Page 44 of Kenan's Mate
“No, I have more to say. Please, listen. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but please listen.”
“All right,” I murmur against his chest. Despite all that’s happened today, his arms are the sweetest refuge. Odd that I’m not recoiling from him in fear. I suppose it’s because of the images Heggal showed me. Thank God for that. If not for those images, I would probably be cowering and begging Kenan not to touch me.
“Human women are not like Kleaxian woman. I should not have expected you to mold yourself completely to our ways, especially given I am half-human. Tomorrow I will issue a royal edict for the Dennian Mountain towns and declare it illegal for Kleaxians to beat their human females severely, mates as well as slaves. I will pass this edict along to the rest of the royal family on other mountains and continents and recommend they adopt the same laws. The worst a human female can expect is a spanking, or perhaps a few strikes with a belt. No bruises, no blood drawn, and certainly no beatings with fists.”
Again, I’m stunned. I peer into his eyes, my heart overflowing with relief. To think all the human women I’ve been agonizing about no longer need worry about enduring a severe punishment, is more than I could have ever hoped for. I smile at Kenan through my tears.
“That’s wonderful news. Thank you.”
“Kleaxians who are caught breaking this law will be banished from Dennian Mountain, and their mates will be placed as servants, also to be treated kindly, in a law-abiding Kleaxian’s home. I doubt a single Kleaxian will defy the edict, as the mating bond is strong and no sane male wants to be without his mate.”
The shattered pieces of my heart reassemble at the bottom of the canyon. I cup his face and press a kiss to his warm lips. “Thank you, Kenan.” I might not be able to send anyone back to Earth, but at least the other taken human women will not have to fear horrible beatings from their mates and masters. No more bruises, no more broken skin.
“I’ve postponed tonight’s dinner.” He tucks my hair behind my ears. “You need your rest, my love.”
I swallow hard. “Do you really love me?”
He looks surprised. “Yes, Laylah. With my whole heart.”
I fall quiet for a while, then eventually say, “I haven’t told you this yet, but…I love you, too.”
Confusion spreads over his face, and he withdraws from me slightly. “How can you say that?”
“It’s true. I realized it some time ago.”
“But after what I did to you…”
Grasping his hand, I kiss it in the same fashion he kissed mine only minutes ago. “I’ve already forgiven you.” I kiss his hand again. “I do love you, Kenan. Withmywhole heart.”
He’s not the monster I thought he was. He wouldn’t have carried out the full punishment he’d promised me, even if I hadn’t swooned in fright. He’d tossed the crop down before he even realized I’d passed out, unable to administer any further blows.
“Turn over; let me check your back.”
I move onto my stomach, and he lowers the covers. His fingers trail over my back and I feel the tension draining from his limbs.
“The salve has worked quickly. Your back is completely unblemished.”
He then proceeds to tenderly kiss every inch of my back. Goosebumps prickle across my flesh and my body hums at his nearness. After he finishes, he lifts me onto his lap and cradles me in his arms.
I love sitting on his lap, and in this moment, I know without a doubt we will heal from this rift in our relationship and come out ten times stronger.
My mended heart rises out of the canyon, as if carried on a cloud.
“We will have a wedding,” he says.
“What?”
“A human wedding. In the town square. A week from today, you will don a beautiful white gown and we’ll say human wedding vows before hundreds of Kleaxians.”
“That’s a lovely idea, Kenan.” I cup his face and smile up at him. “My husband.”
He holds me tighter. “My wife.”
Epilogue
“It’s a boy.” Mariella approaches with the red newborn bundled in white.
My throat tightens and I smile at my new son. He’s making little gurgling noises, but he’s not crying. The doctor says Kleaxian babies don’t cry very often, but I’m still surprised he doesn’t cry in the minutes after childbirth, being part human.
