by Sadie Carter
“Um, hello, I’m sitting right here.” Blue crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’re not my sister; you’re a pain in the ass I can’t get rid of,” Keely told her dryly.
“More like the other way around.”
Okay, if she didn’t interrupt them, then they’d just keep going. And besides, she knew they were both full of shit. They loved each other.
“I’m glad you guys are here.”
“We had to sneak our way past your guard dog,” Blue told her.
“My guard dog?” she questioned.
“Racar,” Keely told her. “He doesn’t seem to be that happy to have us around you.”
“He’s been trying to stop you from seeing me?” she asked in shock. “He has no right to do that.”
Blue shook her head. “These guys are crazy protective of their mates. Thankfully, Safan isn’t as bad as some of them. Although he did go through that weird patch when I nearly died.”
“You guys have got to stop doing that,” Keely told them both.
“I thought I was a pain in your ass?” Blue asked her.
“Yeah, but I’ve gotten used to having you around. You know, like you might get used to a wart.”
Blue just rolled her eyes. “I cannot believe you just compared me to a wart.”
“Do you really think he’s my mate?” Ellie blurted out. Both of them fell silent. Keely looked worried. Blue just looked like Blue. She always knew what to do. She always had a plan. Only right now, she wasn’t saying anything. “Well?” she asked again when they said nothing. Why weren’t they saying anything?
“How would you feel if he was?” Keely asked carefully.
“Why aren’t you answering the question?” she asked back.
“Because we know that you care about him,” Blue said to her quietly. “A lot. He pushed you away and now he’s done a complete turn around and decided he’s your mate. These guys know when they find their mate.”
“Right.” She let out a breath. “They’re never wrong?”
“Safan said he has never heard of anyone thinking they had found their mate then discovering they were wrong. If Racar says you’re his mate, then you are.”
“Shit,” she whispered.
“Yeah. Shit.” Keely squeezed her hand then leaned in. “It’s not too late for us to leave Zerconia if that’s what you want. If you don’t want him, then we’ll leave.”
She stared at Keely then looked over at Blue. She didn’t look all that happy, but she did nod. “We’ve all talked about it. If you don’t want to be mated to him, Ellie, then the offer still stands. We’ll all go. Have another adventure.”
“I never really liked the adventures,” she whispered.
“Yeah, we know.” Keely smiled at her.
“I’m sorry. I guess I just want the boring things in life. A family. A home. Kids.” She gave them an apologetic look.
“Don’t have to apologize for that, Ellie,” Blue told her. “Truth is that adventure can be fun, but going to sleep at night with a gorgeous man wrapped around you who adores and loves you, knowing your family is safe and happy, well, that’s pretty damn good.”
They both stared at her.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk like that,” Keely said.
Blue shrugged, looking embarrassed.
“Okay, so we’re staying?” Keely asked Ellie.
She let out a deep breath, coming to a decision that felt right. “Yes. I want to stay.”
“And Racar?” Blue asked.
“I don’t know.” Worry filled her stomach. “I mean, if I am his mate, then I’m meant to be with him, right? And it would be for life. Forever. He couldn’t leave me.”
Both women were silent. They knew about her life before she’d met them.
“That’s what I’ve always wanted. A man who wanted me. A home. To be chosen. To be loved. But…”
“But?” Keely prompted.
“But there’s a part of me that keeps whispering that he could be wrong. That I shouldn’t get my hopes up.”
Blue sighed. “It’s a difficult thing to get your head around, that we’re actually meant to be with these guys. That there is some sort of bond that ties us to them. I mean, what if your mate turns out to be someone you hate, right?”
“Right.” She breathed out, glad that Blue understood.
“But the way Safan explains it, he was attracted to me first, before he knew I was his mate. He said that matings happen for a reason. That a mate wouldn’t be chosen for them that didn’t fit, that wasn’t someone they couldn’t love, couldn’t desire, couldn’t want.”
“But Racar didn’t want me before,” she pointed out.
“Didn’t he?” Keely asked. “Or was he just too wrapped up in what he was doing to realize it? If there is one thing I have noticed about Racar, it’s that he is very dedicated. Focused.”
She thought that over. “He said that he didn’t understand why he couldn’t stop thinking about me. And then after he watched me undress—”
“Um, what?” Blue asked, sitting up straighter. “You didn’t tell us about this.”
“Oh…yes…well, I didn’t want Tane to kill him.”
Keely narrowed her gaze. “When did he see you undress?”
“He was standing outside my bedroom window as I undressed that night after I stormed off on him.”
“That pervert!” Keely sputtered out. “I’ll kill him.”
9
“Keely, calm down. It’s fine.” Ellie watched her friend as she paced up and down the room.
“It is not fine. That’s not normal, Ellie.”
No, it wasn’t. But she wasn’t alarmed.
“You should have told someone.”
“No, no one can know. Please, keep that quiet. Tane won’t understand.”
“I don’t understand,” Keely stated. She whirled to glare at Blue. “Blue, how come you’re not threatening to kill him?”
“Because I don’t think he’s some weird Peeping Tom,” Blue said thoughtfully. “I think he met his mate and didn’t realize it. I think it’s a sign that he knew deep down you were his mate, and it shows he was attracted to you.”
“That’s just so weird,” Keely said. But she came and sat down again. Ellie breathed out a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was Keely telling Tane or Jack what had happened.
“When Racar was telling me how he found me lying on the ground, he looked so distraught. So upset. As though he really does care.” She looked at them both. “But I’m scared to take that final step with him.”
Panic filled her, stealing her breath. She could feel herself shake. No. No.
I’m sorry, Ellie. We need to move you to another home. It’s not your fault, sweetheart.
“Ellie. Ellie, it’s all right. We’re here.” Hands touched her. One set cool and smooth, the other warmer, slightly rougher. Her friends’ voices washed over her. But the panic attack still held her in its grasp.
“What is going on? Ellie! What is the matter?” His voice crashed into her, pulling her slightly out of the tight grip of fear.
“She’s having a panic attack,” Blue replied calmly, but there was a note of something in her voice. Worry? Urgency? “She needs touch. It’s the only thing that pulls her out. Ellie, we’re here.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Keely added.
“Get out of my way. Let me touch her.”
Suddenly, their hands left her. No! She screamed the word silently.
And then she was surrounded by him. His warmth. His touch. His scent. Breath filled her lungs. Her shaking started to cease. The nausea bubbling in her tummy went down to a slow simmer. She opened her eyes and stared straight into his chest.
“Where…where is your shirt?” she managed to ask. Maybe she should have said something else. But right in that moment, it was all she could think about.
And she really wouldn’t mind getting better look at his naked chest.
The heat
radiating off him was amazing. She hadn’t realized how cold she was until he was warming her.
“You’re like a giant heated blanket. Except a blanket can’t give you hugs. So you’re even better than a blanket.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I think. You are freezing. You should have told someone you were so cold.”
“Not cold now.”
“I took my shirt off so more of my skin was touching yours.”
It was then that she realized he’d climbed under the sheet. Her bare breasts were pressed up against his chest. Her nipples had grown hard, sensitive. She moved slightly, rubbing them against him and had to bite back a small groan.
“I think maybe it’s time we went,” Blue said.
“You should not have been visiting without my permission,” Racar snapped back.
She was swimming in her little happy bubble. For the first time, she felt warm, safe, content. She hadn’t realized it was possible to feel content and horny as fuck at the same time.
Turned out, totally possible.
Go her.
But she couldn’t let him talk that way to her friends. She tried to turn, to move away from all that male yumminess, but he tightened his arms around her.
“Stay still,” he ordered.
“Say please,” she told him.
“What?”
“Please. Stay still, please.”
“What?”
She sighed. “They’re called manners. Did your mom not teach you any?”
“I do not need manners,” he stated arrogantly.
“Seriously?” She leaned back to stare up at him. “Everyone needs manners. Otherwise, you’re just a jerk. Although…”
“Ellie, we’re going to go and leave you to rest,” Keely said, stepping up behind her to place her hand on Ellie’s shoulder.
“She should have already been resting.” Racar glared at her friend.
“Actually what I needed was my friends. Having them here made me feel so much better. And I’m not going to let you scare them off.”
Blue snorted. “Ain’t nobody going to scare us off. Don’t worry, he’s just in me-male, me-protect, me-bang-chest mode. I’ve seen it before.”
“Tane’s gonna visit after training later and we’ll all be back tonight with dinner,” Keely told her.
She smiled. “Okay, so long as Blue isn’t cooking.”
“You give everyone food poisoning once and you’re never allowed to forget it,” Blue grumbled good-naturedly.
They both said goodbye then quickly left.
“You were rude to them,” she told him. She should probably push away from him. Not touching him would surely make it easier to think. And she needed all of her faculties when dealing with him.
“I expressly told them not to visit without my permission,” he grumbled.
“And when were you going to give them permission?” she asked curiously.
“In a few days.”
She snorted. “They’re my family. They were never going to wait a few days to see me. And you need to stop trying to keep them away from me. I need them.”
“You should need only me,” he said arrogantly.
“And do you need only me?” she asked.
“Of course.”
Her heart filled at those words, even though she knew they weren’t quite true. “So you’d be happy to give up your research to spend all your time with me?”
His arms tightened around her. He grew tense. Ah, maybe now he was getting it. “That is different.”
“Yeah, you’re right, it is. Because these are people who I love. Who love me. They are always going to be in my life, no matter whether you want them to be or not. I get that your research is important to you. I don’t want to get between you and doing what you love. Don’t get between me and the people I love. You do that and all you’re going to do is make me unhappy. Do you want to do that?”
“You know I do not want that.”
“Good. I’d really appreciate it if you could at least try to get along with them. Racar?”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure? Really sure I’m your mate?”
He leaned up on my elbow so he could stare down at her intently. “Very sure. There is no mistake. You are mine.”
She just studied him. Unsure what exactly to say. She wanted this. But there was still a part of her that was scared to believe.
He was the first to break eye contact. “You need to rest.”
“I’ve been sleeping a lot. Are you drugging me or something?” she asked suspiciously. She wouldn’t put it past him.
“If I have, it would be with your best interests in mind,” he told her.
Which meant yes, he was drugging her. Damn it.
“Racar, you can’t just make decisions without consulting me.”
“Why not?”
Why not? Was he serious? Yes, it seemed he was.
“Because it’s my body. My life. I get that you’re just trying to take care of me and I appreciate it, really, I do. But I’m used to making my own decisions. I might be letting you get away with it at the moment because I feel like crap, but once I’m feeling better, it’s going to piss me off.”
“Piss you off? That does not sound pleasant.”
“It isn’t. It means I’ll be angry.”
“I have seen you angry. You looked magnificent.”
Okay, she hadn’t been expecting him to say that. “Really?”
“Really. However, I did not like you yelling at me. Or being mad. I certainly did not like the way you stormed off and refused to obey me. You will not do that again.”
“I won’t?” she asked in a low voice.
“And you will not walk around alone at night. It is not safe.”
“Not safe?”
“No. From now on, I will accompany you if you need to go anywhere at night. To ensure your safety.”
Okay, on the one hand, it was sweet he cared. On the other hand, she’d like to slap him around the head.
“But the way you looked when you were angry was mesmerizing.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll see me like that again.” It was almost guaranteed. Although right now, she had to admit to being too tired to work up much of a temper. “At some stage, we need to have a serious conversation about your overprotectiveness.”
He grew tense. “I only wish to prevent harm coming to you.”
She frowned. She got the feeling he was hurt by what she’d said. She thought back over their conversation. If it was so important to him that she didn’t walk around at night, then wasn’t that something she could give him? Relationships were about compromise, right?
“I know,” she told him. “And I appreciate that. Truth is, I don’t much like walking around at night alone. And I get why you want me to rest, but the drugs are making me feel woozy and I don’t want to spend all day sleeping. Okay?”
“I suppose the drugs are now unnecessary.”
Okay, this was going easier than she’d thought. “I know you’re trying to protect me, but I need my friends. Especially at the moment.”
“I do not like that they caused you to have a panic attack.”
She stiffened. Crap. She should have realized he would bring that up. It wasn’t something she liked to talk about. Wasn’t really ready to tell him about. “They didn’t cause the panic attack. They were trying to help me.”
“Then what did cause you to have it?”
If she told him the truth, it would hurt him. But she didn’t like to lie either.
“It just all got to me. Nearly dying. Waking up in here. You telling me you are my mate. It’s a lot to deal with.”
He ran his hand up and down her back. Warmth pooled in her lower stomach, working its way down lower to where her clit was throbbing.
“Do you not wish to mate with me?”
“I want to,” she whispered to him. “But there’s a part of me that wonders if it’s really true. You didn’t want me before.”
“You can say that again,” she muttered.
“I was a fool,” he repeated.
She grinned. “I didn’t actually mean you had to repeat yourself.”
“Then why did you say I should?” he asked, looking confused.
She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. You were a fool. I’m surprised you are admitting it, though.”
He sighed. “I have played those conversations we had over and over in my head, wishing I had not said what I did. That I had not hurt you. You are the last person I wish to hurt, Ellie. I know that when I am focused on my work, I often miss what is going on around me. That I might never have realized you were my mate horrifies me. I need you, Ellie. I need you in my life. I am so sorry for the way I treated you. My precious, beautiful mate.” He ran his hand over her head.
“I’m not beautiful,” she whispered. But his words had woven a spell on her. She didn’t know these big alien dudes could speak so beautifully.
“You are. With your pale skin, your hair like fire, and a smile that lights up the room.”
“You really think that?”
“Yes. I do. You are gorgeous and sweet and mine. All mine.”
I need you.
God, they were the exact right words to say to her. Ellie wanted to be needed. She knew she probably equated being needed with being loved. But it didn’t make her want it any less.
“I will take good care of you. I will treat you like the precious, wonderful person you are.”
She sucked in a breath. “Are you sure you are ready for all this?”
“Me?” He drew back to look at her. “My mate, I have waited for you all my life. Of course I am ready. Why do you think I have worked so hard to find a way to increase the human mates’ lifespan? It was all for you. So when I found my own mate, I could spend as much time as possible with her.”
She didn’t believe that for a moment. Even if he had a Zerconian mate, she was pretty certain he would have worked as tirelessly to find a cure.
“Unfortunately, I still have not found the cure.”
“You will.” She yawned.
“I will need to work less, now that I have a mate to care for.”