Chapter Two

KEYNO INITIATED the subspace call, reaching out to the King of Tah’Nar. He prepared to ask for a favor for Gibor which would require interference in the upcoming harvest. The weight of the request hung heavily on his shoulders, and he took a deep breath, steeling himself for the conversation ahead.

He’d already been given permission from the king to take a mate from Earth. And from the way his interests lay, interference was going to happen in the last harvest too—he wanted Dale, even if he was under the age limit. This was an unprecedented act for any Tah’Narian.

Keyno ended the call after a brief conversation with his uncle. He was indeed part of the royal family, and his long white hair served as a clear indication of his connection to the crown. This unique feature was only possessed by his relatives.

Needing more information about the human called Dale, he sent a message to Gibor via comm asking for him to send a probe to where the two young men were presently. They would never see it, and it would do a quick health scan of both of the humans. Maybe, just maybe, there had been a mistake on Dale’s birth certificate, and he was actually older than he was.

Hopeful thinking on Keyno’s part most likely, but it would be the best solution for Tah’Nar. Interfering in the harvest was one thing, because honestly? What was the United States government going to do?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The Tah’Narians had been aware of the growing unrest in the States, where rumors were spreading that gay men were being unfairly targeted by the lottery system. This went against the notion of fairness that the government claimed to uphold.

However, as the Tah’Narians continued to monitor the United States government, it became apparent that their ideologies leaned heavily towards the right and were influenced by religious and conservative beliefs.

At least that’s how some of the population described it. Keyno did not understand the human’s obsession with sexual orientation. It was weird and disturbing, and it was completely incomprehensible to him. However, considering he belonged to a race comprised solely of males, his understanding was limited.

Well, he knew enough to understand it was the cause of much bias and racism aimed toward certain groups of people. But if Keyno took Dale, and Dale was truly under the age limit, it could be problematic. But Earth simply did not have the capability to stop the Tah’Narians, and the planet was already dreadfully overpopulated.

Regardless of how many mates they took, it wouldn’t make a dent in the populace, and the governments of the planet simply didn’t care.

They. Did. Not. Care.

After finishing his meal, Keyno tidied up and then retired to bed.

AS KEYNO ate first meal, his comm buzzed with an incoming message from Gibor. He quickly pushed his plate aside and read the message again with a growing sense of urgency.

Keyno’s appetite fled. “Leukemia? What in the name of the gods is leukemia?”

he asked his comm.

Within seconds a computerized voice responded. “Leukemia is cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system—”

Keyno sucked in a breath.

“Many types of leukemia exist. Some forms are more common in children. Other forms occur mostly in adults. Leukemia usually involves the white blood cells and—”

Keyno shut off the comm, his mind racing with worry, and immediately called Doc. Cancer. Dale had some sort of cancer. Humans were one of the few species who hadn’t managed to eradicate major diseases yet, despite all of their advances in medicine and technology.

Humans were still vulnerable to diseases that plagued their bodies. It was a harsh reminder that mortality was an ever-present threat for all beings, and this terrified Keyno. Did he need to take Dale now? How much jeopardy was he in?

“Captain? What can I do for you?”

Doc asked.

Chief Medical Officer Tanlor Kere was their medical doctor. Keyno quickly explained the situation, and why he was asking.

“I see. Send the data to me, please, and I’ll look at it. Let me assess it, and I’ll let you know what needs to be done.”

“Just tell me one thing. Can he die from this?”

“From cancer? Yes, my friend, he could, but the Earthlings do have some treatments for it. We can cure Dale, no problem. But Keyno? Are you sure this is something you want to do?”

“Yes. I’ve already talked to King Duran.”

“Okay, then. I’ll be in contact.”

Keyno leaned heavily on the small table, his elbows digging into its surface as he massaged his forehead. His tail whipped restlessly behind him, betraying his turmoil. After searching for so long for someone who stirred his desire, he’d found out they could be facing death.

And no matter what Doc said, Earthlings were years behind other races in medical research. He didn’t know why this one particular human spoke to him like he did, but Keyno was not going to lose him. The weight of this realization hung heavy in the air.

Keyno finished first meal, dressed in his uniform, and returned to the Bridge so he could relieve Gibor. On the way there, Doc sent another comm letting him know that in his opinion, there was a minimal risk in waiting one more year to harvest Dale.

But in order to cure Dale, they would have to double dose him, and Doc wasn’t sure what side effects that might cause since it had never been done before.

That was worrisome. The entire situation was worrisome, but Keyno didn’t want to walk away from Dale. So, he needed to decide if he wanted to take Dale now or wait a year.

Keyno didn’t like it, but it would be better to wait. If he took Dale on the last harvest, and certain governments decided to make an issue of it, they probably wouldn’t protest too much since it would be their last agreed upon collection.

The first thing he would do would have Gibor station a probe over Dale’s residence so that Keyno could monitor him. Once they were in orbit around Earth, he would alert the United States government of his intentions toward Dale. And if the government had any issues with it, they could raise their concerns with King Duran himself.

The upcoming harvest was now one Earth day away. Keyno dreaded the event because it never proceeded smoothly.

AND HE was right. The harvest was indeed messy. The SWAT team, clad in their intimidating gear, ruthlessly rounded up the young men. Their methods bordered on violence, leaving Keyno baffled and frustrated. After all, these innocent humans had not volunteered for this fate.

To make matters worse, the human that Gibor had chosen, Chad, had been physically assaulted by the SWAT team, which caused Gibor to get involved in Chad’s harvest.

Despite his growing anger, Gibor managed to keep a tight grip on his temper and avoid any fatalities. The injuries sustained by Chad had not been from a Tah’Narian, but instead had come from one of the aggressive SWAT members who seemed to have no regard for human life.

Chad had used a baseball bat to defend himself and had managed to break one of the human’s arms. Of course he had paid for his defiance, but nevertheless, Keyno was impressed.

Unfortunately, Dale had seen Chad’s harvest.

That was something Keyno wished he could have spared Dale. All of the humans, in fact. Their fear when the SWAT teams showed up was so very obvious. It reflected clearly on their faces, and it was something Keyno struggled with. He just had to find a way to live with the guilt.

He had a year to figure it out.

One year later.

THE TIME had come. The last harvest was scheduled to happen in ten days, but the decision was made to take Dale before then. The goal was to do it early in hopes of avoiding attention. Humans and their cell phones were problematic—they recorded everything. Would the humans in Dale’s neighborhood take notice?

Undeniably.

Hopefully, the national media, who circled like vultures during a harvest, would not be alerted to what was happening. The Tah’Narians needed it to be kept as quiet as possible because Keyno was taking a human who was under the age limit.

The American government couldn’t stop them, of course. That wasn’t the worry. Frankly, Keyno didn’t care what the officials in that country thought—they were the ones who made this much harder than it needed to be.

No, the Tah’Narians worried about the panic it would cause if word got out they took humans under the age limit.

The United States government had been informed, and the human SWAT team had been contacted and given orders. The few questions that had been raised, Keyno had ruthlessly squashed.

He wanted to squash a few humans too.

The officials he’d spoken with hadn’t been overly concerned they were taking a human who was under the age limit. No, their questions had been more aimed toward the person’s sexuality, which was an uncomfortable verification that the US government was trying to offload its gay men on the Tah’Narians.

Keyno honestly didn’t understand the human’s obsession with its people’s sexuality. Humans might be compatible with the Tah’Narians, but they were certainly not the most logical of species.

At least, that had been Keyno’s findings. He needed to keep that in mind when dealing with his chosen, because Dale was just that—his chosen. Did Keyno think this was going to be easy?

No.

But hopefully Dale would come to understand how much Keyno cared and that this was for the best. Dale was human, after all, and Keyno was a Tah’Narian warrior. He was positive he could handle a human.

But Dale was no ordinary human. There was a quiet defiance in his eyes and a strength of will. His spirited nature both intrigued and frustrated Keyno.

As the day of the early harvest approached, preparations were meticulously adjusted to ensure minimal disruption and maximum efficiency. Keyno found himself wrestling with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

The probe Gibor had installed over Dale’s home provided constant updates, images streamed directly to Keyno’s device, showing Dale’s everyday life; he was completely unaware of what was about to unfold.

Keyno watched as Dale moved through his daily routines. Each mundane activity was captured and relayed to him, making him feel like an unwelcome voyeur in Dale’s world. Regret mixed with determination.

Patience was a trait Keyno had mastered over his long years as a warrior, and he would win his chosen over.