Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 43296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43296 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
He had come in to add more healing gel to her wounds but never expected her to be up and waking around. A quick glance over his shoulder showed his brothers were just as surprised to see her up and moving around, as well.
Her eyes were the size of moons, and her breathing was rapid.
“Shit,” Raimi said as a fresh wave of her fear slammed into them.
Her gaze flicked over him and then to Genet and Raimi.
“Fallina.” He held his hands out in front, hoping to appear non-threatening.
He noticed the way her throat worked as she swallowed.
“You remember us from the tavern?”
She swallowed again, but quickly and firmly nodded her head.
“Good. That’s real good.”
“That’s not my name. Fallina” She took a step back. “What does that mean? Slave?”
Slave?
Erak looked back at his brothers, saw their identical looks of confusion, and faced Luna again.
Whether they were royalty or not, her fear had her thinking the worst. Of course, he couldn’t blame her, not when it was clear she had been living a nightmare.
“No, no. It is just an endearment in my language. It means dearest one.”
Her brows dipped low, and she glanced at the ground. Her mouth moved, but he couldn’t hear what she said.
“Luna?” Erak said. She snapped her head up and looked at him. Her eyes seemed so very blue compared to her too pale face and the dark circles directly below them.
He took a step closer and was thankful she didn’t shy away.
“You should lie back down and give yourself time to heal. That is all we want. To have you whole again.”
She took a step back when he moved forward this time. “We have no intentions of hurting you.”
“We only want to take care of you.” Genet stepped beside Erak, his voice coaxing and gentle. Genet had always been the calmest out of the three of them, whereas Raimi was the outgoing and playful one.
Erak had been called many things: ruthless, commanding, domineering. Never had he been gentle, not like his brothers. The longer he was in Luna’s presence, the more he wanted to give her everything he had.
He held his hands out further and took one more step closer. They were only separated a body length apart, and the saccharine scent of her fear filled his lungs as he inhaled deeply.
“You have nothing to fear. We will not harm you.” He told her again, hoping that if she heard it enough times maybe she would understand they spoke the truth. But Erak didn’t blame her for the wariness she felt.
She was from that fucking, rotten planet, and who knew the horrors she had seen daily? He tried once more to soften his voice, to not speak roughly. Just the fact his mate was right in front of him had the primal part of him rising and wanting to go to her.
He felt guilt for his physical reaction to her, that his dick was harder than the steel that surrounded them. Because the state she was in should have had the fucker inverting. “You remember what we are called?”
Her brows knitted again, and he realized asking her too many questions right now would be draining for her. “I am Erak.” He heard her heart beat faster but not from being frightened but because she remembered.
Pleasure over that filled him.
“Yes, I remember.” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. “And you are Genet and you Raimi.” His brothers both shifted, and he sensed their pleasure, as well.
Their mate knew them, called them by their names, and that was one fucking heady sensation.
“What...” She licked her lips. “What do you plan on doing with me? I won’t be sold. I’ll fight until death before that ever happens.”
“Fallina, I told you that is not our intent.”
Her strength and resolve were commendable, but it didn’t stop the possessive side of him from shifting violently inside of him. Just the thought of someone thinking they had the right to sell her, of another male touching her and being with her, had an animal instinct inside him needing to kill something.
Thinking of another male who wasn’t one of his brothers just being in her presence had him curling his hands into fists. He breathed out forcefully.
“You are not being sold.” His words were too rough because she flinched. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again, softer this time. “I just mean we would let no one harm you.”
“Why? I am a stowaway on your ship. A thief.” Tears started to gather in the corners of her wide eyes and he cursed.
He was in uncharted waters here, and he didn’t know how to proceed and not make things worse.
“You’re ours, Luna, but not in the way you’re thinking. We don’t want a slave, do not want a robotic female to do what we say.”