by Sabrina Kade
Drazal throws me behind his back, putting himself between Iriel and myself. “Hear me out, brother, I am not here to take your mate—”
“Give her to me!”
“You are angry. I have made a request. Please, brother. Hear me out.”
Iriel scowls deeply, but he doesn’t move to grab me from behind Drazal. I don’t move either. I only watch them, and the happenings beyond the cave. Several Sidyths have risen to stand, slowly making their way over.
“Be brief,” Iriel mutters. “You have taken something that belongs to me. I want it back. Fee-Bee—”
“Phoebe is not a toy or trinket, brother. You do not own her.”
“She is mine! She was about to Choose me before you intervened! That is a grave offense! Prince Korben will hear of this. Only one female each. This one is mine. If you want one so badly, find another. Fee-Bee is mine.”
I look out from behind Drazal’s back, hardly shocked to see that Iriel is pretty upset. His face is blotchy, and the scales across his chest and shoulders are raised higher than I’ve ever seen any Sidyth’s before. I try to catch Drazal’s attention, but he doesn’t glance down. It’s as though he can’t look away from Iriel. But why can’t he—oh no. He’s probably waiting for Iriel to attack. That’s what alien barbarians do, isn’t it? Fight for females?
What am I supposed to do now? Clutch my pearls and beg them not to fight over me? Too cliché. Not to mention dumb as hell.
“I apologize for intervening,” Drazal says, stiffening as more Sidyths draw closer to the scene. “I did not know this was such an important moment.”
“Even if it was not, why did you intervene?” Iriel’s voice drops to a hiss.
Drazal shifts. I can almost feel him trying to put his words together. “Something… something did not seem right.”
“Seem right? That is not your judgment to make.”
“She was fighting you, brother.”
“She was not fighting me.”
“Who was fighting?” A new voice rumbles. Hujun lumbers up right behind Iriel. “The female did not want his touches?”
“She was about to Choose me, Hujun. Until he intervened.”
“Something did not look right to me, Hujun,” Drazal continues, looking straight ahead. “I am sorry for my offense, but I could not ignore what I saw.”
“And what did you see?” Hujun asks.
“A female that did not consent. Is that not why we are here? We want females to Choose us, yes? We do not want them to feel as though they have no choice in the matter.”
“She has a choice,” Iriel hisses. “And she Chose me.”
“Has she?” Hujun asks.
“Well, not yet, but she was about to!” Iriel points at me, curling his finger. “Fee-Bee, come by my side. Come and tell them that you were about to Choose me as your mate.”
“Do not feel pressured,” Drazal says down to me in a low voice.
“Do you see this, Hujun? Do you see how he interferes with my mate?”
“Is she your mate?”
“She is my pleasure mate, but she will soon be my Chosen mate. Tell them, Fee-Bee.” Iriel gets that desperate look on his face, and it takes everything I have not to cave and run into his arms and say this is a big misunderstanding.
Because now all the big wigs are watching us.
Azan. Hujun. The old one who hangs out with Celeste.
The only one who isn’t here is Prince Korben, but I’ll bet my left tit that he’s going to hear about this conversation. And I remember what Iriel said. If Prince Korben thinks I’m messing with Iriel, he won’t be pleased. Would he send me away? Would he send me to the woods with the dilewilers?
Further than that? Would he send me away from Hethdiss? Back to the aliens who slapped me and raped Arizona? I can’t go back to them. I have to remember that Iriel’s never taken advantage of me. Those aliens who did all that stuff to Arizona, will. They promised that.
I’ve let this go on for far too long. There are no options here. Only delusions.
Always agree with him, Phoebe.
Find a way to stall but keep yourself safe.
“I haven’t decided whether to be his Chosen mate or not, yet.” Drazal’s massive shoulders stiffen over my head. My mind races, trying to come up with ways to make things right and move forward without anyone getting hurt. Words tumble carelessly from my lips. “I wasn’t fighting him off either, though. It was consensual.”
“You wanted him to kiss you?” Hujun rumbles.
Drazal sneaks a glance down at me, but I look away, ashamed to meet his gaze. “I wanted him to kiss me. But I don’t want Drazal blamed if something looked wrong to him. That’s not his fault, and I feel safer knowing there are those like Drazal who want us to feel safe.”
“You wanted Iriel to kiss you, yes?” Hujun says again.
“You see! I told you,” Iriel says.
“Please don’t fault Drazal if he thought he saw something—”
“It is a simple question, Fee-Bee,” Iriel interrupts. “Did you want me to kiss you or not? Have I ever forced myself on you?”
My breath catches in my throat. Everyone’s looking at me. Has Iriel ever forced himself on me? No. But it’s more complicated than that. And it’s going to be more complicated still, now that Drazal’s intervened. And judging by the look on Hujun’s face, if I say I wanted Iriel to kiss me, whatever’s about to happen to Drazal won’t be good.
I still can’t risk getting into trouble.
I step away from Drazal and trudge toward Iriel. I’m barely a few feet away before Iriel lurches forward and pulls me to him.
“Answer the question, female,” Hujun says, coughing at the end after Ellis elbows him in the hip. “Please.”
I lick my lips. Iriel squeezes me so tightly that most of the air leaves my lungs. I glance over my shoulder at Drazal, who’s watching something behind me. I follow his gaze, and sure enough, at least six other Sidyths are there as though preparing to strike. To strike. They’re going to punish Drazal for interfering. For only doing what he thought was right. For being the only person brave enough to say something isn’t quite right between Iriel and me.
I’m going to hate myself for this.
“I wanted him to kiss me. I don’t know what Drazal saw, but it must have been a misunderstanding.”
“He never forced himself on you?” Hujun continues.
“No.”
“Drazal pulled you away from him despite your consent?”
“Y-yes.”
An uncomfortable silence falls over the group. I don’t know what to expect. Maybe a fight to break out. Maybe for Iriel to rush ahead and beat the shit out of Drazal for interfering with his woman, but nothing happens. At least, not right away.
What happens next, is much, much worse.
Hujun clears his throat and moves to the front of the group. I scan those who’ve gathered, and it doesn’t look good. Azan steps beside him, and Chentan and Dolan are close by his side. What bothers me most of all is Iriel’s expression. He looks overjoyed.
“What’s going on?” I can’t stand how squeaky my voice sounds, but the words come regardless. Iriel spares me a glance and then turns to Hujun.
“Rexplas.” Hujun shakes his close-shaven head.
The word is a rough translation in my earpiece, having something to do with messing things up between Iriel and I. My eyes widen as a few of the other girls process the same thing and Iriel, growing grumpier by the moment, starts explaining.
“Back on the fatherland, it is considered a grave offense for one male to interfere with another in the pursuit of a Chosen mate.” He frowns profoundly and pulls on his ear and touches his eye.
“Eyes ears,” Hujun continues, crossing his arms across his chest.
“What does that mean?” Ellis asks, rubbing her stomach. “Come on, whatever this is going to be, can we get going? I’m hungry.”
“I shall fill your stomach soon, my mate,” Hujun promises. “Unfortu
nately, this is a problem.”
Ellis tilts her head. “How big of a problem can it be? Drazal already explained. He said something didn’t look right—”
“Eyes,” Iriel interrupts. “Hujun. He used his eyes to disrespect me. You know what this means on the fatherland.”
Hujun nods. “I agree, but Prince Korben has already informed us that what happens on the fatherland is not supposed to carry on Hethdiss. I must respect those wishes.”
“This is a grave offense!” Iriel rushes toward Hujun. “You heard your mate say it. He saw something he didn’t believe was right. He was wrong. He sealed his fate.”
Those haunting words give me the courage to move forward and brush my fingers against Iriel’s arm. “Fate? Sealed his fate?”
“When he interrupted us,” Iriel explains gruffly. “You are mine. Despite that, he came forward, claiming he saw something amiss. He was wrong, Hujun. My Chosen mate said it already—”
“She already explained she didn’t Choose him yet,” Ellis says. “I heard that part, too.”
“Yeah,” Layla chimes in. “Seriously, guys. What’s rexplas?”
Hujun lowers his head. My eyes drift from him to Ellis, to Iriel, to Drazal, and then back to Hujun. He looks so sullen. I’m starting to get a sharp prickle of worry creeping up my back. Whatever Drazal did, I guess, is a big deal to the Sidyths because the rest of the guys look incredibly angry. They’re muttering about how he should pay.
Eyes, ears.
“Seriously,” I squeak, realizing Hujun is my best shot at getting a true answer. “What is going on? This has to do with me—”
“Indeed it does,” Iriel hisses.
“Leave her out of this,” Drazal hisses back.
“You, stay out of this!” Iriel pushes past me and rushes toward Drazal, landing a solid punch to his jaw. Drazal stumbles back but doesn’t try to fight him off.
“Enough!” Hujun roars, grabbing Iriel by the shoulders. “We must do this properly!”
“Do what?” I scream.
“Eyes, ears!” Iriel shouts, struggling to get out of Hujun’s grip. Azan rushes to their side and takes Iriel’s other shoulder.
“Calm yourself, brother,” he says, but Iriel only keeps struggling.
“Stop!” York yelps, handing her infant to Sloane so she can grab Azan’s arm. “What’s going on? Can someone please explain? None of us know what’s the big deal! Stop and explain that word, dammit!”
Iriel hisses and Azan grips his arm so tightly that he cries out. “You will not make such sounds at my mate, brother. We are here for you, but you must calm yourself. Let Hujun explain.”
“Justice will not be served,” he snaps. “I know this.”
“Explain!” York screams. “Now!”
A silence falls over the group. Azan must have further tightened his grip because Iriel slumps and yanks himself away from his and Hujun’s grasp. His scales are splayed, and he angrily pushes the longer strands of hair away from his eyes and scans the crowd. Once his eyes land on me, he storms back up to my side and wraps a possessive arm around my waist.
“Tell them,” Iriel hisses to Hujun. “I suppose now is as good a time as any.”
Hujun takes a deep breath. “I suppose it is.” He clears his throat and stands in front of Drazal, who still hasn’t moved after Iriel’s punch. There’s blood dripping down his chin, but he doesn’t wipe it away. It’s a blemish on his otherwise perfect face, and though every part of me aches to go and check if he’s okay, I can’t move. Hujun and Azan are watching me extra closely now, and though no one’s said anything about me being in trouble, this whole ordeal has most likely placed me under their radar.
It’s a terrifying feeling.
“Go on, Hujun,” Ellis whispers. “My feet are killing me.”
“Shall I hold you?”
A wild blush crosses her brown cheeks. “Not if this is a big moment, or whatever! Say what you have to say and let’s go.”
“I’m afraid it’s not that easy,” he rumbles, finally facing Iriel and I. “At the fatherland, it is as Iriel said. I am not sure what happens on the Earth, but on Sidetha, when a male stakes a claim on a female, she is no longer to be bothered by other males. Ever. Is there anything similar to this on Earth, Ellis?”
“Well, not really.”
“The female decides what she wants,” York intervenes.
“Yes, I agree,” Hujun says, nodding. “But as you all heard earlier, Fee-Bee said she is with Iriel. She wanted his touch. She wanted his kisses. And though she has explained she has not Chosen him for a mate officially; she consented to Iriel. This is what we must go on. When Drazal pulled Fee-Bee away, it was a sign of disrespect not only for Iriel but also Fee-Bee for her choice in a mate. This is where the problem lies.”
“There’s no problem,” Ellis says softly. “He made a mistake. Phoebe cleared things up. It’s over, right?”
“It is not over, female,” Iriel snarls before Hujun hisses and flashes his teeth. He settles back, pushing a hand through his short hair. “On the fatherland, we have something called eyes ears. A way of punishing males who overstep their boundaries. I believe this situation qualifies, Hujun. Wouldn’t you?”
“Wait, punishment?” York asks, stepping forward. “You’re not going to punish him for thinking something was wrong, are you? Be reasonable!” She glares at Azan. “You’re not… I mean, you’re not going to do something to him, are you?”
Her masked mate shifts uncomfortably. “It is a large part of keeping males in control of themselves. If we did not have these rules, males could take whatever females they pleased because they thought something was wrong.”
“But nothing’s wrong!” York yelps.
“Exactly. That’s why he must be punished.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“He is very serious,” Iriel says. “As is the offense. And since we are using eyes ears, it’s obvious that his eyes are what betrayed him. He says he saw something. He was wrong. There should be a loss, Hujun.”
My eyes widen. “L-loss? Loss of what?”
York frowns. She’s already pieced it together. “Iriel, you’re making it sound as though you want to punish Drazal’s eyes or something.”
“That’s what I’m saying. First offense is the first eye. This way we can eliminate half the problem. If there’s another offense, the other eye will be taken.”
This time I move away from Iriel’s grip. “Wait, what? No, you can’t! You can’t take his eye because he tried to help me! I forgive him! I’m with Iriel, but I forgive him!”
“I don’t,” Iriel notes. “He’s been watching you for too long. You are not his mate. You are mine, and I don’t want this to continue. At the fatherland—”
“Iriel,” Hujun rumbles over him. “We are not on the fatherland.”
Iriel freezes, shooting an accusing look at Hujun. “What? Are you saying you will not follow through? Are you saying any male can rush in to save a female because he thinks he hears or sees something wrong? You are asking for anarchy, Hujun! We must follow the rules!”
“Those rules,” Hujun explains, “are the rules of the fatherland. We are not there. We are not welcome there.”
“So, what? Can any male come over and whisk my female away now? Am I now powerless to stop it? Are you saying he will—”
“I am not saying any of those things, brother,” Hujun says, holding up his hand. “Calm yourself.”
“I will not. Fee-Bee is mine. He ruined it. She was going to Choose me. And because of this, she will continue to hesitate.”
“We cannot follow the same rules as we did on the fatherland. Prince Korben would not want it.”
“I don’t care what Prince Korben wants!”
The crowd falls silent after Iriel’s desperate shout, and Azan’s scales splay with anger. Several males move closer to him and away from Drazal, and my mouth goes dry. I should say something. I should say something. Everyone else is talking, and yet, I’m
silent. I lick my lips as Iriel continues his rant, apologizing for his harsh words about Prince Korben, but not apologizing for wanting Drazal punished for interfering.
Tremors wrack through my body because this is all my fault. I feel the anger in Iriel’s massive form as he’s all but shaking. I look past him and Hujun to focus on Drazal. How haven’t I noticed it before? Drazal’s big and muscular, but he seems so much younger than Hujun and Azan. Probably almost as young as me. And Hujun and Azan are some of the most intimidating Sidyths here. It must have taken so much for him to stop Iriel, especially knowing this thing about eyes and ears. Drazal’s not the biggest or most influential looking alien, but alone in the corner with blood dripping from his mouth as the others argue about removing one of his eyes, he’s never looked more attractive.
Same something. Say something right now!
My lips part, but Hujun speaks before I get a single word out.
“If we are to proceed with taking this to Prince Korben, I’m afraid we must address the second issue.”
“Another one?” Ellis asks, throwing up her arms.
“On the fatherland, the female would also be interrogated by Prince Korben and a few others.”
“On what grounds?” York asks.
“Tempting two males.”
My heart stops. Me? Could I get in trouble too? For leading on two males. But I’m not. Everyone knows I’m not—
The cave opening is entirely silent.
Several of the girls glance at me with uncomfortable expressions, but why? And the males? Well, it doesn’t take a genius to realize I’m not innocent in this ordeal. At least, not in their eyes. I swallow hard. I don’t want to get involved in this. I don’t want Prince Korben asking me questions.
What if he concludes that I am tempting two males?
Will he send me away? To the woods? Further than that?
Off the planet. Back to the Todas. They won’t show mercy this time—I don’t want to go!
“Now, you see what you have done!” Iriel roars, pointing an accusing finger at me and then Drazal. “My mate is frightened because you will not leave her alone.”
No, no that’s not it—But I’m not saying anything. Iriel has completely misread my pale expression and teary eyes. He thinks Drazal is to blame.
