know then that he, too, loves me as much as I do him. He doesn’t need to say it. I can feel it in the way he touches me, see it in the way he looks at me with nothing but adoration.
It takes me a few moments to calm my heart rate again.
“I could really do with a shower,” I say, glancing at the closed door across the room.
“No,” Bravik says, his intense eyes boring through me. “I do not want my scent washed from my mate just yet. If there are males traveling my land, I want them to be able to smell that you are mine.”
I nod shyly and grip the coverlet to my chin. Bravik raises a brow and slowly drags the material off me, exposing my nakedness to his smoldering gaze.
“I also want to see your beautiful body every chance I get,” he says, a hint of warning in his tone that makes me clench my legs. “So beautiful. So fucking mine, Ella.”
Now my embarrassment turns into arousal, and I let out a quiet squeak when he glides his palm over my stomach, not once breaking eye contact. It’s so intensely passionate that I struggle to draw breath.
“Soon you will carry my son.” He caresses me as if massaging my womb. “Until then, I suggest you rest; you’ll certainly need it, for I am far from done with you today.”
He slides his hand down and gently teases my clit. Watching me closely, he waits until I’m on the edge of an orgasm, and then he pulls back with a wicked grin. I glare at his retreating figure as he enters what I assume is the bathroom. I spread my arms and lie back on the bed, allowing myself a moment to just take in the beautiful euphoria. The sound of the shower turning on in the bathroom softly punctuates the silence, and I close my eyes with a content sigh. But then a red light flares against my lids, and I open them to find my tablet flashing on the bedside table. Hurriedly I reach over and grasp it, unlocking the device with my thumbprint. A single coded message comes through from Markel. It takes me a few minutes to decode it, but once I do, my heart is on the verge of bursting.
Ella,
Queen Hellisa’s royal advisers have informed me that an alliance will be agreed upon should we retrieve more of the minerals from Aurora. This is a giant step toward freeing our people, which will take us one step closer to being able to fight the G.C. head-on. Your service and valor are duly noted, as well as Jacob’s. He’d be honored to have served with you, and you honored him by completing your mission. Your next assignment will be sent to you as soon as the details are solidified.
Regards,
Gen. Markel
I hug the tablet to my chest. My tears spill from my lashes, and what doesn’t splash my legs disappears into the soft bedding. In the beginning, all I ever wanted was to see my people freed and the G.C. brought to justice. And I still want that, but seeing Jacob’s name? It makes me realize that I never got closure in dealing with his passing. Now I know I have by sharing his honorable death with my chain of command, so they know he died for something. And I want this for all the others who’ve lost their lives to the cause. Most of all, I want there to be no need for such sacrifice. For my people and Bravik’s.
“What is it?” He rushes over, gripping the towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water slide down his torso and onto my head when he pulls me into his arms. “Why do you weep, Ella?”
“I feel guilty for being so happy,” I whisper. “People are suffering while I hide away with you and although I won’t give up on the cause, part of me wants to stay here with you and to never leave. Am I really that selfish?”
He holds me at arm’s length, his fingers nearly bruising on my flesh. “Cease your doubts, human. You are the most giving soul I have ever met. If you weren’t, I would still be afflicted. Of that, I am sure.”
The unyielding sincerity burning on his face takes my breath away.
“Really?” I whisper, my pulse soaring.
“Really.” Bravik softens his grip on me and gently caresses my face. “You’re my mate, Ella, my redemption. It’s because of