Alan
“What the hell is wrong with me?” I’d spent the night unable to sleep, again. The vision of Kattlyn walking away haunted my memories and tormented my dreams. The look on her face when she kissed me and I pushed her away.
I pushed her away . . .
I threw the covers off and jumped out of bed. One hand ran through my hair in frustration before dragging down my face. The on-edge feeling only intensified.
I grabbed a standard black uniform from the floor and jerked it on. “I need something else to wear.” That only irritated me more. A good ole-fashioned pair of blue jeans would be great. Not that they had anything like that here. Even if they did, how could I buy it? I had no money, or credits, or whatever the hell they were called here, and no idea how to get a job.
Deciding on a long walk outside, I headed out. The castle was quiet, the halls empty.
Outside, one guard nodded as I passed by, his eyes trailing after me. I had no real plan, but the moon provided enough light for me to see well enough.
Sounds of the night animals calmed me a little as I strained to spot at least one. The air smelled fresh. Clean. I roamed aimlessly until I came upon the training fields.
Standing in the middle, I closed my eyes and took a slow deep breath and remembered everything Toran had taught me. From my time on the police department, I was already a good fighter, more than good, but Toran had honed my skills. Made them sharper, cleaner. My hand sliced through the air.
I practiced each move until the first rays of the sun streaked across the sky and a voice broke my concentration.
“You have some impressive moves for a Human.”
Surprised, I spun around and came face to face with an Azziarin. The fact that he said for a human rankled me slightly.
“Here.” The Azziarin handed me a sword and then pulled out his own.
“I have never used a sword before.” I turned it one way and then the other, examining the blade. But I had used a police baton during my yearly training. Except for its sharp blade, how different could it be?
We circled each other. The Azziarin swung his sword hard. I blocked.
“Nicely done, Human,” he said with an amused smirk.
It pissed me off. I took a deep breath and steadied my sword in front of my body.
We danced around each other, each dodging the other’s blade until my forehead beaded with sweat that then dripped from my nose. The Azziarin swung hard, knocking my sword to the ground. With the sharp tip pointed at my neck, he said, “You did better than most on their first try. I am Takkeo.” Then he lowered the point away from my neck.
“Alan.” I extended my hand but then quickly retracted it. Shaking hands was a human thing, and only for some.
“You are Krista’s brother. I heard you were here.”
“I am.” I smashed my lips into a grim line. Seemed everyone on the planet knew of me.
Now that the suns were up, others started trickling in one by one. My stomach rumbled loudly. Takkeo chuckled. “I am also hungry. Shall we?” He nodded toward the castle. “First meal is almost over, but there will be plenty left to eat.”
“That sounds good.”
As we headed inside, an image of Kattlyn flashed, and not that I would admit it out loud, but I secretly hoped to catch a glimpse of her.
“There you are.”
My eyes snapped to Krista.
“I’ve been worried about you,” she said.
I folded my arms and gave her the look. It was hard trying to find a balance without pissing her off, and I didn’t want to make her mad, but I also needed to gain some independence here. The last thing I needed was for her to watch after me like a little boy in need of guidance. I tried to lighten the gravity of my words and still get my point across. “I believe I’m old enough to come and go as I please.”
“I know”—she swatted my arm— “it’s just . . .”
Placing a hand on each of her shoulders, I lowered my head so we were looking straight at each other. “Krista, I’m fine. I promise. Don’t worry so much.”
Takkeo said, “We’ve been training.”
Her eyes flicked to him and back. She grimaced. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” I smiled so she knew I wasn’t upset. “But I am fine. Promise.”
“Okay.” Her lips pulled into a tight smile before she joined Kollin, who stood at the entrance of the dining room, waiting for her.
I slid into one chair while Takkeo rounded the table and took a seat directly across from me. “How are you adjusting?” he asked.
I started filling my plate with food. It seems like that would be the go-to question around here. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “It’s hard, that’s for sure.” And it was.
“When I was on Earth, I felt out of place.”
“You were on Earth?”
“I was. We were there to fight the Tureis. When I injured my leg, Sydney rescued me. We couldn’t understand each other.”
“Sydney. That’s Jakke’s mate, right?”
“Yes. She turned out to be his true mate. Imagine everyone’s surprise.”
“A true mate?” That got my attention. Here was my chance to get the information I desperately needed.
“No one understands how it is possible, but Humans can be true mates to Azziarins.” Takkeo shook his head in disbelief and then swallowed a bite of food. “When you find a true mate, it’s hard to be away from them until you’re mated.”
“Why? What happens?”
Takkeo shrugged. “I don’t really know. I know that the more dominant the male, the worse the symptoms. I think it can cause you to go mad.”
“Have you ever experienced this?”
Takkeo laughed. “Thankfully, no.”
“So, how do you mate someone? Sex?”
Takkeo almost choked from laughter before washing his food down with a sip of water. “Again, thankfully no. Everyone here would be mated if it only took sex.” He peeled his lips away from his teeth, exposing his fangs. “You bite them.”
Even though I had said I needed time, my heart sank at this news. How could Kattlyn expect me to mate her, or anyone for that matter? Did that mean I would end up alone, with no chance of ever finding someone to spend my life with?
I peeled back my lips and pointed at my teeth. Takkeo snarled his nose. “I can see where that might be a problem. Especially if you plan to live here.”
“There is a female who has told me that I am her true mate, but if what you say is true, I can’t really mate her.”
Takkeo’s eyes widened. “Who?”
I grinned, shook my head, and shoved a bite of food in my mouth. Never the one to talk with my buddies about personal situations or sexual endeavors, I wasn’t about to start now. We chitchatted a little more, and when I swallowed my last bite of food, I pushed up from the table. “Thanks for the training. And the talk. See you later, Takkeo.”
I headed out of the dining hall with a new determination. There was a deep ache in the center of my chest and I needed to find Kattlyn, see her, make sure she was all right. Not that I understood any of this crazy shit, but I couldn’t deny the way she was dominating every thought I had.
I searched inside the castle, outside on the grounds, and then headed back to the same spot in the forest. Nothing. Sighing aloud, I plopped down and stared at the sky.
A high-pitched chirping caught my attention. On a tree branch sat a winged animal with large round eyes and a yellow, furred body. It blinked down at me several times before it sailed away on wide wings. It was beautiful and exotic and I couldn’t look away. I watched until it flew out of sight.
I tried to spot another creature, or bird, but didn’t see any. It made me excited to explore some more. Maybe Kattlyn can go with me. I frowned. Where had that thought come from?
Not wanting to tarry any longer, I stood and headed back to the castle. The ache in my chest intensified with every passing minute. When I glanced up at the suns, I knew most would be heading for second meal, and with any luck, I’d find her there with the others.
The sound of talking and laughter drifted down the corridor. I fought hard not to rush, to hurry into the room and beg Kattlyn to talk to me. Forgive me for being an ass yesterday. As soon as I walked in, I saw the empty chair and my chest hurt even more until a soft voice spoke from behind.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
That sound, that beautiful sound, made my heart leap, and that constant, gnawing ache eased. Slowly I turned, wanting to savor the moment, and came face to face with Kattlyn. She looked even more beautiful than before, and for the first time that day, I felt more at home. A burden lifted from my shoulders when I admitted, “I’ve been looking for you, too.”
Her eyes widened. “You have?”
“Yes.” Her stomach growled and I glanced down to stifle a smile.
“Would you like to eat, and then maybe we can go somewhere and talk?”
“I would like that very much.”
I waved Kattlyn in first, and then followed her inside and took the seat beside Krista, across from Kattlyn. A smile here, a glance there. It felt like flirting in high school.
When we finished, I nodded toward the door, wanting to get out of there. I needed to talk to her, make things right. If nothing else, maybe explain why I did what I did.
A little nod of her head, and we both stood.
“Kattlyn.” King Mallik’s voice boomed behind us. We turned in unison. I didn’t like the way his eyes danced between us before spearing her with an intense, hard stare. “I need to see you in my office.”
The tone of his voice, the look in his eyes, I knew this wouldn’t end well. He obviously didn’t like his daughter hanging around with the human, which pissed me off. The females were good enough for his sons. I glanced around. Most of her brothers had an uneasy look about them. Not about to cower under their scrutiny, I threw my shoulders back and puffed out my chest. When push came to shove, I could hold my own.