There’s an awkward silence and I compose myself, trying to remember all the things I wanted to ask him.
“Are all Hoo-mans defiant and unruly?” Might as well start with the most burning question of all.
Khan regards me with what can only be described as bemusement. “Emma had her moments when we first met, but I believe anyone would react badly to circumstances such as the ones she found herself in.”
I let that sink in. “Kim is not what I expected at all. She keeps threatening to escape.”
This time, an actual chuckle is Khan’s response. “And how do you respond?”
“I don’t take it seriously,” I admit. “After all, she has nowhere to go. And even if she did manage to get out of the palace, there’s nowhere on Ulfaria where I wouldn’t find her.”
“True,” Khan muses, “although if I were you, I’d be worried about her straying into another kingdom. Some kings will not hesitate to take her for their own, especially at the moment, before we have enough Omegas for all.”
Hot, prickly rage travels up my spine and makes my every nerve ending tingle. “They would not dare,” I growl. “I would kill every last one.”
Khan raises a palm. “Settle down,” he says, “going in and out of the rut is making you more aggressive than usual.”
“That’s true.” The Beta returns with drinks and I take some wine, sipping it gratefully. “I learned that the hard way when she appeared in the training arena while I was there with several dozen Alpha soldiers.”
Khan leans forward, almost dropping his goblet. “What happened?”
I tell him, not missing the way his face darkens.
“A close escape,” he says when I’ve finished. “That could have ended a lot worse.”
“I’ve tried punishing her,” I admit, “but I cannot watch her all of the time. I have a kingdom to run. And now I’ve sent my harem away… not that they were very good at stopping her in the first place. When Kim decides she wants something…”
“Hoo-man females react differently to punishment,” Khan tells me. “According to Emma, they are equal to males in every way on Earth. Besides,” his lips quirk up in a grin, “Emma is unusual in that she enjoys the way I punish her. I discovered very early on that pain arouses her.”
I stare at him, hardly believing my ears. “I think this would be a good time to remind you that anything shared in this conversation is to remain in strict confidence,” I say.
“Agreed.”
“So how do you punish her if she enjoys the usual ways?” I ask.
“I no longer have need to punish her, aside from the occasional bit of role play for fun,” he says. “We are quite content.”
I want that, I realize. I want Kim to be content with me, to obey me, to be mine as Emma is so obviously—and voluntarily—Khan’s. “She is no longer unhappy? How did you achieve that?”
Khan takes a long swallow of wine and pushes his mane of hair over his shoulder before answering. “We still have disagreements, but when I offered to send her home, she realized she wants to stay. She finally felt the soul bond.”
“I still cannot believe you offered to send her home.” I shake my head. The thought of losing Kim makes my skin crawl. “I don’t know why you did it.”
“I would do anything for her,” Khan says quietly. “When I gave her the claiming bite, it bound me to her such that I could—can—almost feel her emotions. She was sad all the time. It was not to be borne. That is why I directed the magicians to find a way to send her back to Earth. I was going to go with her, of course, as my life no longer has meaning without her in it.”
I rub my chest. I understand the sentiment, but I don't like it. Khan speaks as if he is a part of a whole, but he is not lesser for making his Omega his equal. He is more.
“As you know, I didn’t have a high probability of surviving the trip through the portal,” he continues, “but it was a risk I was willing to take. At the last moment, she decided she couldn’t go. She wanted to stay. She chose me.”
Never in my life before have I envied anyone the way I envy Khan in this moment.
“Incredible,” I murmur. I must find a way to make Kim choose me. “And when did you decide to give Emma the claiming bite?”
Khan’s piercing gaze seems to go straight through me, making me uncomfortable. “It wasn’t a conscious decision,” he says. “I knew from her scent that she was my soul mate, and when we were rutting, my canines lengthened, and I… I just did it.”
Suddenly, all I want is to get Kim, take her back to Aurum, and do the same with her. I want her to be mine in all ways.
“How are the magicians coming along in their quest to bring more Hoo-mans here?” Khan continues, setting down his empty goblet and leaning back. “Have there been any others aside from Kim?”
