Chapter 14

KAMEER

In the aftermath of four rough claiming sessions, I hold my sleeping mate in my arms while seated in a plush chair in the main bedroom, relishing the utter contentment of having her close.

A mate. After over two decades of solitude, of mourning Xersonna’s loss and wishing I could change the past, I’m a mated male again. Truly, Mandy is a blessing from the Star Gods.

This time, I won’t let my guard down. I will keep the little human safe no matter the cost.

She shifts in my arms, emitting a sweet sigh, then falls back into the rhythm of sleep.

If only I could hold her all day. But it’s late afternoon, and I’m due for another video comm meeting with Admiral Tornn.

I start to get up, only to pause.

Fluxx , I am reluctant to leave Mandy. So much that the thought of leaving her side causes a painful tightness within my chest. I consider the change the human female is already having on me.

After the destruction of planet Darrva, during which Xersonna perished alongside millions of other Darrvason females, I tried to outrun my grief by focusing on my engineering duties. But it didn’t work, and once the sharpness of the grief faded, a painful emptiness opened inside me, a black void that sometimes threatened to swallow me whole. I’d assumed this gaping chasm would forever remain a part of me.

Until now.

Until Mandy.

I never comprehended the depths of my loneliness until I first laid eyes on her. My whole universe came into focus at that moment, the painful emptiness became muted, and suddenly I had a new purpose in life—to possess her and protect her until my dying breath.

I check the time. Fluxx . I mustn’t miss the meeting with Admiral Tornn. He’d sent a message earlier saying he had news to share, and I’m hopeful for a breakthrough in the hunt for my would-be assassin, especially now that I have the safety of my mate to consider.

I rise to my feet, careful not to wake Mandy, and I carry her to the bed. I place her down and draw the covers atop her. A soft sigh leaves her, and she curls onto her side and snuggles against the pillow. I place a gentle kiss to her cheek, then get dressed and depart the bedroom. I head for the living room where a video comm was recently installed.

Just as I sit down, the admiral’s call comes in. I’m quick to answer and offer him a polite nod. “Good afternoon, Admiral.”

The admiral glares at me for a long moment, then releases a deep sigh. “Is it true, Chief Kameer, that you?—”

“Bought a human female? Oh, yes. I did that. Though, officially, she’s a gift from Captain Warren. Unofficially , I’m in possession of a bill of sale.” I lean back in my chair and display a wide smile that seems to infuriate my superior further. “She’s sleeping right now, but if you’d like to meet her, I suppose I could wake her up.”

Admiral Tornn shakes his head. “No need.” He pauses and gives me a displeased look. “I’d planned to discuss the investigation with you today, but just before I called, I received an anonymous report from someone aboard the Jansonna , obviously one of our people, informing me of your ‘scandalous and disruptive actions.’ Any idea who might’ve sent such a message?”

I immediately think of Ensign Harrek. “Yes, I have an idea.” I snort. “One of the younger members of my engineering crew most likely. What a snitch. I swore the group to secrecy this morning when I informed them of the news, and I assured them that my duties on the Jansonna would continue unimpeded. As you know, I’m good at issuing orders but also fixing problems myself, quite quickly I might add, when others struggle to complete the task.”

“When the mating fever that precedes the final formation of the heartbond strikes you, Chief Kameer, I doubt you’ll manage to tear yourself from your mate’s side for a few days. Though the mating fever might not strike until after your duties on the Jansonna are finished, you must put contingency plans in place.”

I make a face. “Of course, my good admiral. You are so very wise. Officer Gorrsum is the most skilled in my crew, aside from myself that is, and I will inform him that he will take over, temporarily, if the mating fever should strike me.” I don’t admit to Admiral Tornn that I’m hoping the fever will strike at any hour. I don’t admit how desperate I am for the formation of the heartbond.

The admiral gives me a long look, then nods. “Very well. I accept your plan.”

“That’s it? You aren’t going to berate me for finding a loophole in the alliance and Jansonna’s constitution?” I feign a look of disappointment.

“Chief Kameer, you are not the first Darrvason male, nor will you be the last, to secure your human mate outside the bounds of the alliance. You are not as special as you think you are.” The admiral straightens. “Given that thousands of our males are set to go without mates, as there simply aren’t enough fertile human females to go around, I anticipate many of our males will follow your example. My only regret is that Captain Warren will be dangerously wealthy. The duplicitous human already holds too much power over his people, and I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s a revolution not long after humankind settles on 58-Z. In any case, I didn’t call you today so we might discuss the probable overthrow of Captain Warren, I called you to speak about the investigation.”

“Ah yes, the investigation. Has your cousin, Officer Brute, learned anything yet?” The admiral’s cousin, whom I now know caused the worldship captain a headache when he chased his mate down in the corridors of the Jansonna , is the security officer in charge of the investigation. I stare at the admiral expectantly, awaiting his response and praying for positive news.

“A threat appeared on the door of your quarters aboard the Rorrsa last night. When investigators tried to access the video surveillance in your corridor and those surrounding it, the system glitched and lost several moon cycles’ worth of footage.”

“Well, a threat scrawled on my door is better than someone attempting to shove a knife through my eye socket while I’m sleeping,” I say, referring to the last attempt on my life, when a masked male had infiltrated my quarters and nearly killed me as I lay sleeping. I’d awoken just in time to defend myself, and the masked male had quickly bolted from my quarters and disappeared in the corridors before I could give chase. “What did the threat say exactly?”

The admiral frowns. “Bleed bleed bleed. Die die die.”

“That’s it? How unoriginal. If I were to become an assassin, I would torment my victims with more creative, gruesome threats before finally killing them.”

“I’m sure you would. Needless to say, it’s safer for you to remain on the Jansonna for now, especially since you’ve acquired a mate. But given the recent threat, I would like to install a security team to follow you at all times and guard your quarters on the Jansonna . They can watch over your mate as well. Officer Brute will personally select the officers. Not only do I insist, Chief Kameer, but it’s an order. You are too valuable an asset to the Darrvason Empire. We cannot lose you, particularly when we’re so close to settling on 58-Zallnanis. Your expertise will be needed as we build our new civilization.”

Admiral Tornn’s order comes as a bit of a shock, as do his words of praise. But then I consider how, just recently, I repaired a fatal mistake in the hyperdrive bubble’s formation protocol, thus saving the entirety of the Darrvason Empire and humankind. Perhaps he’s thinking about how we would all be dead if not for my brilliance. If I hadn’t caught and fixed the error, we would’ve all been incinerated during the next jump to hyperdrive.

I hold the admiral’s gaze, trying to discern if there’s a secondary danger of which I’m unaware, but his expression gives nothing away. “Very well,” I finally say. “I will accept the security detail without argument, but I do have some concerns about the officers who will be selected.”

“Only security officers who are already heartbonded to a human female will be on the team,” the admiral says, as though reading my mind. “No unbonded males will be permitted near your mate.”

“Thank you.”

We discuss the progress my crew has made during the previous days, and I’m pleased to report we’ve worked wonders improving the systems on the human worldship. Though another engineering team was stationed on the Jansonna during the early days of the alliance, after they departed it became apparent that more regular maintenance was needed. There were also concerns about whether the Jansonna could withstand a landing on 58-Z. And so, I was called to lead an engineering crew of my own on the human worldship.

After we end the call, I turn away from the video comm and peer at the Rorrsa , wondering who the fluxx left the threatening message on my door and how they damaged the security footage.

As far as I know, I don’t have any enemies. Yet someone wants me dead. One of my own people. It’s an affront to my ego when I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to help what’s left of the Darrvason Empire. After the destruction of Darrva, amid my grief over losing Xersonna, I worked miracles keeping the Rorrsa , the oldest ship in our fleet, in functioning order. Countless times, I also helped troubleshoot issues on other ships in the fleet, including the Haxxal .

Killing me would undoubtedly cause harm to my people. Yet someone very much wants me dead, enough that they’ve made four attempts already and scrawled threats on my door.

Not for the first time, I dive deep into my memories, replaying interactions I’ve had with friends and acquaintances over the years, searching for the one clue I’m missing. Surely I must know the would-be assassin, and surely the male has a reason for wanting me dead.

Yet no matter how long I contemplate the past, analyzing brief interactions as well as friendships, I cannot discern a possible motive.

The need to protect Mandy surges through me, and though I have duties to attend to on the Jansonna today, I am reluctant to depart my quarters.

I jump to my feet and venture into the bedroom where she’s still sleeping. My rapid steps don’t disturb her in the slightest, and I envy that she’s such a sound sleeper. I discard my clothing and join her under the covers, needing to feel her bare flesh against mine.

I press a kiss atop her head and snuggle her close, this beautiful female I hastily bought and mated. “I swear I will keep you safe, pretty human,” I whisper in Darrvason. “I swear on the souls of my ancestors that I will keep you safe.”