Page 76 of You're Not My King!

Time was foggy, but it wasn’t long before hurried footsteps approached, and my mate’s worried and fucking gorgeous face came into view. “Roo-bin?” A brief flash of red-hot fury replaced the concern, but it was gone the instant his gaze landed on the dead chief beside me. He kneeled, hands careful as they cupped my face, thumbs stroking the bruised skin.

“Hey there, big guy,” I croaked, and he made a distressed sound in his throat as his eyes roved my no doubt mangled body. Still, he forced a smile onto his face, obviously trying his best to comfort me, though the gesture fell flat.

It made my heart skip.

“Fiona is coming,” he said. “Do not give up, little creature. She will heal you. I am sorry, my Roo-bin,” he murmured, caressing my cheek. “Forgive me for all I have done.”

I strained to lift my arm, blindly searching for his hand to squeeze tightly. “Nothing to forgive. I knew you’d come.”

“I will always come for you,” he promised, the determination in his voice making it shake. “To the ends of the galaxy and beyond, I would follow you, c’karuucha.”

I felt a single tear slip down the side of my face, but I didn’t let grief sink in. If this was to be the last moment I got to spend with Vo’ak, I didn’t want to feel sadness. “Kiss me.”

Thankfully, he didn’t argue, seemingly recognizing my need as he leaned forward to brush his lips ever so softly over mine. He was unwilling to part from me, droplets of his own tears peppering my cheeks as he rumbled soothingly in his chest and kissed me again and again. The corner of my mouth, my cheeks, my forehead, all chaste and tender, but overflowing with more love than I could ever absorb, leaving little tingling impressions in their wake.

I felt no pain, only numbness and a sense of peace as my eyes drifted shut. The last thing I heard before following that compelling darkness was…

“I adore you.”

REUBEN

Waking up in a bed I didn’t recognize wasn’t an alien experience for me. Although, it had been a hot minute since I’d felt like I’d skydived without a parachute. Not that I knew what that actually felt like, but I could imagine it wasn’t fun.

I didn’t even have to inspect the damage to know every inch of my body was bruised to some degree—I knew the sensation well. Wouldn’t have surprised me if a few broken bones rattled around in there, too. My nose, especially, felt rather tender, and my left eye had to be swollen shut with how little I could see of the room. I just hoped I hadn’t lost any teeth, because one thing U’suhk woefully lacked was dental.

After a few fire-up huffs and groans, I tried hauling my ass into a sitting position, wincing as something, somewhere twinged. I couldn’t tell whether it was a shoulder or a hip, but at least I knew my arms weren’t broken. As soon as I was upright, movement fluttered at the corner of my good eye, and I turned to see Fiona hurrying over.

“Easy there, lovey,” she cooed, propping up the furs so I had something to lean against. “Here, have a sip of this.”

Before I could ask her when she’d arrived and how long I’d been out, she placed a small wooden cup to my lips and slowly tipped. It wasn’t water, as I’d expected, but it was just as refreshing and almost fruity, the coldness soothing my dry throat. I gulped it down, suddenly thirstier than I’d realized, but Fiona pumped the brakes before I could make myself sick.

“Small sips, deary.”

Once I’d finished, she placed the cup on the floor and I wiped the stray droplets running down my chin. “You… You guys came for me.”

“Course we did, silly goose.” She smiled, covering my hand with hers, brushing my knuckles with her thumb. “Vo’ak would have been here sooner, but…”

“But what?”

Her lip wobbled, and she dropped her gaze, eyes wet with unshed tears. She looked exhausted. “I told him to give you space when you ran. Then, by the time he sensed that you’d blocked the bond with the berries, you were gone with no trace. I’m so sorry, Roo. It’s my fault that you almost?—”

“No.” I squeezed her hand, not letting her blame herself. “No one is at fault, okay? Well, that dick-brain chief was maybe a teeny tiny bit at fault, but not you.”

She sniffed, huffing at my attempt to lighten the mood. “Vo’ak was beside himself when he realized you’d been taken. He wanted to go after you straight away, by himself, but he would’ve been walking right into a trap. Took him barely a day to band together warriors from the neighboring clans, and though those bastards left no tracks, he had to trust that you’d be here. But we were too late.”

Was it bad that my heart fluttered at the thought of Vo’ak losing his shit because of me?

Probably, but let me have my moment.

“You got here exactly when I needed you to.” I squeezed her hand, sending her a lopsided grin that she seemed to appreciate. After a moment, I was reminded that anesthesia didn’t exist on this fucking planet, nor did any of the good drugs, it seemed. “So… what’s the damage? You have to stitch me up like a patchwork quilt?”

Fiona cleared her throat, her clinical mask falling into place. “The worst is the fractured rib, but I gave you a tonic that should advance its healing. The swelling has gone down around your eye, but because of the battering it took, you may have some sight loss. I’m doing everything I can to minimize it, but be sure to keep the patch on for now.” I guessed that was why half the room was in darkness. “Your lip was cut, and your nose had to be cracked back into place. Both should heal relatively quickly.”

“Oh, wow,” I said, exhaling sharply. “Just a scratch, ay?”

“You are a very lucky boy, and a tough cookie.” She patted my knee, leveling me with a grateful smile. “Apart from the rib, and a shit-ton of bruising—pardon my French—you have no other broken bones, which is very surprising.”

I snorted. “They’ve probably built up an immunity by now.” Fiona gave me an unimpressed glare over her glasses, and I just shrugged. “Where’s my knight in shining armor, anyway?”

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