Page 31

31

Pouty

*Jalen*

W e spent the entire morning hiking in silence. It was like we’d been sucked into a time portal, brought back to our first tense interaction. Ren walked by my side, silent and stiff, keeping her distance both mentally and physically.

Especially physically.

It was like she’d never kissed me so deliciously under the stars. Like she’d never climbed onto my lap in that cave and rubbed her hot cunt all over my cocks.

She was back to treating me like I was her own personal villain. And for once, I couldn’t summon the desire to warm her cold demeanor. Not while ire burned through my veins. Each time I thought I’d calmed enough to talk, the memory of Demetri’s hug returned, driving me mad with envy.

What did he have that I didn’t? She’d let him touch her. Hold her. He’d wrapped her in his arms, and she’d sighed like it was the only place she’d ever feel safe in the whole damned universe.

I wanted her sighs. I craved her warmth. Couldn’t bear the thought of another day spent without dragging her into my arms. But as the day wore on, it grew more likely that it wouldn’t be happening. Not now. Perhaps never.

Suddenly, Ren stopped, planting her feet firmly and facing me with her arms crossed. “All right, enough!”

I halted directly in front of her, leaving a barely there gap between us. “Enough what?”

“This… this”—she circled a hand in front of my face—“pouty bullshit. I don’t know what wiped the stupid smile off your face, but I’m done with the moping. The frown looks like shit on you, anyway.”

The corners of my lips ticked up just a hair. “That was likely the rudest ‘what’s wrong’ I’ll ever hear in my life, but if you must know, it’s you .”

“Me?” She jabbed a thumb at her chest, incredulous. “You’re fucking insane! That’s what’s goddamn wrong—not me.”

I cocked a brow. “Then why won’t you let me touch you?”

Her face fell like a wilted blossom. “I don’t let anyone touch me.”

“You let him. Demetri.” I fought to keep my tone even, but a sliver of anguish colored it. “Why?”

“Because he saved me!” she shouted. Then her eyes widened, and she slapped her hands over her mouth.

“What did he save you from?” Hadn’t I saved her too? Didn’t that earn me a modicum of trust? Her eyes pinched closed, and I worried she’d never explain. I needed this. I needed to know what secrets she buried that still affected her so deeply. “Please. Tell me.”

She opened her eyes at the same time her hands fell to her sides. “Okay.” She nodded at a downed log nearby. “Can we sit?”

“Certainly.” I followed her and sat beside her, leaving a small gap between us.

“I never had an easy time making friends as a kid. I was the weird girl obsessed with machines. Cass always stuck up for me, though. Until she couldn’t.” She twisted her fingers in her lap. “She got adopted when we were eight. The couple who took her swore they’d come back for me. At first, I believed them, but after a few months, I realized they didn’t want me. I wasn’t bubbly and sweet like Cassidy. I was just… me.”

“Ren—”

She cut me off with a lift of her hand. “After that, I was truly alone. I kept to myself, finding enough joy tinkering with engines to keep sane. It was a lonely childhood, but at least I was warm and fed. And for a long time, that was enough.” A visible shudder worked its way through her, starting at her head and rolling to the tips of her toes.

“What changed?” I prompted softly, my heart already breaking. Whatever it was, it had to be bad. I sensed it deep down in my bones.

“Puberty, I suppose. There were a few guys around my age at the space station, and one of them started treating me differently. He was a few years older than me, the son of the station’s mayor. He would save me a spot in the mess. Then he’d smile and flirt. At first, I even liked it. It was nice to be noticed, after so long with no one paying attention to me. I started to trust him. I even told him the truth about how lonely I was feeling. And when he asked me on a date, I said yes.”

I tried to picture her, young and all alone. Craving a relationship and being forced to settle for the company of machines. She’d be an easy target for an entitled male looking for a body to warm his sheets. “I’m guessing the date didn’t go well.”

“That’s the understatement of the millennia.” Her hand clenched into a fist. “He led me to a secluded part of the ship that was under construction.”

Rage burned in my veins. I could guess what happened next.

“He grabbed me.” She rubbed her arm in the same spot I’d touched that morning. “I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen. He forced me to my knees and wrapped his hand around my hair.”

I didn’t want to hear the rest. But she’d lived it.

“That’s what Demi saved me from.” Her voice hardened. “If he hadn’t been walking by and heard me struggling…”

Thank ellios for Demetri’s uncanny hearing.

“Demi had barely known me, but he burst in, demanding to know why the asshole wasn’t listening to my pleas to stop. The fucker had the gall to claim he couldn’t hear me. Can you believe that?” She shook her head in disgust.

“I hope Demetri ripped his heart out and fed it to him piece by piece.”

A startled chuckle escaped her. “Not quite. But he clocked the fucker hard enough that I got away. And he held me when I cried my eyes out later. He even tried to stop me from chopping off my hair… but I wouldn’t listen.” She dragged a hand through her short locks. “I guess, in a twisted way, I have to thank the prick for that. Demi’s been my honorary brother ever since.”

“And what about the male? Was he punished?” A sneer curled my lips. “What did you say his name was?”

She heaved a big sigh. “Travis. And nothing much happened to him, besides the shiner Demi gave him.”

“That’s not acceptable. If a male committed such heinous acts on Dionus, he’d suffer far more than a single blow.” I filed the name away. If I ever crossed paths with Travis, he’d learn a hard truth at my hands.

“He was practically royalty there, and I was just a lowly orphan.” She smirked. “But I got him back good a few weeks ago. Laid him flat on his ass last time I visited Oraxis Station.”

“Good.” Seemed my mate had taken her own vengeance. And yet, the memory of that day still haunted her. It was clear enough in her words and actions. I shifted on the log, turning so we were eye to eye. “Ren, I vow no male will ever put his hands on you again—or I’ll tear them off his wrists.”

Her lips quirked sideways. “I appreciate the vow and all, but I’ve learned how to cope on my own.”

“Cope…”

“Do you think he was the only one?” A tired smile flitted across her lips. “I hate to break it to you, Jalen, but the universe is full of creeps. Luckily, most of them stay far away from oil-stained mechanics who have ample access to tools that can rearrange their insides.”

My gut clenched. This explained so much. It must be why she wore her hair short and lived in those rumpled skinsuits. She was hiding her beauty so the so-called creeps wouldn’t target her.

I tensed as a terrible thought filtered through my head. Each of our interactions flashed in front of me, a whirlwind of flirting and fun and lust. I’d been a willing participant in all of them. Harlx help me, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to wanting to go further.

But was it different for her? What if she was trapped by the mate bond? What if she wanted nothing to do with me at all?

My voice broke as I asked, “Am I one of the creeps? Do you want me to stay far away from you, too?”