Later, I’ll fix her pants before we drift off to sleep, but for now, I bask in the perfection of our union.
“Do you always come so much?” I tease sleepily.
“Only for you.”
Her answer makes my chest swell with pride, and I realize something.
Zhuliya likes my beast.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Zhuliya
“Oi! What are you two doin’ in here?”
I bolt upright, squinting against the bright light bouncing off the white expanse of snow. It takes my watery gaze a moment to clear, as well as my brain, but when they do, I gasp.
Ilian and I are still in the luggage car, except we’ve stopped and the train conductor from before is now glaring at us along with another man.
How I didn’t freeze is a miracle, but the Ithaqua is a regular furnace that doubles as a blanket when he curls himself around me.
“N-nothing!” I manage to stammer when my brain finally functions again.
The train conductor rolls his eyes while the other man cackles. “Don’t smell like nothing.”
A growl from the now awake Ilian shuts the guy up. His eyes widen as he inches behind the conductor.
“What did you say?” the Ithaqua demands.
“N-nothing!” he squeaks.
“Didn’t sound like nothing,” Ilian taunts, and I elbow him in the side.
“Stop it! You’re scaring him.”
“Good. He should be scared because if he tells anyone—”
“Enough!” The conductor slashes his hand through the air, cutting him off. “He won’t tell anyone. We don’t care, and there’s no one this far East who does, either. Just get out.”
Ilian stares for a moment before nodding and capturing my hand to tug me out of the car. Without a backward glance, we walk back to where our cabin is and grab our bags.
“I can’t believe I slept until morning. I apologize for jeopardizing you like that.”
His guilt comes roaring back, barreling through the bond until I nearly choke on it. My whimper gets Ilian’s attention, and he takes a deep breath.
“Forgive me, soyam. It seems every time I try to do something right, I mess something else up.”
“You know it’s ok to make mistakes, right?”
“Not where you’re concerned.”
“Why?”
“Because…because you’re too precious for me to fuck up. I mean, I already did, but then I keep making it worse.”
His words are both sweet and tragic. They tear at my heart, knowing the weight he feels because he imprinted on me.
I squeeze his hand. “We’ll just have to agree to disagree.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think you’re making anything worse. I can’t say the situation we’re in is something I would’ve picked, but for what it’s worth, I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”
Ilian relaxes, tucking me under his arm and out of the howling wind. It fills my mouth with briny spray, and I know we’re close to the sea.
“You’re too good for me, soyam.”
Although he doesn’t say it, I hear the unspoken sentiment of him not deserving me, and it saddens me more.
How can I make Ilian understand that he’s more than worthy of love—especially when we’re on a mission to break our accidental mating bond.
“I taste the ocean.”
“Me, too. This way. We’re meeting a friend of mine who will speak to the Kueeng of Dagons for us.”
With a nod, we depart the train station and head to the port. The Strait of Tartary stretches before us, the water choppy with frothy waves.
