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Chapter Twenty-Five

MEK

Father and KyT pull both of us back slowly as the dirt under my feet starts to give way.

I hold Lacie close, refusing to look at her until we are safely inside the forest. The moment I know we are on stable ground, I am surrounded by everyone talking all at once.

Pulling her away from me slowly, my heart practically stops.

She is covered in blood and bruises. Her body trembles in my arms as her breaths come out rattled and labored.

How did this happen? She was in my arms safe earlier …

is this my fault? SCOUT holds his arms out to take her, and I snarl at him.

“ MeK , I can get her to the medical area here quicker.”

Father grabs me, physically holding me in place while SCOUT gently pulls her out of my arms. In a blink, he is gone, and a roar leaves my lips at finding my arms empty.

Ripping myself out of father’s hold, I run through the forest as fast as my feet will carry me.

I barely clear the pole sensors on the perimeter fence before they shock.

Arms pumping, I make my way toward the pavilion, tearing my way through the tables and chairs that are in my way.

Sliding to a stop, I find SCOUT standing outside the curtained area, and I can hear Vedece talking on the other side.

SCOUT reaches out for me, but I jerk out of his reach before he can grab me, sliding inside the closed-off area where Lacie is.

Thankfully , she is awake. Vedece is running all around the bed as I stand there looking down at Lacie .

Tear marks streak her dirty cheeks where she has been crying, and it rips me apart. “ Lacie ?”

She looks away from me for a moment, and it is like I am watching her gather the last of her strength.

“ MeK , thank you for coming back to help find me, but … I want you to leave.”

“ Lacie , I know I have handled things wrong, but …”

“ No MeK , there is no BUT !” Sobbing , she turns her head from me, and I feel like my heart is shattering. “ Get out. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“ Lacie ? Please .”

“ GET OUT !”

The next thing I know, my father has grabbed me around the neck, his anger clearly pulsating all around him.

“ She asked the first time, then you made her get loud in her condition. Are you going to leave here on your own two feet or on your back? Because after speaking to your mother for the last few minutes, do not give me that option. You have dishonored not only this female but me, as I raised you to be a better male than this.”

He shoves me back aggressively, and the last thing I see before the curtain blocks my view is Vedece holding Lacie close. He does not stop pushing me until we are well away from the area. “ Father please, I need to speak to her. I think she is my mate.”

“ You think ? … Well , if you are not sure, then you really do not deserve her. If I am this upset, I cannot imagine what that child is going through in there. If I could have reached through space and strangled your mother just now, I would have! She commed me because you were not answering. Do you know why she was so adamant about getting ahold of you? She was worried you were soiling yourself with that human whore. SOILING yourself, MeK ! Did you allow that female, no matter who she is, to talk to Lacie like that?”

Closing my eyes, I recall every word mother spewed and the look on Lacie’s face afterward. “ I did not say anything either way. I allowed mother to do what she always does, and I almost lost Lacie in the process.”

“ No , I think you are still in denial because from what I just heard, you have lost her. Turn this Fracking shet around and tell me how you would have reacted if someone said that about your precious mother? I know she has kept you under her control since you were a youngling, but still, I had a part in making you the male you are. Nevertheless , I never thought I would be ashamed to call you mine. You are my son. Now , FRACKIN act like it !”

The sound of small footsteps heading our way has both of us turning. Vedece completely ignores me as she addresses Father .

“ Commander , I hate to interrupt, but we need to move Lacie immediately. I don’t have the equipment nor the knowledge to treat her wounds.

She is stable at the moment, if you don’t count the tears that won’t stop flowing down her cheeks.

” Vedece turns toward me, and if looks could kill, my chances would not be good.

Father is even acting as if I am not there.

“ SCOUT , fire up my personal shuttle, then contact LeX on Destiny and see if he is available. KyT , check if there is a stretcher in any of the crates. We will take her to ANDI , since his medical facility should be able to provide what she needs.”

Vedece runs back toward the material, hiding Lacie from me. I start to follow father, only for him to turn on me, his large hand hitting me hard in the chest, stopping me dead in my tracks. I have never seen him look at any of his sons like he is me right now … I have suddenly become the enemy.

“ Where the frack do you think you are going?”

“ Father , I need to be with her. I must be there, please. I cannot stay here and not know.”

“ Are you going to tell her what you THINK she might be to you? Are you going to tell your mother? How about you answer this … is she worth giving up your status and everything you have ever worked for? Until that hesitation leaves your face, you will not be permitted to see her in the flesh. I believe that child has been through enough, and I will not allow you to hurt her any further. I release you from your duties here, so now you are free to leave so that you can pursue your mother’s wishes.

What you need to do is pop your mouth off her tit and become the male I tried to make you. ”

I stumble back. Never would I have anticipated those words from my own father.

Looking down at my arms, which are covered in Lacie’s blood, I am at a loss on how to proceed.

I may not have all the answers right at this moment, but I know that Lacie means more to me than even I understand, and no one is going to tell me I cannot be with her.

So , while Father and KyT are distracted, I sneak into the back of his shuttle, my fingers working frantically on disabling the proximity alert that would inform him that there is an intruder on board.

I have just gotten the system reset when I hear their voices approaching.

Hiding behind a crate, I tuck myself back against the wall.

I know that once we leave the atmosphere, the temperatures in here will become deadly, but I have no other choice if I want to infiltrate ANDI .

I am sure Father will instruct them to turn my ship away, if I request permission to dock.

I hear the thrusters fire up, and within a few moments, the ship starts to rise.

Gathering a tarp off the floor close by, I wrap it around my body, trying to prepare myself for the numbing cold that will quickly be descending upon me.

Having made this trip multiple times, I am counting on Father rushing to ANDI faster than usual because of Lacie .

If not, my body will fail from the intense cold.

The second we enter open space, I brace for the temperature drop, only to find it has only cooled down slightly.

Quicker than I anticipated, I hear the docking gear lowering, and the shuttle slows down right before landing gently.

If I had not been hiding back here, I might have been impressed with Father’s piloting skills.

Resetting the program but giving myself a few seconds to get out, I open the hatch.

Climbing out I find ANDI’s holo form waiting for me on the other side.

“ Master MeK , please come with me. There is a back entrance to the medical chambers where no one, including Mistress Lacie , can or will see you.”

“ How did you know I was there? I turned off all the sensors in the shuttle and my comm unit.”

“ The Commander told me to look for you.”

“ How did he know I was back there?”

“ He said that is what he would have done and that he expected nothing less from you. However , he also said that you better not do anything that makes him have to come to medical.”

“ Well , that explains why the cold didn’t infiltrate the cargo hold.”

“ This area is sealed off from Medical , but you will be able to observe Mistress Lacie . However , let me warn you, if you cause her one ounce of distress while on board, I will personally send you out an airlock. Mistresses Lacie and Blair are two of my favorites, and I have already seen how you treated them. I was able to retrieve some of the feed from the perimeter fence of the altercation she experienced. It will be sent to your comm unit. I think you need to witness what occurred.”

“ Was the male’s body recovered?”

“ No , it appears Ethra takes back what is freely given. If you perish on that moon, your body is reclaimed.” We come upon a small viewing area. “ I will have clean clothing and sustenance delivered, but you are not to leave this area, do you understand?”

“ Thank you, ANDI . I don’t think I could bear to be separated from her right now.”

“ Do not thank me. I was going to imprison you the moment you stepped out of that shuttle, as your neglect is what led to Lacie’s injuries.

For someone of your intelligence, when it comes to females, you seem remarkably uninformed and just plain stupid.

You can thank your father for understanding the need for one’s mate.

I have personally learned I prefer their happiness to their tears and go out of my way to be blessed with their brilliant smiles, and I am a computer.

You are a sentient being that should know better. ”