by Regine Abel
It suddenly struck me that Lelah was waiting at home, worrying about me. Another complication.... When I told V that Valena would stay with me, I completely forgot about Lelah moving in with me in the upcoming days. She couldn’t come to the house until I sorted things out with Valena. The fewer people who knew an enslaved Veredian lived on my property, the better.
“Excuse me, but I must com my sister.”
“Of course.”
The speed at which Lelah answered my hail increased my guilt at delaying this long to reassure her.
“Zhul, are you ok?” Lelah’s voice was laced with worry.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m on my way home.”
“Oh, good! I was getting scared. Who was it?”
“Actually, it’s a little complicated. The intruder urgently requires sanctuary and will therefore stay at my house for a while until safer, permanent arrangements can be made.”
“Oh wow! Is he hurt? Should I call the doctor?”
“No, Lelah, thank you.” I chose my next words carefully, knowing how much they would upset her. “However, that person’s life is in danger and for security reasons, they must have complete anonymity. Do you understand what that means?”
“I can’t stay with you?”
The piteous sound of her voice nearly broke my heart.
“It’s only temporary, sweetheart. You know how much I want you with me, don’t you?”
“Yes, Zhul. I understand.”
“Well, the delay would give you time to get some extra stuff for your room,” I said, hoping to lift her spirit. “Why don’t you order yourself something nice from Dantor? I have a tab with most Dantorian merchants. Just put it on there.”
Instead of the cheerful reaction I expected, an uncomfortable silence followed.
“I’m not Mother, Zhul,” Lelah said. “You don’t need to buy me stuff to make me happy.”
Ouch.
That knocked the wind out of me. My stomach churned with the realization that I’d just behaved like my father by trying to buy her affection and happiness.
“Sweetheart,” I breathed out, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“I know, Zhul. It’s ok,” Lelah said in a conciliatory tone. “Just be safe okay? I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetie.” My heart tightened. “I’ll drop Pouki at the main house shortly.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Valena turned her head to the side, as if to look at me over her shoulder. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” she said, sounding contrite.
“No need to apologize. This is all V’s doing. We’ll figure out a way to get you and the other females safe.”
She smiled and squeezed my hand in response. No woman should be this beautiful and feel this wonderful in my arms. I forced Zhenax into a faster trot, realizing I had unconsciously set a slower pace to enjoy, a while longer, the amazing feel of Valena’s body against mine.
The rest of the way home, I gave her a quick run-down of the layout of the estate. While riding, I received another com demanding my immediate presence at the Council Hall to deal with the raid. As soon as we arrived home, I gave Valena a quick tour of the house. Once done, I led her to the guestroom that would be hers then prepared to take my leave.
“I’m not going to lock you inside the house,” I told Valena on my way out. “My sister’s life is on the line, so please don’t try to escape.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. Too many lives would be endangered if I did.”
With blindness and whatever threat V held over her, I felt confident she wouldn’t try to run anyway.
“I promise we will discuss a way out of this mess when I return. In my absence, if you feel threatened at any time, every bedroom in this house is a safe room. I’ve added you to the house’s authorized users. Just close yourself in any bedroom and say ‘security lock-down’. All access to that room will be sealed. Besides you, only I will be able to override that command. So you sit tight until I come back for you, okay?”
“Yes, Zhul,” she said with a grateful smile.
“All right, I must get going.”
Fighting the irrational urge to lean in and kiss her goodbye, I turned around and dropped Pouki by the main house before heading to the Council Hall.
* * *
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this excited to return home. It wasn’t just out of relief from walking out of four intense hours of debating how to best handle the situation. Additionally, I’d heard enough praises about the oh-so-perfect General Praghan’s heroic rescue of the females to make me want to vomit.
When I entered the house, Valena stood by the door, waiting for me. The voice of a reporter coming from the living area told me she had been listening to the news when she heard me arrive.
“Welcome home, Zhul,” she said in her husky voice, a gentle smile stretching her lips.
A strange warmth spread in my chest at the greeting.
I could get used to this.
“How did you know it was me?”
“I asked the security system,” she said, matter-of-fact.
Well duh.
I felt like an idiot, grateful she couldn’t see the heat spreading on my cheeks.
“Yes, of course. I hope you didn’t have any problems during my absence,” I said, walking towards the living area with Valena by my side.
“None whatsoever. You have an amazing home,” she said wistfully. “I envy you.”
The strange warmth in my chest spread further. “I’m glad you like it. Right now it’s your home as well, so please enjoy it.”
She smiled and lowered her eyes. I cleared my throat, feeling a little self-conscious.
“I… I’ve picked up a few things in town for you.”
“Oh?” she said, her face perking up with interest.
“Well, I did promise to get you a visual aid,” I said, putting down the two shopping bags I had brought home with me. “Want to try it on?”
The memory of the look that came over her beautiful face then would stay with me forever.
Valena’s hand flew to her chest, as if to keep her heart from leaping out. Her lips, slightly parted in shock, stretched in a quivering smile while her eyes misted.
“Y-yes. Yes, p-please,” she said, her voice choked with joyful tears.
Her reaction moved something deep within me. What would it be like to make her this happy every day? I buried the thought. Years ago, I’d promised myself never to fall into the trap of a female’s lure. It disturbed me that this complete stranger stirred emotions that had lain dormant until now. Yet, I couldn’t help the burning urge to protect her and care for her.
“Please, sit down,” I said, helping her to the couch. “Once activated, it might make you dizzy at first.”
Valena trembled slightly, overwhelmed by emotions. Sitting at the edge of the couch, she faced me as I sat next to her. She breathed heavily with excitement. In that instant, she reminded me why giving could sometimes be even more rewarding than receiving.
“Don’t be scared by the light,” I said, lifting a retinal scanner shaped like a pen in front of her face. “I’m scanning your eyes so that I can adjust the settings to your specific needs.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding nervously.
She visibly fought the urge to blink as bright light waved before her eyes.
Sticking the tip of the scanning wand into the visual aid’s ports, I calibrated it for her.
“Here it goes,” I said, hooking each half of the device over her ears.
Micro suction discs on the inner facing of each device ensured they would remain in place. Fast-blinking lights indicated the connection being established between the two halves. Once they synced and tuned with her brainwaves, they would allow her to see her environment almost as clearly as if she saw it with her own eyes. The lights stilled and Valena gasped, covering her eyes with both hands as if blinded by too much brightness.
“Are you all right?” I as
ked, trying to rein in my concern.
She nodded, moving her hands away from her face and reached one out to me. I took her hand and she squeezed mine, as if seeking reassurance. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she adjusted to the device. The irrational need for my face to be the first thing she saw overwhelmed me. As if she had heard my unspoken desire, Valena lifted her face towards mine. Her blinking slowed until she was finally able to focus.
I held my breath while she stared at me in silence. A lonely tear slid down her cheek as she raised trembling hands towards my face. Her eyes followed the movement of her fingers as they delicately traced each line of my features. I gave myself over to her exploration, humbled to be part of this experience.
“I see you,” Valena whispered with a shaky smile. “I see you,” she repeated, cupping my face in her hands, her thumbs gently grazing my lips. A choked sob escaped her as she threw her arms around me and held me in a tight embrace. “I see you, Zhul! I see you.”
My arms closed around her as she gave free rein to her happy tears.
After Valena regained her composure, it took her a while to adjust to walking around with her new sight and interacting with objects. She was disappointed not to be able to immediately go outside and take in all of nature’s beauty. We couldn’t risk her having a sensory overload.
Her extreme gratitude for the few changes of clothes I bought her, including a couple of nightgowns and slippers, made me regret not buying more. The cheap cotton rags that served as her slave dress seemed incredibly itchy and irritating to the skin. Plus, who would want to sleep in that? I told her to make a list of anything else she needed and I would get them for her. Although she said yes, I got a distinct impression that she wouldn’t. It was odd; her apparent lack of greed should have pleased me, yet I wanted to splurge on her and give her everything she had been deprived of.
I prepared dinner for us. Cooking was one of my guilty pleasures. But I only enjoyed doing it for others, which usually meant for Lelah. Cooking for Valena made it a whole new experience. While V always ensured his captives ate enough, the quality and variety were greatly lacking. Her lifetime diet revolved around a dozen dishes that V’s cook cycled through week after week. I looked forward to taking her on this culinary journey of discovery. Her moan of pleasure when she tasted the roasted khelfis breasts in a spicy ryspak sauce was the best compliment she could have paid me.
And that’s only the beginning, my darling.
From light banter, our conversation took on a more serious tone as we neared the end of the meal. Valena gave me a quick rundown of her day-to-day in the Blood Houses. It was clear she was holding certain things back from me, especially pertaining to her own role there. She reiterated that nobody drank from her and that her purpose was to help the other females climax so they would produce oxytocin without the males touching them sexually. Despite my curiosity, I let the matter drop at her obvious reluctance at going into details – although my imagination ran wild. It was clearly a traumatic experience for her, and I didn’t want to contribute to her discomfort. In time, I hoped she would trust me enough to open up.
I wanted to maim and kill someone in retaliation for the horror these poor females had been enduring for years. In spite of my dislike of Khel Praghan, I couldn’t help giving him a begrudging respect for the two hundred and something females he had freed here on Xelix Prime and the thousand more from the Guldan Strongholds he had successfully raided off-world.
“We need to get the location of the Capital District Blood House to Praghan,” I said, swirling the wine in my glass.
“V made sure I didn’t know the locations since I travel from one Blood House to another. If I got rescued, I could have revealed them all – not that it matters anymore since there’s only one Blood House left,” Valena said. “That’s why he didn’t allow me the use of visual aids, and that’s why I’ll need to remove them every morning when you drop me off.”
Although it angered me, it made sense. V yet again proved himself a careful and thorough adversary.
“If I give you a tracker, we could pinpoint the Blood House’s exact location the next time you go there.”
Frowning, Valena shook her head. “I thought of that, so for sure, V has also. There’s no doubt in my mind he will have me scanned every morning before they fly me in.”
Of course, that would have been too easy. “Anything you bring with you will raise suspicions, even if we tried to devise an organic tracker,” I mused out loud.
“Exactly.” Valena chewed her lip for a moment, pondering. “Thing is, I already have a tracker V put inside me. If we could piggyback off it, V would be none the wiser.”
“But tampering with it will harm you.”
“Yes, if we try to disable or remove it.”
She tapped the tip of her finger on her bottom lip while thinking. The movement stirred my thoughts in a direction they shouldn’t.
“But I go through scanners all the time, mainly traffic related, and they never bother me.”
“Then that might be an option,” I said, wishing my technical knowledge was more advanced. What I wouldn’t give right now to have access to Praghan’s military resources. “Give me a few days to look into it. I promise, we’ll find a solution.”
“I know,” she said with a glowing smile. “Thank you, Zhul.”
It was scary the way a mere smile or the sound of her voice affected me so deeply.
I smiled back. “Don’t mention it.”
Getting up to clear the dishes, she surprised me by rising as well to assist.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Please, let me help.”
Valena walked up to me and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Despite the impropriety per Xelixian standards, I loved that she always seemed to want to touch me.
“You have given me more in this one day than I’ve had in the past twelve years. I could never do enough to repay you.”
That pleasant warmth spread in my chest again.
“I’ve only given you a sliver of what should never have been taken from you to begin with,” I said, squeezing her hand back. “By the time this is over, no one will ever again take from you against your will. I’ll make sure of it.”
Still holding my hand, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek before turning away to gather the dishes.
Goddess, help me.
CHAPTER 7
Lhor
This Council Hall meeting drained me. It was our third time now dealing with the fallout of a successful Blood House raid – although only my second as Councilor. Still, giving these females their lives back was exhilarating. I wished I could have taken part in the raid itself, like on the first one. But as Councilor, it wasn’t my place.
The chirping sound of Zharina’s laughter greeted me as I entered the house. My heart filled with love for my little princess. More than a year after Amalia’s whirlwind entrance into our lives, I still couldn’t believe all the blessings the Goddess had bestowed upon Khel and me. From the ruckus reaching me from the second floor, it was a safe bet that little Zhara was playing with her Daddy Khel. Although I was her biological father, they adored each other, while his own biological son, Vahleryon, seemed to have the strongest bond with me.
Climbing up the stairs to the nursery, I found Khel lying on his back on the dark red carpet. He held Zhara up in the air while she flapped her arms, pretending to be a bird. Amalia was sitting on a couch, an indulgent smile on her lips as she looked at them. Curled up on her lap, Vahleryon looked out the window at the ryspak orchard.
My poor son…
My chest constricted looking at Vahl. Something was wrong with him, but we couldn’t figure out what. Health-wise, everything was perfect, but his mind seemed tormented. Most of the time, he would sit in silence, looking out in the distance, as if waiting for something to happen. Other times, he would just curl up in a corner, his beautiful little face scrunching up as if in th
e vise-like grip of a soul-crushing sorrow. Dr. Minh could only conclude that Vahl suffered from depression. Did he sense he was the only living Veredian male in the known universe – the anomaly that constituted an entire species’ hope for a new beginning?
“Papa!” Zhara squealed, noticing me. She couldn’t quite pronounce the p properly but it was distinguishable enough from when she said Mama.
Khel put her down and she half stumble-walked, half crawled towards me. Meeting her halfway, I picked her up. Zhara wrapped her tiny arms around my neck and gave me a bruising hug while covering my face with kisses. Where babies got that insane strength baffled me. I smiled at Khel who greeted me with a wave of affectionate emotions. Every time I thought back on how, for most of our lives, I had kept our psychic link a secret and prevented him from feeling my own emotions, I wanted to kick myself.
While Zhara babbled mostly incomprehensible words in my ears, probably telling me about her day, I walked towards Amalia. Vahl perked up at my arrival. For some reason, my presence seemed to soothe him when he was most depressed. Zhara sobered as we reached her twin. I sat her on the couch next to her mother as I leaned in to kiss Amalia.
Zhara grabbed Vahl’s hand. He looked at her and his lips stretched into what I considered his ‘I’m okay’ smile. Even though Khel and I each sired one of the twins, their fraternal bond was strong. Vahl turned his dark-purple eyes, identical to his father’s, towards me. They shone with wisdom well beyond his mere five months of age. Letting go of his sister’s hand, he raised his arms.
I picked him up and he immediately rested his face against my heart, his tiny hands fisting my shirt. My heart ached for him. Waves of sorrow flowed through me.
Khel.
He was taking our son’s depression very hard. As self-appointed protector of this family, Khel felt like he failed Vahl and the rest of us by not finding a solution. But in this instance, he was as helpless as everyone else. Rising from the floor where he still sat, Khel came to stand next to me and caressed Vahl’s head. His little face lifted to look at his sire and smiled. Other than when tormented by whatever sorrow ate at him, this was the most emotion Vahl ever expressed – and it always melted all our hearts.