Karac: Kaldar Warriors #1 (17 page)

“How do you feel about him?”  Dad asked.  “Do you trust him?”  I glanced back toward the bedroom door but Karac was nowhere to be seen.  I looked back at my parents. 

“I know it is going to sound crazy, having only known him for a day, but yeah.  I do.” 

“He seems to care for you.”  Dad commented.

“He brought me flowers this morning.”  I admitted sheepishly.  Mom smiled.

“Oh sweetie, he’s dating you!”

“Mom it was one time.”  I pointed out. 

“Doesn’t matter.  The man is dating you.”  Mom said decisively. 

“Warrior.”  I corrected offhandedly.  “They don’t refer to themselves as men.”

“Man, warrior, whatever.  Warrior sounds better.  It has a certain, masculine appeal.”  Mom laughed.  Both Dad and I looked at her like she was crazy.  “What?  Can’t I be happy my daughter is finally interested in a guy?”

“So we’ve moved on from the fact that he isn’t from this world?  Or human?”  I asked incredulously. 

“Small factors.  Hardly worth mentioning…if he’s worth it.”  She leaned forward, waiting for my response.  Not that I was ready to answer that question. 

“Wow…did not expect that from you, Mom.”  I said to sidetrack her. 

“Oh, sweetie.  I just want you to be happy.  If living in outer space does that, then well, we will work with what we got.”  She beamed.  “As long as I still get to talk to you from time to time.”

“And visit.”  Dad said. “While I’m happy we get these calls, I still would like to be able to hold you once in a while.”

“I know, Dad.”  I smiled.  I could hear Karac in the other room moving around.
Could he hear us? 
Moot point now, I guess.  “I should be going.  We have to eat supper yet.”

“Ok, well, let us know how things are going.”  Mom said. 

“I will, and tell Nathan…” I sighed.  “Tell him I’m sorry about our conversation.  Maybe in a few days I can try to talk to him again.”

“We’ll do.”  Dad said.  “But if things are going where I think they are going, it might be better to cut ties with him.”  I looked at him questioningly before he continued.  “I know you two were friends, but I think he cared more for you than you did for him.”  My silence was all the answer he needed.  “Right, well, keep in touch.  Love you kiddo.”

“Love you guys too.”

“Tell that warrior of yours to take care of you.”  Mom reminded.  Without a sound, Karac was suddenly behind the couch looking over at the image.

“I will.”  Karac promised. 

“Good.  Love you dear and talk to you soon.”  Mom smiled. 

“Yep, good night.”  This conversation just needed to be done. 

“Night.”  Dad said.  He reached forward and cut the connection on his end, I did the same.  Silence reigned for a few minutes as I was too chicken to look back at Karac.  I did not expect my parents to change their minds that quickly, if at all.  Shaking my head, I chuckled and leaned back along the couch.  Karac walked around the end and sat facing me. 

“What is funny?”

“My parents.  I was expecting more resistance than that.”  I closed my eyes and smiled.

“You did not think they would approve of me?”

“Not at all.”

“Just because I’m not from your world?”  I opened my eyes and looked at him. 

“Six months ago, humans were alone in the universe.  Now, we have fierce looking warriors descending from the sky claiming women.”  I felt Karac scoot closer to me.

“Claiming one female.  One warrior for one female.  A truemate bond.”  He whispered at my side.  Glancing sideways at him, I realized he was watching me closely.  He picked up my hand and rubbed it between his own.  I watched, mesmerized at the comforting feeling.  How was I so comfortable with him?  I didn’t understand my own emotions or know where it was going to lead.  Before I could decide, Karac raised one of his hands to my face.  He caressed my cheek, sliding down along my jaw, to the back of my neck.  He pulled lightly, checking to see if I would object.  When I didn’t, he leaned in as he pulled my head gently towards him.  My breathing hitched as I realized what he was going to do. 

Lightly, ever so lightly, his lips touched my own.  He brushed them against my lips three times before fitting his mouth more firmly across mine.  Inside I was burning up.  I was lost in his kiss, the way his hand gripped the back of my neck, how his other hand was snaking around my waist and pulling me closer.  My first kiss and it was the best one ever. 

Slowly, he pulled back and we were both breathing a little more quickly.  He met my gaze and held it.  I could feel the heat behind his eyes.  His desire for more.  He must have seen the indecision in my eyes as he closed his for a brief second before looking back at me.  The fire had banked in his eyes.  He took a deep breath, leaned forward and kissed my forehead, then stood up beside the couch. 

“Come, dinner will be here shortly.”  He reached down and offered his hand.  I took it without question, still in a slight daze from the kiss.  He pulled me up and led me over to the table.  Just then, a chime sounded by the door.  After seating me, Karac answered the door and brought back a tray full of food.  He filled a plate for me, then for himself.  He didn’t say a word for a few minutes and I wasn’t sure what to say.  Thankfully, Karac read my uneasiness and he started randomly asking me simple questions about my likes and dislikes as we ate and soon, the tension I was feeling earlier dissipated.  I laughed with him as we shared stories of our childhoods. 

“So you are an only child then?”  I asked him.

“Yes.  Father and Mother tried for more children but with the low birthrate, they are lucky they had me at all.”  He pushed his plate aside and watched me finish off the last bites of my food. 

“Are all the galaxies having the same issues?”

“It seems to be affecting the races similar to our own.  Our scientists are studying the matter but they have been for decades.  No results so far.”

“You said similar races.  What other races are there?”  I was curious about others that were out there now that we knew we weren’t the only ones. 

“Plenty and they come in all forms.  Our race was chosen as the ruling one because we had the technology and warriors to withstand most anything.”

“Do you all speak the same language?”

“There are many different languages throughout the galaxies, but one main language.  When we return to my home planet, we will have to implant a translator behind your ear.”  At my shudder he added, “It is completely harmless and you won’t even know it is there.  But it will allow you to hear and understand close to 100 different languages.”

“100?  But I won’t be able to speak them.”  I was shocked to know that I could possibly understand so many languages. 

“No, but most everyone on a well-traveled planet has a translator in their ear.  They will be able to understand you and vice versa.” 

“You seem to know English fairly well.”

“I’m versed in many languages.  I have to as a diplomat.  Many races find it offensive if you didn’t take the time to learn their language and culture when you visit them.” 

“If I become your mate, will I have to learn them too?”

“
When
you become my mate, you can decide which ones to learn.  I can and will help you learn if you prefer.  I will always be with you when we travel so I can speak for you until you do.”  I choose to ignore the if/when debate for now.  I glanced down at my plate to see that I ate most of it.

“Are you finished?”  Karac asked.

“Yes, I don’t think I could eat anymore.”  I pushed my plate away. 

“Good.  Then let’s retire to the couch.  We can watch one of your Earth videos.”

“Videos?”  I asked as I followed him to the couch.  I sat down beside him as he pulled up his hand computer.  He flipped to a screen that had a listing of many famous movies back home.

“Oh, you mean movies.”  I said with a smile.

“Same thing, right?”  He grinned. 

“I suppose,” I laughed. 

“You pick.”  He handed the device to me and I scrolled through.

“What kind of movies do you like?”

“Pick anything.  I’ll watch whatever you want.”  I could push those limits and see if he’d go for something like Pride and Prejudice but I wasn’t really in the mood for that movie anyways. 
Although, there was something to be said about the lessons learned in that movie on arrogant and pushy men.
  I decided on a comedy action. 

“This one.”  I said.  He took the computer back and swiped a few things and before I knew it, the com device was projecting the movie right in front of us.  The lights dimmed like in a movie theater, and I smiled. 
This was so cool.
 

Karac reclined on the couch and pulled me into his side with his arm around my waist. 
A girl could get used to this. 
I decided I didn’t need to worry about the future at the moment.  It would all be there later when the movie was over.
 
Warm and comfy, I settled in to watch the movie.

************************************

Karac

The video had been over for about a half hour and Ashley showed no signs of waking.  Karac looked down at her peaceful face and felt content.  She said she trusted him when she was talking to her parents earlier, which was a huge leap from last night when she said he had to earn it.  He tried not to listen but with his sensitive hearing, he couldn’t help but hear every word they said. 

Apparently her mother was happy with the way things were turning out.  As long as he cared for Ashley and provided for her, Ashley’s mother seemed happy with the arrangement.  Her father even seemed to be coming around.  A much better situation for everyone.  Ashley would feel better about her decision to stay, there would be less stress and tension between them, and he could continue to have her by his side at all times.  And he finally got to kiss her today.  All in all, a good day. 

He slowly worked himself out from under her, trying not to wake her.  She shifted a little but otherwise stayed asleep.  Deciding the best course was to just carry her, he scooped her up in his arms.  He slowly made his way to the bedroom, careful not to jostle her.  He laid her on the bed and debated if he should remove any of her clothing.  Shaking his head, he figured when she woke up in the morning she wouldn’t be too happy with him if he did.  He pulled the cover from under her then up and over.  She sighed in her sleep and seemed to snuggle right in.  Smiling, he went around to his side. 

He stripped down to his shorts and slid under the covers with her.  As much as he wanted to hold her in his arms, he knew sleeping in the same bed was going to be a big enough surprise if she woke up.  Sighing, he closed his eyes and looked forward to what tomorrow would bring. 

Ashley

I woke up the next morning to find a white lily lying on the pillow next to me.  I smiled as I picked it up.  Looking around, I couldn’t remember moving from the couch to the bed but Karac must have done it.  Along with the flower.  I brought the flower to my nose as I sat up.  I rehashed the previous day in my memory, trying to reconcile how I felt about Karac. 

The warrior kidnapped me from my home in the middle of the night. 

But he has been nothing but attentive since we arrived here. 

He wants me to be his mate, ensuring the continuation of his line with an heir. 

But he wasn’t rushing me to make a decision. 

I put my head in my hands, in defeat.  I couldn’t ignore my growing feelings toward him.  But I had to make him see that my family was important to me.  Before I could come up with a plan, the door to the room opened, and Karac came in with a tray full of food.  He smiled when he saw me with the flower.  He set the tray on the bed before coming around to my side.  He pulled me in for a hug which I returned.  He felt so warm…and safe. 

“Good morning, little one.”

“Morning,” I mumbled into his chest.  He kissed my forehead before pulling back and moving to the tray. 

“I brought you breakfast.  You better eat up if you are going to make it through your training.”

“Training?”  I asked confused. 

“Yes.  Yesterday you said you wanted to learn how to defend yourself.”  He pushed the tray closer to me and sat on the other side.  “We start today.”

“Are you sure you have time?  I mean, you probably have more important things to do.”

“More important than seeing to the protection of my mate?  I don’t think so.”  He assured as he folded his arms across his chest.  I forced my eyes away from that display of muscle and down at the food.  We ate in silence for a while before I remembered the flower sitting beside me.

“Thanks for the flower.”

“You’re welcome.”

I noticed the large bouquet from yesterday was still on the table when I peeked through the doorway.  The one on the bed wasn’t the same variety from yesterday.  “Did you go to get more?”

“Not personally, I couldn’t make the trip so I had someone coming up bring them.”

“Is that a normal request?  For males to get things from the surface for their mates?”

“Fairly frequent, yes.  We are too far from our home world to acquire things from there, at least until the shuttles start.”

“What shuttles?”  I asked around a mouthful of food.  Karac grinned at me before responding.

“With the increasing number of mated pairs on board, I believe it is imperative that I implement a shuttle service from our home world to here.  That way the unmated males can continue to look for their mates, while the mated can return home.”

“I thought you said your planet was a long ways from here.”  I sat back and regarded him questioningly.

“It is.”  He assured me. 

“Then how does a shuttle go that distance?”

“We have the technology to warp space.  Basically it rips a hole in space, the shuttle goes through, and you end up galaxies away.”

“That’s safe?”  I asked with disbelief. 

Laughing, he replied, “Yes.  We’ve been doing it for decades now.  It is the fastest way to travel.  Of course, it requires a lot of energy so the shuttles will only run once a month or if there is an emergency.”

“So, if I go to your home planet, I can come back to Earth in a blink of an eye?”  I asked excitedly. 

“Yes, you will be able to travel back and forth easily. 
When
we go home to
our
planet.”  He emphasized while gazing at me steadily. 

“So confident, aren’t you?”  I asked sarcastically.

“Extremely.”  Looking down at my plate, he noticed that I was done eating.  “If you’re done, we can get going.”

“I need to change clothes first.  I’m still wearing the same ones from yesterday.”  I stood up from the bed.  Karac leaned back on his hands before replying. 

“I didn’t think you would appreciate me changing them for you last night.”

“You’re right.”  I left it at that as I crossed the room to my bag.  My clothes were still in my bag I had on the floor.  I rummaged through it until I found something suitable. 
Calzen sure didn’t pack me a lot of clothes
.  I was going to have to ask Karac about getting some more.  Since Karac was still watching my every move from the bed, I grabbed what I needed and walked to the bathroom.  Quickly changing, and throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I stepped out into the bedroom.  Karac wasn’t there, but I heard voices from the main room.  I walked out to find Karac in a deep discussion with Calzen and Merrik.  They stopped when they noticed I was walking towards them.  Karac met me halfway as he looked me up and down.  He smiled as he folded me into a warm hug.  Apparently this was going to be an every morning occurrence. 
Not that I was complaining.  Well…should I be complaining?
  I gave myself a mental shake, not wanting to debate morals at that moment. 

“You ready?”  Karac asked, backing up.  Both Calzen and Merrik stood off to the side, watching our exchange.

“Yep.”  I glanced to the warriors behind him then back.  “Are they coming too?”

“Yes.  When you need a break, they will train with me.”

“How long are we training exactly?”  I was really just looking for pointers, but it sounded like Karac had something else in mind.

“If we are going to do this at all, we are doing it properly.  We will train every morning.”

“All morning?”  I squeaked.

“Most of the morning.  Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.” He chuckled as he clasped my hand and pulled me across the room.  Both Calzen and Merrik fell in behind us. 

True to his word, Karac had me practicing “most” of the morning.  At first, it wasn’t bad.  We worked on basic moves, some of which Calzen showed me yesterday.  After I somewhat mastered those, Karac felt I was ready to move on to the harder stuff.  Then, I was paying for it.  My legs hurt, my arms hurt, my back hurt, I think my toes even protested movement.  Which was why I was lying flat on my back for at least the last half hour, trying not to move as Karac faced off with both Calzen and Merrik.  I watched from a sideways view since I wasn’t moving my body to the side. 
That shit hurt!

Karac really was a sight to behold.  Even as skilled as Calzen and Merrik seemed, they were no match for Karac even together.  Karac held them at bay with hand-to-hand combat and landed a few good hits here and there.  Now I really knew how much he was holding back with me.  These warriors were super soldiers.  I winced at an especially hard hit from Karac to Calzen’s stomach but Calzen didn’t even flinch.  Human men, even trained soldiers, would have been wheezing at that hit.  Finally, by an unspoken agreement, they all stopped.  Karac clasped hands with both Calzen and Merrik before walking over to me.  I didn’t make any effort to get up, instead I opted to just watch him approach.  He sat down beside me and grinned.

“What are you smirking at?”  I asked, trying to move as little as possible. 

“You.  I don’t think you’ve moved since you laid down in this spot.”

“I haven’t.”  I agreed.  I moved my head to look back at the ceiling and closed my eyes.  “I don’t think I’ll be moving anytime soon either.”

“We should be getting back to shower and eat.  My father will be calling to check in this afternoon.”  That got my attention.  My eyes snapped open as I looked at him. 

“Your father?”  I squeaked.

“Yes.”

“Is this a private meeting or…”

“I would like for him to meet you, if that’s all right.”

“Uh…sure.”  I couldn’t really say no to that.

“Great.  Then let’s get moving.”  He stood up and offered me a hand.  I looked at it, then at him, and sighed.  Slowly, I reached up and grabbed on.  He gently pulled me up until I was vertical, but didn’t let me go as I wobbled.  He looked at me in concern.  “Maybe I pushed you too hard.”

“It’s fine.  I’m just not used to this much physical activity.”

“Well, that is something we can definitely work on.”  He grinned.  I blushed, guessing at his innuendo, and pulled away from him to stand on my own.  Slowly, I gained control of my legs and walked with Karac back to our rooms. 
With Merrik and another guard trailing of course.
  We entered our rooms and Karac told me to shower first.  Hoping that would help my sore muscles, I didn’t argue.  When I came out, Karac had ordered food and it was waiting on the table.

“Go ahead and eat, I’ll shower then grab something.”

“Ok.”  I found I was famished and quickly polished off a good portion of the food.  Karac was still in the shower or bedroom area so I meandered over to the couch to rest.  I had just sat down when the com device on the table lit up.  Thinking it was my parents trying to contact me, I didn’t even look at the number before pushing the button on the side to activate it.  I found myself looking at an older man who wore a similar expression of surprise.

“Uh…hi?”  I said questioningly.

“Hello.  Who are you?”  The man asked.  He was cute, for an older man.  I looked behind him to get a sense of where he would be calling from but it was pretty nondescript.  The man himself was fit, broad shouldered, and refinely dressed.  There was something about him that I couldn’t place. 

“I’m Ashley.”  I said to answer his question. 

“And what are you doing in my son’s private quarters?” 
Oh, shit.
  That must mean that the older gentleman was Karac’s father…
the Supreme Ruler of seven galaxies.
  And here I was in a t-shirt, jeans, and barely brushed hair.  Great first impressions. My hands automatically clasped in nervousness.  

“Um…”  Before I could come up with an answer, Karac was sliding in beside me with a bemused expression on his face.  I was not amused at all.  I did notice he was freshly washed from both the mouthwatering scent coming off him and his wet hair.
No, focus.  Now is not the time to be daydreaming.

“Hello Father.”  Karac said, pulling my hands apart and wrapping one arm around me.  The man on the other end watched us closely.

“Karac.”  He said by way of greeting.  Then his eyes fell back to me.  “Who is this?”

“My mate.”  Karac replied simply. 

“Truly?”  The man’s eyes lit up and he was now grinning ear to ear.

“Technically I’m not his mate, yet.”  I said, just to make sure we were all on the same page.

“You haven’t completed the bond?”

“Not yet, but we will.”  Karac said assuredly. 

“I have to call your mother.”  The man reached for his hand computer and pushed a few buttons before setting it aside.  “She would want to be here to meet you, my dear.”  He looked at me with kind eyes.  I didn’t know how to respond to that so I sat mute. 

“Father if I may, I’d like you to meet Ashley Jacobson, my truemate.  Ashley, this is my father, Junrik of Kaldar, Supreme Ruler of the Galtina Sector.”

“Please, just call me Junrik, for now.”  He smiled at me before adding, “It is an honor to meet you, Ashley.”

“Same to you, sir.”  I managed to say. 

“Junrik, please.”  He insisted. 

“Junrik.” I whispered. 

“Junrik,” I heard a feminine voice off the image but it was getting closer.  “I got your message and came right away since you said it was urgent.  What’s wrong?  Is Karac well?”  She sat down beside Junrik and gasped as her eyes took in our clasped hands.  “Oh Karac.  Is this her?  Your truemate?”

“Yes, Mother.  This is Ashley Jacobson, my truemate.  Ashley, my mother, Renita.”

“Ashley, dear, it is such a pleasure to meet you.  Ever since Karac made contact with your planet we were hoping you would be among those claimed.”  Happiness radiated from her in waves. 

“Uh, well, it is great to meet you too.”  I replied nervously.

“So tell me.  Have you completed the bond yet?”

“No, I just brought her back to the ship the day before yesterday.”  Karac informed her. 

“Oh, I see.  Not long at all then.  Ashley, how do you like your trip so far?”  Renita asked conversationally. 

“It has been interesting.  There are a lot of things to adjust to all at once.”  I hedged. 

“Oh I bet there are.  Don’t you worry though.  Karac will take care of everything.  He is such a sweet boy.”

“Mother, please.”  I held back my smile at the thought that Karac could be embarrassed by his mom. 

“Oh Karac.  You know you will always be my boy no matter how old you are.”

“How are the rest of the warriors getting along?”  Junrik asked, easily moving out of dangerous waters.

“Fine.  We just received news that another couple has mated.”

“Wonderful!”  Renita exclaimed.

“That’s one of the things I want to talk to you about Father.  With the increase of mated couples, I believe it is important to implement a shuttle service so mated pairs can return home while unmated males remain to continue the search.”