Chapter Five
Rykaur waited next to his tent, debating on whether to go on without Mary. But he couldn’t seem to drive away.
He told himself it was guilt for hurting her that caused him to remain seated on the ATV. But somewhere deep inside, he knew that to be a half truth. He wanted to see her again.
The fact that she’d stolen from him paled in comparison to the thought of her selling her body.
Rykaur couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around the fact that she laid with human males for money.
Yet, he wanted to see her, still.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Mary murmured, strolling up next to him.
He’d been so lost in thoughts of her carnal ways, he hadn’t noticed her approach.
“Climb on.” The words came out more clipped than he’d meant them to.
Mary strapped her bag onto the back of the ATV and climbed on behind him.
Her scent wrapped around him like a warm, sensual breeze, tightening his stomach into knots. “We will arrive in approximately forty-five minutes. Does it pain you much?”
Her arms came around his waist to add to the already unsettling of his gut.
“It hurts,” she softly replied, “but I’ve had worse.”
Every scenario he could imagine ran through his mind, but he didn’t question her about it. Partly because he figured she would lie to him, and partly because he was afraid to know.
Had she been beaten by a male? Was she mated, and if so, did her mate know of her prostitution? So many questions littered his brain, he couldn’t process them all.
Cranking the ATV, Rykaur turned toward the entrance to Aukrabah with his worst nightmare clinging to his back.
The drive into the belly of his home seemed to take forever. Mary’s closeness, her intoxicating scent, and her pale thighs pressing against the outside of his own nearly drove him mad with need.
He’d had an erection since the moment she’d climbed on the back of his ATV, and his sex throbbed still, almost thirty minutes later.
Her arm came around his shoulder. “What is that?”
Rykaur pulled the ATV over next to the wall and nodded toward the brightly lit entrance. “It is the new clinic. The lab is one door down.”
“You have electricity down here?”
The surprise in her voice told him one thing for certain: she didn’t watch the human television.
“Not in all of Aukrabah. Only the lab and the clinic.”
Abbie stepped into view. “Happy early birthday, Rykaur. How old will you be? In human terms,” she added before Rykaur could answer.
“I will be thirty years old as of tomorrow.”
Abbie leaned to the side to see around him. “Who do you have with you?”
“This is Mary. I am taking her to see Zaureth.”
An indention appeared between Abbie’s eyes. “Is she sick?”
Rykaur shook his head. “She has an injury to her face. An injury I believe that Zaureth can heal.”
“Would you like for me to take a look at it?”
Rykaur sent Hauke’s mate a gentle smile. “Perhaps later, if Zaureth is unable to help her.”
Abbie took a step forward. “Are you sure? It’s really no trouble.”
“I am sure.”
“Okay then,” Abbie murmured, returning his smile. She turned and disappeared back inside the clinic.
* * * *
Pulling up next to the great hall, Rykaur shut down the ATV and threw his leg over the side. He couldn’t seem to get away from Mary fast enough.
“What is in the bag?” He nodded toward the bag she’d strapped to the back.
Mary shrugged. “Just some clothing and a toothbrush. I wasn’t sure how long I would be here.”
Rykaur unhooked the bag and threw the strap over his shoulder. “Follow me.”
Without waiting for her to dismount, he turned and strode off down the hall toward the catacombs.
Mary suddenly appeared at his side, walking fast to keep up with him. “Are you in a hurry, or do you normally run where you need to go?”
Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on Rykaur. He slowed his steps. Barely.
Why was he reacting to her in such a negative manner? Other than felling him and taking his jewels, she was just another human female in his eyes. A female that he’d struck, he mentally corrected. And Rykaur would never harm a female. No matter what she did to deserve it.
Stopping outside the catacombs, he turned to face her. “Look. I am sorry that I struck you. I do not know what came over me. But you can rest assured it will not happen again. I would ask that you forgive me.”
Something flickered in her beautiful eyes. She glanced away. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“I do worry about it, Mary. I have never harmed a female before. Not even…”
That brought her gaze back to his. “What were you about to say?”
“It is not important. Suffice it to say, I will never harm you again. You have my word.”
Mary simply nodded, studying him with an intensity that unnerved him.
Rykaur couldn’t believe he’d almost told her about Kaura. He hadn’t spoken Kaura’s name since she’d broken his heart nearly ten years ago.
At twenty years old, Rykaur had decided that Kaura was the mate for him. She’d flirted with him and led him to believe she felt the same way. Until he’d walked into the food pantry one night to find her in the arms of another male.
Kaura had informed Rykaur that she loved the other Bracadyte and would mate with him at the first full moon.
Though Bracadyte women were known for their honesty and avoided games at all costs, Kaura hadn’t given Rykaur that same courtesy. She’d pretended to care for him until someone with more to offer came along.
Rykaur had spent the next nine years in the training room, building his strength and honing his skills. Other than the nightly visits to the widows of Aukrabah, he kept to himself and found no interest in pursuing a mate.
So, why was this scrap of a land walker with her fiery red hair and pale gray eyes, getting under his skin? He didn’t know, but it ended now.
Rykaur called out to Zaureth.
“We are at the table,” Zaureth answered without delay. “Come. Join us.”
Rykaur took the steps down into the catacombs and strode around the corner to find Zaureth and Amy seated at the table having dinner. “I did not mean to interrupt your meal, Zaureth. We will come back at a later time.”
“Nonsense,” Amy softly argued, smiling in Rykaur’s direction. “You are always welcome at our table.”
Amy abruptly tilted her head. “Who do you have with you?”
Rykaur cleared his throat. “This is Mary. She has an injury on her face. I had hoped that Zaureth would take a look at it.”
Zaureth immediately stood and extended his hand toward Mary. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mary.”
Amy held out her hand as well. “My name’s Amy. I’m Zaureth’s mate.”
“Mate?” Mary questioned, shaking both their hands.
Amy’s lips twitched. “Wife. It’s the Bracadyte term for husband or wife.”
Zaureth stepped in closer to Mary and gently tilted her chin up. “May I?”
Rykaur watched as Mary leaned her head back to give the healer better access, her throat as perfect as her face.
A small spark of jealousy seeped inside Rykaur as Zaureth’s palm coasted along her cheek. But he shook it off.
Energy surrounded them, strong enough that Rykaur could feel the hairs on his neck stand on end.
Mary quietly sighed, a low moan slipping past her lips. Her eyes slid shut, and a look of elation settled on her face.
More jealousy swirled through Rykaur. Where he’d caused Mary pain, Zaureth effortlessly removed it, replacing it with pleasure.
The healer suddenly lowered his hand and stepped back. “There are no breaks, only some severe bruising. I hope whomever did this to you got what he deserved.”
For some reason, Mary didn’t mention who’d caused her pain.
Her eyes slowly opened, and a look of wonder remained in their gray depths. “How did you do that?”
Zaureth merely shrugged. “It is better now, no?”
Mary quickly nodded. “Thank you so much, Mr. Zaureth. It doesn’t hurt at all now.”
Amy chuckled. “Come sit down, Mary. Zaureth made the best grouper I’ve ever tasted.”
Mary glanced at Rykaur as if to gauge his reaction to the invitation.
He nodded toward an empty chair. “Go ahead.”
“You too, Rykaur,” Amy demanded, waving a hand at the other vacant chair. “We have plenty.”
Rykaur lowered Mary’s bag to the floor and sat while Amy fixed Mary a plate and then made one for him.
Zaureth’s beautiful mate then shifted her attention back to Mary. Though Rykaur knew Amy to be blind, he doubted Mary would be able to tell. Besides, Amy could see through her mate’s eyes, which Rykaur assumed gave her more confidence.
With a quick thank you to Amy, Rykaur picked up his fork to take a bite, when he noticed Mary bow her head and fold her hands in front of her. It took him a moment to realize she was praying and another to lower his own head.
Rykaur had never prayed to another being before, but something about watching Mary do so pulled at his heartstrings. Whether her God happened to be real or not, the sheer humbleness of the gesture instantly endeared her to him.
And there, with his head lowered in respect, a small flame of admiration fanned to life inside him. Prostitute or not, there was something about the red-haired beauty that spoke of innocence, depth, and strength. And Rykaur found that he liked it.