Chapter 18
“It’s that easy—kill her and then accept my offer.”
Luna stood outside the bridge, stunned by the conversation that was unfolding. Feeling like an intruder, she’d departed the bridge not long after Balarr’s brother-in-law had boldly proposed giving him a clone of Keissa.
Keissa. Apparently, that was the name of Balarr’s late mate. And they’d had children together. A boy and a girl.
Her heart ached for all he’d lost.
But her heart also ached for herself.
Was Balarr tempted to accept Araxall’s offer? He’d initially seemed angry, but sometimes Luna had trouble reading his expressions and his moods. She was still getting to know him.
Would she ever get the chance to really know him?
She stepped closer to the bridge’s door, though not close enough to cause the door to automatically zip open. She continued eavesdropping, unable to force herself to leave.
“I’m serious,” the rebel Vaxxlian said. “Just kill the human female.”
“You’ve gone completely mad, Araxall. I don’t even know you anymore. You’ve become like a stranger to me.”
She didn’t believe Balarr would kill her—he wasn’t that cruel—but he’d obviously loved Keissa, and surely he’d cared about his children. What if his lingering grief led him to make a rash decision?
He could so easily leave her behind on Earth, and no one would ever know they’d exchanged mating vows and consummated their union.
He could leave her behind and pretend she didn’t exist—if he wanted to.
Maybe he preferred a flesh and blood copy of his late mate instead of a human he barely knew.
Tears burned in her eyes as the conversation continued.
“What if I told you I also had DNA samples from your children?” the rebel said with a dark chuckle. “I could give you your entire family back—at the exact ages they were when they left this life.”
The ensuing roar that resounded from Balarr caused Luna to shriek. Her stomach dropped to the floor, and her entire body started trembling. It was too much. She didn’t want to hear Balarr accept the rebel’s offer.
Of course he would accept.
She tried to put herself in his place, and she honestly thought that if she were him, she might accept Araxall’s offer. She knew the darkness of grief all too well—not a day passed that she didn’t miss her parents and wish they were still around.
But she couldn’t fathom what it must be like for a Vaxxlian male to lose a mate and two children, particularly when his people mated for life. Balarr’s pain in the aftermath of Planet Vaxxlia’s destruction must’ve been heart wrenching.
She hurried back to his quarters, then peered around the massive room, feeling alone and unwanted.
But she was alive, and she was safe.
Perhaps Balarr would return her to her hometown and drop her off at a friend’s house. Maybe she could start over. Somehow.
She braced herself to say goodbye to him, and she tried to promise herself she wouldn’t beg him to keep her. She sniffled and a few tears rolled down her face. Her throat clogged with emotion.
She hadn’t known him for long, but she couldn’t imagine parting ways with him. The very idea broke her heart.
As she remembered every word of the mating vows they’d exchanged, her legs started to give out, and she sank down on the floor in front of the bed. She tucked her knees to her chest and stared at the door, waiting for Balarr to come find her and feeling rather pathetic about it.
But it wasn’t as if she could just walk off his ship—last time she’d glanced out the main viewport, the Cormma was still hovering above the mountains. A smaller viewport rested next to the far wall, but she didn’t have the strength to walk over to it.
If Balarr accepted the rebel Vaxxlian’s offer, would he seriously help defeat Commander Harnn’s fleet? Would he kill his own people just for a chance to have his mate returned to him?
A shudder affected the ship, and she finally pushed off the floor and strode to the viewport. She couldn’t tell which vessels belonged to the rebels, and which belonged to Commander Harnn’s fleet, but the ships were flying in haphazard directions while firing at each other.
The battle went on for some time, and eventually, another shudder quaked through the Cormma.
Luna suddenly wished she’d stayed in the corridor outside the bridge—just long enough to hear Balarr’s decision.
The scene out the viewport abruptly changed, and it took her a few seconds to realize the Cormma was moving—perhaps taking evasive action. But as the minutes passed, she saw no sign of the other ships. Had the battle ended?
Emotionally and physically drained, she faced the bed, intending to sit, then stopped mid-step. No. She couldn’t sit there. Not atop the rumpled sheets where she’d mated with Balarr.
With a heavy heart, she sank down in a nearby chair… only to gasp and peer toward the entrance as the familiar sound of the door zipping open caught her attention.
Balarr. He was here.
More tears burned in her eyes. How could this be happening? She despaired over losing him, but how could she ask him to remain mated to her? He had the opportunity to get his family back—in a way.
“Is the battle over?” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
He closed the distance between them and kneeled in front of her. When he took her hands in his, it took all her strength to refrain from breaking into a sob.
“Yes, the battle is over.” There was a note of resignation in his voice, or perhaps it was weariness.
She struggled to hold his gaze, so she opted to stare at their joined hands. She willed the tears not to fall.
“Did your side win?” she asked quietly.
“Yes,” he said, offering no elaboration.
“And which side is that?” Bitterness crept into her words despite her efforts to contain it.
Balarr released one of her hands and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
He studied her with that unblinking gaze—the same deep green she’d recently decided was her new favorite color.
Fuck. If she didn’t shut down her thoughts, she would start crying.
If she didn’t harden her heart to him, he would break it completely.
“Do you really think I would’ve joined the rebels?” he asked at last, disbelief roughing his tone.
“Under normal circumstances, no. But the rebel leader promised to give you your family back. He said in less than a year…” Her voice faltered, her throat too tight to continue.
“You are my mate, Luna,” he said with conviction brimming in every word. “And you are my family.”
“But your mate… and your son and daughter…”
“They died years ago when the Irrcons destroyed Vaxxlia,” he said softly.
“There is no bringing them back. I still grieve for them, but I have accepted that I’ll never see them again—in this lifetime, anyway.
It’s you I want, Luna. You are my mate now, and I won’t forsake you for a clone that isn’t truly Keissa, or for replicas that aren’t my children. ”
“I don’t understand,” she whispered. She’d been so certain he would accept the rebel’s offer. Now she could hardly believe he was really looking into her eyes, insisting it was her that he wanted.
She tried to blink back the tears, but one slipped down her cheek. “Do you really mean that?”
He brushed the lone tear away. “With all that I am.” He leaned closer and rested his forehead to hers, a tender gesture that caused more tears to roll down her cheeks.
He pulled back slightly, then leaned in to kiss her tears away—softly and gently—cradling her face in his large, warm hands.
“Oh, Balarr, I am so relieved. I-I didn’t know how I would bear to say goodbye to you.” Her voice broke over the last few words. She gave him a regretful look. Guilt and foolishness pricked at her conscience for ever believing he might forsake her. “I’m so sorry I thought you were going to—"
He silenced her with a finger against her lips. “You don’t need to apologize, sweet Luna.” His visage suddenly grew serious, and his hands tightened slightly on her face. “We exchanged mating vows. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Until the end of our days.”
His words soothed her, a balm to her soul. She appreciated that he was being so understanding. So affectionate. So devoted.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then lifted her and carried her to the bed, placing her atop the rumpled sheets where they’d exchanged those vows and joined their bodies and hearts as one.
As he placed her on the bed, she caught a glimpse of darkness and stars outside the viewport. She gasped. “Have we truly already left Earth?”
“Yes, we have. I’m taking you home,” he said in a warm voice, his eyes sparkling. “We’ll arrive on New Vaxx in less than a day.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Relief continued flowing through her—along with waves of happiness and hope.
Balarr had chosen her. And he was taking her home.
He lay down beside her and pulled her close. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart—the heart that now belonged to her. She smiled at the thought.
As he stroked her hair, he told her more about Starzzia and the home he’d built there.
He described the city in vivid detail, and he also told her about the beautiful forests that surrounded the main settlement on New Vaxx.
She already knew what his planet looked like from the VAMOB commercials, but hearing his passionate description made it come alive in her mind.
She couldn’t wait to set foot on her new world—with her fierce, loyal Vaxxlian warrior at her side.