I was mortified for so many males to be listening to our conversation.
“Yes, I know. He told me so, but he also said he would take baby steps with me.”
Kol’s hold on me went extremely tight.
“You wish to … mate with him?”
I didn’t know whether he sounded mad, disgusted, or disheartened.
“You were the one who told me I’d have to take a husband.”
“I never said you were to go out and seek a mate straight away!”
“Look, I’m just as surprised as you are that this is going down,” I expressed. “Vorah surprised me. I mean, who comes out and asks someone they just met if they want to have sex?”
“We shouldn’t do that?” an unfamiliar male voice asked.
I looked around Kol to the white-haired male who spoke to me, but before I answered him, Kol let out a vicious snarl.
“I beg your forgiveness, my prince,” the male suddenly said and dropped to his knees with his head bowed.
I looked at Kol. “Stop that. He did nothing wrong.”
“He spoke to you,” Kol growled, his body shaking. “Looked at you.”
“I’m not Surkah,” I informed him. “I’m not a princess. I’m just me. He can ask a question if he wants to. How will Maji and humans learn about one another if we don’t ask questions?”
“He can ask another human, not you.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“Wow,” I said with a shake of my head. “That’s really mature.”
“Being mature is not something a male remembers when his—”
“When his what?” I cut him off.
Kol looked like he was fighting an internal battle.
“Nothing,” he eventually said.
I raised a brow. “For someone who wants me to accept that you’re saving my people and that mating with your people is a good idea, you aren’t very happy that one of your males wants to see if I could be his wife.”
“We will discuss this later,” Kol said, the muscle in his jaw rolling back and forth.
He turned to Mikoh and said something in his own language. I gasped when the translator didn’t give it to me in English, and I knew straight away that Kol disconnected my translator with his comm again.
“Hey!” I said, frowning. “It’s rude to talk in front of me using words I don’t understand. You said you wouldn’t do that so you wouldn’t lose our trust in you.”
Kol ignored me as he continued to speak with Mikoh in a heated tone until Mikoh grunted and nodded once. Kol turned backed to me then, and he looked mad. No, scratch that, he looked pained and mad.
“You’re dismissed, Nova.”
I blinked. “I’m dismissed?”
“You sought out my forgiveness, and you now have it.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“But what?”
I swallowed. “You’re one of three Maji who I’m comfortable with being around.”
“Four, if you include Vorah, which you have.”
“Shipmaster,” I flinched. “I’m trying to fall in line and do what’s expected of me. You said my women had conditions for being rescued. I know I was rescued now and not kidnapped. I’m trying to do what every other woman is doing. Please, don’t be mad at me for it.”
“I’m not mad,” he replied. “I’m happy you agreed to Maji terms for sanctuary.”
He didn’t look like he was happy.
“It’s not like that, though,” I explained. “Vorah understands that I—”
“I don’t want to speak of this anymore, Nova,” he clipped. “Vorah is not going to be your intended.”
I leaned back. “Why not?”
“Because I have declared it!”
I jumped at the volume of Kol’s shout, but instead of leaning into him for the comfort he provided before, I stepped away from him.
“You’re to return to your quarters and meet with no males unless it is myself, Mikoh, or Nero.”
I felt my lower lip wobble, but I refused to cry.
“What did I do wrong that Vorah—”
“Nova, enough!”
Kol was spitting mad. I could practically feel anger radiate from him in waves. I took a hearty step backwards and swallowed. I didn’t know him well enough—virtually at all—to reassure myself that he wouldn’t attack me no matter how much I was told that Maji didn’t harm women.
“Yes, Shipmaster,” I said, trying my best to keep my voice even. “Thanks for your time. I won’t bother you ever again.”
I turned away from him and walked towards the exit of the bridge. I didn’t dare look at Mikoh or anyone else, for that matter. I kept my eyes straight ahead until the doorway opened and gave me a view of the hallway. The empty hallway.
“Nova,” Kol said from behind me, his voice was thick with fury. “Mikoh will escort you back to your quarters. I will speak to you about this matter later when we’re alone.”
He wasn’t threatening me; he was promising me, but I’d be damned if it didn’t have the same effect.
Chapter Eight
The Maji way.
I had been in the company of the Maji for three full days—though I was unconscious for nearly two of them—and all I had heard about was the Maji way this, the Maji way that, and it was driving me up the wall. Hearing about the Maji way from the Maji themselves was annoying after a while. Their customs were too bizarre to comprehend but having to be subjected to it from humans as well was simply too much for me to deal with.
With my eyes closed, I gritted my teeth as Envi, my unwelcome roommate, chatted to her sister, Echo, my other unwelcome roommate, about the Maji way, and I could feel that I would break my word to Kol about not attacking the sisters if this continued to be the daily topic of conversation.
“Don’t you ever shut up?” I demanded of Envi, keeping my eyes closed. “People are trying to sleep.”
I wasn’t trying to sleep. I was feigning sleep just so the sisters, mainly Envi, wouldn’t be tempted to speak to me. I didn’t trust them, and I knew they didn’t trust me, so it was either pretend to be asleep or stare at them until they fell asleep. I was lying on my bed, my back tight against the oddly warm wall, and my body turned to the right so if I heard a noise, or felt a presence close to me, I could open my eyes and see everything I needed to.
“I’m sorry, Nova,” Envi said softly. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Don’t apologise to her. You were doing nothing wrong.” Echo huffed. “This is our room, too!”
“Don’t remind me,” I grumbled to myself, but I knew that the sisters could hear me.
“If you’ve got something to say, Nova, then spit it out.”
This was from Echo, and without opening my eyes, I knew she had stood, her challenge obvious in her tone. I kept my eyes closed just to show her how little of a threat I thought she was even though part of me was extremely wary of her. She had a sister, someone she loved and was willing do anything to protect, and that made her even more dangerous. People with something or someone to lose would do just about anything to ensure its safety.