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“It’s where females from around the nation compete to be the next member of my conclave in a giant spectacle,” he growled in outrage.

“That’s messed up. So, you’re like some trophy.”

“Messed up,” he chuckled but no amusement reached his eyes. “Yes, it is messed up. And yes, I’m a mere prize.”

“You are a prize but not like that.” She smiled sympathetically, hoping he understood what she meant. “That’s horrible. Why? Why any of it?”

“A female has to prove she’s strong. You heard Tellar’s story about the goddess’s curse. The female that creates the new servant can’t be weak.”

“Are all conclaves like this?” she asked, horrified by the thought.

“Only with the well off. Most conclaves begin among playmates when they are young.”

No wonder.She now understood why he went from woman to woman while on his various missions of mercy. He wasn’t so much a playboy as a man desperate to find affection on his own terms. Aculus might not have found women who cared for him, but at least he was the one making the choice.

“Oh, Aculus. I’m sorry I didn’t understand. I really want to give you a hug right now.” She lifted her bound hands.

“Not yet. There’s more I need to tell you.” Vulnerability swam in his eyes.

“Okay,” she relented, although she really wanted to console him.

“You may have noticed females outnumber males. People again attribute this to the goddess’s curse. I think it’s just evolution. A male can spread his seed around but females can only carry two young at a time.”

“True.”

“It’s that same evolution that further complicates things. This shell protects us, but it also keeps us from reproducing.”

Perplexed, she cocked her head, not understanding how the bony armor got in the way when he’d revealed himself to her many times.

“What do you mean?” she asked, totally confused.

“A male must find his weakness, the rare female who makes his shell recede.” He pointedly gazed at her then lifted his hand to show his palm was bare, the shell totally gone where he’d been touching her cheek.

She stared at Aculus as what he said sank in. He’d called her his weakness before, but she’d thought it was just a foreign term of endearment.

I’m his one. His someone special.

Something inside her leapt for joy, except there were also staggering implications to what he just revealed.

“Aculus, I really care for you, but I don’t know if I can…”

Aculus put a finger to her lips. “And that’s why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to add to the burden you’re carrying.”

He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. She sighed when his lips softened, knowing his shell had receded.

“I never expected to find you,” he whispered against her lips. “I said if I possessed you, you’d be mine, no turning back, but I could never steal your right to choose, the way I’ve been robbed. And I can’t live wondering what might’ve been.”

Fourteen

To Know You

Nadzia

She didn’t know what to do with this revelation, the way Aculus felt, his body’s response to her, any of it. She didn’t even know what to do with herself. They were from two different worlds. When her father was healed she’d be leaving. She did care deeply for him, but it had barely been two weeks since they met. That was hardly long enough to truly get to know someone, let alone fall in love.

Right?

She was no longer angry with him. How could she be? It was understandable why he hadn’t told her all this to begin with. And despite the overwhelming weight she felt inside, he wasn’t pressuring her to make promises or lasting declarations. If anything, she was heartbroken for him, for herself.