Page 49 of Claimed By the Krijese

“Most turns I believe I did. But there are times when I wonder if we would not have been better off with me killing him and becoming a different kind of leader to a much larger number of our people. At least I would not have to worry so much about so few starving to death or dying from a sickness I do not have the knowledge to heal.”

I turn in Kala’s arms and sit across his lap so I can meet his eyes. “Weare not going to let our people die. You have me now so you don’t have to do anything alone anymore.”

He stares at me for so long until finally, he strokes my face with the back of his finger. “Many turns ago Sorin told me he was going to pray to our god to provide us with what we needed. In my head I knew it was fruitless, but I did not discourage him. I will forever be grateful that I did not, because I know now that he answered our kit’s prayers.You, Iris of Earth, are what we needed.”

No one has ever told me they needed me before. Not a single person. My parents hadn’t needed me. The sisters at the orphanage certainly hadn’t other than to clean and do laundry or any other menial task just like every other orphan who lived there. But no one needed me,Iris. No one except this male and our son. They need me.

They need me to care for them. To give them all the affection and love they never received. The love and affection I’ve bottled up inside me my entire life just waiting for the right person—or people—to bestow it upon. Because I need them, too.I need to not be seen as different. Or less than. I need someone to look at me and actuallyseeme. All of me, not only certain parts. Kala and Sorin do that.

I lean in and kiss the small divot right below his mouth slit and then move along his jaw up to his cheek. For a second, I wish we could truly kiss and not just have me brushing my lips over different parts of his face.

But I don’t want that. Because then Kala wouldn’t be Krijese. He’d be someone else and there isn’t anyone else I’d rather have than him.

Without words, I move off his lap and gently nudge him to lying down. He does so without protest. I lie down beside him and stroke his face, exploring every inch of it. Familiarizing myself with it. Memorizing it. I trace the hard bones that slant just slightly over his eyes that, even in the dimness of the tent, appear to shine with a faint hint of silver. Still not as bright as Sorin’s, but it’s there.

Next, I skim the furrows just above his mouth slit and tusks. They’re rough and craggy like rocks or pebbles. I move to the knobby protrusions on either side of his face where his large andsharp tusks grow from. To my surprise, they’re pliable and move independently. Leisurely, I trace the slit that bisects the lower half of his face and the lines that veer off it and allow it to open.

“The first time I saw you, you scared me. You were so…alien.” I chuckle. “Which is funny, because I’m the one who came to your planet, so technicallyI’mthe alien.”

Kala’s eyes move side to side over my face, but the movement is so small to barely be noticeable. He lets me continue my exploration.

“Now, though, I can’t imagine what it would be like to go about my day without seeing you. Without talking to you.” I shake my head. “I’ve only known you for a short time and yet somehow it feels like I’ve always known you. I can’t explain it. I’ve read about people meeting for the first time and it feeling like they’re old friends. Like they’ve nevernotknown each other. The more time I spend with you, the more I feel that way, too. Does that make sense?”

“Aye,” Kala says gruffly. “It is the same with me. There does not seem like a time when you were not present. That is how entrenched you have become in my life.”

“Is this love? I mean, it feels like it, but I don’t really know. I’ve never loved anyone or been loved by anyone before. Can you be in love with someone you met not that long ago?”

The shiny silver in his eyes appears to grow slightly or maybe shine a little brighter. “I do not know what love is.”

“Do you not love Sorin?” I don’t really have to ask, because I know Kala does. He shows our son his love every single day.

“He is my kit. I care for him greatly. Far more than myself. There is nothing I would not do for him.”

I feel the same way about Sorin and there’s no doubt I love him. What I feel for his father far surpasses any emotion I’ve experienced before. “That is one description of love and the same kind I have for him. This…feeling between us is different though. It feels like so much more and yet not nearly enough. I don’t know how to explain it, because it’s beyond definition.”

Kala threads his fingers through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp with his claws that sends a shiver coursing down my spine.“I do not know if this beating of my hearts for you is love. What I do know is you have changed me in ways I never expected. You are the first thing I think of when I awaken and the last thing I think of when I sleep. Holding you in my arms brings me peace. The biggest thing is you have given me back the one thing I thought I had lost. Hope. When I look at you, I see a future. Not only for us, but for Sorin. For our people. I see kits. Yours and mine. Because I know they will make you happy, even though the thought of losing you fills me with unimaginable pain. It has become my greatest fear.”

I lay my hand on Kala’s cheek. “You’re not going to lose me.”

“You cannot make promises like that. I have seen too much death. Too much loss.”

“My whole life has been spent trying to find my place.” My voice grows hoarse. “Not once have I ever felt like I belonged until I came here. I don’t mean Tavikh or even this village. I meanhere, in this tent. Inthesefurs. With you at my side and our son nearby. This is where I was always meant to be. I refuse to let anyone—not even your god—take me away from you, no matter what.”

Kala gently draws me to him and gently rubs his chin across my forehead. “My battle scars have been worn with pride. They show my strength and determination. Yet all that strength is gone when it comes to you. You are the one who holds all the power.”

I shake my head. “Together we hold all the power. Together there is nothing we can’t do.”

“You make me want to believe that.”

“Then trust me. Please.”

Kala stares quietly into my eyes for so long I’m positive he’s going to deny us both. The thought hurts, but I also know how fiercely he believes a true mating between us won’t work. Before we left the Tavikhi village to come here, I discussed with Kyler and Sage the possibility of a human giving birth to a healthy Krijese baby as well as the potential dangers. Neither could make any guarantees, but when in life are there? If he doesn’t dare risk me, I’ll understand, though. It won’t change the way I feel about him.

At last, he jerks his head in a slow, single nod. “I trust you, sweeney.”

Chapter 24

Kala

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