Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
I wanted to call Slade and do damage control, but Frux was right—word spread fast. And someone must have called the Spaceport because the moment The Illyrian landed, we were overrun by a unit of spaceport guards, all dressed in white armor with visors that covered every part of their faces but their mouths.
At first I thought they were there to look for smuggled goods, but they skipped inspecting the ship in favor of putting Turk in restraint binders.
“You’re under arrest for the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a virgin female who was reported missing two months ago,” one of them growled as they led him away.
“Wait, stop!” I begged them. “Please—he didn’t abuse me and he didn’t kidnap me either! That’s a lie!”
Of course the guards didn’t listen. Turk turned his head to look at me.
“Jessina, stay with Snuffy and Yorrin!” he shouted. “Stay close to them until your family comes.”
It broke my heart that his last thought was of my safety when he was the one being dragged away in binders.
“I love you!” I shouted back, tears stinging my eyes. “Oh Turk, I love you so much!”
And that was the last I saw of him. The next thing I knew, my big brother, Slade was there, taking me by the arm.
“There you are.” His face was grim. “What’s all this I heard about Turk kidnapping you?”
“It’s all a lie!” I exclaimed. “He never kidnapped me—I got a Synth Implant and tricked him into hiring me as his navigator!”
Slade gave me a surprised look but then he shook his head, his expression going dark again.
“So you’ve been out in Deep Space on a ship full of males for two months while we’ve all been fucking scared to death?”
“I had to run—I didn’t want to get Bound to that horrible Grr. Malofice!” I protested. “He—”
But Slade only shook his head.
“Enough, Jessina. Come on, you’ve got a Hell of a lot of explaining to do. Our Sire is not happy.”
And then he led me with a firm grip on my arm, out of the spaceport and away from any hope I had of ever being with my Fated Mate again.
57
JESSINA
“You could at least listen to her!” I heard Aurora say in the other room. She and Slade had been talking for the past hour after he had brought me back to their penthouse for “safe keeping” as he put it.
“Listen to what? She thinks she’s in love with Turk when obviously he’s been fucking taking advantage of her for the past two solar months!” my big brother growled. Turk had been right—he was really angry that someone had “messed with his little sister” and he wasn’t at all prepared to be forgiving, even of his best friend. “She thinks they’re ‘Fated Mates’ for the Goddess’s sake!”
“Did you ever stop to think that she might be right?” My sister-in-law sounded frustrated. “Maybe they really are Fated Mates! You shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss her just because she’s younger than you. After all, you knew that I was your Fated Mate the first time you touched me! Why couldn’t Jessina have the same experience?”
I really appreciated Aurora taking my side, but I didn’t think it would do any good. My Sire and stepmother were already on their way over to collect me and from what I’d heard, my Binding ceremony was going to be held tomorrow in our family’s private Holy House.
My whole life was over and nobody cared.
“Say she is right—though it fucking grinds my gears to say it,” I heard Slade say. “What good does it do? I mean, what can I do about it? My Sire has decided that she’s getting Bound to the male he chose tomorrow.”
“Your stepmother chose that man!” I could hear the dislike clearly in Aurora’s voice. Ever since Lyrah had tried her best to separate her and Slade, she’d hated my stepmother with a passion. Not that I blamed her.
“It doesn’t matter who chose him, my Sire is still Chieftain of our Clan—there’s nothing I can do about it!” Slade exclaimed. “Even if I tried to talk to him, he won’t change his mind. He’s already angry enough about her running off for two months on a ship full of males!”
“There is one thing you can do for your friend—for Jessina’s sake,” Aurora said quietly. “You can go and testify at his trial tomorrow morning. You’ll have time—the Binding Ceremony isn’t until tomorrow night.”
“Fuck!” I could picture Slade running a hand over his golden horns in agitation. “I’m not going to fucking testify for that bastard! He was molesting my little sister!”
At this, I couldn’t stay silent any longer. I had locked myself in the bedroom to cry while I waited for my Sire and Lyrah, but I couldn’t hold myself back any more.
“Turk did not molest me!” I shouted, bursting out of the bedroom in a fury. “He saved me! He thought I was a boy for most of the mission and yet he took me under his wing and kept me safe from the Crewmembers who tried to hurt me!”