Sutek quirks a skeptical brow and gestures at the chaos surrounding us. “You seem oddly unaffected by all this violence. Most females would be hysterical by now.”
I take a good look around. The hotel is absolutely trashed. Bullet holes create abstract patterns on the walls, stone vases lie shattered with flowers spilling everywhere, and the outdoor furniture is in ruins beneath an unconscious dragon.
“Give me time. I might eventually freak out,” I admit with a shrug. “But after everything I’ve been through lately, I’ve learned that things can be rebuilt. I’ll recover.”
Sutek frowns deeply. We still need to have a proper talk, one where everything is out in the open.
“The point is,” I give his fingers a reassuring squeeze, “I know what it’s like to have a troubled past that others disapprove of. To feel unwanted. What matters to me in the end is the person standing by my side.”
He snarls, “Unwanted?! What fool of a male would not want you?” His hands clamp down on my shoulders, his frame vibrating with fury. “I will happily slay any who dare to challenge me for you!”
“Do you still want me then?” I ask, emotion thickening my voice. As much as I hope this to be the case, I am the reason so much of his home has been destroyed.
Sutek kneels before me. It only lowers his towering height by a fraction; his head is now level with mine, yet it allows me to look directly into his eyes.
“I bear my shame for all to see. It will take years for my horns to regrow, for me to regain my honor. I am not worthy of you, Elena. I can’t even offer you an estate now, only a place here helping to rebuild this hotel. But I vow to always protect and cherish you, if you’ll have me.”
Wow, it sounds like he’s proposing to me. We’ve only known each other for a few days!
“I’d be honored if you’ll accept me as your one and only mate,” he says.
“Is that like an alien marriage?” I ask, my voice shaky. Disbelief and utter joy sweep through me, making me breathless.
“It is far beyond that,” he murmurs. “Two souls entwining completely. You will be mine, as I am already wholly yours.”
Sutek mistakes my stunned silence for rejection; his expression falters.
“Yes!” I blurt out, tears welling up. “I want that future together.”
It’s not a traditional proposal, but I’ll take it.
Relief and joy flood his face. He stands tall again, pressing his forehead to mine. He grins triumphantly. I thought he looked sexy when he smirked at me before, but seeing him so happy truly takes my breath away. “Then you have made me the happiest male in the galaxy.”
His mouth presses firmly against my lips, kissing me until I’m senseless.
In this moment, nothing else matters: not the trashed hotel, not the still-running spaceship, and certainly not the unconscious dragon-like aliens lying about.
It’s just me and him. Forever.
ChapterEighteen
SUTEK
Elana, Prince Rist, and I make our way up the ramp and into the drakoon spaceship. I keep both of them behind me, wary of another attack. I once killed aliens for a living; now I protect them. That thought warms me.
“Come on, guys, we’ve got to get a move on,” Elana says, nudging my back, trying to get past me. I don’t know why she’s so eager to revisit the ship, but I recognize that we need to power down the engines until we figure out what to do with it.
“That’s highly unnecessary,” I say. “The ship is unlikely to move without its captain and what appears to be the majority of its crew.”
“I know that! But the last time I only got a brief glimpse. This is a spaceship for crying out loud, a real spaceship!” Elana laughs, nudging me again. “Rist, tell him to walk faster. I wanna see what’s inside!”
For a moment, I stand still, shocked. Did my little mate just order Prince Rist around? He’s a prince!
Rist laughs. “I’ve long concluded that Sutek moves at his own speed. He’s slow to act, but once he does, nothing can stop him. Just think of how quickly he claimed you.”
I glance at Elana, gauging her reaction. Her cheeks turn a fiery red, and she leans against me shyly.
“Soon we’ll have to arrange a proper mating ceremony,” Rist says, some warning in his voice.
