Page 36 of Tornn's Mate
What is your mate’s name? I’ve asked you several times, yet you won’t tell me. I think you’re trying to protect him.
Traitor. Whore.
Tears burn in my eyes,but I blink rapidly, refusing to cry over Nathan’s cruel response. How dare he? The desire to maintain the alliance doesn’t make me a traitor. It makes me fucking practical.
I delete our most recent conversation, turn the tablet off, and set it aside. I’ve never seen this side of Nathan before, but holy shit what a dick.
Tornn’s gotten upset with me a few times, but he’s never called me a hurtful name. He’s never talked down to me in the same way Nathan just did.
I stare out the viewscreen at theJansonna, my mind reeling as I try to figure out a way out of this mess. I could delete the texting program and hope for the best. Or I could confess what I know to Tornn.
Cold fear drenches me when I imagine telling my mate about the text conversations and a possible plot against his people. Would he punish me for keeping secrets? Would he ever trust me again?
But giving Nathan’s name to Tornn is basically sentencing Nathan to death. If the Darrvasons don’t kill him, surely my uncle will have him publicly executed for his treachery. While Nathan hasn’t given me any real details about his plans, he did inform me that Captain Warren and his entire command team aren’t involved in any way.
Besides, I know my uncle well enough to realize how desperately he wants the alliance to succeed. He wants the glory of being remembered as the last captain of theJansonna. The captain who victoriously saw humankind settled on a new planet. He wants to be remembered as asavior.
Before I can decide what to do, Tornn returns to his quarters—hours earlier than expected. I rise from the sofa and face him, and my heart races when he gives me an affectionate look.
“Sweet human.” He stands in front of me, his eyes roving over the robe I’m wearing.
“Tornn.” My face heats when he steps closer and opens the front of my robe. “Are you back for the evening?”
“Yes.” A pleased growl rumbles from his chest as he pushes the robe completely off me and peers at my naked body, looking at the sticky sheen of blue that covers my thighs and arms.
He walks around me to peer at my back, where the largest amount of his dried seed remains. Little tremors besiege me as he takes his time inspecting me, and I hold my breath, praying he doesn’t think I tried to wipe any of his seed off.
“I like seeing you covered in my essence, Ellie, and I’m pleased that you obeyed me.” He circles around to loom over me and places a finger beneath my chin, forcing my gaze to his. “Come. I’ll give you a thorough bath, then we can enjoy a leisurely dinner together. We can put one of the holo programs on while we eat and pretend we’re millions of light years away from here. We can pretend we’re on a beautiful planet. Just the two of us.”
My throat burns. Tornn has no idea that my heart is in turmoil right now, no idea about the conversation I just had with Nathan. But a distraction is just what I need right now, and that’s what he’s offering me. He’s also offering me companionship and gentleness, and my lonely soul latches onto his offer like it’s my salvation.
“That sounds wonderful,” I finally reply, offering my mate a small smile. I push away thoughts of Nathan and his stupid plot, vowing to enjoy what’s left of the evening with Tornn.
Chapter21
ELLIE
Even after twoweeks aboard theHaxxal, I’m still not used to mealtimes with Tornn. Or rather, I’m perpetually shocked by the food he consumes.
His diet seems to be seventy-five percent raw meat, and I shudder to think about where the meat comes from. He replicates various rice, bean, and vegetable dishes for us to share, but there’s a refrigerator in the kitchen that is kept stocked with fresh slabs of meat, which are typically delivered in the evening.
I watch as he stabs a huge fork into the bloody pink meat on his plate and brings the whole thing to his mouth. With his razor-sharp teeth, he easily takes a bite. When a trickle of blood runs down his chin, he’s quick to dab it away with a napkin.
“Would you like to try some?” he asks, nodding at the platter of meat in the center of the table. “It’s delicious.”
“No, thank you,” I say, gathering a forkful of steamed vegetables. “I’ve never eaten meat before and I’m not sure it would agree with me.” I don’t want to tell him I think it looks gross. We’re still getting to know one another, and I don’t want to cause any offense.
He glances at the food replicator. “Our engineers are currently working on programming our food replicators to produce more human foods. We had cooks from theJansonnasend us samples of popular human cuisine, and I believe you’ll have more choices in a few days.”
“Wow, Tornn, that sounds really nice. Thank you.” My spirits lift. Every now and then he does or says something that gives me hope. Hope that the Darrvasons aren’t coldblooded savages who consider females their property.
I still haven’t had the opportunity to speak with any of the other human brides, but I hope they’re all faring well with their mates. I pray none of them are being mistreated.
“Tornn,” I say, peering at the platter of meat. “Um, do you keep a large amount of livestock on your ship? I’m curious. I mean, on theJansonna, we don’t haveanyanimals. Not as food or as pets. A few of the Founders brought cats, dogs, and other small creatures with them, but by the time I was born all the pets were gone. Feeding them was too difficult and the command team decreed that they wouldn’t be permitted to breed. I’ve never seen an animal in real life. Only in photos and old movies.”
He finishes the last of the meat he’d stabbed his fork into, chews and swallows quickly. His gaze remains riveted to me, and a flush spreads over my neck. Whenever he gives me his full attention, it never fails to make my heart pound faster as heated quivers assail my insides.
“We do not keep animals on our ships,” he says. “In fact, we stopped keeping livestock long ago even on land. Instead, we use samples of cultivated animal cells to grow meat in a lab. It’s more efficient.” He leans forward, still holding my gaze. “The Founders? Are those the first humans who lived on theJansonna?”
