Nikhil (Kaliszian Book 1) (12 page)

She found him in the outer room, dressed in his full uniform with the complete accompaniment of weapons from the day before, minus the sword strapped to his back. But it lay just within reach. He had an array of silver packets sitting on the table in front of him.

Nikhil heard the door to the cleansing room open and turned to let her know where he was. But the words remained lodged in his throat. He'd never known a mere storm covering would look so sexy on a female. On
his
female. The material was made to conform to the wearer’s body, preventing the elements of the storm from harming the wearer. But this... It accentuated every curve, every line of the beautiful body he had cleansed last night. Goddess! She was beautiful. The crackling of a packet being crushed in his hands brought him out of his daze.

"Which would you like?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm fine," she replied even though her stomach growled quietly in protest. "I need to know about the others."

"The others?"

"Yes. Where are they? Are they okay? Have they gotten anything to eat?"

"Mackenzie, I am sure they are fine."

"You're
sure
. That means you don't
know
they are. My God, they must be worried out of their minds about me. I need to get to them."

"I
know
that all the survivors are being kept in one area. I
know
that they have been fed, allowed to cleanse, and given places to rest. I
know
that if any were in dire condition, the warrior in charge of them would have brought them to Luol for treatment. None were while you were there."

"How can you know all that?"

"Because it has been the procedure for the survivors we found at the other sites."

"Other sites... you mean there were more places... more mines...”

"Yes," he told her quietly, wanting to hit himself for revealing that. Especially when he saw her pale.

"How many?"

"Yours was the sixth one we found."

"Six...?”

"We believe we have found them all."

"Why?"

"Because no more Zaludian ships have attempted to approach Pontus since our arrival six weeks ago. We have learned they arrived once a month to retrieve the mined crystals and restock the sites."

"Then why were they still having us mine?"

"That I do not know, but I'm sure the General will discover it from the Zaludian survivors."

"Some survived?"

"I would think so, although I do not know that for truth. There were some from other sites."

"And were there any other humans found?"

"No, Mackenzie. You were the first of your kind we found." He lifted the packet again. "Will you eat now?"

"I need to
know
they are okay." Her eyes pleaded with his, and Nikhil found he could refuse her nothing. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to get his way too.

"I can contact the warrior in charge and find out, but only if you eat while I do. You have been through a great deal."

"So have they."

"Yes, but
you
are the only one I'm concerned about." Nikhil refused to back down in this. She was his True Mate, and hopefully one day his Ashe, and while it seems he had done some things wrong in caring for her, this he would do right.

"Alright," she finally said. Sitting down, she chose a packet.

"Let me help...” He reached out to take it from her, but her look stopped him.

"I saw how you did it last night." She pinched the dot. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"I never thought you were. I was just trying to help."

"Help by finding out about my friends. You said you would if I ate." She ripped the top off the pouch, grabbed one of the utensils on the table, and began to eat.

Nikhil unclipped the comm he carried at his waist and contacted Warrior Parlan.

Parlan had just finished enjoying his first meal when his comm rang. "Parlan," he answered, his displeasure at being contacted before going on duty easily heard.

"Warrior Parlan, this is Squad Leader Kozar."

Parlan sat up straighter hearing who was contacting him. Squad Leader Kozar was someone you didn't want to be on the wrong side of; not even him. For not only was Nikhil the largest among them, but he was also one of the strongest. He never said more than needed saying, letting his skill with the sword, blaster, and blade speak for him. His manno was also in the employ of Minister Descarga, one of the most influential and respected ministers in the Empire. Not even Parlan's own connection with Minister Stepney would help him if he offended Descarga.

"Squad Leader! What can I do for you?"

"I want to know the condition of the humans."

"Humans... Oh, you mean those filthy, strange-looking creatures that were rescued yesterday."

Nikhil gritted his teeth, glad that Mackenzie still didn't understand Kaliszian so she couldn't understand Parlan.

"Their condition?" he demanded.

"I have not yet checked on them this morning, but they were fine when I went off duty last night. Food, cots, and clean coverings were provided as the General ordered, and I assume they knew how to cleanse themselves."

"Did you show them how to use the cleansing room?"

"Why would I do that? Every known species knows how to use a cleansing unit."

"But they are not a known species to us or us to them." Parlan remained silent. "Were any of them taken to Luol?"

"No. None of them mentioned the need."

"Because they would know they could, right? As they know nothing about us." Nikhil had never liked Parlan. Oh, he was a highly, efficient warrior and did his duty, but he never did more than that and felt he was always entitled to more because of his family’s bloodline and connection to Minister Stepney.

"I want you to go and check on them, and then report their condition to me."

"With all due respect, Squad Leader, General Treyvon assigned me this duty. I follow his orders and report to him. When it is my assigned time to see to that duty, I will." With that, Parlan disconnected his comm.

Nikhil couldn't believe it! That self-important caca had disconnected from him. Him! Squad Leader! While Parlan was right that he didn't report to Nikhil, not in this, he had forgotten that he did report to him on the training fields. Nikhil would make him pay for this insult.

"What did he say?" Mackenzie's question pulled his thoughts away from his and Parlan’s next encounter on the fields.

"That they received food, beds, and new coverings. That none requested to see the Healer."

"Did they know they could?" she immediately asked.

"Wouldn't they have if one of them was in dire straights? They were informed we were treating you."

"They were?"

"Yes." He saw she had finished the packet she had chosen. "Do you need more?"

"No."

"Then are you ready to return to medical?"

"I'd rather check on my friends." She frowned when he seemed to hesitate and stood to confront him. "Nikhil? What are you keeping from me? Why don't you want me to go there first?"

"I am not keeping anything from you!" Nikhil reached out, cupping her cheek before he could stop himself. "My vow. I only thought that you would be better able to assist your... friends, if you had a better understanding of the world you are all now in. You can't do that without first using our educator."

Mac stilled at his touch. It surprised her, especially after the way he reacted to her lips on his. Maybe he was right. If she couldn't understand what was going on between them, after the time she'd spent with Nikhil, how was she going to be able to explain it to everyone else. She needed to use their educator.

"Alright," she finally said. "Let's go see Luol. The sooner this is done, the sooner I can be with my friends."

Nikhil frowned at that. Did she really expect him to just let her leave him, to let other males surround her? It wasn't going to happen, but he knew he couldn't tell her that right now.

"Let us go to the Medical Wing, and Luol can finish treating you, and then he can apply the educator."

"Finish? What do you mean?"

"You became agitated while the deep-repair unit treated you. Luol wanted me to bring you back today so it could finish replenishing your system with what you have lost."

"Replenish...”

"It means to restore what your body has lost."

"I know what it means," she told him shortly. "You never said anything about needing more treatments, only that I needed to use the educator."

"I... I did not mean to mislead you, Little One. We discussed so many things yesterday that I didn't realize we had not discussed that."

Mac stared up into Nikhil's softly glowing eyes and knew he was telling her the truth. She wasn't sure how she knew, she'd never been that good at reading men before, her past relationships were proof of that. But somehow with Nikhil she just
knew
.

"Alright, but I'm tired of only being told what others think I need to know." She watched Nikhil stiffen before he sunk onto the couch, his hand running over the tightly restrained hair on the top of his head.

"That was never my intention, Mackenzie. I have only tried to care for you to the best of my abilities. I am greatly sorry that I have failed you."

Mac felt her mouth drop open. She hadn't meant for Nikhil to take her words so personally or for him to feel like he had failed her. Ever since she'd seen him in that mine, he'd been the only one she'd known she could completely trust. Why did she doubt that now? Because he was no longer essential to her survival? Wasn't that wrong? God, she was so messed up.

"Nikhil...” she slowly moved and sat down beside him. "You haven't failed me. How could you even think that? From the first moment I laid eyes on you,
you
have been my one constant, the only one I've totally trusted, the only one whose only concern was for me
. Me
." She started to reach out and touch him but pulled her hand back. "I know I'm not what you were looking for when you woke up yesterday. All you wanted to do was your duty, not get saddled with a mess like me."

"Saddled?"

"Burdened with...”

"Burdened?" Nikhil's eyes began to burn more than glow, and he gripped her upper arms lifting her off the couch, pulling her in front of him so they were eye to eye. "You think you are a
burden
to me?!! That I regret having you come into my life?"

She let out a little squeak when Nikhil pulled her onto his lap, her hands gripping the thick muscles of his arms, that were now vibrating with rage, for balance. She should have been terrified at being manhandled like this, especially after how the Zaludians had treated her, but she wasn't. This was Nikhil, and he'd never harm her.

"I think." She carefully licked her lips before continuing. "That I have complicated your life. I'm a mess, Nikhil. My emotions are all over the place. I'm happy I'm alive, and scared out of my mind at the same time. I want to be with my friends. They are the only ones that really understand what I've gone through, and yet...”

"And yet?"

"And yet I don't want to leave you," she whispered. "That’s not fair to you, not when you are only doing what you feel you must because of this." She reached up and touched his True Mate bead in her hair.

"Mackenzie...” The anger that had filled him quickly faded, He had failed her because he hadn't adequately explained the connection between True Mates. She was feeling it, and it was confusing her. Especially after all that had happened to her. He would not fail her again. Taking a deep breath, he spoke to her from his heart.

"You truly don't understand what a gift... a blessing from the Goddess herself, it is to have a True Mate. You complete me in a way I cannot adequately express. I am no longer alone, there is now more to my life than just duty and battle. There is
you
." His gaze traveled over her, and he still couldn't believe she was here. "I know this is all new and confusing to you. Your people seem to practice different traditions and don't have True Mates, but...”

"We have something similar," she whispered. "We call them Soul Mates."

"Soul Mates," Nikhil tried the words on his lips.

"Yes. They are said to be a person's other half. The one that makes them whole."

"As you have made me." Nikhil's knuckle gently caressed her cheek.

"Have I?" she asked looking up at him uncertainly.

Nikhil frowned at the doubt he saw in her eyes. "Yes! What is making you question it? I already feel you, here." He thumped a fist against his chest. "You are a part of me. The most precious part."

"Then why...” she bit her bottom lip and looked away.

"Then why what?" Nikhil cupped her chin, tipping it up then waited for her to look at him. "Mackenzie... tell me."

"Why do you not want me to touch you or kiss you? Is it something Kaliszians don't do?"

"No! I mean, yes! Yes, we do touch and kiss."

"But you don't want to with me."

"Of course, I do!"

"Then why did you stop me from touching you. Why didn't you like it when I kissed you?"

"I
did
!" he instantly denied. He couldn't believe it;
this
was what was causing all her doubt and confusion. Him, trying to restrain himself so he wouldn't overwhelm her? Well if that were the case, he would show her exactly how much he wanted her. Sinking his fingers into her lush dark hair, he pulled her lips to his.

M
ac was shocked when Nikhil's fingers suddenly sank into her hair and pulled her forward, capturing her lips in a hard kiss. She hadn't expected it, but before she could respond, he pulled away.

"You think that I do not want you?" he growled, ripping his lips away from hers. "That I wouldn't welcome your touch, your lips,
anywhere
on me?"

Before she could answer, he captured her lips again and gave her a longer, harder kiss that had her heart pounding, and her hands gripping his braids.

"You are my True Mate," he said breaking off the kiss again to glare down at her, "and I will never be able to live without you now that I have found you."