Savage Seed by Ivy Sparks

15

Kade

Father was furious.His attendants were gone, dismissed with a distracted wave of his hands, leaving the two of us alone in the royal tent. He paced back and forth, clenching and releasing his fists, muttering to himself. I’d seen him like this many times before. He was preparing himself, getting ready to unleash his fury onto whoever was about to be the unfortunate recipient of it.

I had long been defiant of my father, our disagreements coming more and more frequently. They would often result in angry clashes like the one I knew I was coming. But something about this one, this moment… Something about the focus of his ire falling on Leslie, who had so muddled my internal compass… I felt more like the child I had been than the man I was now. Worried, on the defensive, a half a step behind.

“My own son,” he spat, turning on his heels to face me, his eyes inches from my own. “Claiming someone outside the tribe is one thing. But a human? We may trade with them, something that’s completely necessary in this age, but procreating with them? There are so many eligible mates here. Warriors of our tribe! Yet, you bring her. Our tribe will never survive you deciding to pair with someone of such feeble constitution!”

He took a step back, leaning one arm against one of the poles that held his tent up. It was yet another reminder… a reminder that for all his wrath and bluster, he was still a weak old man, growing weaker by the day. He tried to hide that weakness, pulling his hand quickly away from the pole and standing straight up. But I saw it. And he knew I did.

“You know that we’re waiting for your true mate to reveal herself,” he continued, his voice softening slightly and taking on an almost pleading tone. “This female will only serve as a distraction, and you’re already distracted enough as it is with that damned tiger.”

I felt the sting of his words and rubbed at my chest. And that sting only deepened as I chose not to reveal the most vulnerable truth of this entire affair.

Leslie was my fated mate. Ever since I laid with her, I knew. I didn’t know how to tell her, and I most certainly didn’t know how to tell my father. Would she understand what it meant? That my very soul was tied to her—that I’d die just to make sure she was safe?

And did I want her to carry the burden of knowing that I’d be a shell if she chose to leave me for her old life?

I couldn’t let her know that. As for my father, though we both shared a dislike for outsiders, he was much more of a purist than I was. While he welcomed outsiders for trade, he still saw our blood as superior, not to be mixed with theirs.

I chose to obscure the truth. “What does it matter if I lay with her or not? If my mate hasn’t shown herself yet, what’s the harm in claiming this human?”

A deep, low growl emanated from my father’s throat. His braid, the longest in our tribe, had fallen over his shoulder in his huffing and puffing. He grabbed it now, flicking it back behind him where it fell back into place, stretching just below his waist. One day, my own hair would be braided as his was, and would stretch just as far, if not farther. But not yet.

“If you are to lead this tribe,” he said, “it matters more than you think. They will question your dedication to our bloodline.”

I understood his concern; I just didn’t agree with it. I had the respect of our people. Even if they didn’t agree with my decision to claim a human, they understood the needs of the flesh, and would see it as nothing more than that.

“The people will understand,” I said. “They already do. We’ve been claiming females, outsiders, for centuries. What difference does it make that she’s human?”

“Ha,” he laughed bitterly. “You know there is a difference between outsider Xekis and outsiders from other planets. Was it not you that so foolishly wanted to conduct raiding parties against these aliens and their mines? Has it not been you who has argued with me so endlessly about the danger their kind presents? That we shouldn’t even be trading with them?”

Unable to contain myself any longer, I growled, “So then it’s okay to take their goods and their money… just not their women? If you can be a hypocrite, so can I. You’re our greatest example as king, after all.”

“Be careful, son,” my father said evenly, his own demeanor calming. I grunted loudly and turned away from him. I didn’t want him near me, not for a second longer. If he had better eyes, he probably would have seen from my expression what I was truly fighting for.

My fated mate.

After a moment, as my rage simmered, I said to him without turning, “I’m sorry, father. But I don’t see the problem with having Leslie—”

“Is Trag not a problem, boy? Do you think his challenge for her has ended? Or that others might decide to challenge you for her as well? Our eligible females are dwindling, so a fertile outsider like her…”

“They would be foolish to try,” I growled, imagining how I’d tear apart anyone who tried to touch Leslie. My Leslie.

“Perhaps,” he said. “But a leader can’t have his time wasted with endless duels with his own people. Worse, he can’t allow them to see weakness.”

“There is no weakness here,” I said, turning back to face him. We were both calm now, our voices even but sure.

My father’s voice broke the tension hanging in the air. “Why did you bring her here?” he asked, his expression more of exasperation than anger. “You are the last one I expected to become preoccupied with an outsider. There must be a reason.”

“I found her, stranded and alone in the desert, fighting off a sand beast.”

Father arched a brow in curiosity. “Fighting it off? And she did this successfully?”

“Well… no,” I admitted. The thought of lying, of exaggerating Leslie’s fighting prowess, occurred to me. But doing that might put her in even more danger from those who might challenge her directly. “But she had spirit, an inner strength that—”

“You should have left her to die, then. If she cannot defend herself, she is of no use to us here.”

I snarled without realizing it, the anger rising inside of me all over again.

“She has more to offer than you realize,” I told him. I knew in my heart that Leslie could learn to fight, to defend herself, and live strongly and confidently. She had shown immense bravery when she had fought the sand beast, especially with such a tiny blade. If trained properly, she could do—could be—so much more.

And yet, a small seed of doubt ate at me, even as I offered my father reassurance. I had taken Leslie in so quickly, with so little thought of the consequences. If someone else from my tribe had done the same, would I have been so understanding?

But I also couldn’t deny how she made me feel. Logic be damned; there was no way I could ignore my irrefutable connection to her.

“She will not disappoint,” I said to my father. “She is not weak.”

My father’s eyes flashed, their natural amber mixing with red. “Time will prove how strong your female is, Kade. We shall see how long she lasts.”