The Melier: Home World (Women of Dor Nye Book 2)

by Poppy Rhys

  At that point, she exhaled and inhaled repeatedly and squeezed her eyes shut, allowing Zun to cradle her close to his excessively warm chest. Her shaky hands that had been clawing at his skin and scales slid up around his neck.

  “Thank you, Zun,” she whispered and took another jittery breath.

  “I was nearly skewered in the training arena when you started your yowling,” he scowled, pupils slowly shrinking. Lu returned his scowl, but instead of fighting with him like every fiber in her body told her to, she pulled on his neck and planted her lips on the textured skin of his cheek before she thought better of it.

  “Just shut up,” she finally told him when she pulled back. He simmered, but didn’t say anything further.

  The offended sounds of individuals that had been drawn to the commotion made her look away from Zun. Her gaze slid around her and then she noticed Soren speeding down the hallway toward them.

  “What happened?” he asked anxiously, running his hands over her body to make sure she was whole and unharmed. Once he realized she wasn’t bleeding, he brushed her curls away from her face and leaned down to press a kiss to her temple.

  “A big ass beetle, that’s what happened,” Lucia huffed in Zun’s arms.

  “Trowb beetle,” Zun’s nostrils flared angrily. Soren looked at him and they shared a quiet gaze for a time that had her wondering what they were doing.

  “It was in the suite,” Lucia added. “I was in a call, so maybe that attracted it.”

  She looked away and stared at Zun’s naked chest that had patches of sand here and there, like he’d fallen a few times. There was no sweat and at that point, she was convinced Melier just didn’t have that capability. She’d just never seen it.

  “Why were you crying?” Soren asked, brushing his knuckles along her cheeks, and that question startled her.

  “How did-” she stuttered and corrected herself. “I wasn’t.”

  “Loo-Sha,” Zun admonished. “Do not lie. Your eyes are puffy, and red.”

  Her fingers fluttered along the underside of one eye, pressing and feeling the spongy skin. She sighed, annoyed that her body betrayed her.

  Wasn’t there a beetle to worry about?

  “Listen,” she groaned, uncurling her fingers and talking with her hands as she was known to do. “I just got a little emotional when I was talking to Grams. It’s not a huge deal.”

  Lu hoped they would just assume she missed her family, which she did, and not think she had blubbered like a youngling about being disliked by the others. Not that her complaints were unfounded, because disliked was putting it lightly. She imagined the Melier people viewed her like she viewed the beetle that had nearly killed her; something to be despised and crushed.

  You’re dramatic.

  I nearly lost my feet and bled out. Don’t call me dramatic.

  Soren and Zun grunted, not completely convinced.

  Lucia rolled her eyes.

  Without another word, they carried her back down the hallway from whence they came, and soon she was being deposited on a bench in the training arena. Many Melier of all colors and sizes were pairing and sparring, and the amount of violence had her nerves hopping.

  Soren and Zun told her to stay, like a pet, and then went back into the fray.

  Oh no.

  Chapter 5

  The heat of the room was almost stifling with the many swaying, fighting bodies. Lu couldn’t understand how that was possible, since Melier could regulate their body temperatures. Maybe it was too much work to regulate and fight? It seemed plausible, but she would’ve thought the regulation was more second nature. Regardless, she was fanning herself and not because Soren looked appetizing.

  The arena was large and reminded her more of a small scaled stadium. The floor was covered in a deep layer of white sand, which explained where the sand on Zun’s chest had come from.

  Every sparring male was sparsely clothed in red harem style pants that cinched at their ankles. It seemed to be good for their movements and not impede. They wore nothing else, not even boots. She also noticed all of them were calm and focused, their pupils’ normal, and the many vibrant colors of eyes could be seen upon every face there.

  Her own eyes trailed to Zun and Soren, flicking back and forth between them. She pulled her feet up to the bench and hugged her knees to her chest, allowing herself to observe without censure, and convinced herself she wasn’t creeping since what else were they expecting her to do aside from watch.

  Zun was sparring with a beefy red male who was twice his size, but that didn’t stop him from dominating. This made Lu bite her bottom lip with pride.

  He was lethal.

  The larger male struggled to keep up with the prince. Each lunge, each jab, Zun would deftly avoid and crack a hit. He was almost dancing it seemed, his movements were so fluid, swift, and precise.

  Soren on the other hand, was wild.

  It almost seemed like he remembered most of his training but there were parts of him that were primitive and instinctive. Those parts threw off his opponent and made her heart race. It brought back memories of how he’d taken down the lome, and the vid of his vicious fight with Ta’Ra’Enn.

  Enslavement had changed him. His fight was to protect, to defend, and to maim. It was raw. Soren was anything but weak, and how the queen couldn’t see that, she would never understand.

  Lucia was convinced Soren and Zun would make an imposing pair on any battle field, and her chest swelled with fierce happiness that they were good, honorable males.

  Her gaze skittered back to Val’Zun and after he twisted, ducked, and buried his elbows into the back of his opponent, he threw a boastful grin her way and then went back to whooping the male.

  Lu sucked in her lips to keep herself from smiling like an idiot.

  Stop looking at him.

  Stop telling me what to do.

  “My brothers are fierce warriors, are they not?”

  She jumped at the new voice. Gi’Calla sat on the bench beside her at a comfortable distance. Her eyes were the same eerie, pale green of Val’Koy’s, and just as piercing and critical.

  Lu’s inspecting observation flitted over her face and body quickly, taking in details. Though they shared third meal every night, she tried to keep her focus on the food, and attract as little attention as possible which didn’t allow for much scrutinizing of her in-laws.

  Her face was very feminine, very streamlined with pronounced bone structure, and smaller sharp teeth compared to the males, and her long, straight black hair just accentuated those features. Her build was muscular, but distinctly female. If one couldn’t determine her sex from her build, the bared, small, firm breasts that were tipped with very small, softly rounded dark blue nipples would give it away. She thought it was strange how the females had nipples, but the males didn’t.

  She wore no top, only a very low, thin skirt and sandals. Her tail curled up beside her, resting on her thigh and flicking lazily like she was patiently waiting on her to finish. When Lu met her eyes again, she only nodded.

  “You have mated both of them I have heard,” she went on. “Many are curious why you have not marked them.”

  Lucia did a double-take and then shook her head.

  “Only Soren. Err, Val’Ja,” she corrected politely. She was just trying to wrap her mind around the fact another Melier was talking directly to her, like a sentient being and not a creature. One who wasn’t trying to rile her up, or obligated to take care of Lenny in her absence, or poke her with an implant gun. It was an historic moment only marred by someone trying to pry into her relationships.

  Her hand rubbed at her throat absently.

  “I’m really just trying to get comfortable with the idea of… scarring him,” she admitted. The idea of puncturing Soren just made her feel sick.

  “It is our way,” she said matter-of-factly and then prodded more about Zun. “It is very obvious how Val’Zun enjoys being near you,” Gi’Calla stared at her, tilting her head like she was t
rying to dissect her, reminding her of Val’Koy.

  Lucia felt the blood rising under the skin of her face as her discomfort rose.

  “It is quite the news that neither Val’Ja nor Val’Zun has visited the princes’ concubines. Not that Val’Koy is complaining,” she flashed her sharp teeth in a smile.

  She honestly hadn’t even thought about concubines since she talked to Soren about it. She had believed him when he said she was the only one for him, but for some reason the news Val’Zun hadn’t visited the concubines made her brows knit together in confusion.

  Why would he not visit the concubines?

  It doesn’t make sense.

  Again her eyes drifted to Zun.

  Stop looking at him.

  “I have made you uncomfortable,” she mused, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth. “I meant no offense.”

  Yeah, right.

  “I would like us to be friends,” Gi’Calla moved along. “I have never known a human.”

  It was Lucia’s turn to dissect. She was the first Melier to approach her to idly chat, and now she was offering friendship? Her fingers strayed to her lips as she rubbed them absently.

  This is fishy.

  You wanted an in, right?

  Yes, but…

  Say yes. It’s the sister.

  “Why?” Lu asked and then tried to explain herself. “I mean, it just seems strange, since the queen dislikes me so much.” And she’d been there for a couple weeks now; why had it taken Gi’Calla this long to approach her if she truly wanted to be friends?

  It just seemed odd, but she didn’t give voice to that extra thought.

  Gi’Calla rolled one of her shoulders. “My mother is traditional. She does not like change. I am not her.”

  Hope fluttered in Lucia’s chest before she could stomp it back down. She didn’t want to get excited that maybe she could have a friend on Melierun and the next queen, no less. If they were friends, she would see humans were worthy to be equals, and the prejudice could dissolve for future generations. It was exactly why she was there, to make peace and convince.

  “Okay,” she smiled slowly. “I would like a friend.”

  Gi’Calla dipped her chin and returned the smile. Lucia turned her attention back to the arena and noticed Soren was giving her a questioning stare in between deflecting hits. His eyes flicked to his sister, and then back to her.

  Lucia twitched her hand, signalling that she was just fine and he went back to his training.

  I need to think on this more.

  She spotted Gi’Ren coming her way, cradling Lenny who was awake and making little noises that she knew would soon turn into wails of hunger. She put her feet back onto the ground and held out her arms as Ren transferred the babe.

  Instantly, her suspicious energy about Gi’Calla’s offer lightened, and she cooed and rocked Re’Len. She was warm just like the Melier, and her tail curled around Lucia’s wrist. Her chubby cheeks were lightly blushed with a darker blue and she yawned, big amber eyes blinking slowly. Little fingers fisted and jumped and once Lucia lifted her top and offered food, the youngling calmed and relaxed against her skin.

  The contrast from Lucia’s darker caramel skin tone to the dawn blue of Lenny was interesting, and she always got lost in the comparison while feeling pride that she’d helped create something so perfect. Though every mother must feel that way, she imagined.

  When she looked up next, Ren was taking Zun’s place and Zun was heading for her. Her eyes drifted over his lean physique appreciatively, and she imagined he would be an amazing swimmer.

  Zun was looking at her, even though she was feeding Lenny, and that familiar hope flared that he was becoming less squeamish.

  Lu smiled to herself.

  He dropped down on the bench beside her. On Dor Nye, it was hard to escape his scowls and glares, and it was almost comical that she found herself missing them after a couple weeks of barely seeing him. She looked up and over at him then.

  “Hi,” she whispered and a corner of his mouth hitched up.

  “Hello,” he whispered back.

  ****

  Val’Zun stared down at Lucia, admiring her amber colored eyes and how they devoured everything around her. The same eyes that could be kind and show so much emotion, and in the next instant be poisoned daggers as they both quarreled.

  She was mesmerizing.

  And annoying.

  The months had been torturous, fighting and trying to understand why he felt anything aside from loathing for a human. Even now, he would feel that curl of prejudice and ingrained hate trying to rear its ugly head in the back of his mind, questioning what he was even thinking.

  It was a war he was still battling, but it slowly ebbed away with each day, and his admiration for Lucia was constantly outgrowing everything he’d ever been taught to think about humans.

  Val’Zun’s fingers curled, and he brushed down the soft skin of her arm, ignoring the grimace his sister threw in his direction.

  It had been hard to keep from touching her.

  Every opportunity he got since the execution of Quinton, he touched her in some way when it would be seen as appropriate by others around him; a hand up her back for comfort, helping her walk when she’d been round with Re’Len, and a swipe of his knuckles along her face when she was upset.

  Touches others would think platonic and not analyze, especially since he wasn’t even sure himself what they meant.

  He still hadn’t asked her to mate him, as he still wasn’t sure how to approach her about it. Sometimes he thought she might say yes, while other times he was sure she would stab him if given the opportunity.

  The weeks of training the new recruits had kept him busy and the work was welcome, since it kept him away from her and the pull she had over him. He found himself gravitating toward her, even if they were feuding.

  In fact, he wasn’t even sure why he wasn’t avoiding her at that moment.

  The need he often felt whenever she was nearby was all-consuming and weighty, making his body feel much heavier with each step he took in the other direction once he found the strength to walk away from her. The ache in his stomach, he could feel even now.

  It was confusing.

  She is annoying, he thought once more.

  Everything she does is irritating, or endearing, sometimes both at the same time.

  How is this possible?

  When he heard her ear rupturing shrieks earlier, his heart felt like it was seizing in his chest. His sparring opponent had almost run him through when Val’Zun staggered.

  Instantly his eyes found Val’Ja’s and they had taken off. Val’Zun was faster though. He was swift and agile, more so than all of his siblings and most other warriors. It was what he was known for among his people.

  After he spotted the trowb beetle, he realized there was a problem. Trowb beetles were not from Xula, the region they were in. Trowbs were from the Er’Tu region on the other side of Melierun, and their pincers were coated with poison. A bite from a trowb was painful for a Melier and its poison could eat through flesh if untreated.

  For Lucia, it would have been fatal.

  He and Val’Ja knew then that someone put it in their suite on purpose. Someone wanted to hurt Lucia. The list of possible suspects was too long to even know where to begin, which made him groan with frustration.

  She would not be left alone from that point on. He, Val’Ja, or Gi’Ren would be with her at all times, but she could not know why. She had already been through too much and had willingly come to a planet full of prejudice. To know her life hung in the balance would only scare her unnecessarily.

  He then understood how Val’Ja had felt for months.

  The threat of something they could not see getting ever nearer to her; it was maddening, and the call for peace had never been more appealing to Val’Zun’s mind.

  Once again he found his knuckles brushing against her delicate skin, the color reminding him of the warm brown sands of the Woh’X
ar region. It was cooler there, compared to Xula, and he thought she might find it more agreeable.

  The family had a smaller holding in that region, and every fiber in his being was telling him to urge Val’Ja to take her there, hide her away from the hate of their people, and keep her safe. He knew he could not do that, as much as he wanted to. It would defeat the purpose of why they brought her there.

  “Would you like to explore outside of the palace today, Loo-Sha?” He enjoyed saying her name now that he finally allowed himself to do it.

  The outing would give Gi’Ren time to figure out who put the beetle in their suite, and Lucia would have a chance to see some of their world. It might give the residents of Xula an opportunity to see Lucia was harmless, sentient, and not a lesser creature.

  Maybe not harmless.

  Lucia’s eyes lit up and that made him grin.

  “Really? Where will you take me?”

  “We will go to the city, and wherever that may lead us.”

  Again, her eyes lit up but then they dimmed as she nibbled on her bottom lip. Val’Zun’s gaze immediately dropped to her mouth, the strange urge to feel her lips with his own almost overpowering his good sense.

  He had an idea of what was troubling her.

  The city had people, and the people hated her.

  His tail came up to gently glide along her jaw.

  “You will not be harmed, Loo-Sha,” he whispered.

  ****

  In the next hour, Lucia was walking the populated streets of the city with Soren, Val’Zun, and unfortunately Val’Koy who decided to tag along. She was convinced he only did so to watch as the people around them stared and grimaced at her offensive existence. For some reason he enjoyed her discomfort.

  Gi’Ren wasn’t there, surprisingly. Anywhere Lenny went, he normally followed, but he opted to continue sparring.

  She tried not to let the stares get to her. Is that how Soren felt back on Dor Nye? Surely not. Most people had been curious and wary of him because he was imposing. They didn’t instantly hate him just because he was Melier.