Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 190(@200wpm)___ 152(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Kelli waited as long as she could, but finally, when they were strapped into the long-range shuttle and he had taken off, leaving the planet behind, she turned to him.
“All right—what happened?” she demanded. “Why did you leave like that last night? I deserve an explanation.”
“You do,” Klaus agreed stonily. He was staring straight ahead at the viewscreen. “But you’re not going to get one.”
“Why not?” Kelli asked. “Please, Klaus—just talk to me. Whatever it is, I’m sure we can work it out.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” He still wouldn’t look at her. “And I think it’s best that we ask Commander Sylvan to reassign us once we get back to the Mother Ship.”
“What? You don’t even want to work together anymore?” Kelli couldn’t believe it.
“Sorry, sunshine. I just can’t.” He shook his head. “I can’t be around you anymore. Not when…”
“When what?” Kelli demanded, exasperated when he trailed off.
But Klaus only shook his head.
“Can’t talk about it. Sorry.”
Kelli was so frustrated she wanted to cry. And in fact, a few hot tears did slip down her cheeks as they flew through the fold in space to get back home to the Mother Ship. What was going on with her Protector? And why wouldn’t he at least tell her what the problem was?
There were no answers and nothing to do but try and hide her tears. The minute they landed, she unfastened herself and jumped up, ready to get away from the big Kindred. But as she was rushing to get out of the long-distance shuttle, Klaus’s deep voice stopped her.
“Kelli,” he said. “Wait.”
Heart pounding, Kelli turned to him. Had he changed his mind? Was he going to tell her he loved her after all? Or at least tell her that he had made a big mistake and he didn’t want to be reassigned as someone else’s Protector?
But when she looked at him, all she saw was regret written on his strong features.
“Yes?” she asked.
“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “So fucking sorry.”
“And?” Kelli waited. Was there more? Some kind of explanation for his hot and cold behavior?
But he only shook his head.
“Just that. I’m sorry. I wish things were different.”
“So that’s it?” Kelli glared at him. She was normally a happy and forgiving person, but at this point, she’d had it. “You can shove your ‘sorry’ where the sun doesn’t shine!” she snapped. “And don’t ever talk to me again!”
Then she left the ship and didn’t look back, even though she felt like her heart was dying inside her body and she was already starting to cry.
23
KLAUS
Klaus felt like shit. He understood why Kelli never wanted to see him again—hell, he wished he never had to see himself again. But there he was, every morning when he looked in the 3-D viewer. Just a sad, washed-up male who was going to die alone because he had foolishly made a vow ten years ago. A vow he now regretted, but couldn’t break.
It was the week before Christmas and the entire Mother Ship was decorated for the human holiday. During past Christmases all he had been able to think about was his time with Miranda and how he missed her. But now it was Kelli that he missed. He wished he could see her sunny smile just one more time or hear her bubbly laugh.
That wasn’t going to happen though. As soon as he finished landing the ship, he’d gone to Commander Sylvan and asked for a reassignment. His boss had seemed confused and asked if the time he and Kelli had spent at the Christmas Village hadn’t gone well.
“That’s a fucking understatement,” Klaus had growled. “They didn’t care about Christmas—they just wanted to see if they could make us fuck. Which they didn’t,” he added, grimly.
Commander Sylvan, a Blood Kindred with spiky blond hair and ice-blue eyes, had looked shocked.
“I’m so sorry, Commander Klaus! I had no idea the Questarions would try something like that. They seemed so benevolent and kind.”
“Yeah, well…they weren’t.” Klaus shook his head. “I’m afraid our time there pretty much ruined our professional relationship, though. So I’m requesting that you assign a new Protector to Kelli.”
Asking that nearly killed him—a part of him was still insisting that Kelli was his! His to protect, to care for, to love. But Klaus pushed it away. He could never have her—not the way he wanted her. And it was too painful to be close to the curvy little human now that they’d pushed past the boundaries of a professional relationship and into something much more personal. Now that they’d entered territory that never should have been explored.
“I understand.” Commander Sylvan nodded. “May I ask though, why did you and Kelli decide not to pursue a relationship? Forgive me—I know it’s personal. I just always thought that the two of you eventually might Bond. You’re both single and there seemed to be a spark—”