by Sabrina Kade
She blushes and lowers her chin, and I can’t help wondering if this concern applies to Iriel or myself. Or both. Does she want to know if any of the other females interest me? Does she want to know if Iriel will chase after another female if she refuses him as a Chosen mate? Is she trying to learn more about us because we are aliens to her?
My mind races at how best to answer this. I do not want to give her an answer that is not pleasing to her, and yet, I don’t want to lie to her either.
“Human females each have different looks to us,” I start. “If you are asking if I can see the physical differences between Dolan’s mate and Exer’s mate, then of course. Dolan’s mate has brown skin, big brown eyes and plenty of softness around her hips and midsection. Exer’s mate is pale and slender. Tall. Similar to a Sidyth female without scales. Prince Korben’s mate carries a sufficient number of curves in her breasts.” I shake my head. “Sometimes I wonder how she moves without toppling over.”
Phoebe snickers. “Aliens are fascinated with her boobs.”
“I am not fascinated with them. I am answering your question. We may be aliens to you, but you are aliens to us. All the human females look different to me.”
“And… which ones are you attracted to?” She shoots her head up. “What I mean to say is, you notice there’s a difference between Sloane and Layla. Which one is more your type? Pretend you’re a human.”
“I am not a human.”
“Pretend,” she reminds me. “If you could have either one of them carry your baby, which one? The curvy Latina, or the slender redhead?”
The question is so silly that I almost grow cross. “Neither.” My answer comes out like something of a hiss, and she winces back. I do not like the frightened look on her pale features, but I do not want to misinform her. “I feel no physical attraction for either of those females. Besides, they are the mates of my brothers. I have no interest in a female who is carrying one of my brother’s sprogs.”
“What about one who’s mated to one of your brothers?”
There’s a flicker of a smile on her face, but not one I’m sure I appreciate. Yes. I want Phoebe to smile at me one day, but I do not like being teased. I am attracted to her. I want her. I do not appreciate her making light of my feelings.
“I would never actively steal a female away from one of my brothers. Not if she was truly interested in him.”
She frowns, and I realize my words must have hit a nerve. I must make this impossibly clear to her though; otherwise, I worry what she will think of me, and my intentions to protect her earlier from Iriel’s advances.
“I only stepped in during your time with Iriel because I saw you fighting him off. Females are not supposed to be forced into anything here, Phoebe. I hope you understand that.”
Her frown deeps. “Are you saying it had nothing to do with me? Nothing to do with what you told me earlier?” She shifts uncomfortably in the grass, but I am not deterred.
“About how I asked you Choose me?” I ask.
“Y-yeah. You said it was only to get me away from Iriel, but it’s more than that, right?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes widen. “O-oh,” she says in a breathy tone. “So you, you have a crush on me.”
“I have no plans to hurt you, Phoebe.”
She smiles slightly. “That’s not what… never mind.”
Silence falls between the two of us. I will not have much more time with Phoebe alone like this. And as much as I enjoy these moments, they will not last. If I am going to push Phoebe, if I cannot prove to her that Iriel does not make her happy, so she should find the courage to leave him, all this time is wasted.
“How’s your face?” Phoebe asks before I can get any words out. She taps on her cheekbone. “Your eye is still pretty swollen. Don’t you think you should try talking to Chentan about it? I’d hate for it to get infected.”
“You wouldn’t want to see me hurt?”
“No.” My expression must give me away, because she bristles, pulling her knees more tightly against her chest. “Don’t look so surprised. Of course, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“And yet, you ask me hurtful questions.”
She flinches. “I don’t mean to. I’m only teasing.”
“My feelings for you are nothing to be teased about. Phoebe, I must know. Why don’t you say no to Iriel if you are not interested in him? Why do you stay with him when you do not desire him for a mate?”
She shakes her head. “It’s not that simple. I can’t fly by the seat of my pants here. I have to think about what’s best for my future. Besides, Iriel isn’t bad.”
“Does your cunt grow wet when he looks at you?”
“My cunt?” She turns in my direction, pushing a chunk of light hair away from her eyes. I can’t help edging closer to her, reaching forward. I expect her to flinch away from my bandaged hand, but she holds still, even when I tuck a few stray hairs back behind her ear.
“Your cunt,” I whisper. “When he touches you there, do you feel helpless under him?”
She shakes her head, pinching her eyes shut. “That… that doesn’t have anything to do with anything.”
“Ahh, but it does.” I keep my hand against her cheek, and she remains still, watching me as though I’m the suns, moons, and stars. I feel powerful under her gaze. “When Iriel touches you, do your thighs quiver? Do your fingers tingle? Do you wish to do that thing humans do? The meshing of mouths? Perhaps, mouth meshing and him lapping up the honey that releases from between your thighs?”
She tilts her head to the side for a moment before piecing it together. “Fuck, Drazal. I don’t know. You're vulgar.”
I nod. “I'm blunt. When you are with Iriel, do you think about kissing him? Kissing your lips?” I lean closer. “Kissing your neck?” My thumb brushes over her smooth cheek. “Do you feel as though you will lose your senses unless your mouths mesh together?”
Her eyes grow glassy. This is not the reaction I want, nor expect. But I do not remove my hand. I will not unless she asks me to. She allows me to lean closer, and I taste her excitement through my nostrils despite her calling me vulgar. There is hardly any fear in her scent. There is also a hint of arousal.
“Phoebe,” I husk. “Please. Why do you stay with him when you could be with me? I would please you. I would happily mesh my mouth against your cunt. I would make you feel alive.”
“I… I can’t…”
She does not want Iriel. I want her. She wants me too. I cannot process her hesitation.
“You don’t know,” she mutters, sniffing. “I can’t risk getting in trouble.”
“Trouble?” I hiss without meaning to. “For what? And with who?”
She pushes my hand away, scooching back further in the grass to put space between us. I do not like it, but I don’t force myself on her. Her scent still hits my nostrils, and it’s like warmest day back on Sidetha. “Don’t you get it, Drazal? I can’t jump from one guy to another without others thinking badly about me. I’m with Iriel, and if I leave him and start hanging out with you right away—”
“You would be happy.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know if I would. I don’t want trouble.” She stands and rubs her upper arms while looking through the talas. She wants to go back to the lair. If she goes now, will I have a moment like this again? Will Dolan and Exer’s mates be able to replicate this brief time alone? I do not know. I do not want to know.
“You keep saying trouble. What does that mean? Is Iriel threatening you?”
Color flashes across her cheeks, and I’m on my feet in an instant. This changes everything. I seize Phoebe’s smooth, bony shoulders, resisting the need to shake some sense into her. I must not scare her, but I am going wild with concern for this fragile female.
“Iriel threatens you?” I hiss.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You did not say anything with your mouth, but you managed to say much without speaking.” I curl a finger unde
r her chin, pulling her blue, glassy eyes to me. This glassy-eyed expression is one I am beginning to loathe. Phoebe should not be frightened. She should be happy and kissing me and spending time with human females. Ugh, but I still cannot do anything unless Phoebe rejects Iriel as her possible mate.
Fury threatens to take over.
“Phoebe, please. If you Choose me then—”
“No.” Her voice is shockingly firm when she pulls away from my grasp. “Stop… just stop! I’m with Iriel. I’m with him because I want to be, okay?”
“You are not.”
“What is with you? Why are you trying to make things worse for me? Are you trying to get me in trouble with Prince Korben? Are you trying to get me sent away?”
“Prince Korben?” I stammer. “Sent away? What are you talking about?” I take a few steps in her direction, but she holds up her hands, halting my progress.
“Drazal, please. Leave me alone.”
She spins, and before I can process any more of what she’s said, she’s sprinting back toward the lair. I’m sure Iriel is waiting for her, and I’m sure the bloody-haired female will make some excuse to explain her absence. My sprinting after Phoebe would only make things appear more suspicious.
I sit in a huff, trying to figure out what happened. Phoebe was opening up to me, and then suddenly shutting down. Fear. There was a real look of terror on her face. Fear of trouble. She closed up completely when I confronted her about it.
Trouble with Prince Korben. Sending her away.
What does any of that mean? What is she so worried about?
Does she not understand that leaving Iriel will not cause problems? If she does not want to be with him, that is her choice, and Iriel must respect that. Prince Korben would understand. But there is fear in her eyes. Fear of being sent away. Who would threaten such a fragile, pale-haired female? Who would make a female afraid of leaving them?
I snarl under my breath.
Iriel.
I frown through the talas trees, tuning my hearing to make sure Phoebe is back and safe with the other females. Dolan’s mate is particularly loud, and for once, I am thankful for this because I can hear her explaining Phoebe’s absence to what must only be Iriel. I take a few steps forward and push some leaves aside so I can witness the conversation.
Iriel seizes Phoebe by the upper arm, thrusting a cluster of flowers to her breast before dragging her behind him back to the lair opening. I suppose he no longer wishes for her to talk to the other females.
If I were her mate, she could speak to them all she wanted.
Iriel should not control her like this.
Ugh, why must I be so interested in everything that female does with her mate? She does not want me. She does not want Iriel either. Her greatest desire is to stay out of trouble.
Somehow, I must find a way to help her.
It is only then that I have a chance of making her mine.
CHAPTER SIX
Phoebe
Iriel is staring at me the following morning. His lair is hot and sticky, but there isn’t a trace of sweat on his pale skin. He’s silent as I stir and slowly wake up, and I feel his erection under the thin blanket I insist on sleeping under, so he doesn’t get any ideas.
I’m never going to have sex with him.
If I have sex with him, odds are I’m going to get pregnant, and nothing would tie me more permanently to Iriel than carrying around a mini-version of him. I’m not ready for that. Not with him. Maybe not with anyone. I need something to remind myself that I’m not a whore. I was so sure on the way here that I wouldn’t be, and yet, if I have sex with Iriel, it’ll only be because I’m afraid of being sent away. That would make me a rent-a-woman.
I pinch my thighs together in hopes that Iriel doesn’t get the wrong idea. I’m not thinking about him. I’m thinking about Drazal, and it’s a dangerous game to play when I’m in bed with a horny alien who I don’t want to have sex with. Because when I think of Drazal, I get all kinds of tingly.
I remember how close he sat to me last night. I remember the searing look in his eyes when I grew aroused under his gaze. I remember his thick muscles and how he said he would have one more growth spurt. He’s not as big as the others, but he’s certainly not that much smaller than most of them either. If he has another growth spurt like some of the guys I saw in high school, he could be bigger than Hujun by the time he’s finished.
For some reason, I grow hornier. Hornier than I should be when the alien in front of me leaves me drier than the Sahara Desert.
“Good morning,” I say awkwardly, pinching my thighs together as Iriel’s tongue darts from his lips without shame.
Oh crap. He tastes me. He’s going to know I’m aroused, and he’s going to think it’s because of him. Damn, damn, and double freaking damn!
“You are aroused this morning.” He grins, resting a hand on my hip as he lays on his side. “Did you have a pleasant dream? One about pleasure?”
“It was a dream. I don’t remember what it was about,” I say, not wanting to get into a conversation about why my pussy’s wet. I jump out of bed before Iriel gets any strange ideas, trying not to pay attention to the bouquet of wild alien flowers resting on the floor near the lair opening. They’re pretty enough. Lavender and deep purple, but they don’t mean anything.
How would I react if Drazal brought me flowers? I shake the thought away. I shouldn’t think about him, especially when Iriel steps from his bed and wraps his arms around my waist. He kisses me softly on the neck before nuzzling his nose into my hair.
“Human females smell divine,” he mutters, inhaling deeply.
I try not to snort. “If we all smell so great, I don’t see why we couldn’t spend more time with Layla and Sloane. They smell good too, you know.”
He hisses, loosening his grip. “I say human females, but I only mean you. Dolan’s mate is too noisy. The hair coloring on Exer’s makes me nauseous.” He combs his long fingers through my hair – root-to-tip, and then starts again as though this is somehow going to make me want to have sex with him. “I enjoy your pale hair, Fee-Bee. I like your pale skin and your blue eyes.” His stomach pushes against my back, slamming me against the nearest wall, and I press a hand against a flat surface to steady myself as Iriel continues kissing my skin and stroking my hair with his claws.
A small, guttural moan escapes my lips as I close my eyes and imagine Drazal being the one standing behind me.
“Do you enjoy my touch, Fee-Bee?” Iriel grunts, dropping kisses to the cords on my neck. “Do you feel how much I want you to be mine?”
As if he’s not already proving his point enough, Iriel thrusts his hard-on against my butt, pumping and pushing as though there aren’t two layers of clothing between us. Thank goodness there are. I’m not ready for this. But I can deal with dry humping sessions. I keep my eyes closed and think of Drazal.
Drazal, with his swollen eye and bandaged hands and feet.
“You like this.” Iriel sounds so pleased I almost want to bark how I’m not thinking about him. “I feel your desire. You are mine.”
I’m not, but I keep thinking about Drazal anyway. I imagine being with him wouldn’t be like this. The way he touched me yesterday and made me feel as though I’m made of glass was enough to make me bare my soul to him. It didn’t matter that his words were gruff. I love his confidence and how it balances out with his kindness. I love how he’s trying to protect me and risking everything by doing so. If Iriel found out I was with him, I’m not sure what would happen to either of us. My friendship with Drazal is dangerous, and yet, he keeps taking risks. He took a huge one yesterday, and he’s going to keep taking them until he’s convinced I’m happy with Iriel.
I won’t be. I never will be.
“You are mine. My beautiful, pale female. You are mine.” I’m not. “From the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine.” Liar. You wanted Blythe. You tried claiming her right under Prince Korben’s nose.
“Now you are here wit
h me. I will never let you go. I will never let anyone else have you.” He squeezes my waist from behind, and I squeal, embarrassed how he’s surprised me. Iriel, of course, thinks its passion making me act this way. “I’ve got you, Fee-Bee. You are all right. With me, you have nothing to fear.” More kisses on my neck. I try not to wiggle away from them. “I will protect you where Drazal failed. I am a stronger male. The more capable one. You have Chosen me.”
My eyes flash open, shattering daydreams of Drazal. “I haven’t.”
“You’re my mate. I Chose you. Choose me, yes?”
“No!” I squeak, blinking all erotic images of Drazal away so I can focus. I spin and push Iriel away without thinking, sending him back a few inches, but it’s not nearly enough. “No! I haven’t Chosen you for a mate.”
“Not yet, but you will.” He looms closer, and I hold up my hands. He merely bats them down and pulls me back against his chest. “You will Choose me, Fee-Bee. I am a good male.”
I wiggle, unable to escape his touch. “There’s more to it than being a good male.”
“What else do you need?” He squeezes me more tightly, sounding so perplexed. “I am a good mate for you. I am strong. I will keep you safe. I want you to Choose me as I have Chosen you.”
“I can’t do it, Iriel.”
Another squeeze. “You can. You will, Fee-Bee. Drazal let you down—”
“Will you stop bringing Drazal into this? Geez, it’s like you’re obsessed with him.”
A vicious hiss escapes Iriel’s throat, allowing me to slip out from under his arms. He stares at me, his golden eyes wild with need and annoyance. “I am not obsessed with one of my brothers. I do not care for the way he looks at you. The way he wants to steal you from me. And why shouldn’t he act this way? Based on Korben’s irrational beliefs, he has a chance! He thinks he can come between us, and you are allowing it to happen! Do you enjoy two mates wanting you, Fee-Bee?”