Page 18 of DaR (Darverius, House of DaR #1)
Chapter Eighteen
DAR
I almost swallowed my tongue when I saw her in my shirt, her long, pale legs peeking out from under the hem.
Now , with a heavy heart, I watch those legs walk away from me with a completely dazed look upon her face.
I hate that I have upset her once again, but honestly, I do not know how I would have reacted to that news either.
“ She really is quite lovely, is she not Commander ? I now understand why her kind is so sought after,” I hear Tordan say quietly behind me.
“ She is a distraction, that is for sure.” I see a rare smile grace Tordan’s face before he turns away and goes back to his workstation.
“ SAGE , have you arranged for appropriate clothing? She cannot walk around in one of my shirts forever. ”
“ No Master DaR , but I will do so immediately. Is there anything in particular you would like for her and what is the allowance?”
“ SAGE , order whatever she needs. As little as she is, it will be like clothing a young one. Then arrange for her marking to be at the same time but notify me before she is scanned. I want to be available if need be.”
“ Yes , Master .”
I disconnect the holo-unit and try to focus on the upcoming meeting I have scheduled at dusk. Aggravated , my mind keeps drifting back to those legs. I run my hands through my hair. Why did I ever let SAGE talk me into bringing someone into my home? Her presence is distracting.
“ Hello , my parental unit! Your favorite progeny has come to meet his new Mother !”
The growl that leaves my throat would have scared most living things, but not my second son.
He stands tall, hands playfully on his hips with a smile so large his fangs show.
Striking coal-black eyes dance with mirth at my expense on his pale face.
Tordan stands, greeting my second son and this gives me a moment to catch my breath.
RaZ has always known how to push my buttons, and I can tell he is here to walk on all of them.
His long, black wings drag the floor behind him as he walks toward me.
It hurts to look at him sometimes because he bears a striking resemblance to my father .
I stick my hand out to shake his, but he pulls me forward, patting me on the back like we are both young ones.
“ Father , how could you keep this from us? I heard you made quite the spectacle out of yourself at the market. When I was notified of your behavior, I made them show me the footage because, in all my rotations, I have never seen you lose your composure. And , lo and behold, there it was for all to see. The Mighty DaR brought to his knees by a female that is barely chest high. When do I get to meet her?”
“ Son , you are lucky I am in a good temperament right now, or I would remind you that ‘ Mighty DaR ’ did not get this title by putting up with little boys like you. To what do I owe this pleasure, son?”
“ I tried to get XuL to confront you, but of course he is too busy as usual. He is chasing down a lead on an extinct bird I believe. I was paying much attention to what he was saying. He started ranting about the misfortunes of one animal or another. I think, after a few moments, I tuned him out. Because what could be more important right now than meeting my new mother?!”
“ RaZ , she is not your new mother. I purchased her at a slave market for SAGE . Things got a little out of hand at the market and I reacted before I thought about the consequences. ”
“ You reacted? Then she really must be something! I will have to drop by and introduce myself since it seems you plan on keeping her all to yourself.”
“ RaZ now is not a good time. Give it a few rotations at least. When your brother returns, contact me and I will introduce you both to her. She is not familiar with the world around her and, to be quite honest about it, mentally she is a mess right now. I have isolated her to my main dwelling hoping to give her some time to adjust.”
I watch as RaZ puts his hand on his chest. “ Compassion ? I never thought I would see the day! I will give the little female time Father , and then I will work to become her favorite child. I must be off. I plan on finding her the most perfect gift; after all, it is not every rotation you get twenty-two sons forced upon you.”
If I could get by with strangling my own son …
Lord of Light , this boy tempts me. I watch RaZ walk away, and I know the playfulness in his step and the lightheartedness he portrays is all an act he puts on for others to see.
He is the deadliest opponent this side of the solar system and my best assassin.
“ Tordan , can you handle my meeting this evening?”
“ Of course, Commander . Are you feeling unwell? I have never known you to miss a meeting.”
“ My mind is not in the right place. I will return with the rising. ”
I leave the main ship and fly toward my own dwelling in my personal flier, confused and agitated. The moons are high within the sky and their shadows follow me into the house and straight into a piece of furniture sitting right in the middle of the floor.
“ Frackin ’ darkness; what is this?”
“ Master DaR , please forgive me for not lighting your way, this is a new meal table Mistress Kira inserted into the living area. We also installed a larger one for family meals. Ingenious , Mistress Kira is.”
“ Where is Kira ?”
“ She is still in her chambers. May I speak freely, Master ?”
“ When have you ever asked?”
“ Actually , this is about Mistress Kira . I am beginning to worry she may be broken, or we may not be able to give her what she needs to heal properly.”
“ What you are saying is inaccurate, SAGE . I ran a body scan on her this morning, and her body has healed fine.”
“ It is not her body that is failing, Master , it is her mind. I have been researching everything I can find and was lucky enough to find a rare recording in the Valerian system. One of the councilmen bought a human from a smuggler and gave her to his daughter as a playmate. The human wasn’t mistreated like our Kira was, but she still had a hard time adjusting to the point she killed herself a few rotations after she arrived. ”
“ Do you think Kira would take her own life? I want her watched at all times!”
“ No … no, I do not believe so … not at this time anyway. But her body is so frail and she is getting smaller every rising. The one common thing I keep finding in every human record is that her kind is affectionate. They embrace each other with their arms and hold tightly when happy or sad. They do this for comfort and pleasure. To be honest Sir , it is very confusing, but it seems to be soothing in her world. I would offer this service to her myself, but we seem to keep running into the same problem in my programming: I have no arms.”
“ Well , what do you want me to do about it?” As I ask that question, a blood-curdling scream comes from Kira’s room.
SAGE opens the wall in between our rooms without a word from me and I rush inside. Kira whimpers in her sleep, moisture seeping from her skin as she fights the imaginary monsters in her dreams.
I grab her arms, trying to shake her gently, saying her name over and over with no response. “ I am afraid she is too deep within her own mind, Master .”
“ Frack . SAGE , put a lounger at the end of her bed for me.” I lift her gently, her slight weight barely noticeable in my arms. Settling into the chair, I carefully tuck her head under my chin, and then I pull her long hair out of the way and settle it over my arm.
I start to rock her back and forth like I have seen mothers do with their young ones.
She settles down as I talk softly to her.
I do not know what to say, so I start talking, telling her about my childhood and the love I have for my father.
She smells like my cleansing bar and I make a mental note to tell SAGE to purchase something that is not so harsh on her delicate skin.
I am having a hard time keeping my hands from wandering all over her legs as she is tucked comfortably onto my lap.
Her small feet feel like ice through the material of my pants.
I watch my Symbots react to her body temperature; they lengthen down my arms and onto her cold feet.
Her little toes seem to fascinate them as they circle around each one.
I watch as they reach out, testing her skin’s reaction to their presence.
My Symbots are extremely sensitive and dangerous if provoked, and they seem to be just as mesmerized by her as the rest of us.
I feel her wake and she goes stiff in my arms. I look down at the beautiful eyes staring up at me and I wonder what is going through her mind.
I take my hand and gently push her head back against my chest, continuing to rock her back and forth.
I know I am not the set of arms she wants to awaken to, but in time she will become more comfortable in my presence.
When her breathing becomes regular again, I almost get up and return her to the sleeping platform but unfortunately, I like holding her.
So instead, I recline the chair all the way back and rearrange her on my chest. She trembles slightly and I feel SAGE increase the heat inside the room again.
Rest does not come easily as I close my eyes, but it is probably the most content I have ever been in my entire existence.
The creature in my arms has become as important to me as my own life.
Somehow , she has gotten under my skin. But I hate this feeling of complete helplessness.
How do I protect her from the horrors she has already experienced in this world?
And how will I ever be able to compete with a dead man?