by Presley Hall
I glance over at Raina to confirm she’s still intrigued by the fight and impressed by my skill.
There’s a flicker of heat in her eyes, as if she can’t help but respond to the sight of us locked in battle. But an amused smile curves her mouth as well, making me wonder if she’s realized that I’m fighting harder than I normally would just to impress her.
Her lips are full and pink, and one side quirks higher than the other when she grins. My gaze drops to them for a moment, and a spark of desire flashes through me.
Then a heavy fist slams into my chest.
I fly backward, hitting the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of me. Shock lances through me as I find myself staring up at the sky and the arc of the ring that orbits Nuthora.
“Kaide! Are you all right? Why didn’t you block me?”
Strome’s shadow looms over me, his brows lowered and mouth tilted in a surprised frown. He looks just as surprised as I am that he managed to take me down. We pull our strikes only a little when we spar, since we’re usually so evenly matched that we can each go hard.
But I didn’t see that blow coming at all. My momentary distraction gave him the opening he needed to land a hit square in my chest and send me to my back.
Akhi. How did that happen?
I’m usually a much better fighter than this. I take pride in that.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, my voice a little strained as my lungs work to draw in air. “That was a good hit.”
“Was it?” He laughs. “It felt too easy.”
I scowl at him. “All right, you siknik. Help me up.”
Chuckling, my friend extends a hand down to me. I take it, clasping his forearm as he pulls me to my feet. He meets my gaze with a question in his eyes, and I nod at him to let him know that I truly am all right.
As I roll my neck to clear the tension from my shoulders, I hear a soft laugh behind me. I turn to see Raina standing with her arms folded across her chest and amusement dancing across her features.
“Oh, how the mighty fall,” she teases, arching a brow.
Despite my irritation at losing this round to Strome because of a momentary lapse of focus, I can’t help but laugh.
I open my mouth to tell her it’s her fault for distracting me, but the words die on my tongue before I can speak them. My chest goes tight, and I wonder fleetingly whether Strome’s blow to my sternum cracked a rib or two. It’s almost painful to breathe as my gaze drops to Raina’s lips again. They fall open as she inhales, and she jerks her head backward as if she’s been shocked.
For a moment, the two of us just stare at each other.
Then she shakes her head sharply and turns away, continuing on to wherever she was headed before she stopped. I watch her go, drawn toward her in a way I can’t quite articulate. The urge to follow her and talk to her, to keep her gaze on me, almost compels me forward.
Then she walks around the corner of a building and disappears from sight.
Wrenching my attention back to the sparring session, I clear my throat and turn back to Strome.
He cocks an eyebrow at me, still looking amused and a bit confused. “Should we stop here for today?”
“No,” I tell him irritably, rolling out my shoulders again. I put a cocky smile on my face, even though the strange tightness in my chest hasn’t gone away. “I need to pay you back for that lucky blow you got in earlier.”
“Oh, so now we’re calling it luck?” he taunts back, laughing as he narrows his eyes.
I shrug, smirking. “Couldn’t have been skill.”
We both drop into a ready stance and launch ourselves back into the fight. But despite my confident talk, I’m still distracted, and I know he can tell. He’s not trying to pummel me into the ground and doesn’t hit as hard as the blow that took me by surprise before, as if he’s aware that my head isn’t in it anymore.
My sudden loss of focus bothers me.
I have no idea what just happened, why I allowed my attention to be diverted enough that Strome was able to gain an advantage over me so quickly.
I never get distracted like that. I’m known among my fellow warriors for being cocky and a little reckless, but I’m a good fighter, and I don’t let myself lose focus during fights. That can get you or a comrade killed in a place like this, and none of us can afford to let that happen.
Still, Raina’s face keeps popping into my head as I fight. Her low laugh echoes in the grunts and snarls Strome and I let out as we move back and forth and around the training circle.
It’s not a good fight. I’m too lost in my own head, and even with Strome taking it easy on me, I can barely hold my own. It’s frustrating, to say the least. Every time he strikes at me, I don’t move out of the way in time or don’t react at all.
Akhi. I’ll end up getting bruised to a slanching pulp at this rate.
I have to scramble to keep up with his attacks, which I’ve never had to do with Strome before. But despite my best efforts to refocus, Raina’s smile, her arched brow, and her taunting voice won’t leave my head.
Finally, we’re both too exhausted to keep going. We end the training session, and Strome passes me his waterskin after taking a long drink.
He huffs, wiping his mouth with his forearm, then fixes me with a look. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Truthfully, I don’t have an answer.
“Yes,” I say anyway, nodding as I slick my sweat-soaked hair back. “I’m fine.”
3
Raina
I’m so distracted and unsettled by what just happened that I end up turning around and going back to the storehouse, just to give myself something to do. My heart is racing in my chest, pounding against my ribs like a fist banging at a door.
What the hell was that?
I should’ve known better than to walk by the training grounds, honestly. I know a lot of the other women like to watch the warriors spar, but I’ve never wanted to show any of them that kind of interest in case they get it into their heads that I’m in the mood for a permanent bed warmer and protector, like so many of us seem to be acquiring lately.
I don’t want them to get any ideas.
But the weird electrical charge that zapped through me when Kaide looked at me was… unnerving. It’s like the translator chip in my brain was suddenly turned up to one thousand, sending a jolt all the way through my body. I remember feeling something like that once before when I was near Kaide, but I brushed it off then.
I try to brush it off again, but it’s harder this time.
I head back into the storehouse under the pretense of gathering my sack so I can go pick more yeggins tomorrow. There are some of the other women in the building when I walk inside, which I take as a welcome distraction. Elizabeth is standing near a row of low shelves, along with Gemma, Felicity, and Demi. I give a little wave in greeting, and Gemma catches sight of me and smiles broadly as she waves back.
“I’m so happy we’ll be getting more medical supplies soon,” Elizabeth says to Felicity as the two of them sort through the contents of the shelf.
One of her hands drops to the swell of her belly unconsciously, and I wonder if her baby is big enough by now that she can feel it kicking. I’m not really familiar with the exact timeline of when that happens in a pregnancy, since I didn’t have any friends with babies back on Earth.
Or many friends at all, really.
I frown, shoving aside thoughts of my old life as I recall the conversation I overheard Zayre, Talik, and Rath having earlier.
“Are you talking about the trip to Pascia?” I ask.
Elizabeth nods, brushing a lock of light brown hair behind her ear. “I’ve been trying to make our stash of healing supplies last as long as possible. Thanks to Axen helping me forage for medicinal plants, we’re not completely up shit’s creek, but it never hurts to be well-stocked, especially when it comes to first aid.”
“Do you know who’s going on the trading mission?” Gemma asks from beside her.
My head snaps up, and I quickly look back down again, hoping none of them noticed. I’m still so weirded out by what happened while I was watching him fight that even the mention of Kaide’s name makes my heart beat a little harder.
That’s it. No more watching the fights, I chastise myself. It obviously messes with your head.
“Can I help with anything?” I ask, needing a distraction.
“Sure.” Elizabeth smiles at me. “We’d be more than happy to have an extra hand. We’re just getting things organized and taking inventory so that Droth can make the final determination of what we need from Pascia.”
“Sounds good.”
I step up between Demi and Gemma, falling into an easy rhythm with them as we organize the shelves and take stock of the village’s supplies.
It takes a while, and the sun is setting by the time we’re finished. I can smell the scent of roasting meat as we step out of the storehouse. It’s an aroma that I’ve become very familiar with since our arrival here a few months ago, and it wafts through the settlement on the light breeze that’s sprung up.
The last rays of sunlight disappear over the horizon as I follow the rest of the women toward the bench-like logs that are arrayed around the fire pit.
As I settle onto a spot at the end of one log, my eyes stray to the couples surrounding me. Charlotte is leaning against Droth, who has an arm wrapped possessively around her waist as he sits beside her. Then there’s Sadie and Jaro, Elizabeth and Axen, and the newest pair, Gemma and Kzuri.
The couples always seem to gravitate to each other no matter the situation, like they have a strange sort of awareness of the other person that constantly tugs them closer to their mate.
I have no idea what it feels like for them, but from the outside, it’s almost like watching two magnets spin toward each other.
The Voxerans are all warriors, and most of them are serious to a fault. But when they look at their mates, I’ve seen their expressions melt into something almost like worship, softening the hard lines of their faces. And Charlotte, Elizabeth, Gemma, and Sadie look at their men the same way.
It’s strange. Not bad strange, just… strange.
Honestly, I can’t imagine loving anyone like that. That kind of need, that mutual craving for each other, that reliance on another person?
I don’t think I could ever bring myself to trust someone that much. It’s just not in my nature.
The aroma of seared meat hangs in the air, making my stomach growl. I push aside my attempt to understand the mate bond in favor of something more immediate and important: food.
A Voxeran named Dhelzu is slicing off hunks of cooked meat from the carcass of whatever animal the hunters felled tonight. Most of the humans and Voxerans gathered around the fire have been served already, so I rise to my feet and start to head in Dhelzu’s direction to get some dinner for myself.
I step over one of the makeshift benches closest to the fire, planning to cut around the massive fire pit—but as I do, my toe catches on the bark, and I stumble.
“Shit,” I hiss, bracing myself to hit the ground even as my hands go up to try to cushion my fall.
But the impact never comes.
Instead, strong arms wrap around me, warm and solid. I grab hold of the muscled arms out of reflex, a burst of adrenaline making my skin prickle as I glance down at the spot where I would’ve landed, mere inches from the fire.
A low chuckle rumbles against my chest as I’m quickly righted and put back on my feet.
I look up to see who’s caught me and blink.
It’s Kaide.
“What was that about the mighty falling?” he asks, a grin stretching his lips.
His reference to my earlier teasing words catches me by surprise, and I almost laugh. But then the amusement fades from his face.
An intense look spreads across his features as his eyes widen and his cat-like pupils dilate.
Something flares between us, making my skin burn as hotly as if I had in fact fallen into the fire. It slices through me like a hot poker, like a brand on my skin, radiating from where Kaide’s arms are wrapped around me and keeping me upright. We’ve both gone completely still, and his pale gray eyes reflect the flickering light of the fire as he stares at me, seemingly lost for words.
“Rhael,” he finally murmurs, his voice so quiet I almost don’t hear it. His grip loosens, but not enough to suggest he actually wants to let me go. “Ah. I understand it now. Why I felt… why I couldn’t…” He blinks, his brows drawing together a little. “You’re my mate.”
Shock ricochets through me at his words like the recoil of a pistol, making me gasp even as the heat growing in my stomach arcs downward and slithers around the base of my spine, an answering call to his words that whispers, yes, yes, mine. My heart skips and stutters, stumbling all over itself like a newborn deer. Every inch of me feels far, far too warm.
Kaide is still looking at me, his eyes locked so steadily on mine that all I can do is stare right back. For a moment, everything else seems to fade away, as if we’re the only two people left in the entire universe.
But we’re not.
Far from it.
There are dozens of people gathered around, and I can feel their curious gazes on me—on both of us—as we stand frozen in a strange embrace.
I stiffen and shake my head, pressing against Kaide’s chest to break his grip. I don’t like being the center of attention like this, and I certainly don’t like how vulnerable and exposed I feel right now. Not only did I almost faceplant into the fire, which is embarrassing enough, but now Kaide just went and declared us mates in front of the entire damn village. My heart is still beating way too fast, my lungs can’t seem to get enough air, and the burn in my cheeks is creeping down my neck and chest in what feels like a full-body blush.
I don’t like it when people can see me off balance. I don’t like being off balance, and here Kaide is, sweeping me off my damn feet for all the world to see.
“You must be mistaken,” I finally manage, my voice a little hoarse. “I’m not interested in finding a mate.”
Then I turn and walk away.
I need to put some distance between me and Kaide. Between me and everyone who was gathered around that fire pit.
I need to think.
Need to breathe.
4
Kaide
The fire crackles beside me as I watch the beautiful Terran woman walk away.
No. Not just any Terran woman.
My mate.
I feel the same way I did when Strome punched me in the chest earlier, all the wind knocked out of my lungs and a strange ache in my chest.
My mate.
I never thought I would say or even think those words. Not since I was a youngblood back on Vox, innocent and full of fanciful visions of the future. I’m a warrior now, a prisoner and a rebel against an unjust king. Even though I’ve seen several of my brothers in arms find their mates among the Terran women, it never even occurred to me to hope for such a thing—although I certainly entertained the notion of tempting one of them to my bed.
Now my world has been flipped upside down and righted again, and nothing is as I thought it was.
Because Raina is my mate.
Everyone around the fire pit is watching me, and I realize with a start that silence has fallen. My sudden declaration of the mate bond caught the attention of the Terrans and my fellow Voxerans alike, and they’re all staring at me as if waiting to see what I’ll do now that my mate has run away.
I catch sight of Strome, his brows raised and eyes wide, and chuckle ruefully. My friend looks nearly as shocked as I am by the fact that I’ve found a mate. He knows I never expected to have one and never particularly wanted one.
But now…
My gaze flicks toward the path through the village where Raina disappeared, and a sense of
longing fills me, something both strange and familiar. It’s not just physical desire, although I’ve always thought she was the most beautiful of all the Terran women.
This is more.
I burn with it. It urges me toward her, setting my feet into motion before I even consciously decide to move. I give everyone gathered around the fire a self-deprecating smile and a shrug, then follow after my mate.
The fire’s heat behind me grows faint as I stride away from it, but the one in my chest burns hotter as I trace her footsteps toward the large meeting house where most of the women sleep.
I catch up to her just before she reaches it, picking up my pace to close the last bit of space between us.
“Raina. Wait,” I murmur, catching her wrist in my hand.
She whirls around the moment my fingers touch her skin, as if she feels the same spark I do. Her eyes flash, starlight shining on her face. These Terran women don’t have eyes quite like my people, but they get big and black in the middle just like ours do, and her pupils are huge right now. She’s breathing hard, and she presses her lips together as she huffs out a breath through her nostrils.
“Did you have to do that?” she demands, pulling her arm away from me. “Right in front of everyone? Are you serious?”
Akhi, she’s beautiful when she’s angry. Just as beautiful as she was when she teased me earlier.
I grin at her, unable to stop myself.
“Why shouldn’t they know? Why should it be a secret? We’re mates.” I chuckle, thinking of mate bonds I saw develop between couples back on Vox. The idea of keeping such a fierce connection secret is almost laughable. “The whole village will know soon enough anyway. It’s something to be celebrated.”
Raina draws in another breath and shakes her head, taking a step back. Her shoulders hit the wall of the nearby hut, and she stiffens a little, leaning against it.
“That’s not how it works for humans,” she says stubbornly. “Not how it works on Earth. You don’t just get matched up with a mate. It’s not so easy or so… so final. Something that’s settled just like that.” She snaps her fingers together, the sound loud in the quiet night air. “It takes time, getting to know each other, developing feelings for each other. Where I’m from, people do all of that first, then maybe they talk about something permanent.”
