by Isabel Wroth
After more discussion about the many differences of a human mate, Brennaugh was satisfied with his answer and agreed to await his answer. He felt frustration as he headed back to his quarters, back to his mate, because he was uncertain of her response. Actually, he was more uncertain of the response of the other, unmated females. They were unaware of the rotation of his warriors to their section of the ship, and now he would have to answer that question if it was asked. Risk his mate’s displeasure, when the bond between them had begun to grow and strengthen.
She was waiting for him in their bed, curled on her side, asleep, giving him the perfect opportunity to crouch down beside her and ease a lock of hair from where it had fallen over her cheek. She had pulled most of it into a long braid, but a few strands had escaped it and were laying against her fair skin like licks of fire. She made such a small bump in his bed, taking up not even a fourth of the space. Her breath was even and deep, her sleep calm and it was intensely satisfying to know she had done as he asked and climbed under the coverings, nude. He watched her sleep for some time, taking the time to thank the gods of his fathers for rewarding him with such remarkable beauty, and eventually she stirred. It was a gentle waking, her lashes fluttering and settling on his face in the low light. “You’re back.” She murmured, rendering him incapable of speech at the emotion that rose out of nowhere. His return made her smile, made her happy. “Was something wrong?”
“No, my one. We will discuss it upon rising.”
“Okay. Coming to bed?”
“Yes.”
She smiled at him sleepily, her eyes drifting closed once more. He stripped free of his boots and flight trousers, trembling with the restraint it took not to snatch her up and claim her right then. He had crawled in behind her, and his soft, intoxicatingly scented mate had turned to him and snuggled up against his chest. “You’re naked.” She slurred sleepily, not tensing or stating discomfort, “As are you.” She made a sound of pleasure when out of self-preservation he slid his thigh between hers, gathering her close to at least attempt to satisfy the urges beating around inside his skull. To calm the rigid pounding of the blood engorging his shaft, but the painful arousal only increased. Would only be soothed by their joining, by their mutual completion. “I get to see what’s mine tomorrow,” She told him with a sleepy smack of her lips, turning her nose to his throat to breathe deeply of the pheromones no doubt pouring from his skin, “As you wish, my one.”
Fourteen
Tarek woke her gently the next morning with a soft string of kisses down the slope of her cheek. It made her smile and turn her face into the caresses, blindly reaching for him to draw him back down into the warmth of the bed. “Good morning,” She said against his throat, arching into the firm sweep of his hand down her spine, wishing she could purr too to show him her appreciation of the caress. “Good morning. I would linger here with you all day, my one, but unfortunately I cannot. We have things to discuss.” She groaned and stretched, laughing softly when he picked her up, sheets and all to carry her into the enzyme wash.
She opened her mouth to the fine mist and felt the filminess of her morning breath disappear, but sleep still lingered until Tarek turned her back around to slant a hungry, make that voraciously hungry kiss on her mouth. “I cannot resist these kisses you have taught me. I had no idea such a thing could be so pleasurable.” He said in between hard, deep, soul stealing kisses. “Not that I disagree or protest in any way, but um, is ah…something wrong?” She managed to string the words together to express herself, but it was intensely difficult to do, pressed naked as she was now to his massive body. “Yes. I have not and cannot yet claim my mate, who becomes increasingly more beautiful and neither my beast nor I appreciate this.”
Unsure or not if he was stating his dissatisfaction was with her or not, she didn’t immediately respond. She looked up at him, nervous now that she was doing something wrong, displeasing him somehow or not acting as a female of his own species was and he was verbalizing his dislike and frustration because of it. But he seemed to realize she had taken his words to heart, and dropped his brow to hers to nuzzle at her cheek. “I misspoke my intent. You are in fact, without any doubt, my one. But per our laws, my claim will not be legally recognized and is vulnerable to challenge until after the breeding festival.”
Oddly, she was both relieved and upset at the same time. She didn’t fully understand, distracted for a moment by the blush pink gown Tarek produced or her and his dissatisfied grunt when she covered her nakedness with the superbly soft material. “What? Does it look bad?” She asked, looking down self-consciously, only to have him take her chin and lift her lips for another, much softer kiss. “I stated quite clearly last eve, my thoughts about your beauty,” He rumbled, making her blush to remember just all he’d said. “It displeases me that you must cover yourself after I have seen the perfection of your naked form. But I would not allow such beauty to be seen by any other, thus I must be content. For now.”
How this scary, snarly, giant alien man cat made her melt inside. It was ridiculous, embarrassing even how quickly she turned to goo at his compliments. Compliments that he stated as facts in his gruff, growly voice. She had to give herself a shake to remember what they’d been talking about, “Has someone challenged you? Is that why you were called away last night by one of the other commanders?” He grunted and shook his head, giving her nose a rub with his before drawing her out into their quarters to have breakfast together. “No, my one. I have not been challenged. And I am the only commander on board. Brennaugh has command of our fifth ship, his warriors patrol the fifth territory and have been ordered by the council to seek out whatever remains of your people.”
The news that there would actually be a search that it was apparently already in play, made her sit heavily down in her chair. She felt a gut churning inexplicable mix of dread, hope, uncertainty, and Tarek stopped talking mid word to ask her if she was alright, “Yes. Sorry, I know you said your council had given permission to search, I guess I just hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.” He huffed a sound of amusement and brought her a plate of all the food items she had decided she liked, and a glass of the tart juice she’d come to like, while his plate was heaped with meats and protein rich items, “I believe you still do not comprehend the importance of you and your people, to mine. Which is what I would discuss with you,”
She nodded, feeling a little nervous for some reason. It was noticeable enough that she frowned when she realized her palms were a little sweaty, and when Tarek asked her if something was amiss, she shrugged and shaking her head. “No, I’m just nervous and I don’t know why. I feel that way, but my mind is telling me I have no reason to be.” It made him grin like she’d just told him the best news of his life. “It is my unease you feel, my one.” She blinked repeatedly, not sure how to respond for a moment, mostly because his smile was that stunning. It took her breath away, how much it transformed his face and made his eyes sparkle that way. “Why are you uneasy, why can I feel it, and why does that make you happy?”
He leaned forward to brace his arms on the table, focusing intently on her, and suddenly she was so turned on that she froze, sure if she moved or breathed at all, she would ignite the firestorm curdled in her belly and fall to the floor writhing in ecstasy. His lips peeled back from his teeth in a feral smile, one that he wiped from his face and took a deep breath. Immediately the sensation eased to a more normal rate, and she felt…happy. Fiercely happy. “I am uneasy with the news I have, because I am concerned it will upset you. You can feel it, the desire, and now the calm, because when you arrived on board and ingested my blood, our bonding began. I am happy, because by the time the breeding festival is come, you may be able to hear my thoughts, and I yours, without speaking aloud. It is so between my kind and their mates, but very rarely is it so between my kind and a mate of another species.”
She processed that for a moment, closing her eyes as she remembered that metallic tasting liquid she’d drank, thinkin
g it was a protein shake, was now in fact revealed to have been a cup full of his blood. She tried to find some disgust, some revulsion, but as it had already happened and she had received some miraculous healing benefits from it, she decided in the scheme of things it was not something that needed to be revisited and upset about. Hearing Tarek’s thoughts…too much to think about now. She would be busy trying to decide whether or not her feelings were her own, or his. She decided that if the day came where she could hear his thoughts, she would deal with it then. Like variables of an experiment, she would note them for later and continue on. “Okay, what’s the news that may upset me?”
“Gods, you astound me.” He muttered, and she felt a surge of pride, his pride…in her.
She focused on that and fairly glowed in reaction to the sensation, that didn’t show intently in his expression, but that she certainly felt. He shook his head in amazement and sat back, licking his lips hungrily. “Commander Brennaugh will be in proximity to us within two of your earth days. He asked if I would allow his men the chance to find a potential mate among your females, before they head into deep space in search of the rest of your people. They have committed to the cause, but the entirety of the crew will not be able to be present for this cycle’s breeding festival. His request is to me, reasonable, but because you and your crew are under my direct protection, I ask that they agree. If any are called, the warriors will be allowed to return with us to Saraz to attend the breeding festival, and any of my men who have not called a mate in over twenty festivals, will go with Commander Brennaugh to replace those called, to seek out your fellow humans.”
She took a moment to digest that next, to reform the question he hadn’t asked, and make her reply. “You’re asking for my permission to allow my crew to be…interviewed, by over a hundred thousand warriors?” She ventured carefully, and he inclined his head. “Your permission, and that of your female crew. No more of my warriors have been called, and all have been given opportunity to scent them.”
“They have?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I assigned each of my crew over the time you have all been on board, to stand guard outside the female quarters for a duration of sufficient time, to allow them the opportunity to catch scent of their mate. None have done so.”
She didn’t know how she felt about that. About not knowing Tarek had done that without her knowledge. She made herself not overreact, even though the desire to do that was intense. Made herself take into consideration that Tarek had chosen to put his men, all of them, within proximity to the human women’s quarters in an unobtrusive way. Which she was sure was highly out of nature for these warriors, and for the comfort and safety it would bring to her people. Did it merit getting mad that he hadn’t consulted her about it first? Perhaps. But it had been done already, and getting angry about that was a waste of her time. However, it was something that needed to be addressed. “In the future, I would appreciate this kind of communication from you. I understand why you scheduled the rotation of your men, but it made the women nervous that they never knew who would be outside. I assume that this time, there is not a more leisurely way to go about the um…scent testing, and that there may be my girls and large groups of further unknown males, sniffing at them?”
“Commander Brennaugh’s time is short, yes.”
“Right. Okay. Well, I do agree that this is a very fair request, and that these warriors going to look for our people will be missing a very important event on our behalf. I’ll still have to discuss it with them.”
“I have told Brennaugh such.”
She asked him to leave her to do this on her own, to speak to the women on her own. At first he protested, but a gentle kiss from her and he subsided his argument with a sigh. He waited in the corridor while she gathered the women and told them about the request and why it was being made. For a time they were silent, staring back and forth at one another, at her, while she waited patiently for someone to say something. “So how does this work? We hoof it into a hangar bay and stand up on some block to be stared at, sniffed at until one of the warriors raises his hand and says, ‘that’s mine?’” One of the women asked tightly, and she immediately shook her head. “Definitely not. They recognize potential mates by scent. I thought perhaps a less invasive and insensitive situation. Like a pillow case you’ve slept on. One of the dresses you’ve worn.”
“Like dogs sniffing at our dirty laundry then.”
She got frustrated with the negativity flowing around her, and it was all she could do to remain calm and objective, when in truth she just wanted to shout at them. Now, somewhat, she was glad that Tarek had so unobtrusively allowed his men each a chance to find a mate in her crew, without parading them like livestock into a massive room filled with warriors. “The Sarazens solar year, is the equivalent to three, of our years.” She stated, and some of the grumbling ceased, though the uncomfortable and unhappy expressions remained. “Twice in their year, they attend a breeding festival on one of the planets in their solar system. So twice, every three years to us, these men get the opportunity to settle down, have a family, and retire from their military lifestyle. Every man aboard this ship, and the ship that’s going to search out our families, our people, has seen more than ten breeding festivals. Let that sink in.” She said seriously, meeting every pair of skeptical eyes around the table, “Thirty years, or more to us, they’ve gone around and around, without giving up hope that maybe the next festival, there will be someone there waiting for them. Thirty or more years. They don’t want to drag you into a cave by your hair, hurt you, and treat you like an animal. They have tirelessly been looking through an entire solar system and waiting, potentially for you. Now that festival is coming up again, but instead of attending, instead of maybe this being the year that they find their mate, one hundred and fifty thousand men will miss the festival and maybe miss the next one, looking for ships that may already be lost.”
Now there was some uncomfortable shifting, and she began to feel like they were listening now. Partially. Maybe. “I’m not going to order you to agree to this. But I am asking you to tell me, that the sacrifice they’re making, the chance of meeting literally the one person in their galaxy meant to be their mate that they’re giving up on behalf of our people, on the chance of them being already dead, rates a few hours of your time.” For a while it seemed like she wasn’t going to convince these women that they had a chance to be happy too. That this opportunity may not ever come again, and they would be on a world surrounded by alien beings and have only a small clutch of human friends to help them adapt. “If we wanted to join the hunt for our people?”
It was the engineer, um…Tara, who asked that question, and she hesitated to answer. “Honestly? I don’t know. Tarek is in the corridor, would you like to ask him?” Tara folded her arms over her chest and nodded jerkily. A murmur into her communicator had Tarek striding through the door to stand behind her, greeting her crew with a respectful nod. “If I get chosen or whatever, can I go with them to find the rest of our people?” Tarek blinked at the question like he hadn’t expected to ever be asked such a question. “You would have the opportunity to settle onto a planet lush with life and many new things to explore and learn. May I ask why you would wish to instead remain aboard a warship? A warship that may or may not be called upon to do battle.” Tara shrugged carelessly, fearlessly meeting Tarek’s usually cool stare head on. “I honestly dislike the idea of being stationary on one planet, no matter how nice it is. I like space. I like the stars. I like flying and the fact that your warships are technological miracles to me, make me want to study them up close and in person.”
Tarek nodded seriously, pondering Tara’s question thoroughly for a moment, and she could sense his dislike of the idea, but she felt the words that he spoke were honest. “If my one had this wish, I would personally find it difficult to grant it. Not because I did not value or honor her interest and her desires, but because her presence aboard a warship
on active duty would put her in danger. I have said this to Clary, and I will say it again to you all: you truly cannot know how important, how needed you are. My kind are not intended to be solitary creatures. We are not intended to be housed in metal ships surrounded only by other males. Yes, we are bred for battle and for war, but it is not who we are. It is not all that we crave. A third of our population, our main military force, is of warriors over the age of…six hunded of your earth years.”
Jaws dropped all around the table, and she wondered why Tarek telling them this, hadn’t had the same effect as her telling it. Or maybe she just hadn’t told it right. “Six hundred of your years, they have spent alone, fighting, away from our homeworld, returning only for the breeding festivals and for the chance to find their one. For most, the festival is a joyous time. But for us, for my warriors, for Brennaugh’s warriors, it has become the dreaded day of reminder, that for another year, we must be alone. And I say this not to inspire your guilt, I say it to in truth, tell you how joyous it is to look upon the one the gods chose to be yours, and know you will never be alone again. To risk losing such a priceless treasure due to carelessness or to unnecessary risk, is unthinkable.”
Her big, hot, scary alien man cat, stroked his hand down her hair, settling his hand on her nape to gently rub his thumb up and down her pulse, the sensation mixed with the feeling of his utter adoration, his relief, flowing down their growing bond like warm honey…god damn, it felt amazing. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, not even her. “So to answer your question, little one, if you are chosen, I do not know. The decision would lie with Commander Brennaugh, and your potential mate. Know also that unless you visit a breeding festival with your potential mate, the joining is not legally recognized, and your mate will be extremely over protective of you. It is possible that even an innocent look of curiosity from another male could spark his beast’s reaction, and a fight could begin over nothing. Consider that while no harm or danger would come to you at any of their hands, you would be the only female aboard a ship of thousands of warriors, with only your one to answer those challenges.”