by Celia Kyle
They may be aliens, but they knew how to count. Gestures were unneeded.
“I need this third job,” she continued, “or that’s it, game over. I don’t have time for this… affair or whatever you’re proposing. Also, I don’t do one-night stands. That’s just not me or the way I run my life. So, I’m going to have to say no.” She gave them a bland smile, obviously fake. “Your offer is very flattering and I’m sure some other human female would love to accommodate you, but I need you to drop me off at work and then we need to say goodbye and part ways.”
“Good… bye?” Sevith blinked and then blinked again, unsure if he assimilated Jenna’s words correctly. “Why would we separate? We have only just located you.” Sevith glanced over and saw a worried look cross Hiren’s face.
“Sevith, I think I understand,” his Bahn murmured. “I comprehend some of the human terms our Jenna is using. Our Oso thinks we offer her temporary pleasure mating only.”
His jaw dropped and Sevith collapsed into his seat, utterly shocked at this revelation. He stared over at his mate, her bright blue eyes settled on his, and he recognized the hurt in her gaze as well as experienced her heartache in waves. He reached out for her, but she pulled back and tucked herself as far away from him as possible.
“Jenna, that isn’t what Sevith means at all,” Hiren said to their female. “This is a misunderstanding that we can explain if you but give us time. Listen—this vehicle is moving along a set course to your next position. It will not travel anywhere else. I swear that to you. When we come to a safe stop, you can get out and go to work. We will not follow,” he added, giving Sevith a sharp glare when he growled his displeasure at Hiren’s promise.
Sevith would be expected to allow Jenna out of their sight again? Was Hiren losing his mind after being without their mate for so long?
I need you and Jenna to learn to cooperate, Hiren told him. We can’t fully read her thoughts until she joins the triad. We need to be patient.
You go too far with your promises to her, Sevith warned.
And you are driving her away, Hiren pointed out. We need to give her freedom so she will want to return to us.
“Why do you two always silently stare at each other?” Their future Oso asked. “It looks like you’re talking to each other because you nod and make noises, but I can’t hear anything.”
Sevith was silent in response, as was Hiren.
Should we tell her? Hiren deferred to him in this at least.
Yes.
I will do it. Hiren mentally sighed.
No, I will.
Jenna had stopped moving, but she still stared at the two Drokten suspiciously, and Sevith could sense she was unsure how to proceed. At least he’d managed to give her pause and calm her a bit. Sevith took a deep breath and leaned forward, folding his hands and looking patiently at their human female. He itched to hold her close, to touch her appealing colorless skin and see if she was as soft and silken as she appeared. But he resisted the urge to snatch her into his arms and instead twined his fingers together.
“We are an Azi-Bahn pairing,” he explained. “Among my species this means two males become partners and form a mind link. We can speak to each other through a natural pathway that synched in our minds when we met. This was the Azi-Bahn pair. All of the males on our planet find their first life partner when they come of age.”
“I’ve… I’ve heard of this. I know that all of you work in pairs. Can I… can I ask you something personal?”
“Of course, you can ask us anything.” Sevith clenched his fingers to form a tight fist. The desire to touch Jenna now that she showed interest in them was growing even stronger.
“Does that mean, um, that you two are in love with each other? Like are you two your own mated couple that um, has sex together? And that’s why you want me, or another woman as your third? To sort of temporarily spice things up in your existing relationship?”
Sevith looked to Hiren. I think you should explain this part.
Yes, let me take over from here.
“All Drokten are sexually dormant until the moment we meet our Oso. You have awakened the two of us.” Hiren gestured toward both of their obvious hard shafts. “We have never felt this way before.”
“You’re both virgins?” she blurted, face turning a lovely shade of pink. So strange these human creatures… yet so appealing.
“I think that means dormant? Yes, we have never mated before. Drokten males meet long before they find their Oso in order to form their own bond prior to their triad. This is not pleasure mating. We physically are unable to mate with any female, or any being at all, other than our Oso. We have met you and we are now enflamed.”
“Enflamed?” she squeaked, her face now a bright red. “By me?”
“You,” Sevith grinned. He was finding it harder and harder to not grab this luscious female, pull her into his lap and track his lips down her throat. Would her pink lips taste different from the rest of her colorless body? He wished to find out. Now.
Then you’d be just like that human male who touched her without her consent, his Bahn reminded him.
Damn you. That is true, Sevith grumbled.
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you? You two are talking to each other and I can’t hear. How about you just tell me what you’re thinking?”
“It may be helpful if I explained what happened last night,” Hiren answered outloud. “I felt something very particular when you approached me. Attraction?”
“Humans feel attraction, too,” Jenna retorted. “But it doesn’t mean you get to kidnap us.”
Kidnap? Why did she think they were kidnapping her?
“That is not what I meant,” Hiren said calmly, but Sevith could sense his internal frustration.
Oddly, sensing Hiren’s frustration seemed to calm Sevith to some extent, as if he was glad he wasn’t alone in his inability to communicate effectively with their female.
“Let me start somewhere that might be more familiar to you,” Hiren continued. “Surely you know about the incident during the Zignills invasion, in which a pair of Drokten warriors found a human mate, yes?”
Jenna nodded slowly. “Yes, I heard that. Someone in England married two Drokten? And they had a baby?”
“These were not just any two Drokten warriors,” Hiren explained. “They were an Azi and Bahn pair, the same as Sevith and me. I am Sevith’s Bahn, and I happen to be his second in command. The bonds between an Azi and Bahn are very close, not unlike human siblings.”
“So, you two live together but you aren’t interested in um…mating with each other?” she asked.
“A common human misconception, but no, we are not,” Hiren answered. “We do share quarters, but we do so in part because Drokten mating rituals do not require merely two people, like that of humans. An Oso is a term for the third component of a Drokten triad. It is a dignified term, make no mistake. Triads among humans appear to be less common, but my research makes me think there is some precedence. Is there not?”
“Oh, there’s precedence,” Jenna murmured as red tinged her cheeks once again.
Sevith shifted impatiently, his gaze never leaving his female.
“Humans seem to spend a lot of time testing your potential mates for compatibility,” Hiren continued. “It is not the same for Drokten. We...know, on a very basic level, when we are in the presence of one another’s mates.”
Jenna’s cautiously accepting attitude turned sour again. Sevith felt her emotions close off immediately, and this time, it wasn’t because she misunderstood something his Bahn had said. On the contrary, he had the sense she knew exactly what he meant, and that was the problem. She licked her lips and opened her mouth to get a word in, and Hiren nodded for her to speak.
“Do Drokten women just ‘know’ in the same way, too?” she asked.
“Why, yes,” Hiren smiled. “It is a well-known part of life on our home world. Regardless of gender, Drokten know when they have found their mates. It is an exciting time in a Drokten�
�s life, for all parties involved.”
“What all… what’s involved in… being mates? I feel like I’m missing something here… besides the obvious,” she released a nervous laugh.
“If by the obvious, you mean sex,” Hiren used the human word, which Jenna swallowed as her blush grew, “it is similar to human marriages. An Oso shares a special bond with the Azi and Bahn, lives with them, consults with them. You would come back to the home world with us, and you would be treated—”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Jenna shut her eyes for a moment and took deep breath before staring out the window with a worried expression. “Look, I know I’m not trained in… interspecies diplomacy, or whatever this is,” she said with a gesture among the three of them. “But this is… a lot to swallow, to say the least. I don’t know anything about Drokten society, history, what your planet even looks like…”
“I could spend weeks informing you,” Sevith spoke up with a sudden zest in his voice, grinning and leaning forward to rest his powerful arms on his knees. “I could work backward, from the war with the Zignills on Earth and how my battleship was among the first to respond to the situation. Or I could tell you about my own life, starting from the first day I had to kill a stynedon armed with nothing but a spear and the clothes on my back when I was a child.”
“We can tell you anything you would want to know,” Hiren said enthusiastically. “I could describe what our living domicile on Drokt looks like, or about the floating gardens we could show you on our moons. We can answer any questions you might have about the medical care you can expect when you become pregnant. Early research has shown that human and Drokten biology is remarkably—”
Before Hiren could finish, the vehicle pulled to a stop and the door shooshed open. Their female didn’t hesitate. She rushed out as soon as there was enough space for her to fit.
Hiren’s jaw dropped as she ran toward the restaurant opposite the curb.
“Jenna!” Sevith bellowed as he hopped out of the vehicle, but he didn’t chase after her. He stood with one leg still inside, watching her freeze at the front doors of the dark building. The OPEN sign was dimmed, and the lights were still off. It must have been closed, but Jenna wasn’t turning around.
“Just go!” she shouted back, her voice cracking. “I—I can’t be what you need. I just can’t.”
“Jenna, we are… no more used to negotiating across cultures this way than you are,” Hiren shouted from the other side of the vehicle.
That much was true. His Bahn was used to human dignitaries, but Jenna was closer to what Sevith realized was an average human. Neither of them had spoken at length to the humans who populated the urban centers. They’d both mainly been fighting off Zignills or negotiating with Earth’s military and government while remaining on the Avash. Speaking with this lone human female was entirely new.
“But I’m asking you to believe our intentions are good,” Hiren continued. “I would not have spent so long deliberating with Secretary Wells if they were not.”
“We’d save a lot of time by just telling her we’re taking her home to our ship,” Sevith grumbled quietly. “We can save this talk for our quarters.”
“Yes, and it would make a troubled start to our triad. We have to do this her way.”
Jenna turned to try the door again in vain.
Hiren stepped away from the vehicle, moved closer to their female, and spread his claws out in a peaceful, calming gesture. “None of us need to get back in the vehicle. How about we purchase human drinks somewhere while you wait for your work establishment to open? I know this is unusual, but all Sevith and I are asking is for a chance to explain this situation.”
Even from across the sidewalk, Sevith felt Jenna’s emotions bristle at Hiren’s closeness.
“I can’t ever leave my planet. I just want you both to know that up front.”
Sevith’s jaw clenched. “Well, that’s going to be difficult,” he muttered. “I’m not living here forever, and neither are my future offspring.”
Hiren threw him a sharp glance.
Sevith threw his claws up. “I’m trying to talk out loud as she asked.”
Hiren let out a deep sigh and mumbled his response. “I have my work cut out for me if I want to get you two to eventually share a family bed with me in peace.”
“Oh, we’ll all be sharing a family bed. I can assure you of that,” Sevith responded. There was no other way forward than his way.
Jenna stood still with her head bowed and then at last, she turned to face them. She took a deep breath and looked at both of them, one at a time, and then she pointed off to the distance. Hiren and Sevith both followed her gaze to a park across the street, where a small human drink station stood at the middle of a paved walkway intersection.
“We can walk and talk over coffee,” Jenna shouted back. “But I want to be back here the second the restaurant opens. Understood?”
“Who does she think she is?” Sevith muttered.
“Our Oso.” Hiren grinned.
A couple of minutes later, the three of them stood at the intersection together after leaving a bewildered barista staring after them. Jenna held her hot coffee in her hands and the three of them walked in silence for a few moments.
The way she looked, walking across the paved stones appearing so thoughtful and feeling so many complicated emotions that interlaced with each other in a beautiful mess… it proved to Sevith that Jenna was special. They didn’t have just any Oso, but one who cut such an artistically beautiful picture against the scenery of a tranquil park, with other humans milling around peacefully and gorgeous Earth flora wafting in the breeze all around them.
This was another reason the Drokten had gone through the bother to save Earth. It was considered a very beautiful planet with an intriguing culture. Earth “flowers” were highly prized on their home world. An industry of floral cultivation had already begun in parts of the planet just to supply the Drokten’s admiration for the colorful and delicate plants.
“Usually, human dates don’t start by getting the girl fired and talking about getting her pregnant,” she said at last, glancing over her shoulder at them. “But I get that we do things kind of differently here.”
“You have much to be admired,” Hiren interjected. “We may be a warrior people, but the way human mates deal with one another can be sophisticated, as I understand it.”
“What was that shameful display I saw in the diner? Was that human premating dialogue?” Sevith snarled.
“He wishes,” Jenna answered with a sardonic laugh that took Sevith by surprise. “That guy is an ass, but you can’t just beat someone up at work for being a jerk.”
Sevith silently disagreed.
“But you did not want to be spoken to, or touched, that way,” Hiren pointed out.
“No, I didn’t,” Jenna admitted, “and… I guess part of me has always kind of wanted to see him put in his place like that.” She shrugged. “But just wanting something in human society doesn’t mean it’s accessible. Does that make sense?”
“We understand what ‘happened’ back there. Sevith simply…”
“Did not appreciate my mate being treated in such a way,” Sevith rumbled. Jenna looked up and met his gaze and he felt that attraction sizzle between them. He also sensed gratitude, maybe even something more, if he didn’t know better.
“This way,” she said as they reached a fork in the road, directing them toward a path that would lead them back to where they’d started. “I don’t want to go far from work.”
“Why are these low paying jobs so important to you?” Sevith asked. “You were not being treated with respect there. Yes, hard work is important, but so is proper compensation and respect toward a hard-working individual.” These were after all, the most prized values within his own society.
“I don’t know if currency is something you two in particular have ever worried about, but I just lost one of my main jobs, as well as my side hustle, meaning the other o
ne is a lot more important. I don’t want to give my employer any excuse to fire me, so I need to be the first one there and the last one to leave today. If I don’t keep my job and keep the currency flowing in steadily, I’ll lose everything—my apartment and my kids…”
Sevith and his Bahn both stopped and stared at their Oso. Jenna slowed down and looked back at them.
The horrifying mental image of Jenna pregnant with another male’s offspring burned brightly in Sevith’s mind. “What!” he roared, storming up to Jenna so fast she yelped and dropped her coffee, but Hiren caught it, handing it back to her slowly without breaking eye contact. “Offspring? You have offspring from other males? Who are they? The secretary?”
“What? Ew, no!” Jenna spluttered, eyes wide. “Sevith, why are you so upset?”
“You belong to us,” Sevith snarled from a base, primal instinct he rarely lost control of. “Name the male who dared lay a finger on our mate, and I will end him, Jenna. I do not care if he is an admiral or a servant.”
“Oh gosh, you two. They aren’t my kids in that way,” Jenna said with exasperation as she jerked out of his grasp. “They’re my younger siblings. My brother and sister. Our parents died during the invasion and I take care of them like they’re my own.”
Sevith felt his heart sinking as he felt the fire in his blood calming down, but Jenna was already shaking her head and giving a mirthless smile.
“Do you see why I can’t leave the planet? Why I can’t be your… Oso? I have to focus on taking care of my brother and sister. It’s not about just me. I have responsibilities.” She gave them a pleading look. “I appreciate being taken seriously by you two last night, and all of this attention is… sweet. I guess it’s true that I really like you, too, but I can’t do this. I can’t. I’m certain you’ll find your real Oso someday, on your own planet. You’ll both be fine.”
“Jenna,” Hiren said, rubbing his temples. “Listen—”
“Hold on,” she said, putting a hand out firmly. “Just… stop there, take a breather, and think about the truth of what I said. If you want me, you’re not just getting me. You’re also taking on two kids. I can see that you don’t want that. Think about what’s right for you, too. I think you’ll understand someone else will make you happier.” She glanced down the street. “The restaurant is open now and I’m going to work,” she said, turning her back on them both. “Goodbye,” she threw over her shoulder as she tossed her coffee in the trash and shoved her hands in her pockets.