Page 22 of Master (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #3)

Buck and I walked toward the center of the street, fielding greetings from those we passed. I glanced back once to catch Clara watching, and she smiled and waved, making the center of my chest erupt into flames.

No. It couldn’t be the valakana. Unless….

I’d heard tales in my youth of other Vaktaire claiming females out of jealously and spite, even completing a ritual claiming in front of the priest, only to have the Valana ignore the claim.

What I felt could be a sign of punishment from the goddess.

A burn and throb that would always remind me I squandered my chance for a fated mate.

I glanced to see Clara laughing with a group of women. Happy. Safe. If what I felt was truly punishment from the goddess, I bore no regrets.

A group of men congregated near the baked goods stand.

The faintly sweet, yeasty scent made my stomach rumble.

The group held steaming mugs of something that smelled nutty and smoky.

I recognized it as something the humans called coffee.

Orzon, the Framaddi chef on the Bardaga, kept a stash of the drink for the humans on board, but I’d never been able to get past the bitter taste.

“I’d like you boys to meet my new houseguest," Buck announced, reaching out his hand to take a mug from the stall owner. "This here is a Vaktaire warrior,Tarook. He landed near the farm yesterday after a little trouble with his ship.”

"Welcome to Tau Ceti," the portlier of the men announced. "The name's Atkins Parlow. I'm what you might call the mayor of our little town." He held out a hand to me—the human gesture of greeting. I accepted his grip. A slight chill traveled over my skin—a sense of foreboding honed from my years as a warrior. Most Vaktaire possessed the capability to size up an opponent in seconds. While this man didn’t seem dangerous, he was smug and pompous. While his short, chubby stature wouldn’t last seconds on the battlefield, his pale blue eyes held deviousness—like many politicians I’d encountered. The displeasure flashing across the other men’s faces when he announced himself as mayor didn’t escape my notice.

“Craig Munroe." The tallest human stuck out his hand. He stood a foot taller than Parlow, with a body leanly muscled from years of labor. His hair was light, a shade or two darker than Clara's, and a short beard stubbled his chin. I felt honestly in his handshake.

“I’ve talked to your Chieftain Khaion many times,” Munroe said. “I’m the Peacekeeper on Tau Ceti.”

“It’s good to meet you," I replied, and I meant it.

“How come you're not traveling with the Bardaga?” the peacekeeper asked, drawing a bored huff from Parlow. "They’re due here in about a week… dropping off a load of children. That’s got everybody excited.”

I knew the basics of the plan to have Tau Ceti citizens adopt the children miners Daisy and Daicon rescued, but not enough to speak on it. Instead, I glanced toward Clara, watching as she showed a handful of sweet potatoes to a thin woman with dark hair and an amiable smile.

“I rescued Clara from captivity.” I did not disclose what type of captivity, not wishing to cause her embarrassment. "We were on our way here to rendezvous with the Bardaga when our ship malfunctioned, causing us to land in the forest."

“So, we got us a new resident," Parlow chuckled, gazing toward Clara with such lewdness that I clasped my hands behind my back to keep from hitting him.

“She’s awful pretty. What’s her name?” The mayor continued, oblivious to my need to throttle him.

"Clara, and she is my mate." It was the easiest lie I'd ever told. It didn't feel like a lie at all. It felt real. I tensed, waiting for the pain of the valakana, but it didn't come. All I felt was the throb and burn… obviously punishment from the Valana for my earlier falsehood.

Why did I feel disappointed?

Parlow held up his hands, the mug teetering between his fingers. "Didn't mean to step on your toes, partner," he chuckled.

I itched to hit him. His apology was all for show. He knew it, and from how his eyes flashed with worry, he realized I knew it, too.

"Don't mind him," a tall Romvesian strode up, rolling his eyes at the mayor. He was almost as tall as me, with deep gray skin and long dark hair textured like coated wire.

The last great battle fought in within the Alliance was the Romvesian/Vaktaire skirmish. I didn’t take part in the battle, devoting myself to my education then, so the ingrained dislike my kind felt for the Romvesians didn't exist for me. I took his six-fingered hand readily when offered.

“Bartholomeus Tink’s is the name. I run the general store. Welcome to Tau Ceti."

“Thank you,”

“I am glad to see you, star brother .” Bartholomeus used the vernacular for beings not of the human persuasion on Tau Ceti.

“Why is that?”

Parlow gave an angry snort, which made me more curious about what Bartholomeus had to say.

The Romvesian cut his eyes between Parlow and Munroe. “You haven’t told him?”

“You’ll pardon me if I don’t like to begin with the bad stuff,” Parlow huffed.

"What bad stuff?" I pressed, curious. If anything existed, that might be a danger to Clara… I needed to know.

Munroe waved his hand, jostling the coffee he held and causing three faint brown spots to appear on the sleeve of his pale blue shirt. "We don’t know that it’s anything other than a lone quazo or transplanted grizzly.

Quazos were six-legged, ferocious beasts indigenous to the planet, supposedly transplanted to locations far from human habitation.

“Dixa promised she didn’t bring any bears to Tau Ceti,” Parlow recited, then added with mock amusement. "Besides, Clemon Peters got his moonshine still up and running last month. I expect the sightings nothing more than hallucinations from over-imbibing.”

“Not every report comes from a drunk,” the peacekeeper parried.

“Folks are seeing something,” Bartholomeus agreed. “Something enough to spook them.”

"What are they seeing?" Buck asked. Living far from the village, I suspected he needed to catch up on town news.

“Most folks report seeing something tall and hairy, like Earth's Bigfoot," Munroe reported, holding his coffee cup out for a refill.

“I know of Big Foot,” I claimed. It occurred to me that the people of Tau Ceti might be spotting a Kerzak.

While the idea of Kerzak on the planet needed to be investigated thoroughly, At least it couldn’t be the ambassador who chased Clara.

He and his crew were floating in space many light years away, hopefully.

“Are the creatures vicious?" I wondered aloud. I didn't know a Kerzak that wasn't vicious when it came to humans.

Munroe shook his head, frowning. “Not that I've heard. Most folks report seeing them lurking in the shadows. Me or one of my deputies investigate every report, but so far, we’ve come across nothing.”

“My Vaktaire brothers will arrive within a few days. We will do a thorough search for any unauthorized visitors. Until then, I offer whatever aid I can to your investigation,” I told him.

“Thank you,” Munroe gave me a nod and grinned. “Having a Vaktaire warrior on Tau Ceti is an honor, indeed.

Parlow seemed aggravated at the idea of me working with the peacekeeper. He frowned, puffing out his chest.

"If you’ll boys will excuse me, I got some mayor duties to attend." I caught the surreptitious glance he cast in Clara's direction. If I got off-planet without punching this man, it would be a miracle.

“Where are you and your mate staying?” Munroe asked when Parlow was out of earshot.

“Buck and Lula were kind enough to put us up for the night.” I laid my hand on Buck’s shoulder, giving a squeeze of gratitude. “But I don’t wish to impose on their hospitality any longer.”

"It ain't no trouble," Buck insisted. "We love the company."

"Thank you, my friend, but I need to be in a location where I can be in contact with the Bardaga," I explained.

“You’ll need to be in the village for that," Bartholomeus mused, tapping his chin with a long, gray finger." I might know a place if you're interested. A friend of mine has a small cottage attached to her house.”

“Mei Jun?” Buck asked with waggling eyebrows.

Bartholomeus' eyebrows lowered in Buck's direction. "Yeah.” When the Romvesians' attention returned to me, he was smiling. “I can take you over to meet her if you like.”

“Of course. Let me get my mate.” The word slipped from my lips effortlessly, like it belonged there. I rubbed over the spot on my chest, noticing an odd, warm fullness. It was only my imagination borne from lust. Nothing more.

I took my leave of the peacekeeper and Buck with a promise to help the latter load his truck once market day concluded.

After a few minutes, in which Clara nearly had to arm-wrestle Lula to keep from having to take a portion of the profits she'd generated, the three of us walked toward the east side of town.

We followed Bartholomeus down a side street, heading toward where the clapboard buildings morphed from businesses into dwellings.

Another turn brought us face to face with a small one-story cottage.

I questioned the feasibility of the building housing two more people, especially one my size, when I spotted the roof of another small building peeking through the lush garden surrounding the house.

"Mei Lin?" Bartholomeus called, squinting through the greenery.

“I’m here!” A headful of sleek black hair appeared amidst orange blooms. It bobbed up and down as she moved closer, stepping through the vines and blossoms to greet us.

She won the distinction of being the smallest adult human I’d ever seen.

Her dark hair stopped at chin level, waving around her pale face.

As she drew closer, I noticed steaks of gray among the black strands.

While the woman was still attractive, she was definitely older than Clara.

Perhaps not technically, but physically.

Dark eyes regarded us momentarily before an enormous smile split her face.

"Hey there, Bartholomeus. How are you?"

Her voice held an accent as she spoke, making the words sound clipped and proper. British, I think it might be called.

"Hey, Mei. I brought you a couple interested in your cottage,” Bartholomeus answered, gesturing first to Clara, then me.

“We won't be here long. We just need somewhere to stay till the Bardaga arrives." Clara stepped forward to clasp the woman's outstretched hand.

“We’re all excited for the Bardaga to arrive with the children,” Mei answered, her pale cheeks flushing with color.

“How long have you lived on Tau Ceti?” Clara asked her, the bright violet eyes sweeping over the lush garden.

“Nearly twenty years,” Mei said and laughed at Clara’s shocked expression. “I was one of the few that didn’t get run through the machine that makes you young again.”

“Why didn’t you go back to earth?” Clara asked, practically trembling with curiosity.

The question felt like a rock in the pit of my stomach. Clara seemed to adjust to the notion of never returning to Earth well—at least, so I thought. She left a child behind, a grandchild. No matter how complicated the relationship, she had to miss them.

“After finding out about all this?" Clara answered, gesturing about. "It’s a botanist dream.”

“You’re a botanist!” Clara looked as though she’d won a prize.

"Nearly," Mei laughed. "I was working on my Ph.D. at Oxford researching night-blooming jasmine in Cutteslowe Park when they grabbed me.” Her eyes settled on Clara curiously. “Are you a botanist, too?”

"Not really," Clara's cheeks colored. "I taught high school science.”

"Are you serious?" Mei gushed. "Another scientist. I'm so glad to meet you."

“Botany was always my favorite rotation,” Clara admitted.

“I have an airtight lab in the basement. I’m working on how to make Earth plants heartier for alien habitats. Would you like to see it?”

"I'd love to!” Clara exclaimed, linking her arm with Mei’s. The two of them disappeared into the foliage, laughing and chatting. I pushed away the desire to follow and flipped my gaze to Bartholomeus.

“Looks like you and your gal just found a place to stay,” the Romvesian laughed.

"Yes, thank you," I told him and chuckled, nursing a stab of jealousy.

Clara made such fast friends with Mei—she seemed to fit here on Tau Ceti.

That was a good thing… wasn't it? My head said yes, but my heart…

and cock vehemently disagreed. The idea of leaving her on this planet with that lecherous mayor nearby made me nauseous with dread.

Perhaps I should just snap the mayor's spine and be done with it. I'd rather face the consequences of pummeling the Atkins Parlow than let him get anywhere near Clara.

What was wrong with me?

The twitchiness in my gut only increased when I thought of Clara, alone and vulnerable. Honestly, just her being out of my sight was nearly unbearable.

Yes, she was my charge. I rescued her, and it was my duty to keep her safe until the Bardaga arrived.

This wasn't just my duty. This was … more.

The kind of rabid protectiveness only known to follow a true mating.

I touched the spot on my chest, now hollow and aching from her absence. If our hearts beat in tandem, I would have noticed.

Our mating was just a pretense, nothing more. What I felt meant nothing. I needed to accept that.

Didn’t I?