It has been the longest three days of my life.

It has been three days since I held Margo in my arms and finally tasted her.

Three days since I saw her beautiful body spread beneath me while I explored her warm cunt.

Three days since she has spoken to me.

She was able to restore the backup power the same day after our intimate exchange. With heat she didn’t need me to sleep close to her to keep her warm. Thoughts of self-sabotage crossed my mind by the middle of the first night.

It’s so damn hard being away from her. It seems like a cruel joke that my fated mate is a human bound and determined to fix her ship so she can fly millions of miles away from me. I’ve been torn and divided as to what I should do as well but it seems my decision has already been made for me. If I knew Margo would stay with me, by my side, I would sacrifice my oath to be with her. Just one taste of her made up my mind. But I don’t know how to get her to stay so the decision is moot.

I understand the punishment for breaking my oath. I would be considered a traitor in their eyes. If they caught me, I’d face execution. I’d be asking Margo to live a life of exile, on the run, if she chose to be with me. What kind of a life would that even be? But for the first time in my life, I see the promise of a life that contains more than just duty. I see the possibility of being blessed with someone who could fill that empty space inside of me and make me whole.

Maybe I am a coward and a traitor, but I would take the chance of having a life with her, of having a family, and never look back. A lot of my warrior brothers would make the same choice if they were presented with the options. Many of us had hopes for mates and families but it didn’t happen for us as of our twenty-fifth year. We’re given the choice of taking the oath to defend the city within the walls, or exile.

Branyx is a cold-hearted bastard through and through. He would have volunteered for the guard rather than take a mate. Kjallak, on the other hand, had hopes like me. He was cold toward Margo initially, but I can see how he has already warmed to her. She is smart and determined. She has muscle tone underneath all of her soft curves that make her desirable to any male in the vicinity. And yet, she is oblivious to the pull she has on a man.

I’ve kept my distance, not wanting to make her uncomfortable after what happened between us. But it’s taking all of my restraint and my mood is suffering the consequences.

“The storm has finally stopped,” Branyx says, coming up behind me while I keep watch at the main hatch.

“I see that,” I say, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. If he has only come to state the obvious I’m really going to lose my temper.

“Perhaps we should consider leaving for the city. The risk we take staying out here now…”

“I know the risk.”

“If an attack party comes along, we don’t have the manpower to defend ourselves.”

Finally, I stand and turn toward Branyx so we are standing chest to chest and he has the opportunity to see the authority in my face. “Branyx, do you think I don’t understand our situation?”

His stance falters for a moment but his answer is swift and he doesn’t break eye contact. “Of course not.”

“The storm has stopped but we find ourselves in the same situation. The ship is not working.” I know exactly what he’s getting at but I want him to have the balls to say it to my face. To show his hand and tell me exactly how he feels about babysitting a human.

“We agreed to bring the humans safely inside the city walls. Not to remain in a broken-down ship for days on end while an attack party could be riding up to our door and we don’t have the means to defend ourselves.”

“And what would you have me do?”

“We should leave, immediately. Bring the human or leave her.”

I can’t believe my fucking ears. The anger brewing inside of me feels like it’s going to explode. There’s a pulsing of energy coursing through me. I’ve felt it before during battle, this strange adrenaline that fuels me, helping me fight like a beast for as long as I need to.

My head is down while I try to control my breathing in order to keep my temper in check. “Would you leave a brother behind?”

His defiant stance is relaxing. “That’s different.”

“It isn’t different.” My voice is low though still just as menacing. I calm my anger enough to still the pulsing that feels like an amped-up heartbeat. “She is our responsibility. She is helpless out here on her own.” Looking him directly in his eyes, I ask, “Where is your honor?”

He holds my gaze but he can’t hide the emotions that pass over his features. The problem with Branyx is that he has his own set of rules and they revolve around making sure he always ends up on top. It’s hard to trust a man with one’s life when one doesn’t know how easily he can be bought.

Choosing his words carefully, the defiance in his eyes dims. “My suggestion has our best interest in mind. Bring the human, but we should leave.”

“Margo.”

His eyebrow raises in question so I clarify. “Her name is Margo. Considering we’ve been stuck on a ship together for the past four days I would think you would know her name by now.” He nods his head slowly and is about to turn away when I add, “And with the time we have before we go, why don’t you try getting to know her. Maybe that would make it a little harder for you to leave her behind to certain death if you thought of her as something other than expendable.”

Before he goes more than a few steps I find that I’m irritated all over again. “Come to think of it, I’m ready for a change of scenery. Take my post and I’ll go relieve Kjallak.”

I get the satisfaction of walking away this time. Branyx doesn’t know that she’s my mate but it’s still reprehensible that he would suggest such a dishonorable act. It makes me furious and once again I find myself wishing I could be close to Margo again. She always finds an excuse to leave when I enter the room or she works on something that occupies all of her attention. It’s putting me in a very foul mood.

I know she’s fighting the feelings she has for me. And I know that she’s still having dreams at night where I pleasure her to orgasm. Our link is subtle but I still get snippets of her thoughts and dreams. If I were to claim her as my mate and consummate our love, we’d have a much stronger telepathic connection.

As I round the corner of the corridor, I can hear her talking to Kjallak. I check out the small hatch’s window where Kjallak is supposed to be to make sure everything is quiet. Then I walk into the next bay, which contains the weapons room.

Kjallak is standing shoulder to shoulder with Margo, showing her how our weapons work. I shouldn’t be jealous, but there’s nothing I can do about the flood of anger that washes through me seeing her so close to another.

“Shouldn’t you be at your post, Kjallak?” They both look up at me simultaneously, their expressions changing to frowns as if I’m spoiling their fun. That just adds to my bad mood. I want her eyes to light up when she sees me like my entire body does when she’s around.

“Sorry, Lodyn,” he says. Instead of setting the blaster on the table, he hands it to Margo and then walks out of the room without glancing back.

Margo is examining the weapon in her hands, running her fingers over the smooth barrel. She seems fascinated with it, but no one is that interested in a blaster. Things have been awkward between us, mostly because Margo wants to pretend our intimacy didn’t happen and I can’t think of anything else.

I’m standing across the table from her and she still won’t meet my eyes. I lean forward so my hands rest on the table and I’m in her space. “You don’t have to avoid me, Margo.”

She looks up and meets my eyes, looking insulted that I would suggest such a thing. In a flash, it passes and she’s back to looking disinterested. “We need to keep things strictly professional between us, that’s all. We both have jobs to do.”

“And keeping it professional is easier if we aren’t around each other?”

She rolls her eyes and I can tell she doesn’t want to talk about it. And I can be okay with us not talking about it, as long as we can talk about something. Anything. As long as we can be around each other without having her run away and leave me feeling empty, a shell of myself. I don’t want to waste any of the time that we have together when I know eventually she’ll be gone.

Her attention goes back to the weapon in her hands. It’s driving me crazy that I don’t know what she’s feeling. I get the sense that she’s struggling as much as I am but I don’t know if I can trust it. And I don’t know if I can let it go.

“You are safe here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

My words somehow penetrate the barrier she has built between us. Putting the blaster back on the table as if it’s burning her hands, she rubs her hands on her pants before finally crossing her arms. “Safe from what exactly? I haven’t seen anything but snow and mountains since we landed.”

“The storm works to our advantage. It keeps the dangers at bay.” She looks at me as if she’s trying to read whether I’m serious or not. “This is a hostile planet, Margo. It won’t take long before you will see what I mean with your own eyes.”

I’d tear anything to shreds that would dare threaten her safety. She doesn’t understand the extent of our strength and ability, but if she were in danger, she would realize very quickly how well I can defend her. “I’m serious, Margo. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“But what if something happens to you?” The vulnerability in her voice tugs at my heart. It’s the first time I realize how hard this all must be for her. I want to pull her into my arms and feel her soft skin under my fingertips again. “I can handle myself on Earth, but I don’t know what I’m up against here.”

“It would take a lot for something to happen to me. As warriors of Attalan, we have enhanced strength and the ability to heal ourselves quickly when injured.”

“You are born this way?”

“No. Genetically enhanced.”

“Like an army of clones or something?”

“No. We have different abilities, different personalities…different desires. At least from what we know it only affects our physical abilities.”

“It’s your choice?”

“If you want to be a member of the guard you agree to the enhancements.”

“What else do you agree to?”

That’s the easiest question of all but the one I’m most hesitant to answer. “We take an oath of celibacy. We forgo taking a mate in order to dedicate ourselves completely to the protection of the city.”