by Lynnea Lee
“I don’t know. He offered to rent a room and stay with me at the inn. But I’m not sure that’s best.”
Mia didn’t trust herself not to fall for Arus if she spent too much time with him. She was just getting her life together and didn’t want anything more than a fling. Arus being such a great guy made it more difficult to keep things strictly casual.
“You can stay with me,” Sala offered. “Ever since my sister got mated, the spare room’s been empty. We can watch vids and eat unhealthy foods.”
“Ooh, it’ll be like having a sleepover,” Angie exclaimed. “What fun!”
Mia grinned. Angie’s enthusiasm was contagious.
Sala spoke again, “Let’s drop off your stuff at my place before we had over to the shops.”
“I guess if it’s not too much of a bother.”
“Of course not! Like Angie said, it’ll be fun.”
They said goodbye to Angie and met Arus outside, updating him on the plan.
“The offer still stands if you want to stay with me until I leave. I can rent another room for us, and Vore can use the old one. It will be better that way for him, anyway. That male is very popular with the females.”
Arus had that hopeful look again.
“Thank you, I’ll consider it. But for now, I’ll go leave my things at Sala’s.” She smiled at him, trying to make up for turning down his offer.
“I need to go to a security meeting with the director. I just realized I don’t even have your comm contact yet.”
It was true, and Mia found it humorous. They spent two nights together, did the horizontal tango, and they didn’t even have each other’s numbers yet.
He handed her his comm.
“I don’t own a comm yet. I’ve been checking my messages and recordings on the computer in my room and at work,” she explained as she typed in her contact. The Tallean symbols were strange, but her comm contact and personal id were the first ones she memorized. “You won’t be able to comm me directly, but you can leave me a message, and I’ll check it whenever I can.”
She passed the comm back to Arus. Then she tipped toed, reached up to pull him down to her and gave him a quick kiss, right on a fang. Before she could change her mind about not staying with him, she left with Sala to grab a transport.
Arus watched Mia leave with her friend. He needed to go meet with the director and the security team. The results were in from the sample they took the other night. Director Ryek sounded troubled on the comm and Arus didn’t look forward to the meeting.
He walked to the security office, and Vore was already waiting outside. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept a wink last night and not for any fun reasons either. They headed in together.
“You look like death warmed over. Last night's conquest was a bust?”
Arus pulled out a chair and sat down.
“You could say that. Met a female yesterday, human, tiny thing. Said she wasn’t interested in me, though. Apparently, I’m not her type.” Vore looked peeved. It was obvious he wasn’t used to rejection.
“You? Usually, females are all over you.”
“Her body reacted interested enough. But there was an undercurrent of fear, too.”
“Is she one of the newer colonists? They aren’t used to us yet. Some of them still back away from me like I will attack them for no reason. Especially if they notice the claws.”
“Yeah. Luckily, it was me. Your ugly mug would have had her screaming and not in a good way.” Vore teased.
“Shit, I had Mia over last night, did you try to come back and got stuck without a room?” Arus didn’t want to be the reason his friend was stuck outside all night without a bed. “This is why we should spring for an extra room next time.”
“Nah, I didn’t come back.” Vore didn’t offer any more.
Arus could sense there was more to the story, but members of the security crew were trickling in.
The results of the analysis on the sample they took yesterday were just as he had expected. There were traces of a chemical used to mask scents called olfactinull. The chemical didn’t remove the scents per se. Instead, it temporarily deadened the olfactory nerves so they could detect nothing. It worked in a small radius but was long-lasting.
Arus had read reports of the Dominion using olfactinull to hide their tinkering before. But Reka 5 was a small colony. It was too new to be worth much and too far out of the way to make a profitable way station for their fleet. Could the Dominion be doing their dirty work here? Or was it another group?
“So from this recent information combined with the fact that our cameras glitched right before every fence failure, we know the humans are getting help from someone,” the director concluded.
“Have we confirmed that the new arrivals are responsible?” Vore asked.
Ryek’s face fell and he said, “No. Not yet. The cameras in direct view of the fence glitched every time. Cameras further away showed the same few humans around the area before every attack. It’s not undeniable proof. But we have reason to suspect they were involved.
“Have you questioned all the humans in those videos?” Arus asked.
Holden replied instead of the director. “I did it myself. One of them was the male who attacked your female yesterday.”
“Your female?” Ryek asked, raising a brow.
“Not really mine. Just spending time together while I’m here.” Arus hated the truth.
“I’m glad that at least some humans are assimilating into our culture,” the director admitted. “This is the largest group we have taken in at one time. Many are too fresh from Earth. They resist joining our community and are suspicious of everything. I want to increase guards in the living area, but we are spread thin.”
“I’ll do it,” Vore volunteered. “At least until my ship arrives.”
It surprised Arus. Taking even more work for the colony meant Vore would not have time to practice his usual hobby of trawling for more bed partners.
The director dismissed the rest of the security crew after reminding them all to stay vigilant. He asked Arus and Vore to stay behind. Once they were alone, he went to the camera in the corner of the room and turned it off.
“I didn’t want to say this in front of my team, because I know we have a leak. I hate knowing that someone on my security team is messing with my colony.” His face looked grim. “I took two of my males and added extra cameras, hidden ones, around the perimeter. I swore them to secrecy.
“If the humans attack the fence again, we will catch them on camera. And if those cameras glitch as well, then I have narrowed down our suspect list. But my males are not that stupid, they would rather give up the humans than incriminate themselves. The two males I chose were ones I trust the most, I really hope they are not our double-crossers.”
“And now we know as well,” Vore said.
“Yes, that’s correct. If the new cameras fail, I will have four suspects,” the director agreed. “But I highly doubt it is either of you or my two most trusted.” He turned to Vore. “I need a guard inside the human housing area in the afternoons and evenings. I will station you at the entrance to the cafeteria. You should be able to keep your eyes on both the hallway and the cafeteria.”
“I’ll be there,” Vore promised.
They left the security office and headed over to grab some food at a nearby street vendor. Holden was already there, digging into his food.
“You going to tell me why you suddenly volunteered for guard duty,” Arus asked as they ate on the park bench.
“I’m getting paid,” Vore said, avoiding eye contact.
“Don’t play dumb, Vore.”
Vore played mute instead, taking a huge bite of food, so Arus took a guess.
“You said the female you met yesterday wasn’t interested in you, acted scared of you. She must be one of the new humans. You’re taking the job to get close to her.”
Vore was quiet for a moment. “Is
it that obvious?” he finally asked.
“I’ve known you most of my life. You wouldn’t take extra work unless there’s a female involved.”
Holden nodded in agreement, his mouth full.
“Your Mia is brave and forward. Scarlet claims to have no interest in me, but every time I am near, she smells strongly of arousal. She also scents a little of fear. But definitely not of disinterest.”
“I think humans call that playing hard to get,” Holden said helpfully. “I thought you usually go for the easy ones?”
Vore shrugged. “Maybe I’m looking for a challenge.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
They lounged lazily on Sala’s couch as they enjoyed an after-dinner drink together. Sala lived alone in a two-bedroom apartment; the place was comfortable and quaint. Mia tipped her head back against the cushion and peered at the collection of trinkets lining Sala’s shelf. Sala had explained that some trinkets were reminders of significant events from her life. Others were souvenirs from different places she had visited.
Mia thought of her tiny apartment back home and all the belonging she had left behind. She wondered how many of her life events she would eventually forget now that she had lost all the items to remember them by—lost forever to the amnesiac human brain.
She wondered if she would still be able to, in a few years, recall the faces of the people she left behind. Daddy? Auntie Lulu? All her friends? Louie? Would they become faceless memories? Thinking about the past depressed her. She shook off the intrusive feelings of mourning for her old life. It was best to focus on the people she had now and the life she could build here.
“You need to watch how much time you spend with the big merc. You won’t want him to get too attached to you,” Sala said between sips of her drink.
“He’s not looking for a mate, and neither am I,” Mia clarified. It sounded eerily like she was trying to convince herself.
“Right,” Sala responded. “Mercenaries never come in looking for mates, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get attached if you spend too much time together. Besides, it works both ways. It’s always harder when they leave if you develop feelings.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Mia wondered if it was already too late. Had she already caught feelings for Arus? What about him?
“When we pair up as mates, Talleans simply lose the interest to share sex with others unless the mate is involved,” Sala explained. “Spending a lot of time together may trigger the body’s mating response. Of course, some people never develop a bond no matter how much time they spend together. And you’re human, so you won’t experience the mating response at all. But Arus may. And if he does, your chances of ever being with anyone else will be over. He won’t let it happen.”
“What do you mean he won’t let it happen?”
“I mean, he will fight, even kill, anyone else you want to have a sexual relationship with. He’ll probably drag you onto his ship when he leaves, and you’ll be stuck living out in space surrounded by uncouth mercs. Okay, so being surrounded by a bunch of hot, brawny males isn’t so bad. But living in space sucks.”
Mia had to agree. “I want to have my independence. I want to make my own way in life. That’s why I’ve been so against my mom setting me up. She wants me to marry a doctor or a lawyer, someone rich, so I can stay home and play housewife, just like she did. What about you?”
“I just don’t want to give up the hunt,” Sala admitted. “What if I get mated and then meet the male of my dreams the day after? I won’t even realize it because the mating response would have already shackled me to another.”
“You’ve got a case of FOMO.”
“FOMO?”
“Fear of missing out,” Mia explained. She sat back up and took another sip of her drink. “I hope one day to find a man who will make me want to settle down. I want a partner, not a paycheck. I want to have adventures and not just stay home, raise the children, and do laundry.”
“Me too,” Sala agreed. “But just not now. I’m not ready. I’m too young to settle down. My sister settled down, and now all she talks about is baby stuff. I miss having her around.” Fondness softened Sala’s face when she spoke of her sister. It was clear they were very close.
“Well, you can have me around for a while! Thanks for letting me stay in her old room.”
“She left her old portable personal computer, and it should have Tallean to English translation on it. That comes standard with most models sold on Reka 5. You can check your messages or make a comm on it if you need.”
That reminded Mia of her mother. She expected to see several strongly worded messages left for her in response to the fiasco this morning.
“Thanks, I should probably go do that.”
She gulped down the rest of her drink and excused herself.
Mia stared at the screen and stopped herself from bashing her head into it repeatedly out of frustration. Bianca had sent about a dozen separate messages throughout the day. It was worse than she had anticipated.
The first few messages were nice. Her mom had apologized for putting Mia in an awful situation and promised she wouldn’t do it again. She hadn’t known Daniel was a bad guy.
Mia felt guilty for walking out on her mother. She hadn’t just walked out; she snapped at her and blamed her for Daniel’s awful behavior. She had even told her mom to move her fat ass.
Then the messages changed. By noon, her mother had decided that Mia was purposefully ignoring her previous messages. By mid afternoon, Mia was an ungrateful daughter who deserted her poor mother when she needed her the most. Mia didn’t continue reading, but she was sure that by dinnertime she would have turned into devil spawn.
Nevermind. She decided she didn’t feel so bad about her earlier behavior. Okay, so maybe she still felt a teeny, tiny bit guilty for telling her mom to move her fat ass. Just a little.
Mia scrolled down to the first message not sent by Bianca. It was from Angie. It was tagged “IMPORTANT”.
Hey Mia! You might want to give the head office a call. Bianca came by and asked which room I assigned you to. When I told her you don’t have a room yet, she filed a missing person’s report for you. I know you are not missing. I tried to tell them, but they said they needed to talk to you to make sure. You should call them before things get messy.
I thought I was being helpful by not telling her your future room number or where you are staying for the time being. I didn’t mean to cause more shit. My bad.
Angie
Ps. Hope you had fun at your sleepover!
Well, fuck a duck! Why couldn’t she catch a break?
Mia thought it was best to comm the office directly instead of just leaving a message. She sent Angie a quick thank-you, then commed the office. As the comm patched through, she took some calming breaths.
Luckily, the secretary at the head office was very understanding.
“Thank you so much,” said Mia after explaining her situation. “I’m sorry about the trouble.”
“It’s not your fault,” assured the Tallean female on her vid screen. “With a mother like yours, I can see why you hide that you are spending the night with one of our males. She’s so jumpy around us ‘aliens.’ I was there this morning when you came into the dorms with that hot mercenary. I thought maybe you were spending the night with him, so I told Bianca I couldn’t file a proper report unless the person was missing for at least a full day.”
“Actually, I’m staying with a friend,” Mia said.
“Oh! Angie mentioned something about that. I’m glad you are okay.” The face on the screen turned thoughtful. “You should spend some time with our males. That one looked very interested in you. You should see if he’s good in bed.”
“For sure,” Mia answered, not wanting to explain that she already knew. He was beyond exceptional.
Mia changed into her comfy pajamas and got ready for bed.
Just as she was about to turn off
the PPC, a message came in. It was from Arus. Her heart did a silly little happy dance. She chided herself for getting so excited but wasn’t able to wipe the smile from her face. She clicked it and read the message. He wanted to see her again after work tomorrow.
Sala’s warning came to mind. The risk of Arus forming a mate bond was undoubtedly real. But there had to be a way to continue seeing him without triggering the bond. From what Mia knew, prolonged contact was usually the catalyst. So staying over and sleeping in each other’s arms was definitely out of the question. They wouldn’t be able to cuddle after sex.
She could handle that. Mia could totally treat their time together like a booty call and nothing more. She had done that back on Earth with a few guys she had met. She had never caught feelings, and neither had the men. She could do it again.
Arus was just a friend with benefits. And this was just another booty call. She would come back to Sala’s after the wham-bam-thank-you-hot-merc, and no bond would be made. How hard could it be? She could do this. She made her decision and replied.
Mia expected to get a message back. A comm came through from Arus instead. She fought back a yawn. She was tired, but also inwardly happy that he called. Mia answered the comm.
Arus hated that Mia didn’t have her own comm unit. He left her a message and hoped that she saw it before heading to work tomorrow. When he sent out his message asking to see her, he didn’t expect Mia to reply instantly.
When he received a reply only moments later, he broke into a grin. She was still awake! Sitting on the bed with the PPC on his lap, he adjusted the pillows to support his back and then sent out a comm. He tapped his claws impatiently on the bed as it patched through.
Mia’s disheveled hair and sleepy face filled the screen.