Page 77 of I Married Kayog
“What is it?”
“Arafin didn’t only assess you during your exams. The reason they enabled your circlet during the day was so that he and other Temern professionals could evaluate you in various circumstances. Your emotions during the battle simulations were of major interest. You reveled in the power you now wield, but never once showed malicious or psychopathic tendencies.”
The shock and wave of betrayal that surged within him struck me hard.
“They were spying on my emotions this whole time, and you knew?!” he exclaimed, outraged.
“Yes,” I replied calmly and slightly lifted my chin in defiance. “But it wasn’t in an official capacity. I suspected what was happening the moment you told me they blocked your empathic abilities during the day. A bit of investigating confirmed it.”
Although Kayog didn’t pull away from me, the way his body stiffened against mine and how his arm around me loosened seriously stung. Our empathic powers could be both a blessing and a curse.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
“Because there was no need to,” I said with conviction. “In fact, warning you would have played against you. The Enforcerswere testing your reactions. The giant screen in the room is a two-way mirror that allows others to observe your training and behavior. Arafin attended some of the simulations to confirm that you were indeed a protector. This is a standard procedure for anyone being considered for a high-ranking position.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me,” he insisted.
“Because you had to succeed on your own merit,” I said in a self-evident manner. “I already knew you would pass with flying colors. However, telling you might have tainted your reactions. Once you knew you were being observed, there was a high chance you might alter your normal reactions to meet what you believed they wanted to see. And they would also feel that you weren’t being your candid self. Now they got to see the true you, unrehearsed. And as expected, they loved you.”
He scrunched his face as he weighed my words, tension thankfully bleeding out of him.
“Fine,” he grumbled before giving me an uncertain look. “You really think I should do this?”
“Yes,” I replied with conviction and without hesitation. “You honestly excel at everything you do, and I have no doubt you will exceed all expectations here as well. More importantly, you get to live your dream of interacting with primitive species, help people find happiness, and above all do it under your own terms. What more could you wish for.”
This time, I felt him let go of his last bit of resistance. A part of me believed that most of his reluctance didn’t stem from his arguments about fearing not to get enough matches. Kayog was an overachiever who loved a challenge. There was a reason he had taken on canoe racing when possessing wings added an incredible level of extra difficulty. And still he managed to be among the top-ranking athletes in that discipline. He would rock his role as a matchmaker. It was fear of not living up to what hestupidly believed to be the right standard for being the partner of someone with my political ambitions.
For all his cockiness, my mate seriously lacked self-confidence at times. I would remind him every day just how perfect and amazing he was to me.
“So now you need to work on your plan for your dream matchmaking agency,” I mused aloud. “That means the rules to apply, the rules to follow once people have been paired, which resources the UPO must provide you to operate your business, from transportation, to housing, and marketing.”
“Ugh,” Kayog said, with a crestfallen expression. “That’s going to be a lot.”
I shrugged and gave him a taunting smile. “That’s fine. You have time. And you have me. I will happily review the rules you come up with and even help you brainstorm if you want.”
“That would be fantastic,” my mate said, beaming at me. “We’re really doing this?”
“We absolutely are,” I said with an excited grin.
Kayog snorted, and his eyes took on a faraway expression as he reminisced about something before refocusing on me.
“Mares will laugh his ass off when he hears this,” Kayog said.
I burst out laughing. “He most certainly will, and with good reason.”
Chapter 17
Kayog
The next two days turned into four weeks of intense work. My master’s degrees in xenobiology and primitive species helped tremendously while trying to define the rules of the agency. The number of edge cases and scenarios to account for was staggering. My mate even recruited her Nana Arika to assist me with some of the legal elements to take into consideration.
Despite all our interactions being limited to vidcalls, I truly liked Arika. I could see my mate in her, the efficient, no-nonsense female could be terrifying if needed but otherwise the sweetest, most loving and supportive person you could ever hope for.
After that first conversation with Colin, all movement restrictions that had been set on me were lifted. No area was off limits, I could freely come and go outside of the facility, and they no longer forced me to use the circlet, except on the few occasions where bruising became apparent. My mate had not exaggerated by saying he was taking a massive leap of faith inme. And that made me want to prove he’d been right to trust me even more.
Therefore, in between training and working on the project, I got to spend the most wonderful time with my Linsea. She gladly took me to all the places I dreamt about but never dared venture to as the result would have been catastrophic. The local fair undoubtedly proved to be one of my favorite places. Between the crazy rides, skill games, street entertainers, and the diverse crowd itself, I got to enjoy the most wondrous sensory overload without pain.
At times, I feared my mate would grow annoyed or feel neglected as I took in everything and everyone around me. I was like an addict gorging himself after an extended period of withdrawal. I would read the emotions of every person in my vicinity, bask in their collective thrill, or simply observe their behavior in a very busy public setting. My entire life, I’d been forced to move swiftly through such spaces to get to safety, never having the time or possibility to really appreciate the world around me and those who occupied it.
