Page 9 of His to Protect
Chapter 5
Ka'el
The female seems upset. I wonder if I have given her enough pleasure. I help her put on the robe and seeing her naked body, her perfectly smooth skin gives me a heightened urge to mate her again. I have to refrain myself, but it's so difficult. She thinks I have been with many females before her, but she is my first real mate. I have enjoyed carnal pleasures before, but not with a mate. That’s something else, more profound. On Valkrya we choose a mate for life.
"Thank you," she says to me and kisses my cheek. She’s nothing like Valkryan females and yet I'm so attracted to her. She fans her hair over her shoulders and adjusts her robe. It doesn't compliment her figure, but it was all I could find here. I think she would look stunning in a Valkryan dress, one fitted around her body.
"My mate. You're mine and I couldn't be happier." I'm worried about it though. I don't know how the Council will accept her as my mate. And there's Sheerva, the queen and sole ruler of Valkrya who would never allow it even if the other members would agree. It upsets me to think about it, but she's mine and I won't allow anyone to break us up. I will fight them to the death and protect my female from all who dare to harm her.
"Here you go again with the MATE thing. I'm not your mate, maybe your girlfriend or… let's just call it friends with benefits." She winks at me and gives me an enormous smile and a hug. I'm confused. She says she's not my mate, but she mated with me. Does she not want me as her mate?
My kahuni healed her frostbites, but she looks pale and weak. I must bring her something to eat to regain her strength. She told me she was starving, but my urge to mate her was so strong that I completely forgot. We got carried away with the mating and lost track of time. She has not complained about being hungry since. I look at her, wondering what she is thinking about. She appears upset.
“Have I upset you with anything, Jessica?” I go near her and lay my hand on her shoulder. She looks out the window at the emptiness of the terrain. She appears absent and troubled. I notice a tear running down her cheek and I wipe it with my finger. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sad and angry… I shouldn’t… You shouldn’t have saved me. Emma is all alone. God knows what happened to her!” She lowers her head and crosses her arms. “Ka’el, we need to go back. I need to find her. I can’t leave her. I promised I would take care of her.”
“Do not worry about that now!” I know she suffers for her friend, the other female, Emma. I couldn’t save them both. They probably took her to the Council and the Queen. I only hope she’s still alive. Jessica cares about her and it would break her heart to find out they killed Emma. I fear she may have been examined in the lab or worse… killed. Jessica wants to go back and I have to support her decision. “You need some food to get your strength back.”
“I could use some. What do you guys eat around here?”
“In Hellion we have food synthesizers, devices able to replicate any food entered in its databases. We mainly eat Lordolian food. Lordolia is a neighboring planet and their food is divine. Unfortunately, there’s no such device here.” She seems disappointed, and it’s obvious that her hunger is getting to her health. I need to find something. I cannot go back to Hellion. Yes… I know. I’ll have to hunt a kashka, a large four-legged animal. They’re vicious creatures, but I’m smarter. I haven’t eaten their meat since I was a child, but I remember the sweetness of it. I’ll make a fire somewhere and we can cook it.
“Food synthesizer? I could use one at home. That would save me hours’ worth cooking.”
“Wait here. I’ll go get some food.”
“Don’t leave me here by myself,” she says. Jessica approaches me and takes my hand in her palms. “Ka’el, I’m scared.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry. You need food to survive. Just stay inside this room and do not go anywhere. You’ll be safe in here.” I assure her everything will be all right. I cannot take her with me. She might get attacked by the creature and I couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to her.
“Do not exit the chamber, Jessica!” I head toward the exit and press a button on the left side. The doors slide open and I move along the unlit corridors. They abandoned this place a long time ago, but the technology still works. I reach the main entrance and go outside, heading for my spacecraft. I can’t waste any moment to get back to my female, but a loud sigh escapes my mouth. The creature I want to hunt is very hard to find. Valkrya is an almost bare planet, its life forms being on the verge of extinction for many years. If it hadn’t been for our kahuni, I don’t think my race would have made it. I instruct the autopilot to take off and head south-east. I activate the scanning device and watch the holographic screen for any signs of movement.
I fly without a specific route. I wander over the dry land beneath, hoping to find anything that would make a satisfying meal for my mate. She hasn’t eaten in a while and it’s starting to get to her. She cannot survive much longer. I wish I could find a food synthesizer but this is new technology and we can’t find it in the old city.
My breath quickens and my muscle tense as I continue to wander over the surface of the planet with minor success. It’s disheartening.
“Movement detected,” the computer says in a high pitch voice.
I prepare the craft for landing. I clench my fists and breathe in and out. “I have to find this bloody creature!” The aircraft lands safely on the surface and I get off looking everywhere for any sign of the beast. I can even smell it. I know it’s near and I know it can sense me too. They’re smart creatures, but I’m smarter. I move slowly, paying attention to any sound or movement. Jessica needs something to eat, and I’d risk anything for her. I need to protect her. I need to take care of her. She’s my mate now, and she has to get her strength back. It would be so much easier if the Council accepted her as my mate, but that would never happen. The cowards are too afraid to stand up to the Queen.
A loud growl makes its way to my ears. The creature is behind me, ready to charge. It grits its teeth and scratches its claws on the ground before going forward in a forceful attack stance. I draw my weapon and point it to the head of the beast. It only takes a sec to pull the trigger, and the beast drops dead to the ground, its black blood splashing on my face. Now I must cut the carcass open and cut out its two hearts. The heart tastes best, its meat tender and sweet. I hope Jessica likes it.
