by Heather Karn
“What’s a piggyback ride?” Maltak asked, his voice full of concern as I mentioned breaking my face.
Fighting another groan, I picked my way across the trail, trying to catch up to the women who I knew without seeing them had stopped, but I had no idea how far up the trail they stood. “Basically, one person jumps up onto the other person’s back and the person on the bottom carries them. Gah!”
I’d tripped again. This time my bag swung to the side, throwing me off balance. Strong hands grabbed me under the arms and hauled me to my feet. The duffle bag was taken from my grasp and Spock was lifted away, much to his displeasure, which he made known with his chattering.
“How do I carry you the way you suggested?” Maltak asked from in front of me. It was too eerie that I couldn’t even see him though he stood right there. For the planet having two moons, they weren’t shining bright, unless they were hiding behind clouds or the thick foliage above was blocking out all the light.
“Turn so your back is toward me.”
“Okay.”
I reached out and felt his back. Still a head taller than me, there was no way I was going to make that jump. “Crouch low. I have to jump up. My legs will be at your waist, my head over yours and I’ll grip your shoulders.”
“All right.”
“You’re sure?”
Maltak crouched in front of me. “I am a Companion. No Mate will feel threatened by this.”
“But what about the touch thing?”
“This is needful so you don’t hurt yourself, and you are tired. It is an exception to the custom. Now, jump.”
I didn’t argue. There was no reason to as he was right. So, I leapt as high as I could and wrapped my arms around his neck and clenched my thighs around his hips to keep my body in place.
“If you need to adjust me, just like, I don’t know, throw me a little in the air?” I had no idea how to describe it. It had always come natural to me, but to an alien who’d never given anyone a piggyback ride? Who knew?
“Thank you. For now, this is okay.” He took a step and hesitated. “It is okay, right? This is correct?”
“Yes.”
By the time the Courtship building appeared through the thick foliage, I was fighting my heavy eyelids, and I was losing. The only reason I even saw the building was because of the red lights buried in the ground shining up toward the building every few feet. It was enough to allow me to see where we were going, but not enough to cause much light pollution.
“Will you be okay to walk now, or should I continue to carry you?” Maltak asked, which made sense now that we were in an area where I should be able to see.
However much I wanted to tell him to just carry me to my new room, I couldn’t. If I ran into anyone else, I didn’t want this to be their first impression of me. So, I slid to the ground and took my bag and drits from Mortan.
“Thanks, guys,” I told them, waving as I followed the grumpy lady and her entourage toward the building.
“Be careful,” Mortan called.
Maltak waved, and both headed back in the direction we’d come. A sinking pit of loneliness swamped me as I faced the new building. If I didn’t choose a mate during my upcoming Courtship, I’d be forever stuck in this monstrosity until I did. That was sobering, and not at all reassuring. There was no way I wanted to spend the rest of my life cooped up, especially with so much to see.
And if I chose Kilani, I’d be able to convince him to take me to other planets with him. I could see the universe. Forget seeing the galaxy. I was apparently already in another one. The Milky Way was long behind me. After what I’d already seen, that was quite believable.
“Are you coming?” one of the women who’d followed behind me asked, appearing at my side. Her voice was warm and kind, unlike the first spokeswoman I’d dealt with.
“Yeah. Sorry. I was just lost in thought.”
“It happens. May I help you with your bag?”
I shook my head and walked beside her to the building. Once we passed the columns lining the outside of the first floor, the light from the ground lamps almost completely evaporated into thin air. It was so dark, I had to take a moment to let my eyes adjust to the lack of light.
“What is wrong?” the same woman asked, remaining at my side while the others disappeared around a corner ahead of us.
“I don’t see as well as you do, so I have to let my eyes adjust to the lack of light. Okay, I’m ready.”
She led me through the building, around more columns, and up flights of stairs until she finally led me through a set of heavy looking wooden doors. A few red glowing pendant lights hung from the ceiling, allowing me to see the room around me, just not with color. Potted tropical plants sat along every wall except the one to my right which was an open balcony overlooking the forest. If that was the view Kilani had mentioned, I already liked it.
“This will be where you stay until the Courtship,” the first, stern woman announced. She pointed to a doorway across the room. “That is your quarters. Do you know how to change it to your desired location?”
“Is it the same as on the ship?”
“Yes.”
I gave her a sharp nod. “Then yes, I do.”
“Good. Then we shall leave you if you have no requests?”
Biting my lip, I let my bag fall to the floor and faced her. “I eat more than you do. Where do I get my food?”
“It will be brought when you are in need.”
“Oh, that’s good. Thanks.”
The four women gave slight bows and filed from the room, and none of them bothered to close the doors. Did they stay open? I couldn’t imagine that they did, but what did I know? Obviously nothing as I stepped forward and found that they weren’t doors at all, but large panels, likely for decoration. Wanting to shake myself, I remembered Maltak’s confusion over a door handle. A large door like that would have some sort of handle to open it.
Bag slung over my shoulder, I carried it and Spock into my new quarters. It was not what I expected. Well, the bed covered in furs was as expected, but the plain brick walls weren’t anything like what I’d thought I’d walk into. I was thinking more along the lines of silver metal walls. Why? No idea, but I’d been caught off guard. The rectangular black panel was where I’d expected, to the side of the doorway, so I pressed it and wasn’t surprised when my room on Earth reappeared. I’d likely never choose another place to be if I had the choice.
Throwing the bag on the floor, I rifled through my pajama drawer, found what I wanted and changed. It wasn’t a few minutes more before I refused to do anything else but sink into the pile of blankets and let them swallow me. The lack of Kilani’s woodland scent was immediately noticeable. Even after months aboard his ship, the scent had lingered, and its absence now was a blatant reminder of the shift my life had taken. Hopefully I’d be attacked less in this new world.
With no windows to the outside available in my room and the door closed, I had no idea what time it was when I woke up. That wasn’t new. I never knew how long I’d slept, but there had always been a watchman outside my door to tell me. Here, there wasn’t anyone to play that part. Instead, I’d have to assume I’d slept all night and that it was time to clean up for the day. Then again, with the time differences, perhaps the longer night wasn’t yet over.
This proved to be true when I stepped out into the common area and found it still dark, except for the faint glow of the pendants. Too awake to go back to sleep, I sat down on one of the couch-looking pieces of furniture and studied what little I could see of the massive common area. Furniture and tables were scattered throughout. This would be where the Courtship would take place.
The longer I sat there, the more I wondered where everyone was at. If they slept less than I did, someone had to be awake somewhere, and my stomach insisted that it was growing hungrier by the second. If I’d been more than half asleep last night, I would’ve inquired about exactly when someone would be sending breakfast. If it hadn’t been brought by
sunrise, I’d go in search of food.
Shuffling and giggling in the hallway caught my attention. Two women entered the room, their heads close together, large grins on their faces. When they caught sight of me, they sobered, but didn’t break apart.
“Well, this is the place, Kitta” the woman on the left stated, and I recognized her and her voice as the nice woman who’d dropped me off here.
“Thanks, Rea,” Kitta sighed. “I guess now I have to wait here too.”
“But it won’t be for long,” Rea stated, taking me in as well, and anticipation built in my chest. She had news. “The council has announced that since we have two Level Eight Mates that we shouldn’t postpone to your Courtship to match the regular monthly one. All level eight males were notified when Kilani sent his message to the council that he’d found a Level Eight Mate and was bringing her in.”
“So when is it?” I asked, straining at the figurative bit to keep from snapping with the frustration from having to wait any longer. It was like waiting for the sentencing portion of a trial.
“Tomorrow at midday.”
My heart skipped a beat. Tomorrow. I’d be meeting all of my possible choices for a future husband...tomorrow. But, that also meant I’d be able to see Kilani tomorrow. The thought of that relaxed my muscles that had tensed in a heartbeat.
The new girl squealed. “Oh my gosh! Do you know who all is going to be there? Are all the captains going to be here?”
Both girls flinched, and I couldn’t read the look that passed between them as Kitta tried to keep her smile in place. They knew something I didn’t, but neither wanted to speak about it.
Rea spoke before I could ask about it. “Yes, they’re all on planet and ready for the Courtship. I should be going now. I have other assignments to accomplish this morning.” She waved to her friend and started toward the door before my voice stopped her.
“Umm, wait. What about breakfast?”
Eyes narrowing in the dim light, Rea studied me. “When did you eat last?”
“That’s the thing. Let’s skip the small talk and just understand that I’m not Lutharian. I’m human. We eat multiple times a day. Big meals at morning, noon, and evening, and smaller snacks in between.”
Both girls’ eyes widened and mouths popped open. Obviously, the word hadn’t traveled quite far enough about my differences. Rea pulled herself together first, clearing her throat.
“I see. Well, I’ll make sure food is sent up to you right away and that more will be sent up in a few hours.”
“Thanks.”
Rea nodded and left, leaving me with my new roomie, who was still staring. After a few long moments of staring back, Kitta finally pulled herself together, and I was sure she blushed under all that fur. She took the next little while to survey the room, her quarters, and the view from the balcony, which was still too dark for me to appreciate. When she returned, Kitta sat on the other end of the couch-like furniture, her legs almost bumping against mine. Obviously personal space wasn’t a thing around here, even with the no touching rule.
“So, are you ready for the Courtship tomorrow?” she asked, reminding my stomach of what lay ahead so it could once again start twisting in on itself.
I shrugged, trying to keep it cool and not give away my anxiety. “As ready as I’ll ever be. So...do you know any of the men who are going to show up?”
She nodded. “Almost half. Most of them are pretty nice, but some can be a bit prideful at times.”
“Like Hilgal,” I grumbled, rubbing my arms where the bruises had disappeared, the memory of them lingering.
Kitta’s face lit up and her grin widened. “Yes, he can be proud, but he’s gorgeous.”
“He’s also an abusive jerk. If he shows up, I’m going to beat him like he beat me.” My voice cracked, and I forced my mind to stop comparing the man to my father. Yes, they were similar in their treatment of me, but thinking of Hilgal the same way only made my sense of safety crack.
Her mouth popped open again, Kitta stared wide-eyed at me with the most horror-stricken expression I’d ever seen. “It was you that he beat on? I thought it was only rumor spreading around. No one believes it could be true.”
“Well, it is.”
“It had to be a mistake-.”
An almost inhuman growl escaped me as my glare hardened, and if I’d had hackles, they would’ve been raised. Seething, I spoke slowly to keep myself under what little control I had left. “Don’t you dare defend him. Don’t you dare tell me that there’s any reason in this world or any other why anyone should be allowed to beat someone up because they accidentally bumped into you. I understand your culture is different than mine, but there is never a reason to harm someone for that. And if you think you’re safe from him because you’re a woman and wife, think again. I saw the murderous gleam in his eyes. He’s one bump away from losing control of that temper. I’ve seen it before, and I’ll never choose anyone like that.”
Kitta only stared at me, shocked by my reaction no doubt. Her legs trembled against mine, so I tried to calm myself by closing my eyes and taking long, deep breaths. It wasn’t her fault that she had a crush on a monster. He probably had everyone fooled, but I’d seen the beast underneath the fur, and it wanted to be set loose. All it needed was a reason.
“I’m sorry I went all raging on you,” I murmured when I had myself under control again and could open my eyes. “It’s just, I know what living with someone like him is like and I don’t want that for anyone else. Choose anyone but him.”
She nodded, rubbing her thumbs over the material of the robe she clutched in her hands. “I will. Thank you. You should know, I did hear that Hilgal isn’t allowed to go to your Courtship.”
“That’s a relief. Wait...my Courtship. They aren’t together?”
“Well, they are and they aren’t.”
“Can you please explain to me what happens in a Courtship? No one has taken the time to actually give me the details.”
She grinned. “Of course. In the beginning, the men will be led in so we can see them all at once. Once they’re in our common room,” she waved her hands to take in the room we sat in, “we’ll enter together. You see, this room will look quite different during the Courtship. Anyway, we’ll enter, then the men will be introduced, and then they’ll leave to wait outside the common room. This room will be divided, and we’ll each have an area where the men can come in one at a time and speak with us so it’s private. The Courtship Council will be divided between us-.”
“Courtship Council?” I asked, interrupting her. It didn’t appear to bother her as she went straight into that explanation.
“Yes. Their job is to make sure that the Courtship runs smoothly and that any problems are resolved, and if you like someone, they’ll note it so you can speak with them again.”
“They’ll be watching us awkwardly meet a bunch of strangers?”
“Yes.”
I brought my knees up to my chest and let my head fall forward to rest on them and groaned. “This just keeps getting better and better.”
“It isn’t that bad, or so I’ve been told.” Kitta sounded too optimistic about this. “Anyway, you can ask the male to leave at any time before his time is up.”
“So, we’re basically speed dating. That’s not helpful either.”
“I don’t know what speed dating is.”
“Never mind.” That was becoming a common theme in my life. “So if I like someone I meet, I let the council people know and I’ll get another chance at speaking to them?”
“Yes, but not right away.” When I looked up at her when she stopped talking, Kitta sighed. “You really don’t know anything about this, do you?”
“Not a thing.”
“Once the first round is over, they’ll bring all the men back in and make sure that all have had a chance to meet us both. If anyone has been missed, they’ll have their turn. If not, the council will read off the names of those who can stay and the others will leave. Then the
process begins again. The only difference is that this time there will be no time limit. However,” she held up a finger as a huge, goofy grin lifted her lips, “if you decide you want one of them as a Mate during the first round, you can tell the council members and you will have the opportunity to claim him when everyone returns.”
Because publicly claiming a man amongst his losing peers wasn’t awkward either. “And if we choose not to claim any of them?”
Kitta stiffened. “They’re all you have to choose from. You have to choose one of them.”
“That seems a bit harsh.”
She shrugged. “It’s not so bad. Like I said, most are nice, and good looking.”
An image of Kilani sprang to my mind and an ache started in my chest. How could I miss him so much? I’d gotten over the fact that he hadn’t taken me home and that he’d been tricked as much as I had in abducting me in the first place. He was no longer the enemy, and he cared, but when had he weaseled himself into my thoughts and emotions in such an intense way? Of course, he’d had months to do it.
And I still had no idea what had happened to him last night.
I bit my lip before releasing my breath and looked to Kitta. “You said you knew what Hilgal’s punishment was for beating me up.” She nodded, so I continued. “Do you know how Kilani fared when meeting with the council?”
Kitta’s eyes widened again and not in a good way. “You mean they didn’t tell you? Mom said they were going to send someone to tell you.”
“Tell me what? And how would your mom know?” A pit opened in my stomach.
“She’s on the council, and...Kilani is my brother.”
“What don’t I know?” I asked the second her words sunk into my brain. She was Ki’s sister. Her panic and odd behavior meant something was wrong, and it was killing me not knowing.
Kitta cleared her throat, appearing all kinds of awkward as she fidgeted, gripping her robes tighter. “I really shouldn’t be the one to tell you this.”
“You brought it up. Don’t stop now.”
