I sighed in relief. She wasn’t here. I wanted to meet her, but not right now. Not when I wasn’t at my best. I needed makeup, or at least a shower, before I met my mother-in-law.
She was not as dark in coloring as Maxim, but not fair like Ryston either. Her hair was golden, like stained oak, and her eyes were like her son’s, a deep brown. Her hair, instead of being streaked with gray, like an older human’s, was streaked with strands so dark they were nearly black.
Her face, however, was much like her son’s. The resemblance was undeniable, and I found myself wondering what his father looked like.
“I’m not leaving the Colony, Mother. And there is no welcome on Prillon Prime waiting for Ryston. If you want to meet your new daughter, you will have to convince Father to pay for a transport.”
“There is nothing for you there. And Prime Nial lifted the ban on all citizens of the Colony. You are free now. Free to come home.”
Maxim ran a hand over the back of his neck, a clear indication that he was frustrated. That one small, outward indication of his upset was telling. From the short time I’d known him, he barely flinched during any confrontation. This was his mother and I knew family could be more troublesome and difficult to face than even the worst enemy.
“I am Governor of Base 3. It is my role, as leader, to be here for the warriors. It is not a frivolous task. Ryston is here and so is Rachel. My life is here.”
“I’m not suggesting you leave them behind,” she repeated. “I just want to see my grandchildren.”
“We have yet to claim our mate.”
She looked stunned. “What? Why?”
“Because she is an Interstellar Bride. She has thirty days.”
The woman humphed, clearly unsatisfied by that answer. “You allow her to control you? Have you become weak on that wild planet? Claim her whether she wants it or not. I want grandchildren. I want you home.”
“If you arrange transport for a visit, let me know. Goodbye, Mother.”
The screen went black. I felt both of my mates’ emotions through the collar. Frustration was black like sludge.
“Have I done this to you?” I asked. “Am I making you unhappy?”
Maxim turned at my words, saw us there. He closed his eyes briefly and I felt happiness and sadness mixed. It wasn’t like a scale where they balanced out. It was a sick mixture of emotions that warred within him.
“Have I made you weak?”
I didn’t want that. Not at all. Both men were strong and powerful, even without their roles on the planet. To be brought low by a female was emasculating on Earth. How they felt would be even worse.
“Rachel, you have done no such thing,” Maxim said, coming up to us and brushing my hair back from my face. “You have dark circles beneath your eyes.”
I didn’t need him to be worried about me now. Yes, I needed sleep, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t talk.
“Is that why you won’t fuck me, because we’re not mated?” I glanced over my shoulder at Ryston. I didn’t wait for him to answer, for I posed my next question at Maxim. “Are you considered less because I have yet to tell you to claim me? Does she think I am leading you around by the balls?”
Maxim laughed then, a rare occurrence. “Mate, you definitely have me by the balls.”
He must have felt the shift in my mood, for he took my hand, placed it on his chest.
“When you see me and Ryston, what are your first thoughts?”
I frowned, but replied, “Big. Powerful. Commanding.”
He nodded once. “Yes, we are all those things.”
Ryston’s hands went to my shoulders, his touch warm.
“But if you deny us? If your heart does not belong to us, then what will we be?” He put a finger over my lips. “The answer is nothing. Without you, we are nothing. I know you have your thirty days, but you must know that while we will be bossy brutes outside the bedroom and dominate you in bed, you are the one with all the power.”
I didn’t really understand.
“You can have your mate and make your mother happy,” Ryston said. “Take her home, Maxim.”
Maxim looked over my shoulder at his second. “What the fuck are you saying?”
The anger that had dissipated as he looked at me spiked once again.
“You have a family that loves you and wants you back. You don’t need to make a new life here. You have your mate now. Your life is complete. Go home.”
Maxim took a step back, then another. Slashed his hand through the air. This was the first time I’d seen him truly flustered.
Turning, I looked up at Ryston. “What are you saying? You don’t want to be my mate? His second?”