Page 35 of Brute's Mate

Her thoughts reach me, and I shake my head, unable to stand the idea of her harboring guilt over a plot in which she had zero involvement.

“You are not responsible for the actions of any of The Saviors, Jenny. It’s not your fault. None of it.”

She gasps and stares at me as though I’ve just grown a second head. “How-how did you know what I was thinking?”

Honesty, I decide. Even if she might react badly to the truth, even if it scares her, I must give her honesty. I clear my throat and tighten my hold on her, a tad worried that she will attempt to escape after I reveal the truth.

“Recently, I have been able to feel your emotions. I am certain of it. Usually, it happens as I’m nourishing you. But just after we entered the alcove this evening, I started hearing your thoughts. It was like your voice was in my head. I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’ttryto read your thoughts or invade your mind, it simply happened, and it shocked me. I’m still shocked. But I’m also happy because it means we’re becoming bonded.”

Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. A look of utter devastation takes over her features.

Oh, God. Oh, no. Please no.

This is terrible.

Please don’t let it be true.

It’s difficult not to be offended by the most recent thoughts that surge through our new bond. Perhaps once she can hear my thoughts and emotions, there will be more understanding between us. Perhaps then she won’t be so horrified by the developing bond.

“We haven’t copulated,” she blurts. “We haven’t mated. How can this be possible?”

I grasp her hands and lace my fingers through hers. “It usually takes about three moon cycles for a heartbond to develop between a Darrvason couple after they mate,” I explain, “but we’ve found this isn’t the case with Darrvason-human pairings. Your sister and Admiral Tornn started forming a heartbond only two weeks after they mated. The mating bond between humans and Darrvaons appears to happen faster, and perhaps theindecentactivities we’ve shared in the alcove have hastened our bond even though we haven’t copulated yet. But I’m not sorry for it, Jenny, because you’re mine. One day soon, I will claim you.”

A thought occurs to me, and I push the sleeves of her shirt up to reveal her upper arms, but I don’t see any evidence of my ancestral markings yet, so I pull the sleeves back down. I sense her relief through the bond that she’s not wearing the markings yet. It would seem she still intends to resist me.

“I can’t leave my mother.” She tries to escape my lap, but I tighten my hold on her, which causes her bottom to shift over my hardening cocks. She gasps and stills as she detects the evidence of my need for her. She shoots me an angry glare. “My father died two years ago, and it broke my mother’s heart,” she continues, “and when Ellie was given to your people, it broke her heart anew. If I leave too, I doubt she would ever recover. I can’t do that to her.”

“Your mother can live with us on 58-Z,” I offer, then wonder if she knows about the newly discovered planet. Captain Warren hasn’t made an announcement yet, though the secret appears to be out. I’ve overheard many humans talking about it in the corridors and the mess halls.

Her eyes flare with surprise, and I sense her gratitude. But a moment later, I also sense her stubbornness and her fear. Her fear of life as a Darrvason bride, her struggle with submitting to my authority.

“That wasn’t my only reason for not wanting you, Brute.” Tears glitter on her eyelashes. “I-I don’t like you, and I don’t want you. You’re overbearing and I cannot imagine the suffering I would endure as your mate.”

A deep growl emits from my throat. I grab Jenny by her upper arms and shake her a few times. Not very hard, but hard enough to get her attention. “Stop lying,” I hiss.

“I’m not lying. It’s the truth.”

“I can hear your thoughts, little female, and I know when you’re lying. What you said about your mother was true, but everything after that was a lie.” I tighten my grip on her arms. “The truth is, you’re afraid. You’re afraid of your romantic feelings for me. They’re strong and you’re not used to the emotions, just as you aren’t used to the burning desire you experience when I touch you. You’re also terrified of the heartbond because you don’t want me reading your thoughts or sensing your emotions.”

“Stop it! Get out of my head!”

I gently kiss her freshly fallen tears away, then draw back to stare down at her, this beautiful female who will soon be mine.

When?

I suspect that once I mate with her, the heartbond will finish forming quickly and my ancestral markings will appear on her arms within days. I could do it now, but I don’t want to risk banishment from the Darrvason Empire. Especially since I’d just promised that her mother could live with us on 58-Z.

Fluxx.

Somehow, I must convince Tornn to put her on the list of one hundred. But how?

I don’t think the alliance will fall apart if I carry Jenny to my quarters and claim her, but what if I’m wrong? What if the unsanctioned mating causes a chain of events that eventually harms the empire?

Forbidden. Why does Jenny have to be forbidden?

“Oh God,” she gasps. “I just heard a few of your thoughts, Brute.No no no. This can’t be happening. Fucking hell.” She glances over her shoulder at the fleet, then returns her gaze to me. “You can’t just carry me off and claim me, can you? It’s complicated because of the alliance, and I sense Tornn is holding something over you, or perhaps you’re in debt to the Darrvason Empire. What is that about?”

Panic races through me. I’m not ready for her to learn about my father’s role in the war and the disgrace he brought down on my family. The disgrace that I sometimes fear I’ll never outrun. I immediately put a barrier around my thoughts, a mental trick I learned when I helped negotiate trade with a race of telepathic aliens several years ago.

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