22. Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
~Kitari~
“ W hat are you doing?” Koum demanded in Aldarian. His eyes flicked between Bryce Bryce Gunner and me, now standing a stride apart. My head was still spinning after being jerked so roughly from my own cosmos of bliss. Guilt, shame, and anger swelled in me.
I had allowed myself to be led by my urges, to become distracted. Had Bryce Bryce Gunner acted out of choice, or was he possessed by the same urges? Had Koum not interrupted us, would I have continued until I claimed him? If Bryce Bryce Gunner had not been in control of himself, then my actions were unforgivable.
Koum pointed his spear at Bryce Bryce Gunner, who stepped back and held his hands up, then looked at me with wide eyes. “Whoa, there. Kitari, what’s happening?”
I growled and jumped forward, positioning myself between them. “ Lower your weapon .”
“Have you lost your senses, Kitari? Stand aside.”
The other alphas eyed Bryce Bryce Gunner with unconcealed interest.
“No, he is mine…my prisoner.”
“Prisoner? Were you interrogating him, then? ” Koum brandished his spear at Bryce Bryce Gunner.
I did not know if Koum was up to date with the concept of kissing, but even if he was not, it would be impossible to mistake what we were doing for anything other than what it was. I did not have anything to say to that, so I bared my teeth. Koum glared at us both.
“We are taking him to Amalya.”
“I am taking him, ” I said.
We stared at each other, both refusing to back down. He may have been my superior, but I was not going to allow Bryce Bryce Gunner to be taken from me.
“Kitari?” Bryce Bryce Gunner said from behind me.
Koum tightened his mouth, frustrated. Then waved his spear.
“Stand aside.”
“No.”
He lowered his eyes. “Fine.” He motioned with his hand and the alphas surrounded us. “Then we will take both of you.”
***
The alphas flanking us each had their spears pointed at Bryce Bryce Gunner, as if he would go wild and attack them at any moment. I walked next to him inside the circle of spear tips, so close that our arms brushed as we moved.
He was my prisoner, and I was going to protect him. I had given him my word.
The moons were full above us when we reached the mountains and entered the opening in the rock face. The passage through was narrow, one of many leading to the sheltered haven of Amalya .
The alphas separated, half walking in front and half behind. It was still wide enough for me to walk by Bryce’s side, though.
Bryce Bryce Gunner glanced up at me as we stepped inside. He had not said a word since we started moving, had simply nodded when I explained what was happening. I hoped he did not feel betrayed by me. Either for this, or the kiss.
“There is no need to fear,” I said.
He nodded and offered me a tight smile, hiding his true feelings again.
The rocky path was long and overhung with vines that blocked out the light of the moons. When we finally emerged on the other side, Bryce Bryce Gunner caught his breath. Below us was laid out a valley, lush with growth. As the land fell away, the white protrusions of our dwellings emerged from the canopy, tall and sleek. They gathered as the land fell away until they formed into a collection of sparkling buildings that formed the city, with the huge Melandar at its center. Lights sparkled from the buildings, a wide river cutting through the trees, reflecting the moonlight. I tried to see it from his point of view. It was just ‘home’ to me, but it must be breathtaking to someone seeing it for the first time.
“Is this where you live?” he asked.
Before I could answer, Koum barked, “Silence.”
I snarled at him, but he ignored me and gestured to Bryce Bryce Gunner.
“Search him,” Koum said to one of the alphas.
I stepped between them, blocking Bryce Bryce Gunner with my body.
Koum’s frown deepened. “Before we approach Amalya, we must make sure he does not have any weapons.”
“He does not have any,” I said.
Koum jabbed his spear in Bryce Bryce Gunner’s direction. “How do you know? He could have one concealed on himself.”
“He does not.”
Koum glanced at the other alphas briefly. I was the First’s son, but he still had authority here. “Stand aside or I will kill him right here.”
I stared into his face. He was serious. Koum was always serious when it came to his duty to protect, and I could not take on five armed hunters while I was not.
Teeth gritted, hands clenched, I stepped aside. “Basturd,” I spat in Ingleesh.
He frowned at me, confused.
Bryce Bryce Gunner, still unaware of what was happening, backed up as the guard approached him and looked at me.
“What’s he doing?” he asked.
“He is going to search you,” I said, attempting to sound calm for his sake.
The guard towered over Bryce Bryce Gunner. I watched as he patted down Bryce Bryce Gunner’s upper body, following every movement of his hands over his shoulders and chest. Bryce Bryce Gunner stood still with his arms out.
The alpha bent to feel down the length of his legs, and as he did, he leaned in close and took a deep breath of Bryce’s scent. I snarled, and the guard met my eyes briefly, looking smug.
Then he felt around Bryce’s waist, taking time on his backside and between his legs, clearly indulging himself. His hands lingered too long, his gaze hungry.
“That’s enough,” I snarled.
He stood reluctantly. “He is unarmed.”
“As I have already said.” Then added in Ingleesh , “Kock-sucker.”
That earned me another confused look. This Ingleesh was going to prove very useful.
As we passed the first dwellings, an Aldar came out and saw us. They stopped and watched as we walked past. Bryce Bryce Gunner hesitated for only a fraction of a second, but the alpha directly behind him prodded him in the back with the butt of his spear.
“Go,” he snapped in Aldarian.
I growled at him and batted the spear away. “Do not touch him. He can not understand you,” I said in a low voice.
The alpha glared back.
“What is wrong with you, Kitari?” Koum spoke up behind me.
“Nothing. He does not want to fight. There is no need to be rough with him.”
“Does not want to fight?” he said fiercely. His face darkened. “Anidee was nearly killed by these humans.”
“What?” Koum had not mentioned this when I last saw him. Anidee was younger than me and a promising alpha, strong and swift, with the potential to become a strong warrior and hunter. “You did not tell me that. Is he recovering?”
“Slowly. No thanks to these humans.” he spat the word and shot a glare at Bryce Bryce Gunner.
“He was not there. He is not like the others.”
Koum scoffed. “You want him so much it has made you blind. It is pathetic.”
I clenched my jaw. I itched to punch Koum in the face, to wipe that look of condescending disgust off it. But I was too aware of the eyes on us, and the commotion it would cause may harm Bryce Bryce Gunner.
Bryce Bryce Gunner was looking between us, clearly disturbed by our tone, but unable to understand our words. I tried to rearrange my features into a comforting expression, and spoke to him in Panlin.
“I will take you to Jursin. He is our First. Our highest.”
Unfortunately, it appeared Koum was also learning Panlin. He snapped at me in Aldarian, “No, he will go into the holding cells, and we will speak to Jursin.”
No doubt Koum had informed the council about our previous encounter. And no doubt Jursin would have plenty to say about it.
“There is no need for him to be locked up, he does not even have a weapon.”
“This is not a debate. You may be Jursin’s son, but that does not give you the power to command me.” Koum raised his voice as the other alphas watched. It was a challenge, plain and clear. One I could not win; Koum was a trained hunter and warrior since birth, and had the well-defined muscles that went with it. Although we were the same height, Koum was almost half again the width of me.
I glowered, my lips a thin line of useless anger and frustration. Koum scanned me, searching for any sign of a fight. When I did not respond, he nodded once and continued to move.
As we walked, Aldar stopped and stared at Bryce Bryce Gunner. Some of them looked angry, some fascinated. And some stared with a hunger that set my teeth on edge. I stuck close to him at all times, aware of the effect his pheromones had on the other alphas, as they were having on me. My need to protect him was intense.
By the time we reached the holding cells, a crowd had gathered behind us. Perhaps the holding cells were the safest place for him.
Koum reached to grab Bryce’s shoulder, but I hit his hand away, uncaring of his growl and challenging gaze. I allowed Bryce Bryce Gunner to step into the cell on his own and made sure to seal it securely with the particle barrier. Although I was angry at this humiliation, in honesty I was grateful for the strong cell; it would keep him safe.
“I will be back soon. Do not worry,” I told him.
He looked around the cell and squared his shoulders. “Ok, I’ll just hang out here then.” He smiled. “It’s all good, right?”
I nodded, parroting the words back. “It is all good.”
The other Aldar were glaring at him. I shot a brief smile at Gunner to reassure him as much as I could, seething inside that I was forced to leave him like this.