by L P Peace
Aerdan hummed. ‘If your father disagrees with your plans, why did he choose you?’
‘You’d have to ask him,’ Haddis shrugged.
‘You haven’t?’
‘I don’t want to know the workings of that male’s mind. He’s disappointed me enough.’ Haddis sighed, his eyes going back to the small room where Imalia was carrying several dresses. He caught a flash of Danielle; her heavy uniform top had been taken off, and she was wearing a tank top underneath. Her eyes met his and struck him to his core before the curtain fell again. ‘Can we talk about something else. Like how we’re going to seduce that vision of perfection?’
‘She is stunning.’
Haddis nodded in agreement. He remembered the first time they’d seen her. On the IGC, sitting at the table with the other human females. Sidha and Kentor had just been reunited and disappeared to reaffirm their affections.
They’d walked towards the table, joining these females for food when his eyes met hers. Wide, terrified, stunning. She’d criticised their lack of government, and he’d loved her candour. Temerin didn’t really have a government. They’d never had it. A temit was as close as they’d gotten. It was a meeting of clan leaders and clans were obliged to follow the decision of the temit, unless they disagreed to such an extent that they left the temit. Walking away meant they couldn’t join another temit for two solars. That didn’t just leave them out of critical planning but meant they couldn’t visit the markets or trade with other temit during that time. It was a harsh sentence, but walking away meant discord.
Temerin had to be harmonious to survive.
Haddis shook his head, realising how his thoughts had strayed.
‘With care,’ Aerdan said. ‘Our Danielle doesn’t believe she’s worthy of our love. Doesn’t believe she’s worthy of anyone.’
‘Sidha believes she’s been abused.’ Haddis wondered how hard it would be to infiltrate Earth, find the male who’d hurt her, and kill him.
Aerdan nodded. ‘So we let her set the pace. We take it slowly. We focus on her and her pleasure first.’
‘Agreed,’ Haddis replied. ‘So, when?’
‘This rote is just about reconnecting,’ Aerdan said. ‘So, this rote we shop and have fun. When night comes, we eat, celebrate and party. I suggest we stick to light kisses and touches as long as she allows it. Let her see we’re no longer divided. That we’re united in our intent to claim and share her.’
‘Next rote?’
‘Next rote will be the debates. If we come to an impasse, we’ll arrange the games, which leaves us the night to do as we will.’ Aerdan smiled. ‘Our seduction of the delectable Danielle will begin in earnest.’
‘And the rote after, the games.’
Aerdan’s grin was wide and anticipatory. ‘And the rote after, the games.’
* * *
By the time Danielle left Imalia’s stall, she had four dresses, two pairs of pants, and four wrap-like tops that hugged her upper body to her waist, then flowed over her hips and rear. It was floaty and feminine, and she’d never seen anything as beautiful.
She walked out in a wrap dress. The dresses and tops were all ready within minutes, Imalia, her sister, and her daughter making short work of it. But the pants were going to take a little longer. They’d be able to pick them up tomorrow.
Soon after they left Imalia’s, with the promise to meet up later for the party, she was walking away from another stall with a pair of sandals, two pairs of shoes, and another pair of sandals promised for the end of the following day. The Temerin never stayed long on these planets so had become masters of efficiency. It impressed Danielle down to her military core.
Aerdan and Haddis were attentive, sweet and non-competitive. Inwardly, Danielle was relieved and confused. They’d been showing such an interest in her. Had they all changed their minds? But all three of them had kissed her. Was that because of the claiming thing Bedvir warned her about on Barradu when she met Dirvan?
Had all three realised she wasn’t worth pursuing?
The idea they’d rejected her stung deeper than she could put into words. It shouldn’t matter. She wanted to go to Tessa, wanted to go home.
Didn’t she?
What did she have at home to return to?
An uncle who’d abused her.
Grandparents who’d neglected her.
No home. No career because she’d taken the honourable discharge due to her trauma. In truth, the stars, which had been a beacon of hope to her in those young years, had betrayed her. She knew it was stupid, to put so much faith into them. But dreaming of being in space had gotten her through her darkest moments. Dreaming of flying far away from him had saved her life.
But she couldn’t cling onto that childish dream anymore. Things out here were dangerous. There were people even more depraved than her uncle.
And she wasn’t a child anymore.
Danielle knew with her military experience that she could get a job in the private sector and never have to set eyes on any of her family ever again. She knew she could go to work on any of the private space stations or colonies across the system and be safe, surrounded by the sentinel stations that defended Earth from attack.
But… the truth was, the idea of returning to Earth held less and less appeal.
She could settle on Tessa and be safe there, but though the planet looked lovely, beautiful even, the idea of it didn’t appeal to her.
The hours passed, and Bedvir returned. The whole temit had slowly made its way to the beach. As they stepped onto the sand, Danielle saw the males had all converged on one side of the huge beach, the females on the other.
‘We’ll stay with you,’ Aerdan said.
‘No, you won’t,’ Imalia said, appearing at Danielle’s side. ‘This is Danielle’s chance to get to know her new people and for your mitas to get to know her. Besides, Gahdi Inria has asked for her specifically.’
‘For me?’ It was a stupid, pointless question, but it was the first thing that came to Danielle’s panic addled mind.
‘Yes. She wants to get to know her grandson’s mate.’
Danielle looked at the guys. ‘I’m fine.’ She smiled. She didn’t want them to think she couldn’t handle being on her own, or being around their families. ‘You go. Have fun.’
‘We don’t have—’
‘Oh, gods above, go!’ Imalia said. ‘You’re making her seem too weak to function without you.’
Leaving the guys behind and arm linked with Imalia, they passed fire pits and torches as they walked towards the huge groups of females on the other end of the beach.
Temerin eyes were reflective in the dark. It was kind of disturbing, passing groups of females who looked up at her as she walked by, their eyes in different colours tracing her path.
Mita Kar was one of the most represented mitas on the planet, and Imalia led her straight to them. It was disconcerting, seeing fifty pairs of red eyes turning towards her as she approached.
‘This is Danielle. She’s mating Haddis, Aerdan, and Bedvir,’ Imalia called.
Danielle kept her mouth shut, but she couldn’t deny the longing that went through her at Imalia’s words. It was so stupid, though. Stupid and selfish. One woman with three males.
They settled down near Gahdi Inria, who watched Danielle with sharp eyes.
‘So how long have you been with them?’ Gahdi Inria was putting on a casual pretence, but Danielle could see the interest glinting in her hard eyes.
‘Erm, about a month. A cycle, by your calendar.’
‘Not our calendar,’ Gahdi Inria said. ‘But I get your meaning. How did you meet.’
There were whispers going through the group now as they watched the Gahdi interrogate Danielle.
Danielle told them the truth, about her meeting them at breakfast at Rhona’s. When the Gahdi insisted on knowing the particulars about their courtship, she faltered.
‘Something wrong?’ Gahdi Inria said, a gleam in her eye.
Danielle swal
lowed. ‘There was a lot of fighting,’ she said, not exactly lying. Around her, the crowd laughed, but it wasn’t mocking; they were laughing with her. ‘They took it as some kind of competition. On Earth, we don’t normally have more than one partner.’ Danielle felt her face flush furiously when she thought about how each of them had kissed her earlier. It had sparked an ember inside her that could easily be stroked into a fire. She was already attracted to each of them, and the thought of sex as a whole made her fearful. But with the three of them, the ember flared into a stronger flame. Danielle caught herself shaking. ‘Humans are very private about these things, and they can look down on family groupings that stray from the normal two parents and children.’
‘Do you look down on them?’
‘I never really thought about them,’ Danielle answered honestly. ‘I was married to my career. I had no interest in settling down and starting a family. This is all very new to me.’
Gahdi Inria nodded, watching her intently. More conversation started up, and Gahdi Inria’s interests moved elsewhere, giving Danielle room to breathe.
For the next hour, Danielle sat with the females of Mita Kar. They were funny, kind and inclusive, making sure Danielle was engaged. They asked her about Earth, Earth mating customs, and about the ship she’d been on. They were very impressed to find Danielle was one of the ranking officers on Endurance. Danielle, for her part, answered a lot of questions, before fielding some of her own regarding Temerin mating rites, Temerin culture. Gahdi Inria in particular seemed invested in teaching Danielle about the Temerin, their history and culture.
Finally, one of the females from Mita Vadra appeared, insisting they get to know Bedvir’s mate and Danielle was carried away to another part of the beach.
Mita Vadra was smaller than Mita Kar. There were only seven females sitting on the beach. They were soft spoken, unlike Bedvir, whose voice sounded like gears crushing something.
‘It’s because he was tortured,’ a female called Qellen told her. ‘When the Bentari came, Mita Vadra had no ships to escape on. We escaped to the mountains but we were caught. Bedvir fought the hardest, and they tortured him to break him. His voice is like that because of how much he screamed.’
Danielle closed her eyes, her hand going to her stomach to try to quell the sick feeling rising there.
‘How did he get free?’
‘Aerdan led an attack on the slave ship they put us on to transport us to a slave market. Haddis and Kentor were there with their father. The four of them have been together ever since.’
Danielle looked across the beach, to the mass of Temerin males who were mingling. She saw Bedvir standing near the front. Around him several males were talking, and though he nodded and smiled, he rarely spoke.
As though he sensed her looking at him from across the beach, their eyes met.
Danielle couldn’t ignore the way her body reacted to him, or the desire he stoked. He kept looking at her, and she had no choice but to stare back, completely captivated by him. She felt a pulse start between her legs, and she was suddenly breathless. Bedvir smirked, knowing and dark promises, his eyes moving over her body until she could feel it like a physical thing. It drew something taut inside her, like a bowstring pulled to its furthest extent until she was almost desperate for him to release her.
Someone caught Bedvir’s attention and the… whatever it was between them was lost. Danielle swallowed and tried to gather her wits about her. Around her, the females were talking about something else, leaving Danielle to her thoughts.
He’d never told her about his pain, but why would he? Danielle had kept hers to herself, tightly coiled so that it couldn’t hurt her. But it was hurting her. For some reason, it hurt less with them and, terrifyingly for her, her body didn’t react to desire, with them, the way it did around human men.
Danielle bit her lip. It almost felt like, with them, she had a future she’d never considered before.
Another hour passed in the company of the females of Bedvir’s mita before all of the females mixed. Another hour of talking, sharing gossip, making back alley deals, eating, laughing, and drinking passed before the men appeared. They sought their females, slowly, getting in on the conversations, then peeled them away. Small family groups formed; fires were lit in sand pits as the sun sank beneath the horizon. The pink sky giving way to purple, dark lavender before finally darkening to eggplant once the sun finally disappeared under the horizon.
Throughout all of this, the sand glittered, small reflective grains catching the light as it twinkled. It was breath-taking.
‘Danielle, turn around,’ Aerdan said. They were sat around a beach fire, watching the green flames from the driftwood they’d used to build it.
Danielle frowned and turned, looking in the direction he nodded.
It was like a movie she’d seen years ago, though not nearly as dramatic.
In subtle shades of blue and purple, the forest became even more bioluminescent than it appeared in shadow, during the day. Danielle gasped.
‘Would you like to go for a walk in the forest?’
Danielle looked up at Bedvir, who was smiling at her, having taken his feet. Something was happening. Something was going on, and when she looked at Aerdan and Haddis, she could see the same expressions of tenderness on their faces that Bedvir had on his.
She looked at Sidha and Bedvir, who were standing. ‘We’re not going with you, love,’ Sidha said. ‘We have our own appointment in the trees.’
Kentor winked at her before the two of them left, heading for the tree line along with dozens, if not hundreds of other people.
Danielle began to shake. She couldn’t say why; all she knew was her nerves clashed with her excitement, but it was the excitement she was determined to listen to.
Standing, she took Bedvir’s hand and let him lead their party into the trees.
The sounds from the beach fell away as they let the lights of the trees, the leaves, and mosses covering tree bark lead them.
It was like a fairy tale. Even through the canopy, she could see the purple sky and stars captured there. They glittered like jewels, like the way the leaves glittered every time the wind rose with a susurration, whipping them around.
Other people, couples, trios, and more in groupings that made their family fell away, or lay together, passion overtaking them.
Again, Danielle’s nerves rose, fluttering the way the leaves fluttered. Her breath caught in her throat and an impending feeling of something trembled in her belly. That feeling fed something heavier and more delicious lower down.
They walked past all the other groups, deeper into the forest, away from the ships and market and beach until they could no longer hear any of the revelry taking place there.
They walked until they found a small pond.
The night sky reflected in its surface. The lights of the leaves, which on closer inspection Danielle realised was a glowing fluid moving around the leaves’ venous system.
They led her to a small bank next to the pond where a blanket already lay.
* * *
Danielle eyed the blanket in front of her. ‘Someone’s already here,’ she said, her trepidation clear to hear in her voice.
‘I brought the blanket here earlier,’ Bedvir said, leading her over to it and kneeling, encouraging her to following.
‘What’s going on here, guys?’ Danielle asked, even though she knew.
‘We want to show you something,’ Aerdan said, kneeling. He looked up at her, his purple eyes almost glowing. ‘Will you join us?’
Haddis walked up behind her, his body falling into line against hers.
‘Stay with us, Danielle.’
She didn’t think he meant here, this night.
Still shaking, she sat down on the blanket.
What were they doing?
Haddis settled in behind her. ‘I’m here if you wish to lean against me,’ he said.
There was a leaf, a foot or so away on the ground. It still glowed, on
e of a few among a lot of leaves that didn’t. Danielle reached out. Seeing her hand shaking, she pulled it back and swallowed.
‘I don’t understand what’s happening,’ she said. She stared at the leaf, too afraid to look at them.
‘It seems Haddis has, for his youth, been much wiser than Bedvir or I.’
Bedvir grunted in agreement.
‘What do you mean?’ Danielle asked.
‘I’ve always believed the three of us would take the same female as our mate,’ Haddis said. His voice was low and full of emotion.
‘The three… the same…’ Danielle swallowed again despite how dry her throat was.
‘I’m sorry I’ve been so foolish as to not see it,’ Aerdan said, moving a little closer.
‘Danielle, are we frightening you?’ Bedvir asked, his rough voice was low and did something to the settling butterflies in her stomach.
‘Yes,’ she admitted, her voice barely a whisper.
The three males went still. ‘Do you want us to stop?’ Aerdan asked, ‘Do you want us to take you back to the beach?’
Her answer was stuck in her throat, refusing to be swallowed or released. She shook her head instead.
‘I know you fear intimacy,’ Aerdan whispered. ‘We will take this at your speed. We will only go as far as you wish to go.’ His fingers stroked her cheek, and Danielle closed her eyes at the tingles that spread over her face, down her neck, and shot through her spine until her whole body jerked violently in reaction.
‘You were arguing—’
‘We’ll never do that again,’ Aerdan said.
‘Don’t lie to her,’ Bedvir said reproachfully. ‘We’ll argue all the time, just not about you. Not about this.’
Aerdan smiled. ‘As Bedvir says. We are united in this. We want you, and hope you want us.’
Everything they said seemed to be too good to be true. It was too perfect, and she’d had perfect before.
Back at uni, she’d met a guy who was training to be a therapist. He’d recognised the signs of her trauma while they became closer than friends. He’d confronted her and promised to help. Through their relationship, he’d help her regain the ability to be intimate with people, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Everything had gone great at first, and he’d promised a slow exploration of her boundaries, helping her to push them over months when she felt comfortable trying, until she was capable of being intimate with him.
