Page 45 of Kameer's Mate
Guilt settles over me. I haven’t yet told her about the attempts on my life. I’d hoped the perpetrator would be captured during my time on theJansonna. I never expected the danger to follow me.
But it’s a relief to know we’ll be housed in the royal corridors of theHaxxal. There’s no safer place in the Darrvason fleet.
I burst into my Deck Twenty-One quarters to find Mandy standing near an info screen, a worried look on her face. She glances up and rushes to me.
“I just saw the notice that Deck Five has been evacuated. I-I was so worried.” She wraps her arms around me, and I think it’s perhaps the first time she’s initiated an embrace between us. I savor the intimacy of it as I run my hands up and down her back while my ancestral markings tingle. “I’m glad you’re unharmed,” she says in a tone that resonates with honesty. I also sense her relief through the bond.
“I am fine, pretty human. Please do not fret.”
“What happened?”
I withdraw slightly from the embrace to peer down at her, and I instantly become lost in the depths of her eyes. My mate. My female. I must keep her safe.
“Someone inserted a Tretonnlian virus inJansonna’ssystems, and someone, probably the same someone, planted small explosive devices in the environmental control panels on the lower decks. The device in the panel I just happened to be working on exploded.” I pause and draw in a long breath while she stares at me in shock. “Someone wants me dead. Today officially marks the fifth attempt on my life in as many moon cycles.”
“What?” She steps back but keeps a firm grip on my hand.
“I’m afraid it’s true, though I have no idea who the culprit might be. Officer Brute, a cousin of Admiral Tornn, is leading the investigation into the matter, but thus far there have been no leads. We all mistakenly believed I would be safer on theJansonnawhere my talents could also be put to use, but now that the threats have followed me, the admiral has ordered me to relocate to theHaxxalimmediately. You’re coming too.”
Her eyes go wider, and I sense her reluctance to leave the only home she’s ever known. “We’re leaving theJansonna?”
“Yes.” I guide her to the bedroom. “We must pack our belongings and meet the security team in the corridor.” I glance at an update on my wrist comm. “A Darrvason shuttle is awaiting our arrival in the docking bay.”
I retrieve two large bags from the closet. Mandy is strangely quiet as we pack. I’d expected her to argue and plead to remain on theJansonna, but she doesn’t.
I can’t be certain, but I think I detect occasional waves of guilt from her, but I’m unable to sense the reason for the emotion. Perhaps she feels guilty because we’re about to depart the worldship in a rush without saying goodbye to her family.
“We will be perfectly safe on theHaxxal,” I say, hoping to alleviate some of her worry. I pray I’m speaking the truth. “Admiral Tornn has ordered us to be housed in the royal corridors, and there’s no location in the fleet kept better guarded. We’ll be staying a few doors away from Emperor Radakk himself.”
She tosses her clothing and shoes into a bag, as well as a few other items, then turns to face me. “Is there a way to get a message to my mother and sister? If they show up for dinner in two nights only to find I’m gone, they’re going to worry. Especially with my father still in the brig.”
I consider the situation and wish we weren’t leaving in such haste. I wish I could allow her to bid farewell to her family, but I cannot risk her safety. “I will instruct a human security officer to let them know about our earlier-than-planned departure. I will also ask one of my comrades to install a video comm in your family’s quarters. That way you may speak with them whenever you like.” Not long after the first wave of human females were handed over to my people, video comms were installed inJansonna’srecreation rooms to facilitate communication between the worldship and the Darrvason ships, but I suspect all three females would prefer the privacy of personal video comms.
“Thank you.” She casts a slow look around the bedroom, and once again, I sense her reluctance to depart the worldship.
Her increasing anxiety reaches me through the bond, and though I’m not certain it will work, I endeavor to send her a comforting wave of warmth. To my relief, her worry fades somewhat, albeit gradually. A short time later, I sense her gratitude.
“Thank you, Kameer. Thank you for trying to help me feel better.” She tosses a few more items in her bag. “I-I’ve never set foot off theJansonnabefore, and I expected you’d be stationed on the worldship until we reached 58-Z. I thought I had about two weeks to mentally prepare myself to leave. Even though I’ve spent my whole life dreaming about leaving, I’m still a bit nervous.”
“You’ve never visited an outpost before?”
“No. Sometimes when theJansonnadocked at an outpost, a lottery was held to determine which citizens would get to visit. My name never got picked, though Tasha’s did. Considering that she got sick not long after she visited the Fressnn Outpost, it’s probably a good thing I was never chosen.”
We finish packing, and I arrange both bags in one hand and grasp Mandy’s hand in my other, wanting to keep her close. “TheHaxxalis a fine ship, pretty human. If the heartbond forms between us before we reach 58-Z, I will give you a tour.”Time to go, I tell her through the bond.Do not be afraid. I am with you.
Chapter 23
MANDY
I standin the living room of our new quarters, spellbound by the view. TheHaxxalis positioned closer to the other Darrvason ships than theJansonna, providing a more thrilling perspective. I have a front row seat to the numerous shuttles that are moving to and from the Darrvason ships, and I swear the hyperdrive bubble is more luminous from my current standpoint as well.
Stars streak by outside the shared hyperdrive bubble, and as I behold the sight, a sense of calmness starts to descend. I savor a few deep breaths, thankful my chest is no longer tight with worry.
I’m not on theJansonnaanymore.
My heart races. I can scarcely believe it. I always imagined when I first departed the worldship, it would be in the company of my family. It would be when we finally landed on a habitable planet after decades of searching for a new home for humankind.
Leaving theJansonnadidn’t quite work out the way I expected, but I’m starting to come to terms with the departure.I turn from the viewscreen and peer around the lavish quarters. It’s a hundred times more luxurious than the Founders’ quarters that my mate temporarily called home.
