slid out of the captain’s seat and went down on one knee in front of her like a man about to propose marriage.
“V’rex—” she began, reaching for him but he captured her hand in both of his and looked earnestly into her eyes.
“Penelope,” he said. “From this day forward, I swear on my honor as a Warrior that I will not sting you or attempt to bind you to me in any way. I will respect the request you have made of me and let you walk your own path in life while I walk mine. And never shall our paths meet.”
“What?” Penny didn’t know what to make of this. Why was he being so formal and what did he mean about their paths never meeting? “Are you…are you breaking up with me?” she asked haltingly, and then wished immediately she could take the words back. “I mean, not that we were ever together,” she said quickly. “Not for real, anyway. Of course, we had to pretend in the Compound because if we hadn’t, they would have recycled us, but—”
“All pretense is over now.” The big Hybrid’s voice was low and hoarse and his words were still strangely formal. “You are not mine and I am no longer yours. I Forswear you, Penelope.”
For some reason, his somber words and the look on his face made Penny want to cry. Whatever had happened between them, it seemed like it was a kind of breaking-up ceremony. And even though she’d been telling herself from the beginning that the big Hybrid wouldn’t want her anymore after they got out of the Compound and he was no longer breathing the Spice, it still hurt dreadfully that he was basically casting her aside.
At least he did it in person, whispered a sad little voice in her head. Not like Garret who just texted you, “It’s over,” out of the blue one day…
Penny knew that she was about to cry and she didn’t want to do it in front of him.
“Could…could you point me towards the bathroom?” she asked, her voice thick as she tried to hold back her tears. “I, uh, still really need a shower.” She nodded down to the tattered blue toga which she was still wearing to excuse her sudden exit.
“Of course.” V’rex nodded. “It’s down the main corridor and on the right, past the food prep area. And the door right beside it is your room. You should find some clothes that will fit you on the bed. I have a replicator on board so I made some for you while you were out.”
“Th-thank you,” Penny somehow managed to get out. And then she was up and running blindly down the corridor towards the back of the ship as the tears stung her eyes.
Eighty-Nine
V’rex felt her pain as he Foreswore her—it echoed his own—a deep, aching emptiness in his heart that could never be filled by any other female.
But it couldn’t be helped.
In asking him never to sting her again, Penelope had been, in essence, asking for her freedom from the connection they had formed at the Compound. And though V’rex would have been more than happy to continue honoring the vows they had taken there, he couldn’t deny her request.
It wasn’t honorable or right to keep a female against her will—he might be a black hearted bastard who was half Kru’ell One, but he knew that, well enough.
If he couldn’t sting her, he couldn’t bond her to him. And without a soul-bond, there could be no long-term relationship. And so he had Foresworn her—it was the right thing to do and V’rex knew it.
He just wished it didn’t hurt so Goddess-damned much.
Ninety
The rest of V’rex’s ship was as luxurious as the front cabin. In fact, it was a lot like one of those opulent super yachts you see on shows about how the One Percent live. There was plush leather and gleaming fixtures everywhere, but Penny barely saw any of it as she rushed towards the back, hoping to find the bathroom before she broke down.
Thankfully, the door wasn’t hard to find. Penny threw herself inside and turned on the water full-force in the deep oval tub she found there. Only then, with the sound of rushing water to cover her sobs, did she feel free to let loose and cry as hard as she wanted to.
Gut-wrenching sobs shook her as she crouched on the floor, huddled in a ball with her knees drawn up to her chin. The emotional