The chancellor’s eyes are narrowed with pity, but she recovers before the lord notices. “Right. Well, let us return to my office, Lord Forchan, and I can go over the testing requirements with you.”
The lord tosses us a look of sheer contempt before trotting along behind the chancellor and disappearing from sight.
June pulls out of my embrace and crosses her arms over her chest once we’re alone. “What the hell just happened?”
An excellent question. If only I had an answer.
Chapter 6
JUNE
His mate. Hismate?
Zivren stood there, and in front of the chancellor, aka the president of the island and Lord Forchan, the most devious little cockroach in the entire fucking universe, said I’m his mate. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that.
I mean, I’m grateful he did. Otherwise I’d be on a ship right now with my wrists and ankles cuffed to a narrow steel bench as I head to my death on Etirinu. I just didn’t expect him to stick up for me to the point of lying to the governments of two planets. He seems like a rule follower. More importantly, I assumed he hated me. Well, maybe nothated, exactly, but at best, I figured he only sort of tolerated me. Whenever I’m around, he avoids making eye contact and keeps the communication between us limited to grunts and nods. In the kitchen yesterday, when my arm brushed his, he looked shocked and disgusted as if I burned him.
Clearly he trusts my ability to care for Akkal, or he wouldn’t have given me the job. But he acts like that’s my only redeeming quality and without it, I’m a viper ready to strike. I have no idea what I did to freak the man out so much, but I wish he’d tell me.
Do I smile at him too much? Is showing one’s teeth a sign of disrespect among his kind? No, that can’t be it. Akkal smiles all the time. I’ve tried to give him more personal space over the last week, since he’s so uncomfortable with my closeness. Maybe that’s part of it. Do I smell bad? Do humans in general smell bad to him?
I’m even more puzzled now since he’s put himself in a precarious situation by claiming to be my mate. I’m not sure if he’s breaking any of the island’s laws by lying. Harboring a murderer might not have the same weight as it does on Earth, but there must be something in the island’s laws about fraudulent mating bonds, right? I can’t see the chancellor being pleased about that. Though she did seem to encourage this whole ruse, so who knows?
“Why did you do that?” I ask Zivren once the others leave. The sun has risen, and the morning sky casts a pink glow over the beach. A tall cup of fasuun sure would be nice right now. It would give my hands something to do, other than fidget with the buttons of my linen shirt. I’m going to have to sew them all back on by the end of this conversation.
He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it. After scrubbing a hand down his face and kicking the sand as he walks in a wide yet perfect circle, he shrugs, and the words that leave his mouth melt me where I stand. “Because you’ve given me a life I didn’t think I could have, and no matter what you’ve done, I couldn’t let them end yours.”
My eyes sting with tears as I process that statement. “Oh,” is all I can offer in return. I’m too stunned to say anything more, which is odd since I tend to babble when I’m nervous. This isn’t nerves, though. Well, at the thought of being arrested and tried for the king’s murder? Sure. It’s a whole trash bag full of nerves dancing around like electrified spaghetti. But his reason forpushing this bizarre lie? It’s more like a wave of warm bathwater covering my exposed skin a moment before goosebumps form.
“Okay,” I say with a sigh. “So what now?”
A few hours later, we get our answer, when Chancellor Uzellarin returns without Lord Forchan and his guards. She knocks on my door first, and without saying a word, takes my arm and leads me to Zivren’s house so we can debrief.
“I told Lord Forchan I was your witness on your Mating Day,” she says, pacing across the family room floor in front of us. “He asked for the declarations you exchanged, your attire, and several other details only a witness could provide. I wrote it all down here.” She puts a piece of paper in front of us on the drink table. “Study that. He’ll ask you for those same details during the test.”
“Right. The test,” Zivren says as Akkal launches himself onto his father’s back. “What else will be on it?”
“I can’t tell you precisely what’s on the test. If it comes out I did, the mating bond can be severed, and he has legal grounds to take Juniper back to Etirinu to be prosecuted. Just know there’s a test to see how well you know each other and one regarding your physical trust. Do with that information what you will in order to prepare.”
Zivren and I exchange a frustrated glance because, while it is helpful, it’s also not helpful enough to get us ready.
“Vatra,”Akkal groans, which means “Daddy” in the universal language. It’s clear he wants his father’s attention, but Zivren is far too focused on our new mate bond problem for that. “Come play sand castles with me.”
I help him out by tapping Akkal on the arm and gesturing for him to hop in my lap. “Come here, bud.”
He does without complaint.
“Juniper will also have to make this her residence, effective immediately,” the chancellor adds.
“What? Why? I like my house. I don’t want to move.” I turn to Zivren as the guilt hits. “Sorry. No offense. I like it here, I just also like having my own space. I’m forty-three.” I let out a strangled exhale. “I haven’t had that since before I was taken.”
“The guards are staying on the island until the test is finalized,” the chancellor explains in a scolding tone. “They’ll be able to observe you. If you aren’t sharing a residence, they’ll become suspicious.”
Zivren nods in acceptance. “I have a spare bed in my room.” He turns to me. “This can work.”
“So, a mated couple…what does that mean exactly? On Earth couples would get married, which meant they were legally recognized as partners for life, but divorce was common. Is it like that? Just a piece of paper saying we’re together until we aren’t?”
The chancellor shakes her head. “I believe it’s more serious than your Earth marriages. While there is a legal status granted to you stating you’re an official coupling in the eyes of the island, mated pairs don’t often separate. It’s quite rare.”
