Asha packed the rest of her jewelry and nicknacks while Uh'luka paced. She hadn't seen him that agitated since he was locked in a cage. He didn't look at her. He just rushed to one side of the room and then the other, back and forth, growling the entire time. They both straightened when there was a tone at the door.

"That must be Zagros."

Uh'luka froze in place. His head stayed facing the wall, but his eyes shifted in her direction. She grabbed her bags from the bedroom and lugged them out. He was standing in her path, his broad chest quickly rising and falling. When she dropped her eyes, she saw that his claws were digging into his own palm.

"You're really leaving the planet?"

She didn't lift her head, "Does it matter, Uh'luka?"

"I will not permit it."

Her hands tightened on the bags, "You don't get to tell me what to do! No one does! I am not a pet! I am not property!"

"No, but you are mine."

"Not anymore."

Asha shifted a bag under her arm then drug the rest forward by the handles, making a wide circle around him. Uh'luka turned and marched to the front door. He clicked several buttons on the monitor, and she heard locks roll into place. He knew Zagros had extra clearance and could probably unlock her house. Uh'luka dropped his wrist blades, then jammed them into the screen.

When he jerked his arm back, pieces of it hit the floor, "I forbid you to leave until you've thought this over."

"You're crazy! You can't keep me prisoner!"

Asha dropped her luggage and spun around. She sprinted for the steps that led to the roof. Uh'luka was faster. He skirted in front of her to block the hallway. As she leaned to one side to peer around him, he mirrored her movements.

"I made a mistake, and I hurt you. But stay on Yaut and I'll show you I can be the mate you want, the mate you deserve. I can be faithful."

She shook her head, blinking back tears.

"I never would have mated with Astenuu if I'd known what you meant. I'm not familiar with ooman culture as much as I should be."

Asha didn't look at him. She couldn't, not without remembering what she'd witnessed. He'd pistoned in and out of the other female harsher and faster than Asha could ever take. The longer the image played in her head, the more shards of glass punctured her heart. She realized that cheating was inevitable because she was human, and she'd never be enough.

When her wrist device vibrated, she brought it closer to her lips, "I'll be out in a minute Zagros."

They both rushed to grab the bags. She leaned back, trying to hold onto the biggest one, but he tore it from her hands anyway. Asha marched behind him as he took them into the bedroom. Uh'luka opened each of them and dumped the contents onto the bed.

"You asshole!"

"Tell Zagros you need a day to think it over."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Tell him."

Asha brought her wrist device up, "Uh'luka won't let me leave."

He surged forward and grabbed her forearms, "Asha!"

"Let go!" She twisted out of his grasp then shoved his chest, "You will never put your hands on me again!"

"You frustrating baby-maker!" He snarled, his hands balling into fists. "Anything you want, I'll give it to you! But I can't do that if you leave the planet!"

She pointed at him as she took strong steps forward, screaming so loud it made her throat raw, "I TOLD YOU WHAT I WANTED AND YOU FUCKED HER ANYWAY!"

He stepped back with a purr, "Give me another chance."

"You've had more than a handful of second chances, Uh'luka. I can't endure much more."

Before he could speak, there was a great big boom that shook the house. Everything on the walls and tables rattled. The first thing that came to mind was an earthquake, but then it sounded again, making her knees buckle. There was another pound, then another. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for the source of it.

With a growl, Uh'luka swept his arm out to usher her behind him. She shuffled forward as he stepped into the living room. Her eyes zeroed in on the cracks around the front door. Another boom caused her heart to jump in her throat. Bits of rock dropped to the floor as the cracks widened.

Uh'luka turned and wrapped his arms around her, pushing her out of the way before the door busted inward and came cartwheeling past them. For a moment, he kept his back bent and his arms cocooned around her. She could feel his pounding heart. When Uh'luka leaned away, she peered up at him and their eyes met.

It made her heart sink.

Asha swallowed and took a step back. She tore her eyes away from him to look at the mangled door beside her. Her gaze followed the dotted scratches in the flooring to the hole in the wall. Zagros stood on the other side, his chest puffed out and his knuckles dripping blood. Ain stood beside him, looking like a scrawny youngblood compared to his mass.

When Zagros flexed his hands the bones popped, "Time to go Asha."

"Let me get my things."

As soon as she moved, Uh'luka swung an arm out in front of her. A deep pulse vibrated through his chest.

"Drop your arm or Zagros will break it."

"Asha, I…"

Her tongue pressed against her teeth as her body tensed, holding back. Her eyes flashed up to his like lighting on a dark night. The warmth that had resided in her brown eyes was gone, replaced with bitterness and resentment. The expression conveyed more than words could have.

Uh'luka's arm fell to his side.

She swept past him to get to the bedroom and began to repack. This time she didn't bother to fold or categorize anything. Asha grabbed her belongings by the handful and slapped them into the containers. She'd just shut and clipped the first storage unit when she heard a scuffle. The sound of breaking furniture followed.

Heavy breaths and the thud of fists hitting flesh continued in the other room. There was another crash. She assumed it was the table busting apart. Asha braced her hands on the bed and let her head fall.

Her knees bent until she sat on the floor. The luggage bag slid off the bed and landed at her feet. She pressed her palm to her forehead as she scrunched her eyes shut. When she opened them, tears spilled down her cheeks. Her shoulders folded in as she cried.

The next several minutes passed in a blur, a disjointed haze that left her body feeling numb. She didn't look up until she heard a soft chitter. Zagros bent down and grabbed her fingers, tugging her to her feet. Tears blurred her vision as she walked over the bits of splintered wood and green blood in her living room.

"Get her stuff." It was Zagros's voice.

Ain answered, "Got it."

She was led onto a ship. Zagros steered her to a chair and pushed her shoulders, making her sit. Asha brought her legs up, tucking her knees under her chin. She hadn't seen Uh'luka, but she knew he was injured. Otherwise, he would have still been fighting.

After reading books that romanticized inhuman beings, Asha thought being taken off Earth would be a dream come true. Even after being held prisoner by badbloods, she'd held onto hope. She wanted a storybook romance so bad, she hadn't realized how much it was destroying her. Now she knew what it felt like to have her heart butchered, her love taken away bit by bit. Uh'luka had poisoned her happy ending.

~Yautja translations:

Baby-maker - derogatory term for a female