Page 18 of Guardian's Destiny

I smirked at him, "That's for me to know and for you not to."

Then I turned away from them, "Talk it over; I'll be in my quarters." I waved over my shoulder and prayed that this would be one of those moments where the damn mating marks would allow a bit more distance.

VRAAX

"Well?"Noodar asked while I stared after Sloane's intriguing form as she made her way down the hall.

"We still have a lot to figure out," Raasla reminded us. "But she's right. We need to get back to Ohrur."

"I'll go. I'll take her and drop her off on Astrionis once I have the Ohrurs," I offered. What could she possibly think was more important on Astrionis than bringing the Ohrur down? Alright, so she was skilled; I had seen her work. She was impressive. But she hadn't been here long enough to be part of amission. Not anything galaxy moving. Next, she was going to try to tell us she was competing for the vacated position of Lady Madeema. I snickered at the thought.

"They'll be on high alert. I had a hard time getting Possedion and only managed because I had Hannah to back me up. You don't know if Sloane will help." Tharaax warned.

"Oh, she'll help," I boasted. "Trust me. Besides, I'm not going after a minder. Any Ohrur should do, right? We still have Possedion."

I already had a plan.

"So we'll wait for you at Darlam?" Tharaax proposed.

"Just don't start the party without me," I grinned.

"Impossible without the Ohrurs," Nock added as he suddenly popped around the corner.

I waved at the others while I followed my reluctant mate down the hall. Zaarek must have thought me already outside hearing distance, but I still heard his words, "I don't think those two have figured out the distance problem yet."

A large grin spread my lips. I hadn't forgotten about thedistance thing, not for a tick. Actually, I was counting on it to play in my favor. Once Sloane accepted we couldn't be parted, she would have no choice but to fall in line. By then, she would eat out of my hands. She would forget all about Astrionis and see that I could offer her more than Astrionis ever would. That place was nothing compared to me.I was sharper, faster, deadlier. I could give her a future better than whatever she thought she wanted there. She was holding on to an idea, a fantasy, but reality? Her reality was me.

Romance? Easy. I had slipped past the most secure defenses, eliminated the worst criminals, and protected the highest targets. Winning over my own mate? That was just another operation—one I would execute flawlessly.

She was already mine. She just didn’t know it yet.

But she would.

And once she did, she’d love me in no time, just like the other mates loved their Space Guardians.

A light burn on my mating marks made me pick up my pace. My grin widened; if I felt it, so did she. Thedistance thingwas already working in my favor.

I wasn't one to brag, but I knew I wasspecial. No female had ever complained about my stamina in bed. Most welcomed a Space Guardian in their arms, attracted by the allure of danger, the thrill of the exotic. But on the rare occasion two or more of us ended up in a tavern, it was always me they flocked to first. I had a reputation in certain circles and I was damn proud of it. Sloanewould melt into me just like all the others had. I hadn't been looking for a commitment, but now that the Soulweb Glyphs had chosen, I wasn't complaining. Zoe was already pregnant with a little Raasla. The thought of Sloane and me starting a family… I liked it. I liked the idea very much.

I wouldn't have, a few weeks ago, I would have balked at the idea, but things had changed, profoundly so, and so had I.

I wasn't sure what awaited us on Darlam, but it lured me towards it. Even my dreams had become more frequent and pleasant. It wasn't just nightmares anymore where I ran from something. Now I saw a forest, a small town and mountains.

The doors to Sloane's quarters didn't automatically open for me, so I knocked.

"Took you long enough," she complained when I walked in.

"You were amazing," I said, ignoring her barb. "You got out of him what we needed." It was always good advice to praise a woman to earn her favors. Usually, I would have gone with how beautiful she was, but for some reason, I suspected she wouldn't appreciate that kind of compliment half as much as praising her success. I added my most charming smile to enamor her even more.

"Does that mean you're taking me to Astrionis?" Carefully, she assessed me.

"Yes," I nodded.

She narrowed her eyes, not fully believing me. "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" I didn't follow.

"What do you want in return?" She clarified.

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