Page 61 of Bred By Sor'en

“What?”

I glare at him through the mirror as he adjusts the pillows behind my back. “Not talking to you.”

He ignores me, pressing a kiss to my head that makes my insides feel all warm and snuggly before his datapad dings, indicating it's time for another dose. Sor’en is beyond careful as he removes the dropper from his pocket, lifting the heavy curtain of my hair to smear the correct dose on the back of my neck.

We both give it a few long moments, ensuring my body has absorbed everything like a freaky little sponge, before I’ll let him touch me. Because I’ll be dead and damned before he gets any other chick’s toxins on him.

“Can I have some flamet, please? I’ve been craving it for days. Now that my appetite is finally back, I think I’ll cry if I don’t get some soon.”

Lowball but worth it for some yummy white mushy food.

He hesitates. “I would have to go into the city for more. I am out.”

I make the biggest, wettest,because the tears are fixing to be real,puppy dog eyes ever.

He sighs. “I do not wish to leave you.”

“I just got my dose, and I’ve got Melion. It’ll be fine. You have to work the fields at some point anyway. The cuttings we took the other day are probably useless by now. The other domes will be here for their orders tomorrow and—"

“Fine,I will go.” He relents.

I peek up from underneath my dark lashes. “I love you.” I didn’t mean to say it, but I can’t bring myself to regret it either.

My palms are nice and cool on my heated cheeks as the stunned male simply stares down at me. My heart is workingitself up to a gallop, and currently it has nothing to do with the baby. “You’re supposed to say it back, you ass—"

“I love you, Hue. More than words could ever describe.”

That shuts me up, that and his heated kiss. By the time I open my eyes, he’s gone.

thirty-one

Hue

“Do you feel compelled to rub shit on the walls?” I ask, frowning at a very not chill Sor’en.

He falters in his pacing, his long, deft fingers knotted in his silky white hair. “What? Hue, now is not the time for strange human things.”

“I’m just trying to see where you’re at. Like between having the best day of your life and complete mental collapse.”

He resumes his pacing. “If you require a special place to engage in this calming activity, please allow me to hang a tarp first.”

“I… no, we don’t do that. Well,mostof us don’t—never mind.” I sigh. “Sor’en, you’ll be gone for what, a zentic tops? I’m going to befine.”

“Not without eyes on you, Irefuse. Fuck their decorum, I will leave Melion to guard you—"

“Sor’en—"

“If something so much as disturbs your peace, I will eviscerate their minds—”

I heave a heavy grunt as I snuffle out of the sunken living room, immediately cutting him off because in the next moment, he’s there, bending to help me up. To soothe my aches and pains with his warm, fuzzy toxin. Which is great because it puts his bony face within grabbing distance. “You’re going to make yourself late. You can’t do your weird spatial jump with that much extra weight. Go and show all those other botanists how badass my mate is.”

He releases a heavy breath I hadn’t realized he was holding, letting his head thud gently against mine. “Draya’la… I am consumed with worry, and my mood is entirely foul.”

Neither of us glances out the windows, but we both hear the hidden words behind that statement; the attacks on the dome have ramped up yet again. The visual of that ship's nose bursting through and lodging into the dome sends a chill down my spine. I have nightmares about it more often than I’d like to admit. Still, do my best to hide my shiver, pressing myself as far and deep into him as my belly will allow. Offering him a smile. “I have cared for myself in harsher conditions than the safety of our cozy home, fed, rested, and well fucked.”

He huffs at that, refusing to be swayed by my humor as he checks the time on the datapad. “Hue…”

“Just go, okay?” I glance at Melion, swirling nervously by the door. “Bothof you. The quicker you get it over with, the quicker you’ll be home.”