“Maybe because you act like you hate me most of the time. You push me away and snap at me. You won’t let me help you or comfort you. And I’ve caught you looking at me a few times these past couple days like you want to rip my head off my shoulders.” I step into him. I hadn’t come out here intending to say this, but now I’ve started, I can’t stop. “Why, Dane? Why won’t you let me help. Why won’t you let me comfort you?”
“I don’t need any help,” he hisses.
“I don’t blame you for anything that happened, you know that, right? You did what you had to do to protect your brothers and me. You—”
“Stop.” His eyes bore into mine. “Just. Stop.” His breathing is labored, his chest heaving. “I don’t want to talk about this. Not now. Not ever. Don’t push me. Remember what happened the last time you did?”
He says that as if I could forget what happened in his office a few days ago. The reminder is timely for both of us. Hurt slices through me, making mincemeat of my heart.
The pain of his rejection stings.
The sense of betrayal lingers.
And he’s right. We can’t do this here.
I clear my throat, ignoring the heavy weight of disappointment bearing down on my chest. “I understand where you’re coming from, but you need to give Glennev the benefit of the doubt. He supports our agenda, and we can’t do this without his help.”
Dane’s shoulders relax at the switch in topic. “You trust too easily.”
“Maybe I do. And maybe it’s wrong, but we can’t go around distrusting everyone.” I step a little closer. “I’m not going to let them sideline you. I promise.”
He harrumphs. “Don’t do me any fucking favors, Alinthia. I can fight my own battles.”
“Fucking quit that shit!” I holler, the stress getting to me. “Ugh.” I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my forehead to the wall. Concern bubbles through our bond, and I’m guessing we have seconds before one of the guys comes out to check on us. I take deep breaths and calm down. Opening my eyes, I fix Dane with an earnest expression. “You know I have your back. Always. You know I trust you. I trust you with my life. But you’ve got to trust me too.”
“I do trust you. It’s them I don’t trust.”
A spark of hope blooms in my chest. “Do you really mean that?” For so long, Dane was mistrustful of me. Not believing I was the Chosen One. Frustrated at my lack of progress and lack of ability, he regularly lashed out at me, and it’s another sore point between us.
I peer into his eyes, getting lost in the rich chocolaty depths as I search for the truth. Dane has the most beautiful eyes, framed by the thickest, blackest eyelashes I’d kill for. Honestly, I could look into his eyes all day long and never grow bored.
“Yes.”
“You trust me now?” My mood elevates because I spent so long praying Dane could believe in me. Feeling like a failure every time I didn’t live up to his expectations. “How come?”
“Because you came for us,” he quietly admits. “Even when we told you not to.” He hangs his head, breaking our eye lock, and I hate how guarded he is even when he’s telling me something personal. “You risked your life to get us out of there.” He lifts his head, and I wish I could tell what he’s thinking, but his expression is carefully composed, and he has his shields up, blocking his thoughts and his emotions. “You put us above everyone else in the galaxy. Part of me wants to scream at you for being so selfish. But a bigger part of me is grateful you pulled us out of that hell. And I’ve always been a selfish prick, so that part naturally wins out.”
I can scarcely speak over the lump in my throat, and it’s taking everything in me not to fling myself at him. “You’re the least selfish person I know,” I choke out a couple minutes later. “And I know it was selfish and reckless of me, but given the choice, I will pick you and the guys every time.” Tears well in my eyes, and I can’t disguise them. “What good is living in a free world if you guys aren’t there to share it with me?”
He looks away, and I try to get a hold of myself because I’m making him uncomfortable, and I don’t want to do that.
He says nothing, and awkward tension fills the gap between us. “I’m glad you finally trust me, because I need you to trust me on this. I wouldn’t have reached you on Xzanthar without Glennev’s help. He has been nothing but honest, and I’ve seen nothing which leads me to believe he’s deceiving us. Unless your gift suggests otherwise?” He raises his head. “Is your insight telling you to be wary?”
He takes a few minutes replying. “No. It’s nothing like that. I’m just wary of everyone now.”
“That’s understandable, but sometimes, we must take risks, and I believe this is one of those times.”
“I won’t be pushed aside. I want access to everything.”
“And I’ll secure that for you, but I need you to promise me you’ll stop pissing everyone off. Whatever personal stuff is going on needs to be left at the door each morning.” I straighten my shoulders. “You speak for all of us, Dane. Your actions and your words reflect on all of us.” A muscle clenches in his jaw, and shame briefly flashes on his face, and I regret my poor phrasing. “We’re trusting you to do this, unless you’re not up to it. Which would be fine.”
“I can handle it. This is what I was born to do.”
Dane needs this. I know that. Because it’s tied up in his identity and it’s the one part of himself that has been untarnished. But I’m worried about him taking on too much. He won’t admit it, but he’s fragile, and I don’t want to do anything to push him further to the brink.
“Are you sure? Because there’s zero shame in admitting you need help. The five of us are a team, and we support one another.”
“Alinthia.” His jaw is locked so tight I’m worried he’ll give himself lockjaw. “I said I can handle it. Stop babying me.”
“I care about you and want to ensure you’re not taking on too much. Is that so wrong?”
“It is when you look at me like I’m to be pitied!”
“I wasn’t aware I was looking at you like that.”
I feel for you. I hurt for you. I bleed for you.
I wish I could tell him that.
“Well, you do, and I hate it, so stop it. I’m fine. I made my choices on Xzanthar, and they’re over and done with. The only one who seems to have an issue moving past it is you.”
That’s a low blow, and he knows it. “Of course, I’m having issues moving past it! I saw you with her,” I choke out. “Zorc loved torturing me with it. It … it hurt seeing you kissing and touching her like that,” I quietly admit.
His mouth pulls into an ugly sneer. “Aw, are you jealous, princess, because she fucked me and you haven’t?” he taunts. “Aren’t my brothers keeping you satisfied, or you’re just that needy?”
Another crack splits open in my heart, and I’m officially done with this conversation. He’s being deliberately mean now because this conversation makes him feel vulnerable. Instead of opening himself up, he’ll lash out, and I can’t take any more. We yo-yo back and forth like this all the time, and it’s the equivalent of mental whiplash.
I’ve reached my fill for the day.
My shoulders are corded into knots as the weight of all these heavy conversations presses down on me. “Fine. Have it your way,” I snap. “We’ll go back in there and tell them how it has to be, but you better be ready for this, Dane. This isn’t just about us anymore. It’s much bigger than that, and personal differences don’t have a place around that table.”
CHAPTER 6
“That went easier than expected,” Maddox says, as we walk to our new chambers. Glennev and Donovan are talking in low tones up ahead, while Dane, Beck, and Coop trail behind us. “Glennev is easy to negotiate with, and it helped that Dane kept things professional. The more they see him like that, the less they’ll express doubts.”
Which is why it wasn’t much of a battle to get them to agree to our plan. Dane and I will work with Glennev on strategy, over
seeing the other teams, and us three will ultimately hold the power in any strategic decision-making. Beck will lead the research team, aided by Tav. And Maddox heads up the training arm with Donovan in charge of security. Denzil will run day-to-day security operations while Donovan supports Maddox and Coop with my training.
“Dane is at his best in a crisis. They’ll see that.”
“I know, and I’m a little more hopeful now we are organizing ourselves, the government is putting troops on the ground, and by this time tomorrow, all the prisoners will be here. I just hope I can convince everyone to help and that we can get more ships in the air before Arantu attacks.”
Maddox links his fingers in mine. “If this first group is any indication, you won’t have much convincing to do.”
“I really hope so.”
“We’re here,” Glennev says, stopping in front of heavy gray double doors. “No one can get any further unless they are with one of you,” he adds, stepping aside as Dane walks up to the retinal scanner and a red light scans a fine line across his eyes. “You five are the only beings with security clearance beyond this point.”
The doors slide open into a narrow corridor with clinical white walls. A second door at the end of the hallway also requires retinal clearance, and it’s obvious Glennev has gone to extremes to ensure we’re well protected.
“Wow,” Coop says, whistling under his breath as we step foot into our new home.
It’s a world away from the functional space I was living in when I first arrived at the base. “This is too much,” I blurt, my eyes widening as I drink it all in.
The huge living space is open plan with a massive kitchen and dining area on the right, a large living room in the center, and a hallway off to the left, which I assume leads to the bedrooms. I step down into the living room while Maddox automatically gravitates to the kitchen with its sleek cream gloss cupboards and high-tech appliances.
The main space has been decadently furnished in golds, creams, and reds. Three large red leather couches are arranged in an L shape around a coffee table in front of a fitted gas fireplace with a monstrous TV mounted overhead.
My feet bounce off the soft gold carpet as I walk around the room, marveling at the little reading corner with its full bookshelves and two reclining chairs that look comfortable enough to sleep in. Beside that is a gaming area with a couch, TV, game console, and a wide variety of games.
I’m not sure we’ll have much downtime to read or play games, but I appreciate the thought.
Coop takes my hand as we wander out to the bedrooms, peeking into each of the five doors. All rooms have their own color schemes with massive king-sized beds occupying center stage in each space, large closets, and separate en suite bathrooms.
The last bedroom is obviously mine because they decorated all the other rooms in masculine colors.
I walk in, spinning around as I silently gush over the plush space decorated in pale shades of nude and gold with subtle red accents dotted here and there. This is a world away from the décor in the rest of the compound, and I can’t believe Glennev went to so much trouble for us.
“I hope you like it and that you’ll be comfortable here,” Glennev says, pausing in the doorway.
“I’m speechless,” I admit, perching on the end of the bed, smiling at him. “I can’t believe you did all this for us.”
“You’re the savior of the galaxy, Alinthia, and our rightful queen. You deserve to be treated as such.”
“Honestly, I want no special treatment.”
“I expect that of you, but I wanted to provide you with a space where you could unwind together.” He folds his hands in front of him. “I’ve had this space ready for years, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate staying here without your protectors, so that’s why I didn’t show it to you until now.”
“Thank you. That was the right call.” If he had brought me here when I first arrived, it would’ve pained me to live in this space alone. I’m glad he waited to show it to us until now.
“I scheduled the live video broadcasat in two hours. Denzil will arrive to escort you to the auditorium twenty minutes beforehand.” He shifts on his feet. “Are you sure you don’t want to run through your speech in advance?”
“Alinthia’s got this,” Coop says, flopping down on the bed beside me. “She always knows the right thing to say.”
I disguise my snort of laughter with a cough. That’s not strictly true, but I love his belief in me.
“I’ll run through it with Dane, and I’ll be ready,” I assure Glennev.
“Okay.” He bows. “I’m sure you’d like to freshen up or rest, so I’ll leave you in peace. See you in a couple of hours.”
The instant he’s left the room, Coop pulls me down beside him, curling his body around mine. I rest my head on his chest, comforted by the steady beat of his heart. “Why don’t you take a bath while Maddox is fixing us something to eat?” he suggests, pressing little kisses into my hair. “You can go through your speech with Dane while we’re eating.”
“Sounds like a plan. Although,” I add, stifling a yawn, “a nap also sounds rather nice.”
“So, sleep.” He presses a kiss to my temple. “I’m going to unpack my things, unless you want me to stay?”
“If you stay, I’m unlikely to get much sleep,” I tease, pecking his lips.
He cups my ass, squeezing softly. “As much as I’m down for that, you need to rest.” He kisses me sweetly, and his lips are velvety soft against mine. “I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.”
“K.” I give him a parting kiss before he teleports out of the room. Stripping out of my top and pants, I crawl under the covers in my underwear, yawning as I close my eyes. The bed dips a couple minutes later, as I’m halfway to unconsciousness. Arms wrap around me, and a bare chest presses up behind me.
“Is this okay?” Beck whispers.
“More than okay,” I mumble, clutching onto his arms.
“Sleep, baby,” he whispers in my ear, and my mouth attempts a smile at his endearment, but exhaustion takes over, and I fall asleep.
“Alinthia,” Beck whispers, sometime later, and I stir. Lips brush against my naked shoulder, sending delicious tremors ricocheting through my body. “Baby, it’s time to wake up,” he adds, rubbing his hands along my warm tummy.
I turn around so I’m facing him, circling my arms around his waist as I force my heavy eyelids to open. “Five more minutes,” I mumble, tucking my head in under his chin. “Snuggling time.” I press my body closer to his.
His chest rumbles with light laughter. “How could I say no?”
We hold one another close, just hugging, and feeling his soft skin under my cheek, hearing the reassuring beat of his heart, and the firm touch of his hands on my lower back is everything I need right now. “Beck.” I glance up at him, cupping his smooth face. He looks at me with clear adoration in his eyes, and my heart swells. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he whispers, kissing my cheek.
“Stay here with me tonight?” I tentatively ask. Beck has only slept in my bed one time, and I want him to rectify that, starting now. I want to fall asleep, and wake up, in his arms. I deliberately project my thoughts, hoping I’m not pushing him too far, too fast.
“I would love nothing more.” He smiles before kissing me, softly and slowly, and my heart is so full of love for him, and I’m aching to demonstrate just how much. But now isn’t the time.
“Dinner’s going cold,” Maddox projects into both our minds. “Quit fooling around, and get your butts out here now.”
“Yes, boss,” I retort, reluctantly extracting myself from Beck’s loving arms. “Be right there.” I fling the covers off and stand, stretching my arms overhead as a yawn slips out of my mouth. Beck blasts emotion at me through our connection, and I turn around, pleasantly surprised to see the dark glint of lust flashing in his beautiful green eyes. “You doing okay over there?” I inquire with a knowing smile.
His Adam’s
apple bobs. “I know this isn’t the time, but I—” His chest heaves, and color stains his cheeks. “I want you,” he blurts. “I want to have sex with you. I’m ready!”
I walk around to his side, sitting alongside him and taking his hands in mine. “I want that too, but there’s no rush. And you shouldn’t feel under pressure just because I’ve slept with Maddox and Coop.”
“That’s not it,” he protests.
Maddox projects a string of expletives into my mind, and I curse his timing. “Look. Let’s talk about this tonight when we’re not under such time pressure.” His face falls, and I know it took guts for him to raise this subject. I hate we don’t have time to discuss it now. Placing my hands on his firm chest, I say, “I love you, and I want you.” I caress his cheek. “Trust me, I want to have sex with you badly. Your touch does the most amazing things to me, Beck, and I already know it’ll be incredible between us. If you want to take our relationship to the next level, you won’t hear any objection from me.”
His lips crash down on mine, and he kisses me hard with an urgency that’s new. It’s the same passion he kissed me with earlier at the hospital, and I can’t wait to explore this side of Beck. He pulls back, leaving me breathless and wanting. “I’m so hot for you,” he rasps, winding his hands in my hair. “And I can’t wait.”
“Well, you’ll have to,” I joke, standing. “At least until later.”
We get dressed quickly and join the others.
“It’s probably cold now,” Maddox grumbles, pulling out a seat for me at the long dining table.
I kiss him. “I’m sure it’s fine. Don’t be a sourpuss. I was tired.”
“I’m sure that’s why you were late,” Coop interjects. I’m glad his tone is teasing and he’s wearing a lopsided grin, because his jealousy has been off the charts recently.
I lean over the plate of food, inhaling the tempting aromas. “This smells delicious. Thanks, babe.” I pat Maddox on the ass as he walks away, earning a dark look from Dane. He’s sitting across from me, toying with the food on his plate rather than eating it. Instant worry accosts me, but I say nothing, because of his earlier comments. Maddox plonks down beside Dane as Coop moves four glasses of water from the counter to the table with his mind.
The Chosen One Page 5
