Alex

ALEX

" Y OU!" The female Lepke, with her features much daintier than Boran's and her skin a mottled tan and green, fires out at Sylas.

All at once, he manages to look confused, worried, and…either terrified or embarrassed.

"I gave Boran credits." He stumbles over his words. "I was unable to help myself. I had a…"

"That's the problem, you did help yourself, Gryn. To items I required."

Rather than growl, Sylas looks at the floor and scuffs a boot, like a child being scolded. His wing tips fold over each other, time and again. Given the shop is filled with brightly colored materials, it doesn't take a genius to work out what's happened here.

I step in front of him.

"My mate was nesting. He needed materials," I say. "It's what he does, and it's an instinct he can't control." I reach back and touch Sylas gently on his arm. "I am sorry if it caused you a problem. If there's anything I can do to make things better, let me know, but don't take it out on him."

Her antennae are very still, unlike Boran's. It's difficult to tell how she feels at all. But I'm not backing down, not when my sweet mixed-up Gryn was only following his instincts. Instincts he clearly doesn't understand at all.

Not surprising given the memory loss he's suffered, the issue we haven't discussed, and we should probably explore in the future.

"Yes, well," she says. "We all have instincts."

She looks around at her shop, and it strikes me how moth-like the Lepke are. Moths which like to chomp their way through fabric. I didn't see it before, but I do now.

"And you did pay Boran for what you took." She flashes Sylas another sharp stare.

"We'd like to give you more credits, if you have anything which will fit me?" I say in the hope we can build some bridges.

Uron looks me up and down with a critical eye, not that I can complain given it appears Sylas did steal a whole load of material from her in his nesting frenzy.

"What species are you?" she asks.

"Human."

"Female?" Uron queries.

"Yes."

"Interesting." She gives me another long appraisal and then scuttles away into the back of her Tardis-like shop.

"I'm sorry, ," Sylas rumbles.

I wrap my arms around his strong, hard torso and toy with his feathers gently, enough I feel some of his muscles relax but not too much to end up with a Gryn who can hardly stand.

"Why are you sorry? You did what you had to do, what you were compelled to do. I know you don't understand why. Perhaps we should contact Haxrix, find out more about the Gryn she met, and if we can find them, find out more about where you came from?" I say, pressing my cheek against him and listening to the slow thud of his heart.

"I'm not sure," Sylas murmurs. "Do I want to meet them? What if they sold me to the farm?"

"Would you sell any of the other Gryn gladiators to the farm?" I ask.

"No!"

"Then you know the Gryn, the ones who are free—they didn't either."

Sylas makes a low noise in his chest, as if he's contemplating my suggestion as not entirely one to discount. But then neither of us have any reason to trust others, but I just want everyone to see Sylas' sweet, gentle side as I do. And I want him to stop seeing everyone else as a threat.

"Here." Uron bustles back to us. "I have a few things which might fit you, given you have no fur to speak of."

She busies herself hanging up various items, a long dress in soft purple silk, a couple of skirts in the same material but looking like they've been tie-dyed in a selection of gorgeous muted greens, purples, and reds. Matching tops and several jackets which seem to have been made from the softest leather.

I gasp and run my hands over the items. They are absolutely beautiful and look like they were made for me.

"She'll take everything," Sylas says, offering over his credit chip.

"What?" Both me and Uron say at the same time.

"You like the clothing?" he asks.

"Yes, but…"

"Then it is yours," he says, bluntly, pressing the chip into Uron's hand. "Have Boran deliver them to our dwelling," he says as she processes the payment.

I'm not sure what to say, so I say nothing as we leave the shop and are out in the fresh air.

"We need supplies," Sylas says, and sets off in the direction of the market, and I follow with a knot in my stomach.

I want to accept what he has done, but this is different to escaping from Tatatunga. Sylas doesn't need to buy me clothing which is far finer than anything I wore on Earth, let alone here on Trefa.

I very nearly walk into a wall of feathers. Sylas has come to a halt before we reach the stalls. He drops to one knee and takes my hand.

"I'm not a good mate, my ," he says. "I don't know what to give you to make you happy."

"You don't have to give me anything." I stutter the words out. "I'm happy being with you. I'm happy if you're happy. Are you happy?"

"I am content, little feather," he rumbles. "Content with you."

"Not the same as being happy."

Sylas drops his head to his chest and takes in a deep breath.

"I want to be with you forever, eregri . But there is so much in here." He punches himself on the side of the head. "So much I'm missing, I don't understand. And the rage…" He spans his hand over his chest as if in pain. "It is…big."

He fixes those beautiful, beautiful eyes on my face.

"I can't ask you to deal with all of this. I am broken, torn to pieces by circumstance. I do not deserve a mate of any kind, let alone the most stunning creature in the entire universe."

My heart stops dead in my chest. Screeching to a halt as if it has never beaten in my entire life.

This glorious, massive, strong, and brave creature thinks he doesn't deserve me .

"Sylas." I'm struggling with the words. I cup his chin with my hand. "I don't care what you were, I only care what's in your heart. You deserve the best of everything, whether that's me or another. It's all I want for you."

He rises in one smooth movement, towering over me, and for a second I'm not sure what he's going to do until I'm tossed into a pair of strong arms and a pair of strong wings lifts us up over the settlement.

"It has always been you, . Fate ensured we found each other, and I trust in fate to make this right. I would fight the rest of the galaxy until the end of my days for you, eregri , or if you wanted, I'd give you the sword and teach you to fight alongside me," he says, wind whipping at his words.

"I'd like that, Sylas. I'd like that very much," I say as I lean into him as he flies us back to our nest in the forest.