by R. R. Banks
It came out more as an aggressive, almost violent, demand than an actual request inviting conversation and he saw her look sideways at him.
"What do you want to know about it? Are you going to be a student?"
It sounded like she was teasing him and he didn't like how that taunting made him feel. It was worse than when it came from the warriors. Hearing this woman making fun of him, even as subtle as it was, made a sharp pain go through his chest and he felt defensiveness building through him. Who did she think she was making fun of him?
"No," he said, "I'm a warrior. I have no reason to go to school."
"Oh, really? So you know everything that you need to know and never need to learn anything else?"
Well, shit. This conversation was just going downhill as fast as she could get the words out of his mouth. What was it about this woman that made him completely out of control. She was cute, but definitely not so beautiful that he should be stumbling over his words and humiliating himself every time he opened his mouth. So why was he getting harder every time she talked to him, and why did he want to keep talking to her no matter what came out?
"That's not what I said," he said, "I just…I don't really need to know about Earth."
"So you know about the program. Why did you ask?"
"I know that you're here to teach about Earth. I don't know any more than that."
He was getting more and more frustrated, while also feeling worse every time he spoke and he saw the darkening across her wide blue eyes. It was a confusing feeling that he was really starting to hate.
"Well, to be completely honest, I don't really know a whole lot more than that, either. I just signed up to be the professor for the exchange program one day before my flight. I didn't really get much of a chance to figure out what I was going to teach."
There was laughter in her voice and he felt some of the tension ease out of his body. She glanced over at him and he noticed that her soft, rounded face really was pretty. Her skin was pale and smooth, not sprinkled with freckles the way that Eden's was, and her golden blond hair framed it as it flowed around her shoulders. Her mouth was wide, with full, soft lips slicked with lipstick that made them shine in a way that was undeniably alluring.
"Why did you want to come?"
He was honestly curious about why she decided to come to the planet to teach. If she had only signed up right before she left to be a part of the program, she obviously hadn't spent much time planning and getting herself invested in the concept of teaching on Uoria. There was a period of silence and Ero was worried for a minute that he had made her angry again and broken the brief moment of pleasantness between them. Finally she sighed, but it wasn't a sigh of exasperation. Instead, it sounded like she was trying to figure it out herself.
"I'm a professor at home, obviously, and I love teaching, so that's the main appeal. I'm excited about getting the chance to teach Earth customs, and I think I’m even more excited about getting to experience some new things."
"Is Uoria very different from Earth?"
She gave a short laugh.
"I've only been out here for about five minutes. I'm not really sure. So far, it doesn't look too far off. Not as many buildings."
They fell silent as they walked. They reached the center of the village and Zuri hesitated, no longer knowing where to go now that she had more options than just going straight ahead. He subtly stepped around her so that she could see him and guided her through the village and to the meeting hall.
"We'll go inside and meet the king and queen, and then I can show you around more if you'd like."
Zuri stopped right before the door to the meeting hall and looked at him.
"Thanks, Ero, but now that I have been successfully escorted from the ship, I think I can take it from here. I appreciate your help."
His stomach dropped and a sick feeling rolled through him. She had already grabbed onto the latch of the door and was pulling it open when he started toward her.
"No. I actually have to come with you. My job isn't finished until I get you to the king and queen. That means I have to bring you all the way to them."
Zuri sighed as if it was the biggest burden in the world for her to deal with him any longer.
"Fine."
She wrenched the door open and stepped inside, not bothering to hold the door open for him but letting it swing shut behind her so that he had to slam his hand against it to stop it from actually hitting him. She paused just inside to let him walk past her and guide her to the reception room. He stormed through the hall, his fingers tingling with anger. He was sure that if it had been Pyra or even Gyyx who had met her at the ship, she would be more than happy to go along with them for anything that they wanted her to do. She was only being so resistant because it was him. He was just too small and slim to be appealing to her. He didn't have enough muscles and wasn't tall enough to keep her attention. She was just like everyone else.
Chapter Five
"We're so glad that you came."
I was still a bit startled by the woman talking to me and it took a moment for me to be able to respond to her.
"Thank you. I'm glad to be here."
The woman, who I was taken to meet was the queen, she was so large she even made me feel small, which is quite a feat most of the time. I was not used to having women be taller than me, and her shoulders were broad and strong. She was beautiful in a dignified way that I had always admired about the older professors at home and she looked at me with tenderness in her eyes that made me feel like it was my mother looking at me. She strode forward toward me and reached for my hand with both of hers.
"I'm Theia, Queen of Uoria. This is my husband, Creia."
Her hands nearly engulfed mine and she held them warmly as a massive man came up behind her, smiling at me kindly. I wasn't sure what to expect from the royal couple, but this certainly wasn't it. As I stood there in the huge meeting hall with Theia's hands grasping mine and a row of warriors standing behind me, I started feeling like I should have done more research about the planet before I made the decision to suddenly come here for six months to teach. I felt even less like I understood the culture now that I had seen Ero, compared him to the truly huge warriors who joined us in the meeting hall, and met the monarchs.
"It's very nice to meet you," I said, really meaning it.
Being near the king and queen made me feel somewhat more at home and I was starting to feel much more confident about my role, even as I wondered how much studying I was going to be able to shove in the brief amount of time I had before I started teaching. I wanted to have a little bit of a grasp of the culture before I tried to interact with them on a regular basis.
"We have loved having Leia here with us, and we are very excited to do more with the exchange program."
The statement struck me as strange. Leia had only been here for two months and from my understanding, she had been alone on an artist's retreat for most of that time. I supposed she just meant that they loved the idea that she was there and that the idea of the people of Uoria and Earth interacting and cooperating.
"I hope that I can be a positive influence on the program. I'm excited for the opportunity to share our customs and history with you."
I heard snickering from behind me and I glanced over my shoulder. A couple of the warriors were trying to maintain straight faces and I looked back at the king and queen.
"Did I say something funny?" I asked.
The royals looked faintly uncomfortable and the king shot a glare at the warriors, who immediately fell silent.
"You'll have to forgive our warriors. They aren't accustomed to such formality."
"It's quite alright," I said, looking back toward the warriors, "I don't think of it as formality so much as intelligence."
At the end of the row of warriors I could see a dark look roll over Ero's face. There was something about him that both drew me to him and repelled me. I could see the hint of disdain in his eyes when he looked at me, an
d I knew it was because I am not like the more delicate women who had already come. I was accustomed to that look, but somehow it coming from him made me angry.
"Well, it has been a long trip. We would love for you to join us for dinner if you're hungry."
Theia had released my hand, only to loop her arm through mine and start leading me gently through the room toward a large arched door at the far end. As we passed by the row of warriors, I heard Ero's voice.
"I'm sure she's hungry."
I stopped and looked at him.
"Excuse me?"
He looked back at me with an expression that said he didn't think I was going to hear him.
"Like she said, it was a long trip and I've heard that the food on the ships isn't very good. I just meant that it's time for dinner and I'm sure you'd like to join us."
I didn't bother responding. Instead, I let Theia lead me the rest of the way across the room and through the doorway into a large banquet room. The space glowed with firelight and was filled with delicious smells coming from platters of food lined down the long tables positioned in a squared U-shape around the edge of the room. Most of the chairs were filled and I noticed the distinct difference between the Denynso and the three human women sitting close to me.
"Everyone," Theia said and immediately everyone in the room quieted and turned to me, "This is Zuri Hase. She has joined us from the university to be a part of our exchange program. We are thrilled to have her here to help us understand the people of Earth more and hopefully get us closer to our goals of cooperation and eventual integration. Please make her feel welcome."
I saw several of the warriors tense when the queen mentioned integration, but most of the people in the room smiled welcomingly at me. I saw a very thin woman coming toward me, her arms open as if to hug me. It took me until she was almost at me to realize that it was Leia. I gathered her into a hug, disturbed by how fragile and bony she felt in my arms. She had never been a large girl, but she seemed even thinner now than I had seen her.
"It's so good to see you!" Leia exclaimed and I smiled down at her.
"It's wonderful to see you, too. Are you well?"
Leia laughed and nodded. I'm sure she knew what I was thinking, but she wasn’t volunteering any information.
"I'm better than I've ever been. Come meet the other women."
Theia smiled at me and released my arm, allowing Leia to pull me toward the table where I saw two other human women sitting beside each other. She introduced me to Eden, who had her hands rested over her belly in the nurturing, protective way of an expectant mother even though it was only a slight swell, and Elianna who was tiny and delicate looking with dark hair that hung around her face and brought out her piercing green eyes. I was happy to have other human women with me and immediately felt a connection with them. We had been talking and eating for several minutes when I heard Ero's voice come over the rumble of the other voices around me.
"We'll have to keep a special eye on her and make sure she doesn't get hurt. I don't know if Ciyrs has enough healing power to take care of everything she's got going on."
Humiliation, hurt, and anger flowed through me and made my face burn. The three women shot furious looks at the warriors but I held up my hand to quiet them before they said anything. I climbed backwards over the bench beside the table and rushed out of the banquet hall, bursting out of the building before I let the tears stinging in the corners of my eyes spill down my cheeks. What the hell was wrong with him?
I was so tired of that attitude. I couldn't stand men trying to make me feel like I was worth less because I wasn't frail and dainty. Even worse was how much I wanted Ero specifically not to think of me that way. I hated the way that he made me feel. It was a confusing, uncomfortable mixture of wanting absolutely nothing to do with him and wanting everything to do with him. I had butterflies in my stomach when I looked at him, but in that moment, those butterflies were replaced by a wave of sickness. Behind me I heard Ero calling my name, but I didn't slow down. I didn't know where I was going, but I kept going. I just needed to get away from the banquet hall and the sound of Ero's voice.
The darkness around me got deeper and more intense as I ran, but I still didn’t stop. I told myself I would eventually find my way, that I would come upon a house or other building and be able to ask directions to wherever I was supposed to live for the six months I planned to stay on the planet. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Within a few minutes of leaving the banquet hall, I was lost. Within a few minutes after that, I was hopelessly lost. And by the time I felt the long, slimy fingers stroke the back of my neck and saw the gleaming fangs coming down at me, I knew I was gone forever.
Chapter Six
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Ero's head snapped back as Pyra grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him backwards so that he and the other men could surround him. The three much larger men glared at him, their jaws twitching angrily and bright orange eyes searing into him almost painfully. Ero didn't know what to say to them. His stomach was twisted in knots and he felt like he was going to shatter at any second. What had he done?
"How could you say something like that about her?" Gyyx demanded, stepping up close enough to Ero that he felt like he needed to step back, only to find himself within inches of Ciyrs's chest.
Though Ciyrs was a healer and not a warrior, he was still powerful and larger than Ero.
"I don't know," Ero said honestly, "I don't know what the hell is going on in my head. Ever since the Klimnu attack on Leia, I've been out of my mind. I can't think straight, I'm angry all the time. It only got worse when Zuri showed up."
The three other men looked at each other knowingly and some of the anger exuding off of them eased. Pyra stepped forward and clapped him on the back, then wrapped a massive hand comfortingly around the back of his neck.
"You've always been the scrawny one of the group, so I guess it makes sense that you haven't figured out yet that all of this has absolutely nothing to do with the Klimnu attack and everything to do with Zuri."
"What are you talking about? And don't call me scrawny. I'm so sick of everyone making fun of me and treating me differently because of my size."
Suddenly realization hit him and it felt like a rock fell into his gut.
"Holy shit, that's exactly the same thing that I've been doing to Zuri, isn't it? I've spent my whole life pissed off because the people around me bullied me for being smaller than what they thought I should be and the second I meet a woman – an adorable woman, by the way – who just happens to be bigger than I would think she was going to be, I treat her in the exact same way. That's just great. I just don't get why I'm suddenly so aggressive and angry."
He looked up into Pyra's eyes, then at Gyyx's, then at Ciyrs's. He let out a long, ragged breath.
"Yeah, you just figured it all out, didn't you?" Pyra asked.
Ero nodded, covering his eyes with one hand.
Before he could open his mouth to reply, he heard a scream. All four men turned toward the sound and another scream tore through the air. Without speaking, they all ran in the direction of the sound, pulling weapons from the sheaths on their waistbands as they went. Within moments they saw the source of the screaming.
Klimnu swarmed the center of the compound, standing off against the other warriors who had come out of the meeting hall. The scream was pouring from Elianna as she fought against the tight hold that one of the men had around her waist, trying to keep her from running into the cluster of slimy, skeletal creatures. She had an incredible gift, given to her by Cirys after she became his mate, that would allow her to kill any of the creatures who she touched. Running into such a large group of them, however, would mean almost certain death. She was tiny and could only kill two creatures at a time, opening her to the threat of death by the others surrounding her.
"Get in the meeting hall!" Pyra shouted, his voice so loud that it made even Ero shake with intimidation.
Pyra'
s mate, Eden, looked up at the sound of his voice and Ero saw her hands protectively covering the slight swell of her pregnant belly. She had fear in her eyes, but she didn't move.
"Go!" Pyra shouted again, and finally Eden complied.
She grabbed Leia's hand beside her and yanked her back into the hall, slamming the door to the building just as one of the Klimnu broke free of the rest of the group and started toward the hall, wanting to get inside to the small human women. They had both been injured by the Klimnu before, and this was a species that did not respond kindly to their efforts being thwarted. When they went after someone, they went after them with the pure and unadulterated intent to kill, which meant that when someone escaped that fate, especially a fragile human woman, it only infuriated them more intensely and fueled their hatred toward the Denynso who protected them.
The four men surged forward and Ero immediately felt himself pulling ahead of the others and running into the group of Klimnu so fast that they didn't even have time to react. He balled his fists and spread his arms to the sides, tightening his muscles so that he caught the creatures by their necks as he passed, bringing them to the ground. The chaos that ensued shattered the control and organization that the Klimnu had had, and suddenly the compound filled with the sounds of battle.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ero saw the warrior release Elianna. She ran forward toward one of the Klimnu that Ero had brought down and reached toward him to grab him around the neck before he was able to stand all the way again. His strangled cries filled the air along with the acrid smell of burning flesh as she reduced the creature to ash. He saw Ciyrs look at her with affection and desire in his eyes, and pull her against him for an intense, almost violent kiss before they parted and went after more of the Klimnu. Larger warriors followed behind them to guard their backs as they burned as many creatures as they could get their hands on, the warriors slashing with lethally pointed daggers at any of the other creatures who attempted to intervene.