Page 90 of Chained

“Until I can reach the Sarkarnii, I suggest we stay below,” Retah says as we enter.

“We can’t stay for long. We need to get these info cubes away from here. We can’t be sure the Varangy won’t come after them,” I say.

Retah taps his finger against his lips and looks at Maxym.

“My mate is right,” he says. “While we have them, and the Varangy are still at large, we are a target.” Maxym spins his sword in his hand.

Behind him, Dirk sits down on a chair, looking exhausted. Nate too looks like he’s fit to drop. Maxym’s gaze rakes over them, the thoughtbond silently agreeing with me.

“I’ll take them to Tibi,” I say out loud. “Keep trying to reach the Sarkarnii.” I beckon to the pair, and they dutifully follow me through the silent dwelling and down into the basement.

The scent of cooking hits us as we enter and my stomach growls. I suppose I am eating for two, and I gave away my only ration bar to a Gryn. I shake my head at myself just before I’m hit by a striped body.

“Cleo!” Tibi purrs. “Thank the stars!” She checks me over, putting one small furry hand on my stomach before raising her eyes to mine.

“Retah is fine, a bit banged up, but he’ll live. Maxym is…Maxym,” I reassure her. “And we have some guests.” I standaside to show her Dirk and Nate. “They could probably do with something to eat,” I whisper.

A relieved smile splits Tibi’s face as she peers at the two.

“Come, come,” she says to them. “Sit, sit.”

Neither Dirk nor Nate have to be asked twice. Dirk takes his seat, but he looks up at me.

“As soon as we get the comm frequency of the Sarkarnii, we’ll let them know about your family,” I tell him.

“I’ve come so far.” He looks down at the tabletop. “I don’t want it to end any other way.”

I’m probably risking his life, but as Maxym isn’t here, I put my hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze.

“I have a good feeling. The Gryn believe in fate.” I can feel myself smiling. “I’m not sure I did, until I met Maxym. Why else would I have been plucked from my tiny planet in a dusty corner of the universe if it wasn’t to end up meeting him?”

“The Gryn always terrified me,” Dirk says. “The ones I met were feral and raging. All claws, teeth and wings. I knew they were the way they were because of circumstances but the violence…” He shudders. “Only now I see what they are, because of your mate.”

Goodbye little scrap.Maxym’s voice drops into my head.

For a second, I stare at Dirk, not entirely sure what I just heard.

Then I’m running as fast as I can, through the basement, up the stairs, and out into the dwelling, back to where I left Retah and him.

“He’s gone.” An arm catches me before I fly out of the door.

“NO!” I grind. “Why did you let him go?” I struggle against Retah, but he has me held fast. “Why did you let him go without me?”

“He had no choice.” Retah pulls me against him. “While the info cubes are with us, we’re all in danger, including you, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to you or your young.”

“His young.” The tears are streaming down my face, hot and useless. “He promised…he promised he would be here for me and for my baby.”

Retah clutches my shoulder with his good hand, his eyes glowing as he gazes at me. “Do you believe in him?”

My mouth opens and closes, my grief taking my words.

“Do you believe in him?” Retah punctuates his sentence with a gentle shake.

“Yes, yes! I believe in him.”

“Then he will come back to you and your young. He has no other option. You are his mate, his fate, and his very end,” Retah says, and the sadness in his voice rends my heart in two.

It’s in this moment I see just how much he lost when his planet was destroyed.

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