Page 48 of Captured

She shrugged. It wasn’t like she really had anywhere to go, just a vague idea of somewhere as far as she could get from Deacon.

The receptionist strode over to them as soon as they opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. After she and Gra’ar traded a series of clicks and weird chirps, he put his hand in the middle of Flea’s back again and guided her toward the front doors. It almost seemed too easy, and she unconsciously tensed as they stepped through, waiting to be stopped and called out on their ruse, but they made it all the way out to the gate and into the waiting Glider without anyone chasing after them.

Settling as close to the door as she could with her bag in her lap to give Gra’ar as much space as possible, she searched for something to say but he beat her to it.

“Where are you going to go?”

He was staring out the front of the Glider, but she caught his gaze flick to her before darting away again.

“Not really sure yet. I’ve always stayed in this area of Decloui. The only part I know is down, but that way isn’t going to be safe for a while.”

If ever, she added to herself. She’d basically accepted that she could never come back, but it didn’t really hit until then. She was leaving everything she knew. Even if she was staying on Decloui, she was still going to have to learn new territories, hunt out safe dens, find water and food.

The task seemed daunting, and her shoulders hunched. Everything she had was in the bag she held, and most of it wouldn’t be worth a lot to anyone else.

They were quiet again as the Glider rose to Top-Level, pulling up outside the shuttle landing area. Ships from all over the galaxies came there, bringing goods and money for those already wealthy enough to meet them.

She climbed out automatically when the door opened, standing beside the Glider as Gra’ar adjusted his wings. He’d picked up a small pack at the Center and donned a new shirt, but otherwise he didn’t seem to have brought anything else. Looking around at the multitude of shuttles, she wondered which he would leave on.

“You could come with me, Flea.”

Her heart stumbled, breath freezing in her lungs as she swung her gaze up to the dark alpha. His expression was still blank, but there was tension around his eyes and in the set of his shoulders.

“You don’t have to keep pretending or stay with me. But I could get you off-planet. Get you somewhere you can make a better life.”

Her mouth opened but she couldn’t get words past the lump in her throat. He’d already taken a risk signing the papers for her, and if anyone found out they’d lied he would probably get in trouble.

“Where would I go? What would I do? How would I keep from being rounded up again?”

The questions began to spill from her, one atop the other, coming so fast there was no chance for him to answer them. She wasn’t sure hecouldanswer them.

Flea looked around again, trembling in the breeze. It was late evening already, the sun sitting on the horizon, and for a moment she was captivated by it. She’d only ever seen it through the gaps from levels below and it looked so much bigger than she’d thought.

Warm fingers stroked her cheek, pulling her attention back to golden orbs.

“Where do you want to go?”

She tried to think of an answer to the question, but she didn’t have one. Her entire life had been one of survival, and even after going to the Center she’d been too focused on stopping the matches to think beyond the moment and getting back to what she knew. With unlimited possibilities, her mind kept circling the one thought that stood out.

“With you.”

The surprise on Gra’ar’s face was only matched by her own after she blurted the words. Fear made her want to instantly retract them, but the heat in his eyes stopped her.

“Flea.”

There was a note of warning in his tone. It sent a shiver down her spine and made her nipples pebble beneath her shirt. The mark he’d left on her neck throbbed as if to remind her of its presence.

Gra’ar sucked in a deep breath before continuing, his fingers digging into her locks to hold her head in place. She raised her hands to his chest, feeling the drumming of his heart beneath her palms.

“I can’t pretend forever. You’re too tempting. And I live on a ship with thousands of unmated alphas who’ll figure out you aren’t really claimed.”

Telling caution to fuck off, she leaned into his chest, raising one hand to circle around the back of his neck. A low growl thrummed into her, more feeling than sound. It set her heart racing and slick gathering between her thighs.

“I’m tempting, am I? Who says we’d be pretending? Do you think you can handle me a little longer?”

She added a purr to her words, brushing her belly against the bulge between his legs. He looked like he wanted to devour her, and in that moment she couldn’t think of anything she’d like more. Gra’ar had started out like any other alpha, but his actions showed he didn’t consider her beneath him. He’d given her the space to do the things she was capable of and offered help when she needed it without taking over and forcing her to go his way. It was more than she’d ever been offered before.

“I can handle you, little omega. But I have a feeling you don’t want to sit back and wait at home like a good little mate.”

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