Candidate (Selected Book 4) (86 page)

"What time do our visitors arrive?" I asked Jasmine.

"Not until shortly before dinner, and I'm not sure how many are coming. I need you to be charming."

"I'm always charming. Look at how I've charmed everyone. They're staring at me, I'm so charming."

"Yeah, that's why," she said. "Do you think you can keep up this lap?"

"Hell, no," I said. "You must have had one hell of a swimming instructor."

"She was good at motivating me," Jasmine replied. Together, we pushed off the edge of the pool, diving deep before swimming towards the far end. Jasmine could swim so much faster than I could now, but she moved casually so we were side-by-side.

We swam several more laps, surfacing at each end, then pushing off and heading for the other end. But we were running out of time, and it was to be a busy day.

And so I stood in the shallow end and moved to the ladder in the other corner. I had to pass between some of the alien women as they looked at me.

At least no one tried to grab me this time, but with Jasmine here, maybe they realized that wouldn't be such a good idea.

I climbed from the pool. Jasmine was ahead of. She wrapped me first in a waiting towel and then a robe besides.

* * * *

It was an hour and a half later that Jasmine and I stood at the edge of the arena watching the women being led onto the sands. "This is still barbaric."

"I know."

Soon all sixteen women stood, their hands embedded in the pillars. Jasmine looked over her shoulder at me. "Ready?"

I nodded.

She tugged on the chain, leading me onto the sands.

* * * *

Around the women, we agreed she would treat me as a mating candidate, and so some portions of my life resembled my first six months here. We had tried other things, but my effectiveness dropped dramatically without the visual indicators I was on the side of the mating candidates. So I dressed in undies and a camisole for our initial meetings. I attended the receptions dressed the same as they were. And, in chains, I was led onto the sands to talk to them one last time before the group event.

A little performance art went a long way.

* * * *

For dinner, we both dressed in cocktail dresses, backless of course. Jasmine looked great, and I loved the way she treated me. The meal was catered, but it was all human food. I was learning to enjoy Jasmine's spices, but it was definitely a taste that would take time to acquire.

We received word they had landed, and they had directions to our home. Jasmine and I smoothed each other, and then we waited near the door, arms and tentacles wrapped lovingly.

The door opened, and a Catseye entered with a human woman in her mid twenties. Then another Catseye entered with another human, this one a little younger. Jasmine tightened briefly, then released me and stepped forward.

"Welcome to our home," she said in Catseye, speaking slowly and carefully for my benefit.

I could tell she wanted a hug, but the first of the human women backed up a tiny step and said in English, "We're here, but I came under protest, and keep your tentacles to yourself."

"What she said," said the other human.

"And speak English," said the first. "Audra is still learning, and I imagine your mate is as well."

"And neither will improve without practice," Jasmine replied.

"They can practice in less stressful settings. Are you going to introduce us or not, Jasmine?"

Jasmine nodded. She gestured to me, and I stepped forward. "Violet Beaming," she said, gesturing to the first of the Catseye. "And her mate, Skye Andrews."

"Skye Beaming," corrected the human.

"Of course. My apologies. And her mate, Skye Beaming. This is my mate, Andromeda Brighteyes."

I stepped forward and was very presumptuous. I hugged the Catseye. She wrapped around me, and when presented with a tentacle, I kissed. The human beside her snorted but didn't say anything.

"It's about time someone pinned Jasmine down," said Violet.

Then she withdrew the tentacle, and I said, "I couldn't be happier."

She released me, and I turned to her mate. "This is a Catseye household, and we hug new friends. Are we to be friends, Skye Beaming?"

She looked me up and down, and then she stepped forward. We hugged, and we both received a cheek kiss. "How did you put up with being a mating candidate for six months?"

"Ah, that is a long story," I said. "If you stay for a few days, I can tell you."

"We'll see."

Then they stepped away, and I stepped back to my place beside Jasmine. "Posey Beamer, and her mate, Audra Andrews..." Jasmine paused, and the human nodded. "My mate, Andromeda Brighteyes."

I received hugs from both, just as I had with the first pair. And then we invited them into the living room.

* * * *

It was over the meal that the human -- Skye -- demanded of Jasmine, "Well, you got us here. If you think I'm forgiving you for what you did, you're cracked."

I looked back and forth. The tension throughout their visit had been high, and I kept hearing subtle references, but Jasmine hadn't told me what she had done to cause the antipathy. I decided I was tired of being in the dark.

"I can believe Jasmine would do something to upset a past mating candidate."

"Mating candidate, hell," said Skye. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

"I knew you would want to," Jasmine said.

"I grew up here," Skye said. "I thought what happened here was so romantic."

"What?"

"Yeah, I was young. What can I say? I volunteered. Long story. Jasmine told me to grow up first, and then sent me to college."

"I will point out I paid for her first three and a half years," Jasmine declared. "A full scholarship. And the only reason I didn't pay for the last half year is because she didn't let me."

"And what did you do that she'd rather not accept your money?"

"Who said I did anything?"

I snorted. I already knew Jasmine had done something foolish, but from the clues I'd gotten, she'd felt it was necessary. I turned back to Skye. "What did she do?"

"She betrayed me. She betrayed my trust. And she convinced Violet and Posey to help her. Along the way, she also hurt my sister. And then every Catseye I knew conspired to have me thrown out of school."

"Oh shit," I said. I looked around the room. "And yet, here you are, married to her, and your sister mated, but presumably not married, to the other sister. So you must have done some forgiving."

"Six months later, after being homeless for a portion of the time."

"You had options," Jasmine said. "You could have gone home."

"With my tail between my legs," she said. "Are you blaming me for what happened?"

"No," said Jasmine. "Why have you forgiven everyone else, but you haven't forgiven me?"

"Because everyone else apologized, expressed a significant amount of grief, and promised nothing like that would ever happen again. You have done none of the above. Furthermore, I believe Violet and Posey are honestly sorry for getting roped into your hair-brained scheme, and Bluebell was just trying to convince me to come home and deal with it. Even if she was being heavy handed. You aren't sorry. You'd do it again if you felt the need. So I don't trust you, and I have cause."

"Tell her the rest, Skye," Jasmine said. "What was the effect of my actions?"

Skye huffed. "Tell her yourself."

"Oh, no," Jasmine said. "Put your slant on it."

Skye crossed her arms and looked away. And so it was Audra who said, "Jasmine used the situation to force the council to let her treat you the way she did instead of like she's had to treat all the other mating candidates. And she wouldn't have been able to make the other changes she made, either. Skye, and to a lesser extent I, gave Jasmine the tool she needed to lever a few changes."

I looked back and forth between the two humans then said, "Thank you."

Skye turned her gaze to me. She hadn't quite been looking at me. "Don't thank us."

"I don't know what Jasmine actually did, but it sounds like the two of you helped her pave the way for better treatment of future mating candidates. She tells me we can't make too many more changes right away, although we're talking about how we could ask for volunteers. But at least we're not sending lesbians off with males anymore."

"Mom told us about some of the changes," Posey said.

Violet turned to Jasmine. "She said you told her to explore ways of asking for volunteers during Testing."

"Really?" I asked.

"Explore," Jasmine said. "But we need to be careful. Which means you can't talk about it where anyone else might hear, and I wish you hadn't said it in front of my mate. Now she's going to be pestering at me to hurry it up when we're already going as fast as is prudent."

"All that because of what you did to Skye and Audra?" I asked.

"Well, it's been a progression. Skye and Audra helped me jump ahead. And then your success has led to Bluebell and me working on asking for volunteers. We're going to ask during the Testing process. They won't actually remember we asked if they turn us down."

"She had no right," Skye muttered.

"Skye," said Jasmine. "Perhaps you should tell Andromeda what I did to you."

"She betrayed me," Skye said.

"Actually, I didn't, but I know it felt like it," Jasmine said. "What else?"

"She convinced these two," Skye said, gesturing to the other two Catseye, "to betray both Audra and me. And to break promises they had made."

"I did do that," Jasmine agreed. "Although I had a right to do so."

"A right?" Skye squeaked. "A right?"

"You were still mine," Jasmine said. "You once promised me a significant favor. I only had to ask, and whatever it was, you would do. I told you at the time I knew what I was going to do, but I wasn't going to tell you. Do you remember?"

"You never asked, and as far as I'm concerned, you used that promise."

"I certainly did," Jasmine said. "Although I didn't ask. But I agree. I used that promise."

"I think I need to know the entire story," I said. "Who is going to tell me?"

"Skye is," Jasmine said.

And so Skye spent the next ten minutes explaining. I wanted to stop her a few times to ask questions, but I let her finish. She grew increasingly angry by the end of her telling, and when she was done, she turned to her mate. "Why are we here? I thought I was past this. I told you I didn't want to come."

"We're here," said Violet, "because Mom asked us to come."

Skye calmed down at that, then turned to me. "So, that's what happened. They betrayed me, and in the end, I got kicked out of school and was homeless besides. And it's her fault." She pointed to Jasmine.

"It's largely my fault," Jasmine said. "But the rest is yours."

"I should have forgiven them when they weren't even apologizing?" she asked, her voice rising.

"You could have let Bluebell pay for your last term," Jasmine said.

"At what price?"

"Going home to talk about it," Jasmine said. "She'd have made you stay for a few days. She'd have made you talk to Violet and Posey."

"And were they going to apologize and explain?" she asked, looking at Violet.

"No."

"So what was the point?"

"When we didn't apologize," Violet said, "Mom would have yelled at us and then taken care of you like she would have if I'd been mad at Posey."

"So it's all my fault."

"Oh, no," Jasmine said. "Blame me if you want."

"So I repeat. Why are we here?"

That's when I chimed in. "Skye, I'm trying to understand. You broke up with your mate, broke your friendship with Jasmine, broke your friendship with Bluebell, and accepted dropping out of school and becoming homeless because Jasmine treated you like a mating candidate for a few days?"

"Do not belittle my choices."

"I'm only trying to understand. I think I'm missing something."

"Yes, you're missing something. I didn't do it because I was treated like a mating candidate. I did it because they betrayed me. They promised they'd never do that to me again, but they did it anyway."

"I didn't promise," Jasmine said. "In fact, I pretty much told you I'd do it again."

"Fine, but these two promised. They broke that promise, and they congratulated themselves afterwards. They did it because Jasmine asked them to. They picked her and her games over me. And they refused to explain or apologize, which meant in spite of how hurt and angry I was, they still picked her over me."

I held her gaze then said, "It looks like you've forgiven them but you're still angry at Jasmine."

"They apologized and expressed a significant amount of grief. She hasn't, and I wouldn't believe her, anyway. She'd do it again given the opportunity." She turned back to Violet. "Why did Bluebell make us come?"