Page 29 of Orri

He puts another box on top of it, and a gilt-edged card as well. Putting them all into an elegant gift bag, he hands it across the stand. “Thank you for your business, sir! Do come back, we have many deals!”

I nod in thanks and hurry back to my mount. With my gift in hand, there’s only one thing left to do.

Confront Isabella at last and tell her how I feel.

* * *

I pushmy mount just a little faster, heart beating with the gravity of what I’m about to do. I’ve rehearsed what I’m going to say in my head a million times, but I’m sure once I see her again my mind will go blank.

There’s no words that can really express how I feel, or why I did the things that I did. All I know is that my heart is full — full of love for Zannah, yes, but there’s a new part there, just waiting to be completed.

My love for Isabella. And as I sink into the sway of my mount’s hoofbeats, I know that’s what it is. I was a fool to ever think otherwise. She’s so soft, and small, and perfect, and —

Mine.

I know I royally screwed things up last time we saw each other, but I’m hoping she’ll at least give me a chance to plead my case. If I can just talk to her, maybe I still have a chance. Because my heart knows what it wants now.

It wants her.Iwant her. In my life. In my home. In my bed.

Bearing my children. Being a mother, a wife, a family…

We’re both a little broken, but when we’re together it’s like two disjointed puzzle pieces finally finding a match. She’s good for me, and I was just too blind to see that before. Too prideful, too stubborn to see what was right in front of me.

When I return to the cottage Isabella and I had been staying at and find it empty, I fear the worst. I’m not surprised, though. Perhaps she’s long gone by now. Perhaps she’s found another mate already. I wouldn’t blame her.

Holding on to a rapidly fraying thread of hope, I call up Orvox and wait as it rings again and again. Finally, her voice comes on the line.

“Is Isabella with you?” She’s the first to speak, and her urgency does nothing to quell my rising fear.

“No…” I start. “Why? I thought she would be…”

A sigh. “Look. I’m not supposed to be telling you this, but we’re at a bit of a loss here. I saw her just a few hours ago, we were running the final checks to clear her for re-assignment.” My stomach sinks.Re-assignment. That meant…

“But here’s the problem,” Orvox continues. “I told her to meet me at the spaceport with her things, but she never showed. Her tracker’s malfunctioning as well. I was about to call you up, hoping you knew something, but…” Her voice trails off.

“I’ll find her.” I’m interrupting before she’s even done speaking, my heart in my throat as I think about her alone and defenseless in the wilds. “I’ve done it once before, I can do it again.”

“Orri.” Her voice is firmer this time. “I’m sorry, but this matter is out of your hands now. She’s formally voided the contract, and any further involvement would be —“

“I said, I’ll find her.” I make no mistake of the determination in my voice, then close the voice line. With a cry, I put on a burst of speed, making a beeline for the spaceport and hoping I’m not too late.

* * *

Her scent hangsin the air, ever so faint. I can’t place it, can’t track it. If only I knew what direction she’d gone. The dock fills with the roar of engines as the shuttle prepares for takeoff. I look at the monitor in a panic. She’s not on there, is she?!

But no. The scent isn’t coming from that direction. It’s faint, but palpable. It doesn’t smell like the soft, sweet scent of arousal or satisfaction I’ve come to associate with her, though.

It smells like pure fear.

An icy realization slithers through my veins. She wasn’t missing because she wandered off and got lost. She was in danger.

Again.

I curse aloud, scanning the scene for any sign of her. Any evidence which way they had gone. I’d failed to protect her. Again. But I swore on everything I had, that this would be the last time. Once I got her in my arms and told her how I felt, she’d never have to feel afraid again.

Adrenaline pumps through my system, sharpening my senses. I look for anything out of place. Anything that doesn’t belong.

Bingo. There’s a duffel bag, stuffed haphazardly out of the way in some bushes next to the parking spots for the hover bikes. No doubt about it. It’s hers.

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