Chapter 24
It had all been a whirlwind, meeting the skeleton crew on the new ship—Lena had been happy to see Dronzal—and taking off, leaving Botune a glimmering orb in their proverbial rear-view mirror.
After Screl had given his orders, he’d escorted her to a private room, much smaller and less lavish than his quarters on his previous ship, but they were free, which was all that mattered.
Without a word, Screl had dragged her to the bed, taking off her pants and jacket—the same ones he had gifted her for her first trip to Botune—before settling them both under the sheets.
Lena had curled up against him, resting her head on his still-bare chest, petting her fingers along the dark bruises as anger welled in her.
“Will you be alright?” she asked, the question coming out in a throaty gasp.
A tentacle stroked her hair rhythmically, tempting to put her in a trance. It felt right to be in his arms, though the memories of the Sovereign’s abuse filled her with fury.
“Of course. I will heal.”
There was a long, comfortable silence, Lena trying to calm her anger, save it for another time. Right now, she wanted to focus on the future, though her mind still raced despite the ease she felt in her body.
Was she really about to forgive him so easily?
Not just for the kidnapping, but for joining with her without explaining the repercussions, the permanent bond they now shared.
The way she’d be forced to stay with him until her dying breath.
A thought that was both frightening and intriguing at the same time.
Screl’s voice broke the silence, soft like a gentle breeze.
“Why did you come back?”
Lena turned to look at him, his mouth stuck in a thin line. It was the same question as earlier, the one she hadn’t had time to answer before their departure from the Sovereign’s palace.
She bit her lip, words buzzing through her mind at a rate she couldn’t comprehend. It was difficult to understand her own actions, why she’d done something like this for the male who had hurt her. But deep down, she knew her answer.
“You don’t deserve what your father has done to you.”
Screl winced ever so slightly, and she was unsure if that was what he’d wanted to hear or not.
In lieu of a response, the tip of a tentacle brushed her chin as he pulled her into a gentle kiss, his arms circling around her and hugging her close.
So different from the frantic devouring she’d become used to, just his lips pressing against hers in a way that sent electricity jolting through her.
When he pulled away, his face was serious, that sheepish look she was starting to know well.
“I have hurt you in so many ways. How can I ever make things right?”
A question she wasn’t sure she had the answer to, but with the bond connecting them, she knew he spoke the truth, the sorrow and guilt eating away at him. She had an idea, a shy smile flashing across her face.
“Maybe we can start fresh, so to speak.”
“Really?”
“I mean, begging me for forgiveness would work too,” she said with a laugh, but he took her hand, squeezing tightly, his expression conveying none of the mirth that she felt.
“I will do anything to win you back. I promise to take care of you for the entirety of our lives, to make sure you never want for anything.”
And he was serious, too, not even a hint of a smile on his face as he pierced her with his gaze.
“That sounds like a good start.”
Now, Screl broke, the corner of his lips quirking. Her heart fluttered at the soft look, and she tried to focus on what the next steps were, though it didn’t feel as urgent as it normally did.
A thought came to her, one that sent a jolt of pain through her, but she tried to remain calm.
“What will happen to you when… when I die? Your lifespan is much longer than mine.”
Screl shook his head, brushing his tentacles through her mussed-up hair.
“Our connection will change us in many ways. Though there are not many instances of Thren and non-Thren bonds, when there are, both partners have the longevity of the longest living species in the pair.”
Shock zipped through her, and then a giggle bubbled in her throat, one she couldn’t contain even if she wanted to.
“What is it?” Screl asked, brow furrowed with concern.
“You’re telling me I might live to be a thousand years old?”
“You very well might, amoreth.”
It felt impossible, and yet he spoke to her in her mind. She felt his emotions as if they were hers, his pain too. And the thought of an eternity with Screl? Well, maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing.
“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked.
She’d been so preoccupied with getting away from the Sovereign, she hadn’t bothered to wonder where exactly this ship was headed.
“Returning to Henios.”
Lena raised a brow.
“Won’t you get in trouble?”
“Why? Are you going to press charges against me?”
Oh, there was that dangerous smile, the one he wore so well. She chuckled, biting her lip hard to stifle the sound.
“I should.”
“Yes, you should,” he purred, his voice raking over her flesh like knives, tingling her scalp.
“But I won’t. I’m not sure how station management will see it, though.”
Screl’s tongues flicked over his lips, and need filled her.
“I’ll take whatever punishment I’m given, as long as I can be with you.”
“Punishment. I like the sound of that,” Lena cooed, enjoying how the sultry timbre of her voice affected him, his pupils dilating ever so slightly.
A tentacle slid under the band of her panties, running back and forth as her body clenched with anticipation.
“I deserve it,” Screl muttered, sliding the tentacle in further and tracing through her slick seam with a gentle touch.
“You do,” she agreed, trying to focus on the arousal coursing through her.
“You’re insatiable, aren’t you?” Screl asked, and a flush burned her skin, a mixture of embarrassment and desire.
Though she didn’t have a low sex drive, she was ravenous when it came to Screl, needing him inside her at all times like some sort of fiend.
“That’s how we know we’re meant to be together,” he continued. “I’ve craved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. It took everything in my power not to drag you back to my ship the first night we met.”
His restraint had lasted two whole days. How admirable.
“Is that all you care about?” she asked, a small gasp escaping as he worked the tentacle in, brushing over her sensitive interior still slick with his cum. “Fucking me?”
Screl slowed his movement, then pulled out completely, another tentacle petting through her hair. His brow creased, the hurt clear on his face, and though she despaired the loss of his touch, she needed to know his answer.
“Of course not. The physical need to mate is just one aspect of the bond. I know I’ve gone about everything the wrong way. I… I should have been more understanding of the fact that you are human and not Thren.”
Lena quirked a brow.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when two Threns perform the joining it is based on our ancient traditions… a lot more visceral than what you and I did.”
“How so?”
“In a heterosexual partnership, the male typically chases the female until he catches her, then takes her in the dirt. It is primal, with little affection passing between the two. Much of the focus at the beginning is on the physical sensations of the bond, the emotional connection coming later.”
Lena swallowed hard, trying not to let the visions of Screl fucking her in the middle of some forest run wild.
His aggression made sense if that was how things normally went for a bonded pair, and she had to wonder if some of her interest in his proclivities had something to do with the fact that she was fated to a Thren.
“So… a chase through the woods. That’s it?” she asked, trying to keep the stammer out of her voice.
Screl gave her a sly smile.
“A chase, and then the male Thren gives the female his mark.”
He flicked his tongues over his fangs, clarifying what he meant by mark. Something that was not at all as off-putting as it should have been.
“Are you going to do that to me?”
With a shake of his head, her heart sank, though the quirk of his smile told her that perhaps it wasn’t completely out of the question.
“It is not necessary. Our bond is already complete. But I will do whatever you wish. All I want to do is make you happy.”
Lena considered it. Physically, she was all in, ready for his bite, his claws, his tentacles, whatever he wanted to do to her. But part of her anticipated a horrible ending, the countless ways everything could go wrong.
“I’m still… really scared.”
Screl cocked his head.
“Of me?”
“No. Not you exactly. But what if you get tired of me?”
His eyes widened in shock, a sensation of sorrow permeating from him that she felt in her very bones. She couldn’t believe she’d said that, admitted for the first time how frightened she was of being alone, of not keeping up with someone’s expectations of her.
“Amoreth, I would never.”
Lena nodded, though his answer gave her little relief.
“Because of the bond.”
Screl shook his head, cupping her cheek with a clawed hand.
“It’s not just that. Of course, that is what initially drew me to you, but that is not all I care about. I… feel at peace with you, something I have never experienced with anyone else. Like my worries disappear when I hold you in my arms.”
She felt the same, the voice in her head silenced by Screl’s presence, her insomnia all but disappearing even without the chemical aid from his tentacles.
She shrugged out of his grasp, laying her head on his chest, calmed by the rhythmic motion of his breathing, trying to focus on that instead of the emotion squeezing her muscles.
He brushed her hair, his whisper filtering through the air between them.
“What are you so afraid of?”
A knot welled in her throat, one she couldn’t swallow so easily. It was the same thing she’d been afraid of her entire life, the all-consuming belief that refused to leave her no matter how much she tried to tell herself it wasn’t true.
“That I won’t be enough.”
Screl ceased his petting for a brief moment before continuing, her body trembling with the admission.
“You will always be enough for me. Much more than I deserve. Bond or no, what I said is the truth. I will do anything to take care of you and make you happy until we both cease to exist. Nothing but death will tear you away from me.”
Tears burned in her eyes, spilling onto his bare chest as he continued his ministrations. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and she turned to face him, a smile curling her lips.
Without a word, she made herself comfortable, cuddling into his arms and focusing on believing his words, not worrying about what the future would bring.