"There's no way I'm on a spaceship!" Before her lay a vast night sky. When Khamuel mentioned the ship contained habitats, she imagined nothing like this! The path at her feet dipped into a valley of separate yet interconnecting neighborhoods with homes clustered in groups of ten. It was like standing on a hilltop looking down to see all the twinkling lights of a picturesque Christmas village. She could just barely make out gentle swelling knolls in the moonlight and trees, actual trees, not artificial ones meant for decoration, all blanketed by a thick layer of snow.
She looked up and her hand flew to her mouth again. Stars upon stars in tighter clusters than seen on Earth floated above them with four large orbs. Two blue, one red, one elongated but green, in comparable sizes to Earth's moon. The green orb rotated so quickly it seemed to wobble to and fro like a child's toy top. "Is this what your night sky back home looks like?"
"Aye. A good friend spent many years programming this hologram. He is quite talented."
"I should say so. Is that your moon?" She pointed to the green orb, which appeared closer than the others, wondering if it was a stupid question.
"One of, aye. All four you see there," he pointed, "are moons."
"Beautiful. Absolutely stunning!" She breathed out as she stared up at the hologram. At least she wouldn't feel trapped in a tin can. The habitat gave the illusion of open space and freedom. A smile played at her lips as relief flooded her. This was a good place. She opened her mouth to say so to Khamuel, but when their eyes met, her breath caught in her throat. The way he was looking at her…
Khamuel's foul mood wavered. Seeing her pleasure at the view dulled his ire. The gleam in her eye intrigued him. The happy flush of her cheeks enchanted him. Aye, Lena was quite dangerous.
She watched his expression as his eyes traveled over her face, then rested on her lips. Her lips parted and instinctively her tongue moved to moisten them. For the first time Lena didn't see him as just an attractive man in an abstract sense or a man that she could indulge in a little hero worship for. Looking at him now, she felt a lick of something sinful pool low in her belly. His pupils dilated and his glow reappeared, tinged with red tendrils of light.
"Mama? I'm sleepy," Sasha whined.
Lena averted her gaze in embarrassment, wondering if she was making a fool of herself staring at him like some sex-starved idiot.
Bossy little Leila came loping back and grabbed a hold of her hand, tugging impatiently. "C'mon Mama!"
Khamuel placed a hand at Lena's back and gently urged her forward. "We haven't much further to go. Your stay with my sister is temporary. I originally intended to place you in mine own grant. After your reaction to the bantlings staying with me, I thought it unwise."
She smiled up at him for his thoughtfulness, but his next words knocked the smile right off her face. "I will give you time to acclimate, yet soon, you will be brought to me and reside with me."
"Why? Why would I do that?"
"You are my responsibility. My family. It is right that you reside with me."
Lena stopped walking and met his gaze. "Your sister is your family, but you just said she has her own place. I'm a virtual stranger to you, Kraven. Why would you move me into your home?"
His tone was patient. "I have claimed you. You belong to me."
She swallowed nervously. "You told me your people don't keep slaves."
"We do not."
Why did those three little words make fear snake down her spine? "You don't come across as reassuring right now."
His face tightened at her words. "Ka'al custom-"
"What about my customs?"
"They matter not. You are on Ka'al ship, under Ka'al rule, and you will abide by Ka'al customs."
Her stomach did a flip, and fear dried her tongue. Lena's mind raced as she realized just how profound his words were. So far, the people she came into contact with spoke English and seemed accommodating enough, but she wasn't on Earth anymore. She was surrounded by a people she didn't even have a basic knowledge of, and had never even heard of. She knew nothing.
He must have read something in her expression because his own softened, one hand touching her cheek gently. "You have no cause for fear, Lena. I will provide you and each of your daughters with your own guard. They will guide you, tutor you, and ensure your ability to navigate the ship and our society. If you show your loyalty, and give fealty to Charity, you will never have cause for concern."
"And if I choose not to give fealty?"
Khamuel's touch moved from her cheek to her neck. His thumb grazed her pulse before his fingers traced lightly over her scar. He met her gaze. "There will be no mercy."
Lena swallowed, realizing he meant it. Kindness and patience aside, Khamuel had a ruthless side. Seeing her first glimpse of it was enough to make Lena second guess her decision to stay aboard Charity. Was she making a mistake? "Y-you have that kind of power here?"
He didn't need to answer. His expression said it all.
Willing herself to move, she walked, wanting to put distance between herself and the man who just threatened her. When he was at her side, she asked, "What if I want to go home? Like, what if I don't like it here and I realize this isn't the right type of society for me? What happens then?"
"You will acclimate. There is no returning now." Before he had known of her father, returning her to Earth was a possibility he did not relish. Now that he knew who sired her, he could not return her to her planet safely.
There were too many Watchers who opposed her father within the consulate. They would capture her the moment her feet touched upon the terra. They would recognize her pull easily. Sired of the spawn or nay, he would not condemn her without cause.
Lena chewed her inner cheek. "Well, what if I just don't want to be part of your family? What if I don't want to live with you?"
He stopped walking and tugged on her arm until she faced him. "Heed me, lady. Whether you wish it or nay, in time, you will reside with me." His hard gaze took on a different intensity as they settled on her lips. "Though I wager there would be little hardship in that."
Lena let out a condescending little chuckle. "You can't threaten me in one breath and hit on me with the other. I don't know about Ka'al flirting rituals, but you won't gain any points with me behaving like that."
A husky laugh escaped him, and his glow released red tendrils of light again. "Feel lucky your daughters are present Farran, else I would gladly show you the lie in your words."
He seriously couldn't think she found his domineering attitude a turn-on, could he?
"Oh aye," he husked. "You have yet to learn how to shield your thoughts from me. I know precisely your thoughts on the matter. The intrigue of danger excites you."
Her face flushed hotly. How the hell was she supposed to respond to that? Her mind rebelled at his words. Except, well … No! Lena shook her head at herself. She was going to have to learn how to block him out of her mind. Having him in her head was dangerous. "Is this really just one big room?"
Khamuel accepted her change of topic easily, a small grin on his lips. "Charity would measure in human terms at 50 miles by 50 miles by 50 miles. Each habitat has more than enough space for its number of occupants."
Khamuel finally stopped walking and led her to a gated entrance. He opened the gate and led her around the large home to the back, where a smaller, more personal and well-used entrance sat covered in yellow and pink vines. A large comfortable porch, complete with elegant furniture, welcomed them all inside.
"My sister has provided a room for you. Unfortunately, she has been called away and cannot welcome you herself. She is a force within our government." He led her and the girls inside the grant, and the children took off babbling about getting ready for bed.
Lena wanted to call them back, but realized they were familiar with the home by how easily they navigated. Looking around the room, Lena admitted the mysterious Pnina had lovely tastes. Decorative art lined the walls. Expensive looking rugs. Elegant figurines. The room itself was in muted colors of pink but red, black and gold - the colors of the Ka'al - were used artfully to give the room color.
Thick foam blocks sat catty-corner instead of couches and chairs. There were a few low floating slabs of granite as end tables, and in the middle of the grouped blocks was another floating slab obviously used as a coffee table. The home itself smelled faintly floral.
This Pnina woman obviously enjoyed her comforts.
"I can't stay in someone's home if they aren't here, Kraven."
His glow released those red tendrils again, making her stomach dip with excitement. "Repeat yourself, Farran."
"I can't stay-"
"Nay." He stepped closer to her, his voice dropping an octave. "Call me as you do."
"Kraven?"
His hands moved to her arms, pulling her closer. Lena's body reacted with expectation as he closed the distance between them. His eyes went to her lips and then to her hair, which hung loose down her back. One of his fingers toyed with a loose lock and the strand wrapped around it.
"Lovely," he whispered.
"Mama, come look!"
Lena blinked and backed away from his heat.
"Mama! C'mere!"
With a lingering look in his direction, Lena turned and followed her girls into a jealousy inducing nursery. Lena gasped at the wonderland before her. "It's beautiful!"
The twins didn't give her time to examine the pink and purple room or all the toys that littered the floors and walls. Though Lena kept abnormal sleeping habits while in the ministry, her girls seemed to have been kept to a schedule, and she appreciated this mysterious Pnina, for ensuring her children had stability in her absence. She had no clue what time it was, but she knew her girls well enough to see the telltale signs of needing to be put to bed.
"We should go say goodnight to Mr. Kraven."
"The girlings will call me, avan." He stood in the nursery's doorway, his eyes on the twins as they attempted to show their mother all their new toys.
"What does that mean?" she asked distractedly, then cooed over a plush toy Sasha was showing her.
"It dances, Mama. And sings too, but," she scrunched up her little face and pursed her lips in mild frustration. "I have no idea what it says. It talks funny."
Giving a little laugh, Lena ruffled her daughter's baby soft hair. "I'm sure we'll all learn the language quickly enough." She looked back at Khamuel. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"
"They are addressing me as leader of their house."
"Oh," she said thoughtfully. "Because you've claimed us?"
He grunted, though his expression did not change. "They will call me avan. They have already been so instructed."
"Is that what I should call you also?"
A choked sound escaped Khamuel. His eyes shone bright blue and crinkled at the corners. "I beg you, do not."
She wanted to ask him why, but Sasha tugged at her hand. "I have to potty."
"Okay. Bedtime. Say goodnight girls."
Lena didn't expect the twins to go rushing to Khamuel the way they did, flinging themselves in his arms as if they had been doing it their entire lives. Weren't they traumatized? Shouldn't they be at least a little unsure of him? While her kids didn't shy away from strangers, they never showed affection.
When the big man knelt and embraced them in a tight hug, Lena was both taken aback and warmed by his clear affection for them. He chatted with them a few more moments, promising them to "have lunch on the morrow, just as every day." He placed his hands on the top of each girl's head and a gentle light emanated from them and poured into the girls. Khamuel stood and inclined his head to Lena, bidding the twins to obey. "Now heed your modir. Go on."
"The light?" Lena asked. "What did you do?"
He searched for the right words in his usual manner, then answered. "Naught more than a blessing. It will ensure they sleep peacefully with sweet dreams."
The girls just lost their father. They had to still be dealing with the sadness of that. Couple the loss with their sudden change in life and society, and Lena wondered if it was healthy for them to build an attachment to this man.
Deployment, dead father, car crash, injured mom, alien abduction… It was a wonder any of them maintained sanity. How was it possible that this alien man so easily gained their trust with hardly any effort? Was it only because he saved them from a near-fatal car crash, or was it something else entirely?
Goosebumps rose on her skin at the thought. Was her subconscious picking up on things she wasn't cognizant of? As a child, Lena learned to rely on her gut for survival. As a soldier, those lessons were reinforced. Something about Khamuel calmed both her and her daughters. For now, that was enough.
Lena expected Khamuel to leave while she was putting the girls to bed, but as she walked back into the common room, the awareness fluttered inside of her again. There was something to be said about how good looking the Ka'al all seemed to be, but Khamuel himself was a complete distraction to her.
When she was with him, she could almost forget everything that didn't warrant remembering. And when he touched her? Well, when he touched her, she definitely forgot. The attraction she had for him could be dangerous, especially since Lena wasn't entirely sure the attraction was genuine. He could put her and her daughters to sleep. Light literally emanated from him. What else could he affect if he wanted to?
She looked at him curiously and when she noted his tired, red-rimmed eyes, her shoulders relaxed in compassion for him. Lena always relied on her gut, and right now, it was telling her that this man was safe. "You look tired. You should probably get some rest."
Khamuel stood from his seat and went to her. Without warning or hesitation, he placed his hands on her hips and drew her to him. Her eyes widened and her belly swirled. When he dipped his head ever so slightly, she licked her lips and they parted for him in expectation.
His eyes followed the movement of her tongue. Wetness formed between her thighs and he had barely touched her. Was this smart? This couldn't be smart!
"Kraven," she whispered, knowing she should back away. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."
"Address me again." His demand was softly spoken, his lips hovering just above hers. His hands were hot against the thin fabric of her silky scarves. "Now," his tone was slightly impatient when she just stared up at him. "Address me again."
She swallowed. "Kraven."
"Aye." His fingers tightened against her. "It is so."
Good grief! So that's what pure lust feels like! The small spark of awareness she felt earlier flared wildly and without warning. Lena placed her hands on his chest and allowed her fingers to curl into his uniform, pulling him closer. She wanted his kiss. Lena's lips parted slightly in anticipation, but he just stared down at her, his head cocked at an angle. When she smiled up at him, he tightened his arms around her middle, pressing her tightly against him for a moment.
Then his expression darkened, and he loosened his hold on her.
"Too soon for all of that," she said, agreeing with his unspoken words. A small, nervous puff of air escaped her as she looked into his suddenly angry face.
She felt Khamuel completely withdraw from her mind, and the psychic fall-out was nearly more than she could disguise as she took in the nuances of his features.
What had she done to him? Obviously, she had pissed him off, because despite his claims of just being preoccupied, he directed his anger at her specifically.
Khamuel was unmoving, looking at her with hard eyes. The impulse to run rose inside of her. Except she had nowhere to go. But he did.
"You should go," she finally said, wanting to be away from his now uncomfortable presence.
"You will not dismiss me at your leisure, Farran." His tone hardened and now Lena didn't know who the real Khamuel was. Was he the kind, patient man that sat with her for hours at a time the past two weeks, or was he this man? The one with the hard eyes and tense posture who stared at her as though he wished he never laid eyes on her.
Lena released a puff of disappointment. The latter. It was more than likely the latter. Why wouldn't it be? Hadn't life taught her this lesson repeatedly? She was nothing. A no one. Little more than a dirty vessel. Usable. Discardable. Rotten.
For a moment she gave in to the old Lena, the broken Lena who learned at too young of an age that all she had was herself.
No one wanted or even cared to know the real Lena. All anyone wanted from her was her shame, her fear, her cries of pain, and her deference to them. Her stomach roiled as the old feelings of inadequacy filled her. Lena hated herself even as she felt herself slipping into her old skin. Her shoulders stooped in the familiar attempt at shrinking away. She lowered her eyes and softened her voice. "I'm sorry, Kraven. I…"
"To hear you call me thus does much to muddle my thoughts, Farran. Until you understand your words, I need to keep my distance from you." His face darkened with what looked like regret. "I have already sealed your fate."
The sudden gentle tone startled her, making her body break into a cold sweat. She couldn't stop the reflexive flinch that crossed her face when his hand lifted to tilt her chin up. "Sealed my fate?"
She wasn't stupid. Lena knew better than to give in to gentled tones just after a flash of anger. Her mind worked as she searched for the proper words to placate him. "Kraven, you saved me. You don't need to feel like you've damned me to hell. You've given me a fresh start."
Her words seemed to anger him rather than pacify him. Khamuel turned away from her, one hand passing over his beard in agitation, before he settled his hands on his hips. Hips that sported a thick leather belt. She swallowed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to set you off." She lowered her head once again, "Kraven, I …"
"Aye." He swung around at her softly spoken word. "That I am, Farran."
He pulled her to him again, this time roughly. He was angry. She didn't know why. Didn't know what questions to ask to even figure out why. His enormous arms crushed her to him, lifting her feet from the ground. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his neck to avoid the lips that aimed for her own.
Khamuel stilled when the shaking of her body registered in his mind. Slowly, he lowered her feet back to the floor. The beating of her heart no longer lived within him. In a single instant, Lena erected a wall against him, leaving his chest feeling hollow and spirit undone. "What is this? You tremble in fear? Of me?"
"You're so angry. Don't be angry." She pressed herself more fully to him. It was a trick she learned as a kid. When pressed up tight to someone, they had a harder time hitting you. The angle was too awkward and any blows that landed wouldn't hurt as much.
Khamuel jerked and wrenched her away from him, leaving her to catch her balance.
"What game is this you play?" His light eyes turned nearly midnight blue and his glow burned brightly. His fierce gaze settled on her down-turned face. "Face me, Lena. What game do you play?"
She licked her lips nervously before answering. "No game. I just don't want you to be angry with me. I'm sorry. For whatever I did. I didn't mean it." Lena caught herself, realizing what she was doing, and was mortified at her behavior. She swore to never appear weak again. Meanwhile, here she was acting like a complete and total -
Lena refused to finish the thought. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She wasn't a coward. She was a soldier! During her eleven years in the Army, Lena joined the female engagement team and endured SERE. She became a helicopter pilot and lived through five deployments to the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. There was nothing she needed to fear. Nothing that could break her anymore.
Feeling her mind clear and her body strengthened, she lifted her chin and met his gaze. She was a goddamn warrior, and she better never forget that again.
Khamuel stared, confused. One moment, Lena was a trembling ball of fear. The next, she looked at him as if he were beneath her. He wanted to accuse her of so many things; wanted to shout at her to cease this game, but as her eyes lifted; Khamuel noted that her body still trembled from the intensity of her emotions.
Her momentary fear was genuine. Khamuel wanted to probe her mind, yet he needed to keep his own thoughts clear as he dealt with her odd behavior. Going into her mind now would provide answers, though it would muddle his thoughts, making it difficult for him to separate her emotions from his own.
It wasn't until she trailed her fingers along the scar on her neck in an absent-minded gesture that Khamuel felt his ire leave him. "No one would abuse the progeny of sephira … she would not have survived her infancy…"
Avem's words played in his mind, and Khamuel now understood.
Relaxing his body and gentling his tone, he addressed her. "Farran, you needn't fear me. I will not abuse you. My ire is not with you, only for … a situation I learned of just this morn. You are safe here."
A tight smile stretched her lips, but her eyes remained a hard, glittering green. "Of course," she said politely. "Please forgive my behavior. I forgot myself for a moment."
Khamuel hated her stilted, formal words when her normal speech patterns were more relaxed than this. He wanted to go to her, to ease her tension. Yet, he knew to do so would only cause more harm in this moment. Instead, he repeated his words more firmly, wanting her to hear his sincerity. "You are safe here."
Her throat bobbed once. That stilted smile remained in place.
He repeated his words, enunciating each word clearly. "You. Are. Safe. Here."
Her eyes shone. Lena blinked the wetness away and lifted her chin another notch. "Thank you."
Passing a frustrated hand over his beard, Khamuel grunted in resignation. "I will take my leave."
"That's probably a good idea. I'm tired."
"Before I go, you will understand one thing. You are now of my house, Farran of 'N. You may associate with humans, yet you will never belong to them again."
"I understand," she lied.
Her words placated him. Khamuel turned to leave.
As he headed to the front door, the sight of his retreating back brought Lena back to herself. "Wait!"
He turned to face her, a questioning brow riding high.
"What do … I mean … don't leave." She was afraid to be left alone in this alien "world."
Khamuel was unmoved by her plea. "In this moment, Farran, it is best that I stay away. I will not leave you unguarded. On the morrow, before the sun rises, there will be three guards sent to you; one for you and one for each of your bantlings. They will guard your safety, act as your guide and tutor you in the ways of Ka'al. Your guard will be with you until you acclimate and feel at ease among us."
That was kindness at least, but she didn't like the idea of a stranger hovering over her. "Can't you do it?"
"Nay," he said. Lena could tell he was impatient to leave, but his voice remained soothing. "I have too many responsibilities that need my attention. I will send only the most trustworthy to you. My oath. You will be safe with your guard."
His words rang with truth and Lena felt some of the edginess leave her. He wouldn't leave her floundering around the ship, dealing with a race of beings she knew nothing about. There was a part of her that still wanted to argue, to plead with him to stay despite the embarrassment of how she acted just minutes ago, but decided to save her pride.
He opened the door and walked out into the night. As each step took him further away, Lena forced away the disappointment. His walking away seemed final. After tonight, she probably wouldn't see him again. No surprise there. She was used to people walking away from her.
Fine. It was fine.
She would manage just like she always did.
Lena tried to close the door. It wouldn't budge. She frowned and tried again. The thing was immobile. She stared at the door, chewing her inner cheek. It was a good thing Khamuel promised her a tutor if she couldn't even figure out how to close a door.
From the corner of her eye, Lena noticed a shadow off to the left. Her instincts kicked into high alert and adrenaline poured into every nerve ending. She watched for a moment to make sure she was right - that the shadow really was following Khamuel - but as he turned a corner, the shadow followed furtively.
Action exploded within her. The metallic taste of adrenaline coated her tongue as she took off at a sprint. Lena caught sight of Khamuel's form just as the shadow reached for him.
"Khamuel! Behind you!" She called out even as she picked up speed and hurled herself into the air, tackling the mysterious form. Momentum tumbled them both to the ground. The shadow tried to fight back, but Lena was quick and had him in a chokehold before he could take a defensive position. The struggle continued until Khamuel could separate them. Shadow shifted out of Khamuel's hold and lunged for Lena. She evaded the fist that came flying at her face by dropping low, shoving her shoulder into his diaphragm, and planted her fist firmly in his groin.
Shadow grabbed her as he fell. Lena felt the impact of a big man's body hit the ground, and knew the breath had been knocked from him. She acted quickly, uppercutting him. His arms flailed and his head lifted off the ground so she head-butted his chin. A low grunt escaped Shadow before he fell back in a hazy stupor.
There was a calm voice in her ear. She blinked. Again, that comforting tone. "Lena, release your hold of him."
She looked at Khamuel blankly. He returned her look as someone would an armed and dangerous criminal. She took a breath and forced herself to calm down. For a moment, she had forgotten where she was.
Returning to the present, Lena stood and dusted herself off, struggling to tamp down the aggression that still pounded furiously inside of her. Shadow half sprawled, half sat against Khamuel. He was mostly revived, but eyeing her in a kind of confused fascination. In fact, both men were.
Lena sighed in realization. "I take it you know each other?"
Khamuel nodded, the look on his face was surely one man had worn throughout the ages regardless of time or species. It was the stunned look of a man who realized that a woman was crazy.
"Shadow" wore an equally stupid expression.
With another sigh, Lena came forward and offered her hand.
Shadow eyed her warily. "Will you strike me again?"
"Only if you deserve it."
Shadow stared at her hand as the tension slowly left his body. He met her eyes then gripped her forearm, allowing her the illusion that her small form could hurl his immense weight up. Except it wasn't an illusion. She was strong. Very strong, and it gave him pause. Now on his feet, he studied her with open curiosity.
"I take it you're either a guard or a friend of Kraven?" Lena asked.
"His guard, aye," Shadow answered in a smooth deferential tone. "And his friend. A man such as the emperor deserves both."
Lena blinked, mouth falling slack. "Emperor?"
Lena looked at Khamuel with horrified eyes at the same time "Shadow" asked, with no small amount of his own shock, "She calls you Kraven?"
Khamuel answered them simultaneously. To Lena he spoke into her mind, a hint of demand in his message. Do not shy away from me, Lena. To the shadow, he spoke aloud, "Aye, she calls me thus."
Shadow's surprise was sinking into Lena's consciousness as her shock waned. Now she understood why Khamuel held such an air of authority, and why it was so easy for him to detach himself from everyone.
Shadow regarded Khamuel, who stood a full head above him. His brow furrowed, and then something like understanding lit his eyes. His voice was a low murmur. "An'thee."
Knowing it was easier to control wilder emotions if focus was set on more trivial matters, Lena locked in on Shadow's words as he spoke.
"Does she not realize what she calls you?" Shadow persisted.
Lena fidgeted. "It's his title. Isn't it?"
Was she insulting Khamuel with her poor pronunciation? Were the passengers aboard this ship not supposed to interact with him? Of course, it's not allowed, dummy. He's royalty, actual, legit royalty and you're some dumbass that got into a car accident in the middle of the night.
The two men briefly exchanged words in Ka'al. The guard whistled low and met her eyes, and offered his hand. "I am Fiadn. Personal guard of Kravan'n and friend to the man behind the title, His Majesty Khamuel."
Lena didn't know what to make about Fiadn's odd fit of humor when he looked at her, but something about her definitely amused him. There was warmth in the man's expression and no malice in his eyes, so she couldn't help warming to him in a distracted way as his dancing gaze met hers. "I-I'm Lena."
She was a bit surprised when he gripped her forearm in the manner of Vikings rather than shaking her hand. She looked at the two men. Vikings? Was it possible?
Both were tall, muscular, and blond, with light eyes. They shared similar, strikingly handsome features, telling her they were from a similar … ethnicity? How exactly did aliens identify themselves? Did they differentiate between race, ethnicity, and nationality, or was it a simple matter of species? Or were they so advanced these things didn't matter? "I'm sorry I attacked you. I reacted before thinking. I'm usually much better behaved, but where I come from, a person emerging from the shadows is rarely a good thing."
Fiadn nodded, his mane of silver-blonde hair twinkling like tinsel in the moonlight. "Verserk ... uh ... warriors, are always welcome aboard Charity."
Lena tilted her head at that, but decided not to question anything any further today. She was quite frankly exhausted. "I need to go check on my girls." She looked at Fiadn. "No hard feelings?"
"My lady, forgive my ignorance. It has been many a cycle since I have spoken to an ind-Earth. Your modern colloquialisms are unfamiliar to me. Yet, if you mean to imply that we will look beyond this memorable meeting? Aye, we are fast as friends."
Lena smiled, then looked at Khamuel. She hesitated. "Is there some formal way I'm supposed to … um… leave your presence? I don't want to cause offense."
The snicker that burst from Fiadn was unexpected, but Khamuel met her self-conscious gaze coolly, making Lena feel that distance again. "Nay. Go be with your bantlings."
"What do I call you then?"
Khamuel spoke, and there was finality in his tone. "You have already named me in your mind. Continue to call me as you do."
"Is that allowed? Shadow doesn't look-"
"Forget Fiadn," Khamuel snapped.
Lena winced at his tone. Fiadn perked up and swiveled his gaze between Khamuel and herself, mischief in his eyes. That Fiadn didn't fear his leader's anger gave Lena comfort, but why would he show such an interest in what she called the king?
I am more than a mere king … or was. Came the psychic reply. Yet, now, I am simply as you call me.
Her mouth went dry at the implication of his words. What exactly did the everyday person make of the fact that an alien, who was "more than a mere king" felt free to project his thoughts into her mind at will?
Suddenly, Lena could take no more. "I'm so beyond done. I literally cannot process anything else right now."
She turned away from the men and headed back to the grant. There was so much to adapt to and understand. To think, all this time she had been having personal, one-on-one brain time with a king. An alien king. An alien king who laid claim to both herself and her children. A king who both scared and excited her. Khamuel had taken her from her human planet, implanted her within, not only his clan, but his own family.
True, he was nothing but accommodating with her until today, but now that he pulled away from her, what was she supposed to do? And he had pulled away from her. Lena felt an emptiness inside of her, in that corner of her mind where he spent so much time the past couple weeks. She came to rely on him residing in her head. She still needed him.
She closed her eyes and focused on him. Khamuel?
You may continue to call me Kraven. I quite enjoy the sound of it.
Instant calm stole over her. He wasn't ignoring her.
I… she began, but he interrupted her.
Abed with you. We shall further our discourse when your emotions are not so riled.
Lena was determined to give that arrogant king a piece of her mind if he kept talking to her like that. But first, fuck this day. She needed sleep. Well, can you at least tell me how to close the damned door?
***
The two men didn't speak until after they left the habitat and walked through the corridor leading to the epicenter pathways. Each preoccupied with their own thoughts. It was Fiadn who spoke first. "You have suffered an'thee. You are actually taller than me now."
Khamuel snorted at Fiadn's disgruntled tone. "Aye."
"Avem is correct. She is, verserk. A warrior."
Khamuel nodded, having only now come to terms with such a thing. "That she is. What else would she be with the blood of her sire running ripe through her veins? But worse, she is part human and a daughter of the royal line of sephira."
His old friend nodded. "I felt the pull instantly."
"As do I. Each time I am near her it is as if the first time."
"I have no doubt her ancestors preserved her lineage."
Khamuel thought about what little he knew of her past and disagreed. "More as they have returned."
Fiadn frowned. "They were forbidden."
The emperor tisked. "And yet Noah had several sitting at their leisure within his hangar."
"Your edict?"
"While you were enjoying your furlough aboard the Gaznian diversion ship, we have been working to fortify Charity. Seeing me in the consulate, they are aware of us. It is possible they already plot. When next I return to Earth to gather our remaining supplies, they will sense her imprint on me, on all of us, and they will come for her. She is granddaughter to Sariel and daughter of Kasdeja."
Fiadn visibly recoiled. "Kasdeja!" He spat the name like a curse. "A horrible old soul, that one. They are unaware we have her?"
"I was unaware until Avem read me her medical findings. I too caught her scent and felt her pull yet … I had not imagined."
Fiadn was somewhat relieved. "So, when you sent the accident recount to Noah you were ignorant. This is good, we will have extra time. Have you revealed anything of her bloodline since?"
"Nay. We all sustained injuries that night. We were fighting to save her life, repair the forager, evade the earth authorities and keep her progeny from the effects of seeing their modir bloodied and near death. I had only enough forethought to ask for a cleaning crew. Once we came aboard? 'Twas none of Noah's concern."
Neither man felt the need to point out that, with no way of knowing who cleaned the crash site, it was possible the Watchers were already aware one of their own suffered ill fate.
"She calls you Kraven rather than Kravan'n. 'Husband' rather than 'liege.'"
"As well she should. She belongs to me."
"Yet, she is warrior; verserk."
"Indeed."
"Novel," said Fiadn in wonderment. "Will you inform Noah?"
"I see no need." Khamuel made a face. "I was laid low by the an'thee, even before I gave her my life's blood. 'Tis the reason I gave it to her. She is mine."
"Then we will protect her despite her sire. She will join my clan. We will guard her and train her. When you are ready, she will come to you."
"Nay." Everything inside Khamuel rebelled. "She will remain with my family. Implanted firmly within Pnina's grant, a verserk in her own right and well able to defend herself. I have already warned her."
"Kravan'n, the female is warrior. She must be placed with me or even Mord. We will fine-tune the skills the Eternal One blessed her with, yet use this excuse to guard our people against her." He hesitated. "Do you truly wish to protect her secret, you must keep your distance until you are ready to publicly claim her or publicly decry her. To have her stay so near you is a most unsound decision. It would compromise my ability to provide you security. If she realizes who you are, if her father taught her about you, she may very well use being aboard Charity as a boon and use your attraction to her as an advantageous win for her father."
Khamuel, who spent a lifetime acting with analytical mind, fought for the first time since his adolescence, against his emotions. He knew the truth his friend spoke; had thought it many times himself. "What tangled mess is this, my friend? I must guard against mine own? Do we trust in the Eternal One, or guard against Kasdeja?"
The elevator came, and the men entered it. There were others in the enclosure with them and so were silent during the nearly ten minutes it took to reach their destination. When they disembarked, Fiadn spoke, "We do both."
Khamuel agreed, but hated the rock that formed in his gut.
Fiadn burst into a laugh as they began their walk through the pathways. "This is perhaps the most confusing conversation we have had since Mord drank so much oldrikke that he mated Ashar, yet woke up the next morning thinking he had mated with Oonah, only to experience an'thee with Blousand that same eve."
Khamuel chuckled at the memory before sobering. "She will reside with Pnina, yet spend her days with you. Should she prove herself to be above her sire's touch, then I will publicly claim her and induct her into our clan. You and you alone will act as her guard and tutor." Khamuel frowned at this. It annoyed him to put another man in such close proximity to Lena. Yet he would do as he must. He did not spend lifetimes surviving the harshness of space by being careless. "Pnina's grant is equipped enough to hold the woman for now. When it is time, I will have her brought to me."
Fiadn knew when his leader was done being counseled. He thought he understood the sentiments behind Khamuel's decision, yet could not stifle his concerns. "I will begin her training come morning. It will be an opportunity to gauge her abilities. The bantlings have already been tested and have begun their studies. That Sasha, though quiet and shy, will be a force to be reckoned with as she matures into adulthood. The bantling is brilliant."
It did not surprise Khamuel that Fiadn had news of the bantlings. Fiadn was adept at his occupation, and surely the ship was alive with the excitement of having new bantams aboard. A twitch of a smile appeared briefly when Khamuel thought of the bantlings. "And Leila is fierce and brave. She will wreak havoc."
He heard Fiadn's snort of agreement.
Fiadn had one last question. "When, or will, you claim her?"
At this, Khamuel actually hesitated. "I have already done. I did so when I collected her from the ministry, though she feigns unaware of it. I did not intend to do so, yet seeing her hale and healthy, the an'thee demanded its due. I could not fight against it. The witnesses have been ordered to silence. Sired of Kasdeja she may be, yet even now I have sensed no avarice within her."
Fiadn felt compelled to speak the rest of his thoughts. "If she knows her father, she may never accept you or any of us."
Khamuel waved that concern away. "She has already accepted me. Her response to the binding ceremony was immediate." He frowned as a thought occurred. "Yet she has not opened herself to me. She was abused."
Fiadn showed no surprise. "All spawn of the wicked have been abused. I dare to say, she has lived a lifetime's worth were I to go by the look in her eyes. There is shrewdness there, intelligence. She has lived harshly; this I can see despite her calculated demurity."
Khamuel eyed his friend thoughtfully. "In but a few brief moments, you garnered this much?"
Fiadn gave a shrug. "Before your family claimed me as blood, I lived in the bowels, do not forget. With no one to protect the unclaimed, we were left to fend for ourselves. There is a certain worldliness a bantling gains much too young and this steel, this knowledge mars the soul."
Khamuel looked at his friend as he spoke in quiet tones rarely heard, and his heart ached for the other man's bantamhood.
"There is no true escape from it," Fiadn continued. "Despite polish, despite finding safety and family, the look in the eye never truly fades. There is a kind of recklessness, watchfulness and fierceness that will shine through." Finally, Fiadn met Khamuel's eye. "You know the look of which I speak, for verserk who have tasted battle, also bear this look. You bear this look as well as I."
Khamuel nodded, respecting and trusting in Fiadn's observations. "As you say my friend, it is so. She waivers between fear and fierceness. In the grant, Lena showed me fear. She bowed her head to me and nearly melted into weakness, yet when she believed you to be a threat, she fought as if the wicked himself had set upon her."
Fiadn sighed as they reached the doors to Khamuel's grant, and they slid silently open with no prompting. "'Tis normal enough behavior. You perchance frightened her. If she feared your anger, it is understood she would wish to placate you."
As Khamuel reached for a bottle and poured them each a glass of oldrikke, Fiadn noted the tenseness of Khamuel's shoulders. "Time, Kravan'n. In time she will come to trust you. She will lose her fear and she will reveal her true self to you. Patience, Kravan'n."
Khamuel neither wanted nor needed his friend's counsel. Impatience filled him at the thought of how much time they would waste in learning the truths Lena held within her. "Have her aptitude for flight tested. She was a pilot on Earth. To learn more of her, we would be best served to keep her content."
"The moment she becomes literate in our languages, it shall be done." Fiadn frowned before carefully voicing his concern. "Kravan'n, the moment you give her wings, you risk-"
"Do it. And alert the Regulate. I would have them keep a close eye on my … our … on her as well. We know not the extent of her father's influence. She may very well have been a deliberate implant. How else would our systems fail so near her 'car'? How else would we come upon her on deserted roads?"
Fiadn thought the emperor's words absurd and could not keep the sarcasm from his voice. "You believe the woman endangered her own life, as well as that of her off-spring, on the mere chance that of all the places in the universe, you were somewhere near her vicinity? More than likely your system's failure was because the an'thee sensed her."
Aye, Khamuel admitted to himself. 'Twas a foolish thought. "You speak too much," he groused. "Drink."
Rolling his eyes, Fiadn raised the cup to his lips.
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