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All is silent in Bee's room, however.
She is not sad I am leaving. Maybe all this time, all she has valued is her job.
It seems wrong, but I cannot shake the feeling of it.
The next day, Herrix and Akris arrive and put the trunk into the back of the air-sled. I am fully dressed, my mane combed out, the high collar of a new tunic tugging at my neck, and new shoes pinching my wide feet. I hate all of it, even if Herrix and Akris tease me like friends over just how miserable I look.
"I think he looks very nice," Bee chides them in her sweet way. "Very professional."
I do not want to be professional. I want to be hers.
I tug at the collar, wishing that it were less choking or that I didn't have to wear a tunic at all. Bee has spoiled me at our small cottage, letting me wander about in nothing but trou. I feel ridiculous in this get-up, but her smile is brilliant as she gazes up at me. "Handsome," she declares. "So very handsome."
But not enough to keep, it seems.
We head in to Port, the air-sled coasting through the sky. It's a lovely day, the weather mild and full of sunshine. Bee clasps my hand as we sit in the back seat, giving it an encouraging squeeze. She says nothing, her expression distracted as Akris and Herrix chat about how many females are now in Port. Herrix has his eye on one in particular, but Akris isn't interested in a human female. He says his mother will hang him by his tail if he mates with anyone other than a good mesakkah female. Herrix just rolls his eyes at that, and the banter continues. Normally I'd find it fascinating to listen in on their thoughts, but today, I just want to talk to Bee. I want to turn this sled around and go back to our colorful cottage. I want to bury my face between her thighs and forget that Lord va'Rin ever contacted us.
The air-sled lands just outside of Port, though, and with it, my spirits plummet. "This is where we split up," Herrix announces cheerfully. "I’m taking this sled back to Lord va'Rin's. Akris will show you to your new office, Bee. Victor, you're with me. We're stopping by the port medic's office and then you're off to your new posting."
"So soon?" A look of panic crosses Bee's face and she clutches at my arm. "Oh, but…"
Herrix glances over at me. My misery must be obvious. He falters momentarily, watching me and then reluctantly tearing his gaze away. "Uh, actually, I have some errands to run. I can come back and get Victor later? At the end of the day?"
"That'd be lovely," Bee says in her too-bright, too-charming voice. "Victor can help me set up my office."
Akris nods. "That'd work. You need to go to the medic first, though. Lord va'Rin's orders."
I shrug. It doesn't matter. Not much does. I no longer feel like a champion—Bee's champion. I feel rejected. Unwanted. Above all, melancholy and heartsick. My mate, I say silently. Even if she does not want me, Bee is my mate. Now and forever.
Neither myself nor Bee are very talkative as Akris escorts us across town. He brings me to the Port medic's office, then heads off with Bee, promising to return soon enough as I'm sent through a barrage of medical tests and my blood is taken. Once upon a time, I might have fought the tired-looking mesakkah male that pricks my finger and makes records in his data pad, but after being with Bee, I know he's just doing his job. He's not trying to anger me.
"You're extremely healthy," the medic says.
I snort. "Of course I am. I am bred to be a champion."
The medic smiles. "Truth. Well, I have the information Lord va'Rin requested. Did you have anything specifically that you wanted done?"
That makes me pause, because I don't understand what he's asking. "Want done?" I echo. "What do you mean?"
He gestures at his data-pad. "Lord va'Rin is offering to pay for any sort of cosmetic procedures you wish to have done. It's not easy having the same face as a notorious gladiator, so if you want to change anything, I'm letting you know that it's taken care of. Removing claws and tusks, of course. Not adding anything for battle." The medic frowns to himself at the thought. "Perhaps I should have specified."
Have my tusks and claws removed? My claws are already filed down. And I like my tusks because Bee likes my tusks. Do they make my mouth a little odd? Sure. But I love the sound she makes when I drag them over the inside of one soft thigh. "I like looking fearsome," I say, thinking of Bee. "In case…someone…needs protecting."
