Feast
Elizabeth Knight
Chapter 12
Bra crawled out of the bed and wrapped a blanket around her half nude form before stepping out of the room. The whole house was quiet, and Bra didn't see anyone about. She pulled back the front covering and peeked outside at the sun that had barely risen. She was about to let it drop back in place when she heard a deep rumble of laughter floating up from the ground. Intrigued, Bra stepped out on the walkway and looked down.
Kyle stood with his back to her talking to two younger cat-women. They were both smiling up at him in adoration, and one reached out to run her hand over his chest. Jealousy tore through Bra like a hot poker, making her blood boil. The cat-woman giggled and looked up. The pretty smiling face dropped as she pointed up at Bra. Bra threw her an icy smile and let the blanket drop just enough to bare her shoulders. Kyle looked over his shoulder at her first, then turned to face her directly with a devilishly charming smile spread across those beautiful features of his. Bra stayed where she was as he made his up to her side.
"Good morning, sueka."
"So it seems." she said dryly, as she turned to go back into the house. Kyle followed her in, then grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
"Your angry with me, sueka?"
"How very observant of you, really."
"Why?" The simple word had her fuming. Bra giggled at him and ran her hands up his chest, imitating the cat-woman from below. At first he didn't seem to get it, but then he smiled. Grabbing her around the waist, he picked her up where they were nose to nose. "Your not mad, sueka, your jealous."
"You don't have to look so smug about it."
"But I am smug about it. Positively over smug about it." he told her, grinning. "I wish I had time to show you how smug about it I could be, but I have something to talk to the council about and White Fang is getting ready to leave. Sueka?"
"What?" she ask, wrapping her arms around his neck. He ran his eyes up and down her face to stop on her lips. "What?"
Shaking his head, he put her back down. "Nothing, sueka. nothing." Bra watched him leave and shrugged her shoulders.
"Bra. We have to be gone this morning to the meeting as well. Will you sit with Zantha while we're away?" RepSarah stood right outside Zantha's room, waiting for a reply from Bra.
"Sure thing."
Kyle came home late that afternoon in a grim silence. Bra watched him come in Zantha's room, and take a seat not saying anything. Every once in a while, Bra felt his eyes on her, but he said nothing. Around dusk RepSarah and the Chief came into the room. Kyle stood up and the old man offered Kyle his paws, palm up. Kyle placed his paws in the old man's and talked to him for several moments in that strange language. Kyle smiled broadly as the old man clapped him on the shoulder on his way out of the room. The chief made his way around the cot to Bra and offered his paws palm up to her. Bra placed her hands in his paws like she'd seen Kyle do and waited. The old cat-man gazed at their hands for several seconds before looking at her and smiling. He nodded to RepSarah then looked back down at Bra.
As the old man began to speak, RepSarah translated. "He says welcome Kyle's wife. Tonight you will take your place by his side at the feast held in his honor." Bra's eyes widened as the translation of sueka was made. She glanced to the door, where Kyle had returned and now stood listening, but she said nothing. When he was done, Bra nodded her head in understanding. He smiled and left.
"RepSarah? How is it that they think I'm Kyle's wife?"Bra ask. RepSarah glanced at Kyle, but Bra added sternly, "I wasn't asking kyle. I was asking you."
Kyle nodded at RepSarah and she sighed as she began. "That necklace you're wearing is very symbolic. Kyle was given that at his birth, and the only time a cat-man removes it is to give it to his choice of mate perhaps. Since you're wearing his necklace, it claims you as his property to all his people, and since you could only be sleeping in his bed...."
"RepSarah. That's enough."
"No. I want to know what sueka means too."
"Sueka literally means beloved, but it's only used between mates or when talking about some ones mate. Therefor it takes on the connotation of wife in your vocabulary or beloved wife.
Sueke is the male form for husband, and Sueka is for wife."
Bra nodded and looked over to the now empty doorway. "Excuse me, please." She made her way down the hallway to her room. Kyle was bent down beside the bed, rummaging through a cubby hole in the floor. "You told me sueka meant honored guest. Why did you lie to me?"
Kyle looked up at her. "Sueka...." he stopped and shook his head. "Bra, I don't have time to explain everything to you now. The feast is already beginning, and everyone is waiting on us. If you choose not to go, I'll understand."
"That would be disrespectful and dishonorable to your people though. Would it dishonor you as well?"
"Bra you have no obligation to uphold any lie I might have told. Now leave me to get dressed, please."
Bra turned on her heals and walked back out of her room. Her room? More like his room. He'd lied to her about that too. She thought about that a few minutes then turned to go back in the room. "Ya know, you didn't have to lie to me about this room not being......" Bra stopped half way across the room.
Kyle was topless as always, but his attire for the feast was drastically different. He wasn't wearing the hide pants anymore, but what in design looked like a loin cloth of long black and silver silk, cut up to the band on both sides of his hips. The band around his waist hung extremely low where his tail hung over the top. Kyle kept his back to her as he crouched down to grab a ribbon from the bottom of the hole. The silky material spread and ran down either side of both legs, leaving them bared to her hungry gaze. He had very muscular and powerful looking legs. His silver fur reminded her of a marble statue perfectly sculpted.
He'd just finished tying the black ribbon in his hair when Bra reached him. Reaching out and grabbing one side, Bra pulled and let his hair tumble back down his back as she took the ribbon from the silky strands.
"Sueka, I don't have time to.....What are you doing?"
Bra finished pulling her red ribbon from her hair and dangled it in front of his nose. "Use this one."
"That's only going to reinforce their conclusions, sueka....Bra."
Bra smiled down at him smugly. "We'll talk about this later. Now put this in your hair." Bra released the ribbon in his hand.
"Are you sure you want...."
"You're not leaving this house, dressed like that, without my claim on you."
Kyle went very still for a second, before tying the ribbon in his hair. He threw her a regretful look, flames consuming his eyes, before he walked out. RepSarah entered, holding a long silky black and gold gown.
"Put this on. It's Zantha's, so it won't fit perfectly, but it should do for now." Bra nodded and took the dress from her, stepping into it. "Give me that ribbon."
Taking the black ribbon, she tossed it back into Kyle's cubby hole and grabbed a silver one instead to thread through her hair. Stepping back to look at Bra, she smiled proudly, and grabbed Bra's hand leading her out to Kyle, who was leaning on the railing out side. He lead her down and over to the camp fires. Where everyone sat. There was a camp fire right in the center of a large ring of smaller fires. Kyle led her to the edge of the circle then let go of her hand. Stepping into the inner ring on her own symbolized her willingness and acceptance, which she did without faltering a single step. She looked to Kyle for guidance on where to go next and followed his pointed indication. The chief stood up to help her down onto the hide next to his own before both men sat on either side of her.
He leaned forward to talk to Kyle as Kyle shook his head. The chief's voice lowered and he argued with Kyle for several seconds before giving in and ordering the feast to begin. It seemed to Bra that in that short span of time, everyone had leaned forward to hear what was going on. It seemed like everyone knew what was supposed to be going on except her.
Bra took a little of everything handed her way and ate everything no matter how good or vile she found it. Every once in a while the chief would grab a dish and add a bit more to the pile on her plate. She'd just smile and thank him.
After everyone had eaten they picked up the hides and moved out of the inner circle. A lone reed flute played, then was accompanied by low drums and some kind of shell horn. All the cats joined in the dance and Kyle drug her into the circle with him. As the tempo picked up, so did their steps, until Kyle was twirling them in circles. He lifted one arm, and Bra twirled under it towards him. Bringing both arms down to her sides he had her bound against him. Everyone kept dancing, but Kyle stopped. They stood in the middle of several couples for a few moments, breathing rapidly from their exertion. Bra thought no one was paying attention, but when Kyle scooped her legs out from under her and carried her out of the circle of dancers, they stepped out of his way.
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Kyle knew every eye was on them as he carried Bra away. He'd refused to give her introduction speech introducing her as his mate to his people, but he wouldn't let them think he was ashamed of her or the fact that she was saiyan. He set her on her feet in front of the ladder and followed her up. He waited till they were in front of the door and in clear view of everyone, before turning her and placing a possessive kiss on her lips. They might think something was strange, but they would know without a doubt who she was to him.
He let her go and shoved her through the door way following. Once inside, he walked past her and kept walking down the hallway. This was not the time to be having an extremely intimate conversation with Bra. He needed time to let things cool down.
"Kyle?" He stopped at the sound of her voice. "You said we would talk now."
"Later, sueka."
"It is later, and I want to talk now."
Kyle spun around to face her. She looked radiant, and there were sparks flashing in her eyes that he wasn't sure if they'd be his salvation or his undoing. "Fine."
He watched her turn into the bedroom, expecting him to follow. Kyle hesitated at the door, taking a deep breath to strengthen his resolve before following her in.
***************
Bra's heart was pounding in her chest and blood rushing so loudly in her ears, she almost didn't hear him enter. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wasn't important. I let you keep the necklace for your own protection."
"But you let your people think I was your wife."
"It was an illusion for your safety. That's all." Bra watched him drop his head.
"That's all? Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why was that all? Why didn't you finish it?"
Kyle's eyes snapped up to her own, and she could see the small flames burning in their depths, making his eyes glow. A sliver of desire ripped down her spine in answer to those dancing flames and made her tremble. He swallowed and looked back down again, before he answered. "Because you were given no choice in my deception. For it to have been real, you would have had to accept me first as your mate."
"How would I have accepted you?"
"Bra don't ask me to...." Kyle chocked on his words. Bra let the gown slip down her body and pool at her ankles as she reached up for the ribbon binding her hair. "What are you doing?"
"Seducing you. What does it look like?"
"Please don't. You have no idea what your asking for, or what the consequences are. Your not ready for this, Bra."
Bra dropped the ribbon and shook out her hair as she approached Kyle. "I think I know what it means. It's just to close to the truth not to be real, Kyle. Tell me."
"What?" he ask as she ran her hands up his chest to entwine her fingers in his long hair at the nape of his neck.
Kyle pulled her hands from his hair. "What are you telling me, Bra"
"You told me to trust my instincts, and here I am. Now tell me, do you want this, yes or no."
"Yes!" he growled gathering her into his arms.
"Then shut up, and kiss me, sueke."