Chapter 13 #2
"I'm keeping you alive." He pulled me closer, his forehead pressing against mine. "Persico won't let him kill me. Not while I'm making money in the pits. As long as I keep winning, I'm valuable. But you—you're a liability now. A weakness Hewes can exploit."
"I'm not weak."
"I know you're not." His voice was fierce. "But you're mine. And that makes you a target ."
The tears spilled over. "I don't want to leave you."
"I know." His arms tightened around me. "Merrilee, I know. But I need you to trust me. I need you to let me finish this."
"Finish what?"
"Killing Hewes." The words were flat. Final. "That's why we came here. That's what needs to happen. And I can't do it if I'm worried about keeping you alive."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him that I could handle myself, that I wasn't some fragile thing that needed protecting.
But I'd seen Hewes's face in that crowd. Seen the rage when Ahrick won.
And I knew Ahrick was right.
"How long?" I whispered against his chest.
"Three days." His hand stroked through my hair. "If I don't come for you in three days, you use the comm unit to contact Nansar. He'll get you off Palaydium."
Three days. Seventy-two hours. An eternity and no time at all.
"And if you do come for me?" I asked, even though I was afraid of the answer.
"Then Hewes is dead, and we're free." His voice was rough with emotion. "And I'm going to complete the bond between us and truly make you mine."
I pulled back to look at him. Really look at him. The blood drying on his skin. The exhaustion in his eyes. The determination that burned beneath it all.
"Tell me about the bond," I said quietly. "Tell me what it means."
He was silent for a long moment, his hands still holding me close. Then he spoke, his voice low and reverent.
"The Vaktaire mating bond is sacred. It's not just physical—it's spiritual. Emotional. When two Vaktaire complete the bond, their hearts synchronize and beat forevermore as one."
His thumb traced circles on my palm. "It's permanent. Unbreakable. When you choose a mate, you're choosing them for life. For eternity."
"And you want that," I said. Not a question. A statement.
"Yes." The word was absolute. "I want that with you, Merrilee. I want to wake up every morning knowing you're mine. I want to feel your heartbeat in my chest. I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you and being worthy of you."
My throat tightened until I couldn't swallow. "You're already worthy."
"No." His voice was rough. "Not yet. Not until I've ended the man who hurt you. Not until I've made sure you're safe."
"Ahrick—"
"Let me do this." His hands framed my face. "Let me finish what I came here to do. And then—then I'll come for you. I promise."
The tears were flowing freely now. "What if you don't survive?"
"I will." The certainty in his voice was absolute. "I have too much to live for now."
He kissed me then—slow and deep and full of everything we couldn't say. His hands moved over my body with reverent care, like he was memorizing every curve, every line, every place that made me gasp.
I kissed him back with desperate intensity, my hands fisting in his hair, pulling him closer. I needed this. Needed him. Needed to feel alive and whole and connected before he sent me away into the darkness.
"Merrilee," he breathed against my lips. "I need—"
"Yes." The word came out fierce. "Yes, Ahrick. Please."
His hands trembled as they moved to the fastenings of my dress. The ridiculous, revealing thing they'd put me in for the arena. He worked slowly, carefully, like he was unwrapping something precious.
When the fabric fell away, he just looked at me. His eyes traced every line, every curve, like he was committing me to memory.
"You're beautiful," he said quietly.
I reached for him, my hands finding the fastenings of his vest. "So are you."
He made a sound—low and broken and desperate—and then his mouth was on mine again, his hands everywhere, touching and claiming and worshipping.
We moved together slowly. Carefully. Not with the frantic urgency of before, but with the deliberate intention of two people who knew this might be their last time together.
Every touch was a promise. Every kiss was a vow. Every whispered word was a prayer.
When he finally moved over me, when he finally pressed inside with agonizing slowness, I felt it—that thread of connection we'd been building since the moment we met.
We moved together, slow and deep, building toward something that felt bigger than both of us. His heartbeat thundered against mine, and I swore I felt our hearts trying to synchronize, trying to find the same rhythm.
When the pleasure finally crested, it crashed over us both at the same moment—a wave of sensation so intense it whited out everything else.
And in that moment, I felt him. Really felt him. His emotions, his thoughts, his absolute certainty that I was his and he was mine.
Mate.
We lay there afterward, tangled together, neither of us willing to move. His hand stroked through my hair, and I traced patterns on his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath my palm.
"I don't want to let you go," he said quietly.
"Then don't." My voice was small. Broken.
"I have to." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "But I will come for you. I swear it, Merrilee. On my life, on my honor, on everything I am—I will come for you."
I nodded against his chest, not trusting my voice.
We stayed like that for another long moment. Then, finally, he pulled away. He motioned for silence and for me to get dressed. It didn't take long. My current harem costume wasn't more than a few circles and some string.
He crossed to the far corner of the room where a ventilation grate sat low in the wall. He worked quickly, removing the screws with a small tool from his boot.
Movement in the darkness. Something small emerging from the vent.
"It's okay," Ahrick said quietly, seeing me tense. "He's a friend."
The creature stepped into the dim light—small, gray-brown fur, rat-like face with large dark eyes.
A Negita.
"Merrilee," Ahrick said, "this is Roone."
The Negita bowed formally. "Lady. I am honored."
"Roone is going to get you out of here," Ahrick said, turning back to me.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small comm unit. Battered. Old. Precious.
"Keep this hidden," he said, pressing it into my palm. "If I don't come for you in three days, use it to contact Nansar. He'll help you get off Palaydium."
Then he pulled out something else. A stone.
It was beautiful—smooth and oval, deep green with swirls of blue and gold running through it like captured starlight.
"This is a Welati stone," Ahrick said quietly. "Given to my friend Nansar by the Welati people. If anything happens—if you need help—take this stone and head north into the mountains. The Welati will find you. When they do, give them the stone. They will help."
My throat tightened until I couldn't swallow. "Ahrick—"
"Keep it safe." His voice was rough. "And when this is over, when Hewes is dead and we're free of this place, I'm going to complete the bond properly. With ceremony. With everything you deserve."
I couldn't speak. Could barely breathe.
So I kissed him instead.
Poured everything I felt into that kiss—all the fear and hope and desperate love that I couldn't put into words.
He kissed me back like he was memorizing me. Like he was trying to burn this moment into his memory so he could carry it with him into whatever came next.
When we finally pulled apart, we were both shaking.
"I love you," I whispered. The first time I'd said it out loud.
His eyes closed, and I saw his throat work. "I love you too. More than I thought I could love anyone."
"Time to go, lady," Roone said quietly from the corner.
I looked at the small Negita, then back at Ahrick.
This was it. The moment I had to let him go.
"Three days," I said, my voice breaking.
"Three days," he agreed.
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that he'd survive whatever Hewes had planned. Wanted to believe that in seventy-two hours, we'd be together again.
But I knew Hewes. And I knew there was a very real possibility that this was goodbye.
I nodded, tears streaming down my face.
Then Roone was tugging at my hand, pulling me toward the vent.
I took one last look at Ahrick—standing in the dim light, blood still drying on his skin, his eyes burning with fierce determination and desperate love.
"I'll see you in three days," I said.
"Three days," he agreed.
Then I followed Roone into the darkness, leaving my heart behind.