Page 56 of Bought and Shared
Understandably, the women are concerned they might be targets for harassment as well. Some even say that they’ve already experienced the human males’ rudeness, though none reported anything as egregious as what happened to me. I make a mental note to share this information with Oren and Knox as soon as I see them next. If I can, I mean to ensure my new friends’ safety, even if it further angers those who mean to compromise it.
After breakfast, I head to the base library to pick up some books about Voltan and human relationships. I’m curious about a few things, including the term “mate” that Oren never got around to explaining, as we were busy with other matters the night Knox came home.
When we get to the library, I speak to the human manning the front desk about what I’m looking for. He gives me a surprisedlook before directing me toward the correct section. The number of books on this subject is understandably limited, as the topic has yet to be fully explored. On the flip side, all the reference material is up-to-date and relevant to my situation.
Too eager to wait, I go to the index of one shiny covered text titled, “The Voltanese Warrior Explained”, and quickly find the word “mate” in bold black lettering. Locating that page, I hastily flip to it to find what I’m looking for.
By the time I’m done reading, I lean back in my chair stunned. This term did not mean what I thought it did. In fact, it’s far more complicated than I could have ever imagined.
Now that I’m empowered with my new education, I’m reeling. A mate is far more than anything I could have imagined. The final sentences of the chapter drive that point home. It states, “A mate, in short, is forever connected to the other. For all intents and purposes, the connection extends for an eternity through all the lives involved in that link.”
Deciding I need more information, I head back to the stacks for whatever other titles I can find. Rollins, standing at attention near my table, gives me my privacy as I peruse the library’s offerings.
Distracted by everything that I’ve read, I don’t notice that I’m no longer alone until a hand reaches out and grasps my shoulder from behind. Spinning in place, I see a face I never expected to find here at Fort Kent in a million years. It’s Micah, my former fiancé. And he looks angry.
CHAPTER 17
Aurora
“Micah!” I gasp, my eyes rounding with shock.
Grabbing my hand, Micah drags me further into the stacks so that we have a modicum of privacy. “Quiet! You don’t want that big oaf following you around to hear us!”
Big oaf? He must be referring to Rollins. Peeking through the books, I see the Voltan soldier is still dutifully at his post.
“Micah, how long have you been here?” And, I wonder with a bit more concern, how long has he been following me?
My former fiancé shrugs. “A while. It hasn’t been easy to get you alone without that freak shadowing your every move like an oversized rottweiler.”
“You shouldn’t be here,” I tell him, speaking more to myself than him.
Chuckling without mirth, Micah’s chin rises several arrogant notches. “Why not?”
“Because you have no business here, Micah. If the Voltan find out what you’re doing on base, they’ll be very angry.”
“They aren’t going to find out,” the audacious man says. “I’ve got connections on base that don’t report to the invaders.”
That statement causes a cold shiver to course down my back. Who is he talking about? Are they human or Voltan informants?
My mouth goes dry as I whisper, “What kind of connections?”
“We don’t have time for all that now,” Micah says dismissively, his face flushed and excited looking. “There are other things we have to discuss today. More pressing matters that must be attended to.”
I’m still shocked that he’s here. The man barely ever visited me when we were engaged, now it seems I can’t shake him no matter how far away I get.
Trying to make sense of a crazy situation, I take a step back and take a steadying breath. “What are you talking about?”
Micah snorts. “Isn’t it obvious? I’ve come to take you home where you belong, Aurora.”
I frown with annoyance at his inability to accept my earlier answer. I don’t want to marry him, or anyone else for that matter. I just want to be left alone.
Willing patience, I count to ten in my head so I can calm down some before I speak. “The last time we spoke, Micah, I told you I was happy with my life. I don’t want to go back to the compound. I still feel the same way. That’s not how I want to live anymore. I’m never going back. Not today or in ten years or ever.”
Taking a step closer, Micah’s plain face wrinkles with confusion. “You’d rather live as a whore to these men than as my wife? How can you reject me for such a disgraceful alternative?”
His rage is a palpable thing. It feels like a slap in the face, only more threatening. “This isn’t about you, Micah. Can’t you understand that I’m focused on myself and what I want for the first time in my life?”
Though I’m whispering, my voice is rising in sharpness. I’m tired of being questioned about my choices. I’m tired of considering everyone else’s feelings more than my own. I’ve only just become a woman. I’m not ready to be a wife and a mother, and most certainly not to this contemptible man. I’m ready to explore this world on my own terms, in my own way.
