakaria; most waited until they found their fated one before forming a pair bond. Now, we are so desperate we have begun negotiations with other Clans to discuss the possibility of intermating.” He looks down. “Some of our Healers predict that due to the lack of females, we may be facing the extinction of our race.”
“What about mating with other species?”
“We have been a spacefaring race for hundreds of cycles, but ever since the plague, we keep mostly to ourselves. Our Healers believe that one of our trading ships brought the virus that devastated our population. After the plague, we did search for other species who may be biologically compatible but found none. So, we gave up on searching.”
Listening to the history of his people, I realize how desperate they are for females, which concerns me. I fix him with a serious look. “What if our two species are not capable of having children?”
He cups my cheeks, his deep-blue eyes staring into mine. “It would not matter to me. I would still desire you. The Gods have gifted you to me and I will not ignore or turn away such a perfect blessing.”
His words fill me with warmth, and I smile.
He returns a tender look. “After my mother died following the Great Plague, I was angry at the Gods. I blamed them for my people’s every misfortune. I turned my back on their teachings.” He shakes his head softly. “I was shunned by many females because of my disfigurement, which only added to my resentment. But the moment I found you, I rediscovered my faith. The Gods had not deserted me after all—they gave me a fated one. A gift that not everyone receives.”
I swallow against the lump in my throat as doubt begins to creep in once again. I slowly untangle myself from his arms and sit back. “So it is the bond that makes you love me.”
“No,” he denies vehemently. “It is you that makes me love you. I want you and only you, Skye. For the first time, I am grateful to the Gods for giving me my scar. In giving me this scar, they made sure that the right female would find me. One that could look beyond it and see me for who I am instead of my title. If I had not had this scar, I would likely already have been mated. And if I had been mated to another and then discovered you after, it would have been the most devastating tragedy of my existence.”
He reaches out to cup my cheek. “When I look at you, I feel as if I have found the other half of my soul. I have told you more in the past few days than I have told even those closest to me. I can open my heart and bare my thoughts to you in a way that I never could with others.” His brow furrows softly. “Do you not feel the same?”
His words touch me deeply because this is exactly how I feel. I take his hand, lifting it to my chest as I entwine our fingers. “Although I still don’t understand it, I know that this,” I gesture to our joined hands, “feels right like nothing else ever has.”
He flashes his devastatingly handsome smile and I can feel my tower of logic crumbling all around me as my heart insists that I allow myself to fall for him.
I continue. “But it scares me a bit, too, Raidyn. I… I’m new to all of this. I’ve only ever read about love in books. I never thought it would ever happen for me in real life.”
He pulls me back into his arms and wraps his wings around my form. He lifts my hand to his chest, resting my open palm over the luminescent pattern on his scales. “This is proof that such love exists, but I can understand your hesitation because it is not natural for your people. There is no rush, my Skye. We can take as much time as you want. We have the rest of our lives to get to know one another, and I will wait for however long you need to decide whether you want me or not.”
A tear slips down my cheek. How many dates have I gone on, hoping and praying to meet a man like Raidyn, only to find out they were only interested in one thing? I never thought I’d be so lucky, and I’ve never felt more loved as I do in this moment.
But even as happiness blooms in my heart, I feel incredibly selfish. Here I am, making out with Raidyn, while I have no idea how Lilliana is doing. Is she happy? Is she safe? What about the rest of our crew?
Raidyn gently nuzzles my temple. “What is wrong?”
“I was just thinking about my friends. Especially Lilliana,” I tell him. “I know you said Varus would never hurt her, but I need to see for myself that she’s all right. She has always been like a sister to me, and now
