by Regine Abel
“It’s a cavas, Ghil! I want to touch it, please. I just want to touch it once.”
I kept moving forward, hoping he wouldn’t stop me. It wasn’t the only thing I wanted, though. My initial shock and delight having passed, I intended to turn this current event to my advantage.
“Is it safe?” Ghil asked the stranger.
“Y-Yeah. Pyrhin is docile.”
Cavas were omnivorous beasts, with a preference for raw meat. As mounts, they were extremely fast and strong. Loyal to the bone towards their master – or anyone they considered part of their pack – they would viciously tear apart anyone who endangered them.
“Pyrhin,” I whispered, “a beautiful name for a wondrous creature.”
Standing in front of the cavas, I realized he was far taller than I’d imagined. Despite being six foot one, my chin barely reached the top of his back. The six-legged mount had soft leathery skin, with scales on his underbelly all the way up his neck and over his face. Pyrhin had a long muzzle, razor-sharp teeth, and retractable claws on his massive paws. Cavas came in various colors, from whites to browns, to blacks. This one seemed to be black.
He didn’t balk as I ran my hand down from his forehead to the tip of his muzzle, leaning instead into my touch. I tried to remove my right glove to feel the texture of Pyrhin’s skin, but the safety mechanism zapped me, making me gasp.
“Valena…” Ghil warned.
“I just want to feel it,” I pleaded. “Please, Ghil. Just one hand. I’ll probably never see another one again.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
Like hell, you can’t. Time to play dirty.
“Please, Ghil. It would mean a lot to me. I wouldn’t forget such kindness.”
His silence told me he got my meaning. I let the implication float between us. Four males, including him, would take rotations guarding me until my season began. I would choose one of them as my mate. Ghil knew every point earned increased his chances. With him being first in rotation, it was in his best interest to score as many points as possible. However, while feeling the cavas would be a dream come true, it was the stranger I wanted to touch. Even a few seconds would allow me to gather some of his thoughts, recent memories, and even a visual of the layout of the property. But above all, it might give me a chance to plant a command.
“Don’t make me regret this, Valena,” Ghil warned.
“I won’t. I’ll behave.”
Yeah, right.
Ghil fingered his remote and I felt the clenching mechanism release its hold on my wrist. I removed the glove, flexing my fingers with delight at their newfound freedom. I caressed Pyrhin’s forehead again, surprised by the smooth feel of the hard scales that covered his face. Using my ability, I tapped into his mind. Animals were harder by far to read or manipulate. Their thought pattern was too foreign and strange. The beast didn’t give me much other than he was content. I also glimpsed some images of the property, a feisty juvenile girl, and a handsome, brooding male. It was all very chaotic. I disengaged my mind from Pyrhin before ending up with a splitting headache.
Sliding my hand down his neck, and along his side, I reveled in the softness of the creature’s leathery skin covered with short fur. Ghil approached to keep an eye on me. His footsteps crunched over the ground covered in small rocks and bristly reeds. I repressed a smirk and walked past the stranger while edging towards the back of the cavas.
“Such a magnificent creatu– Ah!” I gasped, pretending to twist my ankle and falling to my knees.
As expected, the stranger rushed forward to help me up. I grabbed the hand he extended towards me. Instantly, a flow of images, thoughts, and emotions flooded me. Ghil shouted my name, his voice a mix of anger and worry as he marched towards us. I had no time for anything complex. I planted a simple command in the stranger’s mind and pulled away from him before Ghil could order me to do so. He needed to think the fall had been genuine.
“Are you all right, Seha?” the stranger asked.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you, Sehr…?”
“Dervhen,” he said, “Nhed Dervhen.”
I know. Took it straight from your mind.
“Pleasure to meet you, Sehr Dervhen,” I said with false embarrassment. “My name is Valena Rounis. I’m usually more careful because of my eyes, but I got so excited by the cavas…”
“It’s no trouble at all, Seha Rounis.”
I could feel Ghil’s intense stare. After petting Pyrhin one last time with my bare hand, I put the glove back. Taking extra care – as if I needed it – I sauntered up next to Ghil, like a good pet. He reactivated the locking mechanism around my wrist.
Nhed cleared his throat. “Have you not considered having your eyes fixed? Technology these days offers a variety of options, whatever the nature of your sight trouble.”
“It’s complicated,” I said, non-committedly.
“Right,” Nhed said.
“Valena, why don’t you go back inside?” Ghil said. “I will join you shortly.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, but nodded and made my way back inside the house. After a few minutes, Ghil came in. The next half-hour was every shade of awkward as he tried to make small-talk and ingratiate himself to me. I played along while remaining aloof. After all, I still had over a month to decide.
Eventually, he took his leave. Once outside the house, he locked me in. He then disabled the security on my gloves so I wouldn’t have to spend the night wearing them. At first, I feared he would expect to sleep in the tiny house with me. However, Varrek apparently ordered my guards to sleep in the shuttle with the cloaking device activated. It explained why we hadn’t traveled with the smaller personal shuttles I normally got ferried around in. Still, sleep eluded me as I feared Ghil might sneak his way inside the house while I slept.
He didn’t.
The next day, Ghil took me to the Capital District Blood House instead. The flight from the Xelhen District where the Wooing House was located took much longer. I hated it. Being confined with someone I disliked for an extended period of time sucked. Moreover, I couldn’t see the sprawling beauty of Xelix Prime that I had occasionally glimpsed through the thoughts and memories of others. The luxurious planet possessed a pale green sky, two bright suns whose rays caressed the skin and warmed you to the bone, and endless light-beige grass. From what I’d gathered, Xelix Prime was mostly flat with very few mountains or elevations but a lot of large bodies of water and forests.
After an uneventful ‘work’ day, I was eager to return home – this time with Chem as my guard – to see if Nhed Dervhen had delivered on my command. Previously, none of my guards spoke to me much – Varrek made it clear I was off-limits. But now, Chem spewed an endless flow of words I couldn’t care less about during the never-ending flight home. At least he was so busy babbling I didn’t have to contribute anything other than the occasional nod. His attempts at drawing sympathy for the hardships of his youth left me indifferent. He couldn’t possibly have had it worse than a Veredian slave.
While he chattered on, I let my mind roam back to the thoughts captured from Nhed Dervhen’s mind. He was a tortured male, with a twisted love-hate obsession over his mate and a strange mix of love-guilt-fear towards his son, Zhul.
Zhul… Such a stunning male.
The cavas’ mind gave me a shaky vision of him. It did him no justice compared to the vivid image from his father’s memory. He had been staring straight at his father, but every time I replayed that scene in my head, it felt like he stared straight at me. Each time, it hit me like a punch to the gut, followed by a warm, tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was strange for me to have such a strong reaction to anyone, especially a male I hadn’t even met in the flesh. Yet, there was something about him that intrigued me, called to me.
From what little I gleaned from his father’s memories, Zhul could be an ally with the influence, and the spine, to actually help me and the other females. Somehow, I needed to send him a message without raising my gu
ards’ suspicions. Zhul wouldn’t simply come to the Wooing House because his father told him to. I needed to lure him here and make it look to everyone – himself included – like he had found us by accident.
The shuttle landed at last under a clear sky and the shining glow of the twin suns. I forced myself to keep slow pace with Chem rather than hastening towards the house as I ached to do. As we approached, I strained my ears and was soon rewarded by an aggravated hiss. Biting back a grin, I turned a startled face towards Chem.
“What was that?” I asked, trying to sound worried.
“That what?” Chem asked.
“Listen.”
We stopped to prevent the crunching sound of rocks beneath our feet from covering the sounds around us. Another hiss reached us, startling him this time. He stepped in front of me in a protective stance. From the movement of his arm, I assumed he had pulled out his blaster. I repressed a frown and hoped he wasn’t trigger happy – killing the creature wasn’t part of my plans.
“Do not fear, Valena. I will keep you safe.”
I rolled my eyes and barely repressed a snort. Under different circumstances, this might have been cute.
“Thank you, Chem,” I said, mustering as much gratitude as possible.
I didn’t need eyes to know he puffed his chest. We marched cautiously around the side of the house to discover the source of the angry sound.
“Oh,” Chem said, deflated.
It took all my willpower not to burst out laughing.
No heroic display for you today.
“What is it?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“It’s a stray neption,” he said, holstering his blaster. “It’s trying to get something stuck at the base of the house.”
“Oh, I want to touch it, please! I love pets!”
…which was true.
Had my life been different, I probably would have become a veterinarian, an animal breeder, or taken up some other job involving the care of animals. Although it was somewhat irrational, I loved neptions, as did most Xelixians. Those spotted, furry little pets were as cute as they were infuriating. They had only three goals in life; eat, sleep, and destroy stuff. Neptions were not only useless and troublesome, but they also had no time for you unless they wanted to be petted. They were particularly stupid, especially when trying to get to some inaccessible food or treat. They would repeat the same action over and over again even though it clearly didn’t work – as was the case now.
As per my command last night, Nhed Dervhen brought Lelah’s neption to the house shortly before our return. He trapped some keeleh weeds under a rock. The pet would keep trying to get them until something else more appealing drew its attention or it fell asleep.
“All right,” Chem said reluctantly. “But be careful with it.”
Chem led me to the harmless creature and we both crouched next to it. It ignored us, still focused on the unattainable treat. Chem lifted the rock and snagged the weeds before the neption could get to them then handed them over to me. It was a thoughtful gesture. While generally indifferent creatures, feeding a neption always made them more amenable.
The creature yipped and purred at the sight of the weeds in my hand and tried to climb on my knees to get to the treat. It was the size of a newborn child and fit snuggly in my arms. It didn’t fight me when I closed my arms around it, too busy nibbling greedily on the keeleh. A loud purr rumbled through its chest.
“I would like to keep it,” I said in a soft voice.
Chem hesitated, and my heart pounded at the thought he might say no. He grunted his blessing and escorted me inside the house. For almost an hour after that, I endured the insipid conversation with Chem as he once more tried to sell me on his countless virtues. At last, he took his leave, releasing the safety on my gloves once he was out of the house.
The creature had fallen asleep on my lap. I peeled off my gloves and gently cupped its head. Neptions’ thought patterns were basic and easy to manipulate. However, they weren’t very smart. It would take a few days to imprint it with my commands without hurting the creature. Lelah loved her pet, Zhul loved Lelah, and I wanted Zhul.
It would bring him to me.
* * *
The next two days were uneventful. Each night, I resumed imprinting the command on the neption. Tonight or tomorrow, I would set my plan in motion. In his effort to win my affection, Chem proved quite useful by bringing me more keeleh weeds for the pet. This significantly accelerated the bonding process with the otherwise antisocial creature. Chem promised to bring me more in a few days when I returned to the Capital District Blood House.
My time was divided between the two remaining Blood Houses. Today, I was back to the one right here in Xelhen District. To my great delight, this also meant shorter trips with my overnight guard, Sheb. We were approaching the Blood House when a number of massive objects suddenly appeared both in the air and on the ground around the Blood House.
Shuttles. Oh Goddess, a raid!
Sheb cussed violently and quickly turned our shuttle around. Varrek called it. Somehow, someone warned him, hence the cloaked vessel we currently traveled in, allowing us to retreat undetected.
Five more minutes, and we would have been right there with them. I would be getting rescued too. My stomach twisted with rage, disappointment, and despair. Would I always be the one left behind? Would there never be freedom for me?
For a moment, I considered attacking Sheb to force him to perform a bad maneuver that would give away our presence. However, it would be a stupid move. He was far stronger than I. Even if I somehow managed to overpower him, with my useless eyes, I wouldn’t know how to de-cloak the shuttle, let alone land it safely. Fists and teeth clenched, I swallowed down the bitter tears that stung my eyes.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when the emergency signal from the shuttle’s com went off. Either the General had detected our presence, or Varrek was hailing us to confirm his special pet remained in custody.
“Sheb,” he answered.
“Tell me she’s safe,” Varrek’s voice said over the com.
Figures… I was so stupid to hope…
“Yes, V. She’s with me.” Sheb’s voice hummed with tension. “We’re heading back to the safe house. We’re still cloaked and there are no signs of pursuit.”
“Good. Contact me once you’ve landed. And Sheb,” Varrek said, his voice taking on that terrifyingly calm tone, “if she gets rescued, pray to the Goddess that they kill you in the process. Because when I get to you – and I will – Gharah himself will beg me to show you mercy.”
“Y-Yes, V.”
Varrek terminated the com and Sheb swallowed audibly as we made our way back to the Wooing House.
CHAPTER 4
Zhul
From my office window, I saw my mother’s fancy personal shuttle begin its descent over the main house’s landing pad. Ruthy Dervhen’s impromptu visits usually meant trouble or a request for additional credits. Today, I suspected it involved my demand she relinquish her parental rights over Lelah. My mother wasn’t allowed in my home; hence she had gone directly to the main house. Steeling myself for the unpleasantness to come, I made my way there.
The loud voices of my parents arguing in my father’s office could be heard all the way from the entrance. I cast a worried look up the stairs leading to the sleeping quarters, hoping Lelah was in her room, out of hearing range. Walking past the living area and guest fresher, I entered my father’s office.
He sat on the couch, holding his head with both hands while my mother stood by the window overlooking the backyard, berating him. The much-too-familiar scene made my stomach knot with sickening anxiety.
“Pleasant reunion, as always,” I said, standing by the couch in front of my father, putting me an equal distance between my parents.
“What’s this nonsense about Lelah’s custody?” my mother asked, crossing her slender arms over her chest.
I gave her an assessing glance. My mother was
a beautiful woman from whom I had inherited pitch-black hair, silver-grey eyes, and long and thick eyelashes. Her heart-shaped face and dainty nose gave her a doll-like appearance, frequently marred by her thin lips pinched in displeasure. She was tall and long-legged. While most people described her as being sexy and fit, I saw her as skinny and dry. I didn’t need to look at the label on her shimmering, above-knee-length, silver string dress to know it was couture.
“Something I should have done a long time ago,” I said, my voice as cold and hard as the look I leveled on her.
“You’re not taking my daughter from me,” she snapped.
“Your daughter?” My voice oozed with contempt. “When is the last time you’ve talked to Lelah or spent any time with her?”
“That’s irrelevant,” she said, lifting her chin in defiance.
“That’s the only thing of relevance,” I ground out. “You are no mother. You’ve only ever been a womb to us.”
She gasped, her face flushing with anger.
“Zhul!” my father said, rising from his seat, his hands fisted.
“Don’t ‘Zhul’ me.” I held his stare, mine unwavering. “At least, you were half a decent father in our early years, until you let that leech turn you into a ruin.”
“You will not speak to us that way!” my mother screeched.
“I do not wish to speak to you at all. So do us all a favor and sign the documents without a fuss. You already know that you will. This isn’t a negotiation.”
“Or what?” She unfolded her arms and placed her hands on her hips, challenging me. “You have no grounds to coerce me into this. You’re just looking for an excuse so Nhed no longer has to pay me child support.”
“Credits,” I said, shaking my head at her in disgust. “It always comes down to credits with you, doesn’t it?”
She clenched her jaw, showing no remorse. “I’m entitled to those credits.”
“You’re entitled to nothing,” I said. “Child support should only be paid if you were separated and raising the child on your own.” I pointed a finger at my father. “If that fool wants to waste the credits he doesn’t have on you, that’s his problem. But I won’t have him selling Lelah off to the highest bidder to continue feeding your greed.”