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“Is there a problem?” Kol asked.

“No, not really. But we have a situation, and a question that only you and your mate can answer.”

“What’s happening?” Kol asked.

“A little more than an hour ago we received reports that every alarm on your property had been set off.”

“Every one of them?!” Kol asked.

“Yes. We quickly assembled a team…”

“Me included!” Buchanan called out.

“That’s Buchanan, and came to secure your home. When we got here, we quickly learned the reason for the alarms being set off.”

“What was the reason?” Kol asked. “Is the place okay? Why did all the alarms go off?”

Zhuxi turned his communicator around and aimed it at Va’roush.”

Va’roush snapped to attention, and slammed his arm across his chest. “General Kol Ra’ Don Tol.”

Kol grinned. “Va’roush! You’ve been the subject of much speculation up here. You mated that female that shot you in the ass yet?”

“No, but he’s looking to take your house for her,” Buchanan said.

Kol’s brow creased as he leaned forward. “What’s going on?”

Zhuxi handed his communicator to Va’roush.

Va’roush accepted it, then walked a few steps away, but not so many that they couldn’t all hear clearly. “I set off all the alarms intentionally so that those monitoring would know it was more than just an errant creature walking by. I needed to speak with you regarding your house, and the only way to do that was to have whoever was monitoring your home arrive here with communicators.”

“Smart. What’s going on, Va’roush?”

“Mel has lost her home. Her land. And her beasts have no place to shelter. She has no place to shelter.”

“What happened?”

“She was unable to pay a loan she requested to make her store successful. The bank sold her property. She will not allow me to kill those at the bank. She said it was thousands of people and if one was killed another would simply begin the auction again. I assured her I did not care and would just keep killing them until they stopped coming, but she refused. I do not want her beasts to be taken from her. It would break her.”

Va’roush looked over his shoulder to see just how close the other males were, then lowered his voice and took another step away. “She cries!”

“She must be really upset.”

“She does not cry! She is strong! But she cries!”

“That’s a hard thing to see,” Kol said. “The thing is that the property, the house, all of it, is my Ehlealah’s property. It was in her family’s possession for hundreds of years before the government seized it after the last war. I bought it back for her, and though we do not plan to return to Earth to live, we may want to come visit from time to time. If you will allow us to comevisit, and you will keep the property in good repair, keeping it for the most part as she designed it, because it was designed to be as close to its appearance while her family was still there, I can ask if she’ll allow you to live there.”

Va’roush hesitated. He didn’t want to tell Mel he’d found land for her and then have to tell her to leave it again in a few years. “I do not want to have to search for more land in a short period.”

“I understand. Hold on. Let me go talk to Ada Jane. Just hold the line.” Kol said.

Va’roush walked back over to Zhuxi and handed him the communicator.

“You hold onto it, he’ll be back on the vidcom soon,” Zhuxi said.

Minutes passed while the males all just stood around looking at each other. Finally, Kol was back. “Va’roush?”

Va’roush lifted the com and looked into the camera. “I am here.”

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