Page 16 of Mated in the Stars
"Yes, sir." The man sat down and began the process of contacting the closest warship.
"Order them here." Ak’kel added before addressing Drax. "We will remain here while we wait. You'll find some remains of my other warship somewhere onboard." He glanced at Sara. "I get the feeling my mate here is a scavenger. She's probably sold some by now, but see if there's anything useful. We won't be keeping this ship once the warship rendezvous with us."
"Consider it done." Drax nodded and then strode off the bridge to execute his orders.
"I've reached the Shadow Reaver, they'll be here in a few days." His man said from the communications console.
Ak’kel eyes fell to Sara. He knew exactly how to amuse himself while he waited.
Chapter 5
Sara fumed silently at Ak’kel's feet. Her fists clenched tightly in her lap, her legs folded underneath her butt. Voro had been right. She should have tossed the Vrak’rir out an airlock the moment she’d had the chance. If she’d take Voro’s advice, her crew might still be alive. All her hard work... spaced. Fuck. She'd worked hard for this rust bucket. A rust bucket she loved. She didn't want to call it her baby, but it was close. She loved this ship, and Ak’kel had made his opinion of it very clear.
Her gaze slid back up to him as he surfed through the information on her ship by using the small console attached to her captain’s seat. His mate? On one hand, she doubted she'd heard him correctly. On the other, he had threatened to rip her head from her shoulders and he had yet to do that, which only helped to solidify the mate comment.
She'd never been interested in settling down. Her life as a scavenger could be dangerous. Well, actually, space was dangerous. Period. She didn’t need to add a family to that mix.
When Sara had heard Ak’kel order a warship, hope filled her chest. Maybe, despite the mate thing, he might leave her behind. Then she could salvage what she could of what was left of her crew and get back to business as usual.
Ak’kel turned, his piercing gaze meeting hers. "I recommend you say goodbye to your ship. In a couple of days, you and I will be leaving."
The hope sizzled away leaving a cold emptiness in her chest, feeling like a black hole swallowing everything. Desperation gnawed at her. "I’d only get in your way." She tried to reason with him.
Ak’kel cocked his head to the side as he seemed to think about her words. Slowly, he shook his head. "No, mate. You will come with me."
Sara’s stomach twisted as she felt her chances slipping away from her. "I'd be a weakness." She insisted, a small tremor of fear entering her voice.
"And a strength." He countered smoothly.
"How can something be a strength and a weakness?" Sara frowned. "It's one or the other. That doesn’t make any sense."
Ak’kel leaned toward her, bracing his forearms on his knees. "You are weak, but you make me stronger."
Sara's frown only deepened. Weak? Physically, sure. She wasn't stupid enough to think she could go up against a Vrak’rir. But mentally? She’d argue there were plenty of humans who could give a Vrak’rir a run for their credits when it came to intellect.
Without warning, Ak’kel's hand snapped out, wrapped around her arm, and yanked her to her feet as he suddenly stood. "Now," he leaned closer, "which way to your quarters?"
Sara seemed unable to find her words as her heart sped up and her hands became clammy with sweat. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, and her words failed her as her thoughts raced around inside her head. This massive blue Vrak’rir wanted her to lead him to her most private space. Her sanctuary. His implications were clear to her.
"Don't try my patience, mate." Ak’kel growled low, his voice rumbling like distant thunder.
"Follow me." Sara squeaked, her voice barely audible. Hesitating a moment, she gathered the last few bits of her courage, and then turned to lead him through the ship. Could she lead him to an airlock and shove him out? No. That would never work. He wasn’t stupid, unfortunately for her. Thecunning that sparkled in his black eyes spoke to the intelligence he possessed.
Instead, she found herself coming to terms with the fact she was about to lead a Vrak’rir male, a male who thought they were mates back to her quarters. It left no doubt in her mind as to exactly what he'd want from her.
Her feet felt like lead as they entered the lift. She pushed the button for her floor. As the lift took off, she kept sliding glances his way. He was attractive, she’d give him that, but she wasn’t so sure about being mated to him. With the threats he’d tossed her way in the brig, she had no doubt he was exactly like her ex. The lift stopped, and the door opened with its normal mechanical hiss, and she led him out.
The idea of leading him to an airlock like Voro had recommended kept flitting through her mind, but she wiped the idea from her mind. Even if she did manage to pull it off, she had his men swarming her ship. She doubted they'd enjoy her killing their leader. Despite his temper and threats to let her kill them, his men appeared weirdly loyal. Maybe he paid them well enough to make the risk of death worth the loyalty to the mad man walking beside her.
"Here we are." Sara said as she stepped to the side and waved an arm at the door before them.
"You first." Ak’kel instructed her, his expression unreadable.
Sara scoffed. "Think I have it booby trapped?"
Ak’kel shrugged one massive shoulder.
Sara rolled her eyes, stepped forward, and pressed one of the buttons beside the door. When it opened with a loud drawn out squeak, she grimaced. She'd forgotten to have someone oil the damn thing. When she slid a glance at Ak’kel, he didn’t seem to be bothered by the high-pitched noise.
