Unleashed by the Defender (Brides of the Kindred #25) - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,83

we end up, the main thing is that we’re together.”

“Together,” J’are echoed. “I love you,” he added aloud.

“I love you too.” Tilting her chin up, she kissed his cheek. “Now get some rest and we’ll talk about the future more later. For now, knowing that you’re going to be okay is enough for me.”

J’are relaxed in her embrace, feeling like the luckiest male in the universe. But a part of him still worried about their bonding night—still felt shame for how it had gone. It was well and good that Imani had forgiven him, but he hadn’t forgiven himself.

He didn’t know if he ever would.

Forty-Four

Imani gave her new mate a worried look as the clock above the fireplace chimed nine in soft, measured tones.

One of the things she liked about the suites aboard the Mother Ship was that all of them had a fireplace and a bathing pool. They weren’t as luxurious as the vast mansions and expensive hotels she’d visited on Yonnie Six but they were really nice. They also didn’t have sadistic Mistresses everywhere, so she was fine with being on the ship.

Not that they could stay on the Mother Ship—not for much longer anyway, she thought, her mind running over the worry that had been dogging her morning and evening.

The Kindred High Council still didn’t believe that Nightwalker Kindred were safe enough to live in close proximity to other people. J’are was only allowed to stay a short time, until he was declared fully recovered. After that, they would have to find someplace else to live.

But where?

Imani didn’t know. She only knew that as long as she and J’are were together, they would be okay.

Only now, she had doubts about that, too.

J’are had been discharged from the Med Center almost a week ago. He was completely well, as far as Imani could see. She had the idea that Commander Sylvan was deliberately holding off on clearing him completely in order to give them time to get their plans in order. He was also talking to the High Council about the possibility of allowing J’are to stay aboard the Mother Ship, under the presumption that he was safe to be around because he was bonded, but so far he hadn’t made much progress.

Well, the Council didn’t need to be worried about J’are, Imani thought, casting a sidelong look at her new mate. Even though the clock had just struck nine o’clock at night, he still showed no signs of going into his feral state. In fact, he hadn’t gone feral since the two of them had come aboard the Mother Ship over a week ago.

This was worrying for Imani. At first she had wondered if her new mate wasn’t switching to his feral side at nighttime as he was supposed to because they were in an artificial environment with no moons in the sky to trigger him. But now, watching J’are from the corner of her eye and seeing the strained look on his face, she thought there must be a different explanation.

J’are wasn’t going feral because he wasn’t letting himself go feral. He was holding it back, somehow. Although how he could hold back part of himself that was as natural as breathing was beyond her. She had spoken about it briefly with Liv, who was a doctor. Liv had made some suggestions and given her some equipment to try, but Imani hadn’t made use of it yet.

But it wasn’t just his refusal to go feral that was worrying Imani. It was the fact that her new mate hadn’t touched her once since being discharged from the Med Center.

Oh, he hugged her when she hugged him first and was willing to cuddle on the couch. But when Imani tried to take things any further, he suddenly had to get up and go to the bathroom or he wanted a snack or he had forgotten something in the other room or any of the hundred other little excuses he used to keep from making love with her. They hadn’t had any sex since their bonding night back on Yonnie Six and Imani was beginning to feel really neglected and worried.

At first, she had told herself the big Nightwalker was just still tired and healing from his surgery. But his wounds were closed completely and he moved without any pain. In fact, he went running around the common area parklands in the center of the ship every morning for an hour and a half. Surely if he could run