Fated Mate Conquered - Luna Voss Page 0,28

her neck, she doesn’t seem to have any interest in touching me right now.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I know this must be scary and confusing. I really am sorry.”

“Sorry for the situation I’m in?” she asks angrily. “Or sorry for forcing me to be your mate?”

I run my fingers through my beard, feeling my face harden somewhat. As much as I want to comfort her, there’s something we need to get straight between us.

“Kora, you keep saying things like that. A mate I didn’t ask for. Forcing me to be your mate. I didn’t force you to do anything. You told me multiple times, with words, that you wanted me to claim you. You were in heat, yes, but nobody made that decision for you. We’re Fated Mates. You are angry at your biology right now, not at me.”

She doesn’t answer right away, as though she knows what I’ve said is right, but doesn’t want to acknowledge it. I stay quiet, waiting for her to say something.

“So, can you at least tell me where we’re going?” she asks.

I allow myself to crack a smile. “We’re on our way to the Tajiki Comet Casino, run by the Dajorkan mob. We should arrive in a couple of days. Rizban Gordulla is hiding out there. Our plan is to capture him or kill him, and hopefully end the war with the Gordulla Family.”

“Rizban Gordulla…” she repeats. “He was the one who betrayed you and got you arrested by the UPE, right?”

“That’s right,” I growl. “He used to be a friend of mine, too, once. He almost got Milana and I killed. He’s also the son of Tullionitus Gordulla, the boss of the Gordulla Family.”

She still looks a little upset, but also intrigued. “How come the boss of the Butarza Family is secret and anonymous, but you know exactly who the Gordulla boss is?”

I chuckle. “Our organization is bigger than theirs. Probably the biggest Vostra family in the galaxy right now. That sounds like it would be an advantage, but it has drawbacks, too. It puts a target on our back, for one. Especially anyone known to be our leader. There’s a reason the Empire goes after us ten times harder than the Gordullas. We’re a much bigger thorn in their side.”

“So you think that capturing the Gordulla boss’s son will force him to make peace?”

I shrug. “Pretty much. And if not, at least I get to pay that scumbag back for what he did to me.”

We make eye contact, only briefly, and I know we’re both thinking about the condition in which we met: me, barely conscious from tranquilizers, strapped to the wall of a UPE prison ship, my every bodily function fulfilled by a tube or an IV. Kora is the only thing I remember from that time that isn’t terrifying or painful.

“How can I help?” she says quietly.

I look at her, surprised. “You want to help?”

“I don’t like what happened to you. And I’m with the Butarza Family now. I may as well do what I can.”

I’m actually pretty touched by this. Usually, Vostra wives stay in the background, and don’t have much to do with our actual operations.

“That’s quite all right,” I tell her sweetly. “Geddion, Rojan, and I know what we’re doing. I don’t need you to worry about that.”

She looks hurt by my answer, although I don’t understand why. I thought I was being kind.

“Fine,” she says, turning away. “I guess I’ll be here in the mess hall if you need me.”

12

Kora

I’m still in the mess room a couple hours later when I feel the hyperdrive engine disengage. I look out the nearest viewport, and sure enough, the stars are now floating by lazily, rather than zooming. I look away, ready to ignore this fact entirely, when I hear frustrated voices coming from the bridge. With a sigh, I get up and exit the mess room, listening.

“What the hell?” I hear Turan say angrily. “Why have we stopped?”

“I don’t understand,” says Geddion. “I’ve never had this happen before.”

“Anything I can help with?” I offer, striding onto the bridge to join them.

“No, thanks, Kora,” says Turan, barely glancing at me. “Just a technical issue.”

“An issue with the ship?”

“Yeah. The hyperdrive engine turned off. Look, can we talk later? I have to deal with this right now.”

I shake my head in amazement. “Turan, you know I went to the Imperial Academy and served on a starship for over a year, right? I actually do have some idea what I’m