Nikhil(38)

She wasn't Kaliszian. Yet he expected her to understand how his world functioned, to have the same traditions. Her reference to the Zaludians inspecting her for her worth as a Pleasure Worker shamed him. Did she really believe he thought of her in the same way? Was that why she refused to be his Ashe?

"Nikhil," Luol softly calling out his name in Kaliszian finally had him looking away from his Mackenzie. "What in the name of the Goddess is going on?!!"

"We...” Nikhil found he had to swallow hard to get his scratchy throat to work. "We had a misunderstanding."

"That's an understatement. I sent her with you because I believed you were the best one to care for her. That because of your connection, you would know what she needed. I see now that was a mistake."

"It wasn't! Everything was fine until...”

"You do realize talking in front of someone in a language you know they don't understand is rude. Right? Or is that a courtesy you only give to known species?"

Mac’s muffled voice coming from the still closed repair unit had both males turning to find her glaring at them.

"My apologies... Mackenzie," Luol said in Zaludian, moving away from Nikhil and back to his patient. "I am so used to other species always understanding what is being said that I forgot you did not."

"Of course, you did." She gave him a disbelieving look, then turned her gaze back to the ceiling. "How much longer?"

"A few more minutes. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

"No."

"That is good. The General will be very pleased to hear that."

"The General?" Her gaze flew to Luol. "Why would you tell the General?"

"Well, because he is the General. He will want an update on your condition."

"But you are a Doctor... Healer," she corrected.

"I am." Luol gave her a confused look.

"You don't believe in doctor-patient confidentiality?"

"What? What is that?"

"It’s when a doctor or in your case, Healer, isn't allowed to disclose anything about a person's medical condition without that person's express consent."

"It is that way on your Earth?"

"Yes, it ensures that a person can trust what they tell their doctor stays just between them."

"I see. I'm sorry, Mackenzie, but that is not the way it is here."

"So anything I tell you, you will report directly to the General."

"Yes," Luol admitted.

"And you do too?” She turned her gaze to Nikhil and saw the truth in his glowing eyes. He did. The General would know she had allowed him to cleanse her. He would know that as far as the Kaliszians were concerned she was a Pleasure Worker. What would happen to her now? What would happen to all of them?

Nikhil wasn't prepared for the look of utter betrayal that filled Mackenzie's eyes before she turned her gaze back to the ceiling. It made him feel as if he had let her down when all he had been doing was his duty. But wasn't his duty to her now? His True Mate? Never in his life had he been so conflicted.

Mac silently stared at the ceiling for several minutes listening to the repair unit hum. She didn't know why she hadn't realized Nikhil would tell his General everything. She had trusted him for some reason, had believed him and his True Mate crap. She should have known better. She had a lousy track record with men; it's why she spent so much time on the mountain.

The first time she ever kissed a boy on the lips had been Derek Emery, her senior year in high school. She'd had a crush on him for years and would secretly watch him as he worked at his dad's shop. One day, to her amazement, he asked her out. They'd gone to a movie and he'd put his arm around her. When he took her home, he kissed her goodnight. She'd floated into her grandpa's house thrilled out of her mind. It wasn't until the next day that she found out it had all been a joke. Derek and some of his friends were posting their dates to their social media accounts reporting everything that had been done and said, then ranking and grading the girl. She'd been ranked a three because she wouldn't let him do more with his hands. She'd been humiliated.

The second time had been in college. Chase had been a nice guy and a great kisser. They'd shared the same interests and had a lot of fun together, and he never pressured her for anything more than she was willing to give. She'd gone home for a long weekend to help her grandpa guide a hunting group and realized she was ready to take her and Chase's relationship to the next level. When she got back to school, she found him waiting at her apartment. It seems while she'd been off helping her grandpa, he'd met someone, a 'really, really, special someone' named Tina and he wanted her to find out from him. To say she'd been shocked was an understatement, but what really hurt was how he kept going on and on about how beautiful Tina was. About Tina's long, blonde hair and how tall and thin she was. That Tina was perfect; a total 10. That any guy would be proud to have someone like Tina on his arm. He was sorry and hoped they could still be friends, but he had to go, Tina was waiting in the car for him.