Mad?
I chuckle and press a dozen kisses on her face. “Nothing you do could ever make me angry.”
“I’m going to let her stay at my farm,” she whispers.
“Still not mad.” I keep kissing her face, relieved. I’m so relieved. For a terrible moment, I saw Kaspar gone and thought I’d lost her…it was such an awful feeling I hope to never experience it again. “We are going back to the Little Sister now.”
And once we’re there, I might never let her go. Ever.
“Wait, how did the meeting with your parents go?” She curls her fingers in my sleeve, studying my face. “I know you were worried. Did everything turn out okay? What did they want? Did they apologize to you? Did they hug you?”
My heart hurts.
This is the reaction I wanted from my parents. Kim asks how they treated me and if they apologized because she knows this is what I want. She knows because she knows me. She talks to me. I might as well be a piece of furniture for all that my parents care. They put out a bounty on me because they needed an heir. They did not care about Nassakth, their third-born son. They have never cared.
Meanwhile, this tiny slip of a human stares up at me with such a fierce, protective expression on her face that she looks ready to do battle on my behalf. It helps ease some of the heart-wounds, and I smile down at her. “I will tell you everything, but in private.”
“I hate to interrupt this beautiful, beautiful moment,” Bethiah says sarcastically. “But there are a few gaudy-looking praxiians heading in this direction and unless you want another confrontation, we should probably get out of here.”
“Let us go,” I say, scooping Kim up into my arms. We will move faster if I do not have to worry about someone snatching her from my side. My mate doesn’t protest, just wraps her arms around my neck and her breasts push against the side of my head.
My day has already gotten better.
“We’ll take the long way, in case there’s a tail,” Bethiah says. “Follow me.” She disappears out of the cantina and into the crowd.
The long way. Again. I fight back a groan, because I want nothing more than to be alone with Kim on the ship. But this is what I hired the bounty hunter for, and so we follow quickly.
69
NASSAKTH
It should not surprise me that there is a tail following us. Of course my parents wish to find out where I am hiding out. I am their heir, even if I have not agreed to it. Bethiah is worth every credit as she weaves us through the crowd and we cut through several questionable-looking shops before we head back toward the docks.
It should also not surprise me that when we board the Little Sister, Mathiras is arguing with Kaspar, the human female sandwiched between them. My Kim wades in to the arguments immediately, explaining why she had to save Sophie and why it’s important to take her back with us. The corsairs wish to charge us another fee—and more for hiding her—but I am tired. I wave agreement at them. “Charge what you must. I will pay it.”
It is settled, and Sophie is established in the room with Bethiah while Adiron works on removing her shock collar. It has apparently gone off twice, causing the human to pass out, much to Adiron’s (and my Kim’s) dismay.
It should also not surprise me that when we retreat to our rooms and I confess everything my parents said to me, Kim is angry on my behalf.
“They didn’t even ASK how you were? If you were in danger?” She flings her hands up as she paces. “Of course not. Why would they ask? They knew you were in danger. It was all over the fucking vid-screens. And they’re the ones that sold you. I can’t believe their nerve!”
“You are angrier over the fact that they were not remorseful? You are not angry that they are trying to give me another mate?”
“Oh, that pisses me off, too. Make no mistake about that.” She shoots me an indignant glance. “But I know you won’t do that to me.” She moves to the bed quickly, thumping down next to me. “Are you okay, Nassakth?” She takes my bigger hands in hers. “This has been a horrible day and I know you have to be hurt.”
“I love you,” I tell her quietly. Her anger on my behalf gives me peace, oddly enough. I hold her hands tightly. “I love that you are hurt on my behalf.”
“I know a lot of it is cultural and I don’t understand it, but…” She shakes her head. “Promise me that if we have children, they will never, ever, ever be sold. No matter if we have one or thirty. They all stay with us until they get old and gray.”