Chapter 25 Grtirr
The world narrowed to a single, razor-thin point, the only thing that mattered: Julie. My mate.
Say yes.
I knelt before her, the weight of the ring box heavier than it should be against my palm. The question that had just left my lips hung in the air between us. My chest was beating like I’d been running for hours.
And I had. I’d been running from her. From this.
I’d done so many things wrong. First, the nullvein, and ignoring the mate bond like a coward, pretending that I could medicate away fate. And then I pushed her away with my surly attitude while simultaneously being overprotective. Pushing her away even as I burned for her.
I’d been such a fool. And now my time was up, and I had to face the consequences of my actions.
And if Julie said no—
I cut the thought off before it could finish.
I wasn’t a male who begged. But for her? I would.
I’d tried to make it right. The nest. The tools. The ring. The sky-blue sheets and bedding. The lush plants. Every detail had been for her, a silent promise that I would spend the rest of my life proving myself worthy.
Was it enough? I didn’t know.
Say yes.
All I knew was that I needed her to say yes. Just the thought of living without her made my chest ache like I’d been hollowed out. Once we were together, I’d have the rest of our lives to show her again and again that she’d made the right choice.
She let out a shaky breath, and I searched her face for a sign, any sign, that I wouldn’t leave this place today a wounded male. Did she not know that she had my heart, my very life, in her hands even now? That one wrong syllable from her and I would cease to be?
Her fingers trembled as she covered her mouth. Her eyes weren’t on the ring; they were on me, like the answer was written on my face.
I had spent too long fighting this. Too long pretending I could outrun fate, that I could bury the truth beneath duty and denial. But the moment I’d dropped to my knees for her, my world changed. And now here I was on my knees again, my heart wild in my chest… waiting.
Say yes.
“Yes.” She reached out with a hand, but hesitated. “Yes, Grtirr. I accept your nest, and I will be your mate.”
I exhaled, my entire body sagging in relief before I surged forward, embracing her. I plucked the ring from the box and slipped it onto the second-to-last finger on her left hand. Her hands were so much softer than my callused ones. The ring was just a little loose, but that was an easy fix.
The gem sparkled on her finger, catching the light. Beautiful. I finally understood why rings with large stones were in human courtship rituals of the past. It was a loud but silent declaration that Julie was mine, even when I wasn’t around.
She’s mine.
Julie flexed her fingers, watching the way the light played off the stone.
Then she looked at me, her eyes bright. “I didn’t think we’d work.
Not at first. You drove me crazy, pushing me away one second, then acting like I was made of glass the next,” she admitted.
“But after the trip to Halcyon, and now this?” She gestured around the nest. “You convinced me. Please don’t make me regret this. ”
I didn’t deserve her.
But I was keeping her anyway.
I stood, pulling her up with me, and crushed my mouth to hers. She melted against me, her arms winding around my neck, her body pressing flush to mine. The kiss was hot, desperate, a celebration of every battle we’d fought and every mistake we’d made to get here.
I didn’t expect her to say she loved me. Humans took their time with such things, sometimes months, sometimes years. And I hadn’t said it either, no matter how much the words burned in my chest, because I didn’t want to risk scaring her away. But one day, the words would come.
I knew for a fact now that she’d accepted my nest and our mating bond.
I broke the kiss only long enough to scoop her into my arms, her laughter a bright chime against my lips as I carried her toward the nest. The furs were soft beneath us, the air thick with the scent of her arousal, as we tumbled inside.
Julie was mine. All mine.
And I was never letting go.
***
Julie and I lay tangled in the nest, her body warm against mine, our skin still humming from our last round of lovemaking. The furs were a mess. Julie absentmindedly traced idle patterns on my chest, her fingers light and teasing.
The contentment settling over me was absolute.
Julie’s body fit against mine like she was made for me, because she was.
There was no question that Julie was mine now; she was utterly and thoroughly claimed.
She was mine, and I was hers, and that was all that mattered.
The rest of the universe could dive into a black hole for all I cared. Right now, there was only us.
“I can’t believe we’ve been hiding out in here for four whole days,” she murmured. "We didn’t even leave the nest to visit the cafeteria."
I rumbled in amusement, my tail curling around her thigh. “Good thing I stocked up on food.”
“And you can cook,” she said, grinning. “What a surprise!”
"It is my job to care for you." I stretched lazily. “And cooking is a lot easier than compounding medication.”
Tatertot chittered from her little den in the corner, her tail flicking in what I’d learned was annoyance. Every time we started fucking, she’d let out an exaggerated huff like she couldn’t believe we were going at it again, but she never interfered.
Sometime during the second day, Vostak had appeared on the ledge outside, with an annoyed-looking Tatertot in his arms. “They found this one in the grow labs,” he’d grunted, “destroying the plants.”
Tatertot had just blinked at us like it had been her every right to chew up those plants.
“I guess you have no need for the nullvein anymore. This one tore them all up,” Vostak had said as he handed the creature over. “Congratulations on the mating.” Then he’d left.
The nullvein. And that had me thinking about how all this started.
Julie must’ve felt the shift in me, because she propped herself up on one elbow. "What’s on your mind?" she asked. "You look like you’re thinking about something really serious."
"I am." I hesitated, my fingers pausing as I combed them through her hair. "I’m thinking about one of the reasons I tried to run from the bond in the first place."
Her brows furrowed, and I pressed a kiss to the wrinkles forming there, smoothing them away.
“My sister is still on Kadri,” I said quietly. “She’s the only family I have left.” My throat tightened. “In my head, the plan had always been to return one day. To find her. I just… I miss her. I want to see her face. Hear her voice.”
Julie’s expression softened. "Can’t you contact her?"
I shook my head. "Not if we don’t want the Usurper Queen to find us.
If she does, it wouldn’t just be Kadrixans who’d feel her wrath.
It’d be humans too. She might leave us alone.
Or she might decide our punishment wasn’t enough.
Or she might come after the warships." I swallowed.
"Exile was supposed to be a death sentence. A company of Kadrixans with no females would tear each other apart during the spring rut.”
“Even with us around, I’ve seen plenty of fighting during the rut,” Julie said, nodding.
“Now imagine if there were no females to stop the fighting. I lost many of my brothers in arms during that first rut before we found Vokira.”
Julie found my hand, her fingers lacing through mine. “I’m glad you found us.”
“Me too.”
She was quiet for a moment, then squeezed my hand. “Maybe one day you’ll see your sister again.”
“Maybe. The Usurper Queen has many enemies, and if she falls, her successor may pardon us.” I turned my head, pressing my lips to her knuckles. “Even if we are pardoned, I will only go back to visit. My life is here on Vokira now, with you.”
“Do you regret it?” she asked.
“Never!”
“Good,” she said. “Because you’re stuck with me now.”
And I was exactly where I was meant to be.