Love, Against All Odds

I Finna - Prologue

Kal combed her damp hair with her long fingers and left the bathroom after a cold shower that had soothed her fiery skin. The rut's heat still hummed in her veins, and Becca's sweet scent was etched in her memory. She could almost taste Becca, even though her lover was gone from the city. It was only this morning that they'd woken up in the cabin together and fucked several times before they left for Tarrak. Dorlon would have preferred she stay in Tarrak for the full duration of the rut, but the people of Kander needed their ruler to lead and guide them always.

Kal grumbled and went to the dresser near the bed. She retrieved a pair of loose black pants. As she pulled them up to her waist, she forced her stiff cock into her pants and groaned from the returning hardness. The cold shower had done little to rid her of the rut, but the blockers were making it manageable. She was clearer minded, even while constant fantasies of fucking Becca betrayed her. This afternoon she and Becca had discussed a kidnapping mission to capture Victor. However, Kal had been distracted by images of bending Becca over the desk and fucking her until her rut was satisfied.

Growling low, Kal slammed the drawer back into the dresser, then opened the top one. She grabbed a tank top and pulled it over her bare upper body. Her muscles were tense and wired, ready to fuck or fight. At some point soon she needed to work her muscles and drain the aggression crawling under her skin. With a huff, Kal started to shut the drawer when an old object shoved in the left corner caught her eye. She rumbled and touched the cloth-wrapped item, but a knock at the door distracted her from opening it.

'My apologies, Kal, for disturbing you,' Lennox, her head advisor, bowed deeply upon greeting.

Kal weighed Lennox's visit, which was strange and questionable. They held most of their discussions at her office or his, rarely at her quarters unless it was urgent. She'd assumed that he'd already left for the day, going to his house in the city. There had to be something on his mind, as hesitation lingered in his scent. 'Come inside.'

Lennox straightened and was slightly taller than Kal. He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his dark robe and glided over to the sitting area. He took a seat on the divan and waited until Kal sank into the wingchair. 'Did Becca accept the mission to kidnap Victor?'

Tilting her head, Kal fixed Lennox with a hard stare. His question and her response weren't imperative, not in the least worthy of having to discuss tonight, so she would engage and wait while he built up to whatever concern he had. 'Ja.' She folded her hands in her lap, covering the bulge in her pants. The blockers aided in hiding her rutting scent and tempering her aggression, but it didn't stop her constant hard-ons. 'Becca will purchase a new ship, and she has agreed to the mission. It'll take no more than a nineth to get a ship.'

Lennox rumbled low as he rubbed his chin. 'Does she believe she can kidnap him?'

'Ja. Her tentative plan is to lure him from Serrato planet using her crewmember Starr.' Kal sniffed out his pleased scent, but under it she sensed his hint of concern. 'Why have you come tonight?' It was unnecessary to point out that their discussion could have waited until tomorrow.

For a moment Lennox remained silent and matched Kal's curious gaze. He was breathing deeply, searching her scent for clues. But Kal remained indifferent rather than giving into his hunt. With a decisive nod, he pursed his lips and said, 'You are not the same Kal.'

Kal's lips curled into a wolfish smile. He knows me well after so many years. Too well. The falsehood—that she could hide her change from him—could harm her. Lennox had been her mentor and taught her about politics, relations, and finding solutions to impossible problems. In recent years, however, they were a silent team with equal voices behind closed doors. Kander was governed better by their acting together rather than Kal's acting alone. She respected him for his patience and intellect. To lie to him now would insult him and bring dishonor to herself... but her secret was as heavy as it was delicate.

'Ja, I am not the same Kal who ascended many years ago.' Kal doubted her response would appease him. It was a weak shot at delaying the conversation, but she needed another minute to find a true resolution. Based on his frown, she had lost the first round.

'There is a difference between growth and change,' Lennox said, his eyes harder now. His words were an old lesson from Kal's early years. Beings could grow and develop over time, but a change was a distinct redirection at one's core.

He knew.

For a long minute, Kal weighed her options and how to manage Lennox's perceptive findings. If she lied, he would catch it; but he would not press her, as their relationship would be damaged by any aggression. Yet the truth was equally necessary and dangerous. Time was essential to calculate and plan for his possible reactions. Could Becca's nightmare about Lennox shooting them come true?

After a sigh, Kal dipped her head and said, 'Ja, I have changed.' She watched his initial relief shift to concern, and she held up her hand when he parted his lips. 'I require more time before we can discuss this further.' He released a soft huff, a silent acceptance. 'But do not be alarmed by the change.'

Lennox nodded, then said, 'You may have changed, but you are my Kal.' His words were a silent declaration that his loyalty was unwavering, and it eased Kal. He rose, ending their conversation. 'Tah, Kal.'

Kal stood and clasped his shoulder. 'Tah for speaking to me.' She guided him to the door and bade him goodnight, smelling his calmer mood. Once he was gone, Kal stared at the closed door and wondered about the future of her relationship with him. She needed counsel before she could disclose the truth to Lennox.

Returning to the bedroom, the dresser beckoned her. Kal peered into the drawer and studied the cloth-wrapped item that had called to her earlier. She picked it up, unfolding it and exposing a sheathed blade.

The dagger was crude and basic but also an effective weapon for piercing between armor with its round-like profile. After her ascension years ago, Kal woke to find the round dagger hooked to her hip. She had no memory of it, but assumed it held significance from her old life. Kal had received the Sword of Kalatas upon her ascension, so the dagger served no purpose, yet Kal had hidden it instead of giving it away.

Kal turned the long-forgotten blade in her hands and studied it as she walked to the balcony, slipped past the heavy drape and stood in front of the handrail. Beyond the balcony was the busy capital, and it called to Kal's spirit. Her people's voices carried on the winds up to her ears.

In the distance, the quieting market was darkening under the setting suns. For a moment, Kal thought back to her introduction to Raine Ramos in the market. It was the first time she'd met the woman after Becca had mentioned Raine on several occasions. At least that was what she believed, until Raine's scent stirred a strange familiarity deep in Kal. For the rest of the day, Kal had mentally chased the ghost in her mind, sensing Raine was tied to her old life. Now with the dagger staring back at her, the memory broke free from a cage and flooded her mind.

Kal raised the dagger to her lips and whispered, 'Our spirits have crossed again, my friend.'