brothers did.
And here he was, with a delicate human, and she was the center of his world.
He supposed he deserved this turnabout.
“Why do you have to work this much? Shouldn’t you have a longer break?”
He stopped at the end of the hall and set her on her feet. “This is part of our penance. We received the worst domicile and the worst shifts, only after everyone else has chosen.”
“Oh.” She glanced at the row of doors. “There’s only one bedroom in this place for each of you? Are you sure there isn’t somewhere else I can rest while you sleep? I came into your room by accident last night. I truly thought that this compound was abandoned and empty. I didn’t know I was taking over your bed and you’d be coming home soon. You can have your bedroom back now. I can sleep somewhere else in this compound for the next moon cycle.”
What nonsense was this?
“No, you can’t sleep somewhere else. There are only enough quarters for each of us.” He rubbed at his chest because the untruth pinched his hearts. He opened their door and gestured for her to walk inside the room first, then followed behind and closed the door. Xylan didn’t lie, but his motives were pure—he wanted his Bride close.
She walked over, slid open the door to the restroom and set the tiny bot down where it belonged and closed it. She turned and gestured with one hand. “But I shouldn’t be in here each night taking up space. It must’ve bothered you when you found me in your bed.”
Again, what was this nonsense?
He stepped close, stared down at her in amazement and met her wide-eyed, innocent gaze. “You have no idea, do you?”
“What?”
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he growled. He reached out with a gloved claw and cupped her cheek. He wanted so badly to touch his female with bare skin, but he had to wait for her consent. It was amazing how he was drawn to her. He wanted her next to him every second. It was going to be difficult for him to be apart from her while he worked in the mine. The only thing that would keep him sane was the knowledge that she was safe in his compound and he could follow her every movement with his tablet. “Lila, I got down on one knee today, in front of everyone and placed your honor before mine. Then I asked for your hand in testing. I’ve told Minecorp and the peacekeepers that you are my future Bride. This means I need you by my side. You are sharing my room each night.”
Her eyes, dark as ancient night, glittered and her colorless cheeks held a charming flush. She placed a bare hand over his gloved claw. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would you want to do any of that? You barely know me. In reality I’m just some annoying human who’s imposing on you.”
“No,” he rumbled. “You are my future mate.”
She dropped her hand and stepped back from his touch. “Stop saying that. I can’t be anyone’s Bride right now.”
“It’s true. You need to hear it, again and again until you realize the truth. I know this is hard for you because you are human, but you will see I am right. You are my Bride, the mother of my future offspring, and we will live out our lifespans together. You will always sleep by my side.”
Her mouth dropped open. She was adorable.
“The mother of your…your offspring?” she sputtered.
Apparently she hadn’t thought of this? He would have to school his Bride. “You will clasp my claw and enflame my body. Then I will claim you and fill you with my seed. You will be in the middle of your breeding cycle and your belly will grow large with my offspring.”
She licked her lips. “You don’t know with one hundred percent certainty that I’m your Bride. What if we join hands and it turns out I’m not your mate?”
“Oh, I know.” He tapped the side of his nose. “That’s why we need to go through with the mating ceremony so we can confirm it.”
She sighed and grabbed a curl of her dark hair and twirled it in her fingers. “Zayzon, you know I can’t test right now.”
He frowned at this reminder of the barriers to their mating she’d formed in her mind. Barriers he found nonsensical. He gave her a curt nod and then reached back and