Page 17 of Kenan's Mate
A sigh escapes me. I’m probably testing Kenan’s patience by taking so long getting ready, so I hurry to finish in the shower and don the elegant gown. It feels odd getting dressed with no undergarments—none have been provided—but, to my delight, the hem falls several inches above my ankles. At least I’ll be able to walk easily wearing it, without it dragging along the ground like the black robe. After towel drying my hair to the best of my ability, I tuck the damp locks behind my ears and depart the bedroom in search of Kenan.
He’s sipping a steaming mug of something that smells suspiciously like coffee on the front patio. As I approach, he frowns at me as if he doesn’t approve of my appearance. I swallow the sudden lump that forms in my throat and resist the impulse to smooth my hair down. I stare at his feet, noticing he’s wearing black boots, but I’m still barefoot. Heggal didn’t provide me with any sort of shoes.
“You kept me waiting quite a while, Laylah.” His scowl deepens and he steps closer.
I eye the dark contents of his mug and take a long inhale. The strong coffee-like aroma momentarily distracts me from his displeasure at my tardiness. I finally return my gaze to his. “I wanted to look nice for our trip to town,” I say in a placating tone. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Kenan.”
“How do you know we’re headed to town?”
“Well, I assumed we were headed to town, since a servant arrived with this beautiful dress,” I reply quickly, chiding myself for the slip of tongue. My heart races.
He glares at me for a lingering moment then finishes the contents of his mug and sets it down on a table. I take a few steps around him in the direction of a stone path winding through the trees, eager to set off on our short journey, but he grabs my arm and growls. “What do you think you’re doing?”
I lift my chin and glare at him. “Well, since I cannot fly over the trees, I thought I’d walk to town.”
My attempt at a joke falls flat.
His eyes narrow to dark-purple slits, and he retrieves something from his pocket. It’s a chain with a leather length attached to it.Oh my God. After several seconds pass, I gasp and start backing away from him.
It’s a leash.
A fucking leash.
If he thinks I’ll consent to being walked through town like a dog, he might as well leave me at home. I have no desire to endure such callous humiliation. Even my curiosity and longing to glimpse the town up close doesn’t tempt me to oblige him.
“A claimed female does not walk ahead of her mate.” He holds the leash up. “A claimed female wears the leather collar around her neck in public and humbly submits to the guidance of her mate. Once a claimed female bears her mate a child, she doesn’t wear the leash anymore, but she still must walk behind her mate as a show of respect. It is the Kleaxian way.”
I shudder and cross my arms. From my interactions with Kenan thus far, I understand there are many rules on this planet that subjugate females, however I never expected him to lead me through town by a chain.
Shaking my head, I lift my chin higher. I’ll not be intimidated into wearing that thing. No matter what.
“I’m not wearing a leash. Absolutely not. I’ll walk behind you, that’s fine, but I’m not putting that thing around my neck.” Glancing through the trees, I wonder if I’m faster on my feet than Kenan. But as they did the last time I considered running from my so-called mate, the fading welts on my breasts tingle, reminding me of how angry he gets when I try to escape him.
Tears prick my eyes and I blink hard, refusing to cry in front of him. I need to stop crying like a fucking baby in his presence. I must learn to hold my tears until the nighttime hours, when I can cry quietly into my pillow after he falls asleep. I’ll never forget the gratifying moan that sounded in his throat when he tasted my tears yesterday. If I can deprive him of one thing he takes pleasure in, I’ll consider it a small victory.
“Laylah, do you want me to treat you the way most Kleaxian males treat disobedient females?”
“Are you threatening to beat me bloody?”
“Trust me, little human, it would only take one such beating to make you forever compliant.” He places the leash next to his empty mug and grasps my chin hard. “Are you going to wear the collar?”
Sunlight glints off the intricate loops of the chain. The breeze picks up and stirs my hair around my shoulders as I stare at the object of my scorn. If I relent and offer my neck for the leash, I’ll lose what’s left of my self-respect.
After the somewhat pleasant night spent wrapped in his arms, I’m hurt by his expectation I wear a leash in public, even if it is the custom of his people. I’m not a Kleaxian female and I wish he could be more understanding of my culture, a culture we happen to share, since his human father raised him.
“No, Kenan, I am not going to wear the leash. However, if you’d like to wear it, I have no problem leading you around town like a dog.” The angry, taunting words escape my mouth before I give them much thought. But the moment his red face pales slightly and his large eyes widen, I’m drenched in ice cold fear.
This is it.
He isn’t only going to beat me bloody. He’s probably going to kill me, even if it is forbidden for a Kleaxian male to kill a female.
Maybe it’s better this way.
I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life being constantly threatened and led around by a chain. I’m young and inexperienced and I never had a serious boyfriend on Earth, but I thought one day when I finally met the right person, I would mean something to that man.
Kenan sees me for my sex and nothing more. I’m the female he carried off theStargazer, which makes me his possession.
The spoils of war.
