“Then why are you rejecting me?”
Cupping his cheek, I wiped the tears that had started to spill away with my thumb, careful not to cut him with my claw. “I’mnot. I would be with you forever, but I’m afraid you’re picking me because of what happened, not because you truly want me. I don’t want you to choose me out of fear. I want you to be happy.”
Vince pressed against me, and I wound my arms around him. I loved him so dearly, but his needs would always take precedence over mine. There was also a small worm of fear that refused to be banished that Vince didn’t truly want me.
“This has happened relatively fast,” he said, voice muffled. “I came and then we were together.”
I ran my fingers through his hair. It hadn’t felt fast to me, but I felt his pain dimming.
“Maybe we need time.”
“What do you mean, my Vince?”
He took a deep breath and leaned back to give me a shaky smile. “Maybe we should stick to the original plan? I’ll go back to your homeworld, and you’ll go about your duty.” He nodded. “It’s for the best, I think.”
A claw shredded my gut more painful than the knife that stabbed me days ago, more painful than anything I’d ever experienced. “Is that what you wish?”
“Yes.” Vince smiled.
“So you and I will be no more.”
“No.” He went up on his toes to kiss me. “No, you’re fucking mine. We are not breaking up.” A thought of an angry man with wet-looking hair, screaming, ‘We were on a break’ popped into his mind, and I had no idea what to make of it. “We’re just pausing or taking a breath. We’re together. I’ll stay in your room, and we’ll talk every single day, but we’ll take a moment to both think about what we want.”
Before I could say anything, NAID said, “Captain, Prince Kalvoxrencol needs to speak with you. He found the humans.”
“Go,” Vince said, patting my chest. “Sweetheart, it’ll be alright.”
Swallowing a growl, I kissed him, then slowly walked out the room while the feeling I was losing something infinitely precious swept through me.
Chapter 45
The end of what is.
Don was a fucking bastard. I fought to keep my thoughts calm, so he wouldn’t feel me and become distracted. The poor rescued humans needed all of his focus, not me and my pissed off self. I chucked my clothes back into the crate without bothering to fold them. Who fucking cared about wrinkles? Not me.
I sank to the floor, and simply breathed instead of sobbing like I wanted to. My hand snaked into my pocket to draw out the ring. I’d wanted Don to be my husband. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, but he had doubts. Part of me wanted to yell at him, but another part understood.
For drakcol, they mated once and that was it. Once Don fell in love with me, we’d be together forever. Separating mates had the potential to kill them.
We humans could fall out of love. Of course he was nervous. Not to mention I was a walking disaster. He wasn’t only signing up for the potential of me hating him because I was stuck with him, he was also agreeing to being with me and all my baggage for the rest of his life.
It was no wonder he needed a second to think about it.
A little separation, perspective might be good for the both of us. Our relationship had started very quickly after we met. I’d never been one to mind jumping into bed with someone… Well, now it was different. With what had happened to me and with Don coming into my life, he was the only person who would ever be in my bed for the rest of my life, as far as I was concerned.
But maybe some time apart would allow us to connect on a different level, and for Don to grow assured of how much I loved him. Besides, a bit of quiet would be nice. Of course we would be traveling back to Tamkolvanloknol with a group of traumatized humans, so peace and quiet might not be on the menu.
I covered my eyes and rocked. No. All of this was shit. I wanted Don, and the rat bastard didn’t want me. Panting, I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry. That I wouldn’t succumb to the urge to lie down and never move again. I was fine. I was perfectly fine. I’d leave Don, and we would either be fine in the end, or the fucker had earned a stalker for the rest of his life.
The bell rang.
“NAID,” I snapped. “Who is it?”
“Prince Consort Seth Harris,” the computer responded.
“Let him in.”
The main door whooshed open, and Seth called out, “Vince?”
