Page 12 of Rescuing Mara (Warriors of Arracate #2)
CHAPTER 12
Mara
L auren leads me through a hallway toward sliding doors that open automatically when she steps close. They open into a wide-open space. It must be the control room because three big males are occupying three big chairs facing an enormous control station with a big screen.
My gaze is immediately drawn to O’Rec. A strong name, but with a hint of gentleness. I like it, it suits him. He looks at me but doesn’t move. Next to me, Lauren starts talking, but I can’t hear anything. I am solely focused on O’Rec. There’s something about him, the way he looks at me, his eyes filled with longing and uncertainty. I almost take a step toward him when Lauren’s voice cuts through the fog.
“And that is D’Var, my mate,” she beams. Smiling at a big male with a playful grin.
“You can tell me and T’Rak apart because I am the handsome one,” he grins, earning himself a scolding look from the male in the center - a big scary one with a scar across his face.
“Welcome to the ship,” he says in a gruff voice before he turns his chair, summons a smaller screen, and goes back to work.
I freeze, but Lauren is already there, taking my arm to guide me down another hallway. We take the first door on the right, and we enter a warm and welcoming space. It smells so great that it makes my mouth water.
She turns around and spreads her arms: “Welcome to my mess hall! Take a seat, and I will fix you up with something to eat. We can talk some more after we fill your belly.”
I sit in one of the chairs at a big steel table. The surface is smooth and feels cold when I touch it. Lauren brings me something on a plate paired with a steamy mug of tea.
“It smells great,” I tell her honestly.
“Tastes great as well!” I can’t help but blurt out around my first bite. It is the best thing I have ever eaten in my life.
“Thank you!” she says, then continues talking when I eat.
When I’m done, I know all about how D’Var rescued her from a space station where she was forced to work as a sex slave, how she then was kidnapped and tortured by the Sternotheri, and how he got her back. She tells me they had some things to work out, but in the end, she is deeply in love with him and loves the bond they have as mates.
I bite my lip, curiosity getting the better of me. “What does the bond do?”
“Well,” she starts. “The bond is a part of us, a pull towards each other. For me, I felt instinctively safe with D’Var, even though I was scared to death. After we erhm… you know, mated, we had a metaphysical connection, and now we feel each other in our minds.”
“You can hear his thoughts?” I’m in awe.
She laughs. “We have a telepathic link, and we can feel each other's emotions as well.”
I silently process this information.
“And you’re okay with that?” I pause for a while. “You’re not scared you’ll think something wrong and he will punish you?”
She gives me an appalled look. “It’s not like that, not at all! I am D’Var’s Zarra, his mate. I can honestly say that I am the most important thing in his life, and I know that to be true. He will never hurt me, and with a bit of practice, you can use the bond to communicate. It’s not like he knows everything there is in my mind.”
I blush. “Sorry. I didn’t want to offend you. It just feels so weird.”
She interrupts me with a laugh. “I know! I am still not used to the fact that I have that big hunky warrior at my feet, seeing to my every need.”
She winks, and I blush again, although for an entirely different reason.
“So, before the men join us, we need to talk about the mating.”
I nod. “Thank you. I thought that was what he wanted, but I think I did it wrong. Can you tell me how I am supposed to serve him?”
“You don’t,” she states resolutely. “You can mate with him, but only when it’s your choice. He can wait, he won’t mind. He is just happy to have you alive and healthy at his side.”
I blink. “He… He won’t force me?”
“HELL NO!” Lauren shouts, and I brace myself for what’s coming next.
“Why would you think that?” she asks.
“Ananta said…” I start before she interrupts me.
“Sorry to say, but Ananta is a fucking bitch.”
I gasp, I wouldn’t even dare to think those words, true as they might be.
“Whatever she told you, forget it. It is not the truth.”
“But…” I begin, but Lauren interrupts me again.
“Look,” she says, grabbing my hands. “Open yourself up, try to let him in. Have an open mind and look at the things he does, not only for you but also for others. O’Rec is a good, good man. If it wasn’t for him, D’Var would not be alive. He is my friend, just as much as he is my mates. You are his mate, which means that he will worship you, nobody will come before you, and he will always be there for you. He will protect you, and he will love you. And I am pretty sure he’s already half in love with you.”
I dip my gaze towards our entwined hands. “Sorry,” I whisper.
“Don’t be, it’s okay. I have a feeling you have a lot to learn about how people treat each other. The Sternotheri are not the best example, I’m afraid.”
I’m quiet, thinking through what she has just told me.
“So, for the mating…”
“That will happen when you are ready,” she declares.
I nod, thinking about Ananta’s order. After all, it’s not disobeying if he doesn’t expect me to jump him, right?
Lauren gets a weird look on her face, then looks at me. “Are we ready for company?”
I swallow a lump in my throat but nod again.
She smiles. “Excellent.”
Within a minute, the doors open, and O’Rec and his crewmates enter the room.
D’Var walks over to Lauren, hauls her against him, and smacks his lips against hers in a very intimate gesture. I am so fascinated by what’s happening that I don’t even notice O’Rec until he whispers in my ear.
“That is called a kiss.”
Quickly, I spin around to face him. “A kiss?”
He smiles gently at me, before he reaches out to touch me, then hesitates and pulls his hand back in. A pang of sorrow shooting through my chest.
“I am O’Rec,” he says.
I smile at him. “My name is Mara.”
“Marra,” he repeats, rolling the r in my name. I smile at him, and I don’t want to hurt his feelings by correcting him. Also, it gives me a strangely warm feeling. The way his deep voice caresses the syllables is a sharp contrast to the way Ananta used to yell my name.
The sound of objects clinking on the table makes me sit up straight and pay attention to what’s happening in the room. Lauren is handing out plates filled with food and has refilled my tea.
The males start eating immediately, leaving the room in silence for a couple of minutes. Lauren smiles, sitting on her mate’s lap and letting him feed her bits of his meal. She really seems happy with her mate, not at all what you would expect from a slave. She also doesn’t look very submissive to me.
I glance around the table, the big alien, T’Rak is the captain, I think. He seems scary, so I quickly look away. My gaze lands on O’Rec. He sits up straight, all his attention on eating his meal. I think he is the smallest of the three warriors, but his proud features make him the most handsome in my eyes. His nose is straight, his jaw square, and his eyes… Black pools with specks of light dancing in them, they almost look like stars…
He pauses to look up at me, and I blush at being caught starting. He just smiles and goes back to his meal, but I look down at my hands in my lap, too scared to look up.
“We are on a course towards Novarron,” a low, growly voice says, causing me to look up at the owner of the voice: the captain.
“Yes, we should be there in three days,” O’Rec says next to me.
“I can’t wait to see the planet your mom was born on,” Lauren says to D’Var before melting her lips to his again in this … kiss.
My curious brain kicks into overdrive. There are so many questions forming in my mind, but I’m afraid to say them out loud, scared of punishment.
“Have you ever been on another planet, Mara?” she asks me, and I quietly nod.
“I have never been on another planet. It’s so exciting!” she squeals. I smile. Her enthusiasm makes me relax a little bit.
“You will love it, my mate,” D’Var says before he whispers something in her ear. Lauren's cheeks turn a bright red before he stands up, lifting her into his arms and walking away. T’Rak shakes his head, then follows them into the hallway, leaving me alone with O’Rec.
Nervously, I fumble with the hem of my shirt, scared to look at him. A finger brushes under my chin, tipping it up.
“Do not be afraid, Marra, you can say anything, ask anything. I know you must have questions, and so do I. I am really looking forward to getting to know you.”
A pang of guilt shoots through me. He seems so nice. Not at all, as Ananta said he would be. For the first time in my life, I feel a flicker of doubt inside me when I think of Ananta’s words. Could she be wrong? Or worse, could she be lying to me?