“Yet, here you are. Is that not a divine miracle?” I offered up a grin.
“I hardly know you, but I will admit there is something ... I can’t stop thinking about you.” She said, echoing everything I was feeling.
I watched her in silence.
Grace shook her head and leaned back to gaze up at me. “So what happens now?”
“Do we have to get married because I kissed you and your markings glowed?” her voice was sharp and I could see she was not accepting the truth as well as I’d hoped.
Maybe I should have waited longer before telling her?
She continued to stare at my chest markings, then her eyes drifted lower, down my abdomen to my aching cock that was rapidly deflating.
A mix of fear and excitement was wafting from her. Had I frightened her by telling her too soon? But surely she felt the connection? She’d said as much.
“I do not understand this word marriage,” I explained. “But we have not completed the claiming yet.”
I looked forward to strengthening our bond once I mated with her.
Grace put her hand up and her back straight. “Can you clarify what you mean byclaiming? You’re not implying that I become your property, right?”
Her statement caught me off guard, considering our previous conversation. I pursed my lips. “The claiming happens in our first mating with our K’sha. Then there will be a mating ritual when we return to Alara. We call it the weaver’s bond. From that moment, you will belong with me and I with you.”
Her head moved side to side while her mouth twisted. “I can’t believe this. You say I belong to you like I’m a piece of property. I belong to no one. We barely know one another,” she insisted.
“You are not property, and I did not say you belongtome. I said you belongwithme. They are two different things, Grace. You are my K’sha. We belong with one another. We will get to know one another in time.”
Great work, Trex.I was turning this into a colossal mess.
Grace closed her lips, then cast her arms out to the side. “I’m utterly baffled and don’t understand any of this. You don’t even know if you will be happy with me once you get to know me.”
“Of course I will be. You are perfect for me,” I offered.
She put her hands to her hips. “What if I want to travel the galaxy? What if I don’t want to live on Alara?” She stopped and ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head. “I...I don’t know...this is such a shock. Honestly, I don’t even know where I belong.”
She belonged with me, but I could not force her to accept me. That was not the way the mate bond worked.
There was so much sadness in her voice, and it pierced my heart.
“Would you like me to show you the galaxy? I will if that is what you want. My knowledge of humans is minimal, but we are mates. I am certain and wanted you to know the truth.”
“I will never tire of you, Grace.” In order to not worry her more, I spoke softly. Stepping to her, I wrapped her in my arms half expecting her to push me away. And although she tensed, she did not withdraw from me.
Instead, she relaxed and put her arms around me.
Her body began to vibrate, and she sniffled.
Leaning back, I could see tears leaking from her eyes and down her cheeks. “Why are your eyes leaking?”
She wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands then smoothed them down her tunic. “It’s called crying, and it’s just...all of this...everything that’s happened.” She shook her head, looking more distressed. “Until a few days ago, I was alone with no one who cared about me.”
Grace continued to do more of the crying, then wiped her face again. “I’ve been abducted by pig faced aliens, then rescued by you...”
She inhaled and exhaled before continuing.
“And now you tell me I belong with you? This is all a bit much to take in....to process.”
There were no more tears and her distress appeared to be easing off. “I can’t believe you are attracted to me let alone think I am your mate.”
