Page 28 of Fated to the Alien Protector

But will you really?Ignoring the voice, I join the people in line for food. Carter slips in behind me. For once, his endless chatter doesn’t fill my ears. Which leaves me to listen to all the conversations going on around me. Rojtar’s name comes up several times. Each one is immediately followed by the sense people are staring at my back.

I haven’t been in the village that long—just over a week—but I’ve already come to learn that gossip spreads like wildfire here. It’s obvious word has made its rounds that I’m made Rojtar’s mating marks appear. Even if London and Maeve hadn’t congratulated me, I’d have been able to tell that everyone already knew from all the staring.

The Tavikhi serving food grin as I pass through. Yeah, they all know.

“Oh, there’s Talek,” Carter announces.

Already suspecting what he’s going to ask, I nudge him. “Go on.”

He hesitates. “Are you sure?”

“Spend time with your friends. I’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, Abby. You’re the best.” Carter rushes off with his bowl of stew to join Talek and the rest of the kids.

I don’t even bother glancing around to locate London and the rest of her friends. I already know where I’m going. Like last night, my feet take me toward the river. Sure enough, a lone figure sits on the bank overlooking the water. Although, instead of being seated on one of the large stumps, Rojtar has a large fur spread out on the ground beneath him. One plenty big enough for two people.

He glances over his shoulder at my approach and the smile that lights up his face almost has me stumbling. Mostly because of the answering warmth that fills me.

“Greetings, Abby,” Rojtar says. “I wasn’t sure if you would come back here to eat or not, but I had hoped. You’re welcome to sit and join me if you’d like.”

Even though I know I shouldn’t, I close the distance between us and settle onto the fur beside him. Not close enough to touch, but still close enough I can feel the heat radiating off his body. A part of me wants to be angry at his presumption of my arrival, but another part of me is flattered that he wanted me to join him.

I can’t help but glance at the mating marks that almost look to darken the longer I stare at them. I lift my gaze to meet his.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Not at all.” Rojtar shakes his head. “You are welcome to ask me anything you wish, whenever you wish it.”

I bite the inside of my bottom lip before blurting it out. “How old are you, anyway?”

“I have seen almost twenty-five warm seasons.”

Based on what I know about the passing of time on this planet, that puts him at around twenty-four years of age. Five years younger than me then.

“And what about you?”

“A little older than that. I’m twenty-nine.” If I had to guess, I’d say my thirtieth birthday would be here in another couple months.

“And Carter?” Rojtar asks.

“Twelve.”

He cocks his head. “Is it often there is so much age difference between siblings on your planet? Do your mated pairs have difficulty bearing kits?”

“Some do, but not really. Carter was an…accident.” I hate using that word. It sounds like he wasn’t actually wanted when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Rojtar doesn’t question me, but I can’t tell from the cant of his head he doesn’t quite understand. I’d rather not explain it to him if I don’t have to. My brother doesn’t know and I’d like to keep it that way. Which means a change of subject.

“If I didn’t already say it, thank you. For what you did today with Lewis.”

A flash of rage on his face quickly disappears. “You do not need to thank me. It is my fault you were alone in the first place. I should have gone out with youinstead of with Evren and Katem.”

Rojtar’s made it clear he’s to blame, and nothing I say will make him say differently. I still appreciate what he did.

“Did you have a good hunt?”

“We located a small herd of dhibani up in the hills and managed to bring down over ten of them rather quickly,” he reports. “I brought back four and then went in search of you since the others continued farther into the hills to find more.”

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