He snorted. “Right. No drama or danger for you.”
Touché.“There were extenuating circumstances this week. Assassins and hate groups and car crashes are not the norm, trust me.”
“Sure. If you say it is so.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, and he nipped the tip of it playfully with his fangs. This led to a heated make-out session that only stopped when both our stomachs rumbled in unison. We giggled, and I got up from the couch to fix some lunch.
While I made some simple grilled cheese sandwiches, N’kal stood behind me with his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on top of my head, and for a brief moment, I forgot the danger he was in. The dangerwewere in if I was being honest with myself. I couldn’t deny that I was all in at that point.
We ate in comfortable silence, and afterwards I led N’kal across the campgrounds to the main office building to seek out Director Hall. I didn’t know if she was even at the compound still, but I wagered that with one high-ranking Xalanite murdered and another threatened, she’d be around. Sure enough, she was in the same office where we’d met her the night before, buried in paperwork and cussing up a storm.
“Fucking twats! How many times do I have to tell them to secure the back gate and patrol the walls periodically? Do I have to fucking micromanage everything around here?”
I ignored her outburst and knocked on the door frame as I strode in. “Director. May I have a few words?”
She nodded. “As long as they aren’t more bad news.”
“Not particularly. I just had a few things I needed, stuff I couldn’t get at the store earlier.” I handed her my list, pointingto the item about arming N’kal. “He needs to be able to defend himself. I almost didn’t make it back in time today.”
She sighed and shook her head. “I can’t. If I give him a gun, I’d have to allow all the Xalanites to carry weapons, and then it would be chaos.” She gestured outside. “I already have all of Ty’shal’s, erm,matesbegging for protection. The last thing I need is a gaggle of grieving, hormonal widows starting a shootout in the middle of camp over a misunderstanding.”
“With all due respect, Director, they don’t all have hired assassins out to get them. N’kal needs something for when I can’t be there, or in case I get overpowered in an attack.” I tried to hide my fear and frustration because getting emotional wouldn’t get me anywhere with the director. I had to stay calm and rational to convince her.
“Nice try, but the answer is still ‘no.’ There are kitchen knives in each cabin. If he’s so desperate for a weapon, he can carry one of those. That gives him the same opportunities as every other Xalanite. It’s the best I can do.”
Though disappointed, I let the subject drop for the time being. Instead of arguing further, I steered the conversation in another direction.
“What about the other suspects? Has anyone questioned B’ming or Giilan about their whereabouts during today’s attack?”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. “You don’t really think I haven’t had them questioned yet, do you? If there were any new leads, you’d be the first to know—after myself, of course.”
I put my hands on the desk and leaned forward. “You asked me to investigate this. Either let me do my job and talk to them or hire someone else.”
To my surprise, the argument worked.
“Fine. I’ll arrange for a room in the offices for you to conduct some interrogations. Get me a new list with names, times, and a preliminary questionnaire. I want to be kept in the loop, and I don’t want to be blindsided by hearing about wild accusations from a third party. We’ll keep everything by the book and according to protocol.”
With that settled, N’kal and I headed back to our cabin. A few young Xalanites stopped us on the way, but none of them seemed particularly threatening. They mostly seemed eager and awestruck, probably due to N’kal’s apparent celebrity standing as Xalan’s heir to the throne. One small cluster of females acted so much like Earth groupies that I had to bite my lip to keep from snickering at their antics. I guessed word hadn’t gotten out about my relationship with N’kal, judging by the way they fawned over him right in front of me. That, or they were just that determined to snag him for themselves.
N’kal dealt with them in a more courteous manner than I would have. He introduced me as his bonded mate and brushed off their attempts to win him over. If he hadn’t been there, I likely would have gotten overly bitchy and possessive. I didn’t like the way they arched their backs and leaned into him with their breasts—all four each. His calm detachment from them and attention to my needs eased my anxiety, and by the time they left I felt more secure.
“Thanks for that,” I whispered once they were out of even Xalanite earshot.
“For what?”
“For calling me your mate. And for not ogling their breasts when they put the things on display.”
He laughed. “The display is just for show. I prefer your display. Yours are better.”
“Mine are fewer though. If you wanted, you could easily have any of those females for yourself, so it means a lot that you choose me.”
N’kal took my hand in his and kissed the back of it. “I will always choose you, Timber.”
The sweetness was almost enough to make me swoon like one of the Xalanite groupies. Almost. I reminded myself that I still had a job to do, so I couldn’t let my guard down even for him.
When we got back to the cabin, N’kal shut the door and locked both locks behind us. He turned off the porch light and checked the curtains. Finally, he crossed to me and scooped me into his arms, peppering my neck and jaw with light kisses.
“N’kal … I should really be getting my suspect list together for Director Hall …” I tried to protest, but he was persistent.
