The Commander's Fated Mate

by Lily Anton

  “Your fertility levels. Our age range for our Human/Debir Initiative has been restricted to women between twenty to twenty-nine years of age. This is most intriguing. Further research is needed.”

  “I’m going to assume that you did not realize that checking one’s fertility levels without consent is usually frowned upon.”

  Opho’s eyes flashed a brighter shade of violet, taking in the humans uncomfortable expression.

  “Apologies. Determining fertility levels is part of a routine examination for my people. I believed you would find the information to be good news.”

  Reminding herself of the major cultural differences, Leila let her frustration go with a bemused sake of her head. “That is understandable. However, for us, it is not part of a routine examination, and my fertility levels are irrelevant as I have no desire to ever be pregnant or have children.”

  Opho’s skin flashed brightly. “Is this...normal for human females?”

  “Some. Not everyone wants children or to have their bodies ripped apart by pregnancy, among many other reasons.”

  “I see…” Opho had quickly retrieved his tablet again, typing away rapidly on it and seemingly forgetting Leila was even sitting there.

  “Opho…the clothes?”

  “Hmm?” he looked up from his tablet briefly. “Oh, yes. Clothes. Unfortunately I was only able to procure more formal clothing. Our uniforms were not designed for your shape, in particular your mammary glands.”

  Leila bit back a laugh at his use of clinical verbiage and straightforwardness, holding out her hand for the items. Or rather, a pair of soft slippers and a single piece of clothing which turned out to be a long navy blue dress that appeared more gown-like than dress. Somehow it had been hemmed quickly at the bottom to allow for her height.

  Unfortunately, there were pieces of fabric dangling from the sides that she had no idea what to do with.

  “I have zero idea how this dress works.”

  “Oh,” he cleared his throat, looking at the garment with the same level of confusion that she was. “Perhaps Caleza will be of some assistance.”

  Two minutes later and Caleza had seen much more of Leila’s body than she’d expected, the young girl chattering away as if she hadn’t been in danger earlier that day.

  The long pieces of fabric that Leila had not understood were apparently wrapped around the upper torso, securing the bust area before wrapping the way up neck and back down again.

  Thankfully there had been enough fabric to support her breasts as the young Debir asked several questions about breast sizes and their purpose.

  “I hear human females have medical procedures done to increase their size…” Caleza whispered as if it were a great secret, tying the fabric in a final bow behind Leila’s back.

  “That’s true. And some have medical procedures to make them smaller too,” she pointed out much to the girl’s astonishment, smoothing her hands down the blue fabric.

  The flowy gown may not have been revealing exactly, but her cleavage was certainly prominent underneath the tight fit up top. At least they wouldn’t be flopping all over the place and was comfortably covered although having double D cups could make almost anything more provocative than usual.

  Despite the constant chatter since she had woken up, Leila found her new friend’s curiosity refreshing, allowing the girl to take her on a tour after assuring her that it was allowed and that she looked presentable.

  Somehow she had been thoroughly cleaned while she had been asleep, her hair even looking like she had just flat ironed it like she had that morning. Considering it had probably been caked in blood earlier, she appreciated not having to worry about it.

  And thus their tour commenced, Leila being led out of the medical sector, finding out that they were in one of the dozen buildings that encompassed the massive complex, all connected via a large outdoor park.

  It was beautiful.

  “You guys like coffee?”

  The question came as they passed an actual coffee kiosk that was set up down a large corridor, a line consisting of both humans and Debirs waiting patiently.

  “Yes! Coffee has become a very popular drink with us! We enjoy it very much! But this line is too long. We will go to building four.”

  Leila hadn’t even mentioned wanting coffee, but she wasn’t about to pass on that as she allowed herself to be led outside and down a path that led them through the park. Despite Caleza’s excitement, she slowed her pace so Leila didn’t have to rush to keep up.

  It quickly became apparent that Caleza was only on Earth after begging her mother to take her as an assistant while she researched and catalogued Earth’s flora and fauna. While the young Debir enjoyed talking about the embassy and all the Earth things she was curious about, Leila’s eyes were taking in all the Debirs that they passed, still quietly in awe.

  There were so many different skin colors, and so many with long hair adorned with small braids and jewelry. A select few had short hair more similar to human styles, but Leila figured it may just be something they saw among humans and decided to try themselves.

  Any self-consciousness she had about her attire had been forgotten with her fascination.

  “Here we are, building four,” Caleza said, speaking rapidly with someone behind the security screen who allowed them through the scanners and into the building proper.

  A large fountain, larger than any Leila had ever seen within a building, took up the center of it, its height several stories up with vines and other greenery surrounding it. Birds could be heard chirping up above them, and Leila could have sworn she spotted a parrot of some kind perched somewhere overhead.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  Caleza appeared pleased by her reaction, but drew her attention to a coffee vendor off to the side, two Debirs just leaving with drinks in hand.

  Leila looked back over at the fountain. “So what is this building for exactly?”

  “It’s for physical activity and submerging,” the Debir replied cheerfully, practically skipping over to where a young human man stood by and smiled when they approached.

  “Hi Cali!”

  The young man behind the counter smiled brightly at Caleza, and Leila didn’t miss how her new friend flashed a bright blue in response.

  Biting back a smile, Leila introduced herself to the young man named Daniel, who assured them both that their drinks were on the house when she realized she had left her handbag back in the medical sector and hadn’t wanted Caleza to pay for her.

  “I don’t want him getting in trouble for giving us free drinks,” Leila pointed out, both her and Caleza holding cafe lattes in their hands.

  This whole was becoming more and more surreal with each passing minute.

  “It’s fine. In exchange, I sometimes bring him with me when I know there’s a tournament or recruitment rounds! He loves those.”

  Leila had no idea what she was talking about. “Tournament?”

  “Yes!” her eyes lit up in excitement. “Or sometimes it’s just some sparring matches. I’ll show you!”

  It was impossible not to hold back her laugh as she hurried to catch up with her friend, grateful that her gown had been hemmed short enough not to trip on as she made her way down corridors that smelled strangely like Christmas trees of all things.

  The scent only grew stronger before Caleza was pushing open a large door, revealing what was inside.

  Leila halted in her tracks.

  “Wow…”

  The space was entirely taken up by a large pool, although ‘pool’ seemed too minor a descriptor for what was in front of them.

  It was a giant body of water that looked to be the size of a sports stadium, its crystal clear water obviously unchlorinated and illuminated by some sort of light system below.

  While they had entered at surface level, there was step seating around them, slowly descending towards the base of the enormous tank. It looked at least twenty feet deep from where they were standing looking down, a
nd whatever container the water was being held in was perfectly transparent.

  “This is where we come to submerge. It is a little similar to your human swimming pools although we do not add those horrible chemicals.”

  Leila smiled at the look of disgust on the girl’s face but still looked in awe of everything. “No, this smells...it smells almost like Christmas trees...it’s amazing.”

  “It is similar to the smell of water on our home world” Caleza explained, taking Leila’s free hand and leading her down towards the bottom via a ramp nearby.

  They walked some of the length of the pool, Leila hearing the echoed shouts and cheers coming from around the first bend.

  A group of twenty or so Debir were seated, all paying close attention to whatever was happening in the water.

  “Looks like it’s just a sparring match but it should be fun!” Caleza said before speaking rapidly in her native tongue.

  Whatever she was saying caused the displeasure of a few Debir that she was apparently convincing to move over. Their displeasure at being made to do so was then tempered by their surprise as Caleza pointed at her.

  Leila saw numerous sets of colored eyes on her and did her best to keep a polite smile on her face and nod her head in thank you; if the shoe were on the other foot then she’d probably be staring as well.

  Still, it was a relief when they all settled back down, resuming their whistling and cheering.

  It wasn’t until she had taken a proper seat and taken a sip of her latte that she realized there were two Debir in the tank, close enough for spectators to easily see what was going on.

  Unlike humans, who alternated their kicks to traverse through water, the Debir looked like they glided through it, the webbing between their toe-like appendages making their movements appear near effortless.

  Both Debirs had on what looked like the bottom half a wetsuit. They were also shirtless, their muscular torsos flexing and curving with each turn they made.

  “That is Tanni,” Caleza pointed a finger at a Debir with olive colored skin and pale blue eyes.

  Leila nodded, noting that Tanni was smaller although slightly faster than his counterpart in the water.

  Caleza continued on, pointing at the more muscular Debir with skin that was a pearlescent gray that shimmered spectacularly when it caught in the light. “That is Ezon. He and his brother were the ones that helped us.”

  Leila sucked in a breath just as she had taken a sip of her drink, coughing badly and drawing the concern of those around her. It took several seconds for her to clear her throat and assure everyone she was okay.

  Thankfully the Debirs in the water took that moment to swim directly towards one another, kicking each other with their legs and somehow managing to punch through water hard enough to land blows.

  It was beautiful yet violent all the same, and Leila wasn’t sure she saw the enjoyment in this that everyone else around her did but her eyes were glued on one figure alone.

  “Ezon is very skilled,” Caleza commented, making Leila wonder if the Debir beside her knew just how fascinated she was.

  Despite not having the lean build of his opponent, Ezon looked like he could predict Tanni’’s movements, landing blows that made Tanni stop his offensive moves and begin to circle cautiously.

  It was strange and new and erotic in a way that Leila hadn’t expected it to be and she had no idea how long they sat there, watching the two men practically dance beneath the water, neither one coming up for air.

  Eventually, the sound of chimes echoed throughout the air, causing those seated beside them to groan in disappointment as they began to stand up and leave the seating area, many casting her curious glances as they did so.

  “Time for sparring is over now so others may submerge,” Caleza explained. “Everyone is allowed time here regardless of purpose.”

  Leila nodded, looking back towards the tank and startling slightly.

  Two oval shaped eyes of gold were staring directly at her, the Debir floating towards the glass in her direction.

  His eyes pinned her in place with their intensity and all of sudden...she was completely lost.

  She found herself dragging her gaze down his face and neck, pausing ever so briefly on his large shoulders that were responsible for powering two arms of smooth muscle and large hands that very likely could have wrapped around her waist with ease.

  His chest was chiseled to perfection, and thankfully his lower half was covered or she’d be in trouble.

  As her gaze traveled back up his body, Leila found that same intense stare still directed at her, gold eyes flashing silver for just a moment.

  The large imposing Debir had barely moved in the water, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “Leila?”

  At the sound of her name, she found Caleza looking at her in confusion before the Debir looked at Ezon...and then back at her...and then back at Ezon…

  Leila didn’t like the small smile Caleza had right now and quickly stood up, ignoring how Ezon had remained still as she had begun to walk away.

  She was walking so fast that her new friend had to work to keep up with her.

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, goosebumps breaking out across her skin, knowing deep down that those eyes were still following her movements.

  It was impossible to ignore her body’s ridiculous reaction as she could feel her nipples harden beneath her gown, the heaviness of her breasts and the heat curling in her belly making everything all the more...wrong.

  ‘You’re almost out of here. Hang the fuck the on.’

  As they finally made their way back up to the main doors, Leila eventually took a shaky breath that she hoped Caleza didn’t notice.

  Ever the calm, cool, and collected one...whatever had just happened was definitely new.

  “Thanks for the tour but I think it’s best if I head back to the other building and see if I can get cleared to leave.”

  She hoped it wouldn’t be taken personally, but needs must.

  Still, she hated to see the look of disappointment on Caleza’s face, her skin flashing a darker shade of blue.

  “I’m sorry,” Leila insisted softly. “You’ve been a lovely host. Maybe we can see each other again?”

  At the suggestion, Caleza smiled brightly, her pointed teeth visible, nodding her head.

  “Yes! I would love that!”

  The Debir’s excitement at Leila’s suggestion made her feel better, some of the tension in her body leaving her as she promised that they could stay in touch.

  The further away they got from the smell of pine, the better she felt as they made their way back to the main entrance of the building, waving again to Daniel for the drinks.

  The walk through the park was pleasant, and by the time they made it back to the medical sector and towards the room she had been found in, Opho wasn’t far behind, happily announcing that her clothes had been laundered and should be arriving soon.

  Now that she had put space between her and the golden eyed Debir, the need to rush off diminished, although there was no point in dragging her feet to leave either.

  With another health scan to ensure she was alright, Leila was given the all clear (and thankfully no mention of her fertility levels) and was taken to a bright, airy room down the hall.

  The floor to ceiling windows wrapped around one half of the space, its position on the tenth floor giving her a lovely few of the park below.

  “It’s better than waiting in the medical room,” Caleza said, insisting she wait with her.

  Leila was fairly certain the Debir just didn’t want her to go.

  Unfortunately, a chirp of the young woman’s comms unit had her flinching, and even Leila could hear the angry tones of a female on the other end.

  Caleza now sported the look of every adolescent that had gotten in trouble with their parents and didn’t want to admit they’d done anything wrong.

  “Go. You don’t need any more trouble today do you?” Leila remin
ded, a pointed look on her face.

  Apparently Debirs were very much capable of pouting. “Probably not.”

  With a sigh, Caleza said her goodbyes, asking for Leila’s phone number before trudging off.

  Taking a seat, Leila tried to relax and focus on the view in front of her, not particularly wanting to process much of what had happened today, especially the staring match she’d somehow gotten into towards the end of it.

  Whatever her body’s reaction, the combination of stress, adrenaline, and the novelty of a Debir’s anatomy were clearly to blame. She wasn’t some horny woman that threw herself on people or had such strong physical reactions...ever.