His eyes were closed, a fine sheen of sweat on his brow while his chest continued to rise and fall from exertion. The hand he’d used to muffle her sounds slid down clumsily to rest on her shoulder, where he squeezed once before his arm fell flat to the bed.
Heart pounding, Saedra didn’t know what to say or do. She unclenched her nails and slumped on her haunches. What had she done? She stared around her then back down and froze. Garik’s eyes were now open and watching.
Taking a deep breath, Saedra said, “I didn’t expect that to happen.”
His mouth twitched then curved up slightly. “Should I apologize?”
A snort-laugh burst forth. Saedra nearly groaned at the sound. Clearly, she was still giddy and riding on a cloud of endorphins. She was perched on his waist, which seemed inappropriate now and slid off of him and onto the mattress. The separation did little to calm the rioting emotions inside yet her answer to his question was instant. “No. But maybe I should?”
She wasn’t the most experienced but she was pretty sure he hadn’t come when she did.
Garik adjusted himself casually and stretched out on the bed with one knee cocked up. With his rough edges and the constant awareness of how deadly he was, Saedra shouldn’t have been the least bit aroused by his actions.
Except, everything about him was turning her on. Someone like him probably had dozens of women throwing themselves at him. She nibbled her lip and waited to see what his response would be.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen, but you don’t owe me an apology. I save regrets for things that can’t be changed. I assure you I have very few of them in the life I lead.”
Alright. Saedra wasn’t sure how he wanted her to take that. She rose from the bed, embarrassment searing her face and ears from the sticky feeling between her legs. She hurried over to the counter and the water unit.
“Saedra?”
She ignored Garik and turned on the water, searching the floor frantically for something to clean herself. Nothing. This was humiliating. She turned and retrieved the bag that had contained the clothes she’d given Garik and came up with a pair of dark-colored underwear. Underwear, he clearly wasn’t wearing. She smacked her self in the head then shook off her distress and went back to removing her own panties and washing vigorously.
Once done she let her dress fall about her ankles, unsure how to handle her damp panties and spun around. Garik was standing directly in front of her, his glaring erection impossible to ignore. He cupped her jaw and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “There is no reason to be uncomfortable. It was sex. If you need an excuse, blame it on the stress and danger of the situation.”
It was an easy out. Saedra’s breath eased out on a sigh. “It wasn’t the situation. Well, partly. But also, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was attracted to you.”
Garik ran his thumb gently over her chin before releasing her. She missed the contact instantly. He shrugged. “Not a bad thing to be attracted to the one you’re bonded to.”
Saedra blinked. She might not be well versed in sexual matters but she wasn’t completely naïve. “You didn’t come, though.”
It sounded accusatory, but now that she wasn’t blinded by her body’s demand for him, she could think clearly and felt guilty for not giving him the same release he’d given her.
“I did actually. But, I enjoyed watching your pleasure more.”
Embarrassing. She contemplated offering to do a better job the second time but the words wouldn’t come out, so she ended up waving her hand in the general direction of his crotch and the prominent bulge. “Do you...?”
“No. I’m fine, sesi. There are other things we should worry about and not whether or not I got off.”
She flushed, wondering if there was an insult in there. “I know you said you’ll protect me but are you saying...we’ll stay bonded after this?”
“Gerelins bond for life,” he answered in a deep tone.
She remembered that. Saedra just hadn’t expected that they would continue to actually be together. Even now, she wasn’t sure if that was what he was truly saying but fear held her back from clarifying, so she let the matter drop. “Alright.”
To her dismay, Garik backed away, his expression turning serious. “We should figure out our next moves. What time are the tickets for tomorrow’s shuttle?”
“First thing. Six sharp when the artificial light starts projecting.” Garik cursed and Saedra flinched. Seeing the questions in his gaze, she hurried to add, “We can stay here as long as necessary. My source said it’s a safe space.”
“Who is your source?”
Good question. Saedra had gotten his name from a dark site that advertised all manner of things. She’d known it was risky at the time but desperation had made her numb. Her first purchase had been through a secondary party for tickets off Quantoon. He’d been the one to give her a contact when she’d mentioned needing a hover-cycle. Daboo had given her the location of the shed after confirming the hover-cycle would be where she needed it.
There had been times Saedra worried Daboo or any of the others would say something or cheat her despite her best attempts to keep her identity enshrouded in secrecy. Her deepest fears had centered around her concern they wouldn’t follow through on her requests. It was utter relief that so far everything was going off as it was supposed to.
Soon she would be far away from Quantoon and the abuse of her father. Whatever plans he had for her and his friend Hritham would be nothing more than an ugly memory.
“I can’t give you a name. Everything is done in confidence.” Secrecy was key in the world she’d found herself dabbling in.
Garik grunted. “How do you know they didn’t sell you out?”
She didn’t. But damn it, Saedra had to have hope if nothing else. “I didn’t say who I was. Plus, I’m trusting the old saying of honor among thieves.”
He stared at her as if she was insane. “Are you serious?”
Humor or teasing? She couldn’t tell. “Yes.”
Garik stared longer. “You continue to surprise me. Not many would believe honor in any form exists among the criminal element.”
“And you? Is there honor among assassins?”
***
Garik should have expected Saedra’s counter. Before all of this, he would have told her unequivocally yes. Being a part of the Guild built an inherent sense of trust among peers. They counted on each other during assignments if they worked together and relied on one another for information when tracking targets if they were assazi.
Aside from Dedrin, Garik couldn’t think of a single member of the Assassins Guild who wouldn’t respond if he reached out. That wasn’t even taking into account the number of people who’d crossed his path and owed him favors for one reason or another.
So his response to Saedra remained simple when it came to honor. “Yes.”
She blew out a breath and a relieved smile spread across her lips. Because his answer made her trust him? Helping her and getting off of Quantoon had nothing to do with his affiliation with the Guild. Garik had the feeling that despite what he’d told her about Gerelins and bonding, she didn’t fully understand what he’d do for her or how far he’d go to protect her as was his right.