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Blayde had peeled Ryan off him eventually, though he kept a big hand on his waist and kept Ryan pulled possessively close to him. “Kai, this is my mate, Ryan. You two will probably be seeing a lot of each other in the days to come. Our home is next door to yours. ”
The handsome little blond held out a hand to him, but his eyes were wide with surprise. “But I thought you were going to be a girl. ” He clapped his hands in delight. “This is a wonderful surprise. ” He turned to Blayde in confusion. “What happened? Did Lucas arrange for a different mate?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Blayde said quietly.
Kai, who was feeling overwhelmed with all the males swarming over the dock, looked around for Lucas. Not finding him, he started to tremble a little, but tried to smile and gave Ryan his hand. “N-nice to meet you,” he said softly.
Ryan smiled back at him. “You’ll like it here—and I know we’ll be good friends. ”
Lucas came up beside Kai then, and Kai stepped close to him. Looking a little surprised, Lucas reached for Kai’s hand. “I think Kai is feeling a little nervous. Maybe you can come over tomorrow to talk to him, Ryan? Once he’s had a chance to settle in a bit. It would be good for him to talk to one of the other mates. ”
Ryan nodded happily. “I’d love to. I’ll see you tomorrow then, okay, Kai?”
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Kai smiled as Blayde pulled Ryan down the ramp and into one of the waiting vehicles. They looked like the land vehicles on his own planet, but the wheels were huge and the tires knobby. When Kai followed Lucas to one of them and stepped off the wooden dock, he sank down into the sandy soil and realized the wheels had to be so large to navigate through the terrain.
When they arrived at Lucas’s large home, Kai got an overall impression of low white walls with a stone fence wrapping entirely around the home. He followed Lucas inside and stood hesitantly by the door, not sure what to do next. Lucas put down his bag and turned toward him. He looked exhausted, yet his big body as he leaned against the counter was incredibly attractive, stirring something deep with- in Kai. Predictably, the flesh between his legs started to get hard. He’d noticed this whenever he looked at Lucas over the past two days of the voyage. Kai angled his body away, so that Lucas wouldn’t notice. Lucas had his hand down there on Kai most of the time anyway, and Kai figured he’d touch him there again if he noticed, as if it was his duty to see to it. Even though Kai ached for his touch, he knew his mate needed rest more than anything else.
“Where do I sleep?” Kai asked, and Lucas tilted his head as he stared at him.
“With me. My room is at the end of the hall. I did make provisions for you to have your own space, though, in the room next to mine. I’m afraid we’ll have to redecorate. It’s very…frilly,” he said, wrinkling his nose.
Kai shook his head. “Oh no, I like frilly things. In my room at home…”
“I said we’d redecorate,” Lucas said, his voice tight with anger. “You’re not a female, so stop acting like one. ”
Kai lowered his head, but anger surged through him. He tried hard not to show it, not wishing to argue so soon after arriving, but he was getting very tired of people telling him what he was supposed to like. Who decided these things, anyway? Why was his natural preference for soft colors, frills and lace so wrong?
He nodded and Lucas walked closer to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I know this must be hard for you. I’m finding it’s a little hard for me too. ”
Sighing, he pulled Kai close to him and kissed his forehead. “Go on to the last bedroom at the end of the hall and get in bed. You look exhausted. I have a few things to check on, and then I’ll come join you. ”
It wasn’t hard to get ready for bed, since he had no clothes at all. He’d been wearing some of Lucas’s things on board the ship, but usually slept naked, since that was what Lucas seemed to want. Kai wandered down the hall to Lucas’s room. He got into Lucas’s big bed, sinking down into a soft, comfortable mattress. The pillow smelled like Lucas, and the familiar smell relaxed Kai enough that he soon fell asleep. He awoke sometime in the night to find Lucas’s big, hard body spooning him, his arm wrapped tightly around Kai’s waist. Kai snuggled back against him and let sleep overtake him again.
Now, only a few weeks later, his husband no longer slept by his side at night. How had things unraveled so much between them in such a short time? Sighing, Kai gathered up his arrows and walked back toward the house. He’d been standing in the yard daydreaming so long that he looked around nervously to make sure none of the neighbors were watching him. Ryan had told him many of the Lycan people had wanted a female consort for their alpha, so Lucas could get an heir. When Ryan saw the stricken look on Kai’s face, he blushed and said he talked too much and not to worry about it in the least. Lucas and Blayde and the rest of the family were handling everything.
Kai caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass doors that led inside the house. He looked very different from the person known as Princess Kai, and he no longer resembled a woman at all. Lucas had made him cut his long hair to a much shorter length. Not quite as short as his and the other Lycans, but close. He never wore makeup any more. He’d been glad about the makeup, and hadn’t minded at all about his hair. He liked the freedom of the shorter cut, and he’d wanted to look more like Lucas, whom he considered very handsome. Still, he wondered if there was anything about him that Lucas did like, and he felt little pieces of himself slipping away.
Kai’s body looked longer and leaner in the clothing he wore now too. Lucas had purchased an entire wardrobe for him, consisting mainly of the trousers and shirts and soft leather boots the other Lycans wore. They were comfortable enough, though still stiff and new. He still preferred his comfortable leggings and since he was back inside, he went to his room to change into them.
Afterward, he checked his compnetto see if his mother had sent him a message. Lucas himself had sent the queen a brief message telling her they’d arrived on Lycanus 3 safely. But, at first, he’d forbidden Kai to contact her. When he saw how unhappy it made Kai, he’d relented, and now allowed him to send messages to her regularly. Kai was well aware that Lucas read his messages, probably hoping to learn the secrets Kai was keeping from him. It did him no good whatsoever.
The lines weren’t secure into Scythia, so neither Kai nor his mother ever sent messages of any importance. Kai and Merrial had long ago worked out a system of secret communication, though, starting when he was only a child. Merrial had a beautiful wife named Lythiquo. As a young girl, Lythiquo had been quite beautiful and when she’d first come to Scythia as a love slave, she worked in the royal palace. Merrial met her there, and when Lythiquo became too old to be desirable any longer, Merrial was allowed to purchase her for herself.
Lythiquo came from a tiny planet on the outskirts of the known universe. Its sun had super-novaed and the few inhabitants who managed to escape sought refuge all over the galaxies. Lythiquo had sold herself into slavery in order to survive. Her planet, QVR 7, had a strange, obscure language known as Quevarian, and it was so obscure and difficult to master that no one really knew it any more, except, of course, for the few refugees like Lythiquo. She had taught it to Merrial, who in turn, taught the language to Kai when he was very young, and he had spent many hours practicing with both Merrial and Lythiquo. Thus, they could have entire secret conversations no matter who was nearby to hear them.
Occasionally, he and Merrial still used this language to send their messages to each other. Lucas must have noticed, but he’d never questioned it. Perhaps he thought messages to a servant were beneath his notice.
Kai was sitting in the main living area, his leg swung over the arm of the big lounge chair when Lucas came in late that afternoon.
As always, Kai’s heart leaped at the sight of him. Lucas came over to sit on one of the sofas. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kai said quietly. “I’m fine. ”
“No pains?” Lucas asked solicitously. “I’m trying very hard not to think about any of the…issues…between us. I hate the thought of you in pain. ”
“None,” Kai said, lying only a little. He was beginning to be able to live with the discomfort. It wasn’t too bad so long as he kept busy. “I practiced with the bow you bought for me today. ”
