couldn’t seem to hide it. After everything G’baena had lived through in the past three years, he hadn’t expected her to be quite so accepting of the situation.
“Did you forget I’m an empath too?” she teased.
“No. I mean, yes. I mean…”
Her musical laugh sounded like a gift from the goddess. “I know what you mean. I’ve learned a lot in my time as a slave, and I’m the first to admit that it’ll be a long time before I feel safe anywhere, but I have also realized that the universe is full of different species, different cultures, and different ideals. I felt almost as trapped on G’trobia as I did as a slave, and now, for the first time ever, I feel like I can take a full breath. I feel like I have a chance to find who I am, not what I’m expected to be.”
Trey pulled her into his arms again.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be. You and Ben and Tee-ani are the reason I have the chance.” She pulled from his embrace and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. “Go to her. Explain the situation. Make sure she knows how you feel.”
He watched G’baena as she walked away, marveling at just how amazing the woman really was. How did he and Ben not see the true woman underneath the submissive mate they’d been offered? He turned to watch Tee-ani once again and everything he felt for her came rumbling to the surface.
He leaned against a spare medical bed until she finished with her patients. He could still feel her sorrow, but she’d shoved it deep down as she concentrated on her work. When she eventually finished, she Tee-ani’s Pirates
87
walked over to him. It looked like she was going to stop out of arm’s length, so Trey stepped forward and hauled her into his embrace.
“Tee, I love you.”
“But?”
“But what? I love you.”
“But what about G’baena? She’s perfect for you. Even your species. You and Ben could have children with G’baena. You know that humans and G’trobians aren’t compatible in a reproductive sense?”
No, he didn’t know that, but it didn’t make any difference. They belonged together and if children weren’t in their future, well it wasn’t an issue for him and he was certain it wouldn’t be one for Ben either.
“Tee, what is this all about? We claimed you. That’s a commitment as big to G’trobians as marriage is to humans.”
“But when you claimed me, I didn’t know you were royalty. I didn’t know you had a woman like G’baena waiting for you.”
He could feel his frustration rising again. How the hell could this woman make him so mad and yet so proud of her at the same time?
She cared about everyone else, even at the expense of her own happiness.
He turned and lifted her onto the medical bed so that they could be face to face. “Tee, G’baena is not ‘waiting’ for us. She deserves a chance to make decisions for herself, and the first decision she made was to tell me to make sure you know how I feel about you .”
“But—”
“No buts. This is very simple. I love you and you love me.”
“And Ben?”
“Yeah, well, Ben can convince you himself.” Trey’s
communicator beeped. “Speak of the devil…”
“Trey, I think it must be playtime. Send the slaves here. And you better not have damaged them like you did the last time.”
88
Rachel Clark
Ben sounded so convincing as a slave owner that even Trey felt a shiver of apprehension. It was all planned. The three of them had discussed this little “performance” several times over the last twenty-four hours, but still a part of him worried for Tee-ani.
“Don’t.” The stern look on her face warned him not to argue.
“Okay, okay, I surrender,” he said, holding his hands high as he backed away giving her space to get off the bed. “Do you remember your the plan?” She smiled and nodded. “And since you seem to be reading my emotions better than I’m reading yours, maybe you could remind me which one of us is the empath…”
Tee-ani’s
“Did you forget I’m an empath too?” she teased.
“No. I mean, yes. I mean…”
Her musical laugh sounded like a gift from the goddess. “I know what you mean. I’ve learned a lot in my time as a slave, and I’m the first to admit that it’ll be a long time before I feel safe anywhere, but I have also realized that the universe is full of different species, different cultures, and different ideals. I felt almost as trapped on G’trobia as I did as a slave, and now, for the first time ever, I feel like I can take a full breath. I feel like I have a chance to find who I am, not what I’m expected to be.”
Trey pulled her into his arms again.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be. You and Ben and Tee-ani are the reason I have the chance.” She pulled from his embrace and reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. “Go to her. Explain the situation. Make sure she knows how you feel.”
He watched G’baena as she walked away, marveling at just how amazing the woman really was. How did he and Ben not see the true woman underneath the submissive mate they’d been offered? He turned to watch Tee-ani once again and everything he felt for her came rumbling to the surface.
He leaned against a spare medical bed until she finished with her patients. He could still feel her sorrow, but she’d shoved it deep down as she concentrated on her work. When she eventually finished, she Tee-ani’s Pirates
87
walked over to him. It looked like she was going to stop out of arm’s length, so Trey stepped forward and hauled her into his embrace.
“Tee, I love you.”
“But?”
“But what? I love you.”
“But what about G’baena? She’s perfect for you. Even your species. You and Ben could have children with G’baena. You know that humans and G’trobians aren’t compatible in a reproductive sense?”
No, he didn’t know that, but it didn’t make any difference. They belonged together and if children weren’t in their future, well it wasn’t an issue for him and he was certain it wouldn’t be one for Ben either.
“Tee, what is this all about? We claimed you. That’s a commitment as big to G’trobians as marriage is to humans.”
“But when you claimed me, I didn’t know you were royalty. I didn’t know you had a woman like G’baena waiting for you.”
He could feel his frustration rising again. How the hell could this woman make him so mad and yet so proud of her at the same time?
She cared about everyone else, even at the expense of her own happiness.
He turned and lifted her onto the medical bed so that they could be face to face. “Tee, G’baena is not ‘waiting’ for us. She deserves a chance to make decisions for herself, and the first decision she made was to tell me to make sure you know how I feel about you .”
“But—”
“No buts. This is very simple. I love you and you love me.”
“And Ben?”
“Yeah, well, Ben can convince you himself.” Trey’s
communicator beeped. “Speak of the devil…”
“Trey, I think it must be playtime. Send the slaves here. And you better not have damaged them like you did the last time.”
88
Rachel Clark
Ben sounded so convincing as a slave owner that even Trey felt a shiver of apprehension. It was all planned. The three of them had discussed this little “performance” several times over the last twenty-four hours, but still a part of him worried for Tee-ani.
“Don’t.” The stern look on her face warned him not to argue.
“Okay, okay, I surrender,” he said, holding his hands high as he backed away giving her space to get off the bed. “Do you remember your the plan?” She smiled and nodded. “And since you seem to be reading my emotions better than I’m reading yours, maybe you could remind me which one of us is the empath…”
Tee-ani’s
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