There’s no time to take out more of the guards. No time to go for Mordo himself. As much as I want revenge on this vrecking monster, I want Tara safe more.

  So I lunge for her, grabbing her hand as I shout a single word.

  “Run!”

  She’s already moving before the word is out of my mouth, her survival instincts as finely honed as my own. We race out of the room and down the hall, ignoring everything but the need to escape the compound before the rest of Mordo’s guards are alerted.

  A door opens up ahead of us, and a hulking guard starts to step through. But I ram my shoulder into the door, smashing the heavy wood into his head. He staggers backward, and Tara leaps toward him, grabbing his blaster and shooting him as he recovers from the head wound and starts to rush her. The bolt hits his shoulder, the force of it spinning him around, and we don’t wait to see him fall.

  We keep going, shooting at anyone who gets too close.

  Mordo’s furious bellow rings in my ears as we burst out into the sunlight, Tara’s fingers still clenched hard around mine. Guards pour out of Mordo’s complex behind us, and Tara fires over her shoulder at them, her dark hair whipping around her face as she glances backward.

  “We need to get to the port!” I yell, breathing hard as we turn a sharp corner. “If we do, I can get us out of here! I have a small ship we can take. It’s not safe for you on Hak Gavar anymore!”

  I can hear the pounding footsteps of Mordo’s men coming after us, and Tara and I run faster, ducking down every small side street and through every alley that we see, trying desperately to lose them.

  I can’t let them catch us. I won’t.

  I won’t let anything happen to Tara, not when I’ve only just found her.

  At last, we get enough of a lead on Mordo’s men that we can slow a bit. My sides heave with each breath, and my legs ache from sprinting for so long. I can only imagine how Tara must feel, especially on top of the exertion from last night. Still, I keep tugging her along at a run, hurrying toward the docks. None of the crime lord’s lackeys are directly behind us now, but I don’t want to give them a chance to catch up.

  But Tara suddenly stops running, tugging on my hand to pull me to a halt.

  I whirl around, my shoulders tense as I stare down at her. “What are you doing? We need to run!”

  “We can’t!” she exclaims. “The seeds! Rok, you’re leaving behind the seeds and the V’Ari plant!”

  I freeze for a moment as her words penetrate the singular focus that’s filled me since we broke free of the guards. The realization of what she’s saying slowly dawns on me.

  The last chance for me to reconnect with my people is back at my warehouse. If we take my ship and leave Hak Gavar now, I know we can never return. Even if we did, even if we tried to come back and evade Mordo somehow, his men will probably ransack the warehouse long before that in retaliation. The seeds will be long gone.

  But going back for the seeds now would risk Tara.

  My mate.

  The other half of my soul.

  I shake my head fiercely.

  “No. It doesn’t matter,” I tell her. “The seeds—they don’t matter. The most important thing is getting you out of here safely.”

  As the words leave my mouth, something changes in her face. There’s a shift in her expression, like the clouds parting on a stormy day to allow the sun to break through. Her gray eyes go a little glassy as she blinks, and then she throws herself toward me and grasps my face in both hands, kissing me hard on the lips.

  When she breaks the kiss, both of us panting, she meets my gaze.

  “Like hell the seeds don’t matter,” she declares. “We’re not leaving without them.”

  Before I can grab her, argue, or even fully comprehend what’s just happened, she turns and starts to run back in the direction of the warehouse.

  With my lips still burning from her kiss, frustration and adoration fill me in equal measure as I watch her disappear down a side street. If I had any doubt at all that we were meant for each other, it’s gone now.

  This stubborn, incredible, infuriating woman is most definitely my mate.

  22

  Tara

  It doesn’t take long before I hear Rok’s footsteps catching up with me.

  I half expect him to try to stop me and drag me back toward the port, but to my surprise, he doesn’t. I can see the exasperated look on his face as he draws up alongside me, but there’s something else there too.

  Gratitude.

  Admiration.

  Pride.

  Despite the fact that my lungs are burning and my legs feel like they’re filled with lead, a smile tugs at my lips. Rok is protective and possessive, but I love that he sees me as an equal. He knows I’m no damsel in distress, and that if he’s going to rescue me, I’m going to rescue him right back.

  My mind is racing so fast that my thoughts seem to trip over each other as we dart down the streets, keeping an eye out for Mordo’s men. We lost them in the chase, but I know they’ll still be scouring the city looking for us. We don’t have long, but I meant what I said to Rok.

  The seeds matter.

  They matter to him, so they matter to me.

  Because… he matters to me.

  I can’t hide how I feel anymore, not from Rok and not from myself.

  I’m falling in love with him, plain and simple.

  The idea of the mate bond freaked me out at first, but I’ve come to see that it means exactly what he said it does. It didn’t create the connection between us or force us together. It just gave a name to something that already existed, just like a marriage doesn’t create love, only cements it.

  And this man—this alien—is more perfect for me than anyone else could ever be. It feels as if he was made for me.

  Hell, maybe he was. Maybe all the things that’ve happened to me, both the good and the bad, have just been leading me to this place.

  To this person.

  My mate.

  I want to say all of those things to him, to tell him that I’m not afraid anymore. That I understand, and that I want him just as much as he wants me. But as we skid up to the warehouse, I know there’s no time. If we don’t get the seeds and get out of here fast, nothing else will matter.

  We both rush inside, and Rok grabs the seeds and the small plant, shoving the seeds into his pocket while I tuck the pot with the plant into my satchel.

  “Is there anything else you need?” I pant, glancing around the room, but he shakes his head, looking at me.

  “Nothing,” he says firmly. His eyes glint as they meet mine, his skin rippling to a soft green. “Just the seeds and my mate.”

  A wild, reckless grin spreads across my face as our gazes lock, the warmth of my new realization filling me. The way he says mate sends joy rushing through me instead of fear, exciting me in a way I never thought it would.

  “You have both,” I tell him breathlessly. “So let’s go.”

  As we turn toward the front of the warehouse, I suck in a deep breath, preparing to run again. But before we can step outside, the door slams open, crashing against the wall. Standing in the opening are six—no, seven—guards, with more coming up behind them.

  Mordo’s men have found us.

  Fuck. My stomach sinks.

  We fought our way out of Mordo’s compound because we caught them by surprise. I don’t think they expected Rok to be as fierce as he was. But we won’t get that element of surprise twice. They’re obviously prepared this time, blasters leveled at us as they march through the door and begin to surround us.

  My heart feels like it might crack right through my ribs from how hard it’s beating. I glance over at Rok, expecting to see the same fear and resignation I feel written on his face. But as soon as our eyes meet, he flicks his gaze to one side, repeating the gesture as if he’s trying to tell me something.

  He is trying to tell me something, I realize. He’s giving me a signal.

  I nod.

  I don’t know quite what he’s thinking, but it doesn’t matter. I trust Rok with my life, and whatever he’s got planned, I’ll do my best to have his back.

  The tallest guard laughs as his brethren surround us. “Foolish girl. Did you really think you could deny Mordo his due and get away with it? We’ll drag you back to his compound, and he’ll make sure you feel his wrath before you go up for auction. Maybe he’ll sell your friend too. Maybe—”

  “Now!” Rok shouts suddenly.

  He dives sideways in the direction he gestured earlier, and without even thinking about it consciously, I mirror his movement. At the exact same moment, several explosions shake the warehouse around us, throwing the guards to the floor.

  Rok’s large hand grips my arm, dragging me to my feet. “Go! Go!”

  We sprint toward the door, and as soon as we’re outside, several more explosions go off inside. The windows explode outward from the force of the blasts, and I stumble as we race away down the street, kept upright only by Rok’s tight hold on my arm.

  Two guards manage to escape the building, and they roar their rage as they stagger out onto the street, chasing after us.

  “What the hell was that?” I gasp, looking over at Rok as I duck a blaster bolt.

  “I rigged up those charges in my warehouse a long time ago,” he tells me grimly, his arms pumping as he runs. “I knew the day would come when I would leave Hak Gavar, and I wanted to make sure none of my weapons making supplies would fall into the wrong hands if I wasn’t able to bring them with me.”

  My heart swells. I could kiss him, if we weren’t too busy running flat-out down the street. I love that he cared enough to consider that possibility, and I also love that it just saved our lives.

  The guards tail us all the way to the docks, but we manage to gain a bit of ground on them when we pass through a crowded market, ducking around bodies and weaving in and out of the throng.

  “Which ship is yours?” I gasp, my lungs burning as the docks come into view up ahead.

  “That one. There.”

  He points, and despite my exhaustion, I manage to pick up my speed a little as we race toward it.

  I swear, if we make it out of this alive, I’m never running again.

  We sprint onto the ship, and Rok ducks around me to head for the control deck as I turn around and fire at the two guards, holding back our pursuers until he can get us off the ground.

  The moment the ship is airborne, I duck down, firing off another volley and hitting the button to close the doors. Blaster bolts ping against the hull as the guards try desperately to take us down before we can escape.

  When the hatch seals closed with a hiss, I sink down to the floor with relief and try to catch my breath. For a moment, all I can do is sit there, leaning against the door and trying to catch my breath as I feel the ship take off. We blast up toward the sky, the pressure of it pinning me to the door, and I let go of my blaster as my eyes drop closed.

  We’ve escaped.

  We’re safe.

  And I’m free at last.

  23

  Rok

  I punch the ship into high gear, intent on getting us away from Hak Gavar as quickly as possible. The planet recedes behind us, and I’ve never been so thankful to see it slipping away.

  As we shoot forward into space, I keep an eye out for any sign of pursuit, but no one seems to be following us. Mordo must not have ships ready at the dock, or his men need clearance before taking off after us.

  Either way, it looks like we’ve gotten away clean.

  By the time they regroup, we’ll be far away, and I doubt he’ll send anyone after us at that point. He has the Lunara stone. One Terran female isn’t worth the expense of fuel and possibly even more men or the loss of a ship, no matter how good a price she might fetch on the slave market.

  Anger swells in me again at the thought of what Mordo planned to do to my Tara. I wish I could go back and tear every one of his limbs from his body. But I won’t risk bringing her back to his compound, so I have to hope that fate will one day give him what he deserves—a slow and painful death.

  Once I’m certain we’re not being followed, I set the controls and then rise from the pilot’s chair to go find Tara.

  But as it turns out, I don’t have to go far.

  She’s standing in the doorway of the cockpit, her dark hair a wild mess around her face, looking exhausted, dazed, and happy all at once.

  “We did it,” she whispers, sounding like she can hardly believe the words.

  “Yes,” I rasp. “We did.”

  I pull her into my arms without thinking, kissing her hard and deep without a care for how sweaty and dirt-smeared we both are from the fight. I can’t stop myself. All of my earlier fears for her crystallize down to one thing—the need to touch her, to hold her close, to know that she’s solid and real and safe here with me.

  And she doesn’t fight it. Not even a little.

  She throws her arms around my neck, kissing me back just as fiercely, her lips as hungry and desperate as mine are. Her tongue slides against mine, and my entire body responds with a desire stronger than any I’ve ever felt, the urgent need to claim my mate again.

  But I pull back, breaking the kiss as I look down into her soft gray eyes.

  “It was dangerous to go back for the seeds,” I tell her, running a finger along her jaw. “You shouldn’t have risked yourself like that.”

  Tara smiles up at me, happiness still clear on her face despite the defiance that burns in her eyes.

  “Now you know how I felt after you got yourself shot at the warehouse,” she says, poking a finger lightly against my chest. “You’ve risked yourself for me plenty of times.” She arches a brow. “I can risk myself for my mate too.”

  At the sound of those words on her lips, heat fills me, a wildfire racing through my blood.

  “Say that again,” I murmur, my voice low and gruff as I lean toward her.

  “What?” She smiles wickedly up at me, arching her body closer to mine. “My mate?”

  My cock hardens as blood rushes to my groin, and a groan falls from my lips as my hands tighten on her waist, pulling her hard against me.

  “Yes,” I whisper, turning her with one fluid motion so that she’s pressed up against the wall, my body caging her in. “Call me that again.”

  “My mate. My handsome, stubborn, sexy mate.”

  I brush my lips over her hair, her forehead, down her cheek, and over her jaw before murmuring into her ear, “This is what you want? You’re sure of it?”

  “Yes.” Tara nods, reaching for the hem of my shirt. She pulls it up and over my head, tossing it aside as she places her hand over the soul mark on my chest. “I believed you when you told me about the mark, Rok. I’ve heard of mate bonds before, so I knew you weren’t lying or making it up. But it felt too much like a fairy tale. Like it was too good to be real.”

  She laughs softly, a rueful smile spreading across her face. “But then I realized, so many unreal things have happened to me. So many things I thought weren’t possible have turned out to be true. So why not this? Why not something good, after so much bad? I want to be yours forever. And I want you to be mine.”

  “My sweet mate,” I murmur gruffly, my lips still trailing over the shell of her ear. “I’m so vrecking glad to hear you say that.”

  An overwhelming rush of emotions floods me as she turns her head to press her lips to mine. I feel a deep, primal need to fill her with my cock, to consummate the bond now that we’ve both fully accepted it.

  Something breaks in me at that thought, the last thread of self-control snapping as I press her fiercely against the wall. My hands bury themselves in her hair, and I kiss her hard and deep.

  My mate.

  My Tara.

  Mine.

  There’s nothing stopping me now. I never need to fear losing her again.

  I can’t get her naked quickly enough. I yank at the closures of her suit, dragging the material off of her shoulders and arms and down her body. Tara helps me, kicking off her boots and working the suit down her legs.

  My cock is aching, raging against the confines of my trousers, and I groan aloud when her small hands yank the buttons open, freeing my rigid length and stripping me naked as quickly as I do her.

  The moment she’s nude against the wall, I drop to my knees, gripping her hips as I press my mouth between her thighs and part her folds with my tongue. I press the flat of my tongue against her wet, pulsing clit and groan with delight at the sound of her soft gasp.

  “I want to devour you,” I growl against her heated flesh. “I want to feel you come on my hands, my mouth, and my cock in as many different ways as I can imagine. You taste so vrecking sweet.”

  “God, Rok. Yes.”

  A gush of her arousal floods over my tongue as she slides her fingers through my hair, her hips grinding against my mouth as she seeks out her release with the same desperate eagerness I feel. I love this more than anything—the way Tara gives herself over to me completely, wanting all of the pleasure I can offer her.

  Even before she accepted the truth of the bond, it was like this between us. And now? Now I can give her everything, forever. There’s nothing to hold back any longer.

  I grip her hips tightly, holding her in place as I drag my tongue over her, licking her in small, tight circles, faster and faster. There are so many things I want to do to her, but right now, all I want to do is push her over the edge as fast and hard as possible. To see how quickly I can make her come, and then drive my cock into her while she’s still convulsing so that I can feel her body clenching around my shaft as I plunge into her.

  Just the thought of that makes my cock throb, twitching almost painfully as I press my mouth tightly between Tara’s thighs.

  “Let go for me,” I mutter heatedly between strokes of my tongue. “Let go. I want to feel you come apart.”

  Her thigh muscles start to tremble as she hovers on the edge of her release, then her hips buck forward as she lets out a guttural cry. Her fingers dig into my hair, tangling with the strands as she holds me there, and I hear her scream out my name as she comes hard on my tongue, the sound echoing through my small ship.

 

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