Page 51 of Rescuing Mara

“Truly, I have had worse. I will live.”An indignant feeling flows through the bond, and I almost see her huff.

“Are you okay, my mate?”I’m almost afraid to hear the answer, but her reassurance comes quickly.

“Yes, I’m fine. A little bit bruised and bullied, but that was to be expected.”She pauses, and I feel a touch of fear.“Ananta can’t even fathom that I’m not her loyal servant anymore. She took me everywhere and discussed her plan with all the other Sternotheri. They smell, by the way. They smell so bad. I don’t know how I never noticed that before.”

I grin.“They reek of foul musk, I know. It is horrible, but I guess you somehow got used to it.”

“Well, let’s hope we get rescued soon because they are taking us to the mothership.”

“The mothership?”I have not heard about this mothership yet.

“The mothership is their home base. As far as I know, they are hopping from place to place without a real planet to call their home. Now that I think about it, it must be one of the things fueling their jealousy and destroying other species’ planets. Anyway, the High Commander lives on the Mothership, and it’s the place all the ships return to for certain events.”

Silence falls, and I am quite sure her next words will be bad.

“O’Rec… They are taking you there to give you a public execution. They want to transmit it to every receiver in the widest range to spread the word of your death. If they can’t kill all Arracate, they want to break their spirit.”

CHAPTER32

Mara

Ifeel like I’ve just delivered O’Rec a death blow, telling him that they want to destroy his people. To use his death as a way to break them. It’s beyond awful, and I cannot let that happen.

“We will find a way, my mate,”O’Rec tells me, ever the optimist.

“Okay. Now, get some rest. You need to keep your strength.”

“I love you, my star.”

I smile at those words.“I love you too.”

I close my eyes and lean against the wall of the closet Ananta has shoved me into. She’s oblivious but also paranoid. She never lets me near when she rests, which means I have some blissful alone time. I should get some sleep. I never know when I will get another chance, but my mind is spinning.

The mothership will actually increase my chances of keeping him safe. I know every cranny and nook of that ship since that’s where I grew up. Yawning, I pull up my knees, curling into a ball and hugging myself. Crawled into the corner of the closet, I fall asleep thinking of escape pods and stealing spaceships.

* * *

“MARA! WAKE UP!”A loud bang accompanies Anantas shouting, and I’m up and ready in a second. I bow my head when she opens the door.

“Come with me,” she commands before walking away.

I hurry after her, trying to match her pace. I forgot what a pain it is when you have to almost run to keep up with someone. O’Rec would never treat me like this. He would be chivalrous and adjust his pace to me. I bet all the Arracate males would do that. It is simply in their blood.

O’Rec! Quickly I check in with him, I can’t believe I forgot.“O’Rec? Are you there?”

“Yes, my star, what are you doing?”

“Ananta is taking me somewhere.”I feel the bond pulsing, and I feel his presence grow.“I think she’s taking me to you…”

“Fuck, that means she is going to use you to control me. Listen, Marra, if she tortures me, trust me when I say I know how to handle it. I’ve been through more than you can believe, and I can endure more than you think.”

“MARA!” Ananta’s yelling pulls me out of the trance. We’re standing in front of a closed door. Ananta gives me a scrutinizing look.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking.”

She huffs. “No need for that. Let me do the thinking. But pay attention. I need you to help me.”

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