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THREE DAYS LATER
Talia leaned back against Dolok, snuggling deeper into his arms, and stared at the fresh layer of snow covering the street. The past few days had been a frenzied blur. After rescuing the deltoirra women, they’d spent half a day searching the Crusher to make sure they hadn’t missed any prisoners and that none of Tremaine’s men had escaped.
Seeing the bloodstained arenas reminded her of the family she’d lost and left her nauseous. She’d wanted to fly the ship into space and blow it into a billion pieces. Instead, she’d agreed with Dolok’s suggestion to have Rex fry the data systems. He’d destroyed all the advanced technology, including the field, and made sure the vessel could never be flown again. If there was anything onboard the deltoirra wanted to salvage, they were more than welcome to it.
Talia also had to deal with Harker Trask. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life worrying about someone issuing a contract for her, least of all him. She’d sent Trask a picture of Tremaine’s corpse, told him the hunters had beat her to him, and that he could keep his money. Depending on one’s perspective, it wasn’t exactly a lie, but it was enough to satisfy Trask.
The night before, when she’d finally gotten some alone time with Dolok, they’d enjoyed many hours of making love. Afterward, when he held her in his arms, he’d told her about Balok, the hunter friend who’d been abducted by Tremaine. She also discovered that he’d died in the arenas before Dolok and Gedrin could find him. The more time she spent with her mate, the more things she found that they had in common.
“Aren’t you going to go with him?” Dolok nuzzled the side of her head, teasing her earlobe.
She watched Edward shuffle through the snow toward the front door of his home. “No, this is their time. They don’t need any outsiders.”
Once they’d returned to the caves and gotten the prisoners cleaned up, Talia had discovered that Anna’s father was still alive. With the field inoperable, they’d had Rex pick them up with a shuttle, then taken the men back to their families.
The last task she had to complete before leaving Haspridian was fulfilling the promise she’d made to the sweet little girl.
Talia smiled when Edward entered the dwelling and she heard his wife’s gleeful cry. Once the door closed, she turned in Dolok’s arms. “I’m ready to go.”
“As you wish.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then took her hand and headed for the transport.
“Lady, wait.” Talia glanced over her shoulder and saw Anna rush outside, her small, cherubic face filled with joy. She plowed through the snow, slipping and sliding right into Talia’s legs. “You did it! You found my papa.” Anna gripped the bottom of Talia’s coat, then tipped her head back and smiled up at her. “Thank you, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Talia grinned at the girl, wondering if the happiness filling her heart would one day be something she shared with a child of her own.
“Anna.” Edward appeared in the doorway, his wife at his side. “It’s time to come in.”
“Okay.” Anna ran a few feet, stopped, then turned. “Bye.” She waved at Talia, then took off running again.
Anna squealed when Edward gathered her into his arms and carried her into the house.
Dolok seemed to sense Talia’s melancholy mood. He encircled her waist, pulled her close, then pressed his forehead against hers. “Are you all right, my mate?”
My mate. He addressed her that way often. “Yeah, actually, I am.” She kissed his chin. “Have I told you how much I love it when you call me that, or how much I love you?”
Dolok quirked his brow and grinned. “Does that mean you would like me to give you more lessons on the art of claiming?” He slid his hand down her back and squeezed her ass.
Talia wiggled against him. “Not here. Maybe when we get home.”
He nipped the side of her neck. “I do not think I can wait until we reach Tarron.”
She giggled, pulling away from him and tugging him toward the transport. “Can you at least wait until we get back to the Inferno?”
“It will be difficult, but I will try.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her the last few feet to the vehicle. “I love you, my mate. You are my forever, and I will never let you go.”
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