The girl began to squirm violently in his grasp, screaming through his hand that covered her mouth. He could feel her rapidly beating heart as he restrained her, and could smell her fear. Warm tears ran over his fingers as he started to cry. The badblood had been partially right-they would hunt her and steal her child. He stood there like a cold statue as she struggled, but his eyes slowly glanced downward at her.

Her face was red, and her eyes glazed over with tears. She was looking up at him, begging him to help her. Keta-ki had seen oomans brought to this point before-distraught and helpless. Up until then, he had slaughtered them all without remorse. Something about her was different though.

Keta-ki spoke up, "Elder, she has broken no laws. She was lied to and taken advantage of by the badblood. The child growing up knowing that his sire was a badblood and that his mother was killed may not be beneficial."

"She will need to be monitored, to make sure that she doesn't try to contact the badblood or aid him in any way. Oomans are never as innocent as they may seem." The elder said darkly.

This time, one of the elders bodyguards interrupted, "My mate and I already have one ooman servant, and know of their care requirements. I will take her in, and I'm sure my mate will accept the child as her own once it is born. The ooman will be well protected and cared for."

The elder tipped his head down some, giving consent.

As the guard walked forward to collect the female, Keta-ki lowered his mouth to her ear, "If you speak out irrationally, the elder has the power to rip your heart from your chest in a fleeting instant. Go quietly if you wish to live."

The guard stopped a few feet in front of them. Keta-ki slowly peeled his hand away from her mouth, then nudged her forward. His body was tense, ready for her to reach for one if the guards many weapons, though the guard would likely have her in the ground before he could react if that were to happen. Still, the ooman was not going to listen to his advice and go quietly. He saw her pink lips begin to part and knew she intended to speak before she'd said anything.

"I want to stay with him instead." She pointed back at Keta-ki.

He was disarmed for a moment, but realized that everyone was staring at him. They were waiting for his response, and so he spoke without thinking, "I can take her."

The elder hesitated, and then said, "If you are certain that is the best option, then you may watch over her."

"She only wants to stay with you because she thinks that will prevent the badblood from being caught." The guard huffed.

Keta-ki took that in consideration, but said, "There are others willing to after the badblood."

He didn't comment on the child she was going to give birth to, undecided as to whether he'd raise it as his own or give it up for adoption. Now that he was thinking about it, he wasn't sure what to do with the girl either. Her life was short in comparison to his own, yet she was still a long commitment. The ooman was going to be a handful, while Keta-ki had hoped to dedicate himself to his work to become an arbitrator. He'd never had a weakness for oomans before, and hoped that it was only because he'd skipped several breeding seasons that he was even somewhat attracted to her.

"This meeting is dismissed." The elder walked from the room with the two guards behind him.

Keta-ki reached for the girl but she yanked her arm away. "I can walk on my own." She hissed.

As they walked through the halls back to his ship, she did not hesitate to remind him just how much of a handful she was going to be. In a single breath, she demanded that he get her some pants, shoes, a drink of water, a comb for her hair, and that he walk slower. Back in the ship, they rose through the center of the building to the roof. It was only a few minute ride to his house. It was right on the edge of the city, with other single houses scattered around it.

He slowly led her inside, ready to catch her if she decided to run. The female was eerily calm though. She confidently trotted into the house, looking at his decorations. There were more trinkets like the ones around his neck, as well as weapons, and skulls. He looked away from her for a second to operate his wrist controls, having the house lock all the rooms.

When he looked up at her, her hands were hovering around a polished white skull sitting in the middle of a table. A lump formed in his throat. Arousal was a normal reaction for his species when a female admired a trophy kill, but he knew better. Still, he couldn't tear his eyes away. Her palms gently swept over the smooth surface of the skull, then she lifted it of the table.

"It's from a rare creature. Not many yautjas have even heard of it's kind." He stated.

She turned to face him, and lifted the skull up over her head. Keta-ki was too shocked to move fast enough. The ooman forcefully threw the skull to the floor, and it splintered into several pieces. His yellow eyes stared down at it, his body filling with rage and his surroundings fading. The chords on his neck drew tight and his hands clenched into tight fists at his side.

"That's for kidnapping me!" She cried.

His mandible began to flare apart and his eyes flickered to her. He could not control his rage. The table was a cluster of three metal hexagonal prisms that looked similar to growing crystals. Keta-ki surged forward and grabbed one of the heavy prisms and slammed it against the wall. The second prism he kicked across the room, and the third he lifted up and threw at her head.

The girl ducked just in time and the prism hit the floor behind her and rolled. Still seething with anger, he stepped towards the ooman, intent on teaching her a lesson. She dropped to the floor at his feet, and as he reached for her, she curled herself into a tight ball. He began to take in labored breaths, trying to remind himself that she was pregnant. Keta-ki backed away from her, and quickly disposed of the pieces of shattered bone from the skull.

The girl stood to her feet, but began to back away from him, "You're a monster."

He let out a warning growl, then proceeded to take the rest of the skulls off the walls and hid them behind a locked door. She watched him as he removed the weapons as well, and locked them out of her reach. After all the collectables were hidden as well, the room looked barren but still not quite dull. The dark gray walls had sweeping patterns to them, and were dotted with symbols. She scurried out of his way when he came near her, afraid of him, and it was putting him on edge.

He decided to try and sooth her, "I never asked your name."

She ran her fingers through her long, dark, curled hair, "My name is Zuri...and yours?"

"Keta-ki."

"Kehtaacki? Sounds like some type of chicken dish."

So far the conversation was not helping, but he asked, "Do you have a name for the child yet?"

"No...I can't decide." That seemed to distract her, and she began to pat her belly lightly.

"It is male."

She glared up at him, "I want a girl. I prayed for a girl, and it WILL be a baby girl."

She was mistaken, just as she was about her mate. She had hardly even a bump at her belly, and it could have easily just passed as a little fat. Still, for an ooman at least, the baby's genitals began to develop at as early as six weeks. With the advanced technology of his bio masks diagnostic scans, he could easily tell that the child was forming into a male. He didn't understand why she would be upset about it; even in some ooman cultures male babies seemed to be more valued.

"I'm leaning towards the name Kiara." She said.

"I hope that is a male name from where you're from." He grumbled.

She clenched her teeth together, "It's not."

Figuring that she might be hungry, he went to the kitchen and picked it a few different types of meat for her to try. As they cooked, he brought her they glass of water she'd asked for earlier. His technology was much more advanced than any ooman appliances, and within minutes he had freshly cooked and seasoned meat. Though he'd eaten recently, the invigorating smell of it tempted him. As she entered the kitchen though, she seemed to get an opposite reaction.

One hand went to her stomach, while the other covered her mouth. He knew very well that the meat was safe for ooman consumption, but wondered if it did not appeal to her pallet. She stared at the heaping pile of food as he slid the plate closer, and gagged. Keta-ki stepped in front of her then, wondering if she was ill. As soon as he did, she doubled over and vomited up all over his feet.