Fated By Starlight: Volume 1

Chapter 4

Arietis keeps glancing at me as we make quick work of saddling up the horses. The barn smells of horse and hay, and usually the familiar scents are calming. Now? Even the pristine, white-washed walls irritate me. I’m furious with myself, fuming over my twin mistakes of not grabbing the woman’s sisters when I had the chance, and over losing my temper with her.

I grind my teeth, cinching the saddle tight as the horse blows out a breath.

“I am not sure that was well done,” Arietis says.

“No shit,” I grit out.

“If I had found my mate, I would be?—”

“You think I planned to act like that? You think I wanted to? No. Every day, my control slips further. The damned curse they cast over Vraya, all thanks to…” I shake my head, words eluding me.

“And you think you are the only one who struggles?” Arietis shoots back.

“I know I am not.” The horse tosses its head as I buckle the bridle in place.

“My friend, you must think. Your Mina may be of this world, but she is not from it. What you told her shocked her.” Arietis shakes his head as he attaches some saddlebags to his horse. “She is afraid for herself and her kin, and you only thought with your cock.”

“You think she is afraid of me?” The thought stuns me. That ever-present guilt creeps back in. I do not want my mate to fear me. That is the last thing I want.

“I think she has every right to be afraid, and instead, she went head-to-head with you and volunteered to heal the wounded at what is bound to be a massacre. I think if you do not control yourself and work with her instead of against her, she will grow to hate you.”

I hiss out a breath. Arietis lets out a hollow laugh.

“What would you have me do?” I ask him plainly.

His eyes are shrewd, and he stares at me a moment before leading the horse out of the stall.

“I would think you know the answer to that. Starbound women are at their strongest once the bond is in place. We’ve also long suspected they are the key to undoing this stars-damned curse. You need her to trust you, to like you enough to take you to bed. Then she will be safe. But you cannot rush it, or her.”

“And her sisters? You heard her threats.”

“I will hunt for her sisters.” His hands clench on the reins. “I will leave now, and you two can set out for Sheerly.”

“You will go find them?” Mina’s standing at the entrance to the barn, relief and pleasure chasing across her face.

I snarl low, causing the horse to shift uneasily beside me. I want her to look at me like that, not at him.

“Yes, I will go find them, or news of them. Hyadum will take you to Sheerly?—”

Arietis’s words are cut off by Mina throwing her arms around him, sobbing once, twice, against his chest.

“Thank you,” she says, finally pulling away. Her smile is wide, and real, and so beautiful.

And she’s smiling at him.

I’m grinding my teeth so hard it’s a wonder one doesn’t crack open.

“Ah—” Arietis’ discomfort is palpable, and it’s the only thing keeping me from violence. “Of course. You should stay with Hyadum. He will keep you safe.”

A stiffening of her posture is the only sign she’s heard him. Arietis shoots me an apologetic look.

“I will return with your sisters or with news of them.”

“Thank you, my friend,” I manage.

“House Aries has long been allied with House Taurus.” He inclines his head, swinging onto his horse. “I pray to the stars above and below that you do not forget it.” He glances at Mina, then back at me.

Shame surges through me, because he is right. There is no reason for my childish behavior. Arietis wants his own mate. He is no blood drinker; he does not want mine.

“You have nothing to fear,” I tell him, inclining my head.

“I wish you both well,” he says, and with a kick to his horse’s sides, Arietis leaves.

“Are you ready?” I ask her, and it comes out rougher than I intended. Every nerve feels flayed raw, her proximity driving me out of my mind, her feistiness alluring and infuriating all at once.

She sniffs delicately, picking at her strange clothes. “I’ll need clean fabric for bandages, clean water, and any medicine you have.” Mina pauses, canting her head to the side. “Do you have medicine? Maybe herbs?” Her nose wrinkles adorably. “I took a few classes on homeopathic medicine a few years ago, but I never thought I’d actually use it.”

“What kind of herbs?” I’m slightly stunned by my good luck. Not only is Mina more beautiful than a brute like me could ever hope for, but she is intelligent too, a trained healer.

Her mouth scrunches up, and I’m even more impressed by the fact she’s putting aside her irritation with me to help.

“Calendula, if you have it. Echinacea.” She bites her lip, thinking hard, and my attention zeroes in on it. “You might call it coneflower. Goldenseal, too.”

I shake my head, rubbing a horn. The horse stamps a hoof, impatient to get going. “I do not know those names.

“Shit,” she says, eyes narrowing in thought. “Right. We’ll just have to manage. Will they have any kind of medicine there already? Or do you have something we can take? You can explain the different properties on the way. The sooner we get there, the better.” Her tone is brisk, efficient.

I nod once, words hard to find yet again. I want to tell her she brings me honor by coming with me, by tending to the people of Westshear in their time of need. I want to tell her having her heal them by my side is the greatest gift she could give me, that she is the greatest gift of my life. A mate is all I have ever wanted, and for so long, I despaired of ever having mine.

But I do not want to anger her. I’m half afraid the words will come out wrong again.

So I grunt, tugging the horse behind me, tying it off outside and stalking back into the house. I quickly find a fresh shirt and a leather satchel half-full of healing herbs. They’re dry and brittle, past their prime, but they will have to do.

Outside, Mina waits, one hand stroking the neck of the horse, a curious expression on her face. Her strange clothing does little to disguise the fullness of her hips, the dip of her waist, the soft curve of her breasts, and I drink in the sight of her like a man dying of thirst.

Dark eyebrows define her heart-shaped face, her eyes expressive, framed by softly waving hair. I spent hours memorizing the line of her jaw, of her cheekbone, as I carried her here, but it’s not enough.

I’m not sure it will ever be enough.

I lean against the door frame, the right words evading me, and hold out the medicinal herbs.

“Right,” she says, taking the bag from me. Her elegant hand dips into it, and she pulls out a bunch of sad green stems. Her delicate nostrils flare as she sniffs them. “Not too fresh, are they?”

“They are not, coruscant. But if we do not make haste, we may find bodies that are.”

Her face pales, but she looks me straight in the eye. “Then let’s go. And if you think that will scare me, it won’t. You have no idea what I’ve seen. You have no idea who I am.”

Pride wells in me. This one might be a healer, but she speaks like a fighter. She holds herself like a warrior. At a loss for words, I nod once.

I have never wanted a woman so badly.