A guard walked out of the double doors, leading a blindfolded female with her hands tied in front of her. They startled her, as she stepped back to get out of the way. Keely didn't speak. There were no words that would have been appropriate, considering the circumstances. The terrified woman whimpered as the guard marched her away. Keely swallowed hard before stepping through the doors.
The corridor that awaited her was long and silent. At the opposite end stood Kosmas, but he wasn't alone, much to her surprise. Zander stood beside him, his blond hair gleaming underneath the muted lights, his face set in an impassive mask. They hadn't spoken since the night she'd mated, much to Keely's disappointment. She hoped that the last several months had altered his feelings in regards to her, and that they could settle into an easy friendship. She genuinely liked the tall, fair-headed vampire... she just wasn't in love with him.
With the exception of the two powerful males, the hallway was empty. It appeared that the unloading of the concubines was at an end. The vampires had stuck with their pattern of only collecting five at a time, or so she hoped. Secretly, Keely was relieved to have missed the other four. It had been a mistake for her to come. She wasn't quite ready to participate in this part of Golden Harbor's society, at least not yet.
It was too late to leave. Kosmas winked at her from across the hallway, as he moved in her direction. Zander followed him, nodding at her cordially before looking away. It was a start. Seeing her mate lightened her mood. Keely smiled as she walked forward to join them.
“Missing me already?” Kosmas teased as he pulled her to him, leaning forward to press a kiss to her lips. He towered over her, his muscular chest and arms chasing away the last of her worries and fear.
“That's an understatement,” she muttered in a low voice, but he heard it anyhow, judging from the sexy grin that spread across his face. Zander looked away from them, as if he'd suddenly spotted something interesting on the wall across from them. He looked uncomfortable. The atmosphere shifted within the corridor, leaving Keely feeling awkward and out of sorts.
Kosmas cleared his throat, pulling her eyes up to his face. As usual, he looked calm and collected, as if there wasn't a force great enough in the universe to ever shake his cool facade. It comforted her. No matter what happened, Kosmas could always be depended on to handle it. And as the months had passed by, Keely had slowly started to lean on him, instead of depending only on herself.
Surprisingly, the change within her felt natural. Over the years, she'd grown used to being in control, used to having to fight to survive the elements around her. Trusting others would have meant her death. Keely had quickly learned that living in horrible circumstances changed even the best of people. Faced with hunger and illnesses, there wasn't much a person wouldn't do to better their own situations. Even if it meant hurting or killing others.
But she trusted Kosmas with everything that she had in her... and she hadn't been wrong in doing so. Who would have ever thought that living amongst vampires would be safe, even sublime? She'd found peace and joy on Legionnaire, and she'd found love with Kosmas.
“Well, you have impeccable timing,” he announced, releasing her enough to guide her back down the corridor. Zander made no move to follow. “I'm all but done here.”
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Kosmas asked Zander, “Will you be staying at the palace? Or do you already have arrangements to stay with your family?”
A guard stepped out into the corridor, his movements silent. Despite the quietness of his actions, as well as the one with him, something alerted Keely to their presence. She stopped, her head turning in their direction. A gasp of horror escaped her lips, the blood rushing from her head as she stared at Legionnaire's newest arrival. It was horrifying, rendering her completely speechless.
Both Zander and Kosmas turned at the same time, their eyes widening immediately. Neither one of them spoke. Kosmas dropped his chin to glance at her, his lips compressing into a tight line as he took in her reaction. Zander didn't seem to notice. Instead, his eyes remained locked on the silent guard as he led his captive in their direction, an aghast expression on his normally composed face.
Keely was furious at what she saw, and thoroughly angered by both men's reactions. She yanked away from Kosmas, filled with hurt and even betrayal. She'd thought better of her mate. Never would she have ever expected to find herself in the predicament she was currently in, but it was glaringly obvious that she didn't know him as well as she thought she had. This time, Kosmas had pushed her too far.
“How dare you?” she hissed at him, gesturing toward the guard... and the child he guided down the hallway. Just like the other concubines she was blindfolded, but thankfully, they hadn't bound her. At Keely's words, the girl whimpered. The guard stared at the trio of three in front of him, a wary expression on his face. Keely despised him. “What kind of depravity is this? Are the vampires here so desperate that they would resort to the practice of stealing children?”
Emotion welled up within her, nearly choking her. Keely felt sick and disillusioned, her heart breaking not only for the child, but from her grief at discovering a side of her mate that she hadn't knew existed. Kosmas narrowed his dark eyes at her as they quickly filled with anger. Keely glared back.
“Enough,” he roared, taking a step away from her as if he couldn't bear the thought of touching her. “I won't be judged and condemned by my mate for something I had no knowledge of.” He turned his face away to look at the two, but not before Keely saw the glimmer of hurt in his dark eyes. It left her unmoved. As leader of Golden Harbor, it was his responsibility to know what went on. Seeing the child was too difficult for her to overlook, even if Kosmas preferred she did.
“What is this?” Kosmas asked the other man, waving his hands in front of him in an incredulous manner. “Who authorized you to take a child? And what about her parents?”
The guard cleared his throat nervously. The girl next to him started to sob. Imagining her fear was a terrible thing. Tears leaked out of Keely's own eyes in response. “Nobody,” he replied, looking as if he wished he were anywhere but there. “She was part of the herd that the humans had gathered, so we loaded her up. From what we were told, her family is dead. She has nobody on Earth to care for her.”
“Dammit,” Kosmas spat, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He slung the clipboard against the far wall, as papers flew everywhere. Nobody moved to pick them up. “Didn't it ever occur to you to just leave her?” He stopped to shake his head, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply. “What are we supposed to do with a human child? She's too young to be mated.”
The guard sighed. Keely hadn't seen him before, but it wasn't unusual. Kosmas had a lot of guards, far too many for her to ever be able to identify. “I overheard two of the humans talking,” he explained, in a toneless voice. “It was while we were loading up the space plane. The mortals are having problems locating enough concubines to meet our demands. Part of it is from laziness, but part of it is simply due to their diminishing population. Earth's leaders have no contact with those in their general population, and they don't have the resources to force them to submit to blood tests. Not anymore. They've lost interest in providing us with concubines, and they don't believe we will hold them to it. They plan on sending what they have, but that's all. Once they've run out of women, they don't plan on sending anymore.”
Kosmas looked... furious. In the muted lighting, the planes of his well-defined face looked harsh and shadowed. During the guard's speech, his fangs had erupted. “Oh, really?” he asked, in a cold, dangerous voice. “It sounds as if I'm long overdue to a trip back to Earth. Their arrogance is astounding, especially considering how close they are to extincting themselves. I won't tolerate this type of defiance, be it from vampire or human. We bow to nobody.”
The thought of Kosmas returning to Earth chilled her, despite her anger with him. She was quickly regretting her rash assumption that he approved of the girl being taken, but what
other kind of conclusion could she have reached? Not much occurred on Golden Harbor without Kosmas' approval, especially when it came to the concubines.
Kosmas coldly ignored her, as if she weren't even there. It was clear to all of them that he was furious with her. Despite his anger, though, Keely wouldn't back down. “You have to send her back,” she broke in, holding her head high as she slowly looked at each vampire. “You have no choice. She has to be returned.”
“I could organize a crew,” Zander interrupted suddenly, raking a hand through his own hair. Keely was surprised by his offer. She shot him a grateful look, but he didn't appear to notice. “If I get started now, we could leave within the hour. We'd be back in plenty of time for your Christmas celebration.”
Kosmas sneered at Keely and Zander, shaking his head vehemently as he released a sharp bark of laughter. Finally, he settled his gaze on Keely, the angering simmering in his dark depths almost like a slap. “You're so quick to believe that we're the animals, but it was your own precious humanity that sent this girl to us. But you, my little self-righteous hypocrite, want to send her back to the very people that were only too happy to hand her over to a group of vampires? What do you think they thought they were sending her into?”
He stopped for emphasis, letting his words sink in deeply. Keely blinked in shame and humiliation, her eyes overflowing with tears. He was right, she realized belatedly, filled with dismay. It was likely they'd believed they were sending the girl into certain death, at the very least, but they hadn't blinked an eye about doing so. Her own people had sacrificed a child to protect themselves, not caring about what kind of horrors awaited her.
And she wanted to send the child back to them? Not anymore, but she didn't want to see the girl mated before her time, either. Despite how foolish she felt, she refused to back down to her mate. Maintaining her composure, she glared at him with a prideful tilt to her chin. As wrong as she might have been, she hadn't deserved the way he'd publicly humiliated her. And the issue was nowhere near resolved. How Kosmas handled the next several minutes could very well set the pace for the rest of their lives. Good or bad.
She almost sobbed at the thought of potentially losing him, but she somehow held it back. Instead she focused on her next words. “Regardless, having her here is unacceptable. How safe is Legionnaire for her, when there are a slew of single male vampires that are desperate for females with the v factor? And even if you intend to wait until she's grown, how could she ever have any peace with something like that hanging over her head? It's not anyway for anyone to live, especially for a child. Just know this Kosmas. I won't tolerate her being placed in the market. Not now. Not ever.”
“You won't tolerate?” Kosmas repeated coolly, his head tilting as he surveyed her. Keely realized her mistake, but it was too late. She'd insulted his pride, not only as her mate, but as the leader of his people. Their people. “So not only do you lack faith in me to make honorable choices, but you think to take over the position of decision maker to the people of Golden Harbor?”
“You've left me little choice,” Keely replied, her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she struggled for control. “I haven't found one thing you've said since her arrival to be reassuring. Where is your indignation? What is your solution? It's hard to have faith in someone that seems to be struggling when it comes to the fate of this girl.”
“You still don't get it, do you?” Kosmas ground out, staring at her coldly. “She can't go back. I won't allow her to return to a group of people so lacking in compassion that they'd doom a child in the manner that they did. That alone should reassure you, but it doesn't. And suddenly I wonder if pleasing you is even possible? In your current mindset, it doesn't seem likely. Sending her back is out of the question. Here on Legionnaire is where she will remain, regardless of whether or not I've worked out the details. You'll just have to trust me when I say she will be safe and protected. If you're able to.” He added on the last part bitterly. Sarcastically. Clearly, her words had stung him deeply.
Zander and the guard watched her with disapproving expressions on their faces. The girl sobbed quietly, no doubt terrified beyond belief. With the blindfold shielding her face, Keely found it even impossible to guess at her age, but judging from her height, she looked to be around ten. And finally, Keely forced herself to look at her mate again. The sweet and caring lover she knew was gone. In his place stood a cold, harsh vampire, a stranger with her mate's face. And in that moment, Keely knew she'd had enough.
“Let me know when you figure it out,” she retorted, refusing to reveal her pain in front of an audience. “In the meantime, though, make sure to find other accommodations. My door is locked to you until this is satisfactorily resolved.” She looked at the girl again, grimacing inside, before adding, “And maybe not even then.”
With that Keely spun around and walked out, ignoring the devastation she felt when he let her do it.
Chapter 3
Kosmas watched her leave, his frustration building by the moment. With Christmas looming over his head, he'd wanted to make everything perfect for his mate. Instead, his carefully laid plans were falling down around his ears, and he had no idea how to stop it.
She'd even had the audacity to throw him out of his own bedroom, something that didn't sit well with Kosmas, especially with her ex-lover watching it all. His eyes narrowed at the empty doorway, the one she'd just disappeared through. His jaw ticked as he ground his teeth together, remaining still for all of a second. If his mate thought he'd allow her to have the last word, she had another thought coming.
“Escort the girl into one of the empty rooms in my wing and assign Cara to oversee her care,” he growled out, his heated blood pumping coarsely through his veins. There was only one way to fix his problem with his mate, and his shaft was already twitching in anticipation. “In fact, I want Cara to remain with the girl until I tell her differently.” He stopped thinking about Keely long enough to shoot a warning glance at each male before adding, “She's to be treated in the proper manner that we would treat any child of her age. She's not a concubine, and she's not to be considered one. Make sure that this is spread far and wide. Anyone found treating her any differently will be put to death. Do I make myself clear?”
“Of course,” Zander replied incredulously, his eyebrows raised high, while his guard vigorously nodded his head, a relieved expression on his face. They'd all been placed into an awkward position, but one that they should have been prepared for. Kosmas wouldn't put anything past the corrupted leaders of the mortal world. It was likely that the girl was just the first of several that would be sent. It made him sick.
Walking over to her, he squatted down to gently remove her blindfold. Big blue eyes stared up at him, rimmed red from crying. Kosmas muttered a curse, hating that the child had experienced so much fear, before glaring at his guard for blindfolding her. “Should this happen again,” he growled out. “Make damn sure you don't terrify the child before she reaches Legionnaire.”
“I'm sorry,” he sputtered out. “But in our defense, none of us knew what to do.”
“I understand that,” Kosmas replied, attempting to curtail his anger out of fear of scaring the girl in front of him. He sent her a small, reassuring smile before adding, “That's why you're still alive. Now get out of here and inform the rest of the guard of what I have told you. Zander will escort her to her room. You've done enough.”
“Y-yes,” the guard replied, all but running for the double doors that would lead him to the interconnecting hallway.
“So,” Kosmas said, his tone lightening considerably. “Where was I? Oh, yes,” he continued, patting the girl awkwardly on the head. “My name is Kosmas, and I'm the leader here. I'm sorry that you had such a scary trip to our world, but here on Legionnaire, it's really not so bad. In many ways, our world is very similar to Earth. I hope that one day you will consider it home.”
Kosmas knew he was rambling, but what else could he do? His experience with children wa
s very limited. He was much more comfortable in a battlefield.
The child remained quiet for a moment, studying him with her wide eyes. After a moment, she nodded as she asked, “Are you a king?”
Zander chuckled softly behind him as Kosmas considered it. “Yes, I suppose in a way I am,” he agreed quietly. “And because of my position, I can assure you that you will be safe. In a moment, I'm going to have Zander to escort you to your new room. After that, you'll be joined by Cara. I think you will like her. Cara will see about getting you some new clothing and food. Before you go, though, can you tell me your name?”
“Abby,” the girl murmured quietly. “I'm thirteen years old.”
Kosmas and Zander exchanged surprised glances. As small as she was, she could have passed for someone much younger. He wondered when her last good meal had been. “It's nice to meet you, Abby,” he replied, coming to his feet. “Are you ready to go with Zander? After your trip, I'm sure you must be hungry and tired. We will speak again soon, though.”
“Okay,” she replied, with a shrug. The fear was gone from her youthful face, much to Kosmas' relief. Still, he couldn't help but wonder at what tribulations she'd already experienced in her short life. Too many, if the sadness in her eyes was any indication. It made him want to rage at the leaders that let the children of their world suffer so. Unfortunately, Earth was full of orphans, their parents dead from disease or hunger. It was a sad state of affairs.
At that moment, Brownie chose to make an appearance, his nose low to the ground as he ran in Kosmas' direction. He wore a red ribbon tied into a bow around his neck, with a bell attached that jingled as he ran. Even the dog wasn't safe from Keely's Christmas spirit.
“A dog,” Abby exclaimed, her face lit up with happiness.
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