Page 67 of Ahelno
“I can not believe we are forced to care for her,” said another.
There were several similar conversations during the weeks that Andie stayed at this manor. And uglier speculations that she had asked to be mated, then cried rape in order to gain access to my estate, or that she should be grateful I chose her. I burned with anger as I listened to their hateful words. She had been through the worst time of her life, and she was met with ignorance, jealousy, and disdain by my own staff. Finally, I witnessed her attempt to take her own life. I roared for her to stop, even knowing that I was watching a recording of the past. To see the light dim from her eyes would have been too much for me to bear. I could not watch anymore.
I captured the image of every servant who said one unkind word about my mate, saved them to a file, and sent it to Xomina with a note that I wanted them dismissed immediately. The meal Xomina had brought had long grown cold. I had been in the office for the day and most of the night. I had turned another guard away at shift change, and now a third was knocking on the door. I stood up, needing the stretch, left the room, and made my way to my bedroom. I stared at the bed for a moment, then left and found the guest room where Andie had stayed.
It was unchanged since I had been there last. I thought of my mate curled up in this bed. Normally, I would love such an image, but today it brought me no joy. She hadsuffered here. And no one had moved to help her.
I sank down on the bedcushion and brought the pillow she used to my face. Her scent was long gone. I thought of my time in the prison camp. It was harsh and demeaning in its own way, but it was nothing compared to what my mate had faced, alone on a distant planet with no friends or family. Brutally violated. Tormented by nightmares.
I admired her, I realized. She had been through a terrible ordeal, and yet, she had forgiven me. How could she forgive me, given what I saw? She had built a new life for herself in the village. She sang and she danced, she wove blankets, she gardened. She made friends easily. Kashtinela and Camavel were both notoriously persnickety females, and yet both of them were fiercely loyal to her. She had tamed a Granthor! She charmed everyone she met - even my father, who was so jaded from political maneuverings that he held everyone at arm’s length. But not Andie. She cared for people and was cared for in return. She generously gave of herself to make those around her comfortable - made every attempt to adapt to her surroundings. She was extraordinary. She had been dealt a terrible hand, but refused to succumb. Instead, she thrived, even if she had moments of sadness for her past life on Earth.
That she was willing to talk to me at all was a miracle.
I would court her in earnest. The pull of the mate bond was stronger than I had ever expected. I admired her, I respected her, I craved her body, her mind, and her soul. She was mine. But she had not yet accepted it. I recalled my conversation with Leo about gifts and “dates.” Flowers, he suggested. Ptexari did not gift flowers, so I was not quite sure what he meant, but I thought about flowering plants that grew wellhere. I would ask the gardener for something suitable.
Jewelry. Leo had indicated that jewelry should be given in later stages of courtship, but my mate would want for nothing. She would be bedecked in the finest jewels, dresses, and hats (to protect her from the sun) that I could find. Tomorrow I would begin the formal courtship of my mate.
CHAPTER 51
Andie
Like Dakleth, I decided it would be best if I stayed away from the Palace for a few days. I missed Leo and Kashtinela, but I didn’t want to be the cause of any further “incidents” with the Charonu.
An invitation arrived for the ball in the Charonu’s honor, and I wasn’t sure if I should actually go, or if it was just a formality. I decided to give Kashtinela a call. I wondered if she was leading the talks as we had discussed.
“Greetings, Andie. Blessings upon your house,” she said. She seemed in a pleasant mood. “Blessings upon yours, Kashtinela, I hope you are well,” I replied.
“I am well, yes. To what do I owe this communication?” she asked. Straight to the point. It was unusual for us to call each other. We saw one another frequently enough, and if we needed to get in touch, a text message was usually sufficient.
“I received an invitation to the Charonu ball, and I wasn’t sure if I should come,” I said.
“Yes, of course!” she said. “You would not have been invited if you were not welcome. Why do you even ask such a thing?”
“Well, my last meeting with the Charonu ended in disaster,so I wasn’t sure if I should go.”
“Pshhh,” Kashtinela hissed. “The Charonu’s poor manners are certainly not your fault. If anything, we should be wary of permitting Dakleth to attend, but he is the King-in-Waiting, so we have no choice but to allow him as well.”
“I guess that’s true. Anyway, has your father allowed you to sit in on the negotiations?”
“Ha! He loved your suggestion and tapped me to lead. The Charonu have been most perturbed. It is very satisfying,” she grinned. “As a matter of fact, we are meeting in a few moments, so I will need to leave our conversation.”
“No problem,” I said as I heard a chime at the door. “Someone is ringing the doorbell. Good luck! I’ll see you at the ball next week.”
“Do not be a stranger. You are welcome at the Palace any time. If the Charonu are made uncomfortable with this, even better,” she said mischievously, waving goodbye.
I opened the front door and found a crew of Ptexari males milling around outside. “Umm, can I help you?” I asked the one on my doorstep.
“Morning, Lumanela,” he bobbed his head. “Prince Dakleth sent us to plant these in your garden.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, perplexed.
“These bushes,” he said, pointing at a pallet full of potted plants behind him. “The Prince said they are for your garden.”
“I don’t know anything about this,” I hedged.
“They are all flowering plants,” the head gardener said, as if that would shed any light on what was going on.
“Can you hang on a sec?” I asked.
