by M. K. Eidem
"It can be, depending on where it penetrates."
"Then you need to go check it out," she said rubbing her hands over his chest before taking a reluctant step back.
Treyvon didn't want to leave, not when they'd just discovered his True Mate bead had transferred. He wanted to take her to his bed, wanted to spend the rest of the day showing her how much he loved her, but he also had a responsibility to his warriors.
"It's fine," she told him quietly. "The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back and I'll be here waiting."
"Make sure you are," he growled, and then with one final kiss left, followed by Nikhil.
• • • • • •
"You, my friend," Mac said pulling Jen over to the table and forcing her to sit down, "have some very serious explaining to do. Now sit, eat, and spill."
"Are you sure you aren't the Supreme Commander?" Jen teased as she let herself be pulled across the room.
"Oh stop," Mac told her as she filled a plate and set it in front of her. "Now I'll give you two uninterrupted bites and then I want you to start talking."
"I'm not sure what..."
"Shhh!" Mac hissed, snapping her teeth together while making a sealing gesture with her hand across her mouth. "Two bites then talk."
Jen found herself obeying and was surprised to discover just how hungry she really was. Thinking back, she realized she should be. She hadn't finished Last Meal the night before and then spent a very active night with Treyvon. A smile flickered across her lips as she remembered just how active. She'd learned to ignore her hunger back in the cave and it was something she was still struggling with, eating until she was full. But she knew Treyvon wanted her to eat more, wanted her to gain weight and become larger. Wasn't that an amazing concept? A male who didn't want a rail thin woman. Before she knew it, her stomach was full and her plate was empty.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you eat that way,” Mac told her quietly.
“What way?” Jen asked leaning back in her chair.
“Until you were actually full. I know you always shorted your meals back in the cave.” She held up her hand, silencing Jen as she opened her mouth to argue. "Don't deny what we both know is true."
"There was only so much to go around, Mac, and..."
"And?"
"And I was already used to doing with less."
"What are you talking about?"
"Things got hard after my parents died, a lot harder than I told you."
"You’re saying you went without? Even back then?" She gave her a disbelieving look.
"Todd and Kimmy needed it more. And anyway, Todd preferred me thin."
"Jen..."
"Don't!" Jen said sharply. "He never said anything to me, but..."
"But you knew."
"Yes, and in the end it was what allowed me to survive."
Mac tipped her head back and sighed deeply. She wanted to argue with Jen but knew she couldn't. It wasn't her place to judge Jen's life with Todd, but that wasn't her life now. If Mac had learned anything, it was that Kaliszian males were extremely protective of their True Mates, especially when it came to them providing enough food supplies. She'd learned from Maysa that it was a sign of a male's worth if his female carried extra weight.
"Alright. I don't agree with it, but I understand. But Jen, that's not your life anymore, and for a Kaliszian, it reflects badly on him if his female is too thin."
"What?" Jen gave her a shocked look.
"Do you really not know this? You saw Maysa."
"Well yeah, but she's not overly large, Mac."
"No, not the way we think of it, but she does carry some extra weight and I heard the comments some of the warriors made when they saw her."
"What did they say?"
"They all prayed that they would be able to provide as well for their Ashe as Luol did for his, if the Goddess ever blessed them with one."
"Oh." Jen began rolling Treyvon's True Mate bead between her fingers.
"Jen, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Bullshit. We've been through too much together for me to not know when you are lying. What's wrong?"
"It's the bead," Jen finally told her.
"The bead?" Her gaze went to Jen's fingers on Treyvon's True Mate bead. "What about it?"
"I wish it hadn't transferred."
"What? I... But..." Mac stuttered not trying to hide her shock or confusion. "Jen, I heard you tell Treyvon you loved him!"
"And I do! But I don't need this," she shook the offensive bead, "to prove it and neither does Treyvon."
"Maybe the Kaliszian people do," Mac told her quietly.
"What?" Jen gave her a confused look.
"Jen, I remember how I felt when I woke up wearing this." She touched Nikhil's True Mate bead. "How everyone reacted. It wasn't even about me and Nikhil, or our feelings for each other. It was all about the bead. That a True Mate bead had transferred for the first time in over five hundred cycles. It pissed me off."
"So you understand."
"I do, and I know Nikhil would love me whether I wore his bead or not, but I also know that for Nikhil, my wearing it is a validation of his worth. You see all his life Nikhil was shunned because of his size."
"What? Why? It's not like he had any control over that."
"No, he didn't. But there are many that believe the only way he could achieve such a size is if he was receiving more than his fair share of the food stores. This bead," she caressed the bead, "is an outward sign for him that the Goddess doesn't believe that."
"It really mattered that much to him?"
"Yes, and when I accepted his Ashe bead... well that meant even more to him because that was me saying he was worthy, me choosing him above all others."
"Treyvon has always been shunned because of what his ancestor Aadi did," Jen murmured.
"And yet the Goddess blessed him by allowing him to find his True Mate. You wearing his True Mate bead is proof of that... for others."
"I... I never thought about it like that. All I can think about is how Todd was willing to die for our rings. That they mattered more to him than I did. I don't want the same thing to happen with Treyvon. I won't survive losing another person I love."
"It’s two completely different situations, Jen, with two completely different males."
"Is it? Is it really? What happens when we discover where Earth is? I have to go back, Mac. I can't fail Kimmy like I did Todd."
"Stop that!" Mac ordered. "You didn't fail Todd. You were the only one that tried to stop it. He made his choice, Jen. He chose not to give up those rings. We'll never know why, but you need to let it go or they will kill your chance for happiness just like they killed him. As for you going back to Earth, do you really think Treyvon would stop you from doing something that means so much to you?"
"No... no he wouldn't."
"So what are you worrying about then?" Mac gave her a reassuring smile and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, let's get you moved into Treyvon's quarters."
• • • • • •
Nikhil worked beside his General, ignoring how the wind howled and the sand stung as it struck his large body. He blocked the worst of the storm so Treyvon could change the seal on the door of the storage area that had triggered the alarm. When Treyvon gave him a sharp nod, he stepped through the door and together they strained to close and seal the door.
"I want to know what Warrior reported that the seal on this door had been changed," Treyvon bit out, his eyes scanning the damage the infiltrating sand had done. This was where the food stores from the Zaludian ship were being stored. He needed to have Jennifer inspect the crates and see if anything had been damaged.
"Yes, General."
"I also want to know what other seals he verified," he said moving across the room.
"Of course, General."
"And make sure whoever it is cleans up this mess."
"Yes, General," Nikhil paused then said. "General..."
Treyvon turned to fa
ce his Second. "Something on your mind, Nikhil?"
"I just wanted to congratulate you on finding your True Mate."
"I... thank you, Nikhil. In truth," he reached for the braid that now only held his Ashe bead, "I am still finding it difficult to believe. To be blessed with a True Mate..."
"I remember feeling that same way," Nikhil told him understandingly. "Both blessed and terrified."
"Yes."
"You immediately offered me your support and protection should I ever need it with my Mackenzie and I wish to offer mine in return in defending your Jennifer."
"Thank you, Nikhil. I readily accept your offer. Our universe is changing and whether we like it or not, our females are at the center of that change. It is a dangerous place to be for anyone, let alone two, small females."
"You truly believe they are in danger?" Nikhil growled quietly.
"I believe that there will be some that will not welcome the finding of our True Mates."
"Why? It is a blessing from the Goddess. A sign that she might finally be forgiving us and that the Great Infection is ending."
"Exactly."
"But..."
"Nikhil, there are those that profit from our people being dependent on the Tornians. Just as there are also those that will try and discredit Jennifer and Mackenzie as True Mates not only because they are not Kaliszians but because they are ours."
"You speak of your ancestor and the rumors of how I obtained my size."
"Yes."
"So what do we do?"
"We protect what is ours." Treyvon growled. "We have the support of Liron and of the Elite Warriors here on Pontus."
"Not all of them," Nikhil informed him quietly.
"What?!! Who are you speaking of," Treyvon demanded.
"Spada, for one, and there are several others he has influence over."
"I have already transmitted my decision to Liron that I intend to strip Spada of his Elite status."
"He and his family will be disgraced," Nikhil felt it his duty to inform him. "I have never heard of an Elite Warrior being stripped of his rank in over three hundred years."
"Spada's actions here toward the survivors and Gulzar have warranted such actions. I will have no Elite Warrior under my command act in such an unworthy fashion."
"Does Spada know this?"
"No. Only Liron and now you know."
"He will not react well. He will retaliate. As will his manno."
"They will try. We are stronger and are protecting something much more important than our status."
"Agreed," Nikhil agreed.
Treyvon let his gaze travel over the now dust and sand covered crates. "Tell me your thoughts on Jennifer using these food stores for First Meal."
Nikhil let his gaze travel over the same crates as he gathered his thoughts. "It was truly an amazing experience to have a hot First Meal."
"Jennifer says it is a common thing on Earth."
"So my Mackenzie has informed me. To think..."
"To think?"
Nikhil's gaze returned to Treyvon. "That a species who has yet to conquer interplanetary travel could have such luxuries." He shook his head in disbelief then quietly said. "And if my Mackenzie might wish me to provide it."
"She has said such a thing?"
"No, she only commented on how much she enjoyed the hot First Meal."
"If we are able to find their Earth, perhaps hot First Meal could become common here also."
"You would wish to discover Earth's location?" Nikhil asked hesitantly.
"It could benefit our people," Treyvon told him.
"Yes, but Mackenzie told me..."
"About Jennifer's sister," Treyvon finished for him.
"Yes, and that Jennifer would wish to return."
"Your Mackenzie does not?"
"No, she says she has no one left there and that her life is with me now." Nikhil couldn't keep the pleasure out of his tone as he spoke.
"That is good, but I will accompany my True Mate to her home world and help her find her sister. I would never ask Jennifer to choose between her loyalty to me and that to her sister. Her Todd did this, and it haunts her still. If I did, it would destroy her."
"It might take some time to find it. The Ganglians and Zaludians keep deleting all relevant data pertaining to Earth's location."
"Yes, but that can't last forever and I do not believe we are the only ones looking for this planet."
"What do you mean? Who else would be interested?"
"I believe the Tornians might also have an interest in finding Earth."
"The Tornians..." Nikhil's eyes flashed with understanding. "You believe Vasteri's new Empress is from Earth."
"Yes and if she has conceived..." Treyvon left the rest unsaid.
"It would mean the Great Infection was ending for the Tornians."
"As it seems to be for us." When Nikhil said nothing else, Treyvon grasped his shoulder. "We can only deal with one problem at a time, Nikhil, so let us find out who is responsible for this," Treyvon gestured around him. "Then we can get back to our True Mates."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Finally," the Goddess whispered.
"Treyvon is a smart and worthy male," Raiden replied.
"You have always shown an interest in this male. Even though he is one of Aadi's. Why?" she asked turning to her mate.
"There are many that are one of Aadi's including the current Emperor."
'Truth, but Treyvon has always pulled your interest more than Liron. Why?"
"Perhaps it is because he carries the weight of Aadi's crimes more heavily than Liron."
"That too is truth, but I think it is more."
"He didn't just believe what others told him the texts said." Raiden didn't refer to them as the ancient texts because for him they weren't ancient, they were his life. "He translated them himself and discovered the truth."
"Which he didn't like."
"No."
"He believes you failed your people."
"I did."
"You did not!" the Goddess exclaimed, the heavens quivering with her anger. "You entrusted them to your brother, a fit and worthy male, who vowed to care for your people so you could be with your True Mate."
"I should have considered..."
"No one… God, Goddess, or mortal… could have predicted what Daco would do because he couldn't have me," she argued. "If anyone is to blame for what happened it is me. I am the one took you away from your people. I am the one that made you a God. I am the one that refused to give you up and your people suffered because of it."
"Stop!" The universe stilled at his order and seemed to hold its breath as he pulled her into his arms. "You are my True Mate. I would sacrifice everything for you. My people. My honor. My life. Because without you, the rest is meaningless."
"I feel the same way, my love." Reaching up, she ran a gentle hand along his cheek. "And perhaps Treyvon will understand, now that he has found his own True Mate."
• • • • • •
Jen gasped when she saw Treyvon enter their resting area. It hadn't taken long for her and Mac to hang up her few coverings. Since then they'd been sitting on the couch talking. But when he and Nikhil entered their quarters, both women were immediately on their feet.
"What happened to you?" Jen demanded rushing to Treyvon's side. When he and Nikhil had left a little more than an hour ago they'd both been well groomed and clean. Now they were disheveled with a fine dust coating every inch of their exposed skin, coverings, and hair.
"We needed to repair the door." His hands gently encircled her wrist to prevent her from touching him. "I need to cleanse," he told her softly, then looked to Nikhil. "Nikhil, you need to cleanse also. Then get that information for me."
"Yes, General. Mackenzie?" Nikhil held out his hand and Mackenzie immediately took it.
"I'll talk to you later, Jen," she told her friend and let her True Mate lead her away.
Jen waited until the door closed, then a
sked quietly letting him hear her hurt. "Why won't you let me touch you?"
"The dust on Pontus can contain alme," he told her. "If you inhale too much it can make you ill."
"Then why are you standing here covered in it?" she demanded, reversing their grips.
"Jennifer..."
"Don't 'Jennifer' me," she said, pulling him into the cleansing room. "You need to get that shit off. Now!"
Ignoring that they were both fully clothed, she forced him into the cleansing unit. After turning it on, she went to work on removing his coverings.
"Jennifer!" Treyvon exclaimed as his vest, weighed down with water and numerous razor sharp blades, hit the floor with a thump. He barely stopped his pants from following when she dropped to her knees and began to pull.
"Stop," he ordered. Capturing her frantic fingers, he pulled her back to her feet. "Jennifer, what is wrong?"
When she raised her face to him, he couldn't tell if her cheeks were soaked with tears or the wetness of the unit. "I'm not going to let you to get sick. Not if I can help it!"
"Jennifer," he cupped her face, his thumbs gently grazing her cheeks. "I will be fine. My vow."
"You said..."
"That if too much alme is inhaled it can be harmful. There is no danger when touched by it."
"You're sure?" she asked, giving him an uncertain look.
"Yes, my love. I didn't mean for my actions to make you think differently or to worry. I was only trying to protect you from becoming as filthy as I was."
"I don't care about a little dirt, Treyvon. I care about you. I can't..." Breaking off, she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I over reacted."
"You were only showing you cared." He gave her a gentle smile. "For me. No one has ever done that before. Only you."
His words broke Jennifer's heart for while Treyvon was an imposing figure that many feared, he was also a male who cared deeply. Why couldn't his own people understand that? Most of them only saw what Aadi had done, when they looked at him. Not the male he was. Well she saw him, and she was going to spend the rest of her life making sure he knew that.
"Then let me show you how much I care for you," she said giving him a gentle smile. "If you lean down, I'll wash your hair for you."
Treyvon's eyes widened at her words. Here again was something else he'd never heard of a female doing for her male. Yes, his Jennifer had brushed his hair, but to be willing to actually cleanse it?!!