Dathrow

by Leora Gonzales

  “Will it be okay for us to use that while I’m pregnant? It doesn’t have some weird space chemical that will give Nugget three legs or anything, right?”

  Wheaton leaned down to his wife and kissed her slowly. As he pulled away, he whispered against her lips, “I already asked Tamin and he assured me it is perfectly safe.”

  Poppy reached up to take the vial from his hand and went on tippy toe to reach his lips. Threading her fingers through his hair, she tugged him down until she could nip at his lips. “Well then. What the hell are we waiting for?”

  As Poppy led Wheaton to the bedroom, he figured it was best that he not share anything else that he had spoken to Dathrow about. The men had come to an understanding where Wheaton’s wife was concerned. According to Dathrow, he had simply needed a few trips to the Pleasure Sector to get over his infatuation with Poppy. Assuring Wheaton that he no longer had feelings other than friendship for Wheaton’s wife, he had bragged about some personal time spent with his favorite pleasure worker. Allyria had been the perfect cure for the lonely man. She had even given Dathrow a souvenir from one of their nights together, hoping that he would visit her again soon.

  When Wheaton had given Dathrow the news of his impending trial period with his matched mate, Allyria had become a distant memory almost immediately. Pleasure workers were good at their jobs, but Dathrow’s main objective had always been finding a bride. As quickly as Allyria and her skills had been mentioned, they were forgotten as Dathrow asked for as much information on his bride as he could get. When Wheaton had explained it was none other than Poppy’s sister, Dathrow had been stunned. Pixie had accompanied Poppy when Wheaton had signed his paperwork on Earth. At that initial meeting, Dathrow had been attracted at first glance. After finding out that she already had a mate, he had stopped fishing for information about Pixie. Now he seemed starved for as much as he could gather.

  Wheaton had been given the mission of getting Poppy to create a list of everything that Pixie liked and disliked. As he had shaken his head, laughing at the man, Dathrow had replied that he was not going to be making the same mistakes that Wheaton had with Poppy. That statement had shut Wheaton up pretty quickly.

  As Wheaton followed his wife’s luscious ass into their bedroom, he realized that he would wait until later to get the list. He had a vial full of pleasure oil and a wife who needed his attention right now.

  * * * * *

  Across the ship, Dathrow was settling into his new quarters, trying to picture his bride filling the small space with her presence. He knew that Poppy had made Wheaton’s apartment look “softer” somehow but he was unsure how she had done it exactly. From what he could tell he would need pillows…and maybe something with the color other than white. He had not realized exactly how much white he was surrounded by until he had been exposed to other colors.

  Before he had been transferred back to this ship, he had flown one last mission with Taron to the Pleasure Sector. The area was so ripe with culture you could almost taste it on your tongue as you walked through the marketplace. Color and texture was everywhere, from the corner streets to the Pleasure Houses. Both he and Taron had made appointments with their preferred workers prior to landing and Dathrow was more than ready to work off some of the energy he had been storing the last couple of months. Self-pleasuring only went so far to ease the need he felt course through his body when he thought of a certain someone. Getting that out of his system before coming back had been the best idea all around. He had also acquired a few items that Wheaton had requested for his bride. Dathrow wished he could go back and purchase items for his own bride now that he knew she was his. The marketplace had so many treasures that would have gone a long way in pleasing his little human.

  The fact that he had a bride still made him catch his breath. The reality of the situation had been so overwhelming he was still unable to believe his luck.

  Dathrow remembered the look of jealousy on Taron’s face when he found out that Dathrow had been matched. No matter what his friend said, he was also anxious to find his own female and start a family.

  Dathrow knew his reaction had multiplied when he found out who his potential bride was. Wheaton had delivered the news with what Dathrow could see was hesitation. After all, Dathrow had once been matched to Poppy. But there was no doubt in Dathrow’s mind that he would make Pixie the perfect husband, Pixie who had enchanted him at first glance.

  Pixie.

  He could remember every small detail about her as if she was standing in front of him now. When he had first laid eyes on Pixie, she had overshadowed her sister. There was something about the sparkle in her eyes and the small tilt to her smile that made him crave to put that look on her face as often as possible. He had ventured as close to her as possible during that meeting and it only cemented the need to know her more. The scent that she wore on her skin tempted him to bite and lick at her neck. The way her curls fell around her face, made his hands itch to push them back. Every detail had been logged into his memory as if she were a map he needed to memorize.

  Finding out she was already mated had crushed any thoughts he had of stealing her from Earth for his own. Not that he would have actually done that…hopefully.

  Now he had a chance. Everything he wanted and had worked for was almost within reach. He looked around and let out a deep breath. Hoping to calm himself, he decided the first thing to do was find ways to keep his bride busy. He had learned from Poppy that boredom had affected her mood when first on the ship.

  Dathrow sat on the couch to make a list. First thing on the list was entertainment. Time to download the movie files that he had noted during his conversations with Poppy. According to her, the best way to a human’s heart was an appreciation for something called Firefly and something else called Star Wars.

  Chapter Seven

  Pixie stretched and groaned as she woke up. The bed in her room would definitely get only two stars on her review before she left. For one or two nights, it would have been fine, but going on over two months and it was killer on her back. Looking over at the alarm clock that seemed to come straight out of the eighties, she saw she’d slept until ten. Apparently she’d gone into an ice-cream coma last night. Picking up her phone from where she had it charging, she saw there was a notification.

  Crap. She’d forgotten to turn off the “do not disturb” mode. Hoping she hadn’t missed anything important, she almost jumped out of bed when she saw one of the missed calls was from Eva. As Pixie walked to the bathroom, she went through the notifications until she found the one for voicemail.

  Pixie listened to the message of her liaison telling her that today was the day. In fact, today at noon was the exact time that she would need to be at the Intake Center to leave for Squadron One.

  Dancing around in an excited jig, she pumped her fist in the air. Finally.

  “Fuck! I only have two hours!” Running to the shower, Pixie skidded to a halt in front of the mirror. “Well, Pixie, it’s now or never. Are you ready?” Nodding to herself, she realized just how ready she was. Now, to actually get ready would be the issue.

  She had originally planned to have time to shower, shave, lotion up, do her hair and makeup, and eat before leaving. Since she’d slept in, Pixie realized she had essentially an hour to get ready and get on the road. At her last visit, the Intake Center security line had taken thirty minutes and that was with them going over her purse and car. Now that she had luggage, she bet it would take twice as long.

  After making sure she had smooth skin, her hair was somewhat tamed and makeup on, she quickly loaded her bags into the car. Starting to get in, she noticed a box of chocolates and a card on the seat.

  Fucking Brian. Pixie had forgotten he had a set of keys to her car. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened the card to see he was still acting as pathetic as ever. Tossing the card on the passenger-side floor, she glared at the chocolates. It would be a shame to waste them. Pixie pulled out of the parking lot and saw one of the ever-prese
nt homeless people holding up a sign at the stoplight.

  Waving him over, she rolled down her window. Handing him the candy along with a five-dollar bill, she said, “Stay safe and enjoy those.”

  Smiling at the man who was already digging into the heart-shaped box, she handed him an extra twenty when she saw he had a dog with him. Hell, what was she going to do with her money on a spaceship anyway?

  She arrived at the Intake Center in record time, thanks to her lead foot. Pixie stressed to the security guards how important it was that she be on time when she approached the security area. After they checked her bags and swiped her hands with some swab to test for bomb-making ingredients, she rushed to Eva’s office.

  “Hey, Eva, sorry I’m a little late. I didn’t get your message until ten.” Out of breath and huffing a bit, she watched as sourpuss gave her an irritated look.

  “This isn’t the first time you’ve been late to a meeting, Pixie.” When Eva turned around to grab a file folder, Pixie took advantage of it to stick out her tongue out at the shrew. The minute she turned around, Pixie was back to her normal face.

  “Well, here I am so let’s get this show on the road,” she said, giving Eva her fakest smile. Pixie gestured to the door for them to get moving when Eva didn’t start to walk.

  “As long as you are sure this is what you want to do.” Eva stood unmoving behind her desk, as if hoping Pixie would change her mind.

  “I’m sure…and since this happens to be our last meeting, I also have a question for you. Why the hell are you a liaison?” Pixie blurted out before she could stop herself. “From the first time I met you, you’ve been almost discouraging me from following through with this. What gives?” Pixie figured she would probably never see this woman again, so why hold back. Propping her hands on her hips, she waited for an answer.

  Eva gave Pixie a look that was hard to interpret before answering in a defensive voice, “Marriage is a big commitment. I just want to make sure my charges are positive before it’s too late.”

  Not bothering to hide her eye roll from her, Pixie pushed her purse up to her shoulder and walked out the door. The crazy bat would follow her if she knew what was good for her. Pixie had about enough of this woman. Every conversation they had seemed to try to talk Pixie out of her decision. When Eva had gone over the different breeds of Phaeton warriors, she’d described them more with disgust than the awe Pixie had felt when confronted with their pictures. Hoping there was a comment card at the end of this ordeal, she slowed her pace for Eva who was now catching up.

  As they reached the room where she assumed Dathrow would be, Pixie stopped and stuck out a hand, stopping Eva from opening the door.

  Pixie smiled, knowing that Eva would think she’d changed her mind. Eva’s face lit up as if on cue. Digging in her purse, Pixie took out a tube of her favorite lip gloss and quickly refreshed her smile.

  “Now I’m ready,” Pixie said in an overly cheerful voice.

  Ignoring the huff from the old biddy next to her, Pixie walked into the room and searched the group of men on the other side.

  Counting six warriors, Pixie scanned the faces until she found the one she was searching for. Dathrow stood in the center with a large smile on his face.

  Pixie caught her breath. This is what being breathless meant. Before she could blink, Dathrow was no longer across the room and instead, standing in front of her.

  “No holy shit for me?” his deep voice rumbled.

  It took Pixie a moment before she remembered Poppy’s reaction to seeing Wheaton the first time had been her blurting out curse words like a sailor. Dathrow was reenacting their first meeting on Earth all those months ago.

  “Holy shit.” Smiling at the warrior in front of her, Pixie whispered, “This is where you ask if holy shit is good or bad.”

  “It’s good. It’s very, very good.” Dathrow reached for her hand and Pixie felt herself melt into a puddle. When he linked their fingers together, Pixie couldn’t help but feel as if everything in her life had been leading up to this moment.

  Taking her free hand, Pixie ran her fingertips along his jawline. At the prickle of facial hair, she hummed slightly.

  “I don’t remember this from before. Are you growing a beard?” Unable to stop touching his cheek, she ran her fingers up again to cup his jaw.

  “I did not have a chance to clean up prior to catching the shuttle down to Earth. I was anxious to see you again.” Reaching up to hold her hand to his face, he cocked his brow. “Would you like me to shave it for you?”

  Not paying attention to any of the others in the room, Pixie grinned at Dathrow. “Beards are pretty popular now…I never understood the appeal of them before, but I have to admit, the sensation is nice.”

  Pixie caught her breath when Dathrow leaned forward until their lips were almost touching.

  “We can experiment with the…sensation…before you make up your mind. That is, if you would like to make an educated decision.” Smiling down at her, Dathrow winked.

  Pixie felt her breath catch. The man had dimples. Dimples! Adorable, sexy, covered in scruff dimples. Loving how easily she and the man fell into flirting, she grinned back. “We may have to experiment a few times. You know, for the sake of science and all.”

  Dathrow leaned back and took in Pixie’s entire body. After running his gaze up and down her, his smile grew wider. “You resemble Poppy much more now than you did a few months ago.”

  Shrugging, Pixie realized she may as well lay it all out now before she followed him to the shuttle. “I know. I gained some weight when I dropped the one-hundred-and-ninety-pound boyfriend. Is that going to be an issue?”

  Cocking her hand on her hip and tapping her toe, Pixie waited for him to look her in the eyes again.

  “No, it will definitely not be an issue. I was attracted to you then, but I find myself even more so with the additional softness that I can see.” Tugging Pixie close again, he whispered, “You look delicious. I have been truly blessed to have made this match.”

  Pixie swallowed hard. His voice had the ability to make the hair at her neck tingle.

  “Well, then, what are we waiting for?” Pixie squeezed her fingers around his, glancing around to see if anyone was paying attention to their exchange. Since she’d spotted Dathrow, Pixie had forgotten they weren’t alone. Noting the sour expression on her liaison’s face, she stepped closer to her soon-to-be groom. That was one person on Earth that she would not miss at all.

  “I have filled out my paperwork and we are prepared to leave once your luggage is transferred.” Pulling her toward the door, Dathrow made sure to slow his pace so he wasn’t dragging her behind him.

  “I’m anxious to get out of here too.” When Dathrow gazed down at her in question, Pixie smiled up at him. “I’m excited to get to see Poppy.”

  When Dathrow gave her a disappointed look, she laughed at his expression.

  “And to get to know you too,” Pixie admitted truthfully.

  Walking to the shuttle, flanked by a few other warriors, Pixie took the chance to sneak glances at the man beside her. Dathrow looked even better than when she’d seen him before. The scruff he’d let grow on his strong jaw seemed to add to the sex appeal she thought he’d oozed before the beard was added. Noticing he had to consciously keep his strides short, she estimated he was just under seven feet tall. Pixie snorted to herself. What a pair they made. Now she knew what NBA wives felt like. The man was huge. Dathrow wasn’t just tall though; he was evenly proportioned with strong broad shoulders. From what she was able to make out under his tunic, he was also thickly muscled throughout his torso and arms.

  Pixie saw that he was checking her out just as much as she was him. She hoped that her weight gain hadn’t thrown him off. From what she could tell by the steamy heat in his eyes, Dathrow was pleased with the changes he was seeing.

  Reaching the shuttle docking area, Pixie spotted her bags sitting next to a ramp that led to the ship. The initial sight of a spaceship no l
onger fascinated her. When they had first arrived, Pixie would stare at them for what seemed like hours. It wasn’t until she walked up the ramp that she started gawking. Being a true science fiction fan and seeing Star Wars more times than she could count, Pixie couldn’t help but watch every blinking light and small movement the pilots made as Dathrow guided her to a seat. She didn’t even realize she was staring at her surroundings until she felt a chuckle next to her ear as Dathrow buckled her in as if she were a child.

  “Sorry,” Pixie murmured with a sheepish grin. Glancing up into the face of an amused Dathrow, Pixie caught his smile.

  “It is fine. This is a whole new world to you.” Giving her an understanding look, he ran a finger down her cheek after the last belt was secured. “I will spend as much time as I can helping you get familiar with the ship so you are comfortable in your new home.”

  Taking a seat beside hers, Dathrow quickly buckled his own belts while the pilots spoke into their headsets. Reaching down between himself and Pixie, he took her hand in his and linked their fingers.

  Pixie dragged her eyes away from everything in the front of the shuttle to look over at him, “What’s first on the agenda?”

  “Once we reach Squadron One, I will take you to medical for your intake exam and translator. After that, our presence has been requested by Poppy and Wheaton for the dinner meal.” Studying her face, perhaps to make sure he had not been too forward with planning their afternoon, he paused before continuing, “Is that acceptable?”

  “It’s fine.” Pixie felt her breath catch when she realized the shuttle was moving, and squeezed his fingers tighter in her grasp. “That felt a little like a roller coaster.”

  “Roller coaster?”

  “They’re rides at theme parks that people ride for thrills…they go really fast with big drops that catch your stomach, and sometimes even go upside down,” she explained.