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Aaron had a PIP model back home too, and it was also named Pip. Apparently, their Pip had tried its hand at matchmaking as well, setting its—this Pip preferred to be called it rather than he or she— hunter, Bre’k, up with a woman named Yvette. In their case, it had worked out: they’d been happily mated for years.
We made our way to the main building, which was really the grounded mothership. Zec’k, the hunter who usually supplied Franklin and sometimes our new camp in the plains, had brought over a bunch of goodies from the food production labs when his mate Siobhan found out I was going to be here.
They’d even brought two dozen of her continent-famous hand pies, the first handmade goodies ever to be distributed by Xarc’n shuttle. The hunters had quickly polished them off, though I did manage to snag two, one for me and one for Burr’k. The hunter had arrived yesterday and was still recovering from his scourge-filled crash landing.
Two of the hunters from the mothership hadn’t made it. Far’k and one of the newly grown hunters were both presumed dead.Pushed by numerous flyers, their escape pods had both landed inside dead zones, large cities with giant nests. A quick death was the best outcome.
I scanned the available selection of food bars specifically made for human consumption. Realizing we needed something that wouldn’t break our teeth, they’d made versions that were like a cross between our granola bars and their pemmican-like foodstuff. They didn’t last as long in storage, but they were much more palatable, though I wouldn’t go as far as to call them tasty.
“You should try these crumbled into a bowl of milk, like cereal. They’re really good that way,” Aaron said.
He went over to the fridge they’d hooked up to the ship and brought out a jar of milk. It was still strange to me to see milk in glass wide-mouth jars, but the hunters put it in whatever we gave them, so glass jars it was.
Following his lead, I placed the bar in a bowl, crumbled it up, and poured some milk over it. He was right; it was good. Unlike the boxed cereal of old, it wasn’t overly sweet but still had a bit of natural sweetness from the dried fruit. It was strange to think that there was meat in here, but somehow, it worked. It was like healthy cereal with real animal protein.
I was just finishing off my last bite when a sudden commotion had both Aaron and me on high alert. Jask’l’s voice sounded through the corridors. I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying except for their all-purpose swear word,krux. I couldn’t make out any of what the other voice was saying, but I sure recognized it.
Kan’n!
Had he actually come here looking for me? I didn’t want to hope. The angry voices were getting closer, and it wasn’tlong before Kan’n came bursting into the makeshift kitchen. He scanned the large room for a few seconds before his eyes landed on me.
“Welp, good luck.” Aaron patted me on the back and stood, taking his bowl with him. “The lady is all yours,” he said to Kan’n grandly with a wide grin. Then he grabbed Jask’l and pulled him into the corridor, not before slamming his hand onto the door’s control panel. The door closed behind them, leaving me alone with one very angry-looking hunter.
It was one of the few looks he had, so I was used to it by now. I grabbed my water and calmly took a sip as he stomped over to me, refusing to be intimidated. I was the one who was supposed to be upset here, not him. If he thought I could be bullied into taking him back, he was in for a big surprise.
But what he did when he got to me had me shocked. He turned my chair to face him, dropped to his knees, and wrapped his arms around me. Then, with his face buried in my lap, he heaved a sigh that sounded very much like a sob—and started to purr.
Chapter 28: Kan’n
I held on to Sam, afraid she’d disappear if I let go. She felt so right in my arms, and I never wanted to be without her again.
I explained to her everything I could about the dream, told her I’d thought she was someone else. I told her of how I’d started trading with the ones they called the nomads. She stiffened when I mentioned there had been a female involved.
“They used her to get to me. She said kind words and made promises. But she never truly cared for me. I trusted her enough to show her the inside of my shuttle. Then they betrayed me. It was how they got hold of Pip.
“They taunted me afterward, saying how easy it was because of how predictable hunters were when it came to human females. They had done this before with other hunters whom they then killed. They were right. Iwasstupid and naïve. I promised myself that I’d never trust a human female again.
“Then you came along. You and your group, changed all my preconceived notions of what humans were. You accepted me even after I declared I didn’t trust any of you.”
She sat quietly, listening, her hands resting on my shoulders.
“When I woke up that first time, I thought I was back there. I didn’t mean anything I said. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine lifewithout you now. I’d rather die than continue to live without you.”
Her arms came around me, enveloping me, and hope blossomed in my chest until I heard the sob in her throat. Would she tell me to leave now?
“Get up,” she said, her voice cracking.
I tried, wanting to do anything she asked of me, but I couldn’t. I was stuck on my knees, unable to remove my arms from around her. I tried again but only succeeded in lifting her off the seat. She made a soft grunt from the pressure of my arms around her body.
“Kan’n,” she wheezed. “You’re squeezing me.”
As I put her back down and resumed my kneeling position between her knees, the realization hit me hard. Sam was my mate! I’d found my mate, and now, she was going to send me away.
“Don’t.” It was the only word I could choke out.
I was a strong hunter, well-trained, disciplined, and skillful, able to take down scores of scourge. But now, in the presence of this tiny female who barely came up to my chest, I was reduced to nothing. If she rejected me now, that would be all I’d ever be.
“Don’t,” I repeated.
