Page 21 of Tavarr's Mate
“Yes. He did.” I pause and study her pensive expression. “I suppose Joanna has filled you in about his true identity?”
She gives a solemn nod. “Joanna told me all that Zell told her. I’m so sorry. I-I don’t think Tavarr means you any harm, though. If he did, Prince Kenan and Zandek would likely sense it. They interrogated him pretty well after you left the dinner table.” She smiles. “He and Zandek almost came to blows before the prince intervened. I don’t speak their language, but after witnessing that and then having Zandek summarize the conversation quickly for me, I think Tavarr genuinely feels the urge to claim you and wants to make amends for his brother’s heinous crimes.”
I draw in a deep breath and give her a direct look. “All Kleaxian males physically punish their mates, on occasion, don’t they, Helena?” When she doesn’t answer right away, I continue, “I can’t be sure, but I think a few weeks ago I heard Zandek punishing you. Are-are you okay?”
She walks closer, until I can peer straight into her pretty blue eyes. She has that love-struck look about her, that calm dreamy spark in her gaze that seems to come from her affection for her mate.
“It is true that Kleaxian males punish their mates on occasion, Katrina. Probably all of them, though I can’t say for sure. But what I do know is that when Zandek punishes me, it’s because I’ve broken a rule and he sees it as his duty to correct me for my infractions. In Kleaxian culture, if a male doesn’t punish his female when she errs, it means the male cares nothing for his female. That is how Zandek has explained it to me. I know I probably sound brainwashed to you, and at first I was terrified of my mate, especially that first time he punished me when I tried to run away the day after he claimed me, but I’m no longer afraid of him. The few times he has punished me were not so bad, and I promise you I am fine. I know this might sound crazy, but I’m happy and I’m very much in love with Zandek. Yes, he spanks me when I’m naughty, like if I break a specific rule, show him disrespect, or tell a lie, but it’s just that—a spanking. He, um, used a belt on me once, but only once. The time I ran away. He doesn’t beat me with his fists or slap me around, and because of Prince Kenan’s royal decree that prohibits harsh punishments for human females, it’s not likely that other human women are receiving more than spankings now. Am-am I making sense?”
“What kind of rules does Zandek expect you to follow?” I suppose, knowing firsthand how badly a Kleaxian could hurt his female mate, a spanking isn’t the worst thing in the world. Vonn punched, kicked, and whipped me, but he never spanked me. But then he wasn’t punishing me for a specific infraction as Zandek has punished Helena. He kept hurting me for the same imagined crime over and over again, thinking I deserved nothing but pain and misery for my association with Harry.
“Well,” she says, biting her lip as her face flushes, “I am not allowed to, um, touch myself without permission. I’m not to attempt fashioning undergarments of any kind. I’m not allowed to leave the house without asking, and in most cases I must be in Zandek’s company and wearing the leash, though there have been a few times Joanna and one of the servants have accompanied me on quick trips to visit a neighbor while taking a path behind the houses, out of sight from the market and the main road.” She looks up and taps her chin, thinking. “I shouldn’t talk back to Zandek, that’s for sure. Also, on the nights he wants me to sleep in the cage, I am not allowed to pout over it.
“Listen, I am sorry that Prince Kenan can no longer legally select a mate for you, but I know he is interested in your welfare. He’s frustrated Tavarr doesn’t want to wait a year to claim you—well, frustrated that Tavarrcan’t waitis more like it, if I’m understanding his biological urge to claim you correctly. If the prince thought Tavarr meant you the same harm as Vonn, he would travel to Kleax-Lul tomorrow and personally challenge Tavarr’s petition to the king. That’s what Zandek has told me.” She approaches and puts an arm around me. “Come on, let’s go drink some more wine and listen to some music with Joanna. Everything will work out. I promise.”
“I’m warning you, my life has a history of not working out.”
She chuckles and leads me downstairs to the parlor, and I soon lose myself in the seductive rhythm of an ancient Kleaxian composition and two strong glasses of wine.
There’s a very good chance that by this time tomorrow, I will already belong to Tavarr.
Since escape doesn’t appear to be an option anymore, I’m determined to enjoy my last few hours of freedom.
Chapter Twelve
I awake to the sound of male Kleaxian voices drifting upstairs.
Zandek must be giving another English lesson.
Though the human women who came to Tallia hailed from a variety of cultures on Earth, English had long been declared the official language in Capital Acres, and anyone wishing to work on Tallia or visit was required to be fluent in English, even wealthy tourists. Language barriers were considered problematic, particularly in the case of an emergency, and the various companies that invested the most money in Capital Acres had voted between English, Russian, and Chinese. English had won by only a narrow margin, and for a while the Russians had temporarily boycotted travel to Tallia in protest. I wonder if Zandek knows anything about this, or if he thinks all the people of Earth speak the same language.
Zell has told me that Kleaxians all speak the same official dialect as the prime city of Kleax-Lul, but in ancient times there were seven dialects that all Kleaxians had to learn. I’m glad there’s only one Kleaxian dialect to worry about, however, because like Helena and Joanna, I haven’t been able to pick up any of it yet.
Zandek says one of their most brilliant scientists is working on a translator for human women that will allow us to understand the Kleaxian tongue, and I hope it’s widely available once the invention is complete—even if it must be implanted in my brain.
Still under the covers, I turn and peer out the open window. The scents of the nearby forest enter with the breeze, as well as the invigorating smell of the massive salt lake. The waves crash steadily on the shoreline, a relaxing sound that beckons me to run outside and stick my bare feet in the warm white sand. Though I’ve had good reason not to leave Zandek’s house, I’m starting to get a serious case of cabin fever.
I long to take a stroll through the quaint looking town or on the walking paths in the woods. I also yearn to venture out onto the Carmuit Lake. Zandek has a boat and he’s taken Helena out on the calm waters a few times, and while they have always invited me, I have politely refused, only to stand on the rooftop and watch from afar as they travel across the sparkling blue waters and out of sight.
Sitting up, I push the covers down and stretch my arms. Every inch of my body is humming this morning, and I know it’s because of Tavarr.
Meeting him three nights ago has seemingly altered me.
Whenever I think of him, an ache pulses hot and tender between my thighs, and I flush all over and can’t help but squirm. It’s all I can do to keep from touching myself sometimes, but I’m worried if I surrender to those shameless urges, that my unwanted desire for Tavarr will only increase.
I haven’t seen him since the night he came to dinner, but I know he must be in the prime city, petitioning the king for the right to claim me immediately.
I’m not as nervous at the prospect of becoming his mate as I once was, now that I’ve had several days to process the situation. If I’m being honest, I even miss the huge Kleaxian. No one has breathed a word to me about his location or when he might return, and I’ve had to force myself not to ask. I don’t want to appear eager to be claimed, not if there’s a chance Tavarr might try to wait longer to make me his.
But deep down, I know he won’t try to restrain himself. The hunger flaring in his dark depths had looked insatiable, and so feral he almost appeared angry. My mouth goes dry as I wonder what mating with him will entail.
Will he be gentle? Or rough? Will he try to coax me with sweetness at first, only to build to a crescendo of urgent and primal fucking?
Damn.
I rush to the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. I need to get it together.
Closing my eyes, I envision his black Kleaxian warriors’ uniform clinging to his huge, powerful physique just so, accentuating every well-defined muscle on his body. He’s the most perfect specimen of manhood I’ve ever seen, and the fact that his dark purple eyes had glimmered with tender yet lustful promises as we stood under the moonlight makes it impossible to banish him from my thoughts.
