Page 62 of Guardian's Destiny

"Would you lay still, please? I'm trying to sleep," she complained.

I glanced up. She was all the way over at the other edge of the bed. She was as far as she could get from me. One foot was even off the mattress. The need to reach over, to touch her, to say something was nearly overwhelming. My hand was already stretching for her when one name floated back into my mind.Daryus. And with that, my hand withdrew.

Why had she slept with me? Did she think it would farther her agenda? I hit the pillow again, remembering the way she had responded to me. That couldn't have been an act, could it? She had liked it as much as I did. Didn't she?She cried out my name, so yes, she must have liked it. So who the frygg was thisDaryus?

Ask her, my rational mind suggested.You can't deal with that right now, my heart responded, still bleeding from where she had cut it into thousands of pieces.

I closed my eyes, knowing full well I wouldn't sleep a tick for the rest of the night. Thanks to that manipulative, scheming female next to me.

The one I wished was in my arms right now.

SLOANE

I hadno idea how things had gone so horribly wrong, but they had. In a heartbeat. I was still hurt over his lack of trust in me. Or respect. I hadn't done anything but be supportive of his cause, and this was how he paid me back? It wasn't like I had asked to go shopping on Astrionis. Oh no, I had made it clear that I was on a mission. A very important one. And then he threw that caveman jealousy shit at me. Like I would sleep with him like a Mata Hari. Fuck. I had never done that and never would. Although the thought had crossed my mind a time or two, it would have made a lot of things a lot easier. But that wasn't me. I didn't use sex to manipulate or as an outlet. Sex without at least some emotions for the other partner wasn't my thing. I didn't do one-night stands or quickies in a dark corner.

My earlier thoughts:I had finally found a man who would hold his own against me. One, I could lose myself to without losing who I wascame back to haunt me. I wanted to go back in time and slap myself across the face. I wanted to take my head into my hands and slam it into the wall before I said those stupid words:yours. Fuck, what had I been thinking? There was no such thing asMr. Right. And even if there was, it was definitely nothim—the silver asshole. I had even tried to tell him aboutmy mission. But had he listened? No! I even threw out a hint:Daryus! I mean, how many men were there named Daryus who were alsoimportant? Okay, fine, I had no idea, but come on, was it really such a stretch to go fromI need to contact DaryustoI'm on the mission for Emperor Daryus? He never made that leap. That alone showed me what he thought of me as a person. He had dismissed me and my mission right out and that pissed me off just as much as having allowed myself to have feelings for him.

He was such an ass!

The first thing I noticed was the healing wand on the small nightstand. So, he had taken care of his knuckles. What an idiot for slamming his fist into the wall in the first place. But what else did I expect from a testosterone-fueled jerk like him? I had known from the start that he wasn't any better than all the other boyish show-offs I had ever encountered. He might be highly technologically advanced, but deep down, he, like all the other men, hadn't advanced from the caveman at all.Oh no. It was still: me male. You female. You go in cave, wait for me. What a dickhead.

That was exactly what he was. A fucking dickhead. That was the only head that worked on him. Argh, I was such a pathetic idiot for having fallen for the arrogant bastard.

And now he even refused to let me have the bed like any other normal man would. I scooted to the furthest end of the bed to not touch him. Still, I felt his presence. I closed my eyes, waiting for my nightly visitors, wondering who or what it would be.

Instead, all I saw was dark black eyes and silver skin dancing in front of my vision. Dimples, a deep grin, and an arrogant line moving up from his lips. This was almost worse than my usual ghosts. I saw him laughing and talking to me, and I watched ussparring and sticking our heads together researching Darlam, mating marks, and the Ohrurs.

Ugh! I pounded the pillow.

Vraax shifted on the other side, and my body tensed in anticipation of him saying or doing something. But thankfully, nothing happened.

At some point, I finally dozed off for an hour or two, only to be awakened by Vraax's stirring or moving. I couldn't help it. My entire body was homed in on his, no matter how mad I was, or maybe even more sobecauseI was so mad at him.

I even woke up once to find him rolled over, and me wrapped in his arms. For a moment, I just lay there, soaking it up, but the anger welling inside me could only be contained for so long before I wiggled out of his arms and pushed-kicked him back to his side of the bed.

I should have felt satisfied, but I only felt cold and strangely heartbroken.

To say the mood was tense the next morning was an understatement. Neither one of us had slept well for the rest of the night; tiredly, we snapped at each other each opportunity we got.

When we collided, as we both tried to get through the door at the same time, Vraax grabbed me by the shoulders. "Look, I like this as little as you, but if we want to stay alive and get you to Astrionis, we need to work together."

I hated that he was right. "Fine!" I hissed my consent.

And then, because I'm petty like that, I exaggerated a bow and waved him through the door first. He looked at me as if he wanted to say something but thought better of it—so he did have a few active brain cells left. Good to know—and walked into the hallway. Without turning back, he marched to the room we had met the others in yesterday.

Hyugh, Craygh, and Moddekdum were seated around a table- well, Hyugh and Craygh were; Moddekdum stood by a wall, hands tied in front of him.

"Good, you're up. Help yourself to some breakfast. The transporter should be ready in an hour."

I looked around but didn't see Paddekah anywhere. "Where is Paddekah?"

"One of the other females has taken her in," Hyugh explained. "Don't worry. She is being well taken care of."

I didn't doubt that, but I would have liked to say goodbye to her. Then again, she might not have appreciated that since I had kidnapped her and all that.

"So you'll be joining us?" Vraax asked Craygh, giving me a veiled look.

"I am if you are okay with it," Craygh answered, taking a bite of something pink.

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