Chapter 8

A New Start

Amelia stood trembling in the shadow of Kaz'iliat who seemed puzzled at her reaction.

"A-me-lia," he said again. "Have come back to collect you."

"I... I thought that I belonged to Hil'rak now."

Kaz tilted his head, amber eyes locked on her blue quizzically. He was attempting read her emotional state Amelia realized.

But she was more just taking in the view of him. He had a few new scars that were well hidden among the mottled color of his skin. But other than that he seemed in one piece to her intense relief.

"Did not lie," Kaz finally said.

"Lie?"

"Before. Said no other master. Meant no other master. Have returned to collect you."

Amelia started to laugh softly with a smile creeping up the corners of her mouth. Then to Kaz's surprise, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Later on Amelia would wonder at how Kaz didn't kill her, knowing as she did that yautja were trained from birth to react to sudden unexpected rushes with violence.

But he didn't. Instead he allowed her to hold onto him as if he was the sturdiest rock in the middle of a turbulent river that threatened to sweep her away.

"Would not lie to you," he trilled carefully with a purr rumbling in his chest and nearly vibrated through her body and into her very soul. Kaz gently pried her free from his own form and carefully pushed her a short distance away with his hands dwarfing her shoulders in the act of holding them.

"Come. Get your things. We must leave."


"She's going nowhere."

Kaz's mandibles flared out and the purr he had for Amelia turned into a snarl.

"Belongs to me. Not you, Adjudicator."

Hil'rak, who had strolled in as Kaz spun to face the new arrival, was unmoved at the snarling growling yautja before her. "What is your intentions for the girl? You can't watch her as Clan Leader. Your time will need to be spent elsewhere."

"My thoughts my own!" Kaz hissed at her. "A-me-lia stays with me. Decision final."

Hil'rak frowned. "What the hell are you thinking? The first females looking to join your new clan will not look on her kindly. You know this."

"Not an issue."

"I know how this works far better than the girl does! I'm not going to let her walk into a vipers den just because you want to use her against your sire!"

The roar that came from the yautja stumped even Hil'rak into silence. Kaz's mandibles flared out as the deafening noise erupted from his throat and echoed in the silence that came after.

"Stand aside. We leave. Now," he snapped at the Adjudicator in the strained aftermath. The conversation was over as far as Kaz was concerned.

Hil'rak took a step back, conceding ground to the yautja before sidestepping past him.

"You best get your things, young one."

As Amelia passed her by, Hil'rak snaked out a hand and grabbed her firmly.

"Do you want this? Say the word and I'll stop him from taking you," she whispered.

Amelia gave a weak smile. "It'll be okay. Even if what you say is true. Thank you. For everything."

"Go to my room. I've a small communicator there. Was meant to be a gift for you. Take it and stay in touch. If things get too tough then you call."


They went straight to Kaz's small ship to her surprise.

Amelia half expected that the ceremonies and celebrations for his great achievement plus the obvious invitations from willing mates would mean they would be on-board for some time but it clearly wasn't part of Kaz's plan.

She'd barely gotten into the ship when he slammed the doors and set about undocking.

The scowl that had been almost permanently on his face since leaving Hil'rak was a sign to Amelia that she should just move her items to the room assigned to her and wait until Kaz was ready to speak to her.

She'd just reached it when the ship jolted as Kaz launched them both away from the security of the home vessel and out into the void of space.

Kaz didn't come looking for her immediately so she took the opportunity to go over the many stances she learned from her time with Hil'rak.

With one of the wooden training poles in her hand, Amelia closed her eyes and attempted to remember every move, every lunge and swing from her training.

According to Hil'rak, when the moves were done right they should flow seamlessly into each other and the wielder would become a practically untouchable.

She spun around the training room, trying to make each as natural and as seamless as possible but feeling as though she wasn't quite there yet.


Amelia was jolted to a halt when her staff contacted a solid mass and her eyes fluttered open to meet Kaz's impassive face. He'd caught her weapon with one hand even when she was mid spin.

"Better. Very good."

"I've been practicing."

He nodded with approval before he picked up a wooden pole himself.

"Show me," Kaz replied as he settled into a similar stance to what Hil'rak would have.

Amelia went on the attack. First strike was a faint to force Kaz's defense one way before she spun rapidly and jabbed his vulnerable side.

Only... it didn't work on the yautja as well as it would have with Hil'rak. Kaz was too fast and easily deflected it before he struck forward which Amelia dodged gracefully.

Amelia in the very act of escaping Kaz's forward lunge reached out and whacked the yautja's heel.

The yautja laughed with mandibles flared and tusks clicking.

"Very good!" he huffed out. "Again!"

It seemed like hours to Amelia before they finished sparring. Kaz had pushed her to the limit, increasing the speed and ferocity of his attacks until she felt once more like a novice against him.

The end came when she finally just collapsed on the floor with frustration.

"Damn it," she berated herself.

Amelia saw the quizzical look on Kaz's face. "I'm giving out to myself," she clarified. "I thought I was better than this."

"You are good. Hungry to be better. Good sign," he huffed before reaching down and helping her back to her feet.

He took the wooden pole from her hands and replaced it with his own on the rack.


"Why are you doing this?"

Kaz glanced over his shoulder at the nervous Amelia who'd finally worked up the courage to ask what had been on the front of her mind since he retrieved her.

"Not understand."

"Why are you helping me? Why are you doing all of this?"

"Come. Food," Kaz said bluntly as he skipped past the question. "Must prepare for the hunt."

Amelia's confidence fled as he simply abandoned her in the room and strode out before she could even process what he'd said.