Page 73 of Captured By The Alien Barbarian
“Can I ask you a question?”Snuggled in Taccit’s embrace, the steady thump of his two hearts beneath my ear is oddly comforting. Sure, sooner or later, I’ll have to face the big bad world, but for now, I am perfectly content burying my head in the warmth of his arms.
“Why did Walter want you? Were you his mate?” He asks me softly.
My laugh bursts out before I can stop it. “His mate! No. Never. He kept asking me. But I refused his offers. I certainly will never be now, thank God.”
The gory image is going to haunt me for quite some time.
“My late-husband and I made wills. Turns out that he left me a lot of money, and Walter was hiding it from me. He wanted it for himself, but the only way he would have been able to get access to it would have been to marry me.”
Taccit growls, his chest vibrating with indignation. “If I could, I would kill this male again for his dishonorable ways.”
“Guess I’m not going back to the colony,” I say, as a heavy sigh escapes me. “The colony is probably going to consider me as good as dead. I wonder if they will hold a memorial service for me? Probably not.”
Still, every cloud has a silver lining. “At least my friends will be cared for now. My will said that if anything happened to me, anything I owned would go to Stacy and Maya.”
“These are the friends you told me about?” Taccit’s curiosity is charming. The tip of his tail brushes against my thigh in a soothing caress. “I remember you talking about this Maya and how she gifted you your bow.”
Nodding, I fill him in. “That was Maya. Stacy’s just a kid who hung around with us aboard the spaceship. After failing to fit in elsewhere, we sort of took her under our wings.”
Abruptly, Taccit sits up, disrupting my cozy nest. “Your species doesn’t possess wings, correct?”
My laughter returns, albeit softer. “No. It’s just an expression. It means we looked out for her, made sure she didn’t get in trouble. Stacy was always getting herself in trouble.”
I bite my lip, wondering about the future. Could Maya handle looking after that little rascal by herself? It’s just the two of them now. The poor girl has already lost so much—first her parents, then Eve, and now me. Stacy is smart, but she’s still just a child. There’s no doubt she’ll get herself into trouble right away.
Maybe we can keep tabs on the colony from a distance, just to ensure their wellbeing. If they aren’t... could I rescue them, too? I’m not alone anymore. I have Taccit by my side.
My life has taken a strange turn of events. Not too long ago, I was terrified of the wilderness and its beastly inhabitants. Now, it’s my new home. I’ve gone from being alone to finding love beyond my wildest dreams.
Taccit pulls me even closer. My head nestles against his chest, his heartbeat a gentle lullaby.
“Things will get better, my mate,” he says. “You are safe now. Soon, you’ll realize this. I’m here, no matter what. You’re mine, always. I claimed you the day I caught you.”
Tears slip down my cheeks, but I smile. He is right. Together, we will survive.
His playful tone catches me off guard. “And who knows, maybe you’ll befriend the other human female who lives in the village.”
“What?!”
ChapterTwenty
TACCIT
Itrail closely behind my mate as she hastily exits the building, but she doesn’t make it far. The moment she steps outside, she stumbles to a stop. To my annoyance, my brother and his mate have been patiently waiting for us to emerge. His human mate was eager to see mine, but I am desperate to keep her all to myself.
Not too far away, the drolvden let out a soft whimper. I had no choice but to tie them to one of the buildings, since they relentlessly tried to reach my mate. Their affection for her matches mine.
My focus shifts back to my mate, her face now pallid. I hover close behind her, prepared to catch her if she faints.
“Eve,” Ariana says.
Eve beams shyly at her, raising her hand and waving it side to side. The gesture is clumsy, but Ariana clearly understands it when she mimics it, her face filled with astonishment.
“Hey, Ariana. I’m so relieved to see you awake again. I was worried.”
“Eve,” my Nika says, “You’re here. You’re alive?”
I furrow my brow at her. I treated her injuries, but perhaps she still hasn’t fully recovered. How could she doubt this when she sees the other human with her own eyes?
