Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Maybe not all you have left,” the deep voice rumbled, and this time it sounded less distorted and much more familiar.
“What…? Who…?” Ketha reached reflexively for the blinding patches again but her owner was there before her. Gently, he peeled the patches away from her eyes.
Ketha blinked at the sudden brightness. She’d been in utter darkness for most of the day and it took her eyes time to adjust to the light. But when she looked up, she knew who was sitting beside her, even though he was blurry.
“Styx?” she gasped, reaching for him. “Is that really you?”
“It’s me, baby,” he assured her.
And then he gathered her into his arms.
21
KETHA
“I don’t understand—why didn’t you tell me it was you right away?” Ketha demanded, swiping at her eyes.
“I wanted to talk to you first—to find out what you were really thinking,” Styx admitted. “I thought it might be easier for you to talk to a stranger—since you clearly didn’t want to talk to me the last time we saw each other.”
“Is that why you put up the barrier between us?” Ketha asked. “I mean, you did put it up, didn’t you?”
“It was more of a reflexive thing than an actual choice,” he said, frowning. “But yeah—it’s there. I’m sorry you’ve been calling for me, little girl—I just didn’t hear you.”
“Then…how did you know where to find me?” Ketha asked, bewildered. “You got there just in time to buy me.”
“I had to haul ass across the galaxy to get to you, too,” he growled. “The night before last I had a dream sent to me by the Goddess—the Kindred Goddess, the Mother of All Life,” he clarified. “She said—‘Get up, warrior! Your Fated Mate is in desperate trouble.’”
“Your Goddess spoke to you?” Ketha exclaimed. She had never heard of a deity doing such a thing. She had always worshipped the Goddess of Mercy herself, but she’d never heard from her personally.
“She didn’t just speak to me—the sense of urgency she gave me was fucking intense.” Styx shook his head. “I’ve been wormhole hopping ever since, trying to get back to you in time. Thank the Goddess nobody else bought you before I got to you.”
“I think Nanny Grim set my price too high,” Ketha said frankly. “I know back when I used to go with my mother to the Flesh Bazaar, she never would have paid for a slave what you paid for me.”
“Baby, I would have paid a hundred times as much,” Styx growled softly. “You’re priceless.”
Ketha felt her heart jump in her chest. The way he was looking at her with those golden eyes of his…
“Does that mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” she asked softly.
“Of course not.” He took her hands in his and looked at her earnestly. “You truly are my Fated Mate and I’m yours as well. But I won’t keep you against your will. If you want to go—”
“No!” Ketha exclaimed. She looked up at him, holding his gaze with her own. “I…I want to stay with you. If…if you want me to,” she added in a small voice.”
“Of course I do, baby.” Styx gathered her into his arms and Ketha pressed her face to his throat and breathed in his warm, spicy scent.
She didn’t understand why she hadn’t smelled it earlier when he’d been carrying her. Maybe because she’d been holding herself stiff and as far away from him as she could, since she’d thought he was a stranger. Or possibly because her nose had been stuffed up from crying as she waited to be sold.
“I missed you,” she whispered, cuddling close to his broad chest. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. I just…I didn’t understand that we were meant to be together.”
“I know. It came as kind of a surprise to me too. I didn’t understand until we were Bonded,” he rumbled, stroking her hair. “All that matters is that we’re together now.” He put his hand on her baby bump again. “All three of us,” he added, this time using his mental voice.
“Oh—our connection—it’s back!” Ketha exclaimed. “And the wall between us is down!” she added mentally. “What happened to it?”
“I think it just melted away on its own,” Styx told her. His mental voice was as deep and growly as his physical one, she noted. “Though of course, it wouldn’t hurt to reinforce our Bond.”
“Oh? And how can we do that?” Ketha asked and noticed that her own mental voice sounded breathless. She was beginning to feel tingly all over and she thought she knew the answer to her own question.
“We can hold each other all night to start with,” Styx told her. “And we can do…other things. If you feel like it.” He stroked her baby bump again and Ketha heard the question in his voice.
“I do feel like it!” she assured him. “Take me to bed, Styx.”