“I see you wasted my brother’s credit on dirt and rocks,” Amity said.
Kal took a deep breath and counted to ten, reigning in her temper. Bad enough that Merit was never home, but he left her with his snarky, rude sister. She placed the assembled fountain in the bed and instructed Dare to fill it with water. Kits occupied, Kal turned her attention to Amity. “Can I have a word with you? Inside.”
Kal brushed past Amity, making it clear that she issued an order, not a suggestion. Amity sniffed loudly but followed.
She grabbed the kettle and filled it with water.
“What are you doing?” Amity asked.
“I’m making tea. It’s what my people do when we’re miffed.” Her hands needed to be occupied. The mindless routine of measuring out sugar and milk calmed her down.
“Why are you upset?”
Fair enough. Kal had taken all the subtle jabs and passive-aggressive comments with quiet calm thus far. Why would she be suddenly upset after two weeks of saying nothing? “I’m upset,” she said, “because you have been nothing but rude to me since I arrived.”
“I don’t agree with what my brother is doing,” Amity said.
“No doubt, but that’s no reason to take it out on me.”
“If you’re unhappy here, you should leave.”
Never. She’d stubbornly dig her heels in. The more Amity wanted her to leave, the more determined she grew.
“Is that what you want? For me to leave? Because if I go back to Earth, you’re stuck here. Forever.” Merit worked too much. He needed someone to stay with the children. Perhaps Amity thought he’d roll over and let her take the children. Kal didn’t know the man well but she knew that he would fight for those children with every ounce of strength in his body.
Amity swallowed and paled.
Thought so.
“I am protecting my family,” she said.
“I can respect that,” Kal said. She chose her next words carefully. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
“My feet are correct.” Amity glanced down at Kal’s dirt-covered sandals.
For crying out loud. Kal had reached the limit of her patience. “How about this? I’m going to speak plainly because I care deeply for your brother and have the utmost respect for him. I also adore the children.”
“Your words matter not–”
“You need to stop.”
Amity clamped her mouth shut, eyes bright with anger.
“Just stop all the passive-aggressive, snarky comments.” Kal took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Confrontation normally did not make her anxious, but the situation required a delicate touch. “Please understand that I respect the care you’ve given your family and I admire all that you’ve done to support Merit after your brother’s death.”
Amity’s ears lay flat. Kal continued, “You dropped everything to be here. You left your job and your home. For more than six months, you’ve placed your family’s wellbeing above your own. That’s a special kind of devotion.”
“Anyone would have done the same,” Amity said in a guarded tone.
“The world would be a better place if that were true.” Kal smiled weakly as she poured hot water into her mug. “Please take my words in the spirit they were given: lay off me. No more criticism. No more snarky asides. No more passive-aggressive, let-me-help-the-poor-human comments. And no more criticizing me behind my back. If you have something to say, you can say to me directly.” She added milk to her tea and stirred. “Are we clear?”
“I understand you,” Amity said. “You are ready to push me out and have my brother all to yourself. You will spend all his money and ruin him.”
Kal sighed with disappointment. Spend all this money, like Merit lived in a grand estate. While larger than her flat, the house was hardly the lap of luxury. “I wanted to avoid a row,” she said.
“Then you should not have spent my brother’s credit on rocks and dirt! I do not want the kits believing that such wasteful actions are desirable.”
“His money? Dearie, I’ve not spent one penny of Merit’s money.”
“That is not true. Everyone sees the way you splash out credit. Where did it come from?” Amity sniffed and lifted her chin.
Amity thought she was a pauper, some penniless slag come to sniff after a rich husband. Shocked, Kal couldn’t be bothered to be offended. “Wow. You really think I’m on the prowl for a rich husband?”
“Why else would you be here?”
Here. In a house with ancient appliances, no computer to run basic maintenance, and a hot water heater that didn’t hold enough hot water.
“For your information, I’m flush. I’m an only child and inherited my parents’ house, which I spun into an investment account. I had no debts and owned my own flat, which is now being leased and generating a monthly income, thank you very much.” Kal relished the uncomfortable look on Amity’s face. Not the sort to brag, speaking about her financial success made her uneasy. She wasn’t rich, but she had pulled a decent salary, lived below her means, and invested the money from her parents. She didn’t need Merit’s money and had no plans to spend any of it. “I did not come here a pauper, looking for a sugar daddy to take care of me.”
“What is a—”
“The point, Amity, is that you assumed the worst about me from the start. It must end. I’m not going anywhere.”
Amity’s ears relaxed, despite her tail flicking wildly behind her. “I apologize. I misjudged you. We lost much of our extended family in the war. My instincts are to protect my family at any cost.”
Kal nodded, accepting the apology. “Thank you. I admire how protective you and Merit are of the children. It makes me want to be part of this family. The last thing I want is to come between you and your brother.”
“What is a sugar daddy? Is it another of your sweet Earth foods?”
Merit
Merit wasn’t blind. He saw the way Amity and Kal interacted with the barest amount of tolerance. When one entered a room, the other left. When they had to be in each other’s presence, they did so in silence, speaking as little as necessary. They never traded harsh words in front of the kits or himself, but he knew Amity. She would not hold her tongue if the mood struck her.
She certainly did not hold her bitter words when it came to him. His actions displeased her and had for years. She disapproved of him joining the military when he was fresh out of his schooling. She disapproved of his friends, his home, and his career. Now she did not like his mate. Her lack of acceptance made no difference to him. Nothing short of moving himself and the kits back to Talmar would make her happy.
Except Amity’s lack of acceptance made a difference to Kal. He could see it in her guarded expressions, waiting for Amity to strike with an insult wrapped in an insincere compliment.
What kind of male allowed his mate to be treated so? He did not tolerate such behavior from the males at the Watchtower. He shut down the casually cruel comments in town from people he had known for a decade. Why did he suffer to let Amity run her mouth?
No more. He knew Amity’s feelings about his mate–dislike–and he let her say her piece several times over. Her bad attitude forced him to choose between his sister and his mate.
He chose Kalini, without hesitation. Their attraction had been instant, but in their brief time together, he learned more about her every day. The more he learned, the more he liked her. He felt kindly toward her now, affectionate even, and he found her attractive. Even if his feelings never deepened beyond affection, he knew they could have a happy life together.
Merit frowned at that thought. He knew what Amity would say if she had heard him say that. “And is that the life you offer her? To be your servant, nursemaid, and bed companion for scraps of your affection?”
He arrived home late. Again. Two new potted plants flanked the front entrance of his home. The house was dark and the aroma of a meal long since consumed lingered in the air. He’d eat the plate left in the warmer, crawl in bed next
to his mate, derive comfort from the sound of her even breathing while she slept, and leave before dawn to start another day.
He understood that Amity protested to spare both Kal and himself pain. Still, the stubborn nature of a younger brother defying his sister reared its head. The more she protested, the tighter he clung to Kal. He did not want to let her go and at that moment, standing outside his own house, reluctant to enter, he couldn’t say if he wanted Kal because he desired her or to spite his sister.
It was a very un-Tal feeling. There was no profit in keeping a mate that would not benefit him or his family. Amity was correct to remind him of this.
Kal offered him more than the help of a mate, more than companionship and physical pleasure. When she curled up against him in the night… No. More than that. When he entered a room, she lifted her flat human face and smiled, for him, simply glad to see him. She didn’t have to speak the words. The delight on her face said enough.
They barely knew each other, but he knew she was for him.
She carried his heart.
The revelation stunned him. He expected love to grow slowly, needing time and care to cultivate. Apparently, his heart had no patience for the civilized way of things and surrendered to her immediately.
He did not want to lose his mate, but he did not want to quarrel with his sister.
Merit wanted to talk the problem out with Prospect. His brother would have known exactly what to say to both Amity and him to bring peace back to their little family. Of course, if he could have spoken with Prospect, then Merit would not be the guardian of the kits or have these troubles.
He never would have met Kal.
The idea of that loss stung more than he expected.
No more hiding in the dark like a scared kit. Merit shook his tail to release tension.
He knew what he must do.
He found the plate of food waiting in the warmer, as expected. As he took the first bite, he noticed a figure sitting in the dark outside on the patio. He recognized Amity’s profile in the moonlight. He finished off the meal before joining her on the patio. More potted plants decorated the space, in addition to a bubble fountain. The bells in the fountain chimed softly with the moving water. He found the sound soothing.
“Useless thing,” Amity said, settling on the bench.
“I like the sound of the chimes. It is relaxing.” He sat next to Amity. “You had a disagreement with Kalini today.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“No. I can tell by how you criticize her even when she is not here.” Truth. He loved his sister, but he could admit her flaws. Amity was stubborn. When she wanted a thing, she latched on with both hands and did not let go until she had her way. She loved just as fiercely, far too stubborn to give up on a person.
As much as he loved her, the time had come for Amity to leave. His decision would not surprise her. They both understood the situation to be temporary. He searched for the correct words to tell her this.
“I’m leaving soon,” she said.
Her words caught him by surprise. “Soon?”
“Ten days. You don’t need me here anymore. I have ignored my obligations for far too long.” Amity folded her hands in her lap, prim and proper to her core. “No doubt the fool I left in charge of my café has burned it to the ground.”
“I will always need you,” Merit said.
“All I can do is upset your mate and prevent you from forming a strong bond.”
“And you don’t want that?” He suspected that had been her plan all along. Sow strife and discord in his new marriage and convince Kal to go back to Earth.
“How could you think that of me?” she hissed. “I want you to be happy. All I’ve ever wanted was your happiness.”
For a moment, Merit felt ashamed to imagine such a cruel motivation from his sister. Still, she had every opportunity to extend friendship to Kal but made her cutting, biting remarks. He knew what Amity felt comfortable saying to his face. He heard what she said about Kal to others in town. He could only imagine what she had the gall to say to Kal to her face.
“You have a terrible way of showing it,” he said with all honesty. “I’m upset with how you’ve treated my mate. You’ve been nothing but rude, and you sit here and tell me that you want me to be happy, but your actions tell another story.” The more he spoke, the angrier he grew. “Did you think for a moment of the position you place me in?”
“I apologize,” she said, pressing her ears back.
“It is not me you should apologize to.”
They fell into silence, surrounded by the chirping of evening insects and the gentle chimes in the fountain.
“You carry my heart. You know this,” Amity said.
“As you carry mine.”
They returned to silence, two people bound by blood and love and still apart.
“I am not replacing you,” he said. “You are always my sister.”
Amity leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Come with me to Talmar. You, the kits, and Kalini. Please.”
“You know I will not.”
“Talmar is safe—safer than here.”
“Here is safe. I keep it safe.” Constant monitoring and patrolling kept the community safe. He had an outlet for the bloodlust lurking in his body, which also kept the community safe.
“Yes, that is why the provincial government pays your salary, because the wildlife is completely harmless here.” Amity pulled away, her back straight and ears pulled back in irritation.
“Talmar is not without its dangers,” he said.
“The Troubles are over. The peace has held for several years now,” she said.
“I do not trust the empty words of the rebels.” Too often the leaders of the rebel forces broke their promises. Civilians paid the price.
“You think because my building was not bombed, because I did not see violence in the streets, that I did not suffer?” Amity pushed herself off the bench, tail lashing furiously behind her.
That is what he believed, but he kept his mouth shut.
“When you joined the military, Prospect followed you because he always followed you, since we were kits. Every day I watched the news broadcasts, sick to my stomach at any mention of the rebellion or fighting. I dread the day that either of your faces would come on screen. I hated to watch, but I had to watch. When I received a communication or a knock on the door, my heart stopped. I knew, just knew, that it would be some officer in uniform and he would hand me a white flower and empty condolences.”
“I did not know.” He struggled to find the correct words. He knew she had worried, but Amity never burdened him or Prospect with her fears.
“Every day, brother, I did not know if you lived or died. I hated not knowing and I feared knowing. Then one day I received word of your injury. You were nearly killed. I was never so happy.” Because he was no longer fit for duty. She did not have to say the words for him to understand her meaning. “So, listen to me when I tell you that I will not live like that again. I loathe this planet that took my brother from me. I will not let it take the rest of my family. Come home with me.”
For the thousandth time, Merit wondered why Prospect had been in that mine. What did he find?
“We did not know,” he said, speaking for himself and Prospect. Selfishly, he never considered his sister’s anxiety or suffering while he fought the rebellion. After his injury, Amity stayed with him through his rehabilitation until he had been discharged.
“I did not want to burden you,” she said, stiffness returning to her voice. She sat back down and tucked her tail gracefully to one side. “So, tell me again why you cannot return home with me.”
She carried his heart but asked for the impossible. The war cast a shadow over him. Garbed in the shadows, he could disguise the monster he became. He fooled many but never himself. The mangled ruins of his leg reminded him of what he did and what he had nearly done, spared from committing the unforgivable with a shot from his own m
en.
“I cannot go back to Talmar,” he said.
“Why? It is your home.”
“Corra is my home now.”
“This is where you live. Where you work. Talmar is your heart,” she said, growing agitated.
“I could believe that if I were younger.” He had joined the military with the promise of defending the homeworld and territories. What he received was a planet torn apart with civil war. “I have a purpose here. The community needs me.”
“I need you.”
“Then stay here. Let me find you a mate of your own.” Many males had approached him about seeking Amity’s hand. He sent them all away as he believed she had no desire to take a mate.
“I am not interested,” she said in a cool tone.
“Because you do not want to spend your days in a backwater planet or because no one has caught your eye?”
Her tail flicked in irritation. “Because I have obligations on Talmar that I have ignored for far too long,” she repeated.
Merit held up a hand in surrender. “I will miss you.”
“You will miss my cooking.” She sniffed but all irritation left the action. “I suppose I should teach her how to cook a few meals so you won’t starve,” Amity said with a grumble.
“My cooking isn't that bad,” he said.
“You were eating out of boxes. Dried, processed, and bland boxes.”
“There are plenty of fine meals found in a box.”
She sniffed derisively at the thought. “Fresh is better, for the kits and for you.” She poked him in the stomach and huffed when she met with solid muscle. His diet might have been less than ideal but years in the military and working in the field groomed him not to be fussy.
“You’ve always been my favorite sister.”
“I am your only sister.”
***
Merit sat in the dark, but he was not alone. Amity went to bed a few minutes ago, but his visitor remained hidden.
“You can come out now,” he said.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Kal said, stepping onto the patio. She wore a thin robe over her nightdress. He caught a glimpse of her bare calf as she sat on the bench next to him.
Have Tail, Will Travel Page 9