Chapter 5
My mate was brave and powerful. I wasn’t aware of what kind of magic he used to hide me but he took me out of that place. My ancestors had to be watching over me to send such a courageous soul to me. He didn’t hesitate to help me. I wondered if he knew I was his.
The swaying of the vehicle churned my stomach. Even though I longed to take in the surrounding sights, I had to close my eyes. I was aware cities existed beyond the borders of my home, but experiencing one firsthand was truly breathtaking. Next time, I vowed, I’d keep my eyes open.
My mate kept a hand on my arm as he drove. I wanted to hold his hand but the grip he had was firm around my forearm. It wasn’t aggressive, so I wasn’t afraid of what it meant. Perhaps he simply needed to touch me to maintain the spell.
My stomach gnawed at itself and my head hurt. I was so tired, but I felt safe. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, my mate was shaking me gently and the vehicle was stopped.
“We’re here.” His low voice was calm. I surveyed my surroundings, only to find we were in an underground garage. These were familiar to me. I had been in a few before to see special doctors. A split second of tension seized me from the memory, but I was with my mate. I was safe.
He opened the door and paused, his hand resting on my arm. The vehicle was compact enough for my arm to reach across the bench. I carefully slid out and placed my feet on the ground. The cold ground jolted my senses, eliciting a sharp hiss.
“Shit. Hold on.” My mate guided me back to sit on the bench with my feet out. “I’ll carry you but we need to fix these coveralls.”
He took the loose ends and tied them around my waist tightly so the pants didn’t fall. Then he reached behind the bench and brought out another piece of cloth. “Here, this shirt will be a bit short in length, but you’re thin enough that we can button it. At least it will cover most of you.”
The cloth was colored brightly in reds and oranges with yellow flowers. It was quite beautiful and I could imagine how lovely it would be on my mate in contrast to his beautiful greyish-blue skin. He held it open and waited but I couldn’t figure out what he wanted me to do.
“Right. Put your arm through this hole.” He pointed to my left arm as he moved the fabric so the hole was more visible.
I raised my arm and he guided the fabric over it and then around my back.
I twisted my other arm awkwardly to put it through the other side.
He pulled the two sides together and started pushing buttons through the holes to secure the sides shut.
Through countless hours of watching shows, I had gained a working knowledge of many things.
So, I knew their names and how they operated, but I’d never worn clothing—ever.
The fabric of the pants itched my skin but the shirt was soft.
It smelled of my mate, and I loved that he was claiming me by covering me with his scent.
“Right, that will work for now. I want to get you into my home as quickly as possible and then we’ll talk. At least, I hope we can.” He turned his back to me. “Get on like you did before.”
I stood, ignoring the cold, and hopped onto his back.
He grunted with my weight and I worried about injuring him.
He was slim and didn’t appear to be overly muscled but he had carried me the distance to the vehicle before.
He stepped forward and then turned around to close the vehicle door.
He went left and moved along a row of other vehicles.
At the end of the row was a set of doors. He put his hand to the side of them and a light flashed under it, then the doors slid open. Oh. It was an elevator. I’d been in one a few times. It was different in this form rather than on all fours and closer to the ground.
My mate pressed a button and the doors closed. The elevator jerked and I tightened my hold on my mate. He patted my leg reassuringly. “It’s okay. This is normal. We’re almost there.”
The elevator came to a halt, and the doors slid open.
He exited and walked down the hallway. There were doors on either side and after passing two, my mate stopped in front of one and put his hand to the panel on the wall.
A light flashed and the door slid open with a hiss.
The magic of a barrier tingled my skin as he walked through the entrance.
I was not surprised that a mage of his caliber was so thoroughly protected.
“Welcome to my home.” My mate breathed heavily, sounding winded.
We entered a big room with places to sit on one side and a cooking area on the far side.
There was a hall opening between the sitting area and the cooking area.
Glass doors behind the cooking area led somewhere.
My mate went toward the cooking area and pulled out a stool that was hidden under a high table attached to the wall.
“Sit here.” He turned so I could move from his back to the stool easily.
I reluctantly let him go and stood. The floor was warm, so my sensitive feet didn’t protest. My mate faced me and pushed his curly white hair back with his fingers.
He caught his breath as he leaned against the table.
As his magic faded, a wave of coolness washed over me, and he offered me an exhausted smile.
“Hi.” My voice was still rough, and I swallowed, trying to wet my dry throat. However, it must not have been too bad since his smile widened.
“Hi. Let me get you some water. Do you want some hot tea? It sounds like your throat is sore.” He straightened and moved around the table. He opened a door and grabbed a cup, then went to the sink and twisted a knob to make water come out into the cup.
The water smelled and looked fresh. He put the cup in front of me.
I tried not to gulp it down, but it was cool, and it tasted so good.
Too soon, the cup was empty. My mate filled it again and then moved to fill something else with water.
He put it on the surface next to the sink and pressed something on it, making it glow.
Fascinated by what was happening, I drank the full cup slower, but it soon was empty again.
“Are you hungry?” He moved to the other side of the cooking area and opened another door. “What do you like to eat?”
“Yes.” My voice was stronger but I was unsure of my words.
Elvish wasn’t natural to me. I learned it only through the viewing device.
The language I spoke with my family was ours, passed down through the generations and to preserve the one thing they couldn’t take away from us.
They couldn’t hear us, so they couldn’t steal it from us.
So, while I understood my mate, I wasn’t sure how well he understood me.
He brought over a bowl of tiny round blue fruits.
I gasped in surprise. I’d had them before, but not in years.
My mate was so good to me. I tried to grab one but it squished between my fingers.
I froze, hoping I wasn’t about to be punished.
I hadn’t thought my mate would be so strict but I couldn’t be sure.
He didn’t notice, it seemed. He was pouring the water from the tall glowing cup into a smaller cup.
I licked my fingers quickly to hide the evidence but the sweet juice made me groan in delight.
I picked the bowl up instead and brought it to my mouth.
I put my mouth in the bowl and managed to get a few of the fruits in my mouth with my tongue and lips.
My mate laughed softly and I slowly lowered the bowl as he placed the new cup in front of me. “This is some mint tea. It will help your throat but be careful. It’s hot.”
Steam rose from the new cup and a lovely smell came with it.
I sniffed, remembering the smell from many years before.
I recalled a plant with a similar smell that used to grow at home but we ate it and it didn’t grow again.
I remember liking the taste. I put my finger in the liquid to test it but jerked it back. The liquid was too hot.
“Sorry. Give it a minute or two to cool, then you’ll be able to drink it but you want it hot enough to help your throat.” He went back to the door he got the fruits from and took out another bowl. “I’m sorry, I don’t have much to eat right now. Are these okay?”
I recognized the red fruit and nodded.
“Good. Ummm, I know this is odd to ask now but I realized that I don’t know. What’s your name?” He pointed to himself. “I’m Ryker.” He pronounced his name slowly.
“Ryyker.” I said, slowly feeling the sounds in my mouth, and then I repeated. “Ryker.”
“Yes.” He smiled. “What’s your name?” He pointed at me.
“Kaba.” I drank more water, still unsure of my fingers’ ability to grab the fruit without killing it. This shape was very unruly. My limbs didn’t want to do what I wanted them to.
“I don’t know how long it will be before they realize you’re gone. I’m not exactly sure what will happen next or what I should do.” The pitch of his voice rose and he spoke faster, so I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. Were we in danger?
“Help. Family.” I pronounced each word slowly.
“I didn’t see any other animals in the habitat.” His brow furrowed in the middle.
“No. There. Family. Home.” I prayed to the ancestors that he grasped my meaning. We needed to save my family.
“You want to go home?”
“Yes.” I nodded firmly.
“Okay. Where is that?” He reached into a pocket in his short pants and pulled out a flat rectangular glass object. He tapped it and a light emanated from it. I leaned closer to it. I gasped. It was a tiny viewing device.
He gave me another look. “Where’s your home?”
My excitement ebbed and I grimaced. “No.”
“No?” His face screwed up. “You don’t know where your home is?” He seemed unsure of what he was asking.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Were you in an enclosure before you were in the one I took you from?” He spoke slowly and distinctively, which I appreciated.
“Yes.”
He pursed his lips and I thought maybe he was going to kiss me. I’d seen humans do that on the shows. But he put his finger to his lips instead as he looked at the viewing device.
“Was your family with you before?”
“Yes.” I smiled to encourage my mate because he was so smart.
“Was your family in the enclosure?”
“Yes.”
His brow crinkled again. “You want to return to the enclosure?”
“Yes.” I nodded slowly, not sure if we were understanding each other.
My mate, Ryker. I liked the way his name sounded. Ryker. He shook his head. “No, I think I’m misunderstanding because I don’t think you want to go back to the zoo to live. You want me to take your family out of the enclosure?”
“Yes. Help. Family.” I smiled wide and nodded vigorously.
“Oookaay.” He elongated the word while staring at the viewing device. He tapped it a few times. “Ummm. I need to make a call. Stay here and drink your tea. Eat as much as you like. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He patted my arm, then moved from the cooking area to behind me and into the hall. I watched as he entered another room and then a door hissed closed behind him. I hoped he wasn’t upset.
I tested the heat of the tea and found it warm but not too hot.
I sipped it, trying out the taste of it.
I hummed as the flavor I remembered hit my tongue.
I swallowed and the warm liquid made my throat warm and it did soothe the soreness.
Hoping my mate would be back soon, I concentrated on using my fingers to bring the fruit from the bowl to my mouth.