Page 35 of Draevan

Cora heard a sickening snap, and she instinctively knew Draevan had just killed the human man.

She lay on the floor, panting, waiting for her mate to emerge from the room. He returned to the hallway quickly, though he shut and locked the door behind him, clearly wanting to keep the body out of sight until it could be taken away.

Tears blurred Cora’s vision. It was over. It was really over. M had tracked her all the way to New Vaxx. He’d planned to kidnap her and take her away from the family she loved, but Draevan had somehow known she was in danger and he’d shown up to save her just in time.

And then she found herself in his arms.

He lifted her carefully off the floor and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. He cracked open the door that adjoined Meela’s room, peeked inside, and once he was certain his niece was sleeping peacefully, he quietly shut the door. He carried Cora to a chair near the largest window, then sat down, holding her close.

He brushed her hair from her face and peered into her eyes. Each time a tear fell, he gently wiped it away. At first, he said nothing. And neither did Cora. He simply held her, giving her the comfort she needed after she’d just endured the most frightening experience of her life.

“It’s all right, Cora,” he eventually said. “He will never bother you again. I promise. You are safe. Safe with me. You are my precious mate, and I will always protect you.”

Chapter 17

Draevan nuzzled his nose against Cora’s, thankful he had reached her before the foul human male could harm her. Yes, she had healing nanobots in her bloodstream, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t experience pain. Or fear. And the thought of what the human male had intended to do to her…

Draevan suppressed a growl.

The man had planned to take Cora away from New Vaxx.

Inside one of the boxes, he’d found evidence of his plan.

“How did you know to come? I-I tried calling you on my wrist comm, but it wasn’t working,” Cora said.

Draevan tightened his arms around her, grateful beyond words that she was safe. She was trembling against him, and he could feel her heart pounding rapidly beneath his palm.

“I had asked the shipping company to pack everything that remained in your apartment on Earth, not merely your piano.”

Cora nodded against his chest.

“When the boxes arrived at the hangar, I began examining them to make sure nothing had been damaged during the journey, and I found one that was suspiciously already open. The open box smelled strange.”

She lifted her head. “Smelled strange?”

“Yes. There was an unfamiliar scent inside the box, and some of the items had been broken and moved aside. At first, I thought the damage had occurred during shipping, but then I realized the objects had been pushed toward the edges of the container, leaving an open space in the center.” His jaw tightened. “A space large enough for a human male to conceal himself.”

Cora’s eyes widened.

“I found a strange notebook in the same box. Your name was written on it, and there were photographs of you taped on the cover. There were also other photographs and news clippings inside.”

“Oh, God.”

Draevan stroked her back. “I opened it and used my wrist comm to scan the contents. The pages had writing on them in English, and I could not read it myself, but my wrist comm quickly translated it. I was shocked by what I read.”

“I can only imagine,” Cora said with a shudder.

“It was a manifesto of sorts. The human male had written about you extensively. He believed he was destined to be your husband. He had detailed plans for capturing you and taking you away from Earth, and later from New Vaxx.”

Cora shuddered again.

“I tried to contact you immediately, but I couldn’t get through. That was when I knew for certain that something was wrong.”

He could still recall the feeling that had seized him. Fear. Pure, primal fear. He had never experienced anything quite like it before.

“I took a glider back to the house, wanting to reach you as quickly as possible,” he continued, holding her even tighter. “And when I entered the house, I found that vile human male on top of you.”

“He used Xeronnian technology to conceal himself and bypass Vaxxlian security measures. That’s what he told me.” Cora released a shaky breath. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “So sorry.”