Page 25

I feel blood rush into my cheeks at his words, but I don’t look up at him. I don’t think I’m bad at taking compliments, but right now, when he’s complimenting me on surviving, it makes me feel funny. So, I ignore it and hope the conversation switches quickly.

Thankfully, we stumble across Vex, patching up the roof of one of the houses. Ralleth grabs my elbow gently and pulls me to a stop before I call out for Vex.

“I want to tell you something before we interrupt your mate’s work.

” Ralleth looks around like he’s unsure if he should be telling me whatever it is he wants to say.

When he’s sure no one is around, he speaks.

“I do not know what happened on your planet with Vex. I do not know if he deserves the coldness you give him or the distance you put between yourself and him. I do know he is an honorable male, and if I may, I think you should offer him a chance to woo you.”

I roll my lips between my teeth to keep my smile from splitting my lips. Ralleth looks so earnest right now, and he’s pleading on behalf of a male I’ve already decided I’m going to give a second chance. What I want to know is why Ralleth feels this strongly about it.

“Why do you think he should woo me?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound as amused as I feel. I’m curious what sort of impact Vex could’ve had on the demons if Ralleth’s on his side.

“When he came to our tribe the first time almost a hundred days ago, the first thing he asked for was you. He did not know you were not in the tribe, and he came to speak with you.”

Ralleth wrings his fingers together before kneeling so we are at eye level.

He lifts his hand to sit on my shoulder and hesitates for a second like he’s not sure if he’s allowed to touch me.

I reach up and grab his hand to lower it onto my own shoulder.

I’ve seen plenty of demons do this with one another and their mates.

It’s just how they make sure the other participant in the conversation understands what they’re saying is important to them.

“Every day he has been here it has been with the intention of bringing the best life to the human females that will be joining us. He has explained to me many times that if anything even slightly bad happens to them, he will bring them justice. He is a powerful male, I am sure you are aware, and he has offered his protection to all of your sisters. He has told us all this many times. He even speaks with the newer males to ensure they are here for the right reasons.”

Ralleth takes a deep breath, his eyes flicking up to the roof Vex is working on before flickering back down to me.

“He hurt you, and I would never force a female to give a chance to a male who hurt them. I know his soul, though, and I know it will always belong to you. Even if you do not choose to be with him, he has told me he will make sure your sisters make it here safely, make sure you are happy with your mate, my brother, and then he will leave. I would very much like for him not to leave. He has been a good friend, and I think the tribe is safer with him here. So, maybe you find it in your human nose soul to allow him a chance to woo you, yes?”

This time, I do let my head fall back and laugh. There’s something so ridiculous about the brother of one of my mates pleading for me to give my first mate a second chance when I’ve already decided to do just that.

I know as soon as Vex realizes Ralleth and I are near. I can feel his eyes on me, and then he’s next to me. His hand wraps around Ralleth’s as he plucks the other man’s hand from my shoulder and frowns at him.

“Don’t touch my mate,” Vex says, calling me his mate with the nonchalance of someone who already knows I’ve decided to give him another chance, even though I’m pretty sure I just decided to do that this morning.

“Don’t be mean to my mate’s blood.” I turn a narrowed gaze at Vex, who’s staring at me with none of the intensity he was staring at Ralleth with.

“I can be mean to my blood whenever I want,” Vex counters, his lips ticking up in the corners when he sees my nostrils flare.

“So you are wooing her then?” Ralleth breaks the moment between us by reminding us that he’s still there. Vex turns to face him and gives him a nod. “Good, good. I was worried that Rallan would keep your mate all to himself. I am glad he is willing to share.”

I snort at the thought of Rallan being the one causing issues with sharing. Vex must feel the same because he’s looking down at me out of the corner of his eyes. There’s laughter dancing in his eyes, and it reminds me of the good times we used to have, sneaking around the stadium.

“Well, your blood needs to know if his mate’s sick,” I say, turning the topic back to why we were looking for Vex.

“Oh?” He drops the tease in his voice. His face takes on the same seriousness he always wears when working. “What seems to be wrong?”

He motions for us to start heading back toward the great hall. Ralleth is a few feet in front of us. He’s trying to give Vex and me some semblance of privacy so we can act as mates do. I shake my head at it, but then I feel Vex’s fingers wrap in mine, and his body shifts closer.

“Olivia has been fatigued for about a week, and she is sick in the mornings. She has thrown up almost every morning, at least once before lunch. She keeps telling me she is fine, but I am not so sure,” Ralleth explains it all over his shoulder so he doesn’t see when realization falls on Vex or the smile that spreads across his face.

“I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” Vex says.

Ralleth makes a sound of acknowledgment before pretending to ignore us some more. He’s trying to give Vex a chance to woo me, even though not a lot of wooing can happen when Ralleth is here. So, I lean close to Vex and ask about Olivia.

“How happy are you?” I whisper in his ear. This is what he worked so hard for on Earth. He was looking for women who could procreate on this planet, and here he is about to confirm whether or not one of us is actually pregnant.

“New life makes me happy no matter how it comes about, Simone.” His eyes flash white for a moment.

When we were dating on Earth, Vex told me we could never have children because there was a high chance they would be born with a connection to the collective mind.

He made it clear he didn’t want that life for anyone, especially not a child who didn’t have a choice in being part of it or not.

It’s also why we can’t have sex in the usual way, because his kind are highly virile when they find their fated.

Our relationship is different now. Maybe we can’t have children together, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be able to grow our family.

“If I’m mated to both of you…” I let my words trail off, allowing Vex’s mind to catch up with the implication I’m making.

I can see exactly when it does, the way his head tilts to the side just a fraction, how his whole body goes stiff for a second, and then the way his eyes glow in a way that I’ve only seen back on Earth when he was so happy he couldn’t contain himself.

“You are teasing me right now, aren’t you?” Vex asks.

It’s a fair question because I haven’t exactly been jumping his or Rallan’s bones since we’ve all kind of agreed that I’m with both of them. That’s what I was going to talk to Deja about this morning. I want to know if I’m making a smart decision.

Not that I think I can stay away from them for much longer. Every day, they grow on me more and more. After hearing Ralleth all but sing Vex’s praises even he’s growing on me way more than he should when he dumped me.

“I don’t know,” I tell him, answering his question honestly. I know that a part of me wants to forgive him right this second, wrap my arms around him, and get back to how we were on Earth. The part of me that was hurt is still hesitant, though. “Maybe we can talk about it?”

Vex’s face softens and his smile seems genuinely happy with the offer. “I would be honored to talk about anything with you, Simone.”

“You’ve improved on your wooing.” I bump his shoulder with mine, remembering the first morning I woke up with him in my room, and he was stumbling over his words.

“Your other mate is really good at hyping me up,” Vex leans in and tells me like it’s a secret between us. “You wouldn’t believe how many times he’s made me say affirmations about how I’m a good lover.”

“Is that what the two of you do when I leave in the morning? You chant that you’re good lovers to each other?” I ask it a bit louder.

I need Ralleth to hear it so the gossip will spread like wildfire. He’s a good leader, sure, but he’s also the most gossipy bitch I’ve ever met. Not that he’s told me anything juicy, but he tells others who tell Deja and Nia, who tell me.

“I believe this is the part where Rallan would call you an insufferable female,” Vex groans when he sees Ralleth obviously looking at us over his shoulder. Vex turns his full attention to Ralleth. “It’s not like that.”

“I do not judge. There are plenty of brothers who lie with one another. There is nothing to be ashamed of,” Ralleth says, turning his head forward as though it makes up for his snooping. Vex shoots me a glare that tells me I’m going to pay for this in some way.

“I’m going to see if Rallan is awake,” I say cheerily as I untangle my fingers from Vex’s and turn down the path toward our home. Vex reaches up and grabs my upper arm before I get too far, a look of worry crossing his features.

“I have to go back to Earth today.” My heart drops as his words register. “Only for a couple of days, and I’ll be back. Rallan already knows. It’s why we wanted to talk to you yesterday.”

Something about his words makes the entirety of the world stop all movements before it crashes into me, telling me he’s leaving me—again.

“So, you wanted to get me used to having you back in my life before ditching me again.” I spit the words out, all the good feelings I had before he told me, leaving me in an instant. “I wondered why you guys didn’t try to fuck me last night. Have a change of heart of getting off just to leave?”

“Simone, it’s not like that.” Vex runs his fingers through his hair, his eyes darting to where Ralleth is standing.

He isn’t facing us, but he’s doing it on purpose to give us the illusion of privacy.

He’s waiting to return to his mate. Vex will go with him.

He can’t stop himself from caring about this tribe and its future.

“What’s it like?” I ask. “Because from my perspective, you said a lot of sweet words yesterday to get me naked, and now you’re leaving again.”

“I’ll be back,” Vex snaps, his cool composure cracking under my anger.

His illusion slips as tendrils of his energy spider across the ground near his feet.

“You don’t trust me, fine, but you trust Rallan, and he knows I’m coming back.

So just go crawl back into bed with him, and when I come back, maybe you’ll stop treating me like I’m the worst thing that’s ever happened to you. ”

My cheeks feel like an inferno as he calls me out on how poorly I’ve been treating him. My nose crinkles as my teeth pull back. “Before you, I didn’t know what a broken heart felt like.”

“Before me, you were dying to crowd crush!” Vex yells.

I lunge for him before I can stop myself. I’m stopped by an arm wrapping around my abdomen, and Vex is stopped from coming at me by Ralleth placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Get your hands off of me!” I scream and kick at whoever is pulling me back down the trail away from Vex and Ralleth.

“You are extra feisty today,” Rallan chuckles behind me. “I do not think Vex can handle you when you are this upset with him, so come take your aggression out on me.”

Vex tenses, his gaze watching as Rallan pulls me further away from him. I don’t know if he can hear us or not, but he looks completely deflated. Ralleth is saying something to him, and then they’re turning to walk back toward the great hall.

As soon as the door to our home closes, I feel the weight of what I just did.

My body goes limp in Rallan’s hold. I turn to face him, burying my face against him as he wraps his arms tight around me.

I don’t stop the tears from falling. I don’t feel weak when I finally let my emotions through.

I feel empty and broken. More than anything else, I feel like my heart is breaking again.

“He’s leaving me,” I cry against Rallan’s tunic.

I should hate Rallan for laughing at me. I should hate the low rumble that vibrates through his chest. Instead, it brings me comfort because if he’s this calm about all of it, maybe it’ll be okay.

“I think you need to show him you care for him in a much different way. When he comes back, maybe you ride his cock. That would make me feel so close to my mate. Maybe it will make up for how you tried to rip his soul from his body today.”

“You’re disgusting,” I mumble. Instead of pushing him away, I pull him tighter to me and let him keep being his annoying self until my tears finally calm.