“You are well. Not injured?” I asked her.
“I’m fine. And I’m so sorry, Leo. If I’d known what they were going to do to you, I never would have—” Her voice cracked and I couldn’t bear to see her in pain.
“You were right to leave me,” I reassured. “I would never have allowed you to enter the citadel if you had told me your plan. It was reckless. Dangerous. There are better ways. Safer ways. You should have told me the truth.”
“I’m sorry. We had a plan, and I tried to keep you out of it. I didn’t think they would hurt you.”
“You are mine. My mate. When I get out of the ReGen pod, I am going to take you over my knee and spank your ass for lying to me. And for the risk you took to free me. You should have let me be, Trinity. Never risk yourself. Never.”
“I agree.” Prime Nial sighed. “Jessica has already felt the sting of my palm for her complicity in the rescue operation.”
“You were in a meeting! Ander was off killing things,” Lady Deston countered. “Like Trinity was going to wait for you big guys to get your butts in gear.”
“And your butt has paid the price,” Nial rejoined.
Trinity’s lips thinned, clearly not pleased with the direction the conversation was going. “I don’t need a man to save me. Jessica and I handled things.”
“You should have come to me,” Prime Nial said, gently pulling Lady Deston to his side and wrapping a protective arm around her. “I would have sent in a team of warriors to free him. Not one, small female.”
“Small, but mighty,” Lady Deston added, winking at my mate, despite Prime Nial’s discussion of her recent punishment.
Apparently, Earth females were very difficult to tame.
I might be headed into a ReGen pod, but my mate clearly needed a reminder of who was in charge of her safety. A reminder I would be happy to supply once I could get up off my back.
The medical team pushed the gurney into the medical station, and I took in the long row of ReGen pods, a few currently in use.
I was carefully lifted and settled into one at the Prillon doctor’s direction, but I held my hand up to keep the lid from lowering.
“Mate,” I said.
Trinity leaned down and her pale eyes met mine. Clear, honest, open. Yes, she was a dream I’d never dared even hope for.
“Yes, Leo?”
“When I wake, I will spank your ass, then I’m going to fuck you from behind until you scream my name.” I kept my voice low so none of the technicians could hear. “If you’re not in line by then, I’ll spank you again as I fuck that tight, perfect pussy of yours over and over until you know who you belong to.”
She stared at me, her mouth open, her cheeks flaming pink, a color I’d learned to love. She was mine.
“You are mine, Trinity. I will die to protect you. But no more secrets.”
She bit her lip and stood, backing away as the technicians closed the ReGen pod’s clear covering over me as if I were dead. But she didn’t agree to my demand.
We’d been open and crude in our sex talk with each other, especially when it came to pleasure. But I’d never vowed to punish her before. Never demanded her secrets. Her complete trust and total surrender.
But she wasn’t an assignment any longer. A job. A mission.
She was mine. My mate. Mine to love. Mine to protect. Mine to fuck and pleasure and care for.
I grinned then, the first time since we’d been separated.
Prime Nial would keep her safe while the ReGen pod took care of my injuries. Which was good. Because when I was healed, I wanted my mate rested and prepared to scream my name.
2
Trinity, Battleship Karter, Medical Station, 18 Hours Later
I looked down at Leo’s face beneath the glass. He appeared to be sleeping, but I knew he wasn’t. I had to repeatedly remind myself that this was not a Snow White scenario. He was not in a glass coffin. He was not waiting for me to kiss him and wake him up.