Page 61 of Guardian's Destiny

Our eyes locked; fury had gathered in hers that matched my own.

"Oh, so you wantmeto trustyou,but you can't extend the same courtesy?" She bellowed.

Frustrated, I threw my arms up in the air. "You know everything there is about me and what is happening, whereas I have no clue who you are or why you need to get to Astrionis so badly. Who is he?"

The moment the last three words were out, I knew I had made a big mistake. Her eyes turned from furious to ice cold. "So that's it?Who? Is that all that matters to you? I can't be part of a secret mission I've been sworn to keep silent about? Is that it? You're just seeing a woman in me who does… what? Have sex with you to get to her lover?"

She spat the last word in my face with such venom that I cringed. She did have a point. She was a very resourceful woman; she was brave, smart, and strong. Had there been female Space Guardians, she would have made the first cut. So why couldn't I see that she was on a mission? Because my anger was aroused. Anger and, yes, jealousy. Frygg. And both those emotions clouded my sense of reality. I had never experienced jealousy before. It was a new, foreign sentiment, and I had no idea how to handle it.

"Who, Sloane?" I barked.

She knotted the blanket over her chest and dug her nails into her hips, undoubtedly to stopping them from punching me.

Her eyes glinted. I should have seen the trap coming, but I was too emotional to think rationally. Her chin jerked up in challenge. "Daryus," she threw the name at me, and it punched me like a fist to the heart.

For the split of a tick, I considered her talking about the PandraxianEmperorDaryus, but that was so out of the realm of possibility I dismissed it right away. I couldn't imagine any scenario where Sloane would have met the emperor, let alone needing to get a message of life and death to him.

All I could think about was that there was another male. I had been right. Frygg. I didn't want it to be. My fist landed on the wall next to me. It was made from strong metal and rock. Pain seared through me, and I was sure I had just broken a knuckle or two, but that was nothing compared to the pain searing through my heart.

What good did those mating marks do when her heart belonged to someone else? Was this some kind of cosmic joke? I flung my hand out to ease the pain, but it didn't help.

"God I hope you broke some knuckles you pigheaded ass." She yelled.

"That would serve your bloodthirst just right, wouldn't it?" I snarled.

"You are such an idiot," she shook her head. It wasn't her words, but the tone of her voice that got to me. Resigned? Regretful? Frygg, I didn't need her frygging pity.

"Fine, you know what? I'll take you to Astrionis. As soon as we get aboard a ship, I'll take you, and good riddance."

I purposefully pushed any thoughts of our mating marks from my mind. Hopefully, once she was reunited with herlover,those mating marks would vanish into thin air, back to wherever the frygg they came from.

"Good," she threw the word at me like hurling an object at my head. "I hope you will sleep comfortably on your chairs."

With that, she made her way into the bathroom, where I heard the shower turn on. She was washing all traces of me from her body. That stung.

I brushed my hand through my hair, a gesture that usually calmed me. Not then, though. My heart was beating erratically, anger churned in my gut, but the worst was the pain in my heart that choked me, made it hard to even breathe.

I glared at the two chairs. There was no way in the vastness of the universe that I would sleep on them. If she didn't want me in the bed, she would have to physically kick me out, or she could sleep on the chairs.

My hand was throbbing, and even though the pain was at least somewhat distracting from the agony in my chest, I knew that, sooner or later, I needed to take care of it. We still had a ship to hijack and watch at least one prisoner. With a curse, I pulled the healing wand out of the pack and went to work, reminding myself to keep it out so I wouldn't forget to offer it to Hyugh in the morning. Hopefully, it would work on Byalbor and buy us some more goodwill. That wasn't the only reason, though. I wanted to help the male.

Once my knuckles were healed, I threw myself on the bed, grabbed a pillow, and… was hit by her scent. Frygg. Maybe the chairs would be preferable.

The door to the bathroom opened, and she stepped out, fully dressed, I noticed from half-closed eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Going back to sleep," I mumbled into the pillow, turning my head back into it.

"Oh no. Not on the bed, you're not."

"Feel free to try and make me leave it." I challenged.

She huffed, irritated, and by the way the mattress shifted, I knew she had sat down on it. It was petty, I knew it was, but I couldn't help feeling victorious. That feeling, however, didn't last long. There was nothing victorious about lying here, without a blanket, close to the female I loved. I frygging loved her. An admission I had made to myself earlier in the heat of the moment but now it truly caught up with me.

I pounded the pillow, frygg. When had that happened?

From the moment you laid eyes on her, you fool.

I pounded the pillow again. Frygg.

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