Page 31 of Slavic

“Ijust came from there.Theyare doing about the same as you and your sister, healing, scared, confused.Allthings that are considered normal in these circumstances.FalonandBikargave up their rooms so that the females could have some privacy.JustasIwas leaving, the males were bringing in some crates full of garments and personal items.”

“Youlook much better,Kallen.”

“Thankyou,Iam starting to feel more like myself.Iwould have sought you out sooner, butRuarcis being an overbearing ass.Theonly reasonIam here now is because he had to cover forSlavicat the helm and forgot to lock the door behind him.Themoment he was gone,Iheaded out.Someof the other females were initially scared when they saw me but quickly calmed down once we talked some.Itprobably helped to see another female amongst all these growling barbarians.Onewas particularly friendlier than the others and she asked several questions aboutBikar.Hehasn’t said anything about feeling a mate bond, but from my understanding, they have been talking to the males from the other side of the door.”

“So, you’re saying you escaped because your big and scary is covering for my big and ugly.”

“Slavicwas once one of the most sought-after males on our planet.Manya female pranced in front of him hoping to trigger his mate collar.Thehorrors that male went through to protect his brothers, and his life givers is enough to give a being nightmares.Theyhave been on the run for many orbital rotations, but things have changed greatly since they escaped theAynarfairies.However, because ofRuarc’spossessiveness,Ihave had little time to talk to any of them.Inyour case,Iam sureSlavicis as confused about you as you are him.Findingone’s mate is the ultimate gift, but not often found within another race.Youwould be and are, completely unexpected.Andbeing males, they are sure to make a mess of things before fixing them.Ionly wish my own mate could see the time he is wasting between us.”

“Holdup.Areyou saying thatI’mSlavic’smate, and that yours is fighting this mate thing that is supposed to be so sacred?Youneed to spell this out in stupid simple for meKallen, becauseI’mfreaking the hell out over here!”

“Ruarcis fighting our mate bond and by doing so, he is hurting us both.Heis convinced that there has been some sort of mistake.Becausewhy would theGodofRukbless me, aPrincess, with a thieving pirate?WhatIcannot make him understand isIam the princess of a fallen planet.Ihave nothing but this worthless title.Heis everythingIhave ever wanted in a mate and every time he turns from me it rips me apart inside.Mycollar is already lightening, andIfear the consequences we will both bear if he continues on this path.”

“Andyou like him, not just because of thisGodthing, right?”

“Ihave watched him since we were younglings, and until our mate bond clicked into place,Icould not understand whyIsought him out.He, of course, never noticed me.ButanytimeIsaw his family coming out of the mines,Iwould stand in the upper window of our dwelling hoping to catch a glimpse of him.Mostpathetic now thatIthink about it.Ina way he is right, my life givers would have fought the bond back then, but the femaleIam now only wants to be in his arms.Heis everything and more thanIever wanted in a male, but he won’t listen,”

“Ithink that is a default trait, no matter the species,Kallen.BacktoSlavic, are you saying bad things could and will happen to him if this bond thing doesn’t happen?”

“Absolutely.Itwill start gradually after several rotations, but if his collar fades completely and he is not strong enough to survive one of his hearts stopping, he will perish.”

“Holdyour horses, did you say two hearts?”

“Yes, most of the dominant males of our species have two hearts.Itis one of the things that makes them so powerful but can also be their biggest weakness.Normallyif one of us loses a mate, the other is not far behind, as our lives are linked through our mate bond.”

“Youact like this is common knowledge and somethingIshould already know.”

“Thereare no secrets in theVoid, but it can be a place of joy or heartache.”

“Isn’tthat the truth of any world?”Herwords have me glancing over atRowanwho is still laying in the same spot but seems to be resting peacefully.Kallensliding off the bed has me sitting up.

“BeforeRuarcnotices my absence,Ishould probably return.Iam glad that you nor any of the others had any adverse reactionsto the translators.Ihave been talking to you in common tongue with no issues.Hopefully, this will help you andSlavic.”

“Kallen, just to make sureIunderstand exactly what you’re telling me...this collar thing around your neck marks you as a mate?”

“No, it tells the world that you are mated to another.Ihave no idea if once your bond is consummated that you will have a matching one or not.Butif you take nothing else out of this conversation know this; he will weaken the longer the bond is not tethered together, and our world needsSlavic.”

“Nopressure on a girl at all, huh?Don’tIhave a say so in any of this?ImeanI’vealready lost everything, amIjust supposed to say, ‘OKuniverse, hereIam, do with me as you will?’Becausesome big ass guy decides he wants to get it on with a human chick half his size.Imean have you seen the size of these guys?Ifbig noses, feet, and hands add up the way they’re supposed to,I’mliterally fucked.”

Kallen’slaughter brightens up her entire face, and this is the first time thatInotice she is really very pretty, for a green girl. “LittleRuby,Ihave no idea what those references mean, butIdo believe if you remain open-minded, the horrors you have been put through may turn into an adventure and love you never dreamed of.Thefact that two sisters were fated to be mates to two brothers is a wonder in and of itself.”

“Youmean my sister is also going to have this mate problem?”

“Yes,Einarwas the one who saved her, not only from that breeding nest, but from the lung disease plaguing her small form.”

“Youmean the green giant and my little sister?”

“Yes.”

“Yourgods must have one hell of a sense of humor.”Ino sooner say that, then the door slides open and in strolls the oneIbelieve isRuarc.

“Slavicis returning from plundering the other ship.Thelot was substantial and now the fuel tanks are filled.Saygoodbye to your new friendKallen, you need your rest.”

“Ifeel better thanIhave in foreverRuarc.”Hedoesn’t allow her to say another word, simply swingsKallenup in his arms like she weighs nothing and let me say, that woman is not small.Hewalks back out while she waves over his shoulder just before the door closes.

SoBigandUglyis on his way back from whatever poor vessel he decided to set his sights on?Ifthis thing in my head is working the wayKallensays, thenIthink it’s about time me and grumpy have a talk.Swingingmy legs out of the bed,Iexit afterKallenand her man, following far enough behind them not to be noticed.OrsoIthought untilKallenlooks back at me, then motions down a hallIalmost passed with a smile on her face.Givingher a thumbs up,Ihead down the other way, listening to all the weird noises the ship is making.Ibarely get out of the way whenIhear someone’s heavy steps heading toward me.Aflash of long white hair and dark skin passes me without a side glance. “Helloto you to mister friendly,”Icall after him. “Fuckingaliens”,Imumble to myself.

Continuingdown the hall,Ialmost miss the big showerSlavicis standing inside, with his head hanging.

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