Page 50 of Bound (Gladiators of the Gryn #3)
RYCH
My Chrissie is doing her best to appear strong, but something within me is being pulled so vrexing hard, I know it’s her hidden pain. Maxym told us all about the thoughtbond, a psychic connection with a fated mate, like the one Blayn developed with his female.
I don’t know who I am, or how the thoughtbond manifests itself, but I want this to be it.
I want to give her part of myself, the part which can keep her alive, keep her with me. Vrex! I’d give all of me for her to survive.
The Voltes pilots the air transport over Tatatunga as Chrissie lies in my arms. She opens her eyes occasionally, but most of the time, she appears to be sleeping. I try to tune into her thoughts, but I don’t seem to be able to.
Maybe that’s not how the thoughtbond works. I curse inwardly at my loss of memory. Sylas could at least recall something, even if it was false. My memory is simply the facility, where I was shunted around by bots, and then the dome via the amphitheater.
“You think too loudly,” Chrissie says, not opening her eyes.
“I do?” My heart leaps.
“You’re growling under your breath.”
“I growl for you, my sweet eregri , because I am going to destroy those who did this to you.”
“After they’ve put it right, I hope?” She looks up at me, eyes dancing.
“And then they die.”
I’ve never felt more feral, more willing to do the deed. My mate is all, she is everything. No one can harm her, not unless they want to feel my blade and my wings be the last things they ever see.
“We’re here,” Axel announces, dropping the air transport into a clearing in the Pax district, not too far from the dome. The building doesn’t cast a physical shadow here, but it might as well.
My feathers prickle at the thought the Drahon were so close. Pax is a mixture of derelict buildings and trading storage units. It’s a maze I don’t want to get into.
With a finger on my lips at Chrissie, I pull my sword and stick it at the back of his neck.
“Where’s here?” I snarl.
“Gytha told you, I told you—I can be trusted!” Axel whines.
“I’ll be the judge of your loyalty, not the vrexing resistance,” I respond. “Tell me where the base is.”
“It’s half a tick from here, down the road. It looks like a meat processing plant.” Axel says with a huff. “You gain access via a shack on the left side.”
“Another underground base, vrex!” I mutter.
“If you wait, Gytha will send reinforcements, and we can all go in together,” Axel says confidently. “The Drahon won’t put up much of a fight. They’re terrible fighters. They prefer to use their credits and influence.”
“What sort of influence do they have?” Chrissie asks, interested.
“They were around in the galaxy for a long time before they fell out of favor and the Galactic Council confined them to their planet. They know things,” Axel says.
“And what do they have on you?” I growl in his ear. “Because I’ve already disposed of one Voltes, and I can easily deal with you in the same way.”
“Nothing! I told you, I’m loyal to the cause,” he retorts.
If nothing else, this Voltes is prepared to stand up to me. It should give him honor, if I could trust him at all.
I can’t trust anyone with my Chrissie’s life. So, I slam the sword pommel into his head, and he slumps over the console of the flyer.
“Didn’t we need him?” Chrissie asks.
“I don’t need anyone, not when it comes to saving your life.” I rip through the transport until I find what I was looking for, a pair of bonds which I use to tie him to the console. “If the resistance is coming, they’ll release him.”
I cup her face with my hands, studying it, searing her beauty onto my eyes.
“I want to leave you here, but if I get to the scientist, I need you there with me, so she can do what she needs to do,” I say fiercely. “I want you to stay close at all times, do what I say, and”—I reach to my belt, taking out the pulsar which I hand to her—“never hesitate to fire, if you can.”
If I cannot go into battle with my fellow Gryn by my side, then ensuring my mate is completely protected is the best I can do.
Chrissie bites her bottom lip and takes the pulsar from me, tucking it into her pocket.
“Stay close, stay low, do what you say,” she repeats.
When I kiss her, it’s like all the stars in the galaxy are turned on, flaring brighter than they’ve ever shone before.
Chrissie is mine to my last breath.
And that breath will not be today.