by Erin Raegan
I answered honestly. “No. It was―” I blew a gusty stream of air. “It was consensual.”
“My mate bestowed me with a kyss.” Tahk grinned proudly. Vivian choked. Her eyes widened on his sharp fangs.
“What is kyss?” Yilt looked to Tahk, then his palms. “Where is it?”
“No, it’s not an actual thing.” My face flushed more. “You kissed him?” Vivian squealed. Tahk, Yilt, and Fihk flinched.
“You are brave girl, but why would you do such a fool thing?” Colt also looked at Tahk’s deadly mouth in astonishment.
“Fool? My mate is not a fool!” Tahk took a threatening step towards the old man.
I gripped his arm, Viv and Colt didn’t miss it. “A kiss is a gesture of humans. Like a thank you?” How else could I explain my insanity. Strangely I didn’t regret it though.
Tahk eyed me, “It was a show of feelings,” he corrected me. Viv and Colt both choked. “We mouth mated.” They choked again. Colt’s got a little out of hand and turned into a full coughing fit. Yilt jumped back and eyed him wearily.
“Are you okay, Mr. Colt?” Vivian rushed to him and pounded his back.
Colt scowled at her and pushed her away. “You are messin’ with my delicate sensibilities, I don’t need to hear about ya makin’ out with an alien bat.”
“Do you insult me human?” Tahk growled again and took another step forward.
“Tahk, he’s not.” I pushed against his chest.
“Old men aren’t used to hearin’ about a young lady’s conquests.” Colt shook his head.
“She kissed him, that’s hardly inappropriate,” Vivian scolded him.
“We all heard her noises! That there was a conquering!”
I was going to burst into flames if we kept talking about this.
“Now that is inappropriate!” Vivian hissed at him. “Peyton, no one’s judging you.” Vivian held out her hands earnestly. “But he’s an alien.”
“Later. Okay, Viv?” She didn’t look like she was ready to drop it, but she nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“My lord, congratulations on your mating.” Fihk bowed, and Yilt did the same. Colt snorted.
“Many thanks, gather the Lieutenants on board, and comm the council.” Tahk dropped his hand to the small of my back but didn’t try to push me away from Vivian. “My mate needs clothes and sustenance.” Yilt nodded and left, and Fihk guided us to the great hall.
We were quiet on the walk there. Each lost in our own thoughts. Bobo was happy to follow along. He licked my hands. At one point he shoved his snout into my crotch― Colt looked horrified enough for the both of us and barked his name. Tahk observed the exchange with clear suspicion but didn’t comment. He looked a little peeved at the dog though and moved closer to hook and arm around my waist. Viv watched his every move with distrust.
There were a few Dahk in the hall, and each stood and bowed to Tahk when we entered. Colt stood straighter under the scrutiny and glared at them all. Once we sat, Fihk left to go to the back where they kept the food. It was silent while he was gone, I felt like Tahk was biting back words as Colt glared at him. He rubbed his face but remained silent. Vivian’s eyes kept bouncing between Tahk and I, but she was silent as well.
Looked like I was going to have to start. At least with this, I was happy to have some good information to quell the silence. “Viv, Tahk’s going to take us to the ranch.” My breathy statement hung in the air, my excitement coating every word in hope. She stared and stared at me. Her blood shot eyes tearing up and spilling over.
“Really?” Her hands shook beside her, and they hung in the air like she wanted to reach for me but was too shocked to move. I nodded, my own eyes watering. A sob escaped, and she threw herself at me. Tahk was sitting on my other side, so he took the brunt of our combined weight as I fell into him.
“You get yourself some, and suddenly we’re free?” Colt was not so easily convinced. He was vibrating with doubt and not a small amount of anger.
“My mate has told me of the Veeveen’s Hyctoor. He will have the means to give us the approval we seek to combat the Vitat.” Tahk glared back at Colt in challenge.
Colt was startled enough to look away from the Commander. “Your young man knows the president?” Colt did not look excited, more offended Vivian may know of someone who knew someone that knew the president. Not that she did. Or I didn’t know if she did, but I was pretty sure Hector didn’t know the president. Vivian sniffled and scrunched her brows in confusion.
“His military commander may grant approval.” Tahk corrected him.
Colt’s eyebrows shot up and he grinned cracked, yellow stained teeth. “Your man’s in the army?”
“The marines.” She sniffled.
Colt scowled again and crossed his arms. Bobo woofed.
Fihk dropped several plates and cups on the table and sat down beside Colt. “I have sent for clothing for Pehytohn.”
Tahk nodded and pulled a plate closer to him. He grabbed a piece of the cotton candy pineapple fruit and held it out to me between two claws. “Eat, my yula.”
My stomach growled. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until just then. I licked my lips. Tahk watched avidly. When I went to reach for it, he pulled it away and brought it my lips. “Eat.”
I sighed resigned and closed my mouth around the fruit, my tongue meeting the bottom of his thumb. He groaned. Colt snorted and grabbed his own plate, woofing down the food. He grabbed another and dropped it on the floor for Bobo. I was too hungry this time to worry about the meat they were eating.
Vivian was still sniffling, so I turned and pulled a plate forward for her. “Eat Viv.”
She shook her head and rested it on my shoulder. “When do we go home?”
“After I debrief my council, I will select a small crew and we will go,” Tahk murmured and picked another piece of fruit to hand feed me.
“Go?” Fihk asked and sipped at a mug of steaming liquid.
“We go to my mate’s home,” Tahk repeated our objective to Fihk.
“This is good news.” He grinned at Vivian. She smiled tremulously back.
“How will you keep the carnivorous aliens from finding out about you, fella?” Colt scrutinized Tahk. I had the same worries. Tahk wanted to keep their involvement secret until they could engage the Vitat. My land was isolated, but aliens had technology to travel the universe surely, they would notice a Dahk ship. And this would be the second time. How would Tahk keep their presence discreet without having to take down every Vitat ship that spotted them.
“We will be cloaked. We were before when we saw you, but the Vitat’s arrival was a threat we could not ignore. There is little chance they spotted us before we engaged, but you were the first humans we came across not in packs. We could not risk staying invisible and not finding such a small group again.” Tahk pushed more food against my lips.
I pulled back. “You were there the whole time?” Were they watching us before the Vitat even showed up?
Tahk nodded and pushed more food against my lips. When I refused to eat he sighed and put it down. “I could not know what you would become to me Pehytohn. We knew very little of humans, as we still do. We watched your interactions to decide on the right measures to seize you.”
I scowled at him.
“My mate, we came to your aid, did we not?”
“After those bastards were on top of us!” Colt thundered and slammed his cup down.
“Bahstyrrds?” Fihk looked to Colt.
Colt huffed and waved at Tahk. “Well?”
“You were a member of your military Cohlt, yes?”
Colt puffed his chest. “The army.” He shot Vivian accusing eyes. She looked to me bewildered. I shook my head. Now was not the time to engage Colt on the military branch war he desperately wanted to start.
“Then you know what it is to measure risk against reward,” Tahk said knowingly. I was still affronted, but Colt nodded back to him in agreement and turned his attention to his food again, matter settl
ed. “I was hesitant to engage the Vitat,” he told me solemnly. “The Vitat are no match for the Dahk, but your people are not equipped to handle the hive. Given the Dahk’s necessary involvement on behalf of earth, I felt alerting them of our presence may have been too great a risk for the success of a stealthy attack in the coming war. I am a male of honor, and at the time it was a fair argument I had with myself whether to step in or not. But now having known the touch of my warm mate, I find myself ashamed I almost decided to abandon our endeavor.”
Vivian sighed dreamily. “Pehytohn, I would have kissed him too.” I shot her a furious glare. I would not think about how the idea of her kissing Tahk enraged me. Nope, not thinking about it.
“I will only take my yula’s kyss,” Tahk told her firmly. Vivian made more approving sounds and squeezed my arm.
“What does yula mean?” She asked him all breathy sex-kitten-esque. I glared at my cup.
“Star.” Fihk flashed Tahk a teasing grin.
“My Pehytohn’s eyes glow of the Dahk’s closest dying yula. It is beautifully amber tinted. Radiating power and gentle surrender.” Tahk’s ears flushed but he held my eyes with some great meaning I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
Vivian sighed dreamily again and sat her chin in her hand. At this rate Vivian would be Tahk’s greatest fan. She fell in love with Hector the moment she met him. She told me he had saved her from a slippery road one winter two years ago. She was on her way to work, wearing her sky-high heels and hit a patch of black ice on the sidewalk. Hector had been walking behind her, no doubt watching my best friend strut her stuff down the road like every other warm-blooded man, but when he saw her go down he swooped in and saved her from an ugly fall. She swooned and won him over with one look of her sky-blue kind eyes. He may have had her attention after that, but it wasn’t until he gallantly walked her to work, saving her from any future falls, and left to grab her a pair of sneakers to leave with the receptionist with a sweet note written on the box to be ready for her escort home that evening, that she fell hard.
Viv was a sucker for romance, and Hector gave her that in spades. I never knew a man to be so devoted. My father loved my mother, but they fought and bickered. They got on each other’s nerves more times than I could count. My mother often accused my father of cheating and he would get angry enough with her to ignore her for days. I had never seen Hector look at Vivian with anything other than complete and fervent love.
“Tahk, the council is ready.” Yilt bowed after approaching the table. Vivian shook off the starry-eyed look and gripped my arm hard.
Tahk nodded and stood. He leaned down to nuzzle my neck. “Eat,” he commanded and left.
Colt burped and turned to Fihk. “Alright now, batman, how ‘bout you start explaining what was in that there needle you shot in my behind.”
Chapter 21
Tahk
“I will not discuss my mate with you,” Tahk thundered over the loud complaints of my council. The meeting was to be to discuss the mission to my mate’s House. Instead, the Klando and Jirt used my time as means to try and convince me to set her aside. I would not hear another word of it.
“My Lord, it must be discussed. You cannot mean to take her back to home world. The Dahk will not accept her. Her very presence will cause pandemonium,” Klando scowled. I did not care, the views of one Dahk did not make up all of Dahk. She would be under intense scrutiny yes, but she was a sign of hope our people may find a Pythe, or Pythen in outside species. We could procreate from a matched coupling, yes, but it was difficult, and our numbers were dwindling. But a mating? Our people would thrive. Dahk grew more powerful from a mating. The bond eradicated disease, strengthened the body, and soothed the mind.
I was already beginning to feel the effects of our mating. I had never felt so full of power. Our offspring would be even more so. That the King may have a chance at a mating? It was a marvel. King Aryx was not a son of a mating, his father, the Old King, having lost his mate during the mating rage. A mating bond would empower our King and give him the offspring he desperately wanted on the throne. As of now, no matched coupling had gifted him such. And he had tried with many, many female Dahk.
It would be unprecedented to have a mixed race on the throne if he were able to mate a human and gain offspring, but he needed an heir, or the throne would be open for succession causing a worldwide war we were not prepared to fight. We had too many outside enemies to risk fighting amongst ourselves. I also understood the council’s worries, for if he did mate a human, the very species could cause and uproar and possible contention. But as Commander of the King’s army’s, I knew my Dahk. Not all were as small minded as the council. Most would welcome such a joyous reward as a true mating bond. It was too early in my own mating to worry over the politics of other possible matings. I would let my King decide.
His claws would be full with this lot. His own council much larger, would be more of a battle.
“I said enough!” I roared over their incessant squabbling.
The council quieted. I looked to my friend, Uthyf. We grew from babe’s together. He had remained silent through Klando and Jirt’s grievances. I hoped he did not have the same concerns. As the King’s brother I knew if he did they would be for the people, and not petty opinions. I did not get any negative airs from him after my mating rage. He had stayed as witness, of which I was grateful, but he also had not given his felicitations as my Dahk had done. “Uthyf, you have informed the King?”
Uthyf was the King’s brother. They had different Mam’s, Aryx the son of their First Mother, and Uthyf the son of their Third. Uthyf was older than Aryx, but as his Third Mother’s position in the King’s House, Uthyf did not gain the throne. The Old King passed his succession onto his second, and only other son. Aryx and Uthyf were true brothers, there was no ill will between the two, and Aryx often sought Uthyf’s ear on matters he needed true council. Only Uthyf was aware of King Aryx’s reasons for saving the human species. Though more I thought on it, and my mate, I wondered if the King knew more on outer species mating than any knew.
It would explain his insistence of their survival.
“Yes, my Lord. He is aware and sends his greetings. He wishes to bless your mating when we return. He has informed your House. There was much celebrating,” Uthyf spoke without inflection. I grinned, that was good news. The King already felt the miracle of my mating then. “I will send another comm after our meeting to inform him of your plan to return to Earth and gain approval from Earth’s leaders.”
“If you would, ask him to send the Galactic Order a summons. I want them ready to approve the agreement. There is no time to waste.”
Uthyf nodded and clicked off the comm. Klando and Jirt scowled heavily at their comm screens. I waved them away as well. I had no wish to encourage their ill placed vexations. Let them discuss my downfall on their own. They would not succeed.
Leaving the command deck, I sought out my mate. I wished to spend more time with her before we traveled to her House.
I found her roaming the visual deck with her companions. They were staring out the large glass screens showcasing the docking bay. We had four smaller travel ships. One of which we would take to her House. They were simple flyers, much smaller than this ship that I had taken to Earth to capture her. It would be much easier to mask in the Earth’s atmosphere. Beyond the docking bay was open space. Pehytohn had seen the beauty of it when traveling to Dahk One, but she seemed greatly pleased to be showing Veeveen, Cohlt, and the booboo.
“My mate,” I called to her. She spun around and met me with wide eyes. “We leave in two dimtides. I will take you to my quarters to bathe.” She was already wearing the clothes Fihk had provided her. They were too large breeches, and a long tunic that fell to her knees. Her clawless toes peeked out from the hem of the leather. Her hands grasped at the waist band to keep them aloft. She was bewitching in the shapeless clothes, but they belonged to another Dahk, and I would have her wear no others but my own.
“Dimtides is hours?” She asked licking a plump goliv berry colored lip.
“Yes,” I growled stalking closer to her. I would have that lip bestow upon me another kyss.
“Yay!” Veeveen squealed, startling all Dahk nearby, myself included. My hima canals were adjusting to the human’s high pitch, but not all Dahk on my battle ship were so lucky. Some dropped to floor in pain. I snorted, the Vitat had a similar defensive power, but the Veeveen could bring them down low with her high screeching.
“Come with me, mate,” I held out a hand for her. She looked to it wearily. Time, I reminded myself. My mate needed time to warm to me.
“Go on, Pey,” Veeveen urged. When Peyton still looked nervous Veeveen patted her arm. “You do kind of stink,” she whispered. My mate stared aghast. “Colt and I got a shower while you were gone.” Veeveen looked to her sheepishly.
“We were worried for you, girl, but a man needs to wash away his stink amongst his foes.” Colt scowled at the passing Dahk.
“Where will you be?” Peyton asked them.
“They will be escorted by Yilt, he will show them around the ship,” I offered. She worried for her companions. I would not have her concerned with their welfare. I glanced at Yilt, he caught my meaning and nodded. Yilt would guard the humans. Only my most trusted Dahk accompanied me on my battle ship, but for my mate’s soft heart I would indulge her concerns.
“You’ll be okay?”
“I’m going home to Hector.” Veeveen smiled, leaking from her eyes. “What’s two more hours?”
“Okay.” My mate still looked apprehensive but padded over to me.
Anxious to have her alone, I whisked her away. Entering my quarters, she looked around with curious eyes. My quarters were smaller on the battle ship than that on my warship, and sparse. I had no reason to decorate any of my dwellings, but I found myself wishing it were homelier for her comfort. There was a sleeping platform, and a small desk to one side. Few golden glow stones lighting up her soft cheek bones. I nudged her to the bathing chamber. There was no deep bathing pool, only a small spray hose sticking out from the ceiling, a waste receptacle, and small rinsing bowl. It was not fit for my mate, but it would do for her needs.
