Page 38 of Retribution
“Shessema,” he began, “I have come here to ask the ancient gods to watch over your soul, and to tell you that I hope you are resting peacefully in the afterlife. I hope the afterlife is as breathtaking as the Holy Ones claim. I hope you are running through fields of tallvhenngrass as you reunite with old souls. Perhaps you will live again, in another body, if you decide to reincarnate, though I know if you do, you’ll have no memory of this life, at least until you perish again.”
He couldn’t help but wonder how many lives she’d already lived. And how many had he lived? What about Layla? He’d heard many humans believed souls could reincarnate. Perhaps Layla had already experienced several lives as well.
The knowledge that even though Shessema was gone she was still living on somewhere else did bring him a level of peace, and gradually the tightness in his chest began to lessen.
“Shessema, I must tell you something.” He paused and ran a hand over the glass covering. Then he started from the beginning, and he told her all about Layla and the trial and how he’d hesitated to kill her in the courtroom, even though he’d gone to the trial that day believing he would indeed take the human female’s life.
He continued by confessing how he’d threatened Layla’s life and even whipped her, hoping that a taste of her suffering would make him hunger for her blood. As he spoke, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he gasped and turned around, but there was no one there.
And even as he continued turning in a slow circle, the slight weight of a hand remained on his shoulder.
He peered down at Shessema. Was this a sign? And if so, was it one of acceptance? The instant this question entered his head, the hand on his shoulder squeezed lightly, as if to sayyes.
His throat burned as he regarded Shessema’s unmoving form.
Once he could get his voice working, he resumed his story, though he omitted the most salacious details of his time spent with Layla. The longer he spoke, the more he felt as though he were unburdening his soul. The tightness in his chest was almost entirely gone, and in place of his earlier guilt was an image of Shessema that kept flashing in his mind, of her running through the tallvhenngrass in the afterlife, laughing and playing tag with her nieces and nephews who’d perished in the human miners’ explosion. The image was so detailed, it was as though he were watching it in real time.
At last, he came to the conclusion of his story, where he told of his frustration with Layla over not willingly accepting his offer to become his mistress, but also of his contingency plan to marry her, should her safety be threatened.
She needs protecting, and so do you.
He heard Shessema’s voice inside his head and nearly jumped. He stroked the glass lid of her coffin, wondering why she’d chosen to talk to him now. He’d visited her many times before, to pray over her and speak to her.
She needs protecting, and so do you.
It sounded like a blessing, but also a warning.
Chapter 19
Layla satin a chair near the viewscreen, the tablet in her hand, as she tried to lose herself in a romance novel. But concentrating wasn’t easy, because her thoughts kept drifting back to Zamek and his strange mood during dinner.
Exhaustion weighed her down and she supposed she ought to get some sleep, it was rather late, but she wished to remain awake until he returned.
The door to his quarters zipped open and he strode inside, his larger-than-life presence filling the room. Though matters weren’t yet settled between them and her future with him remained uncertain (at least from her point of view), her heart warmed at the sight of him.
She set the tablet aside and rose to her feet, turning to face him just as he closed the distance between them. He took her in his arms, and she thought he meant to kiss her, but instead he simply embraced her, hugging her tight as his masculine scent overwhelmed her. She breathed deeply and sank farther into his arms, even going so far as to wrap her arms around him and hug him back.
Technically, it was only the second time they’d mutually hugged one another.
And he wants to keep me as his mistress.
He withdrew partially to peer into her eyes, and she was shocked by the raw emotion in his gaze. He swallowed hard, then drew in a deep breath.
“The Bexxanian threat is no more, which means theTammushacan now resume course for planet Kall. We are set to arrive in approximately sixteen days.” He stroked a hand through her hair. “I am anxious to get you to the safety of my home, Layla. All I can think about is keeping you safe, keeping you to myself.”
“That is good news about the Bexxanians,” she said. “But when it comes to arriving at your home, you-you speak as if there’s a specific threat we need to worry about.”
His expression became shuttered, and she suspected he was keeping something from her, but there was also a strange peacefulness to him as well. Maybe whatever had caused his brooding mood over dinner had been resolved.
“It is nothing for you to concern yourself with,” he said cryptically, though the sudden hardness in his gaze told her she wouldn’t be getting any information out of him. For now.
He guided her into the bathroom, and they got ready for bed at the same time like an old married couple. She stood at one sink washing her face, while he stood at the other sink brushing his teeth. Once she brushed her teeth and untangled her dark locks (with a comb borrowed from Zamek), he was already finished with his nighttime routine.
“Did my servant deliver any boxes today?” he asked.
“I saw him carry a few boxes into the closet.” She’d snooped, of course, but she hadn’t wanted to presume the contents of the boxes were for her and just dig into them without Zamek’s permission.
He grasped her hand and led her into the spacious walk-in closet, where he stripped off his uniform and donned a pair of snug black shorts. She hovered awkwardly nearby, trying not to ogle him as he undressed but failing miserably. His huge muscles rippled with his every little movement, and she couldn’t help but notice his cock was growing hard. Her pulse raced. Would he claim her before bed?
