Page 77 of An Alien for the Farm

“Wounds?” My gaze shifts down but I’m covered by a sheet. “I don’t remember any wounds.” But then I recall Zynar’s bite. My fingers move to my shoulder now, a slight wince going through me at the warmth that emanates there. “Oh, you’re talking about Zynar’s bite? It’s nothing. Doesn’t even hurt.”

None of the males before me look convinced. Varek is a mask of unreadability. Zynar still has that strange look in his eyes. And Xarion is frowning. He’s angry. At me? At them? Certainly at them, because his glare shoots to Zynar a second later. Zynar’s throat moves, his gaze never leaving me. The absolutely broken look in his eyes has me sitting up a little straighter.

“There were also wounds across your back where the Kari used his claws to rip into you.”

My mouth falls open. “What? No. No that’s not what happened at all.”

“You bled.” Xarion doesn’t budge, and I realize that I underestimated him as a male. This no-nonsense attitude isn’t one I’d have expected from him. He’s taken charge. “In addition, there are bruises all over your frame. I will file a report and the Kari will be removed once you sign the documents.”

His words make some part of me choke in what can only be fear. “What? No. Why would you…”

And that’s when I realize that the look in Zynar’s eyes isn’t a strange one I can’t read. Because I completely understand it now. It’s fear. Zynar thinks he hurt me. They all do.

I take all three men in before I slump in the bed and groan. All three basically tumble through the doorway to get in. I resist the urge to chuckle despite the seriousness of the situation.

“I’m fine.” I hold up a hand to stop them. “I feel better than I’ve felt in…years.”

Xarion stands straight again, adjusting his clothes as if what just happened wasn’t a lapse in his facade. Even the Saffion cares about me. I smile.

“Your wounds…” Xarion begins, frowning again and keeping the two Kari at his back as if he’s protecting me from them.

“Are nothing. Inconsequential. I bruise easily. At least, on this world I do. Even on Earth, we get cuts and scrapes from things that should be harmless like, I don’t know, paper.” I can tell none of them understand what I mean. “What I’m trying to say is that Zynar was incredibly gentle with me.” My gaze shifts to him. To Zynar. To my mate. At just that thought, there’s an undeniable heat that spreads through my chest so fast that I feel like I’m burning up.

Zynar stares at me as if I’m still his world. As if I’ll always be his world.

“You didn’t hurt me, Zynar. The scratches, the bruises, each one holds a memory I don’t want to ever forget.” His ears flick at the sides of his head. “I enjoyed every second of it.”

It’s not how I imagined speaking to him after everything that happened over the past few days but it’s clear he needs my reassurance. And that they need it too, Xarion and Varek.

“Are you…” Xarion frowns. “Are you saying you accept the mate bond of this Kari? You still have a choice, Eleanor. He will have to obey your wishes whether or not he completed the rut.”

I nod. “Why would I not accept?”

Xarion stares at me. Behind him, Varek’s brows rise as he stares at me too. Are they surprised?

“We are prey species.” Xarion’s ears fold slightly as he says that. He gives the other two males a side-eye that tells me that this bravado is actually taking a lot out of him. And he’s doing it all for me. A female he simply had to show her farm and leave alone after that. “Fangs and claws are…”

“Scary?” I smile.

Xarion brightens. “Precisely. They’re terrifying. And not just to us, Eleanor. To many species, claws and fangs represent danger.”

I glance at Zynar, seeing the concern in his eyes. “I suppose. But not for me. Not with Zynar. He’s shown me nothing but care and respect.”

Xarion shifts uncomfortably, clearly still struggling to reconcile my words with his own instincts. Varek, however, seems more accepting, his tense posture relaxing slightly.

“If you are certain,” Xarion begins, his tone still skeptical, “then I will respect your decision. But understand that this bond is not something to be taken lightly. It will change you, bind you to him in ways you cannot fully comprehend yet.”

That heat in my chest burns so much I can’t ignore it anymore.

“I’m sorry.” The words are all I can say as I push the sheets down. It feels like something is searing into my skin and the pain is so much that it’s bringing tears to my eyes. “But something’s wrong.”

“Gods of Karicek…” Varek mutters.

Zynar’s suddenly before me, having pushed his brother and Xarion out of the way. His claws hover over my chest, his eyes wide as he looks down at me.

There, between my breasts in a path that goes down the center of my chest and disappears beneath the sheets, is a swirling pattern that looks like a raised tattoo on my skin. Except it’s not dark. It’s red and it burns.

“Are those…” I hear Varek’s voice as I cover my breasts and stare down at the thing on my chest, my eyes wide with confusion and a bit of fear. “Are those kahl sigils?”

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