Rykhan (Book 1 of Mate Search Series)

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  Leah felt her jaw drop and quickly corrected that motion to hide her reaction.

  Pam obviously felt no such restriction. “You can’t? Like, at all?”

  “We have learned your numbering system,” Gere rumbled. “English uses so many letters to create your words…”

  “But you guys are on the internet all the time,” Leah sputtered. “If you can’t read English how have you been able to look things up or perform your studies?”

  Arbrynt canted an eyebrow as he looked at the two women. “I have ensured our warriors have text-to-speech on all of our communication devices. Once that was done it was simply a matter of connecting it to the English-Picari translator application.”

  Leah took a step to lean back against the breakfast bar. Her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts. Ones that included why she hadn’t noticed they couldn’t read and trying to think of other ways to keep the men on track in order to succeed with Stege’s challenge.

  Pam expression said she was clearly trying to rethink their plan as well.

  “Okay, then,” Leah finally sighed, tossing her long hair over her shoulder while bringing her palms together. Three weeks to get another two of the awkward group of men in relationships when they couldn’t read a damn word. Freaking great!

  “Another thing that you may not yet have realized, mica tisha,” Rykhan started as Leah wracked her brain for a way to salvage all their work, their research and plans. Strategies that would give the Picari warriors a fighting chance in securing a human mate. “While we cannot read English, all those in the Picari Protectorate have perfect auditory and photographic memories.”

  Leah blinked and looked to Pam.

  “Well, geesh! Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” Pam’s giggle that accompanied her words seemed to bring the tension in the room down a notch. “Okay so what I propose is that we go through your binders. Only instead of you reading it on your own, we’ll take the time and talk it through as a group.”

  Nodding, Leah let her eyes roam over the men. Sure Pam’s suggestion meant they were going to be spending more time than they had originally planned, but to make sure the guys were prepared was the ultimate goal. It was the same destination, they‘d just be using a different vehicle.

  “We’ve enrolled each of you in several dating websites. These along with several singles activities in the areas will be your primary source of making first contact with women.” Leah only had to glance at the words on the sheet under the tab marked ‘schedules’ to remember what she and Pam had talked through for hours. “You will be required to check each of the websites twice a day. Once in the morning and again in the evening.”

  “Why twice in one rotation?” Tyshar broke in. “Do you expect us to spend all our time doing searches through the databases?”

  Pam looked at Leah before answering. “You’ll do your search in the morning to find three new women to contact. This shouldn’t be hard since you have the ten different websites to look through!”

  “What is the second check for then?” Bronsyn wasn’t actually frowning but his forehead started to crease.

  “That’s for you to respond to any requests from the women who are interested in you, big guy!” Pam’s eyes danced. “Yep, you dudes are just gonna have to get over your caveman, alpha dog tendencies and allow for the fact that women can and will contact you first.”

  “What are we supposed to say in those initial moments when the females contact us?” Bronsyn grumbled letting his low opinion shine forth.

  Leah thought for a moment. This might be harder than she and Pam had originally figured. “Well, what would you initially say if you were doing the approaching?”

  “The thing is, guys,” Pam spoke up in the silence that had descended around the table again. “You’re gonna have to use your translator-thingy to read the woman’s profile before you respond. You want to make a good impression in that first communiqué and the best way to do that is just by being yourself. Be nice. Ask her a question about something in her profile that interests you. Use humor but don’t make fun or tease her unless she does it first.”

  Leah saw a couple of the men nod that she took as confirmation they understood. “But you want to get your first face-to-face meeting set up as soon as possible. Try to avoid those girls who only want to chat with you online.”

  “I used to call those kind of people ‘keyboard-strokers’,” Pam interrupted and all but Laxon grinned. “You want to get your first meet-and-greet in at the earliest opportunity. Be specific and use open-ended questions, like ‘when do I get to meet you?’ On the other hand, even better, ‘Let’s grab a coffee after work. Does Tuesday or Thursday work better for you?”

  Laxon appeared more than a little lost with all the information. And she found out why when he finally asked a question. “What if they say no to meeting you?”

  “There’s always the possibility of rejection,” Leah replied quietly. “Since your first contact is only to work out whether or not a meeting would be good, try not to become too attached to the outcome. You aren’t going to want to meet every woman on every site so it’s possible she might not be attracted to you either.”

  Her reply was a little to wordy for the quiet introvert, so she cut to the chase. “If they decline to meet you, move on to the next girl. Think positive and keep your eye on the prize.”

  Pam added her two cents. “You boys aren’t in this for a momentary fling. You are taking the first steps towards finding a wife who will be with you for the rest of your life. It is an awesome and amazing undertaking. As you navigate each step in the getting-to-know-you process, Leah and I will be right there with you, coaching and cheering you on from the sidelines.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier if you and Rykhan’s mate did the search and just gave us the information where we have to be to meet the females you’ve chosen?” Arbrynt’s expression of feigned innocence had Leah biting her lips to keep from laughing.

  “We don’t have the time and I for one don’t want to play alien/human match-maker!” Pam exclaimed, throwing up her hands.

  “Perhaps you can walk them through the process,” Rykhan suggested, his eyes trained on his mate. In her opinion, he was having more fun than any of the other warriors. But then, he wasn’t involved in the dating search.

  Leah opened her laptop as Pam gave out each of the warrior’s user names and passwords. “Who wants to go first? Tyshar? Okay, good.” She pulled up his profile on fishinthesea.com and the picture of his face soon hovered over the center of the table. “Most of the websites are pretty similar. Two to three pictures, a description of you and your interests, what kind of relationship you are looking for and what you want in a woman.”

  “Obviously, Leah and I had to guess at or make stuff up about you to get your profile uploaded. But it’s really easy to change your information if need be.” Pam motioned and Leah o moved the image down. “On this site, there’s a set of small boxes at the bottom to show you how many times your profile has been looked at as well as to alert you when someone is interested in further contact.”

  Leah couldn’t contain her gasp of shock. That couldn’t be right, could it? They’d just gone live with all the profiles the day before! “Erm, Houston? I think we have a problem.”

  “No way,” Pam breathed leaning in to re-read the image. “No freaking way in hell. How could he already have two hundred views and sixty-something messages?”

  “I haven’t the foggiest,” Leah replied with a headshake before raising her eyes to the dark haired, dark eyed warrior. “It seems you’re really popular, Tyshar.”

  There was some good-natured ribbing from the other men at the table and Leah waited until it died out before continuing. “Okay, by accessing his messages let me show you how to review the women who are lining up to meet him.”

  She clicked on the woman’s picture and pulled up her info in a separate window.

  Pam talked the men through ‘Loves to Laugh’ profile, pointing out t
he important parts in both how the woman described herself and what she was looking for in a partner. “One thing to remember is that a lot of people lie on these things like about their age or their marital status. Shit! Some people will use an old picture for their profile. So if you find things don’t ring true or don’t make sense, move on to the next girl.”

  “Actually, I’d say that works even in meeting someone face to face,” Leah added, shooting a gaze around the table. “At any time, if a woman’s behavior alarms you, run. You’re always supposed to run from crazy.”

  The men scowled and looked at one another before Wyst finally asked, “you mean, we just get up and begin to jog?”

  “She means you need to leave at the soonest possible moment,” Pam responded with a sigh. “If your gut is telling you something isn’t right with the woman you’re with, leave her presence at the earliest opportunity, okay?”

  Everyone’s eyes went back to the holographic webpage of ‘Loves to Laugh’. “Now that we know she is in the right age group, has similar interests, and is looking for a long term/possible marriage relationship, Tyshar has to decide if he wants to meet her.”

  All turned to look at the somber warrior as they waited for his reply. “Okay.” He shrugged. “Why not?”

  “That’s the spirit,” Pam muttered softly but sarcastically. “I’m bowled over by your enthusiasm.”

  “You do know that the Protectorate all have superior hearing as well, don’t you?” Wyst shot his reply back just as snidely.

  “Bite me.” Pam emphasized her reply with a one-finger salute.

  “Okay! So,” Leah interjected loudly. “We need to do a reply. Do you want me to compose this first one?” At their nods, Leah began typing after hitting the respond button.

  Arbrynt pointed his tresl at the image and pressed the screen. A robotic, tinny voice sounded, each syllable of Leah’s words filling the air of the dining room.

  ‘Thank you for contacting me, Loves to Laugh. From your profile, we seem to have similar interests! You like to cook and I like to eat, we are both interested in the sciences/technology and we are both single looking for a long-term relationship. I am new to Phoenix and live in the east valley area. How about if we meet at a coffee or juice bar to determine more things we might have in common?. Does Friday or Saturday afternoon work for you? I look forward to your reply.’

  “Why do we need to meet at a coffee bar?” Tyshar finally asked after the electronic voice stopped. “Why am I not inviting her for a meal?”

  “Because just as we warned you about crazy ladies, women need to be even more cautious. As first meets go, stick with setting them up in very public places and make sure it’s in the daytime. She will be a lot less leery. Also, you first meeting should last for no more than an hour.”

  “How do you get to know a female in just one hera?” Gyard’s arms were crossed over his chest which Leah thought was one of his tells regarding his emotional state.

  Pam shook her head until her curls bounced. “You don’t. Nevertheless, you can get enough info about her to decide if you would like to learn more. Does she appeal to you physically? Do you like the sound of her voice? Is she interesting enough to consider seeing again? The first meet is brief and allows both you and her an easy out if things just don’t click, get it?”

  There were a number of nods around the table.

  “Now it’s your turn. Pam will give you the other internet addresses for the various dating websites and you probably will need to go through all of your messages. This might take you a few hours. Respond to the women you like and then we’ll do this again tomorrow to work through the next steps. Is everyone okay with that?”

  As the men moved away, Leah and Pam exchanged a fist bump and huge smiles.

  One meeting down, only six or eight more to go.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Leah plugged in another set of dates into the spreadsheet for Gyard’s dating stats. All the numbers seemed to run together and she rubbed her tired, burning eyes to try and ease them. She was spending too much time on her computer although she couldn’t figure out another way to log in the men’s activities except manually. Especially since she and Pam weren’t gifted with perfect memories like their group of fellas.

  Maybe she needed to ask the large Arbrynt to perform his magic to streamline or automate the whole process. However, before initiating any type of discussion with others on changing things, she needed to talk it over with Pam.

  Leah had to admit that because of her and her best friend, every one of the guys were learning how to be the perfect date—the nuances of flirting, of how certain gestures and phrases made them unforgettable as a partner either while on a simple coffee date or a full-on dinner situation.

  The men were taking more pride either in their appearances, no longer needing coaching when it came to what to wear in order to display their physiques or for the occasion. Each of the large guys had gravitated toward a certain style of clothing that fit their personalities. Like Gyard in his western shirts and jeans versus Arbrynt’s more formal attire of button-down and pressed trousers. Even Leah had noticed the differences in their choices of dress and had approved wholeheartedly. Mainly because the changes were all down to her and Pam.

  The fact their group of Picari men were less homogenous and more individualistic not only their clothes but in their personalities as well, was huge. It was as if the guys were finally allowing their own individuality to emerge. While a girl shouldn’t define a man by his appearance alone, the men’s choices provided a view to what each man was like.

  These changes and the men’s whole-hearted acceptance of them, gave Leah confidence Stege’s challenge would be met.

  Sighing, she sat back and stretched out her arms, wiggling her fingers that held a heat from all the keystrokes she’d done over the last four and half hours.

  She had been at it since lunchtime, a shared meal that had become a bit of a ritual over the last week she’d worked for them. Breakfast and dinner were unknowns with regard to who was going to attend, but lunch? It was a shared meal none of them wanted to miss.

  In Leah’s opinion, it was a time they all looked forward to, one that included a lot of back and forth conversations, tons of laughter and light teasing. She thought it was something the Picari warriors not only enjoyed but also seemed to hold sacred.

  That alone made it special in Leah’s eyes.

  Rykhan had gone back to his room, to the maps he was uploading to their system on the Phoenix area immediately after the time he’d called ‘second meal’. So much of her warrior’s free time was devoted to accumulating information that would save the groups that followed from making some of the same mistakes the first mission had stumbled through when they’d arrived.

  Rubbing the small of her back, Leah decided she needed a bathroom break and walked to the rear of the house to use the small half-bath.

  As she passed by the kitchen after completing her business, she noticed one of the warriors had left their communication device behind. Without thinking, she picked it up off the countertop and turned towards the front room with a thought of returning it. Per Rykhan, the early part of their training in their first days of the academy included admonitions to keep their tresls on their person every moment except during their sleep cycles.

  When her fingers connected to the case, the device began to scream on an ear-splitting squeal as an electrical charge sparked and then began to course and pulsate through her. Her fingers tensed as the current held them in a grip so strong, she couldn’t break its hold.

  Her mind told her she was being shocked but the voltage was much, much more than she’d ever experienced. It wasn’t so much a jolt that shot through her but a horrific coating that covered her before sinking into her skin, seizing her muscles with a tension so strong she was terrified the underlying bones would break.

  The current started on her hand but soon spread to her arm and she opened her mouth to scream but by that time, the cur
rent was already up into her jaw. It shot both out and down, only allowing her to take one tiny step before her feet shot out from underneath her. As she hit the tiled floor, her body began to involuntary writhe as she tried to escape the agony of both pressure and heat coming in waves from the device still clenched in her grip.

  Leah was unable to see, unable to do little more than pant at the torture that took control of her body.

  The moment the current moved over her wahrom, coming into contact with the metal, a shower of sparks erupted before Leah’s entire world went black.

  *.*.*.*.*

  Rykhan was the first to respond to the tumultuous blare then the resounding thud that came from the eating area. As he rounded the edge of the wall, his eyes took in a scene that he knew he would never be able to get out of his memory.

  There, in the middle of the floor lay his beautiful Leah, her back bowed as her heels beat against the tile. Her lips grimaced into a rictus of a smile even as white foam bubbled up from her lips.

  With his heart in overdrive, Rykhan skidded and dropped to his knees next to her, his eyes following the shadowy blue trails that pulsed on every viewable surface of her flesh. He detected the faint aroma of burning hair and had to fight the frenzied panic that flashed through him as he saw what she held her right fist.

  It was a Picari Protectorate’s communication device!

  A fracking tresl!

  Others piled into the room and one of his warrior brothers yelled a combination of letters and numbers in the old language that immediately disconnected the security system within the tiny unit. He could not distinguish the voice in order to identify it, because he could not focus on anything but Leah.

  Pushing his panic and dread aside, he made another visual inspection of his female, taking in the burns of not only her hand, but of the skin around her wahrom. The very symbol of Tsiran’s intention they were to spend their lives together.