by Poppy Rhys
He heaved a breath that sounded exasperated.
The introductions resumed, and she peeked upward again when Sharn introduced his son, and his son’s mate—the two that had glowered at her.
They continued to do so.
Dania missed what Sharn said, but he referred to River hovering behind her.
“The wolvenk is a guard,” Jruviin offered.
“To keep her from committing any stupid acts,” Val’Koy grumbled and Dania nearly bit off her tongue. Sharn pierced her with a stare in the space between Jru and Val’s shoulders as she stood behind them.
“Appear less intelligent,” Zed advised again. “You are challenging.”
Dania’s nerves frayed as she tried to figure out how to stop challenging them.
“Herpa derpa derp... derp?” she babbled, strumming her pursed lips with a finger and rolling her eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to drool. Val’Koy’s tail covertly thwacked her ankle.
Grrr.
Sharn’s brows raised, and he regarded Val and Jru dubiously. “The presch’s soft mind doesn’t affect breeding?”
Did he just—did he just call her the precious?
Jruviin gave her lead a quick, chastising tug.
“It is working, Captain.”
Dania resisted the urge to slap someone.
If possible, Val’Koy’s scales visibly tightened even more. Sharn’s tone implied her guys were either stupid or insane for taking the chance.
Ha ha ha ha, she silently crowed. It was petty, but she struggled to care. Not when they tugged her fucking leash again. Humiliating.
She knew it had to be done—Sharn’s son’s expression neutralized by the second—but it still abraded.
“No,” Jruviin responded, no doubt realizing Val’Koy was on the verge of raging. “Gene manipulation would correct any unfortunate afflictions before the fledgling is birthed.”
Okay, it was harder than she thought it would be to take this situation lightly. She knew Jru played a role right now. Nevertheless, she pinched his sculpted, feathered ass cheek, and nibbled her lips when he abruptly squawked, causing Sharn to take an immediate step back.
“Apologies.” Jru cleared his throat and smoothed his chest feathers. “It is a sensitive subject.”
Sharn stiffly smiled, most of his teeth surprisingly flat, more like a human.
“Please, let us move to comfortable accommodations,” the Equis twitched his fingers and two mounts were brought forth. “Your presch is capable of walking, yes?”
Wow.
No one else could see it, but the tip of Val’Koy’s tail flicked sharply. She’d come to understand that as a subtle sign of a bad mood. Kind of like his I-want-to-strangle-this-fucker warning sign.
“Yes,” Val’Koy’s tone was cool, indifferent, and Dania realized he was scary good at that, “she is.”
Good thing she wore her sock-boots.
They mounted, and Dania stood beside the docile, bescaled creature Jru sat astride that resembled an equine breed. Equines usually had manes instead of nubby protrusions though, and hooves, not three-toed paws.
Thankfully Jru gave her leash some slack, so she didn’t get trampled.
“Onward,” someone announced.
Walking was... difficult.
The slight difference in gravity was truly fucking with her. When the entourage picked up speed, she nearly face-planted but River sidled close and she grabbed onto his pelt.
“Thanks, buddy.”
His feelers patted against her, as if he might drag her onto his back, and she quickly batted them away.
“No, we can’t do that.”
“Mine need help.”
“I can do this.”
Dania took a big step, and another, focusing on a rhythm. Her muscles prepared for the normal pull she would usually feel if she were walking on Dor Nye, but it never came.
The gravity wasn’t so low that she could leap huge distances or get suspended in the air for any length of time, but it was enough to really mess with her mind.
It didn’t seem to affect River or her mates as much, and she thought maybe their alien bodies were adjusting quicker than her human one—or they had incredible equilibrium.
“I can do this.”
And she did.
FORTY
JRUVIIN
His nerves were chafed by the time they’d made it to Sharn’s tower. He had been forced to watch as Dania struggled to walk on this planet and concluded Therran’s had to be extremely sensitive to any changes in gravity.
He’d calmed enough when she began walking without stumbling but still had to fight the urge to lift her onto his mount.
That and he wanted to rip out Sharn’s son’s throat—and his mate. Trik and Raim were their names. Their eyes lingered too long on Dania, setting his spine feathers and tail tip to tingling.
Once they reached the city, Jruviin failed to keep his spine feathers flat. His father would have enjoyed this place—their females were treated horrendously.
“It is good for the male babe in the presch’s belly,” Sharn had smiled and nodded at him when a male shoved his boot into a presch’s backside as she scrubbed a threshold stoop. “Makes him strong.”
Jruviin couldn’t ignore the itch to ask: “And if the fledgling is female?”
Sharn’s smile shrank but lingered. “Would make her strong too. Better presch for robust males.”
He shared an eye lock with Val’Koy. His partner was terrifically skilled at appearing impassive when he wanted to—his upbringing, he supposed—but Jruviin knew better.
Val’Koy’s expression may fool others to think he couldn’t give a Rishin shit about the treatment of females—especially breeding females—but Jruviin saw the way his claws had moderately lengthened, how his shoulder scales were tight, and the clench of the reins in his upper pair of hands.
He cared. He greatly cared.
Either these Equahn didn’t know Melier were a species with dominant females, or they dismissed it.
He dismounted, and the beasts were taken away. Again, it was difficult not to make eye contact with Dania, in silent askance, to check if she was well after that short trek.
She lingered in his peripheral, and his tail tip brushed against her. It was so minor, so quick, anyone watching might not notice, or think it was purely accidental.
Val’Koy joined his side as they were led past black painted doors and into the tower. The first level of the tower had an open floor with a circle of supporting pillars, carved with symbols. His sight lifted, seeing the tower’s center had been hollowed out.
One could see to the underside of the roof, several levels up, the many uncovered windows along the outside walls allowing sunlight in. Various individuals, male and female, roamed about. Some curiously peered at them over the rails of higher levels. He noticed the women never raised their eyes, but always stared at the ground.
Their necks must’ve ached.
“My son and his mate will be entering their first cycle in a few days’ time,” Sharn informed them, removing his cape and setting it upon the outstretched arms of a female. They appeared to be smaller mirror-versions of the males, with just a single chest mound, unlike Dania who had two. “They will be choosing their lifelong presch. We will have our feeding then. You’re welcome to attend.”
Jruviin’s gut told him he wouldn’t like this, but he dipped his chin anyway. They were guests and, for now, they would play the part. Their main concern was keeping Dania safe. Offending their host would jeopardize that task.
“How gracious, thank you.”
Val’Koy tipped his head forward as well, just as a larger Equahn male approached and slid his arms around Sharn from behind for a hearty embrace.
Sharn deeply chuckled and turned, shoving the new male away only for the man to crash back into him for a rough neck bite before they broke apart.
“Meet my mate, Dilf.”
Dania choked, causing his back to stiffen, and she subsequently had a cou
ghing fit. He and Val’Koy didn’t turn to check on her.
Difficult. Very difficult.
Every male scowled until Dania silenced again. Dilf’s gaze returned to him and Val’Koy, his face considerably brightening and baffling Jruviin. The gender divide dug deep here.
“Welcome to our home,” Dilf politely extended. “We had a suite prepared for you after Truptup contacted us. Great male, our friend.”
Jruviin had his doubts, and he found it impossible to utter anything due to the amount of distaste on his tongue, but Val’Koy saved him.
“He assisted us in our time of need,” for a fucking exorbitant fee, “and we are grateful.”
Dilf widely grinned, showing his blunt teeth.
This act would be hard to stick to.
Grabindo hells.
****
VAL’KOY
With casual effort, his hand captured Jruviin’s.
He’d seen the way Dilf eyed them—the foot of space between them, their lack of contact—and when Val’Koy’s gaze flickered around the room, he noticed the males were overtly affectionate toward each other.
It didn’t go beyond his notice the type of affection. While some touches were friendly, familial even, between a couple of males present, others were aggressively sensual—Sharn and his mate, for example.
He could hear Dania’s voice in his head: You’re lovers, don’t forget.
A’Drast’s mane and tail.
Jruviin stiffened, but communicated his understanding by softening his hand within his. To his surprise, the Draekiin curled his tail around Val’Koy’s, twisting the ends together.
It is not so bad, he coached himself.
Dilf noticed this and seemed to be put at ease.
They just had to keep it up.
****
DANIA
“His name is Dilf, you guys!” Dania muffled a snicker into her hands once they were in the suite. “I thought I was gonna lose it!” She deserved some kind of treat for all her acting.
Her guys stared blankly at her, having already put space between their bodies. She’d felt a little flutter in her stomach, seeing them holding hands and tails on the way up.
“You know, dad I’d like to fuck?”
“Therran’s,” Val’Koy muttered.
“Whatever.” She shrugged and moved around him, slapping his ass on the way, and pulling a surprised grunt from him.
They were in a living room of sorts, daylight filtering in through the sheer curtained windows. It was littered with various pieces of cushioned furniture, a projector disk upon the middle table, and beyond that lay opened double doors leading to a bedroom.
A bed so large that would fit them filled the room. It was draped in a black blanket with blood red satiny sheets beneath.
A human sized onyx cushion, reminding her of an animal bed, sat in a corner. “I guess that’s where I’m supposed to sleep, huh?”
“It would seem,” Val’Koy murmured, exploring the suite.
“Wish I knew how long we had to be here,” Dania voiced, careful to keep it down. “Did you see how that guy booted that poor woman on the way here?”
“Yesss,” Jruviin hissed, turning on the projector and searching for something. “It is best we lay low until the repairman arrives.”
Val’Koy nodded and trailed a finger down her jaw when he moved past. “The less you are seen outside this room, the better.”
He was probably right, but that didn’t stop her irritation. River booped his fluffy head into her shoulder, probably tuned into her newly soured mood, and went on to sniff around the suite.
She agreed with Jruviin’s earlier sentiment: the repairman couldn’t come soon enough.
FORTY-ONE
DANIA
“Hey Zed,” she toed the floor cushion and bit into the ration bar Jru had packed, “what did Sharn mean by feeding?”
Night had come, and the chill of the desert had descended. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, the gesture prompting Jruviin to close the opened windows around the suite.
“Equahns only consume food once every full lunar cycle, which is approximately fourteen days on this planet.”
“Why do they go so long?”
“They possess extremely sluggish digestive systems.”
“What did Zed say?” Val’Koy asked, appearing in her line of vision.
“He said they have slow digestive systems, so they only eat every two weeks basically.”
“Glad I packed what dehydrated bars we had left on the ship,” Jru mused, pulling a set of curtains closed.
Dania didn’t think any of them could go two weeks without food.
“I will talk to Sharn tomorrow about dietary provisions.” Val’Koy made his way to the bed and shed his pants.
Dania gulped, seeing his exposed flesh.
He turned down the comforter, checking underneath the blanket. For what, she didn’t know—alien stinger bugs, maybe?
“Are you coming to bed?” Jruviin asked as he moved by, discarding his bottoms too. Dania’s fingers tingled with the urge to pinch his feathered, perfectly shaped ass. Like he could read her mind, his prehensile tail swayed left, then right. Here kitty, kitty, she imagined it calling.
“Um,” she hummed, tearing her eyes away to glance at the cushion beside her feet. “I think I’m supposed to sleep he—”
Jru hauled her up, effectively cutting her off, and dumped her in the middle of the bed. She pushed her curls away from her face, met by the skin heating chuckles of her aliens as they climbed in on either side.
“That was rude and this,” she gestured to the bed, “is too risky. What if someo—”
A knock at the door had them all freezing. Her eyes bugged. This was exactly what she’d been trying to say!
“Quick, to your cushion!” Jru urged, dragging her from the bed he’d just dumped her upon, and setting her on the floor. She grumbled but scurried to the glorified dog bed and curled up with her back to the door.
“Rest your head on my chest,” Val’Koy instructed in hushed tones. “Not like th—”
“Then how?” Jruviin harshly, but quietly, shot back. “How else could I lay my head on your chest, Val’Koy?”
“Rest it upon me so I may stroke your crest feath—no, that is my shoulder.”
“Fucking ridic—”
They silenced.
“You may enter,” Val’Koy called out and Dania’s chest ached as she tried to suppress the snorting laughter into the cushion.
River laid down behind her, his newly clean scent reminding her of sun-warmed grass. She breathed in deep, nearly humming when his big arm tucked around her and his snout rested against her hair. He hadn’t snuggled her in a while, and she’d forgotten how his hulking body engulfed her in a protective shadow.
River gusted a heavy sigh just as the door opened.
“Hello, Sharn,” she heard Jruviin greet, “and Dilf.”
A giggle accidentally slipped, but River hurriedly had a sneezing fit.
“Did you just cover for me?”
“Yes.”
Dania grinned into the cushion. “You’re the best.”
“We don’t mean to disturb,” Dilf said, his voice lower than Sharn’s. “We came to bid our guests goodnight.”
“That is appreciated,” Val’Koy answered. “Thank you.”
“And we hoped you would be willing to discuss...”
River’s chest tremored at her back with a suppressed rumble. It scratched there in his chest, so quiet she barely heard it.
“What’s wrong?”
“...some private matters.” Sharn finished.
“Can feel male eyes.”
“They’re staring over here?”
“Did.”
“Why?”
“Not know.”
“Tomorrow, then.” Val’Koy’s voice hadn’t changed. She had a hard time deciphering his true feelings when he wanted to hide them. “Goodnight.”
The door click
ed shut, thickening the charged atmosphere. Dania sprang up just in time to see Jru and Val promptly part before she snuck over to lock the door.
“Why do you treat me as the bottom?” Jru griped. “I could be a top.”
“Because I am not a bottom.”
“I could make you a bottom.”
They glared at one another, a set of growls joining their deadly body language.
“Should I leave you guys to your lover’s quarrel or...?” Dania bit into her lips to keep from smiling and failed.
“Shut up and get over here,” Val’Koy demanded. She climbed over the side of the bed, careful not to knee anyone before wiggling between them.
“You guys care about each other, right?”
“Yes,” Val’Koy drawled, clearly annoyed.
“Just play off that. It’s not like you two have to fuck in public.” She held up her hands and couldn’t withhold her grin. “Although, I have ideas—”
“No,” they snapped in unison, shooting down her naughty dreams.
“But Jruviin has that penis,” she emulated sex with her fingers, “and—”
“No!”
“Fine, fine,” she sighed, letting them draw the covers up to her chest after Jru turned off the lights. Her nerves frayed when her thoughts turned to the “private matters” discussion and she finally mustered up the gumption to ask, “Do... do you know what they want to talk about tomorrow?”
“Nothing important,” Jruviin finally muttered, stroking the smooth back of his claw over her throat. “Likely where to find a wolvenk.”
River growled from his position at Dania’s feet.
“I won’t let them take you.”
His grumbling simmered.
River had felt their gazes, so maybe Jruviin was right. It still left her feeling uneasy.
****
VAL’KOY
He stole one last look at his mates, his body wanting to crawl back into bed with them, but he had things to talk about with Sharn. A grin did tug at him, though.
Dania’s arms were spread across the bed, one resting against the side of Jruviin’s throat, and her thick, twisty mane reached everywhere in its usual quest to conquer everything. That a good portion curtained the Draekiin’s face, effectively hiding it—except when the wispy tendrils shivered with his slumbering exhales—only proved that her curls had a mind of their own.
