“What if she sees more than you want?” I licked my lips nervously. “I heard what happened to the Circuli princes when they scried Selena. They saw everything.”
“What are you afraid of, B?” His melodic voice struck a chord within me, forcing me to face him. “That she will see how much I want you to be mine?”
My heart fluttered within my chest.
Oh, how I yearned to be with him and for all of this trouble to be over.
Traveling amongst the stars alone, with only my AI for company, was difficult, especially now that we were searching for Selena. In the past, our missions had never been this complicated and time-consuming.
Who knew how long it would take to get Selena back?
Instead of helping my siblings with the search, I was stuck escorting Qran to Destima. Treating him like a criminal even though I believed he was innocent felt cruel, like a harsh punishment from Z or the Stars themselves.
“Why do you keep saying that?” I asked, my voice wavering. “Why can’t you be happy with being friends—Stars, coworkers—who are only relieving an itch between missions?”
“An itch?” His pale eyes dimmed. “You promised you would give us a chance. Why are you going back on your word?”
Shaking my head, I closed my eyes as I tried to battle the wave of emotions coursing through me.
“Don’t make me cuff you to the pole in the storage bay until we arrive,” I muttered, my threat sounding weak even to my ears.
“We both know you wouldn’t do it,” he said softly. “If you didn’t trust me, you would’ve bound me for the trip. Instead, you’ve allowed me full reign of your ship because you know that I won’t do a thing.”
His words hurt, but only because they were true.
I had trusted him enough to sleep with him—not once but multiple times over the years—so it was only natural for me to allow him to roam around.
“What is preventing you from being with me?” he sighed. “How many times do I have to do a mating dance before you accept me?”
I opened my eyes to see him staring intently at me.
“You don’t want me, just the idea of me. Why ruin our working relationship? Can’t we go back to what we were?”
“Because there’s no one else I want.”
“Trust me. You wouldn’t want me if you knew what secret I’ve been hiding,” I mumbled as tears started to stream down my face. “Go find yourself a flock or build one with other females.”
He swiftly tore his hood from his head. “What female would want someone like me, B?” he spat. “My chances with females are over. My feathers won’t grow back for at least a year, and it may take another just to groom them into their perfect shape. Even then, no one will want me, a lone Quaww without a nest or flock.”
“So I’m just supposed to accept you out of pity?”
“No, but I thought you wouldn’t be petty or shallow about my shortcomings, considering everything we’ve been through.” He stood, glaring. “Is that why you don’t want me? Because I am now hideous, disabled, and unable to fly?”
I shook my head. “No, that isn’t it at all!”
“Then what is it? Why don’t you want me?”
“I can’t tell you!”
“Then, this conversation is over.” Qran strode to the doorway and sneered over his shoulder. “I thought you were better than this. I no longer know what I saw in you.”
Five
Qraniebi
We landed flawlessly onto the landing pad at the Fab Five’s base.
I expected nothing less from B, but I wasn’t going to tell her that—not after our argument.
She was hiding something from me. What secret could be so bad that she thought it would drive me away?
We were both elite soldiers working for the same male and knew many secrets across the galaxy due to our similar professions. Other than her siblings and perhaps Selena and her clan, I didn’t know who I would be able to trust with the knowledge that I’d gathered.
This only added to my frustration about her rejection.
It wasn’t like I could easily mate with any other female, including ones I could pay for a bit of pleasure. I belonged to one of the most disliked species in the CEG and worked as a mercenary, therefore, I am a walking target. For the right price, anyone I met might be hired to kill me.
I would rather use my hand than hire someone for a quick lay only to get a dagger in the back.
I knew that from experience. Surprisingly, it was one of the easiest ways to assassinate a target.
But the danger didn’t explain B’s sudden change of heart. She already believed I was innocent; she just needed to go through the motions to confirm it officially. Though I understood her actions, I had still taken out my anger on her and been harsh with her. I had realized my mistake as soon as I had left the cockpit, but I had been too proud—and perhaps stupid—to turn around and fix it.
The damage had already been done.
I was a broken male with nothing to look forward to.
Once Oeta proved what I had been saying all along, what would be left for me? I had no ship, no crew, and no one to go home to.
The only female I wanted had broken her promise to consider an exclusive relationship with me.
A ding filled the storage bay. Tilting my head in its direction, I found B, dressed in her tight black-and-purple trimmed suit with a pair of cuffs dangling from one finger.
I smirked and held out my wrists. “Have you changed your mind and decided to have your way with me after all?”
“You wish.” She rolled her eyes and walked over. “You know full well that I can’t let you walk off my ship as a free man. Z would have my feathers if he knew that I allowed you loose in here.”
“Z doesn’t need to know,” I whispered, holding
