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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

-Clay-

THROUGHOUT THE FIGHT , I squatted on the edge of my seat, stiff with nerves. When Arcay went down I thought that was it, Ulgar would win. I only drew another breath when Arcay slammed his head back square into Ulgar’s nose. When he jammed his elbow up into Ulgar’s nuts I actually jumped up and whooped like I was at a Galaxy Wrestling event, my blood pumping furiously.

The last few hits were solid and brutal, and then Ulgar was out for the count. Relief flooded my body and I nearly flopped off my seat. Arcay won. Thank fuck.

Arcay was now towering over Ulgar, and for a moment it looked like he might finish him off, but then he turned away.

Arcay won. He won. As the sheer relief began to fade, reality sunk in. I was happy that Arcay won, but I was torn over what that meant. Kesk had said that I would be Arcay’s by Aldar law. That meant any chance of help from Jursin to get out of here was gone. There would be no higher power stepping in, no easy handover. If anyone from back home came to get me, they would have a fight on their hands.

The alpha guards reappeared at my sides, ushered me up, and led me through the crowd. Now the looks thrown my way were no less hungry, but they were shaded with awe, respect even. I belonged to Arcay now, and they wouldn’t touch me. It was a strange feeling.

The guards led me through more passages until we reached a small chamber that was laid out with plush furniture, a huge round bed, scattered cushions, and throws. A low light emitted from an orb set into the ceiling instead of the bright white lights elsewhere in the ship. It smelled slightly spicy too, like incense.

They removed the collar from around my neck, left me there, and closed the door. I looked around. I hadn’t been here before, but something felt familiar about it. The low light, the furnishings— everything was lush and soft and dreamy. It looked like a very expensive, very well-designed backdrop for a porno. It was a damn boudoir. This must be where the alphas claimed their prize after they won the tournament. Claimed with a capital ‘C’. My stomach fluttered and I didn’t know whether to laugh or worry. Was Arcay going to try to claim me in here?

A door on the other side of the room opened and Arcay appeared. He looked even taller in this small, cozy room, and the light glinted off the gold on his hair and body. He looked completely exhausted, and hot as hell. I didn’t want to admit how relieved I was to see him.

“Clay,” he said. He moved towards me, and my eyes went wide at the red dripping down his side.

“You’re bleeding. Why haven’t you been sorted out yet?”

“I did not want to wait to see you.”

“You’re crazy.”

His eyes burned. “Only for you.”

He was steady on his feet, but his wounds needed to be looked at, if only to stop him getting blood all over the place. I sighed, this was starting to become a regular thing.

“Sit down,” I said.

He did, and I was surprised at how easily he followed my instruction. No glaring, growling, arguing—he just plopped himself down on the edge of the bed.

I unwound the soaked bandages I’d wrapped his wound with earlier—was it last night? Yesterday? The day before? I had no idea anymore. The skin underneath was torn open and bleeding freely. I hissed.

I tore a strip off the bottom of the robe I was wearing and wrapped it around his side, then did the same for his new injuries. It wasn’t great, but it staunched the bleeding somewhat. It would have to do for now.

While I did that, Arcay sat still, his eyes half-closed. He never smiled, but he looked the happiest I’d ever seen him. Maybe it was the fatigue of the fight, but he seemed almost docile, content to just be fussed over.

When I was done, my robe was considerably shorter, and Arcay was swathed in strips of red-stained fabric. I finished with the bandages and stepped back, unsure what to do now. His white hair was still an absolute mess, some of the strands sticking to his face, and I swept them back. He made a noise that sounded exactly like a cat purring, and something tightened in my chest.

“It is pleasant to be touched gently.”

I frowned. “People don’t touch you?”

“Sometimes Jursin will place his hand on my shoulder. I enjoy that. But I am the Second, I am not touched. If I have contact with anyone it is to fight them.” He huffed a breath in amusement. “That is not often gentle.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. Do you guys fight a lot?”

“Others yes, but I do not. Not before you came aboard at least.”

“You mean before you brought me aboard,” I said.

He twisted his mouth but didn’t say anything. Was that…guilt? Or was I just imagining it?

We sat in silence for a beat, trying to ignore the elephant in the room.

“I’m glad you won,” I said.

He looked at me. “As am I.”

“For a moment there I was sure Ulgar was going to.”

His face grew fierce and he leaned into my space, filling it with his amber eyes and musky smell. “I would not have let that happen. Even had he won you, he would have to kill me to keep me away from you— law or no law.”

The look of pure hatred on Ulgar’s face flashed through my mind. I had no doubt Ulgar would have done it too.

“But that no longer matters. You are mine now, no one can contest it.”

His intensity was making my blood pump to inconvenient places. Or very convenient, depending on how you looked at it. I cleared my throat and shifted, putting more space between us.

“Last night,” he said.

It took me a second to realize what he was talking about. It felt like much longer ago when he’d sucked me off. I puffed my cheeks and let the air out slowly. “Yeah, last night.”

Last night had been something else. My head was still spinning.

He nodded. “We did not have a chance to talk before you were taken from me. Was it…I just want to make sure, because it is important to me that you…” He licked his lips, trying to find the words. “Was my behavior to your liking?”

“To my liking?” I said.

I pressed my lips together. It should be impossible for a seven feet tall killing machine to be adorable, but shit, this was adorable.

“Yes, I do not want you to feel as if I am forcing you—”

I waved my hand awkwardly. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have right now, or ever, but I knew it was important. “Arcay you don’t have to worry about that, I was one hundred percent into it. I told you last night, it was good.” I stuck both my thumbs up. “Two thumbs up. Would recommend,” I said and then wished I hadn’t.

Two thumbs up? What the fuck is wrong with you?

Arcay looked confused, stuck his own thumb up and examined it, trying to decipher its secret meaning, then hesitantly held it out to me.

“Good, I want to ensure there is no miscommunication between us.”

I sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed my neck, this was getting a bit touchy-feely for me. “Seriously, Arcay, don’t worry about it.”

He considered me for a moment, then nodded and turned away.

My train of thought inevitably followed the horny track of last night’s activities, and my blood stirred. Fuck that had been great. I hadn’t really thought about it in all the chaos.

“So, uh, what happens now, then?”

“It is tradition that we mate, and I claim you here and now.” He leaned in closer, pursuing me and filling the space I created. The smell of him was enough to get my head spinning and my pulse racing. Mixed with the adrenaline rush of the fight, of watching him defeat Ulgar, the memories of last night, and the sheer relief that he had survived, it was a potent cocktail. My breath deepened.

Arcay pressed a hand against the side of my neck and leaned closer, his pupils blown wide with desire, and I didn’t even flinch when he pressed his face into my throat and mouthed at the place he’d marked me. I hissed as he ran his lips over it, then licked the area with his tongue. My dick started to harden and I pressed into the touch.

Would it really be so bad if I let him take me just once? The last time had been so good, I could only imagine what it’d feel like with him inside me. And it didn’t mean I had to stay—it might mean we were married, but that’s what divorces were for, right? My breathing hitched as he nipped along the side of my jaw. What if I just…let him…

But to my surprise he pulled back, just far enough to see my flushed face. He studied me, his eyes ravenous.

“But you belong to me now, and I can do with you as I please.” His voice was low and rough with restrained heat. “And as I said, I will not claim you until you offer yourself to me.”

Cold air rushed into the space that opened between us, and I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I didn’t even know what I wanted to say. Before I could figure it out, he retreated completely and crouched on the far side of the room. He was actually backing off and giving me space. Like he…respected me. What the fuck?

“You should rest, Clay. You have been through a lot.” He settled on his haunches, like a giant, sexy cat—that’s a thought I never thought I’d have — and nodded at the bed I was sitting on. “You take the bed, I will rest on the floor. My back is paining me.”

Mouth open, I sat, completely confused at this turn of events. This was not what I’d expected. But what had I expected? Maybe having to fight him off? Begrudgingly accept his advances? That he would make a pass at me, at least. But him pulling back entirely was not on the list.

He settled onto his stomach on the floor so his back wouldn’t hurt, face turned away from me, and lay still. After a moment, I settled back into the soft bed too, completely at a loss as to what else to do. It was very comfortable, and the thought of actually sleeping without anyone trying to jump me was enticing. And fuck, now that I thought about it I was absolutely exhausted. When was the last time I’d actually slept? Passing out while tied to the wall didn’t count, and the cat nap I’d had before Arcay caught me seeing to myself had hardly been enough to recover. My eyelids fought to close, but even with how tired I felt, I couldn’t sleep.

A lot of things had happened in the last twenty four hours — I’d been dragged away, held in a cell, leered at by alphas, and fought over. But it wasn’t any of those things that troubled me. It wasn't even the shock of Arcay keeping his distance. The thing that kept me awake was my own reaction to it.

I should feel relieved. That would be the sane response in this situation. But no, for some reason my sanity had decided to take a vacation. I lay on my back, staring up at the softly pulsing orb, and a pit opened up in my stomach.

I was disappointed.