The Arcav Prince's Captive

by Hope Hart

  “You can help me kill the asshole who thought he could own us. And then you can help me find the father of Jessica’s baby.”

  We all freeze.

  “He’s not the same person?” I ask.

  “They’re not dead?” Harlow asks.

  Jessica sighs. “I guess we should tell you what happened.”

  Korva

  I drop Eve at her training center and somehow find myself outside my lab. I have no idea how I got here, but I feel as if I am trapped in a dream.

  I have mourned my mate for two centuries.

  I spent much of that time locked away, sometimes even chained like an animal as I went out of my mind with grief and rage.

  Now, one small, sarcastic human female has shaken me from that grief and made me see that the worst thing is not living without my mate.

  It’s failing to grasp happiness when it’s right in front of me.

  Harlow began to bring me back to life. But Eve has given me something to live for.

  I stare at the evidence of my inability to move on.

  I’ve been blind.

  Daliz would be disgusted with the male I have become. A male so shortsighted that he could lose the female that he thinks about every minute of every day.

  I run a shaking hand over my horns as I stare around my lab. Eve’s voice runs through my head.

  Don’t you think she would want you to be happy?

  She would. I have struggled for so long, following Eve from place to place, watching her, wondering why I couldn’t stay away.

  I walk slowly toward my work, eyeing the lockbox that contains everything I have left of my mate.

  And I imagine a future in which I succeed. I imagine watching Daliz in this new world where Arcav and humans are mated. And I imagine Eve turning away, her flashing eyes cold, no smile on her lips for me. In my mind, Daliz takes my hand, her eyes questioning as she wonders why I do not smile at her. My eyes follow Eve as she walks away from me forever.

  I throw my head back and roar, distraught.

  Daliz was perfect for the male that I was. But as I think of her sweet smiles and aversion to confrontation, I realize that even if I somehow managed to succeed and bring her back, we could never go back to the way that we were.

  I would always be wishing for my Eve.

  I have seen matings where both Arcav are miserable, tied to someone they would never choose. I did not need to consider this while mated to Daliz so long ago, but if my work was successful, that would be both of our fates. I would lose Eve. The first light I’ve seen glowing in the darkness in over two hundred years.

  My mate was smart, and gentle, and loving. She would never think to hold a blaster, and would not know what to do with a knife. She would never stand up for a group of females or punch a male in the face for making her friend uncomfortable. She is not my Eve.

  I drop to my knees. It feels as if I am losing her all over again.

  “I am sorry, Daliz. I will always adore you. But I need Eve like I need air.”

  There are no words for what I feel for Eve. Frustration, annoyance, fury, lust, joy, amusement, admiration. She brings out feelings in me that I thought I would never feel again.

  What will I do now?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Eve

  I lie in bed, shaking my head as Korva somehow opens my front door. I know it’s him because no one else would dare break into my house in the middle of the night.

  He moves quietly for such a huge man. If I was asleep, I doubt he’d wake me up. Of course, without him next to me, I’m back to insomnia. Both of these revelations piss me off, and I frown at him standing in my doorway in the dark.

  “You’re about as quiet as an elephant, and more annoying,” I tell him grumpily as I sit up in bed.

  “What is an elephant?”

  I sigh. “Get in here.”

  He moves closer, and I switch on the lamp.

  “I did not mean to wake you.”

  “You didn’t.”

  Korva climbs in beside me, and I decide not to think about how good it feels to have him in my bed.

  “Why do you not sleep?”

  “What do you mean? You watched me sleep for two whole days. That was very stalkery by the way.”

  “When I am not around. Why do you not sleep?”

  I shrug. “Be quiet and let me sleep.”

  He moves closer, wrapping an arm around my waist. And the first female guard, the one who Vazta is scared of, scoots back toward Korva to snuggle. I’m sunk.

  I feel him grin against my neck as he sniffs at my hair. “You cannot sleep when I am not here. Your body knows that you are mine.”

  This is moving perilously close to treacherous territory.

  “I never sleep. The fact that I manage to sleep with you is annoying, but I’ll take it. Maybe it’s ‘cause you’re so boring that I fall out of sleep in self-defense.”

  “Hmmm.” Korva nips at my neck and I let out a sound that could almost be called a giggle.

  “How were the human women?” Korva asks.

  “How’d you know that’s where I went? You know what, don’t tell me. You’re almost as bad as Vazta. You know he’s been sleeping outside their door?”

  “A male will do anything to ensure the safety of his mate,” Korva says, and I can hear the anger and sadness buried beneath his lighthearted tone.

  It hurts me that he’s still coming to terms with his mate’s death. It also makes me realize that we’re eventually going to need to talk. I never intended for whatever is between me and Korva to become snuggle sessions and cabins in the woods. Of course, I never intended for anything to happen with Korva. Somehow, he managed to worm his way into my life.

  But we’re going to have to end this before it goes any further. Korva is still hung up on a woman who died centuries ago. I like myself too much to risk my dignity competing with a dead woman.

  It’s not fair to any of us.

  “What is wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I clear my throat. “The women are doing okay. It turns out that the situation isn’t quite what we thought. Once they were bought, they were taken back to Cilphi, which was ruled by an asshole named Udan. He ran a gladiator ring, and the women were meant to be prizes for the winners of a big competition he had coming up. Unfortunately, Jessica got a little too friendly with one of the fighters— a guy named Agaz. So Udan decided to have him killed. Only it wasn’t really him—Agaz’s best friend stepped in and pretended that he was the one who knocked Jessica up when she started to show.”

  Korva shifts behind me, and I turn to look at him.

  “The female has been through much.”

  “It gets worse. Udan was so pissed off that his prizes had been touched, that he ordered one of the human women to kill the gladiator.”

  “The one who does not speak,” Korva guesses and I nod.

  “Shauna, yeah. So she’s all traumatized and basically completely shut down. Meanwhile, Peyton tries to kill Udan, who gets weirdly obsessed with her. He’s just about to rape her when the Arcav arrive.”

  “They killed him, correct?” Korva’s face is a mask of rage, his eyes glittering with wrath.

  “That’s the thing. It all went to hell when the Arcav arrived. Peyton says Udan escaped out a secret passage and it was really his cousin that was killed. She wants the Arcav to find Udan and kill him. Oh, and while we’re there, can we please find Jessica’s gladiator lover and the father of her baby if he’s still alive.”

  Korva smiles and I poke him in the chest.

  “What does Varian say?”

  I shake my head. “Harlow’s going to talk to him. It’s looking pretty likely that Peyton is Vazta’s mate. If she is, Varian’s probably going to make her stay for six months and hope she ends up with a new set of black bracelets. But Peyton wants to make a deal. The Arcav agree to kill Udan, and she’ll stay in Arcavia for six months without whining.” I snort. “If Varian believes that, then I have a bridge to sell h
im.”

  Korva’s brow furrows, and I have to look away because it’s so ridiculously cute.

  “Varian is not in the best of moods.”

  “Yeah, no shit.”

  “His mate is pregnant, he must travel to Fecax with her, and the Grivath sent him a threat.”

  “A threat? How come I don’t know about this?”

  Korva pulls me closer, losing interest in the conversation.

  “What is this?”

  I blush. “A nightgown.”

  Okay, so I had a feeling Korva would drop by at some point.

  “This is nothing but lace and ribbons.” Korva’s voice is intrigued as he pulls the covers down and studies my body.

  The negligee is black, and yeah, it’s pretty much all lace and ribbons. It’s one of those little numbers you see in a lingerie shop and sigh over but then you go home and put on an old t-shirt and wear that to bed instead.

  This lingerie is made for one thing and one thing only.

  Getting lucky.

  Korva’s horns suddenly straighten dangerously and I curse as his claws cut through the sheets right next to my head.

  “What the hell?”

  “Who have you worn this for?”

  “What?”

  “Have you worn this for another male?”

  “You’re dancing on a thin line, buddy. You might want to throttle back on the jealousy before I wear this to my next guard meeting.”

  I wouldn’t, of course, but the mere idea turns Korva lethal. He begins to growl, eyes darkening, so I casually reach up and tap him on the cheek.

  It’s not a hard tap, but it’s enough to get his attention and turn him away from whatever crazy road he was about to go down.

  He narrows his eyes at me warningly and I push at his chest.

  “I bought it for you, you giant idiot. But I’ve changed my mind. You don’t deserve ribbons and lace. You deserve to sleep outside. In fact, that’s a great idea. I’d rather lie awake all night alone than look at your stupid face!”

  To my complete astonishment, Korva grins. The guy is nuts.

  “I am an unappreciative male,” he says. “I do not deserve such a gift. I apologize for my overreaction.”

  I sniff, unwilling to forgive him just yet. His grin widens in challenge and he shows me the edge of his teeth as he moves his way down my body.

  “Hey!”

  He groans as he pauses, taking in the way the lace hugs my body, and then he pushes the scant material further up my thighs.

  He spends the rest of the night ensuring that I forget whatever I was angry about.

  Eve

  Korva’s gone when I wake up, which is just as well. If that huge, muscled body was in my bed right now, I’d definitely be late to meet Harlow. I’m not technically working yet, but according to Harlow, there’s no reason why two friends can’t hang around together for eight hours at the time.

  I sigh, push my covers off, and freeze when something catches my eye.

  Holy ball sack.

  The mating bands are a deep black, swirling over my skin in an intricate pattern.

  “These bands decorate the wrists of a complete twit,” they declare.

  Fuck.

  How the hell can Korva be my mate? He’s already had a mate. One who died. I’ve never heard about Arcav finding a second mate. If they could, wouldn’t he have found one a century ago?

  How? He was locked up, remember?

  Oh God.

  Maybe it’s not Korva. Harlow told me that sometimes the bond can snap into place when mates first lay eyes on each other. It’s rare, but it happens. Surprisingly, the idea that I might be mated to someone else just pisses me off more.

  Wouldn’t I know if I’d met my mate while going about my business? I think of Vazta’s reaction to Peyton. Yup, I’m pretty sure I’d be aware if I suddenly met an Arcav who thought he was my mate.

  I’m so stupid.

  For some reason, I’d assumed that I’d be able to avoid this whole mating thing. I never got my blood tested, and I’d planned to fly under the radar for as long as I could. If the Arcav insisted on testing me, I’d planned to move to a new planet. Leaving Harlow would suck, but if there’s one person who would understand, it’s her.

  Of course, she’s now all loved up with her mate, so would she really understand?

  What the hell am I going to do?

  I contemplate the black marks. The wrist is a fucking inconvenient place for these bands to be honest. Anything on the wrist is difficult to hide. We showcase our wrists throughout the day— every time we shake someone’s hand, push our hair off our face, reach for a glass of water.

  That’s why most tattooists avoid tattooing a wrist for their client’s first ink. In fact, it’s one of the many reasons why I have a daisy on my butt and not on my left wrist.

  I reach for my wrist sheath which holds my throwing knives. It hides the bands well, although they’re visible between the straps if you look closely. I usually just wear knives on one wrist, but today I remove the knife sheath from my ankle and strap it on my left wrist as well. I follow it up with a long, tight-fitting black shirt and sweater. I’ll just have to be careful not to pull my sleeves back and reveal the bands.

  I don’t know what the mating bands mean for me right now. I have no intention of being mated, but I know I need to talk to Korva. Hopefully, he’ll have some ideas. This is the guy who managed to make humans compatible mates for the Arcav. Surely, he can reverse one little mating.

  And if he can’t, maybe we can work something out. Sure, Korva’s way too overprotective, even for an Arcav. And sure, he’s a giant control freak who doesn’t seem to understand the word no. But we have a lot in common. Both of us are estranged from our families. Both of us like to fight. Both of us burn up the sheets when we’re together. I never wanted to be mated, but maybe with Korva… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

  I blow out a breath and realize I’m shaking. Every part of me just wants to get on the first ship heading toward Earth. But I won’t leave Harlow when she’s about to go to Fecax. Not when she’s so close to giving birth. I just need to talk to Korva. Maybe it’ll all be okay.

  I send Harlow a quick message from my communicator. Since I’m not technically on a shift today, she won’t be left short and I’ll meet up with her later.

  I’m barely paying attention as I drive my pod to Korva’s lab. At one point, I almost collide with an Arcav woman, who flicks her wrist at me in an Arcav fuck you.

  Miraculously, I arrive without crashing into anyone and I’m shaking as I let myself into Korva’s lab.

  “Korva?”

  I hear voices and move toward the small sitting room connected to the lab. Cheryl is sitting next to Korva, tears in her eyes.

  “Thank you so much.”

  “It may not work. We must test it.”

  “Of course. But thank you for trying. You know, when I told my friend that I was going to ask you for help, she thought I was crazy. But you’re not as scary as everyone thinks.”

  I grin as Korva’s mouth drops open. He rubs a hand over one of his horns as if checking if it’s still there. He’s officially speechless.

  Whatever is going on here isn’t any of my business, so I back away from the door. I’ll wait in the lab.

  I wander through the empty room. My eye catches a ComScreen, and I pick it up, tutting when I realize it’s passcoded. I wonder what Korva’s always working on here. He tends to get cagey when I ask about it, referring to it only as his ‘work.’

  I sigh, wondering what the hell I’m even going to say. This is a bad idea. There was no need to come straight here. We can talk about this later. I’m turning to leave when something catches my eye.

  A group of petri dishes, covered and locked away. Why would he need to lock up his experiments? I walk closer, even as every bone in my body tells me to walk away. I’ve seen something like this before.

  A few years ago, one of my colleagues worked a case involving e
mbryo smuggling. It made headlines, and she showed me pictures of the lab where the embryos were created.

  They looked just like this.

  Why would Korva be messing with embryos? Surely, there has to be some sort of reasonable explanation. Maybe he’s working on ways to increase Arcav fertility. But since they’re mating with humans now, their infertility is almost a thing of the past.

  Maybe it’s not his experiment. Maybe it’s someone else’s. Maybe—

  “Eve?”

  I spin, careful to keep my wrists covered and hook my thumbs in my sleeves, suddenly certain that showing Korva my new accessories is a bad idea.

  “What are these?”

  Korva’s mouth firms as he moves closer.

  “My work. What are you doing here?”

  “Tell me what they are. Why are you working on embryos?”

  His eyes widen slightly. Yup, I know exactly what they are. It all clicks into place. His obsession with his lab as soon as he was freed. The fact that he sometimes says Daliz’s name in the fucking present tense.

  “It is personal.”

  “If you don’t tell me exactly what you’re doing, I’ll walk away for good. Do you hear me?”

  He stares at me for a long moment, and something like regret crosses his face. Finally, he nods, his expression resigned. Everything in me tells me to leave. To not question him any further.

  But I have to know.

  “When Daliz died, I took some of her DNA. I wasn’t thinking straight, but I was sane enough to know I needed to preserve it.”

  I feel the blood rushing from my face and I sway, taking a step back as he reaches out a hand to steady me.

  Oh God no.

  My lips are numb, but I force the words out, even as nausea sweeps through me.

  “You’re trying to clone her.”

  “I was. No longer.” His expression is tormented as he reaches for me. I’m going to puke.

  “I’m going to tell you one time. Stay away from me. I hope those cells keep you warm at night, Korva. Cause guess what? You just lost the living, breathing woman who wanted your crazy ass.”