Mate: Level 8

by Heather Karn

  “How much longer?” I asked when I was sure we’d walked an Earth hour. At our current pace, we had to have covered almost five miles. My bag was growing heavy and my steps were beginning to drag.

  “We’re close. There’s a turn off up ahead to the path that’ll lead to my home. Our home. That’s going to take some getting used to.”

  “It’s okay. I understand. So, can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.”

  “What will you do now that you aren’t a Captain anymore?”

  Kilani adjusted his grip on the bag’s strap across his chest. “I honestly don’t know yet. Being a Captain was all I ever wanted. I never prepared myself for anything else. Now...I just don’t know. But I’ll figure out what to do so I can support us.”

  “I can help, you know. Now that we’re Mates, don’t expect me to start popping out little fuzzballs. I’m more useful than just that.”

  A chuckle rumbled up Ki’s throat. “Fuzzballs, eh?”

  I shrugged. “For all we know they’ll look like me. Are we even compatible?” Had anyone even stopped to think about that?

  “Yes, we are. The computer would not have listed you as a Mate if we weren’t.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “We’ve tested it, so yes, I’m sure.”

  Well, that was good. This way I hadn’t gone through the whole Courtship mess for nothing. Still, having babies with an alien would be interesting.

  “Aren’t your people worried I’m going to mess up your genetics and bloodlines being an alien to you?” I asked as we reached the turn off, which I’d describe more as an animal trail. It was almost too narrow for even one of us to walk through. If this was Ki’s trail, then it’d grown over quite a bit in his absence.

  “If they were worried about that, the council would never have allowed you to join in the Courtship.”

  “Your people must be pretty desperate then.” It was another testament of what they were willing to do to secure their people didn’t die out.

  A half hour after that we arrived at Ki’s home. The forest here was just as perfect and beautiful as the one he’d created in his captain’s quarters. Okay, almost as perfect. The real thing was far better with the breeze and smells of the earth, vegetation, and the small lake that peeked through the trees at me.

  “Tomorrow I’ll take you to see it.” Ki nodded toward the glimmering water before stepping onto the small wrap-around porch of his hut. Hut almost didn’t describe the place. It was much larger than I’d anticipated, but completely made out of the local wood and fronds.

  “This is amazing,” I murmured, following him into our home. Our home. Yeah, that would definitely take some getting used to.

  “I’m glad you think so already,” he chuckled, crossing the open area which combined a kitchen and dining room to the right and a living room area to the left. At least some things were the same, though the tiny table reminded me of how little they ate.

  Ki led me to the far left corner of the hut to a room that was hidden by a floor length, heavy drape. I knew before he even tugged the drape aside what I’d find beyond, and sure enough, his bedroom lay before me, specifically his bed. Our bed.

  “I promised to be an honorable mate, remember?” Kilani stepped closer to me when he caught sight of my reaction to the bed. He set a hand against my cheek, cupping my face. I leaned into his touch, needing it right then, and happy he was willing to give it. “I will wait until you are ready to be with me. However, I’d still like to lay with you, if that would not make you uncomfortable?”

  I took note of the inflection of his voice, how he turned what should’ve been a statement into a hesitant question. My already exhausted body was far more so after our hike through the forest, so my level of caring if he stayed beside me was minimal. So, I set my bag down, and Spock with it, and crawled under the covers of the bed after taking off my shoes, and patted the open area beside me.

  “Just keep your hands in a safe area.” My statement was punctuated by a long yawn.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t sleep better in your sleep clothes? I know you wear other clothes to bed.”

  Groaning, I buried my face in the pillow that, even though he’d been gone for months, still smelled of Kilani. “Do I have to?”

  “No. I only want you comfortable.” He slid in beside me, also fully clothed, but didn’t settle in like I had. “May I hold you? I promise my hands will remain in appropriate locations.”

  What a man.

  “Sure. You can be the big spoon.”

  “The what?”

  “The big spoon. I’m the little spoon.” Rolling over so my back was to him, I shimmied closer until my back met his chest. “There, big spoon and little spoon.”

  Ki’s chuckle vibrated through me. “If that’s what you want to call it.” His arm wrapped around my waist, and to my surprise, one of his legs lifted over mine and entangled itself with my legs as he buried his face in my hair and breathed in my scent. “Relax, Cammie.”

  “For not liking touch, you’re sure doing a lot of it,” I mumbled, though inside I enjoyed the feel of him beside me. I’d never admit it yet.

  “You forget: touch in public is prohibited, as is touch among others even in private. However, touch between mates in private is fully acceptable and encouraged.”

  “So just as long as we’re alone we can touch all we want?”

  He tugged me tighter against him for emphasis. “All we want.”

  “Okay fine. Just, later.”

  Ki leaned up on his elbow and placed a soft kiss to my temple. “Go to sleep my treasure. You deserve rest.”

  “Treasure?”

  “Yes. You are the most precious jewel I’ve ever come across in all my travels. Now, sleep.”

  As much as I wanted to dwell on Kilani’s flirtatious words, sleep won out, tugging me under its hold in minutes. While I dreamed, I woke up more rested than I thought I would. There was a glass window in Ki’s room with a similar drape over it like the one dividing the room from the rest of the house. Even with it covered, I could tell no light shown through the window, meaning it was still night.

  Whispered voices in the main room drew my attention to the fact that Kilani was gone, his side of the bed cold. He’d likely been gone for some time if that was the case. Nervous energy coursed through my veins as I sat up, resting my feet on the floor. I could only imagine what my hair looked like after sleeping on it, and my breath was probably offensive.

  The curtain drew back enough for Ki to stick his head through, but I still almost yelped at the unexpected movement. Grinning and finding me awake, Ki stepped inside and tugged the drape closed behind him. Sitting beside me, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, keeping his voice low.

  “My parents are here. Father wishes to meet you, and Mother wants to apologize for how meeting her went earlier.”

  “Is she still representing the council?”

  He shook his head. “No. She’s here with Father representing the family only. Also, she’s had time to calm down since hearing about my former actions. Would you like to meet them? You don’t have to. I know how difficult it was for you when Mother came to the Courtship building. They understand.”

  “Yeah right, Ki. I can’t just ignore them.”

  “Maybe among your people, but among ours, if someone has offended, you have the right to not meet with them. It is not considered rude.”

  “Really?” How was that even possible?

  “Yes.”

  “Wow.” Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. “Even so, I was raised differently. I won’t be rude to your parents and ignore them, but I want to clean up first.”

  “I told you, it wouldn’t be rude-.”

  “It is to me. Plus, your dad didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Very well. I just wanted you to know you had a choice.”

  Leaning closer, I gave him a peck on the cheek and grinned. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re w
elcome. Come here. I put your bags in our water closet.”

  “Water closet?”

  He grinned wider. “What you call a bathroom we call a water closet. Perhaps the translation isn’t quite as good as it should be.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s probably the case. Lead the way, Sir.”

  Ki stood and took my hand, leading to the other side of the room where another drapery hung from a rod near the ceiling. I hadn’t noticed this one before in my exhausted state...or I’d been too focused on the bed. Inside was their version of a toilet, sink, and shower. A small room behind a currently open curtain displayed a closet with shelves. Some held folded clothes while others were empty.

  “Here you go,” Ki stated. He motioned toward my bags and the small closet. “You can take as much time as you need cleaning up. They are in no hurry, and neither am I. This empty space is yours. If you need more, move my things. I will not mind.” I opened my mouth to argue that wouldn’t be fair, but he pressed fingers against my lips to stop me. “You are my mate, my wife, my treasure. I want you to be happy here. Do what you need to do to be happy. My happiness is your happiness.”

  I grinned at him. “If I’d known you were this romantic, I would’ve chosen you sooner.”

  His response was to lean in, burying his fingers in my hair as he pressed his lips to mine in a tender kiss that made my toes curl. When I couldn’t tell up from down, he broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against mine, eyes still closed. “I wanted so badly to treat you this way onboard the ship, but I didn’t dare. You hadn’t chosen me, and I was worried my actions would scare you off. So, I did what minimal I could to show you I cared and hoped it was enough.”

  “It most certainly was.”

  “Good. Now, take your time. Do what you need. Unpack and make this your space as well. There is no hurry to join us.”

  “Yeah, that’s not how this works in my world either.”

  His chuckle was warm and light. “Of course not. Fine. Hurry if you wish, but you don’t have to.”

  He left me alone, and as I stared around the room, I wished I’d thought to ask him how to work everything because, even though they appeared similar in style, none of the bathroom devices was like back home. Giving into my wounded pride as I stared at the sink, I called Kilani back and had him show me how everything worked. It was a lot simpler than it looked, but still complicated enough I never would’ve been able to figure them out on my own. Ki left the shower water running when he left, insisting I relax under the hot water, but also made sure I knew how to turn it off.

  After a shower that I didn’t feel was long enough, I climbed out and toweled off. While Ki was kind and said they’d wait, I didn’t want to be rude and keep them waiting longer than was necessary. So, once all cleaned up and dressed in my least form fitting clothes, a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt, I took a deep breath and exited the bathroom and kept going through the outer curtain.

  The three sat on the large cushions that sat in Ki’s living room area. They could’ve almost been large bean bags except they had some shape to them. Ki’s parents sat on two small cushions and Ki sat on a longer one, which appeared to be made for two people. He stood when he saw me and walked over, taking my hands.

  “I’ve explained that you like touch and it calms you. They’re all right if we hold hands if you need it.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured, squeezing his hands and letting him lead me across the room.

  The man and woman who’d had their backs to me as I entered the room stood when I came into view. Neither extended a hand in greeting, but this time, I hadn’t expected it. Their eyes landed on our clasped hands, and for a moment I felt the need to drop Ki’s hand to be respectful, but once the shock passed, both smiled at me.

  “I’m Neirti,” Ki’s father introduced, inclining his head. “And I believe you already know Roosha.”

  “My apologies for earlier,” Roosha stated, also inclining her head. So, that was their version of a handshake.

  “Thank you,” I told her, giving them a quick nod. “I’m Cammie. Listen, if you aren’t comfortable with me holding Ki’s hand, I won’t. The no touching rule is still so foreign to me, and I’m trying to learn to balance it and not make others uncomfortable, but I’m afraid I’m still failing miserably.”

  Neirti beamed at me, his eyes full of warmth and pride. “There’s no need to apologize for that. Some do not understand we shouldn’t try to force our customs on you, for by so doing, we lose our chance to learn from you. They’ve forgotten that our first missions into space weren’t to find a cure for the problem that ails us, but to explore new cultures. We’ve become so wrapped up in our science of only searching for a solution to one problem that we miss out on everything else we could learn.”

  Oh yeah, I was going to like Ki’s father. A lot.

  Giving them one last out, I stated, “I just don’t want to offend anyone else or make you uncomfortable.”

  Roosha smiled, but it was a little forced. “You will not offend us by holding our son’s hand. To be honest, it has been so long since I’ve seen my eldest son so happy. If holding your hand and being near you are the cause, then I choose not to be offended by your actions.”

  Well, that was a weird way to state it, but I tried not to pick it apart. She was trying.

  “Please sit,” Neirti stated, motioning to the open space Ki had left as he and Roosha sat back down.

  As Ki and I sat down, I kept his hand but tried to keep a respectful distance from him, though it wound up only being a few inches between our legs and hips. I wasn’t sure what to say, which made making eye contact difficult. Thankfully Kilani saved me.

  “Mother was telling me that the council has decided not to pursue you choosing me as a mate. However, they will not reinstate me as a Captain, nor change my Mate Level.”

  “Okay…” He needed to be clearer than that for me to understand the meaning of what he was saying.

  His pained grin after I stared at him said he understood. “That means, as you can figure out, I won’t be going into space again. It also means that if nothing changes and no solution to our fertility problem can be found, our girls will be tested for fertility and given that level, but our sons...they’ll have my Mate Level.” By the way he ducked his head, Ki was embarrassed by this. Well, not me.

  “Good.”

  Ki whipped his head up, jaw dropping at my unapologetic statement of approval. “Good?”

  “Yes, good. I’m proud of you and your determination to find a solution for your people. I don’t like the way it’s being done, but that’s not my choice. You shouldn’t have had to take the fall for an evil man like Saren, but you did. I’m going to make sure they know that.”

  With a sigh, Ki leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. “I do not deserve you.”

  “Maybe not, but you’re stuck with me,” I laughed before growing somber and leaning back, dislodging his head from mine. “So, this doesn’t change anything for us?”

  “No. I’ll still need to find a way to support our family, but I have savings.”

  “And we will help,” Roosha stated, also dropping her head. “It’s my fault you have to look for other work. It’s the least we could do.”

  Ki’s shoulders sunk, his voice growing soft. “Mama, I told you I forgive you for making that motion. If you hadn’t, someone else would have done it.”

  “But it should not have come from your mother.”

  “But it did. Please, let us put it behind us now that it is done and Cammie and I are settling. This will work out.”

  Neirti nodded, leaning forward in his seat to rest his elbows on his knees as he studied Kilani. “I can speak to the school. I’m sure they’d be able to find you a teaching position, what with your experience.”

  “They wouldn’t let me,” Ki argued. “Not after what happened.”

  “I think you might be surprised,” Nierti chuckled. “I’ll speak with the director in the morning.”
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  “Thank you,” I cut in before Kilani could argue further. “Any help is appreciated.”

  “What if I don’t want to teach?” Ki smiled at me, but I shrugged.

  “Now is not the time to be picky. You can be picky after you have a job.”

  Roosha hid her smile behind a hand but her snickering filled the room. “I do like her.”

  My cheeks heated and I ducked my head. Ki squeezed my hand and I returned the gesture.

  “We should leave you two now,” Neirti stated, rising. Roosha followed his example. In a fluid motion, Ki was also on his feet, pulling me up with him.

  “You don’t have to leave yet,” Kilani argued, but even I could tell his argument was lacking any conviction.

  His parents both noticed and smiled. In a move that was likely based off maternal love, Roosha stepped close and kissed Kilani’s cheek and nodded at me.

  “Stay out of trouble and watch over your mate,” she directed, leading the way out of our hut, Neirti close behind her.

  “I think we made them uncomfortable,” I murmured after they’d left, making Ki chuckle.

  “Most newly mated pairs do make others uncomfortable. None of us could stand to be with my older sister and her mate for longer than a few minutes after they were mated. It is a part of nature, I suppose.”

  “Just as long as they won’t hate me for it.”

  “Never.”

  “Okay, good.” I looked around the room, noticing the glowing lights along the walls now that it was still dark outside. “So, now what?”

  Ki twisted me so I was facing him, his face difficult to read, but there was curiosity and hope brimming in his eyes. “I was hoping perhaps that you might allow me to kiss you as a mate might?”

  “Ki…” My voice held warning, and he heard it.