Page 8 of Bikar
Her expression turns sly before she asks. “So… do you know which of the brothers is piloting our new digs?”
Her question sends sinking suspicion that I’ve been played trickling through me.
“Uhm. No…? But I bet you’re about to tell me.”
“You bet your ass I am. It’s Bikar! I heard from Myev that he’s the only one out of all the brothers that’s on the shuttle. I’m notsure how they finagled it, but Shagar and Atasha are in Falon’s old room on the Zenith along with all the couples. You, me, and all the single Ruks are on this vessel.”
That sneaky motherfucker!
My thoughts are filled with indignant rage, but all that comes out is. “Oh…”
Heather must see the dread and anxiety written all over my face, because she pushes me back into my room and shuts the door behind us. Grabbing my hand, she leads me over to the couch and pulls me down onto it with her.
“Okay, I can understand being apprehensive. There’s the size difference, the fated-mate-trope thing going on, and the fact he’s a completely different species… but you’re legitimately terrified of all the males. Even the mated ones. You’re eventually going to have to at leasttalkto him. Remember these guys belong to a species thatdiesif they don’t seal the bond with their females. We both watched how it drove Ruarc insane, and Kallen almost died. You’re my bestest best friend, and I refuse to let that happen to you.”
“I don’t want him to die, and I really don’t wanna die. But…”
Heather leans forward, straining to hear my quiet words. Clearing my throat, I make an effort to speak up while keeping my eyes fixed on where her hands hold mine.
“I don’t want him to die, but he betrayed his brother for purely selfish reasons. That says a lot about the type of person he is. If he will do that to his brother…”
Raising my head, I see the lightbulb go off in Heather’s blue eyes, and she fills in the gaps when my voice fails me. “If he can do that to one of his brothers, whom he loves dearly, then what would he betray you for?”
“Exactly. I know you and the other girls have seen my scars, the ones I got before the Velgriddix. My father gave those to me in an attempt to bend me to his will and mold me into a properdaughter. Nothing I ever did was good enough. The house wasn’t cleaned to his expectations, his food wasn’t ever cooked the way he wanted, and… and so on.”
Choking back a sob, I force myself to tell her the rest. “The night I ran away is the night I learned my father set up an auction. He was going to sell my virginity to the highest bidder, and then whore me out for extra cash. It was his way of making money off his‘free-loading good-for-nothing daughter.’”
Wiggling my fingers in a silent request, Heather releases her grip on my hands so I can wipe the tears running down my cheeks. Taking a shuddering breath, I sum it all up. “My father, the man that was supposed to love and cherish me first, was going to use my body to make him money. He betrayed me out of selfish greed. I refuse to bind myself to another man just like him.”
“Oh, honey, I think you might be judging Bikar a little harshly.”
Irritation makes my response caustic. “Really? From what I understand, he lied to Murgul about that ship, what was on it, and what he really wanted. If Murgul died, then Gwen would have died too! He didn’t think about any of that. All he thought about was money and whatever stupid alien mumbo jumbo he stole off that other spaceship! There’s a saying that goes‘money is the root of all evil’, and it’s apparent that transcends worlds and species. Bikar betrayed Murgul and endangered me, hisprecious mate, at the same time when he set his sights on that fucking ship.”
By the time I’m finished talking, my chest is heaving with emotion, and Heather is looking at me with sympathy. “Well, I can’t deny the validity of what you’re saying, because all of that is true.”
She leans over and hugs me tightly for a long time before eventually letting go, getting up, and heading for the door. Just before she leaves, she offers me one last piece of information.
“I’m not sure if you know this or not, but Bikar apologized to Murgul… and Murgul forgave him. It doesn’t excuse what he did, but it’s a step in the right direction. Maybe there’s more we don’t know or understand. Remember, there are always two sides to every story. Just… think about talking to him, Bambi.”
Staring at the empty doorway, I slump into the couch. “That shithead. He could have said something during our little chat earlier, but I guess that would’ve defeated the purpose.”
Lying my head against the back of the couch, I stare blankly up at the ceiling, contemplating how the hell I got here, and how this could possibly be my life now. Heather’s parting words hit home, just as she meant them to, and I can’t help voicing my disbelief to the empty room:
“I didn’t know men knew how to apologize. Lord knows Dad never did.”
Then, the floor beneath my feet vibrates subtly—we’ve left the planet’s surface, and we’re off to parts unknown.
Again.
CHAPTER 8
BIKAR
Initiating takeoff, I cut the comm connection with my Starshines’s room, guilt piercing my hearts as I silently curse my shortsightedness. My guilt is not from listening to her private conversations. I hold no remorse for that—I need every tool in my arsenal to woo her. Not that I would ever admit to such a thing, especially to Bambi. She would have me castrated for violating her privacy in such a manner.
However, Ideeplyregret hurting her, even though I did not know I had until this very moment. I did what I did in an attempt to secure our future, so none of us would ever have to worry about anything ever again.
How was I to know that my mate had unseen wounds my actions ripped wide open?
