part of his character. She nodded and started forward.
Hands of the other women clutched at her as she walked through their number. There were sobs and calls of “God keep you,” “be careful,” and “may the prophets walk with you.”
Simdow watched the ethereal creature move towards him. Her huge garment billowed over her, hiding her body. Her foaming hair was a curled flood around her pale face.
Was this really his clan’s lifebringer? Was he truly so fortunate?
She at last stood before him, looking up to search his face. She even sounded angry with him, as if chastising a child rather than a man who loomed tall above her. “One of the women was taken from here, First Officer. Three of your men took her away. Where is she?”
Simdow answered her truthfully. “The young woman you speak of was clanned, Matara. Female prisoners of war are subject to being made part of our family groups.”
Her lush lips thinned in anger, but her eyes blinked hard, as if to keep tears back. “Those men took her away to rape her then? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Simdow’s heart lurched, and it took a lot of control to hold Katherine’s gaze and not check on Miv. “Rape? Matara, we will do all in our power to make the mating as pleasurable as possible—”
The Earther would not be deterred. “But it is rape. You capture us and expect us to have your children. You want to breed, so you are making us slaves for that purpose.”
Simdow did jerk away from that accusing glare to exchange horrified stares with Vadef and Miv. His Nobek actually seemed to have shrunken into himself, something the proud warrior never did.
How was he supposed to answer Katherine’s accusations? Especially when from her viewpoint, she was absolutely correct? She was being forced to join a clan for the purposes of breeding. It didn’t matter to her that the Kalquorians worshipped their lifebringers, and that their clans revolved around the care and happiness of Mataras. She and the others were being taken against their will, to be coerced into bringing a new generation to the nearly extinct Empire.
Like most Kalquorian men, Simdow wanted a lifelong female mate to serve. Yet, this was definitely not how he wanted to gain the fourth member of his clan. How could he make Katherine understand the depth of devotion his clan was ready to show her? That if they were compatible, she would be their heart and soul?
Sounding uncertain to his own ears, Simdow told her, “It is – perhaps it is more complicated than you think. It is not as ugly as that.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I am your captive, correct?”
His answer ground out between his teeth. “Yes.”
“I will be expected to join a Kalquorian clan and give them children. I am given no choice in the matter. Do I have the facts right on that?”
Damn it, she wasn’t going to let this go. “In a matter of speaking, but to call it rape—”
Her eyes suddenly widened, and she interrupted him. “Are you the ones I will have to be with? Are you my owners?”
Simdow shook his head violently. “Not owners. Your clan. We would be your clan.”
“And these other women will be forced to join clans as well?”
Simdow drew a deep breath. No matter how he put it, there was no getting around the facts. “Yes. They will join clans.”
“What about the children?” Katherine shot a glance at Miv, who stared furiously at the floor between them. “He says the little girls will be spared.”
Simdow jerked. She thought his people would harm younglings? The thought made him ill. “Of course they will be left alone. All females under Earther legal age for marriage, and thus sexual relations, are to be left here unharmed and untouched.” He stared at her. “The thought of clanning children is abhorrent, Matara. We ourselves do not clan until the age of 25, unless we have gained parental
Hands of the other women clutched at her as she walked through their number. There were sobs and calls of “God keep you,” “be careful,” and “may the prophets walk with you.”
Simdow watched the ethereal creature move towards him. Her huge garment billowed over her, hiding her body. Her foaming hair was a curled flood around her pale face.
Was this really his clan’s lifebringer? Was he truly so fortunate?
She at last stood before him, looking up to search his face. She even sounded angry with him, as if chastising a child rather than a man who loomed tall above her. “One of the women was taken from here, First Officer. Three of your men took her away. Where is she?”
Simdow answered her truthfully. “The young woman you speak of was clanned, Matara. Female prisoners of war are subject to being made part of our family groups.”
Her lush lips thinned in anger, but her eyes blinked hard, as if to keep tears back. “Those men took her away to rape her then? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Simdow’s heart lurched, and it took a lot of control to hold Katherine’s gaze and not check on Miv. “Rape? Matara, we will do all in our power to make the mating as pleasurable as possible—”
The Earther would not be deterred. “But it is rape. You capture us and expect us to have your children. You want to breed, so you are making us slaves for that purpose.”
Simdow did jerk away from that accusing glare to exchange horrified stares with Vadef and Miv. His Nobek actually seemed to have shrunken into himself, something the proud warrior never did.
How was he supposed to answer Katherine’s accusations? Especially when from her viewpoint, she was absolutely correct? She was being forced to join a clan for the purposes of breeding. It didn’t matter to her that the Kalquorians worshipped their lifebringers, and that their clans revolved around the care and happiness of Mataras. She and the others were being taken against their will, to be coerced into bringing a new generation to the nearly extinct Empire.
Like most Kalquorian men, Simdow wanted a lifelong female mate to serve. Yet, this was definitely not how he wanted to gain the fourth member of his clan. How could he make Katherine understand the depth of devotion his clan was ready to show her? That if they were compatible, she would be their heart and soul?
Sounding uncertain to his own ears, Simdow told her, “It is – perhaps it is more complicated than you think. It is not as ugly as that.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I am your captive, correct?”
His answer ground out between his teeth. “Yes.”
“I will be expected to join a Kalquorian clan and give them children. I am given no choice in the matter. Do I have the facts right on that?”
Damn it, she wasn’t going to let this go. “In a matter of speaking, but to call it rape—”
Her eyes suddenly widened, and she interrupted him. “Are you the ones I will have to be with? Are you my owners?”
Simdow shook his head violently. “Not owners. Your clan. We would be your clan.”
“And these other women will be forced to join clans as well?”
Simdow drew a deep breath. No matter how he put it, there was no getting around the facts. “Yes. They will join clans.”
“What about the children?” Katherine shot a glance at Miv, who stared furiously at the floor between them. “He says the little girls will be spared.”
Simdow jerked. She thought his people would harm younglings? The thought made him ill. “Of course they will be left alone. All females under Earther legal age for marriage, and thus sexual relations, are to be left here unharmed and untouched.” He stared at her. “The thought of clanning children is abhorrent, Matara. We ourselves do not clan until the age of 25, unless we have gained parental
Similar Books
