by Sadie Carter
I never thought Maxwell was capable of violence either.
Before she realized what was happening, she’d taken a few steps away from Toriq.
“Sophie?” he queried. “Are you well?”
“She doesn’t want to go anywhere with you,” Saffron told him. “I know you think you’re mated to her, but she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
Saffron’s words were harsh and not entirely true. Even though Sophie was scared and unsure, she was also attracted to the huge warrior with the quiet voice. There was a calmness about him that appealed to her. She saw something flash across his face. Was that hurt? Had Saffron’s words hurt him?
Suddenly, her own fears lessened, and she stepped towards him.
“Toriq? You want me to go to your home?”
“I know you must fear me,” he said, surprising her. Had she been so obvious? “But I would never harm you.”
“How does she know that? She doesn’t even know you. And she only has your word that you’re mated. What if you’re lying?”
Except she knew he wasn’t. She felt the tie to him. The pull. The attraction. “He has no reason to lie.”
“He could have his reasons,” Saffron narrowed her gaze suspiciously.
“What? You seriously think he wants to be mated to me?” she asked incredulously. “He got the bad end of the stick in this, and you know it, Saff.”
“Sophie, that’s not true.”
“What stick?” he asked.
Saffron snorted. “Jesus, dude, try to keep up will ya?”
“Saffron, don’t be rude.”
Her sister gaped at her in shock, and immediately, Sophie felt bad. She hated upsetting anyone, especially Saffron. But hell, it was her need to please people that had led to her being with Maxwell. Time to find a backbone, Sophie.
But she still moved over to her sister and grabbed her hand, squeezing. “I know you’re trying to protect me, the way you’ve always protected me. You gave up so much for me, and I can never repay you—”
“Shut up,” Saffron told her fiercely, although Sophie saw the flash of emotion in her eyes. “You don’t get to feel guilty about any of this. None of it was your fault. And what exactly did I give up? A job that was going nowhere on a planet where you can’t even go outside in the middle of the day the pollution is so bad. Not sure that coming here was the right idea, though.”
Sophie knew that Saffron put up the bitchy front as a way to hide her fear and vulnerability. She rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but Saffron hadn’t had an easy life. Neither of them had. And Sophie couldn’t help but feel she’d made everything worse.
She certainly hadn’t helped, anyway.
“You’re not seriously going to live with him, are you, Sophie?”
She looked over her shoulder at Toriq who stood so calmly, just waiting. No emotion showed on his face. Did he want to live with her? She didn’t know. But then, did either of them have much choice?
“They can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do,” Saffron whispered to her.
Couldn’t they? What if she resisted this mating? What would that mean? Would Macon throw her in some cell? If that happened, Saffron would go insane. Then there was Rich, he needed her for his plan to come together.
And then there was Toriq himself. Yeah, she could reject him. She could tell him to go away. She could hide behind her sister like she always had. Take the cowards way out.
Or she could put on her big girl panties and figure this all out on her own.
“I’ll be okay, Saff. Don’t worry about me, okay?” She moved towards the door.
“Don’t worry about you?” Saffron looked flummoxed. “But I always worry about you.”
“I know.” Sophie smiled at her. “Maybe it’s time to stop, huh? Let’s go, Toriq.”
He looked surprised, but he quickly followed her outside.
“We need to move quickly before Saffron decides to follow us. It’ll take her a moment to recover from me making a decision without her.”
Toriq frowned. “She usually makes decisions for you? Because she is the eldest? Is that the way it works on Earth?”
She shrugged, nerves fluttering through her stomach. Was she really doing this? Going home with him? She didn’t know him. But Zerconians took mating seriously. And if she hadn’t gone with him then Saffron would have tried to protect her, and it would have ended up a huge mess. This was the easiest way to keep the peace.
Also, there was a part of her that wanted to go with him. Which was weird considering she didn’t know him well. Maybe it was because she was mated to him. Or maybe she was making the same mistakes as she had in the past and trusting too easily.
Sophie licked her lips then dared look up at him. “Not really. Most people make their own decisions. Adults, anyway. Saff likes to be in charge, and I don’t make the best decisions.”
“Why is that?”
She paused. Why was that? “Saff says that I’m too soft-hearted, she’s always trying to make me harden up. She says always think the worse, and if people surprise you then great, but if they don’t, then you’re not disappointed.”
“That sounds like a very negative way to live.”
Yeah, it had sounded that way to her as well. But Saffron hadn’t ended up in a relationship with a man she’d had move planets to get away from.
She looked up at Toriq. “Let’s just hope this isn’t another bad decision or I’m never gonna hear the end of it.” She forced herself to laugh, but Toriq stopped and turned to her. “Um, that was meant to be a joke. Ha-ha.”
“It did not sound like a joke. Although, I admit I do not understand human humor.”
“Right, well, I guess it wasn’t very funny. Maybe I should just go back home. This is a bad idea, right? Of course, it is, it’s not your choice. You had no choice but to mate me. Mate me or go mad, what a choice, right?”
What was she doing? She needed to march her ass back to the house where she and Saffron lived and…what? Listen to Saffron go on about what a bad idea it had been to come here? About how they should leave?
“You wished to get away from your sister.”
“It’s not that I wanted to get away from her…”
He gave her a skeptical look.
Her shoulders slumped. “Okay, I did. Does that make me a terrible person? Probably. Christ, what am I doing? I’m an idiot. I’ve ruined everything. Not just for me but for Saffron and this baby. I brought us here, I thought it would be a new start. Instead, now everyone thinks I’m some sort of spy. Me? I can barely tie my own shoe laces without falling over. And suddenly everyone thinks I’m James Bond or whatever the evil equivalent is. I’m mated to someone I don’t even know and now probably regrets ever even meeting me. And I’m having a baby. A baby who I have no idea how to care for or look after or raise. I am so screwed, you should just turn around and run. Run far and fast in the opposite direction from me. I mean, why did you even mate me? Did you mean to or was it an accident? It was an accident, right? It had to be, why would you want me? You’d have to be fucking insane!”
She stood there, panting, having forgotten to pause and take a breath in the middle of her rant and just stared up at him. “Well? I know you have this whole big, handsome and silent thing going on, but don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Yes.”
“Well? What is it?”
“My accommodations are in the opposite direction.”
Chapter Seven
Toriq glanced down at his mate, worried. After her outburst, she had grown silent and pensive. She was obviously thinking. And she had given him much to think about as well.
He mulled over her words, dissecting them, trying to understand what she had been saying. Some things he hadn’t understood. Who was James Bond? Was he a relative?
But one thing had become very clear.
She had no idea of her worth.
Toriq had been worried she would be angry over having him as he
r mate. He was not considered desirable as a mate, even though he was strong and an excellent warrior and had even been offered a commander role. When others stared at them all they saw was his size and his cold appearance.
Except now he had a mate. A delicate, beautiful mate with hair so light it almost looked white in a certain light, with large blue eyes and smooth, creamy skin. She was so delicate and sweet that he feared the fates were having a laugh at his expense. As though they had paired him with the exact opposite of him.
And she thought he should turn her away.
Never!
“This is your house?”
He could not quite tell what she was thinking. “Yes.” He looked around, trying to see it through her eyes. But all he saw was what he always did, somewhere to sleep and eat and clean himself.
“It’s very tidy, isn’t it? Are you a neat freak?”
He knew freak was a bad word. But he couldn’t work out its use in this context, was neat a bad thing?
“That is bad?”
“No, not bad, it’s just I’m probably going to drive you insane. I’m terrible at picking up after myself. I tend to drop things and forget to pick them up. Not that I have anything with me…” She turned sharply then winced, holding a hand to her back.
“What is it? Are you hurt?” Alarmed he moved towards her. “I will call Moroco.”
“No! No!” She held up one hand. “I’m fine. I just have a bit of a sore back. Please, don’t call Moroco. I think I’ve seen enough of him lately and I’m betting the feeling is mutual.”
“You do not like him?”
“Um…well…I guess I don’t really know him well enough to say. Do you guys have female healers?”
“No. Are there female healers on earth?”
“Yeah. I figured there wouldn’t be here.” She looked so disappointed.
“You wish for a female healer?”
“I guess I’d feel more comfortable with one. But no use wishing for what you can’t have, right?” She closed her eyes briefly. “I left all my stuff behind. I suppose I should have brought a change of clothes or something.”
“I can send for them later. You should rest.” He was worried about her health. She did not seem strong enough to carry another life within her. “I will show you to my sleeping room.”
“Your sleeping room?” she said loudly. Then she visibly swallowed. “Your sleeping room, right. ‘Cause I’m mated to you now. You never answered me, was that an accident?”
“No.”
Her eyes widened. “You wanted to be mated to me? Wait, no you didn’t, because you need a mate or you go mad, right? That’s got to really suck. Being forced to mate someone you don’t even know or like just because otherwise you’ll go insane and die. Yeah, that must suck the big one.”
He did not know what suck the big one meant, but he understood some of what she said. “I wanted to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
“You were worried about what would happen. I did not wish you to be frightened. Being mated to me give you protection. I will not allow anyone to harm you.”
She stared at him. “That’s a huge self-sacrifice to make for someone you don’t know.”
Actually, he did not believe it a sacrifice at all.
She wandered around the room, not looking at him. “How does this work now?”
“How does what work?” He wished he could figure out a way to get her to lie down. She was too pale, and he could see she was in pain. He did not care what she said, if that pain did not cease soon he would be calling the healer. Perhaps another healer, though, since she did not seem to like Moroco. But he was the best. Should he just pull her into his arms and carry her to the sleeping room? No, he might accidentally hurt her.
“Mating. What happens now?”
Oh. He had not expected that question. Did she not know how a mating worked? Did she not realize that they needed to join in order to complete the mating?
“I mean, I know we have to have sex in order to…ah…complete things. Or we’ll both go a bit bonkers. But I guess…I want to know…well, do we have to do it right now?”
“It?”
“Sex. Do we have to have sex right now?” She held her hands up to her cheeks, which were now flushed pink. “Lord, I can’t believe I just said that. We’re strangers, and I just asked you if we need to fuck now or later.”
“Later.”
“Oh.” She stared at him.
“You must rest now. I will show you where.”
***
Had she seriously asked Toriq when they were going to get it on? Yes, yes, she had. She groaned as she rolled over on the masic and pounded the pillow with her fist. Oh crap, that just made things worse as Toriq’s scent surrounded her, making her wish he was in here with her.
But he wasn’t, he’d very nicely shown her the masic, waited for her to climb on then darkened the windows and left.
He hadn’t even tried to kiss her. Not that she wanted him to.
Oh, of course, she’d wanted him too. ‘Cause the man was sex on two legs and her body seemed to be revving into overdrive for him. She could write it off as being due to this whole mating thing, but she’d noticed him before. So now she was lying here. Alone. In a bed that smelled like Toriq, where he’d lain, possibly naked, only hours before.
Jeez, Louise, was this torture or what? And he seriously expected her to sleep?
She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. “What are you doing with your life, Sophie? I mean, really?”
She was now mated to a man, an alien she didn’t know. She was in his house, for God’s sake. He was going to want to sleep with her. She swallowed anxiously.
She sat up. This wasn’t working. She was exhausted, but there was no way she could take a nap. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a good sleep.
“Guess I won’t be getting much sleep from now on, huh, little one?” she said affectionately as she patted her stomach and moved outside onto the balcony.
Toriq’s home might be small, but it had a magnificent view of the ocean. Back home, someone would pay millions for this view. She stood there and breathed in the crisp, clean air. Okay, so some things weren’t going as planned. Like being accused of being a spy, pregnant, and mated to a stranger.
Yeah, she hadn’t quite seen any of that coming.
But she was alive. She was away from Maxwell. She had clean air, food, shelter.
And Toriq.
She swallowed heavily. Would he still be on her side when he learned the full truth? She wasn’t so sure.
“You are supposed to be resting.”
She squealed, turning, her hand on her chest as her heart raced. “Shit. You scared me. You move really quietly for a big guy.”
“I apologize for scaring you.” He took a step back almost as though he was hesitant to get closer to her.
“It’s okay. Maybe just clear your throat or something next time.”
He nodded “Are you well?”
“Yeah. Just can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, thoughts of everything race through my mind.”
“I can ask Moroco for something to help you sleep.”
“No. No.” She shook her head. Her aim was to keep as far away from the doc as possible. “I don’t think sleeping aids are good for the baby anyway.”
His gaze dropped to her stomach, but he didn’t say anything. She wondered what he thought of the baby, but was too scared to ask. Besides, he was getting used to all of this as well.
“It had to be a shock, discovering I was your mate,” she said.
“Yes.”
Okay, so she wasn’t going to get much of a reaction out of him. In a way, it was kind of welcome. Sometimes it felt like all the people around her had these huge personalities. They were opinionated, loud and occasionally overwhelming.
And violent.
She shivered.
“You are cold. Come in.”
“Oh no, it was
just…” If she couldn’t talk about the baby, then she definitely wasn’t up to talking about Maxwell. “Okay. It’s a lovely view you have out here, though.”
He looked out, as though seeing it for the first time. “Yes.”
She stepped into his bedroom, feeling awkward. “Um, so.”
“The Emperor asked to speak to you again today,” he said, turning and walking out of the room.
Tension tightened in her stomach. “Right. He has more questions.” Questions she didn’t know how to answer.
“I told him no.”
She paused, and he turned as though sensing she wasn’t following.
“You said no?” she half-squeaked.
He raised one eyebrow. “Yes.”
“To the Emperor of Zerconia? Are you allowed to say no? I mean, won’t you get into trouble?” She didn’t want him in trouble of her behalf.
“You are my mate. Your health and wellbeing comes first. My job is to protect you above all else.”
“It-it is?”
“Yes. We will meet with him in the morning. After you have rested more.”
Only a reprieve. But more than she’d expected or hoped for. As they entered the living area, the scent of food hit her, and her stomach rumbled. She blushed as he turned again.
“You are hungry.”
“Um, it’s been a while since I ate.”
“You need to eat more. You are too thin.”
Oh. Sophie knew she was pretty thin, except for the baby bump. But didn’t men like thin? Obviously not Toriq, if the way he studied her so critically was any indication. Feelings of inadequacy rose inside her.
Never quite good enough, Sophie.
She straightened her shoulders, trying to banish those negative thoughts. “I’ve been trying to gain weight.”
He simply nodded and led her out onto the balcony off the living area. She came to a sudden stop, shocked. This balcony was larger than the one off his bedroom, and it had a slightly different view. But it wasn’t the view that made her pause this time, it was the banquet weighing down the small dining area. Dishes of every kind and color filled her gaze.
“Are we having company?”
“Company? No. No one ever visits.”
