When I finally manage to tear my eyes from her body, I leave my bunker to check the position of the sun, finding the world has returned to dusk. Our third day together is coming to an end—and I still have not claimed my mate.
I snarl at the rising moon and head back down.
She’s sitting up, waiting for me as I descend the stairs.
She’s decided.
My blood races through my veins.
Ten
Past the Point of No Return
Gemma
I hate him.
I repeat it again and again in my head as I try to sleep. Why can’t I believe it?
I’m beginning to trust him. Giggles linger in the back of my throat at the absurdity. He hasn’t hurt me or forced himself on me, he’s fed me and given me a warm place to sleep, and now I have this pelt wrapped around my body… the largest, softest blanket I have ever experienced.
There’s no reason not to trust him, right?
Soft fur tickles my cheek, and denying my comfort—the most comfort I’ve felt in days—is utterly useless. Vruksha scares me. There’s no denying that. There’s a glint of something dark in his black eyes… that I can’t get past. But he hasn’t used his strength against me, and that’s saying something.
Human men love having power and rank for the very reason I’m beginning to trust Vruksha. If the wrong man had what Vruksha had and a woman at their mercy, they would take advantage, exploit the situation. I know because it’s happened to me.
I’ve worked for many captains, and some of them were only captains for the power they can wield having that position. But I’m not particularly beautiful, and so their attention never remained on me for long.
I can’t shake the nervousness, that it’s all a trap, and that once I begin to give in, Vruksha will do the same.
Because there’s literally nothing in this world stopping him from doing whatever he wants to me. I shiver.
He wants to see me naked.
Has anyone seen me naked? I tug the pelt against my mouth. I don’t think anyone has. I’ve been with men before, but not so vulnerably. I could never risk being vulnerable when there was no telling if the men I let into my bed might someday be my subordinate, or worse, a future boss on the ship I made my home. Sex was about relief, and nudity didn’t play into that. Not for me, at least.
I never knew if someone would record me or take a picture to use against me later. Staying as clothed as possible was prudent.
But Vruksha wants me naked. He wants to see what he thinks he owns. I scrunch my face. My back tingles, knowing he hasn’t moved and is still watching me.
I wish he’d go away. I can’t rest knowing he’s right there, waiting for my answer. I also know I can’t stay like this forever. I can’t sleep forever.
Do it. Let him see you.
He’s going to see you eventually. You can’t stay in dirty clothes forever either. And though Vruksha has allowed me to use the bathroom in private so far on our trek, I don’t know if that will change going forward.
It might take weeks for me to escape this hole.
I hear him move, and then I hear him leave. I sit up, twisting to see where he’s going. His tail slips out of view as he ascends the dark stairway. I relax, pulling the pelt over my shoulders. I didn’t know how much tension was in my muscles with him so near.
I still feel his tongue on my cheek from days ago.
Warmth tickles my belly.
But naked?
Maybe letting him see me won’t be so bad. Perhaps he’ll find me disgusting, we are different after all. I don’t have a tail, scales, or fangs like he does. Once he sees me naked, he might come to his senses, realizing fully that I’m not of his species and he doesn’t really want me.
My heart twists at the thought, making me frown. I force it away. I don’t want him to want me.
I nod, knowing it won’t convince me even when I do.
But if he doesn’t want me? I pull my pelt closer. If he doesn’t want me and I can’t make it back to the facility, what happens then?
For some reason, that question scares me just as much as everything else right now.
I’ll have to figure out a way to survive on my own, and without catching the attention of other, more terrifying naga males who may not be like Vruksha at all. Like the black striped one from the orb’s screen… or the one with a hood—Zaku, I believe—from the plateau.
My eyes glaze over as I stare at the stairway, realizing I’m waiting for Vruksha’s return. He took his spear, which means I could be waiting a while.
My fingers go to the buttons of my jacket, tugging at them.
He’s not going to show me the technology without me in return. I need the technology for leverage when I get back to The Dreadnaut. I need him to want me too... if my original plan fails.
I’m going to give him what he wants.
I suck in my stomach when the thought solidifies.
Seeing me naked isn’t that much to give… He could have asked for much more, and he still might, if I keep denying him, and asking questions he clearly doesn’t like answering. If I don’t give him something, he might make me pay for every inch of his hospitality going forward.
I hear a noise and my heart ramps.
He’s back sooner than I thought he’d be.
I sit up straighter when he appears, when he finds me and his eyes smolder.
He’s beautiful. I can’t get past it. All ruby and ribbed, so sleek with the way he moves. His prowess intrigues me. It’s evident in everything he does. He knows how to survive.
I feel… lucky to have been chosen by him. Appreciative now that I’ve had food, warmth, and
