Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“No, baby,” he murmured, looking into her eyes. “No, I’m not going to disavow you. So please stop worrying about that—all right?”
Then, very gently, he kissed her flushed cheeks and eyelids, kissing away the tears because he couldn’t stand to see her so upset.
What are you saying? demanded a little voice inside his head. Your whole plan was to disavow her after the wormhole treaty is finished! How can you promise you won’t? If you keep her as your mate, you’ll be breaking your vow!
But Bear couldn’t help himself—seeing his new bride so upset made his heart fist in his chest. He could understand why Aleena was so worried—her own father had disavowed her mother and all but abandoned her. Doubtless she had attachment issues and feared being left the same way her mother had been left. He had to reassure her that he wasn’t going to do that to her.
Except you are going to do that, the little voice in his head pointed out. How are you going to explain leaving her when the treaty is over and done with and you’re ready to go back to the Mother Ship?
Bear didn’t know, so he pushed the little voice aside. For now, he just wanted to comfort his new bride. He pulled back to look at her and saw an expression of wide-eyed wonder on her lovely face.
“My Bear,” she whispered. “Truly, you are too kind to me.”
“I think you can use a little kindness, baby,” he murmured, stroking her cheek. Her tears were salty-sweet on his lips and her eyes were shining like stars. He had the sudden urge to kiss her somewhere else—to taste her sweet lips—but he held himself back. He couldn’t go too far with her, he reminded himself. He needed to draw the line somewhere.
Still, he couldn’t make himself get up yet. He remained kneeling before her as she sat on the side of the tub, both of them looking into each other’s eyes.
“My hand is much better now,” she said at last. “I’ll go downstairs and see if I can find something else to cook for your dinner.”
“No—forget about that for now,” Bear said. He stood at last and took her by her unhurt hand to pull her up. “We’re going out to eat.”
“Out to a restaurant?” Her eyes got even bigger, if that was possible. “But…but I’ve done nothing to deserve such a treat! If anything, I should be punished—beaten for burning your dinner.”
Bear frowned down at her.
“Listen to me, Aleena—I don’t care what I had to say in that fucked-up ceremony, I’m not ever going to beat you. No matter what you were raised to believe, a male hitting a female is wrong and I’m not going to do it.”
“But…but sometimes a woman does something inexcusable and then her husband must beat her to correct her wicked ways!” she protested.
Bear shook his head.
“You have to stop thinking like that. My people—the Kindred—believe there’s never any excuse for a male to hit or hurt a female. The Goddess made us bigger and stronger to protect the women we love and cherish—not to hit or hurt them.”
He saw a look of relief pass over her face.
“Thank you, my Bear,” she said sincerely. “I must confess, I was worried when I first saw you. You’re so big and strong, I was afraid that a beating from you might kill me!”
The thought that she’d been worried about such things during their ceremony made Bear’s heart fist in his chest. Gods—to think she’d been raised to expect getting beaten! Being a Kindred, hitting a female was unthinkable for him and the idea that the Karpsians did it regularly made him furious. But he tried to swallow his anger—he needed to make Aleena understand how he felt.
“Look at me, baby,” he murmured. Taking her unhurt hand, he brought it to his chest and put it over his heart.
“Yes?” She looked up at him uncertainly.
“I’m going to make you a promise,” Bear told her, looking into her eyes. “My strength will only ever be used to defend and protect you—never to beat or punish you. You never have to worry about me hitting or hurting you—I swear it by the Goddess.”
For a moment, it seemed Aleena didn’t know what to say. Then she whispered,
“Thank you, my Bear. That’s very kind of you.”
“You’re welcome, baby.”
Once again, the endearment just slipped out. She was so little and sweet—his first wife had been a rare Beast Kindred female. She’d been much taller and more sturdily built. Aleena was so petite—at least compared to him—that she seemed almost like a child he wanted to protect, though she had womanly curves to prove otherwise.
Bear put an arm around her shoulders and nodded at the fresher door.
“Come on—let’s get out of here and go eat.”
He would worry about the disavowment problem later, he told himself. For now, he just wanted to go get something to eat and spend some time with his new bride.