by Regine Abel
My heart felt like it was being crushed within my chest. The possibility of him leaving me was unbearable. His protection, status, money didn’t matter. It was Khel. My Khel. My quiet rock who pushed me to become all that I could be, while standing nearby to make sure I wouldn’t fall; who accepted my flaws and quirks as if they weren’t freaky; who made me feel loved, cherished and protected; who looked at me as if I were his suns and stars. If I could travel back in time, I would choose him again. I would choose him every time.
I bawled in big, broken sobs. The same horrible scenario replaying in my head: Khel and I standing in the Fastening Hall for the confirmation and him repudiating me. Goddess only knows how long I sat on the hard tiles of the shower, my knees drawn up and my arms hugging them. I cried every tear in my body with water trickling over me. Moments before he entered the fresher, I heard Khel’s voice calling my name. He found me in that same miserable position.
Without a word, he grabbed a large towel. He turned off the shower, wrapped me in the towel and carried me back to our room. He dried me, handling me delicately, while I kept sobbing. He helped me put on a flowy green dress he said made my eyes sparkle like emeralds. He sat me down in one of the comfortable sitting room chairs and began to untangle my hair.
Once done, he carried me to the padded bench on our balcony and cradled me on his lap. His deep voice rose in a soft melody as he sang a Xelixian lullaby to me. It was mesmerizing. I forgot to cry, too entranced by his voice.
“Again,” I whispered when the song ended.
And he sang it for me again. I placed my head on his chest, soothed by his rumbling voice. After he finished, we sat quietly for a while.
“It’s beautiful. I didn’t know you could sing so well,” I said. “What is it? And what does it say?”
“It’s a lullaby Mother used to sing to Vahl and me. And in turn, I used to sing it to Lhor when he was sick. It’s a pledge usually from a parent to their offspring or a protector to their wards. It’s a promise to keep them warm when they’re cold, feed them when they’re hungry, protect them when they’re afraid, chase away the monsters that stalk them in the dark, be there for them when they need them and so on.”
“Are you going to leave me?” I asked in a small voice.
“Why would you even think such a thing, Amalia? Do I seem so fickle to you that I would turn away from you at the first hiccup?”
I sobbed. “What I did today…”
“Was not your fault,” he interrupted. “It was mine.”
I gawped at him. How in the world was he responsible for my appalling behavior?
“I failed you. You told me you needed the Rehmannia leaves urgently. I should have pushed harder to get them to you on time. I didn’t and you suffered for it.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that!” I argued. “I should have remembered and told you sooner. You couldn’t have known what my reaction would be. I didn’t even know myself. Something was wrong with me, but I tried to ignore it; then it was too late.”
“Alright, then we both failed,” he said. “But that’s still not grounds for me to consider leaving you. Do you not believe me when I tell you that you’re everything to me?”
“How can you still think that after everything I’m constantly putting you through? I’ve turned your world upside down since I got here, chasing Gruuk, causing V’s people to attack the compound, assassins, the Blood House…”
“And that’s bad how?” He tilted his head. “You need me to help you through these hurdles. And I need you to help me get it done. You of all people should know how amazing it is to feel needed. This isn’t a burden, Amalia. It’s a gift. You don’t understand what it means to me, to Lhor and Ghan to have this purpose.”
“But… But I hurt him. I made him bleed. I attacked him and did… things… I disgraced myself in public.”
“You did hurt him, but it wasn’t deliberate. He knows that. He’s not mad at you, he’s worried about you. Minh patched him up in no time. And you did not disgrace yourself, Amalia. You were not in public. You were with family.”
“But I t–touch–touched him in such a…wrong…”
“You were not yourself. Your primal instincts had taken over. They recognized Lhor as a male you seriously contemplated as a mate and went after him. But your conscious mind knew better and kept you from going too far. Even in that state, you acknowledged me as your mate and came with me. We didn’t know what would happen if you didn’t get your tea. Now we do.”
“But I’m a monster.” I stared at my hands numbly. “I grow claws.”
“And I grow fangs,” he said with a soft squeeze. “Your point?”
I blinked at him. This was not the reaction I’d expected.
“Claws are awesome,” he said with a smile. “You have no idea how jealous I am. When I use my fangs as a weapon, I have to put my mouth on the fucker I’m trying to kill. Seriously, who wants that? Do you have any idea how foul some of them taste? Not to mention, smell? With claws, it’s like walking in anywhere with your own stash of blades that no one can demand you check in at the entrance. You can go all stabby on people then wipe your hands clean on their own shirt. You wouldn’t wipe your mouth on their sweaty, smelly shirt though, would you?”
I burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. He grinned in satisfaction that he’d cheered me up. “You’re so silly,” I chastised him. But deep down, I loved when he used that kind of juvenile talk in sharp contrast with his usual formal speech pattern and demeanor.
“No sillier than you for thinking having claws makes you a monster. If we’re to talk about monsters, then we should talk about the one you’ve turned Ghan into. Good old, formerly stoic Ghan has mocked Lhor for hours for getting his butt kicked by a tiny girl.”
“He didn’t!”
Khel smirked. “He totally did. Probably still is. And I’m also right about claws being better than fangs. Speaking of which, I’d like to see them.”
Feeling self-conscious, I whimpered in protest and hid my hands under my armpits.
“Come on,” Khel coaxed me, pulling on my arms. “No secrets between us, remember?”
“I don’t even know how to control them. I didn’t know I had them to begin with.” My resistance lacked conviction. I was curious about my claws too but this felt so intimate.
Khel pried my hands free. “All the more reason to figure it out now.”
He held my hands in his and whispered soft words of encouragement. At first, I thought it wasn’t going to happen. I couldn’t feel anything at the tips of my fingers. But with a bit of concentration, I finally felt something under my skin around my cuticles. I willed it to come out, too strongly I guess, because my claws burst through my skin in one burning swoop.
Ouch?
Khel’s gasp of awe echoed my gasp of pain. “Falihna…” he whispered, “…those are amazing!”
It was like a second nail, shielding the original one. The claws were thick, straight, their length half an inch past the tip of my fingers. They looked like shiny white opals. If not for their length and their wicked point, I might have kept them out permanently. Another gift from my father… Korletheans had claws. I didn’t realize they could pass that trait onto Veredians.
Khel tested their sharpness by touching the point of a claw with the tip of his finger. He quickly pulled his hand back with a small hiss of pain. He licked the drop of blood beading from his punctured finger. I couldn’t help the warm fuzzy feeling that crawled in my belly at his clear acceptance of yet another freaky side of me. Goddess, how I loved him. I opened my mouth to tell him, but ended up chewing my bottom lip instead – now didn’t feel like the right time.
“I want you to practice sheathing and unsheathing them regularly until you can do it without thinking about it.” He stared at my claws. “I’ll prepare exercises for you as part of your combat training routine. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Khel.” I willed my claws back under my skin. My stomach always did t
his funky flip flop when he got bossy with me. I didn’t want him to control me yet I liked his dominant side. Go figure… After he rescued me this morning – or rather after he rescued Lhor from me – I spent the following two hours having my way with him. I probably would have gone on longer but I was getting too sore and the haze finally abated. Yet, here I was, with my nether region perking up again because my mate had gone dominant on me.
“Now, Amalia,” Khel said in a commanding voice, “I’m not going to allow you to hide up here.” I withered in his arms and opened my mouth to plead, but he quickly added, “Jhola and Lhor are desperate to see you. They’re worried sick and want to reassure you that everything is okay. They know you’re sitting here berating yourself. Now that you’re all sorted out, you’re going to put your shoes on and we’re going downstairs to have lunch with everyone.”
“But…”
“No buts,” he interrupted, his tone unyielding. “Right after lunch, we’ll raid the Blood House and the Hold. The success of that operation depends on you, so it’s better to get this out of the way now. You can come willingly, or I’ll carry you. The choice is yours.
I gave him a warning look. “Don’t tell me what to do, Khel.”
“Ghan bet I’m going to have to drag you down kicking and screaming. He claims you’ll leave claw marks all over the stair’s ramp. Lhor said you’ll convince me to let you hide up here for a few days because I’m too whipped to refuse you anything.”
Bastards!
I eyed him suspiciously. “And what did you bet?” He was totally manipulating me.
He smirked, his eyes sparkling with a mysterious glint. “That answer is written under your placemat in the dinette.”
* * *
My heart pounded into my throat as we approached the dinette. I could hear Jhola talking with Lhor and I almost ran back to my room. Sensing my distress, Khel caressed my back encouragingly. He gave me a little nudge forward. I took a deep, steadying breath, then walked into the room.
I expected to be greeted by deafening silence, accompanied by wary stares from everyone. Instead, four wide grins and a barely-there smirk welcomed me.
“There she is!” Lhor flashed his dimpled smile.
“Ah! Come in, child. You must be starving.” Jhola walked up to me, taking my hand to drag me toward the table.
I clasped my hand around hers but held my ground, refusing to budge. She gave me an inquisitive look. My lips quivered as I locked eyes with her, searching for words to apologize. She immediately frowned and tsked me before I could utter a word.
“None of that young lady,” she chastised me. “Everything and everyone is fine. I’ll have no weeping, pouting or wallowing in self-pity at my table. Is that clear?”
“But…”
“Tsk, I said!” Jhola interrupted. “Now give me a proper hug!”
Before I could react, she swept me up in an embrace. I held her tight as she caressed my hair and whispered in my ear, “Everything is alright with us, my child. Please don’t fret.” I nodded against her cheek. She gave me one last squeeze before letting go.
“Now take a seat so we can eat lunch. You don’t want to see how grumpy my mate gets when he’s hungry.”
“I don’t get grumpy!” Sivh denied in mock outrage.
“You do get grumpy, though not as badly as Ghan,” Khel smirked, pulling out a chair for me.
Sivh huffed and Ghan grunted at Khel before nodding at me. My wary eyes met his ever stoic ones. Dr. Volghan also nodded at me with a gentle smile. I cast an uncertain glance toward Lhor who winked. I felt all the tension bleed out of me.
“Are you okay, Lhor?” I asked in a small voice.
He smiled affectionately at me then said, “I’m alright. Minh took good care of me.” Dr. Volghan nodded in agreement, but for half a second, something akin to concern flashed in his eyes. It was so brief, I might have imagined it.
Lhor cast a baleful glare at Ghan’s impassive face. “It’s more my ego that will take a while to recover.”
Khel chuckled, while Ghan sniffed dismissively at Lhor. I fought the urge to giggle, feeling guilty I’d given Ghan more ammo to pester Lhor with. I noticed a small note protruding from the top corner of my placemat. Remembering Khel’s words earlier, I pulled out the note and unfolded it before reading.
Amalia will come of her own free will because she’s strong enough to face anything.
I felt tears gather in my eyes, and blinked them away before looking into Khel’s. I don’t know what I had done for the Goddess to bless me with such an amazing mate.
“Thank you,” I whispered across the table.
“No, my mate, thank you!” he said with a grin. “I believe the boys are indebted to yours truly.” He looked at Lhor who made a face at him. Poor Lhor, it really wasn’t his day.
Lunch continued in a pleasant atmosphere. When we finished, Minh thanked Jhola for the excellent meal then retired to his lab. Sivh helped Jhola clear the table before they both excused themselves, closing the door behind them as they left the dinette.
Khel rubbed his stomach absentmindedly. “Amalia, while you were resting, Ghan and I finished interrogating the human.”
“We were able to confirm that he works for Gruuk but not on The Revenant. He was one of his head-hunters. Their job was to acquire new slaves. He also hunted males for the breeding programs.”
My hands fisted in anger. That man had caused so much pain. I itched to go give him a taste of the ‘discipline’ some masters inflicted on those females he had captured.
“Gruuk sent him here to either capture or eliminate you, the former being the preferred outcome. It’s worse than we thought. He confirmed there are four Blood Houses on Xelix Prime, one per district except Xelhon. He doesn’t know their locations since he always did deliveries or collections at the spaceport.”
The thought of three other Blood Houses gutted me. “Collections?”
Khel took a sip of wine. Putting the glass back down, he gave me a sympathetic look. “He collected the females too old to continue serving in the brothels, or too broken for either the Blood Houses or brothels. They were sent back to breeding strongholds to be breeders, surrogates or wet nurses.”
“Yeah, that sounds exactly like him.” I tossed my napkin on the table in disgust. “Gruuk doesn’t waste. He tries to maximize the usefulness of his slaves.”
Khel reached for my hand and squeezed it. “He’ll never get you, of this, you have my word.”
“We were able to extract the coordinates of the two strongholds he did business with.” Ghan reclined in his chair. It creaked under his weight. “Stealth ships are already en route for a first reconnaissance. However, if Gruuk suspects his man was captured, he may evacuate these facilities.”
“We’ve dispatched a small fleet to both these regions to intercept if they’re already fleeing,” Khel said.
“You guys are so wonderful,” I said in a choked voice. “I don’t have the words to say how much this means to me.”
I launched myself into Khel’s arms and covered his face with kisses while he chuckled, pleased with my reaction. Freeing myself from his embrace, I turned to Lhor, held his face with both hands and plopped a resounding kiss on his cheek. Releasing him before he had a chance to recover from the shock, I locked eyes with Ghan who answered with a ‘stay away’ glare – which I ignored. Winding my arms tightly around his neck, I smacked a wet kiss on his scarred cheek. He made a sound halfway between a growl and a groan but otherwise didn’t fight my affection.
Khel laughed at Ghan’s dismay. I glided back to my mate and settled on his lap.
Ghan glared at Lhor. “Weren’t you supposed to teach her the dos and don’ts of Xelixian society?”
“I tried!” Lhor said with a long-suffering sigh. “She won’t listen.”
“I’m not in public. I do what I want at home.” I lifted my chin, unrepentant. “Keep whining and you’re both getting seconds.”
That shut them up.
&
nbsp; Amalia one, boys zero.
Khel nuzzled my neck before looking at Ghan. “Well, Ghan, seems like you just joined the ‘beaten by a tiny girl’ club.”
If I wasn’t so busy laughing at Ghan’s icy glare, I would have snapped at Khel for calling me tiny. I wasn’t tiny damn it!
“On this happy note,” Khel said, “our squads and Detective Gravhin’s units will soon be in position. It’s time for us to head out to the Blood House. Are you still up to it, Amalia?”
“Yes!” The prospect of releasing the female slaves felt exhilarating. “I couldn’t be more ready.”
“Excellent. Lhor, Yhan and Sohr will be in the camouflaged shuttle with you. Ghan will lead the attack on the Hold, I’ll lead the one on the Blood House,” Khel said. “Lhor, if things start going sideways, you take Amalia back to the compound immediately.”
Lhor nodded. I began to protest.
“No, my mate,” Khel interrupted before I could say a word. “This is non-negotiable. I’ve met you halfway on this because your plan was a viable one. Your skills can save a lot of lives, and you’ll be in relative safety. I won’t risk you any further than this. I won’t be able to focus on the battle if I’m worrying about you getting caught in the crossfire.”
I pinched my lips. His request wasn’t unreasonable, but I hated feeling like I was being babied again. I capitulated with a stiff nod.
“Thank you, my mate.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Alright, let’s get going.” He got up and led me to the entrance of the house.
Ghan talked on the com, informing the warriors we were on our way. Lhor did the same with Detective Gravhin. We entered the shuttle and Khel got me comfortably installed before giving me a long goodbye kiss. As he was leaving, it suddenly hit me how wrong this was.
“Khel!” I shouted in panic, looking around the shuttle at the three other males with me.
“What is it, Falihna?” he asked, concerned by the blatant distress in my voice.