Chapter 15

Mina slips from my arms before the first rays of sun bleed through the window. I let her go, feigning sleep, trying to ignore the burgeoning ache in my chest. She pines for her old life, for her sisters… for the normalcy of her previous life, a life without me in it.

Her scent covers my skin, my bedsheets, the pillow she cradled still thick with it and her warmth. I pull it to me, but it only makes the longing worse.

I will take the scraps she gives me, and I will cherish them.

And I will wait.

Still, I cannot fall back asleep, and I pad into the bathroom on quiet feet, not wanting Mina to know I woke.

It troubles me that I have not heard word from Arietis. It concerns me that Lesath of House Scorpio has her youngest sister. I have not seen the last of the Scorpio line in decades, but I've heard the rumors of the great Scorpion of Ulson, the one who cannot shift nor remember his human form.

I do not want to tell her I fear for her youngest sister, because there is every chance in the world she is safe. But with every moment that word from Arietis fails to come, my concern hardens into something like fear.

What will Mina do if she finds out something horrible has befallen her sister when I insisted she was safe? What would Mina do if Thom approached her with the same idea he laid upon me last night?

I will not stand for it.

I grit my teeth, bathing quickly in cold water, as though I can scrub the poison of guilt from my limbs. I am finally making progress with Mina, real progress. She came to comfort me in the middle of the night, to brave whatever nightmares caused me to cry out and drag her from sleep.

She came to my arms—to my bed—willingly.

My heart squeezes, and I briefly close my eyes.

My moo-vie plan notwithstanding, my next attempt at dating will likely be better.

The thought cheers me, and with some effort, I push my worry for Mina's sisters from my mind. Fate has a hand in this, in these Starbound women returning, and far be it for me to not trust what Fate has planned.

For any of us.

My attempt at the moo-vie date may have failed, but what I have planned for today will make my Mina smile. I grin at my reflection in the mirror, polishing a horn before tying my hair back.

Relief fills me.

Home to Westshear, the walled city of my territory, where Mina will be safer, where the people of Sheerly can find rest and respite after the terror of the blood drinker attack. My father may have failed our people, but I will not.

And with Mina by my side? It will be a homecoming like no other. My smile widens, pleasure filling me at the memory of her soft body curled next to mine, at the way she closes her eyes when she tastes the food I make for her…

It's been a little less than a month since Mina fell into my life, and I cannot imagine it without her.

I am confident what I've planned for today will bring a smile to her tired eyes, and a modicum of hope to my people.

As I pass by Mina's room, I pause, drinking in the scent of her, listening to her rustle around, and savoring her presence. How strange it is how quickly my affection for her has grown, like the seed of it was always there, waiting to bloom and bear fruit.

I'm smiling as I pack up the remaining food, leaving out a few easily transportable foodstuffs for breakfast before double checking my horse and the bags I've already packed. Anticipation grips me as I run through the day's planned schedule again, nerves causing me to second guess everything.

It's too late now to cancel it, though. Either it will be a step in the right direction with Mina, or I will have to work even harder to win her over.

I turn out a slight sound behind me, and she's there, breathtaking against the dawn breaking in the doorway.

"Good morning," she says softly. Purple crescent moons hang heavy under her eyes, and familiar guilt tears at my conscience. I should have sent her back to her room. She has not slept well. A yawn cracks her jaw.

"Are you well?" It comes out gruff, and her eyes widen.

"Yes?" She says it like a question, tilting her head. At my tone, I realize.

"I am sorry if I kept you awake last night, coruscant." I step towards her, my fingers twitching at my sides. I want to draw her close to me, hold her tight, kiss away her exhaustion until she's relaxed and ready for our day.

A day I've already wrong-footed, thanks to my midnight selfishness.

"I didn't mind." Despite the bold way she holds my gaze, a pretty blush colors her cheeks. "It was… nice."

"Just nice?" I close the distance between us, twining a golden wave around my finger. It's soft, and the scent of her fills my nostrils.

The delicate column of her throat bobs as she swallows, her chin tilted up and eyes wide.

"What time do we leave?" she asks, changing the subject.

"As soon as you eat." I don't mind that she's still hesitant, still afraid to act on what's growing between us.

It will make it all the more sweet when she gives in, accepting her place as my mate.

I grin down at her, rubbing my knuckles against her jawbone. Her eyes flutter shut before she remembers herself, stepping away.

I cannot help the small chuckle that rolls out of me. "Breakfast, then, coruscant?"

She nods her head, then turns, practically fleeing from the barn.

Not from me, though, not like that. The fresh scent of her lingers, as does the telltale fragrance of her arousal. The same fragrance I thought I detected this morning, when she ran.

This morning, I could blame it on her dreams, or a million other things.

But now?

Now, I know she's thinking of me.

Smiling, I make my way back to the cottage, delicately sniffing the trail Mina's left behind.

It is going to be a good day.