Page 75 of Fighting Gravity
“Not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I didn’t lose it. It was taken from me. I mean… I gave it up.”
“I don’t understand,” Veron said coldly.
“You don’t have to.”
“Eat, everyone,” I demanded, bringing the conversation to a halt when I realized Quinn was beginning to shake. Clearly, her emotional response to the subject crushed her to some extent, and knowing how Quinn handled emotion, with violence and aggression, I decided it was time to change the subject.
Quinn picked at her food after that, losing her enthusiasm for solid nutrients.
“I can smell you all over her,” Veron said under her breath, speaking in our native tongue.
“And?” I said, ripping a sizeable bite off my steak with my sharp teeth.
“So, you’re claiming her? A human?”
“I have not decided.”
“Is she the one that did that?” She gestured toward the drying blood on my shoulder.
I nodded with a sense of pride. The fact that Quinn had managed to wound me, no matter how minorly, made the prospect of claiming her even more exciting.
“She did,” I admitted.
“Did you let her?”
“What if I did? She was emotional. She needed an outlet. And when she finished, I needed an outlet for my needs as well.”
“So, does this mean we’re not selling her at the next port? She came running back to the ship from the embassy pretty quick.”
“I sent her back.”
“Shecameback like it was a sanctuary.”
The idea of Quinn finding safety on my ship sparked something protective in me. Like she was part of my crew.
No.
It was different and it was a little alarming. I hadn’t stopped seeing her as an enemy yet. Or at least an ally to my enemy. And yet, when the official hit her, my Thel sparked like a flame to dry brush. I needed her away from him.
“I still have use of her,” I said.
“For study? Or for mating? Because she has no other information. We know that well by now.”
“Does it matter?”
“If word gets around. You’re urok. Your seed is worthy of auction and you’re talking about claiming a human mate. There will be outrage. And it will likely target Quinn and not you.”
“I’ve already sired a litter, Veron,” I sighed. “My conscience is clear.”
She ground her teeth with frustration. “She asked about you. I told her what you are.Whoyou are.”
I let out a deep breath. “Why?”
“Perhaps it was to remind myself because you are not acting like a Lok’rath.”
“Perhaps you would have rather been serving under Thalos, Veron.”
“I did not say that. You are urok. You took that position honorably and fairly. But your people look to you for guidance and choosing a human mate might change that.”
