“These belonged to my dam,” he said as he very gently pulled out a brightly painted container that he recalled she kept small sweets in that she enjoyed and favored giving to all the children who played nearby. “I told my sister to keep everything, since I never expected to have a family. Ag’hana must have taken it upon herself to disregard that direction now that we are mated.”
He carried it to an empty shelf on the wall, one that he had just put up the day before with the intent of setting… something… on it. He stepped back and smiled at it. The small container, despite its size, brought a noticeable burst of life, history, and color to his home. Cha’lii grinned from where she crouched as she began to unwrap another delicate item.
Working together, they spent the morning putting everything away, brightening his home. The longer they worked, the more it felt like a real home for his mate and not just an empty housing unit. Cha’lii opened the sun-blocking shield and hung the vibrant window trains that filtered the sunlight into the rooms, and bells that brought good luck and peace were hung above entryways where they would be sure to be touched by those who passed, bringing blessings into the house.
By the time they were done, it was truly beginning to look like a real home. As he looked around, he discovered that he wanted to take Cha’lii into the market where she could indulge in things to add to the half of his dam’s collection that he had inherited.
But for this to be a real home, he also needed to settle her mind about those she left behind. Vash was not going to be of any assistance doing that. He had spoken true when he told Cha’lii that he would arrange an audience with the king. It was not difficult to do, and a right of everyone in the city who might have some need to speak to him. It was another long-standing tradition their people had that the king remain available to his people.
While Cha’lii disappeared in their bedroom with the brightly woven blanket that his dam had made, Rhyst turned away to make his call to the king. The attendant answered the transmission promptly. It took little convincing for the male to put him on the schedule.
When the transmission cut out, Rhyst smiled in satisfaction and spun around just in time to scoop his tiny mate into his arms as she re-entered the room. She laughed in surprise and punched his arm in a playful manner before curling into his body as he drew her in close. Contentment spread through him as she pulled him down for a kiss, a show of affection surprisingly shared by their species. He took joy in her arms. He would follow one word of advice from Vash—he would enjoy every moment of this time he had free with his mate.
Then, in just a few days, he would speak privately with the king and discover the truth of what was going on.
Chapter 32
Charlie squirmed where she sat on Rhyst’s back as she attempted to see around his huge frame. After being indoors for several days, she was happy to be out enjoying the sun and activity—not that she hadn’t received a lot of pleasure and activity lately, but it was still good to be out.
Or, at least, it had been. People were staring—a lot.
A particularly nosy a’sankh male shifted closer through the crowd, his darker, smoke gray pelt blending in with the shadows as he followed. His eyes never left them. If Charlie thought Rhyst had an eerie gaze, this male’s dark amber eye mismatched the pale green lines glowing in his orb to such a degree that it was unsettling as he tracked their progress.
At first, when she saw him, she had been startled since Rhyst had told her that most a’sankhii avoided the crowded conditions of the market. Given his wiry build that seemed to help him slink through the crowd, he caught her attention with the way he navigated the marketplace with an ease of familiarity that Rhyst did not possess. The entire time he stared after them with an unrelenting focus.
She had tried to ignore him at first, determined to enjoy the day, yet it was the tenacity with which he stalked after them as they meandered through that market that made her uneasy. Nothing seemed