Page 101 of Lorran
He did not know how his brothers bore it.
No. Wyn was not helpless, and he had not failed. Not yet.
Lorran pushed himself faster, his lungs burning for air and his thighs aching.
Wyn
The engine roared to life, and the ship pushed itself off the ground. Wyn took a seat on a conveniently placed crate. Needing to know he was gone for certain; she wasn’t moving.
The doors burst open and security personnel poured through. Interesting.
They held riot shields and formed a barricade. Comms chattered. More security arrived, this time carrying a large piece of equipment. Whatever it was, they never had a chance to fire it up as Caldar’s ship departed.
Lorran pushed through the crowd, cursing loudly and shouting orders. “Scramble your fighters. Stop that ship.”
“Sir, we’re a medical station. We don’t have fighters,” one person was brave enough to admit.
Lorran ran both hands through his hair, giving it a tousled, wild look. “You do not…”
The person paled and shrank away.
“Why were the locks not engaged? Why did you allow his ship to leave? He abducted my mate—”
Wyn needed to stop this before it got out of hand. She climbed onto the crate, barely standing above the crowd, and waved her arms. “Hey! Hello! Hi! I’m here!”
No joy. Lorran continued to shout about protocol and the security team kept chattering over the comms, like that could bring Caldar’s ship back.
She stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply.
The crowd fell silent.
“Finally! Lorran, I’m here!” She waved her arms until he saw her.
He was on her in an instant, crushing her to him like he expected to never see her again. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she repeated, face pressed to his chest. She felt the steady, measured thumping of his heart. Home, home, home, it said.
Eventually, his hold loosened. The security team left, and they were alone in the docking bay.
“Sonia got a hold of you, huh?” she asked.
“You left willingly,” he said, his voice little more than a croak.
“Because he had a gun. What was I gonna do? Fight him?” The idea of putting up some token of resistance just for the theater of it made her snort. “No chance. I enjoy not being shot.”
“It is not a pleasant experience. I do not recommend it,” he said, still clutching her tight. “I thought…I thought you left. I failed you and you left.”
Oh.Oh. Her sweet alien.
“I’m not leaving,” she replied. “I won’t. I can’t. You’re my home.”
“I failed to give you what you need. I haven’t claimed you, and I know that bothers you, even though you are kind and tell me it does not.”
She needed to see his face. All this talking into his shoulder wasn’t getting her point across. She pushed at his chest until he released her. With her hands still on him, she peered at his face, almost eye to eye.
“Listen to me, Lorran Rhew. You are my mate. I don’t need a bite mark to know it’s true. I feel it. Here.” She moved her hand to her heart. “And here.” Then moved it to his heart, or her best guess to his heart’s location. She hadn’t expected a pop quiz on Mahdfel biology that morning.
“I have not given you what you need.”
“Where is this coming from? You’ve given me plenty and—”
