He frowned possessively.
“What? You mean let you go off on your own to a place beyond Night’s Curtain with a lot of unmarried males? I don’t think so—that wouldn’t be safe, little one.”
Bobbi stared at him.
“So I’m never going to see my friends and family ever again? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Don’t get upset,” Dragon rumbled, stroking her hair. “You have friends here on Saurous—don’t forget your little friend, Keelah. And you and I will make a family of our own.”
“But my parents and sister and nieces and nephews!” Bobbi protested. “And my colleagues at the college—and what about my career? You expect me to give everything up to live here with you and cook and clean and have your babies!”
“Because that’s what a woman should do,” Dragon said, frowning.
“I have a PhD!” Bobbi shouted at him, losing her temper completely. She had thought she was resigned to this marriage but maybe she wasn’t after all. “I know that doesn’t mean anything to you since women aren’t even allowed to go to school on Saurous, but I worked really hard for my credentials! I spent years writing my dissertation and then I had to defend it and…”
But she trailed off, seeing that everything she was saying meant nothing to him. He was shaking his head, a look of incomprehension in his bronze eyes.
“Bobbi, sweetheart,” he rumbled. “Don’t get mad on the eve of our wedding—let’s not part on a sour note.” He stroked her hair again. “I love you—I only want to keep you safe.”
Bobbi took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, counting backwards from ten. Shouting and screaming wasn’t going to change anything, she told herself. Her philosophy of life had always been to make the most of whatever situation she found herself in and clearly her current situation was that she was going to marry the big Kindred, whether she wanted to or not.
Taking another deep breath, she looked up at him.
“I’ll tell you what, Dragon,” she said calmly. “I love you too—I can’t seem to help it. I’ve been drawn to you from the start. In a way, it’s almost like you made me love you. But let me tell you something…” She put her fist to her chest, holding it over her heart. “This love I feel for you, it’s a regretful kind of love. An uneven kind of love. Because this relationship between us is not balanced and it’s not fair.”
“We have the same kind of relationship my parents have,” he protested, looking taken aback. “I’ve sworn to you that I’ll protect you and love you and keep you safe. I’ll provide for you and give you anything you want, Bobbi—I swear it.”
“Anything I want but my freedom, you mean,” she said bitterly. “Did it occur to you that I was providing for myself, back when you took me off Avria Pentaura? You claim that you took me to keep me safe from Zerlix, but you know you could have just hidden me in your room and then brought me back to the Orniths as soon as it was time for the Kindred of the Mother Ship to come check on me. Instead, you’ve chosen to Claim me and marry me and bond me to you for life—which means I’m trapped here with no way out.”
“You don’t need a way out,” Dragon protested. “Listen, since you’re so upset, I’ll make you a promise—after you have our first son, I’ll reconsider the idea of a visit to the Mother Ship, all right?”
“Oh, you’ll reconsider after you get me pregnant? Is that it?” Bobbi couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice.
All of her suppressed emotions—the fear of losing her old life entirely, the grief over never seeing her family or friends again, the anger at having to giving up a career she loved—all came rushing over her, no matter how hard she tried to suppress them.
“This isn’t fair, Dragon—you know it’s not!” she cried.
“I’m sorry,” Dragon said quietly and this time his deep voice was quiet and sincere. “Sorry more than I can say, Bobbi. I know I’m robbing you of your life—I know that.”
He took her by the shoulders, looking at her intently and for the first time during this conversation, Bobbi honestly felt seen.
“Then why?” she whispered, looking up at him with eyes that were suddenly blurry. She became aware that she was crying but she didn’t care. “Why…why are you doing this?” she asked him.
“Because I cannot give you up.” His eyes blazed, flames replacing the bronze. “I can’t set you free and let you leave me anymore than I can stop breathing. I know that’s selfish and wrong—I know it.” He shook his head. “I know it but I can’t help it. Because we’re meant to be together. Because you’re MINE.”