Page 37 of Ahelno
“You haven’t even seen everything I got,” he quipped.
“You flirt. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bright and early, brighteyes,” he said. I laughed, and we said goodbye. As I made my way down the hallway, I thought about how lucky I was to have met him and to have a friend in the King who went to all this trouble. I didn’t know how to thank him for this, but I would find a way.
Dakleth
My mate did not seem to realize that all the rooms in the Palace - except the bedrooms - were monitored by cameras through the communications panel. As soon as she and the human male fled the ballroom, I went to the security room and followed them on the cameras. I left my father and sister to deal with the chaos my mate left in her wake. I did not care about the fallout from her enchanting concert. I only cared about her. And whatever she was doing with that blasted male.
I watched as they settled on cushions in the family’s receiving room. They sat close together on the cushions and chatted over cups of Oonag.
I didn’t understand all of their conversation thanks to some faulty translation, but I gathered he was telling her of how he was kidnapped and came to live on Coromonn. He explained about the desirability of human females - I had to concur -and about my father contacting him to build Andie’s piano.
The conversation itself was not that interesting, but I could not take my eyes off how they looked together. They both practically glowed with excitement. They touched each other so casually, and I found it hard to understand. The Ptexari did not touch one another unless it was necessary. We did not share affection so easily. I found myself wondering what it would be like if my mate casually touched my arm or held my hand. I had a sudden, deep longing to experience that with her.
The bond practically hummed with her joy. Her excitement was palpable, and I experienced an angry jealousy so strong that my palms started leaking lifeblood from where my tightly fisted claws dug through the skin. I should be happy for her. I should celebrate this joy with her, but all I could see was how her eyes lit up when they met his. How quickly they were both speaking in their excitement. How his hand rested on her thigh as he leaned in and smiled at her.
I hated him. I hated him for having her attention. I hated him for sharing her musical ability and interest. I hated him for being a source of comfort to her. I hated that he was only a few centimeters taller than her, so his face naturally rested close to theirs as they spoke. I hated that I could not be him. For her. So that she could be that relaxed and happy in my presence.
Instead, she hated me.
I slammed my fist through the comms panel that showed him touching her thigh and left the room.
CHAPTER 39
Andie
Breakfast the next morning was…awkward. Dakleth glared at Leo the whole time, barely saying a word. Leo did his best to ignore him, but any time we smiled at each other or brushed against one another, Dakleth puffed up, and his crest bristled. Honestly, he was behaving like an angry toddler, and I was over it.
I had profusely thanked the King for the piano. It had already been moved to a beautiful concert room, and I’d played a bit of Mozart and Sondheim before joining everyone in the receiving room. I told the King I would be delighted to come back tomorrow and give him and Kashtinela a small, private concert, and he seemed very pleased.
Surprisingly, he did not mention the aftermath of last night’s performance. His eyes were speculative. I knew he would talk to me about it when ready. Knowing him, he was still weighing the different possibilities of learning about my voice’s impact on the Ptexari.
Leo and I rose to take our leave, and Dakleth rose as well. “I will accompany you to the village as security,” he said.
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” I said. “M’Pak is on the grounds. He came looking for me when I didn’t return home last night.He’ll walk with us back to the village.”
“Insufficient,” Dakleth declared. “I will guard you as well.”
“Do not be ridiculous, brother,” Kashtinela interjected. “You know the Granthor is a more efficient deterrent than any Ptexari. She will be safe enough.”
Dakleth glared at her for a moment and stormed from the room without a word. The King’s crest rose, and he narrowed his eyes at his son’s rude behavior. “Forgive him, daughter,” he said. “He is still adjusting to being back in the Palace.”
“Of course,” I said, as magnanimously as I could. “Blessings upon your dwelling and all who reside within,” I said with a curtsy.
He smiled, crest relaxing, and bid us farewell.
We crossed the palace grounds where M’Pak met up with us. “Do not mindspeak with Leo,”I warned M’Pak.“He is human, but he will be returning to his homeworld soon. I don’t know if he would keep your secret.” I had previously shared my concerns with M’Pak about other species finding out about the Granthors’ telepathic abilities. I didn’t want them to become someone’s scientific experiment. Maybe my fears were unfounded, but I was pretty sure that’s what would happen on Earth if our government discovered an animal species could speak mind-to-mind. Nothing good would come of it for the animals.
“A wise choice, Andie,” M’Pak agreed. “I will keep my thoughts to myself. And you.”
“Thank you,” I said to him. Out loud, I introduced them. “Leo, this is M’Pak, a Granthor. I raised him from a cub after his mother died. When I tried to reintroduce him to the wild, he refused to go.”
Leo laughed. “Can’t say that I blame him. I’d choose awarm bed and a beautiful woman to feed me over living in the woods anytime. Can I pet him?”
“Yes, he’s totally friendly,” I said. Leo gently reached out so M’Pak could sniff his hand, then cautiously petted his head and scratched behind the ears. M’Pak flopped on his back and pawed at him for belly rubs. “Just like a big cat,” Leo laughed. His comfort with animals was evident, and I loved that about him. M’Pak growled a soft purr. “His coloring matches that green and purple moss I see everywhere. I bet it’s an effective camouflage,” Leo mused.
“Probably,” I agreed. “Come on, you lazy beast, it’s time to go home!” I directed at M’Pak. M’Pak huffed and got up, nuzzling both of us in the midsection. He knocked me off my feet and I wobbled, but Leo caught me. “Damn, he’s big,” Leo said.
