“Wait,” the bouncer says as we move forward. He points at Kim. “No pets allowed.”
A snarl builds in my throat, and I don’t know who I’m angrier at—Bethiah or this male. “This is my mate.”
The bouncer puts his hands in the air, and I notice they’re reinforced with electro-shock brass knuckles. “I don’t mean to insult, but rules are rules. There’s a side room where all purchases, pets, and the like, wait for their owners. You can’t let these things run wild in a bar.”
I stiffen with anger. “She is not a THING. She is my mate—”
Kim pats my hand. “It’s okay, Nassakth. I’ve been to these sorts of rooms before. It’ll be all right.”
It’s not all right. I want my mate at my side when I greet my parents. I want to introduce her to them, to show them how beautiful and strong she is. I want to hold her hand and feel her quiet approval for me, even as I confront the family who are now strangers to me. I need her at my side.
But Kim looks up at me with calm eyes, and she touches my hand. “We’ve come this far, Nassakth. Might as well see it through.”
She knows me too well. Knows that her calm is just what I need. I glare at the guard, who is just doing his job—and yet I want to rip his head from his shoulders and fling it into the crowd. “You will show me this room and I will determine if it is safe for my female.”
The guard opens one of the doors and gestures that we should enter. It’s cooler inside, quieter. We step through, and the cantina atmosphere immediately feels different from the crowd outside. It’s dimly lit, but the music is cheery and the booths and tables lining the walls private enough. They’re about half full, and the people in here look to be better quality than the ones outside the doors. Best of all, the station stink dissipates to a low-level scent and is masked by cooked food.
The guard points at a side door immediately off to one side. “Through there. You can’t take her into the main dining area. You can send food to your pets, but they can’t order it.”
I growl under my breath again at the word “pets” but Kim only pats my arm.
I open the door marked “PETS, LIVE CARGO, AND HUMANS” in six languages. Inside, the walls are plain and there’s a battered table in the center of the small room. A human female with a miserable expression on her face and a shock collar on her neck sits there, and doesn’t look up as we approach. In one corner, there is a cage with an exotic-looking lizard that was likely bought just outside.
A pet.
“No,” I say flatly. “My mate—my wife—is not a pet.”
“Nassakth,” Kim says, touching my hand. “We’ve come this far. It’s all right. I promise.” She pulls her head wrap down and shows me her smile. “This is just temporary. It doesn’t reflect who we are any more than this does.” She gestures at the decorative collar around her neck. “I trust you.”
She is the best female, and I am not worthy of her. “I am not leaving you here unguarded.”
“I’ll stay,” Kaspar offers. His grin is a little too quick, too bloodthirsty, and something about the way he scans the cantina tells me he’s started his share of bar fights.
“Just protect her.” I point a finger in his chest. “Do not leave her side.” I glance at my mate, uneasy. I want to stay at her side and protect her. More than that, I want to get her away from here. I want to take her home and go back to our quiet life where I coax her into my arms.
Kim just unhooks the chain from my belt and wraps it around her wrist. “It’s fine. I’ll be here.” She glances over at the human woman and a worried look crosses her face as she sits down. “Hi there,” she says gently. “I’m Kim.”
Bethiah moves toward me as I watch my mate. “Are we doing this or not?”
“We’re doing this,” I say, and reluctantly leave my mate behind.
65
KIM
Every plan’s bound to have a few little kinks in it. I tell myself this is normal as my big, protective Nassakth disappears, leaving me in the “humans” room of the cantina. More like a storage closet, but it’s not the worst treatment I’ve had, so it’s fine. I’m glad Kaspar stays by the door, even if it’s on the other side. He leaves it cracked so I can see his blue form as he watches the room and looks as if he desperately wants to be anywhere but here. Adiron said his brother loves an adventure, and I guess guarding humans isn’t much of one.