Page 36 of Kameer's Mate
“Come, my sweet mate. Let’s return to the dining room. I would like to get to know your mother and sister better.”
Chapter 18
MANDY
After we finish eating,I’m greatly relieved when Kameer announces he must attend to some duties on theJansonna. I walk him to the door and bid him goodbye while trying not to appear too happy he’s leaving. Once he’s gone, I rush back to the dining room to find Mom and Tasha clearing the table.
“Guys, please, you don’t have to do that. Really. Put it down. I’ll clean up later.” I motion for them to follow me. “Let’s go to the living room and talk. I hope you can both stay awhile.”
“Sounds good to me, sweetheart,” Mom says as she sets a stack of plates down. “And yes, we can stay for a while. I cleared my schedule today of all appointments, and Tasha got the entire day off work.”
“Perfect.” Though I’m still worried about my father and a thousand other things, including whether I should try to escape Kameer (if that’s even possible), and whether I should tell him about the message on the info screen, my heart feels lighter as we take our seats on the plush chairs in the living room.
“All right, sis,” Tasha says, wasting no time. “Spill the beans. When did you first meet Chief Kameer and what exactly happened? He told Dad he met you during the brief uprising on Selection Day. Is that true? Is that why you acted like a weirdo when we ran into him on Deck Fifteen later that day?”
I give a slight nod. “Yes, it’s true that I met Chief Kameer during the uprising on Selection Day. He was walking by the salon when he saw me. He came inside to ask if I needed assistance.” I don’t admit that he grabbed me, smelled me, pressed his hardness against me, and announced then and there that I would become his mate.
Tasha puts a hand on her chest. “Oh, that sounds romantic.”
I stare at my sister as though she’s lost her mind. “Romantic? You do realize Chief Kameer paid Captain Warren a bribe for me, don’t you?”
“Yes, I was eavesdropping when he admitted this interesting fact to Dad,” Tasha says, “but I also overheard Kameer promise to always protect you and take care of you and anyoffspringyou might have. He also promised to bring you to the human continent on 58-Z for visits, which is why I’m not sobbing my heart out right now.”
I groan and cast a pleading look at Mom. She at least doesn’t appear as entertained as Tasha. In fact, she’s displaying a rather deep frown that makes her appear much older than her fifty-two years. “Sweetheart, please tell us the truth. Has Chief Kameer mistreated you? Has he hurt you?”
I hesitate to answer. Kameer bosses me around and he’s spanked me twice, but he hasn’t truly hurt me or frightened me. Not yet. Will he ever do so? I think about the strap he acquired, which he plans to use on me forserious instances of misbehavior. But I can’t let Mom fret, so I say, “He can be controlling at times, but he hasn’t mistreated me. Please don’t worry.”
Mom gives me a dubious look. “You’ve been mated for two weeks now, and he hasn’t allowed you to leave his quarters. He’s holding you prisoner.”
“That’s because they don’t share a heartbond yet, Mom,” Tasha says. “Remember those markings Leona has on her arms? The markings signify that she shares a heartbond with Doctor Zahhn, and it’s my understanding that this heartbond prevents unmated Darrvason males from trying to claim her. I’ve heard rumors that Darrvason males sometimes challenge each other for mates, and they have fights to the death, but this challenge won’t occur if a heartbond is in place.”
I glance at my sister. “Mandy’s right. Chief Kameer doesn’t want me to encounter any unmated Darrvason males in the corridors.” I swallow hard. Strangely enough, the heartbond I’ve been trying to prevent would grant me more freedoms that I have at present. Am I doing myself a disservice by constantly fighting it?
Thankfully, Mom doesn’t press the issue further. I’m quick to ask about the salon and Tasha’s job, and for a few minutes we converse about safer topics, though our apprehension regarding Dad hovers in the background, the reason none of us can hold a smile for more than half a second.
After a long silence, I decide to reassure them. If anyone can get Dad out of this quandary, it’s Kameer.
“Guys, please don’t worry about Dad. I’m certain Chief Kameer can work some magic with Captain Warren. When we were in the kitchen earlier, he promised to make sure Dad isn’t mistreated, and he also promised to make sure Dad was freed by the time we reach 58-Z. That’s less than two weeks from now. I trust Chief Kameer to keep his word.” It’s true. Kameer might be many things but he's not a liar. Not being able to keep a promise would be an affront to his pride, and I believe he’ll do whatever it takes to see my father released from the brig.
“Worst case scenario, he’ll have to do a few years of hard labor on 58-Z,” Tasha says, “but it’s a comfort to know Chief Kameer thinks he can get him released earlier. I hope it works out.”
We chat for a few more hours over numerous cups of tea and replicated pastries. They catch me up to speed with the latest gossip on the worldship, and Tasha and I also pull up the list of two thousand women to see which of our friends were selected.
Nearly every woman in the nineteen to twenty-five age bracket was chosen, and though I expected this would happen, it’s still shocking. Pretty much all our friends will be living on the Darrvason continent of 58-Z.
“Sometimes I regret that I wasn’t selected,” Tasha says, and I’m shocked to my core by her confession, especially considering the scandalous arrangement she made with Frederick to keep herself off the list. “Don’t get me wrong; I want to live on the human continent with Mom and Dad, but I don’t want to say goodbye to all my friends. I don’t want to say goodbye to my sister either.”
Mom gives her a sympathetic look. “I’m sure you’ll marry a nice human man soon and start a family, so you’ll be busy with that. Before his incarceration, your father was already looking for the next prospect, darling, and I’m pleased to inform you that all the candidates are closer to your age this time.”
Tasha’s expression darkens, and my heart goes out to her. I know her well enough to know what she’s thinking. She’s wondering when the hell she’ll get to make her own decisions. She’s also wondering if she could get away with refusing to marry. I don’t blame her. If I were in her position, I would be entertaining the very same thoughts.
“Maybe Tasha won’t have to marry,” I say. “At least not so soon, and not unless she wants to. I realize Dad probably has alliances with specific families in mind, but as you know,Chief Kameer is a wealthy male, and he’s offered to help. I’d planned to speak with you both about this after we knew more about Dad’s situation, but Chief Kameer offered to have a house built for you on the human continent, and he also mentioned transmitting galactic credits into Tasha’s account if Dad still won’t accept his money. So you see, Tasha won’t have to marry to ensure the family’s survival on a strange new planet.”
You will soon be free of Chief Kameer.
God, I hope I’m not giving them false hope. Maybe I should keep my mouth shut until I know whether my union with Kameer will last.
Mom and Tasha share a cautious look. I remain silent as I await their thoughts, praying they’ll view it as positive news.
