Chapter 21 :

"I can't believe you did that." Kim rolled her eyes and pulled the covers over her. "I can't."

"Would you like confirmation?" Katel nibbled on the back of her neck and his mandibles brushed along her skin.

"I was angry at you, I was telling you how I felt and you just." Kim growled and shuffled further away from him. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into his embrace. He returned to nibbling and sucking on her back playfully and Kim scowled.

"Stop creeping up to me and trying to get on my good side. I am very angry at you Katel."

"You weren't angry at me last night…" he purred and played with her braided locks. "You were begging for more if I remember correctly."

"Oh you arse. You completely over powered me into submission and you think that I am just going to have, 'the morning after giggles', just because of last night? No way mister. You, are a bad boy."

"Thank you."

"No, not the naughty boy and kinky kind. The kind of bad boy that is about to be in an empty bed." Kim pulled free from his arms and stormed off into the bathroom. Katel simply stalked after her and waited until she thought she had escaped him.

Kim sighed and growled as she hit the shower button. The water came over her and she began washing when…

A loud clicking, growling purr came from behind before Kim found herself front first against the wall. "Katel no." She warned, but he took no notice. He ran his hands up and down her and worshiped every curve of her frame. "Katel no!" She pushed off and stormed out of the bathroom. This time, Katel didn't try to continue.

"What is wrong?" but when he returned to the bedroom, Kim was already dressed and half dressed into her armour.

"I feel like training. See you later. And don't you dare kill any of my friends while I am gone. Of her pet thingy." Kim picked up her wrist blades, slipped them on and seethed as she made her way to the training room, like a tempest. On her way, Terre waved, but Kim just walked straight past her. So Terre retuned to her room, sensing the anger in the air.

Katel however, obviously didn't follow the same example as Terre as he suited up in full armour and was quickly in pursuit of Kim. He found her doing strange movements. She was on her back, but she kept moving like she was going to sit up, but then just laid back again. But it looked like she was doing this purposely.

"What are you doing?"

"Sit ups. Get out." Katel felt his anger flare slightly, but he suppressed it and ignored the harsh greeting.

"You forget, this is my ship."

"Just leave alright? I don't want to talk to you."

"Why not?"

"Because I have nothing nice to say." She spat and stood up. Km then turned her back to him and repeated a few kicks into the air. Katel slowly made his way to her and laced his hand on her shoulder.

"I could train with you."

"Or you could leave me alone. Like I asked at least twice now." That was it, Katel's famous anger rose and his self restraint snapped in two. He grabbed her arm and threw her across the room. She landed in a heap, but he wasn't done. He pulled her up but her arms, that were now pinned to her sides and lifted her into the air, effortlessly. The low growl that came from his flared lower mandibles and his visible, sharp teeth was more than a little intimidating.

"What is your problem?" he seethed and had to check his strength. He was angry, but he didn't want to hurt her.

"My problem?" she laughed and smirked evilly. "You are my problem."

"ME!" he roared.

"Yes, you. You don't give a damn about what I think or how I feel. Unless it is convenient to you."

"How can you say that?"

"I'll tell you how. I was really upset with you and still am. But last night, when I tried to talk to you about it, you just brushed it all aside and had sex with me. couples don't do that unless they just want the sex. I will not be used for just sex!" tears flowed down her cheeks and Katel slowly lowered her to her feet, but still held her arms.

"I do not."

"No. I don't want to hear what you think. Why should I? you don't listen to me so why should I listen to you!" Kim sobbed and Katel felt his heart tear slightly. Did I really make her feel so…over looked and unwanted? She must know how much I care for her. she must. Haven't I told her I love her?...oh no…I haven't!

"But."

"No!" she screamed, but her voice chocked towards the end and she started to struggle like mad.

"I want you to be my mate! I wouldn't ask you to be my mate if I simply wanted to take you."

"Then why did you ask?" those words felt like a slap in the face to him. He released her and took a step back, like he had been hit.

"Because I love you…" the truth in his eyes told her that he wasn't lying. But that still didn't take away all the pain she felt.

"Maybe so. But if you did then you wouldn't have treated my like a sex toy like you did last night." He couldn't fid the words. He wanted to hold her, feel her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to cry and run away. He wanted to scream and curse at her for being so stupid and blind. He wanted her forgiveness…he wanted many things. None, he felt he could have.

"You have to understand that I do not trust your friends and simply having them here is dangerous. I wanted to find a suitable planet for them and drop the, off there. To have a hive and whatever else they do. I wasn't going to kill them after you said you didn't want me to. Only if they harmed you." He turned his back and held his head high. "If you question my reasons for asking you to be my life mate, then I feel I should explain. Maybe I haven't said it enough, maybe not at all. But I do love you. I never meant to hurt you and didn't realise I did anything wrong. Our cultures are obviously different as in my culture, once an order has been given no one is to complain or question it. I never meant to overlook your views and I do realise that they are…well. I now the female is important to you. But she can not stay with us." He sighed and made his lonely way to the door. "And if you feel that I miss treat you so much, I respect your wishes and accept your declination to be my mate. I will pursue nor socialise with you other than training, hunting and if on the control bridge. Have a beneficial training session." He left, broken inside and made his way to his room. On the way there, he opened the secondary training room and glared at the creature inside. "Get out and go to your Queen. Do not impregnate her and you will stay in the same room as her. Got it?" Damon nodded and ran towards Terre's room. Katel then locked himself in his room and packed his things together. He would sleep in the trophy room for the time being.

When Damon got to Terre's room, the door was open and someone was inside with his Queen…someone…crying…

"And then he said that he accepted that I didn't want to be his mate (sob) and that he wouldn't come anywhere near me unless he had to in hunting or the control room and (sob, whimper, blow nose) and wished me a good training session. He looked so crushed." Damon watched as his dark eyed, golden haired Queen with dark black bangs tucked behind her perfect ears, as she comforted the darker, braided haired female with green eyes.

"Oh Zena, Kim." Terre rocked her back and forth like a mother a child. "I am sure he didn't mean it. I mean, he said he loved you! The whole reason he is so, erm, grumpy about me and Damon is because he thinks we are a threat towards you. And hay, he hasn't tried to kill us…since earth. So you are doing something right." Terre desperately tried to make her friend look on the bright side, but it wasn't working.

"But (sob) his kind only ask people to be their mate once. Not only will he never ask me again, but he can't ask anyone else either!" Kim wailed and Terre patted her back.

"Did you say you didn't want to be his mate?"

"But."

"Kim! Did you say you didn't want to be his mate?"

"…well no."

"Then there is still hope. Do you forgive him?" Terre raised Kim's head to look at her. For a moment, those obsidian eyes held a glimmer of hope for her.

"Yes I do. But he will never forgive me." she sniffled as Terre brushed her braids out her face.

"First, you are going to dry those tears. Then, go over there and talk to him."

"No I can't." Kim broke into another set of tears and Damon sneakily crept under the bed, without notice from the girls.

"You can. Please, for your sanity and chance for happiness."

"No, I just can't!" Kim whimpered and ran to the bathroom, to cry alone for a while.

"Oh poor Kim. My girl isn't as strong as I remember."

"She probably is, you are just stronger." Terre smiled as Damon surfaced next to her. She slipped her collar off and hissed with him quietly.

"No. she just hasn't let a guy close enough to get past her walls of strength before. She must really love him for him to mean so much to her…"

"Pah!"

"And what have you got against love?" Damon froze and looked away. He didn't have anything against love, he knew more than anyone how Kim was feeling. To love someone, and not able to have them when they are on the same ship, was murder from the inside out. But he couldn't let Terre know that.

"Nothing my Queen. I simply think the meat bag is foolish to bother you when the one she should talk to, is in the next room."

"Oh you." Terre rolled her eyes at him, signalled for him to hide and quickly put the collar back on. Kim walked in on cue and sat next to her with tear stained eyes, and a large fistful of tissues.

"I don't know what to do." She sighed and sniffled all at once.

"Well, I have an idea. Talk to him."

"I can't, I just can't." she sobbed again and Terre sighed. Then she got an idea.

"Excuse me." She stood up and left Kim on her bed. then Kim jumped after her.

"Where are you going!"

"Relax. Just sit down and take deep breaths. My legs are going to sleep and I want a walk. I will be right back." Terre left, and smirked. Yes, she needed to walk, but talking to Katel was not against the rules. She saw him leave his room with a huge leather like sack with handles and followed him to the trophy room. "Excuse me? but I can't follow you in there. You said I can't go in there, remember?"

"What do you want?" he said, his voice mono tone and empty of feeling.

"Well, it has to do with Kim."

"She can sleep in our…her room tonight. I will be resting here." He began to unpack his things, weapons and such, but Terre walked right up to him and knelt right next to him. He was crouched on the floor, placing his belongings around him and Terre putting them right back again.

"I still approve of you." Terre put a nasty looking dagger back in the bag and looked to him like what she was saying was obvious and boring. "And she has told me she forgives you." His heart felt slightly lighter at that, but he was wearing his mask so she couldn't tell through his eyes. But he had faltered slightly so she knew she was using the right ammo.

"She has?"

"Yes. And she believes you."

"What about?" He put a long sharpening rod on the floor, and Terre put it back. He growled and put it back on the floor. Terre grinned sarcastically and put it back in the bag. He got it out, she put it back. He got it back out, she put it back in.

Out

In

Out

In

Out

In

"I can do this all day."

"Grrr!" he growled.

"Do you want to know what she believes you about?"

"…yes."

"Then stop unpacking and help me pack it all back up. You are not sleeping here tonight."

"I can do as I please! Why is it that you woman think you can just come onto my ship and take over?"

"Because not only are we woman good at it, but we are used to it. and, as for the coming onto your ship, neither of us had much choice. Me because of the explosion, and Kim because she was dragged. After helping you and taking charge, remember?"

"I remember perfectly." He scowled and silently put his things back in his bag. "Well?"

"She knows you love her." Terre stood up and began to leave.

"And?"

"And what?"

"You can not tell me she knows I love her, and walk off!"

"I thought you wanted me to leave?" he roared and pulled her inside.

"Look. I do not trust you or your drone that is not quite a drone, and will not sympathise with you. But you are useful. You are Kim's friend. I need you to tell me how she feels. How to act…" he turned his back to her and continued. "Your kind acts differently to mine. I need to know how to act accordingly. And need…help."

"You are doing just fine. Just talk to her a little more. That's all."

"Still…has she said anything else about me?" he hated talking to the hard meat wench. But he had no choice. Kim was worth it.

"Yes. And I must say you are an arse." Katel growled and clenched his fists.

"Did, Kim, say that?"

"No. she still feels like it's all her fault. Hasn't stopped crying…"

"She is hurting?"

"Yes she is. Are you happy?"

"No!" he span round and glared at her. "I am not!"

"And why is that?" Terre leaned against the wall, not one bit intimidated by the livid 7 foot alien before her.

"Because I do not want o hurt her. I have hurt her." he stopped and hung his head."

"You are so stupid and rash, you know that?"

"I am stupid…" he looked away, feeling tears fight to break free. "But why am I rash?"

"Because you were so quick to take back your offer to be mates with her." Terre turned her back and said one thing before she left his view completely. "And she never said she didn't want to be your mate. In fact, she won't stop talking about it." Terre skipped back to her room, knowing full well that phase one of her plan was working like a charm. Kim was sat on the bed, her head hidden in her knees and Damon still a secret under the bed. "I'm back."

"You went to Katel, didn't you?" she sniffled. Terre smiled, at lest she wasn't crying anymore.

"Yep." She jumped down on the bed and wrapped her arms around her. "And you need to talk to him. he has this idea that he should sleep in the trophy room so that you can have the other bedroom."

"He shouldn't do that. It's his room, not mine. His ship, not mine. I tried to take charge I know I did. Like I used to take charge over you, and I tried to do the same with Katel."

"You didn't take charge over me."

"I did. I was the strong one. I was so used to being the leader, that I didn't know how to follow. Katel is a born leader and I should have followed. But I didn't…"

"Oh Kim, you just need to talk to him. then everything will be better and you will be humping him again in no time. Don't think I didn't hear you…" Kim giggled and sniffled.

"Sorry about that."

"No problem. I prefer that, to this." Terre indicated the mess that was Kim, and made her laugh again.

"You don't need me to lead anymore. You are a leader now, you should lead, not me." Kim hugged her tightly and sniffled again. "You have changed so much."

"For the better I hope." Kim pulled back and started to collect her armour off the bed.

"Yeah, for the better. I'm going to put my armour back on it's rack. Thank you, moonbeam."

"No problem, Zena." Terre laid back on the bed and smiled as Kim left. She pulled her collar off and sighed. Terre felt rough lips rub against her arm and she turned her head to see Damon, laid on the bed next to her. "Phase one and two are complete D."

"And what is phase three my crafty, organised Queen?"

"Well. Katel wants to go to Kim, and Kim feels a little better. Phase three my good friend, is to get them together somehow…but I will need your help."

"Anything you ask of me my Queen. I am your to command."

"Good. then listen carefully…"

AN: yes I know. A cliffy. But next chapter is worth it. Review and I will update, deal? Yes? Good.

From

Draguna