Page 49

“Oh, you rotten tattletale.” Abby scowled at Hope.

“Abigail Murray, what have you been doing?” Providence eyed her.

“We are not alone, thank you very much.” She stuck her tongue out at her sisters.

“Ashtoret,” Providence hollered, her voice echoing through the speaker, making Abby cringe.

“What?” Ash stepped forward.

She couldn’t believe Pro dragged him away from important business to get to the bottom of her sex life.

“What are you doing with my sister?”

“Oh my gawd,” Abby groaned under her breath. She was hardly a baby, but her family still treated her like one.

“Your sister is my bonded,” Ash replied without batting an eye.

She turned to him, wondering what he meant.

“You mated my sister! He bit you!” Providence screeched.

Abby’s eyes widened. “Wait. What?” Her hand rose to the bite marks on her neck.

Ash’s head swung toward her, a look of horror transforming his face. “Abby, I said I would make you mine and you agreed.”

She replayed their evening together. She’d been so turned on she would’ve agreed to anything. His declaration hadn’t and still didn’t strike her as a binding proposal.

“I didn’t realize you meant you were marrying me. I thought it was a figure of speech, like you were gonna own it,” she explained but it sounded so stupid coming out of her mouth. Her heart broke seeing the devastation on Ash’s face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand.” She teared up.

“Did you use protection?” Hope demanded, adding insult to injury.

“We were naked in a swamp for a day, running from Spec-ops, then holed up in a motel room. No, we didn’t use protection.”

“I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I will assure you are not carrying my young and return you along with Hope.” Ash bowed stiffly to her and walked back the rear of the room. “Let’s give them some privacy,” he growled to the others.

“Ash?” she called out, but Ash refused to look back at her as he left the control room. Abby bit her fist to repress a sob as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Abby, I’m sorry.” Hope was stricken.

“Peanut, do you like Ashtoret?” Pro asked.

Abby nodded. She liked him a lot. Up to this point she’d been dreading when they said goodbye, but never imagined their night of passion equated being married. It was so hard to wrap her head around, and not only because Ash came from another planet. They just met, and she had plans for herself; to go to graduate school, visit Europe... She didn’t picture herself being married till years from now.

“He’s a good guy. You could come live here with me,” Providence offered. “I’d love that.” Her sister smiled.

“I can’t think.” She shook her head. Ash was a good guy. Actually, he was a great guy. Funny. Intelligent. Sexy. And now she’d broken his heart. “He wouldn’t even look at me,” she mumbled past her tears.

She sat numbly listening as Hope and Providence discussed a myriad of things. She hadn’t heard from Pro in nearly a year. Her sister was miraculously alive yet she couldn’t get it together enough to participate in the conversation, and it added to her misery.

“Peanut,” Pro pulled her from her thoughts. “Think about what I said. I love you guys so much.” Providence broke down in tears as she said goodbye.

“I love you, too.” Hope reached out to the screen.

“Love you, sis,” Abby choked. The screen went black and she lost it completely.

“Abby!” Hope rushed over and wrapped her arms around her.

“Please. I just want to be alone and lay down.” Abby felt numb. She didn’t mean to shrug Hope off, but she couldn’t handle anymore. The last few days had been too much, and now this.