Page 91 of The Mentor
“Stop your aggression right this moment,” Cindy shouted, but right then Archer jumped up and gave a circle kick that sent Finn to the ground again.
Cindy held up her weapon and fired straight at Archer. He didn’t have a chance when the net covered him and tightened around him. Completely unable to move, he started throwing curses at Finn instead. “You fucking bastard, she’smywoman. If you touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
My mouth went dry and I swallowed excessively when all eyes fell on me. So much for keeping our relationship a secret.
CHAPTER 23
Restrained
Archer
I had screwed up.
Pearl had warned us not to lose our temper. I was the mentor and I was supposed to be a good role model; plus, being in the Motherlands, I was representing not only myself but all my countrymen. Their chance to experience this, and have a future with the women, depended on me, Finn, and Marco.
Four hours ago we had been superstars, and now…
My chest heaved in a big sigh of shame and humiliation over what had happened on the beach. At least, I was no longer trapped in the net but in my own room, where I was trying to wrap my head around what happened.
“Are you feeling better now?” Cindy asked from her chair in the corner.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I rubbed my face and looked over at her. “Thank you for not shooting me for real.”
“No problem, we haven’t used lethal weapons for centuries.”
“Lucky for me.” I slid down to sit on the floor, my spine resting against the bed and my legs pulled up in front of me. “Do you usually stay and talk to the aggressor, like you did with me?”
“Yes, the procedure is to pacify the aggressor, and then help them find the way back to their calm self. Typically, if someone reaches an aggression level like yours, we would take them to a place of reflection where they would have time to center themselves again through meditation and rest.”
While I had been wrapped up tight in the net, Varna had cleared the area, offering me at least a little dignity from prying eyes. Cindy, on the other hand, had placed herself close against my body and spoken to me in a calm voice while stroking my shoulder soothingly.
At first I had tried to shake her hand off me, but there was no anger or judgment in her voice and while lying stiff as a board, I had listened to her.
“I understand you got angry, but I can’t let you hurt others; we need to keep everyone safe.”
When I didn’t speak, she continued. “Be patient, Archer, your anger will be replaced by calmness soon and then I can remove this net, and you can go to your hotel room to gather yourself before you face the others.”
Even now, twenty minutes later, I was still angry at Finn, but I’d cooled down enough to restrain myself.
“You want to talk about what upset you so much?” Cindy asked. She had warm and kind eyes.
“Not really,” I said and stretched my legs. “You said typically you would take someone like me to a place of reflection.”
“Yes, but we had been warned that situations like these might occur, and we are to give you a bit more leeway.”
“So, no punishment?” I asked.
“We don’t use punishments.”
“What are you saying? If someone committed murder, you wouldn’t punish them?”
Cindy leaned back in her chair. “Fundamentally we believe that people want to do good. If someone committed murder, which almost never happens in our society, we would restrain them and keep them away from society until we felt certain the person was no longer a danger to the rest of us. Most people who do something that violates our rules spend time in places of reflection. Only a few have committed crimes so serious that we need to isolate them in secluded areas where professionals help them deal with their mental issues.”
“Well, if you’re not going to punish me anyway, I might as well join the group and get back to work.”
“If you feel ready.”
There was no good time to face Kya after what I had done, but at least I knew Finn would understand. He had been so out of line, touching Kya’s breast. She and I might not be married by law, but she had chosen to share her bed with me and the ethics of an Nman were clear; you never touched another man’s woman – and he knew about us, knew that she was mine.
