Page 42 of Venomous Heart
It sounded so simple, yet it was anything but. Keeping Uril’s existence a secret was a temporary solution, it merely bought them time—whether a little or a lot, she didn’t know. But it wasn’t going to be forever.
“So, this is it? Are we supposed to live like this is just normal? Happily ever after on an ex-slave producing planet with a Mantrilla breathing down our necks?”
Ava put down her fork and lifted her gaze to see Arlen watching her, his face unreadable again, closed off and cold. Gone was the careless warmth of a moment ago.
“You are my mate. Nothing can change that now.” He was the Commander again, all the way to his voice, and for some reason, that hurt. “Prime Councilor Aav can’t do anything about it. You are under my protection, and under Eok laws protection.”
“And what does this mean for the future?” She tried to control the defiant tone in her voice, but it didn’t quite work. “For my work, my life on Aveyn? For Uril?”
“Your life will be by my side now.” Arlen stiffened and his pale eyes turned a shade darker. “There is no question about that. When this mission is finished, we will leave for Eokim where you will be safe.”
“I don’t remember signing up for that.” Her temper flared, the tenderness of moments ago receding into memory. “In fact, I don’t remember agreeing to anything!”
“You stood on that platform of your own free will.” Arlen got to his feet slowly, his face like a storm, brewing with emotions deep and dangerous. “There is no going back now. You made your choice.”
Ava got to her feet in tandem with Arlen, anger rising inside her, pushing the awareness of danger away. She wasn’t going to be owned by anyone, not even him. And she wasn’t going to let him see how much it hurt to be treated that way. “And what if I refuse?” She spoke in a low, soft voice, but there was no mistaking the threat in her tone. “What if I decide to leave?”
Arlen’s reaction was immediate. He hissed at her, his fangs bared, rage radiating out of his pores as a feral glint lit his gaze. Ava stood her ground, ignoring the basic survival instinct that told her to submit to the stronger male.
She was never submitting again.
“Never! You are my bloodmate.” His voice was a growl and his shoulders were stiff with tension. “Do you understand what that means? I will never let you leave.”
“Bloodmate?” This was a term Ava had heard before, from the human woman Aliena when she’d come to Aveyn with her Eok mate, Kamal. Ava knew it was something important, a piece of information vital to her relationship to Arlen. “Like your brother and his mate, Aliena?”
“Yes.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Arlen sobered. He straightened, then all trace of emotion left his face. “It means the link between us is deeper than in a normal mating. My life depends on yours now, Ava.”
Ava watched him as a stone settled in the pit of her stomach. She remembered now. That terrible link between Aliena and Kamal that had made her recoil just thinking about it. Because it meant only one thing for her. If his life hung in the balance, an Eok would do anything to control the female who held his fate in her beating heart. He would own her completely, never letting her live her own life.
Ava held Arlen’s stare, emotions raging inside her as she struggled to breathe.
“If I die, you die?” Her voice was suddenly small and choked. Arlen nodded, his eyes on her, missing nothing of her reactions.
“This is obviously not something either of us asked for.” She felt the cut of his cold tone, slicing through her flesh and deep into her ribs, all the way to the heart she thought she had protected from everything. She had been fooling herself; she wasn’t protected when it came to Arlen. She was raw and bleeding. “But whether we want to or not, the bloodmating link is there to stay.”
“I’m not a free woman anymore? You will control every aspect of my life to protect yours?” She chuckled, but the sound was sad instead of defiant. She shook her head. She should never have accepted this. She should have fought Prime Councilor Aav when she had the chance, consequences be damned.
As if he understood her thoughts, Arlen’s lips curved down and he glared at her hard. “There never was any freedom for you, you just fooled yourself into thinking you were free.” His voice was soft, but his words were cruel and Ava tilted her head like he had slapped her. “You are protected now, whether you want to pay the price for it or not.”
“I think you should leave me alone.”
“As you wish.”
The words hurt, deep and vivid, and Ava bit the inside of her cheek to steady herself against the sudden surge of tears.
All the happiness she had felt when waking up this morning had turned to ashes. Arlen didn’t care for her. All he saw when he looked at her was a threat to his own survival.
Dread filled her mind as Arlen turned and left, leaving her behind with the pieces of her broken heart.
Arlen
Arlen fumed as he walked down to the large ship resting in the main square, in front of the Tower. Males of various species unloaded fresh food in large synthetic boxes while humans lined the square, too intimidated to approach, yet too curious to go away. A familiar Eok warrior supervised the work as a small, dark-haired human female walked gingerly toward a smiling Jonah.
He could hear them talking even from a distance, but their words held no meaning.
He stormed past Jonah and the human female and went straight for Kamal.
“You’re late in your delivery.” Arlen stopped in front of his older brother, not bothering with pleasantries. “Khal told me we were expecting the shipment a week ago.”
