“Oh, I see,” Aileen says, but it’s clear from the concerned furrow of her brow that she is lying.
“It will be easier to bond without the pressures of our pack,” I tell her.
“I’ll work on having all your things unpacked—”
“I don’t have things,” Aileen interrupts. Her slender arms cross over her chest, and there’s a hint of steel in her gaze. “I don’t have anything to unpack. Only the things they made for me on the Starlight Hub. As part of the package you paid for.” There’s no censure in the words, but there’s a certain bitterness to them all the same.
I pause.
She’s alone in a new place, and there is no way she isn’t overwhelmed with her sudden place here on Wulfric. Her new husband.
A pang of regret goes through me.
What kind of female would agree to marry an alien male, sight unseen, and uproot her entire life?
A desperate one.
A woman with few options for this to be the best of them all.
“Do you want to come with me to the lodge?” My voice rasps across the question. Her eyes widen slightly. “It will be only us and a handful of servants. It’s traditional for the newly married couple to spend time together alone after the wedding. In our case, we can spend our time simply getting to know each other. I can teach you about Wulfric culture and our lives here, and you can teach me about… you.”
It’s not enough, this simple offer. Not nearly enough to extend it after both marrying her and biting her. Blood trickles in a slow river down her arm, and a pang goes through me.
I let my beast get the best of me. Again.
“You can trust me. We can…” I pause, trying to figure out what I could offer that might set her at ease. “We can sign a contract.”
Tessa blinks at me.
“Send a boilerplate contract with her information to my comms pad,” I bark at her.
She nods once.
Aileen remains silent. Conspicuously so.
I should have thought. I should have known that anyone entering into this sort of… arranged marriage would have to be desperate.
“A contract,” she finally repeats.
“Yes,” I say simply. “To protect your interests.”
“I already signed one with the Starlight Lottery—”
“This one will be whatever you want it to be.”
She tilts her head slightly, something like surprise in her eyes. “That would be nice,” she finally says. “Lead the way.”
Seven words, small words, and yet, they mean the world to me.
They signal a new beginning.
CHAPTER 8
AILEEN
I’ve never seen anything like this place.
Not in real life, at least. Vids don’t do this kind of thing justice, not really.
The planet seems endless—the sky so completely different from anything I ever imagined on my station. Instead of the press of black space and overhead tiles and lights, there’s blue. Blue and lavender sky, tufts of creamy clouds wisping on the breeze.
It’s strange.
I swallow hard, my mouth dry, watching the scenery outside the transport window.
Then there are the trees. Trees not caged or planned or approximated in hologram or in some museum exhibit but wild, huge, and everywhere. Big enough to blot out the sky once we’re fully out of the Clan Claw city.
Is there a reverse of claustrophobia? All that open sky, the vast expanse of forest and trees, it’s so much at once that it feels completely overwhelming.
And that’s not even taking into account the massive man sitting across from me in the transport.
Each time I glance up at my new husband, he’s studiously looking elsewhere.
The moment I turn back toward the window, though, I can feel him looking at me. The heated weight of it is a brand on my skin, the air between us tense and electric.
I don’t know much about this man, but there is no denying we have something. What it is, exactly, I don’t understand.
Pheromones, according to his sister.
If it’s just biology, I can understand that, I guess.
“Tell me about where you worked before…”
He falls silent, and I slowly swing my attention back to him.
“Before I married you?” I finish the statement for him, raising an eyebrow. “Why dance around it?”
“You smell uncomfortable.”
I blink. “Smell?”
“Yes.”
“Right. So. Ah, that’s not a human thing to say.”
He just stares at me. “I’m not a human. You smell worried.”
I sigh in exasperation. “I am worried.” I cross my arms across my chest and lean farther into the plushily upholstered seat. “Everything about this world is brand new to me. I’ve never lived anywhere but decrepit old ships and even more decrepit space stations. I’ve definitely never been married or even—” I stop myself from finishing that thought.
Or even liked someone.
My cheeks burn, though, and his nostrils flare slightly.
“How much, exactly, can you tell by the way I smell?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“You wear every thought on your face,” he says seriously. “It makes matching up what I’m scenting with the truth very easy.”
A blush heats my face, and I bite my lip, unable to deny what he’s said. Instead of a rebuttal, a small snort of amusement comes out.
“You’re nervous,” he says easily.
“Aren’t you?” I fire back. “You just married a stranger, but you don’t seem worried at all by that.”
Silence stretches between us, the low rumble of the transport’s engine louder in the thick tension.
“My sister hand-picked you. My sister, who knows me better than anyone, thought you were the best possible match for me.” His voice drops, low and soothing, honey sweet. “When I saw your image, I was captivated. When you stepped off the ship and I caught your scent, I was entrapped.” He leans back suddenly, but his gaze is just as intense as before.
My mouth goes dry. “Things don’t work like that for my species.”
“You asked what I could tell by scent.” His long, thick fingers drum against his seat. “I can tell you’re attracted to me. I can scent your interest.”
If I thought I was blushing before, it has nothing on the ridiculous heat wave traveling up from my chest now. I wonder if he can see steam rolling off me.
“Right,” I say, trying for agreeable and sounding like a mouse instead.
His gaze swivels to the dense forest whizzing by outside and then to the clock display in the shuttle, showing Wulfric time.
My heart beats a quick hammer against my chest.
“We should work out the details now.”
“Details?” I wet my lips with my tongue, the word a question between us, even though I’m fully aware of what he’s saying.
The details of the new contract between us.
He knows I know. I can tell by the slight upward tug of his lips. “I don’t want to move too fast. Your scent tells me you’re ready for me.” The words are a dark caress against my skin. “But I can see your nervousness on your face.”
He tilts his head, his odd hairstyle tipping with him.
I don’t know what to say. This is brand new territory for me.
“I need to know exactly what you are willing to do and what is a hard no,” he says.
My pulse increases, and I can’t deny the feeling of excitement going through me.
“I’ve modified the clan contract to include several clauses that cover any possibilities, and I’d like everything to be as spelled out as possible.” He leans closer, and his pulse thrums at the base of his throat.