Chapter 27

MANDY

You’re mine, and I am yours.

Warmth fills me as Kameer’s pronouncement rings in my head, and I can’t stop glancing at my upper arms. I knew that when the heartbond fully formed between us, his ancestral markings would appear on my arms and match those on his chest, but it’s still a bit of a shock to see how exact they appear, down to the very last detail. They’re also the same glowing orange as his, a perfect match in every way.

“My sweet mate, how I have longed for this moment.” His deep voice washes over me, the words sounding strange though I understand the meaning, and it takes me a few seconds to realize he just spoke in Darrvason. He spoke in Darrvason and I comprehended every word.

“Wow,” I say in English, the only old Earth language in which I’m fluent. “Can you understand me?”

He nods and pulls me closer. Yes, pretty human. I advise you to keep the heartbond in mind the next time you’re tempted to curse at me in a human tongue. His scrotum vibrates beneath my bottom and his appendages feel harder than ever.

Heat quakes in my nether area and I can’t help but squirm on his lap. Though my pussy is sore from our numerous mating sessions, I’m becoming slick and achy and desperate for another round.

But before we continue, I need answers. I need the truth. Even if it’s scary. Even if I learn my mate is a cold-blooded murderer. I brace myself as I meet his red gaze, knowing he’ll hear the question I’m about to ask. Knowing he will give me honesty even if the truth is dark.

Ned died just a few hours before I was delivered to your quarters. Did you kill him? I hold my breath as I await his response.

Kameer tenses and tightens his hold on me. His nostrils flare and I again see the fantasy he harbored about shooting Ned in the salon, killing him on the spot. This time, it’s a bit different though. Instead of Ned being burned to a crisp by the blasters, the blasters cause gaping wounds all over his body, and Ned thrashes in agony until falling still as he takes his final breath. It’s shocking, and it’s gruesome, though I again remind myself it's a fantasy. I was there.

But Ned died just a few hours after I met Kameer. The elderly Founder was found dead in an alcove only hours before I was delivered to the huge, possessive Darrvason to whom I’m now heartbonded. Was it a coincidence?

I didn’t kill him, Mandy, though I wanted to, he finally replies. If I’d known then how he belittled you, I would’ve hunted him down to make him pay for hurting you. I won’t lie to you. There are times I regret that he didn’t die by my hand. However, I do know how he died. I can show you, if you’d like. I promise it’s less graphic than the fantasies I harbored about killing him.

Relief spreads through me, and I exhale the breath I was holding. Yes, show me. I want to know. Please.

Very well. He sends me a wave of comfort first, then he reveals a series of clips from the video compilation he created to blackmail Captain Warren, portions of the video I didn’t see the first time around.

Two figures are huddled in a darkened alcove. Though the security footage is hazy, I’m able to recognize Captain Warren and Commander Hampton.

“I need you to fix a little problem for me, Commander,” the captain says. “Ned Perry. I’m planning to gift his fiancée to a Darrvason, which means Ned needs to… go away. It needs to look like natural causes. I assume you’re up to the task?”

“Ned Perry?” The first mate chuckles. “It would be my pleasure, though it would be more of a pleasure if it didn’t need to look like natural causes. The old fucker has been a pain in my ass for years, and I’d love nothing more than to arrest him for treason and carve his face up during an interrogation.”

“His family is too rich and powerful. No arrest, no falsified charges, and no interrogations. Can you make it happen soon? Within the hour? I will lure him out of his quarters by requesting a secret meeting in a Deck Twenty-Two alcove. I’m sure he’ll come. He likes to feel important.”

“Yes, I can make it happen within the hour.” The first mate places a hand on the captain’s shoulder. “As always, I expect compensation.”

“You’ll receive compensation after the job is finished.”

The image fades, and I blink up at Kameer. Do you want to see the rest? Or are you satisfied?

I’ve seen enough. I-I know you didn’t do it. But would it change things if Kameer had killed Ned? I remind myself that Kameer is from a different culture, a culture in which the males are fiercely protective and possessive of their females.

His grip on me suddenly tightens, his fingers digging into my arms. I would incinerate an entire fucking galaxy for you, pretty human. An old man who insulted you and made you feel uncomfortable is nothing to me, and I can’t say I’m sorry he’s dead. I can’t say I’m sorry my deal with Captain Warren led to his demise. Because I’m not.

I sit with Kameer’s confession for a few minutes, processing his words as he holds me close. He releases his grip on my arms and hugs me to his chest, stroking my hair and my back, offering me comfort as I sort out my feelings. It’s a bit weird because he has a front row seat to my conflicted thoughts, but I’m not sure I could block him out even if I tried. The heartbond is strong, a constant presence in my mind and soul, an unbreakable tether that connects us.

The truth is, I like belonging to Kameer. Knowing that he would not only bend the rules but break them because of me is strangely comforting. His promise to never let me go is also a comfort. It used to scare me, his dark possessiveness, but I can’t deny that he’s become my refuge. My safe place in an uncertain universe. My home.

There’s no denying that his actions—the deal he made with Captain Warren—led to Ned’s untimely passing. But even if Kameer had throttled the elderly Founder to death in a fit of rage, I would… I would understand.

Because I know how much he wanted me. How much he needed me.

I can feel it through the bond. His mind is open, his desires laid bare for me to see, as well as his losses and fears.

Now that I’ve experienced the intimacy of the heartbond, and I can feel the intensity of his initial attraction to me, how his ancestral markings had tingled when he encountered me during the uprising on Selection Day, I understand his willingness to commit vile deeds just to have me.

Another truth hits me, and I almost gasp at the realization. Because it’s a little dark. A little messed up. I’m flattered. Flattered by his cold readiness to commit an atrocity on my behalf.

Good little female. I knew you would eventually come around to my way of thinking. It’s true. I would commit countless atrocities just to keep you. I would become the worst villain the universe has ever known. For you. Only for you. He drags his sharp teeth along my neck. I shiver as my scalp prickles with endorphins and goosebumps cover my arms.

Then the heat comes. The quaking pleasure between my thighs.

I squirm on my mate’s lap, reveling in the steady vibrations from his scrotum, delighting in the shaky breath he inhales as I rub my bottom over his hardened dual shafts.

He straightens and cups the side of my face, forcing my eyes to his. I stare at him as though I’m seeing him for the first time. Maybe I am. Because we finally, finally understand each other.

He places a hand on my stomach. I’m going to stack some pillows on the floor, pretty human, and you’re going to kneel and take my shafts in your mouth, one after the other. I want to nourish you. I want to fill your stomach with my seed until you’re too full to swallow another drop.