Chapter Nine
IT WASN’T YET MIDDAY and Reina was ready to pass out. She’d left, fleeing back to her quarters not long after Stoan made his confession. Announcement. Whatever. Sensing her distress, he’d handed over a tablet with all the information she needed and let her go without a word of protest.
Right now, that tablet was sitting unread beside her on her small bed. She was wedged into the corner between two walls, curled up and covered with the soft red blanket that had covered the bed when she entered the room. Only a possibly misplaced sense of pride kept her from ducking her head under the blanket and hiding completely in a dark burrow.
Mate.
Deyna.
Mate?
Reina rubbed her hands against her face, trying to see if she was somehow dreaming. Or having a nightmare. A six month long
