Page 10 of Champion
“That’s… that’s fucking nuts!” Willa mumbled, shaking her head. Despite fighting against my words, I sensed something inside her soften.
She spun away from me and resumed her pacing in the small area between the outer wall and the cot. I was so concerned over her denials that I almost didn’t notice it at first. While her right hand clenched and unclenched in a steady rhythm, her left hand lay over her heart, rubbing absently.
I lifted my own hand to the center of my chest, noticing the irregular beat. Agitated, then slowing and seeming to skip a beat entirely now and then. A smile tickled at my lips as I rubbed at the spot, knowing what I felt. An angry gasp jerked my attention back to Willa, who glared at me furiously.
“What did you do to me? My heart feels funny?” Her fingers scrubbed over the spot between her full breasts.
I couldn’t help my smile widening as I spoke. “It’s your heartbeat settling into a rhythm with mine. It means you accept the mating, and the goddess Valana has blessed it.” From the cot, I heard Adtovar’s deep chuckle.
Willa pointed an angry finger in my direction. “I don’t accept shit, buddy.” The accusing finger shifted from me to Adtovar. “And you stop laughing.”
Despite her denial, I couldn’t help but feel elated. The valakana. The joining of heartbeats between true mates. For centuries, the priestesses of my home word asserted that only Vaktaire could withstand the valakana. I’d long heard whispers that the assertion was incorrect. That the priestesses of my home world started the rumor to keep Vaktaire bloodlines pure. Even without the rumors, I would know the priestess’s claims to be false by witnessing my Chieftain mating with the human Emmy and the way I felt for Willa.
While the valakana could put even the strongest Vaktaire to his knees, my mate withstood the ritual with minor discomfort and a great deal of ire. Willa was strong and determined. I was a lucky male.
Willa huffed at the smile I wore and stomped over to the cot, pushing aside Adtovar’s long legs and plopping onto the mattress. Normally, I would not have liked that my mate sat so close to another. Yet by now, I knew enough of their relationship to realize Adtovar presented no threat where my mate was concerned.
“Have you ever heard of anything this bat-shit crazy?” Willa groused to the older male while glaring at my smile.
“Yes.” Adtovar chuckled at Willa’s shock, although I noticed a flicker of longing and sadness cross his pale eyes. “For an Aljani, our horns itch and grow hot when we meet our fated mate.” He raised a hand and rubbed over his chippedand scarred horns as though the feel of them brought forth a precious memory.
“And I thought speed dating was ridiculous.” Willa hmphed.
“Speed dating?” I had a vague reference to the termdatingfrom my Earth studies.
“It’s….” Willa began, then waved her hand with a roll of her eyes. “Trust me. It’s not as crazy as all this mate shit.”
“Personally, I think it being known that Charick has claimed you as a mate isn’t such a bad thing,” Adtovar said in all seriousness. “None of the other gladiators will come near you now.”
“Oh God,” Willa moaned, dropping her head into her hands. “They all heard you call me your mate, didn’t they?” Her mortification turned to worry in the time it took her to raise her gaze to mine. “Wait a minute. You didn’t tell Emmy this crazy mate idea of yours, did you?”
“Perhaps.” I hadn’t exactly told Emmy. But she’d been there when I caught Willa’s scent, and based on my subsequent behavior, it wasn’t hard for her to guess.
“Oh God.” Willa buried her face in her hands again. “What will my friends think of all this?”
“I believe your friends will be happy for you.” I took a step toward the cot. In the small room, only a few feet separated us, but it seemed like too much. “They have each claimed one of my Vaktaire brethren as a mate.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Willa jumped to her feet, astounded by my claim.
“No.” I took a step closer. Her floral scent became spicier when she was upset. It was intoxicating. I couldn’t get enough.
The point of her finger jabbed into my chest. I felt my heartbeat quicken in answer to her aggravation. “You’re tellingme that Emmy—the smartest woman I’ve ever known—has mated with one of you?”
“Yes. Emmy is the mate of our Chieftain Khaion. Daisy is the mate of our War Chief Daicon, Clara has become the mate of our Weapons Master Tarook, and Anges mated with our Healer Hakkar. I don’t know about your friend Pearl, but based on my last communication with my Chieftain, I would not be surprised to find she has mated with our Wayfinder Jutuk.”
The finger on my chest jabbed again. It felt wonderful.
“You guys put something in the water on that spaceship, didn’t you?”
I didn’t know if her accusation should appall or amuse me, but some of her anger seemed to dissipate, and an expression I didn’t like took its place.
“You swore to me that my friends are safe on your ship.” Her voice held pain and regret, and it tore my heart in two.
“I gave you the vow of a Vaktaire warrior,” I told her softly, taking another step so that mere inches separated us. Unable to help myself, I let my fingers rest under her chin, bringing her gaze to meet mine. “Your friends are safe and cared for.”
“You can believe him,” Adtovar agreed. As a warrior himself, he recognized the seriousness of my vow.
When Willa’s eyes met mine, the deep blue color softened. I felt the faintest hint of a tremble as she took a deep breath.
