Page 74 of Dealing With Drak

His tone alone makes me want to burst into tears and beg him to forgive me. To throw myself in his arms and proclaim how wrong I’d been before. The fact that he won’t look at me only makes it harder.

Dully, he adds, “Once you are settled I will show you the kitchen and the rest of the place. I will be staying at Terum’s to sleep; he is not far. I will be able to hear you from there and get back quickly if there is any trouble.”

I can’t hide my gasp.

“You’re leaving?”

“You wished to live with your brother,” he states, voice deep and calm. “You have made it clear that I am not needed or wanted, so I will not bother you any longer.”

“Drak—” my voice cracks.

“Caleb is hungry,” he interjects, ignoring my pleading tone. He still doesn’t look at me, and even though his chest is glowing, it doesn’t seem as bright as before. “I will show him the food and leave him to explain it to you.”

“Drak,” I try again, water stinging my eyes.

“I will return when the sun rises again,” he says, leaving without another word.

I release a painful breath and bury my face in my hands. I groan, sitting down on the edge of the bed so that my weak knees don’t crumble beneath me.

I fucked up worse than I thought I had. I didn’t mean to hurt Drak. When I said that Caleb and I were staying on Earth, I wasn’t wishing that he would leave without us. I just couldn’t imagine risking my brother’s safety after he spent so many months all alone and suffering. I didn’t think to ask about Aprix being a safe place for Caleb because I clearly don’t think straight when it comes to protecting people I care about.

And in return, I hurt the man I care about more than anything. I love Drak, and I made him feel like I couldn’t care less about him. I didn’t make myself clear or express my concerns, I just… snapped. Now, I can’t take it back or think straight enough to know what to do in order to fix it.

Raking my fingers through my hair, I rub my temples and shake my head. I’ve lost him before I’ve even given myself the chance to confess how I feel. We haven’t even fully mated yet because of me.

How do I keep messing my life up so badly?

Why do I do this?

“Hey,” Caleb says, cheerfully letting himself into my space. He’s chewing on some kind of fruit, holding the pink oval food with bites missing from it in his hand.

I look up, trying to muster a brave face.

“They have a whole list of Aprixian foods that are similar to ours. Marrec and Stevie made it apparently. This thing tastes like candied dragon fruit. Can’t remember what the hell Drak said it’s called, but it’s good. Are you hungry?”

“Not right now, no,” I reply with a flat smile.

My brother frowns. “Anna, just apologize to him. You know he’ll forgive you.”

He won’t even look at me, how can he forgive me?

“He doesn’t want to hear it,” I mumble, picking at my fingers and avoiding his eyes. “I’m not hungry, is there something else you wanted?”

“So fucking stubborn,” he sighs. “Do you need me in here with you tonight?”

I scoff. “No. I want to be alone.”

Caleb sighs again but doesn’t argue with me. “I’m right down the hall if you need me. There’s food on the kitchen counter, it’s just below us. Anything out is edible for humans.”

“Got it,” I mutter, staring at the ground.

“I’ll give you time for now, but don’t expect me to let you wallow in self-pity for long,” he warns. “I just got you back, Anna.”

Sniffing, I nod.

I don’t have the energy to argue with him.

Kicking off my shoes, I don’t bother looking around. I don’t take a shower even though I smell like a stale spaceship. I simply find the light button and press it, sinking the room into darkness. Crawling into bed, I push my face into a pillow and close my eyes, praying that when I wake up, Drak won’t be so sad anymore.

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