Assassin's Bride

by C. J. Scarlett

  “You’re supposed to drink,” Moranen whispered to me.

  “What is it?” I asked. He smiled and shook his head.

  “Don’t worry about that.” I put my lips to the gold cup and drank. I almost choked when the acrid stuff burned my throat—it was thick, glutinous.

  “It’s disgusting.”

  “Quiet,” Moranen hissed as the shaman took the cup back. He placed my hand into Moranen’s. I looked up into my soon-to-be mate’s almost-human brown eyes. The shaman began the ceremony. As he chanted in the Ak-hal language, a feeling akin to a rush of endorphins surged into me, filling my core with ice. Whatever he was doing, in joining me with Moranen, it made me like the Ak-hal. Moranen smiled widely as he noted some outward change, and my heart stopped. I was numb, barely listening to what was going on, as the sound of my pulse beat loudly in my ears like the drums, counting down my last seconds as a mortal. The shaman placed a white ring in Moranen’s hand, made of mithrim, with a large, black gem clasped in an elaborate setting. He slid it onto my hand. It was over.

  He led me to the side of the dais, to the left of his mother, where two white chairs were placed so that we could watch the rest of the mating ceremonies in state. I sat down, staring. Moranen leaned over, whispering in my ear.

  “The ceremony will be complete as soon as we consummate it.” According to his Ak-hal nature, there was no emotion in his voice as he said those words. Dread filled me at his words. I would rather have stuffed my mouth with poison than have sex with this cold brute beside me. I hadn’t ever wanted to have sex, even with my human boyfriends. They would pressure me, and I would automatically withdraw from the relationship. I had never been ready. At twenty-one, or, as I had been in a coma for eighty years, one hundred and one, I was still a virgin. Jenny had been the only person to know for sure, even though it was a rumor in our small town.

  The ceremonies went by slowly. The pairs were shuffled through the ceremony quickly. They were all exactly the same—human woman mated to Ak-hal male, their skin going luminous, and their eyes glowing with the immortal fire of the Ak-hal as the shaman worked his occult magic. My backside and my spine ached from how long I sat. The sun slowly changed its angle through the large, arched windows of the hall.

  There was another dance, like the one that had taken place when we had first arrived. Although I was a spectator this time, I could make no sense of it. It was done with the sang-froid and military precision of the Ak-hal. I looked around for the source of the music, but still saw none. It sounded as though there should be a string quartet somewhere, but they were invisible. The door to the hall slammed open as the dance ended, and the couples arranged themselves in lines. They stood to the sides, so that there was a neat aisle through them.

  People entered—people who weren’t the Ak-hal. I felt myself sit up straighter in my seat. Moranen noticed my sudden motion. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance at me, askance.

  The people were tall and muscular, their skin dark, mahogany. I watched them approach, spellbound. I knew that they were the Kamani, come to make a false bargain. They were dressed in large, handwoven clothing, thick and tawny in color. Their garb seemed to be a single piece—a jumpsuit. They had large, knee-high boots on in some snow-resistant shiny material. They were tall, the men’s heads closely shaved, and the women wearing their black, silken hair long and loose. Their eyes were almond-shaped, and their irises were a bright gold color.

  Their leader, a tall, muscular-seeming man, wore a headdress of red. He appeared to be in his late forties. But I knew next to nothing about the Kamani, so he could have been any age. His headdress was almost like a turban, made of cloth folded in an elaborate manner. It reminded me of a van Eyck painting. My gaze fell upon the Kamani standing next to the leader. He looked back at me, his face open. His eyes were warm as he smiled at me, and I had the overwhelming ache to stand beside him instead of beside Moranen. I felt myself falling, while at the same time, I reminded myself that it was too late—I was doomed. I felt Moranen’s hand close possessively upon mine, like a vise.

  Run. It’s a trap, I thought, unable to voice the words.

  The Kamani cocked his head to the side, his warm, golden eyes studying me, as though he could hear me. Please, I thought. Do something. I felt something—an answer, coming from him.

  The courtyard.

  What?

  Meet me outside. I wanted to drown in his golden eyes. I could feel his warmth from across the dais. I had, for two weeks, sought a way out, and he had walked through the door, almost moments too late.

  Meanwhile, the leader spoke to the king. They had a rather tense discussion. I focused on it for a moment, getting my bearings, which had become entirely unmoored by the entrance of the Kamani.

  “We seek to make an alliance,” the Kamani leader said in the language of the Ak-hal. “We seek peace. We wish for the killings of the Kamani to cease. In return, we will give you access to the resources that you seek.” The king nodded, and I saw a wild light in his eyes. He smiled and stood.

  “Your alliance is granted. Stay.” He waved his hand magnanimously. “We are celebrating the mating of my son.” The Kamani all bowed to him as he did to them.

  “We are honored to be your guests,” the Kamani leader said. “We remain in good faith.” His face had taken on a hesitant look, however. I realized that the Kamani had likely communicated my warning to their leader. They were directed to seats along the side of the hall, as had been planned in the War Room. The Kamani were to leave here today with everything that they had asked, believing that the Ak-hal were no longer a threat. That wasn’t what was important, however. I needed an excuse to leave. This instant.

  However, at that moment, Moranen grasped my hand tightly, pulling me to my feet. I found myself whisked to the center of the crowd of Ak-hal. They closed in about us, creating a circle with a five-foot circumference. My mind was in a flurry.

  Focus. The voice of the male Kamani encouraged. You can do this. When he spoke to me, it was in my own language—I didn’t understand how this was possible. I accepted it as divine grace. I would be saved at the eleventh hour—all I needed to do was get out. Now.

  Moranen’s hand went to my hip, while the other pulled my hand up to about shoulder height. The strange, seemingly sourceless music of the Ak-hal began again. I had been instructed that this would happen. I had been dreading it. Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see the crowd of finely dressed Ak-hal and their human mates. They blocked out the Kamani entirely, but I could sense him. He was like a magnet, his force field calling out to me, even as I was paraded around by the Ak-hal, who was technically, my husband. He told me to be calm. I was in charge of my destiny for the first time in eighty years.

  With that realization, my brain functioned for the first time since my abduction. I was smart. I had always been the straight-A student, the teacher’s pet, and then, later on, the teacher. I had a way out, I just needed to get myself from point A to point B. I placed my foot, in its tiny gold slipper, firmly upon the hem of my dress. As Moranen forced me to the side like a life-sized doll, my skirt tore loudly. He paused, his eyes going wide. He looked enraged.

  “What did you do?” he snapped as there was a large intake of breath from the crowd.

  “I… I slipped,” I said, truly embarrassed, as my Spanx-like underwear was on display in front of a large crowd of people. I could hear them all whispering—it was the sound of many bees, whose hive had been breached. My face flushed red with all the negative attention.

  “Go fix it.” He turned away from me in disgust. He looked to his parents, who also seemed quite upset. Clearly, I had prevented the ritual from moving forward as planned. Perhaps they were finally getting the idea—I wasn’t an ideal mate. I never would be. Even though my body had obeyed, my mind had been fighting for two weeks. My departure from Ak-hal custom and etiquette had been preordained from the start.

  I lifted my skirts as I ran for the d
oor, feigning to comply in complete embarrassment. Relief flooded me as I fled down the hallway, quickly making my run for freedom. My tiny gold slippers clicked on the stones of the floor. I heard footsteps behind me, and my heart dropped. I turned to look, finding the Kamani male running after me.

  “Go!” he yelled in English, enough to almost make me pause. “Keep running!” I did as he said, reaching the door that led out to the main courtyard. I pushed at the heavy door. He ran up beside me, throwing his full weight against it. It opened, slowly, and we forced our way out and into the arctic cold. I gasped.

  “We can’t stop now,” he said, taking my hand in his. It was warm and smooth. Even though I wasn’t yet in the clear, I felt safe for the first time since I had left Jenny’s party. He led me part way through the courtyard. He let go of my hand and took a few steps away from me. I stood, watching him. He removed his strange jumpsuit. I stared. Naked, he was beautiful. His whole body was muscular, yet sinewy, graceful. He was too perfect to be human. There was much of the alien about him—similar to the Ak-hal, yet vastly different. His cock was enormous. I felt warmth in the pit of my stomach, desire.

  At that moment, he shifted, the sound of bone and sinew snapping, and a large white bear stood before me. His eyes were golden fire, and his fur was thick. He was elegant and enormous, like any true predator, noble in mien. He snorted, hot breath steaming the air around his face in a large cloud.

  Get on my back. We have to go now.

  Okay. He cocked his head to the side, confused by my response—it was a word that he didn’t know. Yes, I told him. He nodded his large head, crouching to let me climb on. I clambered on, my dress inhibiting my range of movement. I sat awkwardly on his back, side-saddle. I wrapped my arms around his neck, entangling my fingers into his soft fur.

  There was the sound of yelling, glass breaking. I turned to glance back at the castle. I saw a large, reptilian head rise above the crenellated towers. Its huge maw opened, and flames shot into the darkening sky. It screeched, a loud, prehistoric sound cutting the air.

  The fight is beginning. We must go. His consciousness was a calming press against my own, a light touch, like a warm hand. When roused, the Ak-hal are fierce.

  Yes. He took off, lumbering at a high speed. I held on for dear life, shivering in the icy wind. Night was coming on. I had been inside at the ceremonies all day. Behind us, the sounds of battle rang out between the Ak-hal and the Kamani.

  I thought you came to make peace, I said to him, testing out this connection between our minds.

  We came to rescue the humans. We cannot trust the Ak-hal. We never will. They have been killing us for our pelts for over a century. They have plans to take over control of our planet as soon as they have added more numbers to their population. If they are allowed to continue, they will wipe out the Kamani and destroy Aman.

  What is Aman?

  This land. This planet.

  I see.

  They have abducted many humans this time. Far more than ever before.

  A loud rumbling rang out in his large bear chest. I leaned in, wrapping my arms around his great neck. If I leaned in closer, I got more of his warmth. He smelled musky, and I found myself burying my face in his fur.

  He sped across the tundra. Everywhere I looked I only saw luminous snow and darkened skies.

  Why is it dark, so soon?

  The Ak-hal chose the shortest day of the year, so their mating ceremony would end after dark. The sacrifice of the unwanted must happen at daybreak, and the conclusion of the mating must occur after moonrise.

  Sacrifice of the unwanted?

  They require a blood sacrifice before their ceremonies. It has something to do with making their human mates immortal. Did they not give you an elixir to drink?

  Yes. My heart stopped, and my stomach roiled queasily. I drank blood?

  Mixed with other elements.

  Have they… changed me?

  A bit. Nothing that cannot be remedied, little one.

  Little one? I bristled a bit. It was too soon for pet names.

  Compared to me, you are tiny and young. I felt then the weight of his years—he had been living far longer than I had—he was slightly ancient. It was strange. As I looked over his enormous ursine head, I saw a dark line along the horizon.

  What is that?

  Ice caves. We can stay there until the others join us. Then we will go home.

  Chapter 7

  The ice caves were large—about as large as the great hall at the castle of the Ak-hal. The ceiling loomed several hundred feet above me, stalactites of ice hanging down from it. I stood, looking about me and shivering in my delicate garments. I reached up and pulled the heavy crown off my head. I let it fall to the cave floor with a clatter. I looked down at it apathetically as one of the rosettes broke off, and it rolled across the cold stone. I slid the ring off my finger, letting it, too, drop to the ground. It bounced a little, settling on the floor with a small clatter.

  I knelt beside a shallow pool of water on the ground, filling my hands with water, and using it to clean the thick layer of cosmetics off my face. I scrubbed, cleaning until my skin was freezing, but clear. I reached up, pulling the pins from my hair until it hung down free over my shoulders. I unclasped the necklace and each of the earrings, setting them on the cave floor.

  The Kamani sat on the ground, watching me. He wore a plain tawny-colored garment made of some sort of soft, warm, hand-woven cloth. His face was open, curious. I walked over to him, kneeling on the cold cave floor in front of him. He smiled at me mysteriously and eyed me, cocking his head to the side.

  “You speak English?” I asked, daring to hope.

  “Yes,” he answered. I was shocked.

  “How?”

  “Maybe you aren’t the first American woman I’ve met,” he replied.

  “Where?”

  “She escaped the Ak-hal many years ago. She lives with my people.” I nodded in relief—someone else had gotten free.

  “Can I talk to her?”

  “Of course.”

  “How long does it take to get to your people?”

  “It’s a day or so from here.” The Ak-hal, when they had spoken of that same distance, had made it seem less—but they were dragons. They could fly. The Kamani and their graceful, loping run would take more time.

  “Can we go now?”

  “Can I rest, little one?” he asked calmly. I nodded.

  “Don’t call me that.” He reached out, taking my hand in his. He was warm. He placed his other hand over it.

  “You’re so small,” he said gently. He took my other hand, and rubbed both of his over my own, generating heat. “Anyway, you haven’t told me what to call you.”

  “My name?” He smiled and nodded. He seemed so… content. It was odd after spending time with the cold, lordly demeanor of the Ak-hal. “Shay.”

  “Khofti.”

  “Thank you for saving me, Khofti.”

  “Sure.”

  “Why did you?”

  “You asked me to.” Then I remembered.

  “You heard my thoughts.”

  “It was as though you were yelling to me.”

  “How? Can the others of your kind?”

  “No. Just me.”

  “Why?”

  “You don’t know?” He was so enigmatic. I shook my head. He nodded. “You will see.” I sighed, frustrated. He smiled. “Humans. You don’t like to wait.”

  “I only have so much time.”

  “No. You are now immortal.” Oh, right. That.

  “How do I fix that?” He looked at me strangely.

  “Well, you could injure yourself, but that is… not advisable.” I realized that he was talking about suicide, but didn’t know the word. “Or, you couldn’t complete the ritual.” Easy enough.

  “Are you immortal?”

  “Yes. The Kamani were gifted their immortality from the gods. The Ak-hal stole it.”<
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  “Explain,” I demanded.

  “The Kamani have one rule: Do whatsoever does no harm.”

  “That’s very open to interpretation.”

  “It is. But it accounts for free will. Your people call it humanness.”

  “So, the gods gave the Kamani immortality for this?”

  “The firstborn of the Kamani were kind. They cared for the animals and each other. Because of this, the Kamani were gifted immortality. The Ak-hal, when they came from their dead planet, saw all that the Kamani had and wanted it for their own. They sacrificed many Kamani to the gods, making the elixir from their blood and then wearing the Kamani as their skin.”

  “That’s awful. When did they begin taking human women?”

  “Many years ago,” he replied vaguely. “They tried females from other planets, but they didn’t suit the Ak-hal’s sensibilities.”

  “They killed them.”

  “On a massive pyre. We could see its dark cloud for miles.” He said it grimly. It was a relief to talk to a being not psychopathic in nature. I shivered. “You are cold. Let me get you something warm to wear.” I looked down at my dress. I realized with a lurch that it was lined in Kamani pelt. The tear that I had created went from my hip to halfway down my thigh, baring the Spanx-like undergarments. He returned to me, bearing thick, folded furs and a jumpsuit similar to his own.

  “I thought you didn’t hurt anything.”

  “We ask permission before taking the skins of the animal,” he explained. “We always ask permission, and then make sure that its spirit reaches the Otherworld safely.” I tried reaching behind me to unfasten the buttons on the back of my dress. They were tiny, and covered with silk. Clara had used a hook to do them up.

  “Um, can you—” I turned, and he unfastened my buttons. My pulse raced at the thought of him undressing me. When the buttons were undone, he stepped away from me. I slid my arms out of the dress. In only the restrictive underwear of the Ak-hal, I turned to Khofti. He looked to the side, smiling a little.