Chapter 17
Draevan nuzzled his nose against Cora’s, thankful he had reached her before the foul human male could harm her. Yes, she had healing nanobots in her bloodstream, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t experience pain. Or fear. And the thought of what the human male had intended to do to her…
Draevan suppressed a growl.
The man had planned to take Cora away from New Vaxx.
Inside one of the boxes, he’d found evidence of his plan.
“How did you know to come? I-I tried calling you on my wrist comm, but it wasn’t working,” Cora said.
Draevan tightened his arms around her, grateful beyond words that she was safe. She was trembling against him, and he could feel her heart pounding rapidly beneath his palm.
“I had asked the shipping company to pack everything that remained in your apartment on Earth, not merely your piano.”
Cora nodded against his chest.
“When the boxes arrived at the hangar, I began examining them to make sure nothing had been damaged during the journey, and I found one that was suspiciously already open. The open box smelled strange.”
She lifted her head. “Smelled strange?”
“Yes. There was an unfamiliar scent inside the box, and some of the items had been broken and moved aside. At first, I thought the damage had occurred during shipping, but then I realized the objects had been pushed toward the edges of the container, leaving an open space in the center.” His jaw tightened.
“A space large enough for a human male to conceal himself.”
Cora’s eyes widened.
“I found a strange notebook in the same box. Your name was written on it, and there were photographs of you taped on the cover. There were also other photographs and news clippings inside.”
“Oh, God.”
Draevan stroked her back. “I opened it and used my wrist comm to scan the contents. The pages had writing on them in English, and I could not read it myself, but my wrist comm quickly translated it. I was shocked by what I read.”
“I can only imagine,” Cora said with a shudder.
“It was a manifesto of sorts. The human male had written about you extensively. He believed he was destined to be your husband. He had detailed plans for capturing you and taking you away from Earth, and later from New Vaxx.”
Cora shuddered again.
“I tried to contact you immediately, but I couldn’t get through. That was when I knew for certain that something was wrong.”
He could still recall the feeling that had seized him. Fear. Pure, primal fear. He had never experienced anything quite like it before.
“I took a glider back to the house, wanting to reach you as quickly as possible,” he continued, holding her even tighter. “And when I entered the house, I found that vile human male on top of you.”
“He used Xeronnian technology to conceal himself and bypass Vaxxlian security measures. That’s what he told me.” Cora released a shaky breath. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “So sorry.”
Draevan frowned. “For what?”
“I should have told you.” She paused for a moment, and he remained very still and very quiet as he waited for her to say more. “M has been stalking me for years. I don’t know his full name. Only that he would sometimes send me threatening letters and sign them as M.”
Draevan tensed. “Years?”
She nodded. “He started with messages on social media. Then physical letters through the mail. Once, he tried to kidnap me after a performance in Vegas, but some bystanders intervened and scared him away. More letters came. The FBI couldn’t figure out who he was, and I eventually went into hiding.
I bought the penthouse in Skyline Towers just before the war broke out since it seemed like the safest place to live.
But he found me there too,” she said, her voice cracking.
“He hired advertisement drones to fly in front of my windows with a message that said he missed me and we would be together soon. M is the main reason I signed up for the VAMOB program. So I could leave Earth and go somewhere M could never follow. I never imagined he would be able to track me down, but apparently, he put a tracking device in my arm when he attacked me in Vegas and…” Her voice trailed off and her face crumpled.
Draevan ran his hands through her hair and rubbed her back while she hid her face in his chest. His shirt became damp from her tears.
Fluxx, how he wished he’d known about M. He would’ve taken care of the situation. He would’ve used his skills as a warrior to track the loathsome man down and end him before he could threaten Cora ever again.
“Why didn’t you tell me about M?” he asked softly.
She peered up at him with a remorseful look.
“On Earth, I couldn’t go outside anymore.
Even before the war started, I couldn’t walk around Manhattan.
I couldn’t travel anywhere. When I came here, I could finally walk through a city without worrying about M.
I could enjoy the outdoors and socialize with people.
I could meet our neighbors and take Meela for walks.
I could go wherever I wanted during the day, and that sudden freedom was so precious to me.
” Her lips trembled. “I didn’t want to lose that.
I worried that if I told you about M, you might not let me go anywhere by myself, even though Starzzia is supposed to be safe.
But I should have told you. I’m so sorry. ”
Draevan gently cupped her face. “I am not angry with you, my sweet mate.”
“You’re not?”
“No.” He brushed another tear from her cheek. “I only wish you’d felt that you could tell me.”
She leaned against his palm and closed her eyes.
“In the future, neither of us should keep secrets from the other,” he said.
Cora opened her eyes and nodded. “I agree.”
“We are mates.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“True mates, I believe.”
Her expression softened. “Yes, I believe that, too.”
She pressed herself against him, and Draevan wrapped his arms securely around her.
For a long while, neither of them spoke.
They simply took comfort in one another.
He could still feel the tremors running through her body, but they gradually lessened as he continued stroking her hair, rubbing her back, and placing gentle kisses atop her head.
She was alive. And safe.
Thank the Star God.
Eventually, Cora pulled back and stared at him.
“I really love it here. On New Vaxx. Yes, I signed up for VAMOB because I feared for my life and I needed a safe place to go, but I feel as though… this is where I am meant to be. Right here with you and Meela. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
You’re my mate and I care about you so much.
And Meela… I love that little girl so much. I think of her as my daughter.”
Draevan’s heart nearly stopped. He sensed the sincerity in Cora’s voice. She meant every word. Not only did she care about him, but she considered Meela her daughter. He’d suspected she loved Meela, but hearing her say the words aloud had a profound effect on him.
He couldn’t help but notice that she hadn’t used the word love when she talked about him, even though she’d agreed that they were true mates.
Was she afraid to say it first? Nearly a moon cycle ago, when she’d first arrived on New Vaxx, she’d confessed that she wondered if she were falling in love with him, and he’d confessed something similar.
Yet neither one of them had ever said the words. Not directly. Not out loud.
And just like that, he felt like a fool.
What was he waiting for?
She was his true mate, the one female the Star God intended for him, and they would spend the rest of their lives together. As mates. As husband and wife. She was his other half, a piece of his soul that he’d never known he was missing until she appeared in his life.
“You have made our family complete,” he said.
Cora’s eyes filled with fresh tears.
“And I love you,” he added.
“Oh, Draevan.” She sniffled, and a few tears cascaded down her cheeks. “I love you, too. With all my heart.”
His soul danced with joy as he pressed his lips to hers.
His true mate. Now and always.