Page 42 of Zahhn's Mate
I want to believe her. I truly do. But I know virtually nothing about her life. All that exists—or existed—between us is sexual attraction. Well, perhaps more than sexual attraction. At least on my end. Beyond my burning desire for her, I harbor a fervent need to protect her. To keep her as my possession, my mate, until she’s coated in my scent. Until she’s wearing my ancestral markings on her arms.
A heartbond. If a heartbond finishes forming between us, I’ll be able to read her thoughts with ease. I’ll know the truth about her involvement with The Saviors, or non-involvement as she claims.
But what if I don’t like what I find?
What if we become heartbonded and I feel her hatred?
“My people assisted in the investigation into The Saviors’ activities. I doubt you were arrested without cause.” It’s impossible to fight back my agitation. How dare she deny her part in the attack?
After days of yearning to be reunited with the female I’ve technically claimed as my mate, I’m taken aback by how furious I am with her. I suppress the urge to grab her and shake her hard.
Fluxx. I’m tempted to turn her over my knee and thrash her until she makes a full confession. Until she sinks to her knees and begs for forgiveness. But we aren’t alone. If I punish her, the commotion would wake her fellow prisoners and alert the guards to my presence.
She shakes her head and says something, but her image is fading, and I can no longer hear her voice. I blink, and suddenly I’m back in my temporary quarters aboard theRorrsa.
But I did it. I intentionally transported myself to theHaxxal’sbrig to visit Leona, and I’m confident that with more practice, I’ll manage to do it again and stay for a longer visit next time.
Lee-oon-ahh. I will find you again.
Though I don’t hear her reply in my head, I sense her presence, and my ancestral markings are still tingling. When I inhale deeply, I swear I catch a hint of her arousal in the air. I place a hand on my chest and touch the markings.Lee-oon-ahh. I will make you pay for what you’ve done.
Chapter 25
LEONA
A few daysafter my arrest, I awake with a heavy heart.
It’s execution day.
I sit up in bed and exchange worried glances with the other women. Thankfully, we’ve been saved. But the sixty males who were arrested and charged with treason? Their hours are numbered. At intervals throughout the day, they’ll be taken to the depressurization chamber in groups of five, their deaths broadcast on every info screen in the worldship.
My father is among them. So are many of his friends, but that’s no surprise. I blink back tears and feel a surge of anger. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t cry. The Saviors’ crimes are abominable. The terms of the alliance aren’t perfect, and yes even I think the aliens are getting the better end of the deal, but that’s no excuse to plot the deaths of thousands.
It hurts realizing that I never really knew my father. He kept so many secrets. And while he tried to protect me sometimes, like when he paid off security officers to pretend they didn’t know about the speakeasy, in the end he attempted to recruit myhelp with his rebel cause. I’ll never forget that he wanted Zahhn dead.
The info screen in our cell flashes blue, then I hear Captain Warren’s voice as he narrates a text alert that scrolls by.
Attention citizens of theJansonna:
I have joyous news to share. Our Darrvason friends have recently located a planet called 58-Zallnanis that will be perfect for humankind. It’s sixty-eight percent water, has breathable air, and contains several large continents that are brimming with life. We will reach the planet in about five months. Another joyous development—the Darrvasons have also decided to settle on 58-Zallnanis, though they do not plan to live on the same continent as humankind.
Truly, today is a day for rejoicing. Let us not forget that if The Saviors had succeeded in overthrowing the Darrvasons and gaining control of theJansonna, all would be lost and we wouldn’t be mere months away from a brand-new life on a beautiful world. Let us rejoice in the justice that is about to prevail.
Be well and be kind to one another.
The captain’s message repeats several times before the info screen goes dark.
So the rumors are true. The Darrvasons have indeed located a habitable planet for us to settle upon. I’m not sure how I feel about the aliens joining us.
But what does it matter? I won’t spend the rest of my days on a continent settled by humans. I swallow hard. I’ll be taken to the Darrvason settlement on 58-Z. Whether as a bride or a slave, I am not certain.
All I know is that Officer Brute negotiated for our lives. A security officer who took pity on us shared this news recently, and he claimed the female prisoners between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five would be included in the nexthandover of one hundred women, but the older women like me would be given to the aliensfor free. As compensation for the trouble brought by The Saviors.
What the Darrvasons plan to do with us, I’m not certain. But I doubt I’ll enjoy it. I might trade one cell for another, but I’ll always be a prisoner.
The last thing Zahhn said sends a shiver through me, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Lee-oon-ahh. I will make you pay for what you’ve done.
