Moon Mark by Scarlett Dawn Page A

together. “If you so much as look at another man—”
    “I understand.”
    He shook his head and stepped forward, aligning our bodies against each other. His tone was chilling and brutal. “No, you don’t. A mate is forever. I will kill anyone who comes between us.”
    The visual of the guard killing himself looped in my mind. I shuddered.
    “Now you know,” he whispered. When Corza stuck her head out of the opening of the hov-craft, he tipped his head in its direction. “We need to go. You’ll be staying at my castle with me.”
    I licked my lips, and murmured, “I do want my own room.”
    His nostrils flared. “I don’t think so.”
    “I am scared ,” I admitted on the quietest whisper. “Please, give me that much.”
    He ground his molars together for a second, and then jerked his head in a nod. “Fine.”
    “Appreciated.”
    He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him again. “Accepted.”
    Entering the hov-craft, Xri greeted me instantly. He captured my cheeks with his palms and rubbed his thumbs across my skin softly. I stood in shock as he smiled down on me. “It’s good to have you back, Madeline. Geo’s been a real horror since you left.”
    Corza snorted and winked at her mate. “He took down the last of the provinces.”
    “Exactly,” Xri stated and released me. He pulled Corza into his arms and wiggled her. “He has too much pent up energy. He’s needed his mate.”
    “Enough,” Geo growled and scowled. “We need to leave.”
    Corza winked at her mate again, and then pulled out of his arms. “To the castle?”
    The rebellion leader nodded. “To the castle.”
    My attention honed on him. “You’ve won the war?”
    “Almost.” His nostrils flared. “The Imperial family escaped. I still need to find them.” He pointed a finger out of the opening of the hov-craft. “And there are obviously still some factions that need to be handled.”
    I blinked. “I managed to land on a site that had remaining Dynasty members.”
    The rebellion leader snorted. “The only landing site such as this.”
    Xri chuckled quietly at my expression. “That’s just plain bad luck.”

I stared at my com-device and paced my room on silent feet. My movements were smooth and flawless. I used my right thumb to turn on my com-device and watched the screen come alive. I jumped in place three times before I dialed.
    I listened to it ring and bit at my nails. This was embarrassing.
    Me—pining for what a Kireg could give me.
    He answered on the second ring. “Yes?”
    The man didn’t even answer with a ‘hello.’ It didn’t surprise me.
    I yanked my fingers out of my mouth and pushed away my nerves. “Geo, this is Madeline.”
    There was a small beat of silence before he responded, his tone quieting. “I know. What do you need?” Straight to the point.
    “Can I meet with you in private? There’s a matter I need to speak to you about.” My eyes closed, my sigh barely audible. My toes dug into the plush carpet with each passing second he took to respond. I gulped on a dry throat, and eventually, my brows pulled together when the line stayed quiet. I jerked the com-device away from my ear and checked the screen, but it was still lit. “Did I lose you?”
    “No.” His tone turned even quieter, almost a growl, when I heard voices in the background. I was pretty sure he was attempting to be discreet. “The conference room, my office, or my bedroom?”
    My attention caught on the wall, not seeing a damn thing. “Um…” It was his turn to wait, my mind hazing over with the implications of his question. I had blinked several times before I inhaled harshly.
    I mumbled on a hasty breath, “Your bedroom.” It made sense, even though we’d had sex against a wall before. I didn’t want anyone seeing us together for this, and I was betting he didn’t either.
    Another pause. “Do you know where it is?”
    “Yes.” I exhaled a heavy breath. He knew what I wanted, and he wasn’t arguing.
    “I’ll