Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

TARUK

I pause my pacing only to watch the tiny female storm from my private room. She looks absolutely furious, glaring at the world around her like it's personally insulted her. No, that would be me. She might not be a warrior, especially with her soft and defenseless form, but I'm suddenly realizing that I have reason to fear these humans.

Good. That is an emotion I can work with. It'll help me keep my distance because I am never going to find myself vulnerable again. I'm never going to be caught off-guard again.

"Are you still hunting, Taruk?"

I jump, spinning to face the speaker. My heart hammers so loudly in my chest that I fear they can hear it. Well, so much for that sentiment.

"Rist?" I cough a couple of times to try and discreetly hide the way my voice emerges as a croak. At least I didn't squeal. Apparently, my space-traveling friend Voltaire did that once when he stumbled across his first human female.

I lean casually against the wall. "So, how can I help you?"

The male, infuriating one that he is, raises his brow at me. "You've been avoiding any and all socialization for months now, and suddenly you want to just act like nothing's wrong?"

I glance away, clenching my jaw. The familiar feeling of guilt eats at me all the more in his presence.

"Something is very much wrong, and it has been for quite some time," Rist states. As profound as ever, our Prince.

He's not wrong though. I've struggled a lot these past few months, ever since we left our homelands. Some of that had to do with healing and being bedridden. The rest of the time…

Rist turns to watch Zoe march back into the hotel's private wing, where all the staff are living, slamming the door behind her.

"Ah. I understand now," he says, nodding to himself. "Female problems."

"It's not female problems!" I hiss back at him, throwing myself from the wall. "It's… It's…"

"So you'd have no problems then if I went after her?" He asks, his lips quirking with a vicious glint.

"Stay away from her!" Before I know it, I've grabbed the offending male and slammed him against the wall. The thud of his horns hitting plaster, the dust raining down on us, has me blinking. I release him and stumble away, staring down at my hands with utter shock and despair. How could I? I just attacked my Prince. I just attacked my closest friend. I…

"Hmmm," Rist hums, adjusting his collar and dusting off a few flecks of white plaster. He looks like he's getting ready for a party, not like he was just thrown violently against a wall. "As I expected, you're entering a mating heat."

I shake my head. I can't be.

"You know the chances of that happening…" I mutter, shaking my head. Denying it won't change the truth, a small part of my mind whispers. You want her as your mate.

I grit my teeth and point at Rist. I can't discuss this. I refuse to accept this. "I just attacked you!"

"I noticed."

"You can't just act like nothing happened!" I shout.

"And what happened?" He asks, smiling at me with glittering white teeth. My blood boils at the sight of him. I really want to punch that expression off his face. Why is he always smiling? There's absolutely nothing to be happy about.

"I didn't contain the pest," I reply vehemently, stepping towards him. My feet thud to the ground, my anger funneling into each step. I get in his face, my height allowing me to tower over him. He doesn't even care, just standing there watching me with that damn smirk!

"I've put the hotel at risk. I've put our guests at risk. All our friends. I've ruined everything!"

He snorts. Actually snorts.

"I could have killed you!"

I stare down at him, as Rist watches me calmly back. He's no longer smiling. No, his expression is worse now; he looks like he's pitying me.

"I could have killed you," I repeat, though the words hold hardly any of my previous anger. My throat clogs as long-repressed emotions bubble, threatening to overwhelm me.

"I never once blamed you for what happened," he says softly.

I close my eyes. I refuse to cry. A grown warrior with years of experience doesn't cry. He doesn't show weakness.

Even if his soul feels like it's being torn from his body.

"I should have died in battle. You should have left me," I croak.

"Now that would have made me a terrible friend," he replies. "Are you trying to make me the villain here? I'll tell you now, I've worked hard to maintain my image."

I blink through my blurry vision. Rist is standing before me, puffing out his chest. Noticing that I'm watching him, he flexes his bicep. I snort at the image he portrays. Compared to my wholly trained muscles and bulk, he makes for a bit of a pathetic sight. My prince is a leader, not a fighter.

"Friends?" I ask. For the first time, I realize that I am actually asking. After everything that has happened, I'm not sure I can even call myself worthy of being his friend. I shake my head. It's better if we aren't friends. "A friend doesn't attack a friend."

"I mean, who better to hit?" Rist asks.

I gape at him. He's as mad as the others sometimes. It's like the fights we went through permanently scarred them in some strange way.

"Seriously though," Rist continues his tirade without stopping for a breath. "Hit some guest, and they'll likely burn the building down. Or worse, ask for a refund. My brother, the King? You don't even need to go that far, he's already hunting us down through the galaxy. But a friend... you can work out all that pent-up frustration and then still enjoy their company afterward. There's no need to be forgiven. A friend is always by your side when you need them most."

"I wasn't," I say. Admitting it is one of the most painful things I've ever done.

"You were, Taruk," Rist says. His hand clasps my upper arm, gripping it tightly. "Aelita was the one that betrayed us, not you."

A sob tears itself from my throat at her name.

"She was my mate," I say. "I was responsible for her and her actions."

"She wasn't a true mate," Rist replies. "A true mate stands at your side and defends you. She doesn't stab you in the middle of battle."

I consciously place my hand over the scar that permanently mars my stomach. It's a reminder of how much a female can hurt; after all, you can't see the damage Aelita left behind when she ripped out my heart.

"I'm the one who owes you an apology," Rist says, running a hand through his long hair. "I should have spoken to you about her, before…"

He doesn't need to say it. Before we lost everything. Because of her. Before she revealed our location, before the King's soldiers stormed our hideout and killed so many of our allies, and before we lost any hope of our rebellion and restoring peace to our planet. It was before my friends paid personally for my mistake, with Voltaire losing his home, Sutek his horns, and my Prince his rightful claim to the throne.

"You were happy," Rist says. "We all knew how much you wanted a mate, and Aelita took advantage of that desire. We should have warned you of our fears before they became reality. It was our fault, Taruk, not yours."

I hang my head as tears flow freely from my eyes. I don't want Rist to see them. A good warrior shouldn't cry. A good warrior shouldn't show their weakness, else it be used against them.

It's just another reason why I can't want another female. I longed so much for a mate—I always have. If I allow that weakness again…

"Zoe's a good female," Rist states, as if reading my mind. He doesn't have that ability. I'm sure of it… I'm pretty sure of it. A good warrior always keeps his secrets close, never revealing them—and against all possibilities, Rist managed to not only escape but bring his friends to this safe haven as well. An impossible feat.

"Let me tell you a secret," Rist says. "When I first met the humans, I thought they were weak. Since then, they've truly gained my respect. They are tenacious, never giving up. They're ingenious, always coming up with new and unique ideas to try. And they are loving to a fault. I'm sure you remember that stunt Elana pulled, all to save Sutek from himself."

Despite my mood, my lips curl into a smile. That was simultaneously a glorious and terrifying sight to witness. Such a small female rushing into battle. A true warrior. Poor Sutek. I have no idea how he can possibly deal with the very idea of his mate placing herself in harm's way. Yet there's no denying the male is absolutely smitten.

We kind of all thought that our assassin would be the last to fall in love. He's rash, unpredictable, and quick to blow things up; all the kinds of things a female in her right mind would run away from.

"As much as you want to deny it, you and Zoe are good together," Rist instructs. "Somehow she's made you go from refusing to even be in the same building as anyone to bedding her. A female like her is a small miracle worth holding close."

I stare at the door Zoe walked through not so long ago. I've wanted a female for so long. Someone to share the long nights with, to support and provide for. Someone to love me in return.

"I messed up," I admit. "I acted like I didn't want her."

It couldn't be further from the truth. The situation with Aelita still plagues me, and I'll always be changed because of her… but the thought of Zoe leaving the hotel just to get away from me… it hurts more. It's not a matter of wanting a female. No. This is a matter of wanting her specifically.

Rist nods. I'm really pretty sure he can't read minds… How does this guy seem to know everything though? He even knew I needed his support tonight.

"Then you better find a way to make it up to her."

I'll do whatever it takes. Zoe will be mine.