Page 47 of Captured

Gra’ar stepped in behind her, his body seeming to take up all the extra space. His wings were folded to his back, but he was still massive and made the lift seem too small. If he’d been any taller his horns would scrape the ceiling.

The Glider had been worse. She’d been smushed against him for the entire trip to the Center, unable to avoid soaking in the heat of him or breathing in their mingled scents. She’d had to clench her thighs to hide the evidence of what it did to her.

They exited into a silent Community Room, exactly the way she’d left it right down to the layer of dust. Not bothering to look around, she went straight to her door and punched in the code to open it. She had a moment to remember the state she’d left it in before the door slid back and exposed the mess.

When they’d come up earlier for her to change Gra’ar hadn’t been in a position to see into the room, and her cheeks burned as she felt the heat of him against her back where she knew he could see over her head. She’d made the mess in a fit of rage over being sent off with another alpha without warning, and a part of her didn’t want him thinking this was the way she lived.

“I was…”

She couldn’t come up with anything to say to explain it in a way that didn’t make her seem a little psycho.

“Making a statement?”

She could hear the amusement in his tone and cut a glare over her shoulder at him. He was right, but he didn’t have to laugh at her over it.

Gra’ar raised his hands, shaking his head before speaking again.

“No judgement. You had your reasons.”

His eyes widened before he dropped his hands, one going to his hip pocket to pull out a little scrap of pink fabric.

“Here, these are yours.”

Pinching it between two fingers, her mouth dropped open as she realized it was a pair of her panties.

“You—You were in here? You took myunderwear?”

She was torn between outrage and laughter, the sheepish expression on his face leaning her toward amusement. Balling the garment into a wad, she threw it at his chest, watching it bounce off before he caught it with a raised brow.

“Keep them. Something to remember me by.”

She’d meant it as a joke but the way he sobered brought her own mood crashing down. He’d done a good job keeping her mind off everything as they ascended the stairs, challenging and teasing her, then she’d been too tired in the Glider on the way to the Center to think about anything more than getting their story straight for the Director, but it was sinking in that there was a limited amount of time before she and Gra’ar parted ways for good.

It was a strange feeling. Just the thought of it felt wrong.

Unsure how to deal with the sudden emotion clouding the room, she turned her back on the alpha and began scooping up clothing. Most of it had already been worn but she didn’t have time to clean it. Stuffing everything she could get her hands on into the bag she’d been given, including the sheets and a pillow that threatened to prevent her from closing the luggage, the room was bare of almost all traces of her in minutes. It was a bit disheartening to realize how quickly she could be wiped away and forgotten, but she stomped those feelings down with the others, faking a smile as she turned back to Gra’ar.

“Okay, that’s it.”

The stare he leveled on her was intense, his chest heaving as if he’d exerted himself. After a moment’s hesitation he finally nodded and backed out of the room, keeping his eyes on her as she followed. Shivers ran through her body at his attention, but she didn’t know how to get them to stop.

They were silent on the ride back down to the main floor, crossing over to the meeting room where they’d been told to wait. As soon as they stepped through the doorway the receptionist she’d seen each time she came and went from the Center came in behind them, silently passing Gra’ar a tablet. He made a strange noise as he accepted it, the female making a similar one before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Flea’s thoughts were whirling, a million things she wanted to say on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t get any of it out. Gra’ar avoided looking at her as he took a seat at the table in the center of the room, focused on the tablet. Just the thought of sitting still had her flesh crawling so she paced from one wall to the other until he let out a sigh and set the tablet down.

“Done. You’re officially off the Market.”

Golden eyes blinked at her, his face a blank mask she couldn’t read. While she may have learned the important things about Gra’ar in their time together, she’d yet to unravel the little nuances that would clue her in to what he was thinking.

“Thank you.”

Thanks seemed inadequate, but she didn’t have anything else to offer. A small smile lifted his lips as he stood, shaking his head before he spoke again.

“I’m sure every alpha who’s had a run-in with you would thank me too, and the Director would be the first in line.”

Flea grinned, warmth blooming in her chest. Coming from anyone else the statement would almost be insulting, but the respect he held for her was clear. As different as they were, they understood each other.

“Let’s turn this in and get out of here. You’ll have to take the Glider with me again.”

---