Page 36 of Fated to the Alien Protector

“You continue to make me proud,keeshla.”

“What does that word mean exactly?” I’ve heard it said by other warriors since our arrival in the Tavikhi village, but I haven’t paid much attention to its context.

“It means fated mate. The female we have been blessed by Deeka to spend eternity and beyond with.” The way Rojtar says it feels as though it’s the best thing that could ever happen. I suppose to the Tavikhi, it is.

Instead of instantly refuting the idea I’m his mate, I take a moment to absorb it. To see how it makes me feel. There’s a part of me that wants to deny him. But it’s not as big as the part that wants to believe he’s everything he’s shown me he is to be. That Icantrust him. Rely on him. That he’s going to always be there no matter how hard life gets. He won’t turn his back on me.

More than anything, I want to believe it. I suddenly realize how exhausting it is to keep him at arm’s length. Do I dare entrust myself to him?

“What are you thinking, right now?” Rojtar caresses my cheek. “I have not seen you this intense since we first met.”

I glance around, only to find Kala and Sorin—along with their kills—gone. Despite the privacy we now have, this is a conversation that should happen in the village and not out in the open like this. I rise up and kiss him.

“Let’s go home and we’ll talk.” This is the first I’ve referred to the Tavikhi village as such.

The familiar light flares brightly from Rojtar’s eyes before it quickly disappears. “Let us go home then.”

This time, I let him assist with draping the dreri across my shoulders. We return to where he left the other two, and I wait while he hoists them both over his own shoulders. Then we set off. There’s a buzz of expectation as well as excitement that settles between us on the trek to the village. Our pace is faster than it had been when we left in spite of the weight we both carry.

Conversation is minimal. Almost like we’re saving it all up. In what feels like record time, we reach the long field that stretches out in all directions. My energy and strength are flagging, but I push through.

“We are almost there,keeshla.”

I love the easy encouragement Rojtar offers. It’s constant and steady, as though he already knows I can do it, but can tell I don’t have the same faith in myself as he does. It’s a bit disconcerting that he has discerned so much about me like he can see right to the core of who I am. He may even know more about me than I know about myself. The only thing I know about him is that he’s an orphan as well.It’s a correction I need to make when we talk.

Finally, we reach the village entrance. It’s still a bit early for other hunters to return or for the evening meal so there aren’t many people visible on our way to the tanning tent. On our way past the central fire, London sits on a bench while the children, including Carter, form a semi-circle on the ground in front of her. To my shock, it looks like they’re having some kind of lesson. I’ve been here for over a week. How did I not know they had something resembling school?Maybe because you’ve kept yourself so separate from everyone.

My face grows hot. I really have isolated myself completely, except from Carter. I make a vow to do better. Thankfully our destination comes into view. Rojtar deposits his two dreri just inside the tent and turns to help me with mine. Now that things have shifted between us to whatever it currently is, I’m trying to change. To open myself up more. It’s not going to be easy.

“Thank you.” The more I say the words, hopefully the easier they’ll come.

“You are most welcome.”

“Do you mind if I get cleaned up first? Maybe we can meet down by the river in a little bit?” I might be using that excuse as a minor postponement tactic to put off talking for just a bit longer. Just to give myself a little time to avoid becoming vulnerable.

“Of course. I will do the same.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon then.”A slightly giddiness fills me that we’re both going to come to each other trying to look our best.

It reminds me of a first date back on Earth. I suppose if I were to count the walk we took or the two times we’ve eaten together already, this wouldn’t be our first one. Except that this one feels much more intentional. Not wanting to get held up any longer than necessary, I avoid the central fire where Carter is. Instead, I hurry to our tent, wash really quickly, and change into a clean pair of jeans and the nicest shirt I own.

It’s a castaway I found after the attack that killed my dad. The dark green fabric goes well with my hair and I love the way it fits. I feel like I should have been living in the upper tier when I have it on. Hopefully it doesn’t belong to any of the women who live here now, because that would be extremely awkward.

After a quick brush of my teeth, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I’m glad Carter’s still occupied. I exit the tent and make my way to the river. Rojtar is already there and once again he has a large fur spread out on the ground. At my approach, he turns and glances over his shoulder. His smile is large and I can’t help but return it. Butterflies flutter inside my belly and a throbbing starts up below it.

The way the sun shines down on him makes his hair look like burnished gold. His mating marks have turned to nearly black from the bright purple they started out as when I first touched him. It feels like a lifetime ago and yet it’s only been three days. Things have changed so fast.I’vechanged. I know I’m still holding a lot of myself back—nearly all of myself, in fact. Rojtar makes me want to be a different person entirely, but I’m not sure I have it in me.

I arrive at the blanket where he sits, and he pats the empty space next to him. “Come and rest,keeshla.”

Once seated, I pull my knees into my chest and rest my chin on top of them to stare outover the river and enjoy the peaceful stillness. The suffocation I always felt living in the bottom tier has slowly been melting away over the last ten days. It still plagued me even while in the human settlement. I think it was being surrounded by four walls where, here, in the village there are no barriers where we sit. It’s wide open with nature being the only thing in the way.

“My mother died when I was fourteen.” It’s been years since I’ve talked about her. “After that, my dad was never the same.”

“Do mates on Earth not join each other in the afterlife?” Rojtar asks.

“I mean, I suppose some do, but it’s usually many years later before it happens. Is that not how it works here?”

“The bond between mates is unbreakable. Even in death. When two Tavikhi are fated, their soul lights sear together to form a single unit,” Rojtar explains. “When one dies and their soul light is extinguished, the other’s soul light is as well, although it can often take a single turn and sometimes two. But both are snuffed out and together, they join the ancestors in the lands of Deeka.”

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