Page 38 of Kenan's Mate
I gulp. “When will the sentence be carried out?”
“Now.”
Cheers erupt in the crowd, and though I know I should close my eyes, I can’t look away. I’d always wondered about Kenan’s duties as judge and executioner, and I’m about to witness firsthand how lawbreakers are dealt with.
What happens next is quick but brutal. One of Kenan’s soldiers brings him a sword. From my talks with Heggal, I know Kleaxians possess weapons that look similar to guns, but that shoot beams of light that can stun or kill a person, depending on the setting, and all warriors carry the special guns during active times of war. But for whatever reason, the weapon of choice today is a sword. Maybe another Kleaxian custom, or maybe Kenan prefers a more primitive method of execution.
Vonn tries to run, but Kenan grabs him by the arm and drags him back into the middle of the circle. Kenan steps back, raises the sword, and slices across the guilty Kleaxian’s chest. Another slice across his chest, and then another. Blood sprays onto the ground and even on Kenan, and Vonn drops to his knees.
Then Kenan wields the sword at Vonn’s neck, taking his head off in one fell swoop.
I gasp and look away before the criminal’s head hits the ground. I’ve seen enough and can’t watch anymore.
The crowd is going wild.
Kenan eventually joins us in the bedroom, still covered in the blood of the male he just executed. Our eyes briefly clash before he goes to speak with the doctor and the other Kleaxians in the room, including Zandek.
Joanna and Helena lead me downstairs, and we wait in a sitting room for someone to bring us additional news on Katrina’s condition. The other human women join us, though none of us speak. The doctor has said hethinkshe can save Katrina, but we’re all waiting for a more definitive diagnosis, so we sit, wait, and send up silent prayers for the poor girl lying in the bed upstairs.
My mind wanders as I sit there, surrounded by human women for the first time in what feels like ages. The last time I saw so many humans, it was the morning of the attack, when I’d gone for a quick jog through the corridors of theStargazerto get some exercise.
Sadness envelops me and I wrap my arms around myself, listening for the sound of footfalls on the stairs. If Katrina makes a full recovery, what will happen to her? Will she be given to another Kleaxian to take as a mate? Or will she be kept as a slave or a servant? If she has brain damage, who will care for her? I decide to broach this topic with Kenan at the earliest opportunity. Katrina deserves freedom, but on Tallia she’ll never get it.
Joanna has her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes shut tight, and her lips are moving, though no sound escapes. Again, I’m struck by how much she reminds me of my grandmother. Grandma used to randomly pray in the middle of a day, no matter where she was, if she heard of someone in need of prayer. If we were in the grocery store and she ran into a friend who’d recently gotten bad news from a doctor, after chatting with that friend she would push her cart a few steps, then stop and close her eyes in prayer. Whether in a store, on the street, or sitting in her car, Grandma always took time for prayer and never seemed to lose faith. Would her faith have been shaken if she’d been alive when my brother died?
A coppery scent enters the sitting room when the breeze picks up, and after a moment, I realize it’s the smell of Vonn’s blood. I press my hand to my mouth, trying not to gag. As if sensing my discomfort, Helena rises to close the windows. The sickening scent disperses and I send Helena an appreciative look, and she nods with a sad smile, before her gaze turns distant.
Footsteps finally sound on the stairs. I straighten in my seat. It’s Kenan, and he’s holding my leash and looking pointedly at me. I know from experience that he always keeps it in his pocket, but I try to hide my disappointment that after the horrific events of today, he still expects me to wear it on our return home.
“Katrina will live. The doctor has assured us she will make a full recovery.”
“Thank God,” Helena says, clasping her hands to her chest as she glances up to the ceiling.
I’m so relieved and thankful I could cry, but I hold my emotion in and whisper a quick goodbye to my human companions, give Joanna a hug, and then approach my mate. Kenan’s dark purple eyes gleam with tenderness and concern as he places the leather around my neck, making it difficult for me to remain upset with him for forcing me to wear it. He turns to exit the house and I follow him into the street. The crowd has dispersed and Vonn’s body is gone, though the street is stained red with his blood.
Kenan says nothing during our short journey home, and I am glad for the silence. Though witnessing him execute another Kleaxian had been upsetting, I remind myself that no one forced me to watch and Vonn very much deserved death for what he’d done to Katrina.
Green shimmers around us as we step onto the front patio. Kenan removes my leash and shoves it into his pocket, then places a soft kiss on my forehead. Though I’d just witnessed him kill a man, I still melt at his gentle touch. He would never treat me as Vonn treated Katrina, of that I am certain.
But would he still beat me severely enough to draw blood, as he has threatened before?
I pretend he won’t, I pretend today has changed him enough to realize that punishing me at any level of severity is wrong, as he places a second kiss on my lips.
He brushes my hair behind my ears. “I’m going to clean up, and then we can spend a quiet day together, Laylah. I’m sorry for what you witnessed in town today. This is the first time in the years that I’ve been guardian of Dennian Mountain that a male has inflicted grievous harm to a female. I assure you Vonn’s behavior is not the norm.”
“What will happen to Katrina after she recovers?” I clear my throat and press on, determined to ensure she is given time enough to recover both physically and emotionally before she becomes a servant or is taken as a mate again. “She will be frightened of Kleaxian males, no doubt, and wary of being claimed by another male. Her spirit needs time to recover, not just her body.”
“I have decreed that she will remain in Zandek’s household for a year. After that time, I will personally select her mate from among my warriors. I will choose a male I am certain will be mindful of her past trauma.”
It’s the best answer I can hope for, and I smile at Kenan and stroke the side of his face. “Thank you.”
After Kenan showers and dresses in a clean black uniform, I curl up on his lap in the sitting room and we listen to Kleaxian music. The particular songs he selects are tinged with sadness, but are also interposed with unmistakable glimmers of hope. A servant brings us a large mug ofyinsizawine, which we end up sharing. He tips the cup to my lips several times, and I’m grateful for the almost instant calming effect of the alcohol.
Eventually, I fall into a trance in my mate’s arms, thankful that he hasn’t left me alone. After the frightening scene I witnessed in town, I only want to be held, and he strokes my back and glides his fingers through my hair, helping to quell my inner storm. Once again, I think I might love him, but I still can’t voice such thoughts aloud. Fear has too firm a grip on my tongue.
“Have any of our servants ever touched you or tried communicating with you in any way, Laylah?”
His sudden question throws me off-guard, and I scramble to say, “No-no, of course not.” I try to ignore the sickening guilt that rolls through me for lying, but I can’t possibly tell the truth, even though Kenan will likely punish me if he discovers my deceit. Heggal is my friend, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him, or for him to be sent away.
