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“Wow, I didn’t know that was possible.”
“It’s quite expensive, custom made. Not common to find. The larger empires usually own a handful of them. The Alliance has ten or so. The Rathe system has a great many, owing to the fact that the tech is manufactured within their borders. And though I cannot say how many the Azza Empire has, they have a fair share.
“Did you steal it?” She cocks her head.
I laugh. “It would be more impressive if I had. No, with the help of some contacts in the Rathe system, I purchased it secondhand. The previous owner was some lord who has a personal army of sorts. But the male had little use for it. More of a means to show off than anything. He was partial to the cause of the Kar’Kali so thankfully, I got it at a slight discount.”
“The king’s money?”
“You want to know everything, then?” I sigh, shifting in my seat.
“How else do you expect me to get closer? If you want me to entertain this matebond, then I need to understand you.”
“I made the money myself. I have… a great deal of money,” I tell her. Her eyebrows raise. She doesn’t seem the type to love a male for his provisions. Is she surprised that a gruff male like me would have a robust bank account? “The contracts I complete are profitable. The one I completed today? It will bring enough credits to feed and fuelThe Rightful Heirfor a passing at least.”
“What?” She glances at my boots again. “For killing?”
I nod. I’m not sure how much Ruka and Viro told her about my work.
“… Yes. Does that upset you?”
She won’t look at me. She seems reluctant to answer that question. It would seem obvious that the answer is yes. She told me outright that she doesn’t care for violence.
“Is that what you do with the money? Support the people who live onThe Heir?”
“All those who bow to Mak pay a tithe. It’s a percentage of income. So yes, I do contribute quite a lot to the people. But I also buy shiny toys like the ship I mentioned. I use high end weaponry and I pay off contacts for information. I have investments under my Kar’Kali name, which is why I go through a great deal of effort to conceal my identity from those who seek me out.”
“You must have a good accountant,” she jokes.
Seeing as she’s playing with her spoon in an empty bowl, I take them and stack them with my own dirtied things on the tray. She stares at me like I have three heads.
“Are you satisfied?” I ask. “I didn’t mean to assume that you were done—”
“No, I’m done,” she says, suddenly fascinated by my movements as I put the caps on the containers and carry them to the receptacle in the wall that will courier them off to the washbot. Is she still so fascinated by technology? It’s odd considering how long she’s spent away from Earth. She stands suddenly and turns her back on me, grabbing for hairbrush on my cabinet.
“Do you mind if I borrow this?” she asks.
“Not at all.” I want her to use everything that’s mine. When she unties her braid, I can’t look away from her hair and the way it beautifully falls free.
With the table cleared, I follow her, even knowing that she walked away to get some space from me. She sneaks a glance at me as she lifts the brush to her hair. I catch her wrist gently.
“May I?”
She frowns, confused. “You need it first?”
I chuckle. “May I brush it for you?” I tuck a wild flyaway behind her ear, watching her cheeks turn pink.
“You want to brush my hair?”
Now this conversation is getting idiotic. Is that not what I asked?
“Why else would I offer?” I grumble.
To my surprise, she actually giggles. “Well, alright. Don’t get grumpy. It’s just not exactly something most human men would request.”
Human males are stupid, is what I’d like to say. Why else would a human male ruin a life of matehood with a female like Kaye? I have yet to find a single flaw in her, so for what reason would a hot-blooded male ignore her as she’s suggested? She only gives me such a hard time because of what I’ve done to upset her. I have a feeling if I were an average warrior, and I patiently pursued her, she would unfurl her petals for me like a blooming flower. What females have I met that have such a generous heart and gentle soul? She stands up to a brute like me without flinching. She’s a few manipulations away from convincing me to let up on my vow.
At the very least, the act of brushing her clouds of soft red hair will be mine alone.
