Page 38 of Fated to the Alien Hero

“Did you do that to him?”

“Yes.” Is she upset that I defended her?

Astrid wraps her arms around me and lays her uninjured cheek against my chest. “Thank you.”

“Is this the alien you’ve been fucking?”

We both face Grady who’s finally sitting up with his legs stretched out in front of him and blood dripping off him onto his chest covering. Zydon stands over him, but the human male’s full attention is on Astrid and me. Hatred burns from his eyes. It is no less than the hatred I feel toward him for what he did to my mate.

“That’s none of your business, Grady. What I do is none of your concern any more,” Astrid says.

“You’re mywife,” he spits out.

She shakes her head. “Not anymore I’m not. You lost the privilege to call me your wife when youtried to kill me.” Her voice is raised by the time she finishes speaking.

“There’s no divorce here, Astrid. We said vows in front of witnesses. According to the law, you are mine.”

“That was back on Earth. There are new laws here on Tavikh. Or at least there will be.”“It’s all your fault,” Grady snaps at Astrid. “All of this is your fault. If you’d only been a better wife, then?—”

“No,” she yells. “If onlyyou’dbeen a better husband. I was the best wife I could be. Everything you asked of me, I did. I may not have been great at it, but I tried. I tried so hard to please you, but nothing I did was good enough. You punished me for it too. Any mistake I made, you hit me. Mistakesyoumade and then blamed on me, you hit me. That doesn’t make me a bad wife. It makes you a shitbag husband. No, it makes you a shitbag human being.”

If I did not already love my Astrid, I would now. She is stunning in her fury.

“For three years, I’ve put up with your abuse. You’re lucky Evren didn’t kill you. He had every justification to do so. And do you know what?” she walks forward and does not stop until she stands over him. “I would have cheered. I would have said a prayer of thanks to every deity that would listen to it. I would have been glad for it, and I don’t even care if that makes me a bad person.”

“You bitch.”

I take a step forward to correct his behavior, but Astrid holds up an arm. I halt.

“Go ahead and call me names if it makes you feel better. Nothing you say can hurt me anymore. Do you know why?” She continues without waiting for him to answer. “Because you’re a nobody. I’ve found a man who truly loves me and who has shown me what that’s supposed to be like. You never loved me. Only what you could get from me. You’re nothing to me. Less than nothing, in fact. And if you ever touch me again, I will make sure it’s the last thing you ever do. Understand?”

Astrid turns her back on the worthless male and loops her arm around mine. “Let’s go home.”

“What about him?” I gesture behind us.

“Leave him. He’ll either go to the Krijese village or he won’t,” she says and leads me away. “I don’t think he’ll bother us again. Not after this.”

I am not sure I agree with her, but until I know for certain his fate, I will not let her out of my sight again. Moments later, Zydon joins us. We have nearly reached the path when a roar of rage sounds behind us. I turn and push Astrid behind me, prepared to defend her. Except, there is no need.

Grady stands frozen with his mouth in a round shape and his eyes wide. He glances down at Zydon’s sword that runs through him. Blood leaks from the wound that is no doubt fatal. Perhaps we could get him to the Bohnari ship, but unless Astrid chooses that for him, I will leave him here to die. It is no less than he deserves.

Grady stumbles backward and Zydon pulls his blade out so the other male does not take it with him. The human collapses onto his knees and slowly falls onto his side. He takes short, gaspingbreaths and holds his hand over his chest as though that will seal the injury.

“Astrid,” he begs in a voice barely above a whisper. “Help me, please. Don’t leave me here to die.”

She remains silent for several moments and I wonder if she will have mercy on him. Finally she speaks. “You mean, the way you leftmeto die? The way you would have killed me just now if Evren hadn’t found me for the second time?”

“I’m sor—sorry.” He chokes and blood spills from his lips. “I’m?—”

We stand there, waiting, but there’s nothing else. No words. No movement. Zydon squats down and lays his hand on the human’s chest. Several beats pass before he glances up at us and shakes his head. He stands and walks toward us.

“He is with whatever god or goddess he worships.”

Astrid lifts her gaze to me. “Can we go home? Please?”

“Of course.”

At last, the three of us leave the male behind. There is nothing we can do for him, and he does not deserve a warrior’s life celebration. We have almost reached the village when Katem and Rojtar appear. Their gazes land on Astrid and the discoloration on her face before they turn questioning glances to me.

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