Kate and the Kraken by Honey Phillips
Chapter Ten
A’tai strode towards the kitchen feeling remarkably triumphant, even though his moa throbbed incessantly. Kate wanted him; he was sure of it. He only needed patience, and time to explore that luscious body. To figure out the best ways to make her sigh with pleasure and cling to him.
His triumph faded as he entered the kitchen. The wide doors of the comfortable room were open to the breeze. The carved coral table in the center had been there as long as he could remember, and the sight of Simea bending over the stove was equally familiar. Unfortunately, Simea was not giving him her usual beaming smile. Instead, she glared at him even more fiercely than she had on the beach.
“What in the Sisters are you doing, boy?”
He suddenly felt as if he were eight years old and she had just discovered him stealing a carna fruit from his mother’s private garden. I am an adult, he reminded himself and gave her his most regal stare.
“I need clothes for Kate.”
Simea didn’t flinch. “Why? She’s already wearing a slave gown.”
Why did that reminder make him so uncomfortable?
“I don’t care. I prefer her in more suitable attire.”
“Suitable for what? I don’t suppose you intend to put her to work scrubbing the floors. Or working in the algae farms. And if all you want is a bed companion, she doesn’t need clothes for that.”
“Simea, do I need to remind you that I am Prince of this House? She is to be clothed as suits my companion.” Then he remembered his decision not to reveal his position. “But don’t call me Prince while we are here.”
She simply stared at him, tapping her fingers on the table. Her silence was as effective now as it had been when he was a child and finally, he sighed.
“What do you want to know?”
“First of all, why is she here and why are you calling her a slave? Our House has never kept slaves.”
“I know. I found her on the way here. Her owner had abandoned her in a faulty escape pod and she was on the verge of drowning.”
“So you rescued her.” It wasn’t a question, and Simea shook her head as she bent over to inspect one of her cooking pots. “You are so like your father.”
Somehow, that didn’t sound like a compliment. He glared at her. “What would you have done? Left her there?”
“Of course not. But neither would I be getting my limbs in a knot to look after her.”
“I’m simply trying to protect her. By claiming ownership, her former master—” how he hated the sound of those words “—cannot take her back.”
“The Sisters know I don’t approve of slavery, but are you sure about that?”
“Under Imperial law, a slave may be removed from an unsafe situation.”
“And turned into a prince’s companion?”
“Why not? I would rather have her at my side than some simpering idiot my mother picks out.”
Simea shot him a glance. “I see. Her ladyship has decided it’s time for you to mate.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“And you came here rather than listen to her complaints.”
Put like that, it made him sound disturbingly immature. “No. Well, yes. I know we will have to discuss it again, but I just wanted some time. And Pulata did ask me to come and inspect the forms.”
“I know he’s worried.” Simea stirred the contents of her pot thoughtfully, momentarily diverted. “Toaga is worried too. You know we only have a small farm, but he thinks it’s beginning to spread to us as well.”
“Pulata said it was only about five percent.”
“That matters a lot on a small farm.”
“You know that I will always take care of you.”
“I know.” Her hand patted his shoulder as she crossed to the other side of the kitchen, and he knew he was forgiven. “But Toaga likes to make his own way. Which you should understand.”
He smiled a little ruefully. Simea had certainly listened to him complain about his responsibilities often enough.
“Here.” Simea put a plate of his favorite treats in front of him. He suspected she must have made them as soon as she heard he was coming. “You are too thin. Eat these while I see what I can find for your… companion.”
“Thank you, Simea,” he said meekly, and she laughed as she headed for the door.
“You were always much more polite once you got your way.”
He had just popped the first treat in his mouth, when Toaga entered from the direction of the farms. A small, taciturn male, he was the complete opposite of his formidable spouse, but A’tai had no doubt that he was completely committed to her. He was also the only person A’tai had ever seen silence Simea with no more than a quick shake of his head.
“Prince A’tai,” Toaga said, bowing his head.
“Just A’tai, please. I have a… guest, and she doesn’t know that I’m a prince.”
Even though he knew that Toaga would never harm Kate, he felt curiously reluctant to call her a slave to the other male. Although, Simea would undoubtedly tell him.
“So I heard.”
Or had already told him, he thought ruefully as Toaga headed for the sink to wash up.
“It’s not what it sounds like.”
“None of my business. Of course, I doubt my female feels the same way.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry. She has already lectured me.”
“And forgiven you, I see.” Toaga gestured at the plate of treats. “What is my business is the farm. Did Pulata speak to you while he was in town?”
“Yes, he did. It’s one of the reasons I’m here—to see for myself.”
Toaga nodded. “I’ll take you down after we eat. Your lady too, if she wants to come.”
“I’m sure she won’t—” He came to a sudden halt. His mother had never been interested in the farms, other than as a source of income, but he had already discovered that Kate was nothing like his mother. Remembering her curiosity, he decided that she probably would enjoy the trip. “Thank you. I think she would like that.”
Simea returned with an armful of clothing. As she passed Toaga, two of their limbs entwined. It was just the briefest touch, but he found himself envying the closeness between them, the closeness of a long and patient love.
“This is all I have here in the house,” Simea told him. “I can send to the palace for more.”
And arouse his mother’s curiosity if word got back to her—which it inevitably would. “No thank you. I’ll start with these. If there’s nothing suitable, I will make other arrangements.”
Faiofu was the best dressmaker in the capital, he thought, already considering the possibilities, but she wasn’t known for her discretion. If A’tai paid her enough, could he trust her to keep her mouth shut?
“Better get going,” Toaga reminded him. “You know how long it takes females to pick out an outfit. And I’m ready for my meal.”
Simea cuffed her mate affectionately. “And you’ll keep waiting. I suspect that A’tai’s female has been through a lot. Don’t rush her, A’tai.”
He suspected she was talking about far more than the clothing, but he nodded. “I won’t.”
As he walked back to their quarters, he sorted through the outfits. Two of them he discarded immediately—they were practical work garments like Simea habitually wore. Another one was woven from a sheer pink cloth, and as much as he would love to see her wearing it, it would do nothing to conceal her delightful body from others. He regretfully added that to the rejected pile.
The remaining two options were acceptable. One was a full-length lounging gown similar to what his mother usually wore—it wouldn’t surprise him if it was one that she had discarded, probably without ever wearing. The other was a shorter day gown in a soft shade of green. He would have preferred a finer fabric, but it was well made and the color would flatter her.
Was she still in the bath, he wondered as he opened the door. The thought of her wet, naked body had him increasing his pace as he headed for the bathing room.
To his disappointment, she was no longer in the tub. Instead, she was wrapped in one of the large towels and trying to wrestle a comb through her hair. She gave him a rueful look as he entered.
“I don’t think this is designed to work in my kind of hair.”
“I agree. Yours is far too soft and silky.” He ran his fingers through the long strands, the rich color of the precious earth that was so hard to find on Mafana. She shivered and leaned into his hand as he repeated the gesture. “Do you enjoy that?”
“Mmm. When I was little, my mother would play with my hair like that. Before she died.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I was very small when she died. I don’t have many memories of her, but they’re all happy ones.” Her sea green eyes met his in the mirror. “Do you remember your father?”
“Yes. He didn’t die until I became an adult. I was at the Imperial court—” On a ceremonial visit, but he didn’t want to explain that to her. “On… business. He was taken ill very rapidly. I didn’t even make it back in time to say goodbye.”
He’d returned to find his mother distraught and bedridden and the House in complete disarray. His father had never anticipated dying at such an early age, and he had made few plans for his succession. A’tai had intended to continue his education, but instead, it had taken him the better part of the next ten years to get to the point where everything was running smoothly again, and he finally had time for his studies. And less than two years later, his mother had decided it was time for him to acquire a mate. Hadn’t he sacrificed enough for his House?
Kate was still looking at him in the mirror, her eyes sympathetic, and he couldn’t imagine another female in her place. All he wanted was her, and for once, he didn’t care about his obligations. He couldn’t ignore them forever, but for right now he was going to think only of her.
Pushing aside the thought of that unpleasant future, he made himself smile. “I brought you some clothes.”
“Real clothes? Ones that actually cover my body?”
“I’m afraid so.” He gave an exaggerated sigh, and she laughed. “I thought perhaps this one…”
He handed her the pale green gown he had decided was most appropriate. She stroked her hand over the fabric, but she looked a little uncertain. Damn. He knew the fabric wasn’t fine enough. He quickly took it away and handed her the lounging gown instead, surprised when she still looked uncertain.
“This is not to your liking either? I will arrange for other clothing, but it will take time.”
“Oh, it’s very pretty,” she said quickly. “Both of them are. They just don’t seem very… practical.”
“Why do they need to be practical?” Her objection confused him.
“It’s not as if I’m just going to be lounging around all day…” Her breath caught, and he saw the uncertainty wash across her face. “Am I?”
She spun around to face him. “You don’t want that, do you? I’ve always worked. It was bad enough on the—” She stopped, giving him a pleading look. “It would drive me crazy not to have anything to do but wait on you.”
He had simply assumed that she would be available to him, but he recognized the truth in her words. Many of the females in his class worked. Even his mother’s days were filled with activity.
“What type of work did you do?” he asked.
Her gaze dropped, and she peeped at him uncertainly from under her lashes. “I worked in a lab that studied ocean water.”
A lab assistant? An unusual position for a slave perhaps, but now her knowledge made more sense. Not that he would permit her to take an assignment in the farm labs, but perhaps he could find something else. In the meantime, he was glad that Toaga had suggested that she accompany him.
“I have made arrangements for us to visit the algae farms this afternoon,” he said, changing the subject.
Her eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. “Really? We were experimenting with them, but only on a small scale. How are you using the algae? What are you using as nutrients?”
He held up her hand, smiling at her enthusiasm, as he heard the second bell.
“I will answer all of your questions, but we don’t want to be late. You still need to get dressed.”
She frowned at the dresses he had offered her. “Neither of these really seems appropriate. Not that I want to be ungrateful, but couldn’t you find anything else?”
He sighed and offered her the two work garments, somehow not surprised when she gave him a genuine smile.
“These are much better. If you’ll just turn around for a minute, I’ll get dressed.”
Amused at her presumption, he obeyed. A decision made easier by the fact that he could still see her quite clearly in the mirror. She let the towel drop, revealing a far too brief glimpse of her enticing body, before she pulled the simple garment over her head.
“Okay, you can turn back around.”
He had expected to be disappointed by the utilitarian garment. Instead, the deep blue color set off the creamy paleness of her skin. Because she was built so differently from a Mafanan female, her breasts strained at the material and the tight fit showed off her curves. It was almost as tempting as the slave gown, but at least it was not transparent.
“It’s a little short,” she said nervously.
The hem fluttered across the top of her thighs. The gown was designed not to impede the transition from the land form to the sea form, but in her case, it simply made him realize how easy it would be to slip a limb beneath the short garment.
“I do not find that a negative factor.”
Pink washed her cheeks, then to his surprise, she lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips against his cheek.
“Why did you do that?”
“To thank you for listening to me.”
Although he was still disappointed that she had not chosen one of the more elaborate gowns, her gratitude pleased him. As he put his arm around her and led her out of the room, he wondered what else he could do to earn her thanks.
