Page 29 of Diamond

"No, he didn't. He was a terrible person, but what you did… it was far too violent."

He exhales deeply. "No. It was over too quickly. He hurt you and would have forced your donor choice. Among my people, a rapist is stripped naked, spread, and tied to a large rock. Their victim is given a dull knife to carve their names onto the rapist's body and cut off whatever body parts they see fit. Afterward, they are left there to the mercy of the elements and whatever animals happen to pass by. Usually, by that time, their voice is broken from all the screaming, not that anyone would bother listening."

I'm in shock, completely appalled for a long moment, and then another part of my brain takes over. The one that has spent far too long huddling inside a house because someone wanted to silence me. If that was what happened when someone was raped… there would be far fewer people carrying around the scars. Especially the scars of having people disbelieve them.

What would that world look like?

I don't get to think through it before Roshan brays at me and stands up, shaking out his fur before crouching beside me. His eyes don't leave the alien.

"I was only trying to protect you, looking out for you. I was only doing my duty."

I cock an eyebrow. "Your duty?"

"Yes. Protecting you."

I rub my temple, feeling a headache coming on. "Your job is not to protect me. I don't even know you. I can't be around someone capable of that much violence. It taints everything they touch."

He looks confused, perhaps even insulted, as his hairless brow lowers. "Violence works best for people like him. I know. I have seen it. It is all I can offer to protect you."

I chuckle dryly. "Violence is the last thing I want from anyone, especially someone who claims that they are trying to protect me."

"It is what all females want, what they expect."

His tone is disbelieving, almost as if he can't understand what I am saying. I understand his point to some extent, but it isn't what women want, even though I can admit that it might be necessary in this situation. But that doesn't mean you have to embrace it, or make it your entire identity, like he seems to have.

I want to groan in frustration. "If there is a list of things that women want, violence is at the bottom of the list."

Maybe if I use a different analogy, he will understand me. I don't come up with one before I am distracted again. He moves, alerting Roshan, who hisses at him again.

I look down and see dark green liquid around where he is kneeling, indicating that he is bleeding. I look away quickly because the differences between us are too jarring. In the past day I have seen four… no, five different colors of blood. In just one day. It makes me question what I said to him about violence, but I can't sound weak right now. It might be needed here, but it goes against every one of my beliefs and my instinct is screaming at me to not trust him.

He looks at Roshan first, then at me. "Violence saved you back there, when you were in danger."

His words shift my perspective slightly, though it still bothers me. Why am I sympathizing with Tehlmar? He pretended to be on my side when all he truly wanted was to take advantage of me.

Sure, I don't appreciate this person's methods, but I saw Tehlmar kill the genali and if this alien had not killed him, I would most likely also be dead.

I groan softly and shut my eyes. Even though I know he has a point, I will not acknowledge it because I never want to see anything like that again. Ever. It will haunt my dreams.

He speaks again. "Let me get you somewhere safe and you will never have to see me again."

I look up at him questioningly.

Will this last? I have seen violence before, and I know that it never really ends. However, it is only a matter of time before some other twisted person finds me, and I have no fighting skills whatsoever to protect myself.

If there truly is a safer place, then I am willing to take the risk, especially if it involves seeing humans again. "I will only come with you if you agree not to be so needlessly violent. There is protection, and then there is… whatever you were doing."

I shiver as I remember the look of bliss on his face as blood splattered everywhere.

He opens his mouth to speak, but I raise a finger to silence him "I'm not done. If you show any sort of behavior that scares me, I will run very far away from you, and whatever happens to me will be on you and your honor. Understood?"

I am out of breath by the time I reach the end of my sentence, and I watch him mull my words over.

17

Kuret

This human woman is… strange, to say the least.

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