Page 25 of A Mate for Vasek (Tallean Mercenaries #11)

Dawn

Dawn was happily buzzed. She really enjoyed the amberberry wine the ladies had introduced her to, especially when it was diluted just a bit. It felt like she could drink it all night, but she knew better than to do that.

Then there were the little Euphora pods.

She’d been a little nervous to try them until Sarah had assured her that the pink pods were formulated for her specifically, and Dawn had at least thirty pounds on the petite woman.

The idea of putting something in her neck creeped her out a bit, but she was also very curious. And in the end, curiosity had won.

She was glad she’d tried them, because now colors were more beautiful. The music sounded so good. And every accidental touch on the dance floor was wondrous. Everything was perfect. Well, at least it had been until Vasek had shown up. Now she was acutely aware of him watching her.

She tried to focus on the Tallean male trying to dance with her instead. He was pretty good-looking and very, very fit. Like all muscles, not an ounce of fat, and could probably lift a house kind of fit. Except he wasn’t Vasek.

The music slowed, and the male corralled her into his arms. He was grinning, and she giggled in response. Maybe he wasn’t so bad.

Then suddenly there was a low, familiar growl, and the male was gone. Vasek was there instead. Excitement filled her for one glorious moment. He wanted her after all. But an angry little voice inside would not be silenced.

Did he think he could just show up and scare her dance partner away after what a jerk he’d been? Oh hell no!

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “We were dancing.”

“And now you are dancing with me.”

Dawn looked around for the male, but Dex and Berus were already dragging him away. Dex winked at her, and Cami gave her the thumbs up.

Oh, those scheming little…

Dawn was suddenly wrapped up in Vasek’s arms. God, he smelled so good. She wondered if she could bottle it up and sell it as an aphrodisiac, then realized she would probably be too jealous to share.

“Stars! I missed you.” Vasek’s words had a lump of emotion forming in her throat.

He’d missed her. The words made her giddy, but she refused to give in to them.

“That’s on you. You were the one who disappeared on me.”

“I thought… Forget what I thought, I was wrong.”

They weren’t really dancing, just hugging and talking, even though they were taking up the dance floor.

So Dawn started to move, letting the music guide her.

Vasek groaned as her body rubbed up against his.

Even in her Euphora-enhanced haze, she remembered how Danka had declared that her young suitor would have no chance if he didn’t shape up.

Well, Dawn wanted more than just this. She wanted Vasek to really want her.

“You can’t just say that because you don’t like me dancing with someone else. I’m my own person. I can dance with whoever I wish.” She eyed the dance floor for an escape route. She wasn’t sure she could handle being here if Vasek didn’t do something to prove he truly wanted her.

“I was wrong, Dawn. You are mine. Mine. I can’t let you go.”

Words. All Dawn heard were words.

Maybe she was broken, but she was too afraid to believe him. What if this was just because he was jealous now? What if tomorrow he went back to not needing her? If she let herself spend more time with him, she was going to fall, and she was going to fall hard.

She imagined waking up in the morning to find that Vasek had left after another wonderful night together. No. She couldn’t let that happen; she couldn’t handle it.

Spying an opening in the throng of people, Dawn made a dash for it. Tears stung her eyes and blurred her vision as she ran, weaving through the ocean of jeweled fabric, glitter, and drinks. Recognizing the guard who usually stood in front of her section of dorms, she made a beeline for him.

“’Scuse me. Pardon me. Coming through!”

He noticed her flying toward him, but his eyes were on Vasek instead. The guard opened the door for her and let her out, but then promptly stood back in front of the closing portal. She heard the start of the resulting fight as the door slammed shut, closing out the noise of the party.

Dawn found herself in the extensive gardens that ran through the entire compound. She didn’t recognize this part of it, but she knew that everything was interconnected, so she kept walking through the organized chaos of green, hoping she’d find a way to her room eventually.

The gardens looked so wild in the night despite being lit here and there with lanterns and sconces.

She marveled at the size of some of the trees.

The trunk she was currently walking around was so thick that she’d originally thought it was a building since the bark was covered in climbing vines just like the stone walls.

She made a mental note to come back to this section of the garden sometime after work to explore.

Exploring this place was so much better than the wilds.

At least she knew nothing could really harm her.

Correction. Nothing could really harm her here except for Vasek, with his promise of a broken heart.

She went by several more doors, but didn’t recognize any of them. It wasn’t until the third door that she realized the doors were labeled with plaques on the side. The other ones must have been covered by the growing vines or the bushes. The plaques even had English words added to them!

“ Training simulator ,” she read aloud to herself.

That was where Danka worked. She’d mentioned that if Dawn missed Earth, she could always go visit the Earth scenes they’d programmed into the machines.

She went all the time to visit New Rhea.

That had been where she grew up, and when she’d found out that Dawn had just been at Port Number Two, she’d asked a bunch of questions.

Danka had been rather disappointed that the park her mother used to take her on walks in had been turned into a giant shopping complex.

Didn’t the simulator lock when in use? That was one way to hide safely for a little while. And she could see these Earth scenes for herself.

She was greeted by a lit hall with dozens of doors on both sides. The plaques here didn’t have English, but she could read well enough to understand that some rooms were for training in groups and others were for single players. She chose one of the latter and stepped inside.

Vasek

Punching one of the compound’s guards in the face might not have been Vasek’s best idea, because he immediately found himself surrounded by about half a dozen more.

He was ready to fight all of them too, and had already started going into blood lust when a sharp prick had him staring at his chest. The assholes had drugged him.

His limbs went limp as they dragged him back to his table. He couldn’t even talk.

“Sorry, my friend.” Kean’s face greeted him.

“I can’t have you fighting my guards. Don’t worry, it will wear off soon.

The chemical works synergistically with the Euphora so just a tiny bit will put you on your ass if you’re already high.

Gives you a few minutes to cool your head.

I developed it myself. Works great to de-escalate fights at parties. ”

Zharor leaned over, his head of fine braids swinging.

“Our mates were sick of all the guests bleeding and in our lockup at the end of the night. We told them it’s normal for Tallean parties.

But they insisted there must be a better way.

They call it the Time Out chemical. You’ve been put in time out. ”

Vasek wanted to smear the smug look off his face.

Sure enough, as the song changed again, Vasek started getting movement back. And after a few more minutes, he was ready to go after his mate again.

“Keep your ass seated,” Zharor warned as he placed another drink in Vasek’s hand. “Normally, I’d think someone acting like this is too drunk, but I think you’re not drunk enough.”

“I need to go after Dawn.”

“No, you don’t. We know where she is. She signed into one of the training simulators.

You won’t be able to get in anyway while it’s running.

Just relax. I’ll let you know when she comes out, and you can go find her.

” The look in Zharor’s eyes said Vasek should listen if he knew what was best for him.

Zharor was the muscle and violence behind Kean’s razor-sharp intelligence and cutthroat business know-how, and Vasek wasn’t stupid or desperate enough to challenge that. Not yet. But every minute that ticked by without his mate by his side made him reconsider.

His mate! Dawn was his mate! He’d been a fool to think he could stop it in time.

Did that mean it was too late? Or had it already been fated? Carved in stone like the river had carved the canyon, and he could never have bested the curse. Dawn had run from him. He’d told her she was his, and she’d run. She hadn’t even spared him a single word.

Vasek had always wondered what type of male he’d be if and when the curse caught up with him and the universe gave him a mate who didn’t want him.

Would he be the one to watch and pine for her from afar, slowly going insane from the lack of contact and the unfulfilled bond?

Or would he be the type to steal her away and attempt to force a bond?

This was the most common route, especially since many times the bond eventually filled in.

But Dawn wasn’t Tallean, and humans didn’t form mate bonds. It might never work with her. Would they need to lock him up?

Vasek poured himself more of the drink, trying to dull the sharp pain in his chest. It didn’t work.

Every second seemed to drag on, and it felt as if Dawn had been in that training room for hours.

He couldn’t focus on the dancers, the sex performers, the fight arranged for their entertainment, or the knife-throwing competition.

By the time Zharor nudged him, he was ready to fight everyone to get to Dawn.

“She’s out.” Zharor checked his comm unit again, frowning. “There’s another guest there. Let me pull up the feed.”

Vasek looked around him, really taking in the scene for the first time in a while. Ranek was gone. Fuck! His brother had seen them together, and he’d seen Vasek go after her.

He didn’t wait for Zharor to check the feed. Vasek stood and headed toward the door. And this time, no one stopped him.