Page 31 of Tornn's Mate
The isolation is starting to get to me, but I don’t think Tornn understands just how badly I need some freedom. Taking a deep breath, I resolve that I’ll confront him once he returns to his quarters for the night. I pray he’ll listen. I pray he’ll at least give me a time frame. If I know exactly how many days I have left inside his quarters, it’ll be helpful. I’ll have something to look forward to. I’m tired of his vague answers and the way he always changes the subject—usually by distracting me with a long, intense mating session—whenever I ask him about the possibility of leaving his quarters and interacting with the other human females.
The door zips open and he strides beyond the entryway and into the sitting area where I’m currently pacing. I pause in my steps and brace myself for a confrontation. If he doesn’t give in to my demands, I’m not sure I’ll be able to remain calm.
His heated gaze roves over my body, and dammit I can’t help but flush as warmth floods my center, anticipation swirling through me as graphic images of our most recent sexual encounters flit through my mind.
“My mate. I’m pleased you’re still awake.” He comes closer, and there’s a cocky but predatory air about him that somehow serves to provoke my growing desires. It’s suddenly too hot and I can’t take in enough oxygen.
“I want to talk to you about something,” I say, lifting my chin, trying to be brave. I place my trembling hands behind my back, clasping my fingers together so he doesn’t notice my nervousness.
He finishes approaching and runs a hand down my arm, caressing one of the flowing, silky sleeves of the Darrvason-style dress I’m wearing. “You look beautiful in this gown, sweet human,” he says as his eyes flash with pleasure. “The dark purple shade accentuates your already breathtaking features.”
“Thank you,” I force out, even though I’m agitated that he’s doing it again. He’s trying to change the subject. As though he’s already guessed the subject I plan to broach and wants to distract me. Well, I resolve, as I lift my chin higher, it’s not going to work this time. “Tornn, I want to discuss how soon I’ll be permitted to leave your quarters. As many times as we’ve copulated during the last seven days, I’m confident that you’ve covered me in your scent, and I think it’s safe for me to explore theHaxxal. I doubt any other males on your ship will bother me.”
His face darkens and he grasps my chin. “No,” he says. That’s it. A one-word response uttered in an authoritative tone. No explanation. No promise about when I might be allowed some freedom.
“So, you basically lied to me, then?” I try to escape his hold, but he delves a hand into my hair, tightening his fingers in my locks and pulling me closer, nearly flush against his huge body. My neck aches as I stare up at his shocked expression.
“You’re accusing me of being a liar?” His nostrils flare and his eyes flash.
“On the first day we met, I asked you if I was your prisoner. You saidno, yet you haven’t allowed me out of your quarters. The door won’t open for me no matter how many times I walk up to it or how many buttons I press on the security panel on the wall nearby. Which means you purposely locked me in. It means you’re keeping me as your prisoner.”
As he peers into my eyes, he releases a low, steady growl that makes my stomach flip. “I informed you that you would be permitted to roam theHaxxalfreely once you’re adequately covered in my scent. Until that time, you must remain in my quarters where you will be safest.”
“When?” I hiss. “When will that time come? You fuck me at least four or five times daily, Tornn. When will it be enough?”
“When I decide it’s enough!” he answers in a booming roar that turns my insides to liquid. “I won’t risk anyone harming you. I won’t risk anyone attempting to take you from me. You’re mine, Ellie.Mine.”
I blink against the burn of tears. “Please, Tornn.” I try to keep my voice calm in a desperate attempt to salvage our evening. “I feel trapped and… well, I feel very trapped.Suffocated.” My pulse races. I almost say, ‘I feel alone,’ but stop myself in time. Admitting to my loneliness feels too personal. Tornn isn’t a dear friend I can confide in. He’s the arrogant alien who considers himself my lord and master.
His grip on my hair loosens, and he drops his hand from my chin. As he stares down at me, the glimmer of rage slowly fades from his eyes. He grasps my hand and laces his fingers through mine, then leads me to the sofa, beckoning me to sit next to him. Long moments pass as we sit in silence and gaze at the stars that streak by the viewscreen. We also have a clear view of several ships in the fleet, as well as theJansonna, all the vessels traveling in the same hyperspace bubble.
He exhales slowly and though I’m not looking directly at him, I sense the tension draining from his body. Cautious hope flits through me. I hope he’s going to see reason. I hope he’s going to stop acting like a possessive barbarian. He can’t keep me to himself forever. Not without causing me to drown.
He tightens his hold on my hand and I finally turn to chance a look into his eyes. To my relief, he no longer appears on the verge of a murderous rampage.
“I am uncertain how long it will take until I’m comfortable allowing you to roam the ship freely, Ellie, however, starting tomorrow I will take you on a daily walk through the corridors of theHaxxal. I recognize that you must remain healthy and fit enough to bear my offspring, and if you are feeling…suffocated, as you put it, I fear that could become a detriment to your health.” He places a hand on my stomach. “How I long to see your stomach swell with our first child. There are times it’s all I can think about.”
I try not to allow a shadow to cross my face, but it isn’t easy. He’s finally going to let me out of his quarters, but he’s only doing so because he wants to keep me mentally fit enough to bear his children.
Breeding purposes.
My uncle’s taunting words echo in my mind. But Tornn is staring at me with an expectant look—he’s waiting for my response. No doubt waiting for me to thank him for his generous offer to accompany me on daily walks throughout the corridors of theHaxxal. He’s letting me out, but he’s keeping me on a tight leash.
“Thank you, Tornn,” I finally manage, though the words taste bitter.
“Growing up in my village,” he says, “I witnessed many battles to the death take place over a female. A newly mated male would be confident that he’d coated his new bride in his scent, only for the female to get captured when she ventured off into the village without his protection. My mother’s younger sister was stolen by a male from the mountains who was a stranger to our village. Her mate challenged the stranger tolahhkda—a battle to the death—and while her mate won, before he was able to decapitate the stranger and rescue my aunt, the stranger had already rutted her several times. He’d beaten her for resisting and taken her by force.”
A chill rushes down my spine. I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly parched. I’m not in love with Tornn. I wouldn’t be heartbroken if I were abruptly ripped away from him (that’s what I tell myself, anyway) but I sure as hell don’t want to be stolen away and violated by another male.
I spend a few moments processing all he’s just told me. Eventually, I say, “I will admit, Tornn, that I believed your refusal to let me leave your quarters alone was an overreaction. That you were being a bit too high-handed, too possessive.” I release a quaking sigh as goosebumps prickle my arms. “I am sorry for what happened to your aunt.”
I want to ask how long until it’ll be safe for me to leave his quarters without his company, but I can’t quite work up the nerve to demand an estimate. Not after the story he just told.
He cups my face, his touch achingly gentle compared to a few moments ago when he’d clasped my chin and nearly yanked my hair. His eyes resonate with warmth tempered with resolve. “And I will admit, sweet human, that I feel violently possessive of you. I will also admit that I will likely keep you sequestered in my quarters for much longer than necessary. But I will not risk any harm coming to you. I am confident I would beat any male on theHaxxalwho tried to steal you. I would winlahhkda.However, the thought of that male hurting you and rutting you before I reached you…” His voice trails off and he drops his hands from my face. He turns toward the viewscreen and exhales a shaky breath. His hands curl into fists at his sides and his entire body tenses. “It is a maddening thought.”
Gradually, the tension leaves his body again. He slides closer and drapes an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. My mind whirls as I try to process our conversation. Maybe my initial belief that he was overreacting and being too protective holds merit, but the story about his mother’s sister is downright horrifying. Are his people truly so brutish? Isn’t there any law and order among them?
“Tornn, how do young, unmated Darrvosan females stay safe in your culture? Are they kept behind locked doors until they come of age?”
