War Bride (Battle Born #7)(32)

“He kidnaped me,” she cried. “And he’s a Rodyte. I thought he was just saying what I wanted to hear so I’d give him a child.”

“I know you desire him, but is lust all you feel?”

The time for denials had passed. She would never find her way out of this tangle if she didn’t start being honest with herself. “I care for him much more than I want to, but I still find it hard to trust him.”

“That’s understandable. But think back over your time together. Has he ever lied to you?”

“Are you serious?” She shook her head, unable to hide her disbelief. “If I’m not really a war bride, as you claim, then everything he said to me was a lie.”

Conviction crept into Tonn’s tone as he responded to her accusation. “He was playing a part, acting as you expected a Rodyte to act. He needed you to hate him enough to do anything to escape him, even agree to help rescue his son.”

But she didn’t hate him. She’d fallen in love with him instead.

“Has he ever broken a promise to you?” Tonn persisted.

“He was about to.” But the thought she’d overheard could have indicated his determination to claim her as mate rather than his willingness to deceive her. She shook her head, heart thudding rapidly against her ribs.

“Is there anything you’ve asked of him that he’s refused to do?”

“Other than freeing me?”

Challenge arched Tonn’s dark brows. “You spent the last six years searching for a genetically compatible male. Why are you so eager to escape now that you’ve found one?”

“He didn’t contact me like a civilized suitor. He kidnapped me!”

“Why do you think that is?” he shot back. “Would you have taken his suit seriously if he contacted you through the mate finder?”

She gasped. “How do you know about that?”

Tonn laughed and looked out into the night. “Where do you think he got your DNA profile and a list of your abilities? Bride hunters have used those charlatans for decades to find compatible brides.”

She thought about all the information she’d given the mate finder. Her interests and abilities. Her background and aspirations. She’d made it incredibly easy for Kryton to find what he needed. “This is unbelievable. We’re doing it to ourselves.”

“No,” he stressed as he turned his head back toward her. “The warriors are to blame. You did nothing wrong.”

“But what about Kryton? Was it his intention to woo me from the start, or did his attitude evolve over time?”

It took him a moment to answer. “If you’d been a true war bride, he would have claimed you that first night.” He waited until she looked into his eyes before he added, “Your courtship might have been unconventional, but he has always been courting you.”

“Oh, Tonn, I’m such a fool.” She covered her mouth with her hand as a sob broke loose inside her.

Tonn wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Would you like me to com him? He can be here in less than an hour.”

“Please, but don’t tell him what I want. Just tell him I’m ready to talk.”





Chapter Six


Kryton powered down his shuttle with a frustrated hiss. Skyla crooked her finger and he came running like an obedient lap pet. He was such a fool. A lovesick fool, he corrected. He no longer tried to deny it. He was desperately in love with Skyla of Hautell, and there was nothing he could do about it. He intended to explain himself one last time and if she was still unwilling to trust him, he’d let her go.

Sorrow squeezed his heart at the thought of losing her. How could he lose what he’d never had? If she felt nothing but lust for him, it was better this way. He knew all too well what it was like to have a morautu who despised him.

He crossed from the landing pad to the mansion’s side entrance. It was late and he didn’t want anyone but Skyla to know he was here. If she refused him, again, the last thing he wanted was a bunch of pity-filled gazes following his every move. He scanned open the door then reactivated the perimeter alarms. He’d dismissed the guards shortly after he landed. Regardless of how things turned out with Skyla, extra security was no longer necessary.

Taking the servants’ stairs to the third floor, he went directly to the master suite. He wanted this settled once and for all. Skyla had disrupted his well-ordered life long enough. He paused before the door and raised his hand to knock. To hells with that. This was his house and she was his morautu. He eased the door open and slipped inside the shadowy room.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, then he strode across the sitting area and into the adjoining bedroom. His heart lurched within his chest when he found the bed empty.

“Skyla?” Panic tore her name from his mouth.

The curtains billowed in the wind and she stepped into the open doorway leading out onto the balcony. “I’m here.”

He took a deep breath to calm himself then joined her. Moonlight bathed her lovely face in silver and made her eyes particularly luminous. Her slim body swam within the folds of his bathrobe, making him envy the plush material.

She watched him silently, tension clear on her delicate features.

Her reluctance fueled his determination. “Tonn said you wanted to talk, but I’d rather start if you don’t mind.”