Page 33 of Claimed By the Alien Barbarian

“I’m having a hard time believing something like that.” They must ache to return to Earth.

ThoughIdidn’t. Nothing waited for me there. Here?

It felt like a brand-new world had opened up before me, a place full of potential. Perhaps here, I wouldn’t be lonely.

Perhaps here, I could be with someone who’d adore me.

Nevarn.

“You don’t trust the will of the gods to choose the perfect person for you to mate with?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with humor.

“It sounds like an amazing thing.”

“I’ll take you to the other women soon, and then you’ll see that they’re happy.”

We strode out of the spindly woods and stopped at the top of an expanse of pale purple sand that plunged down to a darker purple sea.

Huge birds soared high overhead and . . .

His old clan really did live on floating islands.

Chapter 16

Nevarn

Kerry gasped. “You weren’t teasing me.”

“I was not.” Why would I tease about the sea and islands?

“They’re so big! How do they remain in the sky? They should fall.” She gazed around raptly, and for a moment, a touch of pride flew through me. It was quickly followed by sorrow.

I was no longer Dastalon. My heart and soul belonged to the Celedar Clan. Would she findourway of life equally intriguing?

“They just don’t,” I said. “The gods’ intervention, I assume.”

“Tell me more about their gods.”

“Let me capture an everlipe and once we’re traveling toward the largest island where most make their homes, I’ll tell you more.”

“Capture a . . .”

“You’ll see.”

She hugged her waist and tension shivered across her face, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Molly looked up at her and did the same thing, wrapping her little arms around her plump belly.

“I thought we’d fly on one of the giant birds to reach the village,” Kerry said.

“Normally we would, yes.” If I called Faelest, would she come to me, or had she bonded with another? It had been three years. She probably forgot about me.

I didn’t dare try.

“We’ll ride out to the main island on an everlipe this time.” I gestured for us to walk down the shore, and we didn’t stop until we reached the sea.

Kerry kept crooking her neck in all directions, marveling at the wild ryvars soaring high overhead and the dots of islands spread out in the distance. The color of the sand and the sea. Her oceans were blue, and her sand was tan, something I couldn’t imagine.

She even tentatively stroked the skin on my arm.

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