The man looked like a warrior prince. Viper's skin was usually a bronze sun kissed tone, but the usual subtle variations of dark and light were now in drastic contrast. The valleys between his muscles were a deep brown, giving him a super ripped appearance. It was like his entire body not just his clothes had taken on a regal appearance.
When Viper swaggered towards her, Hope took a sharp breath in. She was pretty sure she soaked her fancy panties.
Viper stepped behind Hope and clasped a chain around her neck. Just above the swell of her breast hung the most beautiful sheathed, dagger. It had a curved blade with a platinum handle encrusted with iridescent opals.
"Viper its gorgeous!"
"It pales in comparison."
Viper pulled the blade out and offered it to her. It fit nicely in the palm of Hope's hand.
"It's a traditional blade, a physical symbol of my desire to protect you."
"Thank you." Hope replied, the symbolism not lost on her. If Viper kept it up she wasn't going to be able to resist him. She barely held the leash on her heart as it was.
When Hope stepped off the ship with Viper by her side, she was greeted by a crowd of at least a thousand Anguis, gathered in the field like they'd come to witness an outdoor concert rather than a ship landing. The gathered throng cheered the instant Hyla and Adder preceded Hope and Viper off the lowered platform. It was a surreal experience seeing so many aliens in one place. Hope felt a little claustrophobic and tucked closer to Viper's side.
The air was hot though arid rather than humid. Thankfully it wasn't unbearable. Hope had to squint against the sun hovering high in the sky. Hope gaped at the large ruddy moon cresting on the horizon, she felt like she could almost reach out and touch it.
The vessel had landed not far from where the new colony would be situated. It hovered over the earth rather than marring the ground which was nice since despite the heat the area was lush similar to the Serengeti after the rainy season. The landscape was covered in patches of waist high grass and clumps of wild flowers, much like Viper had shown her on the ship. The rainbow colored flora was vibrant against the neutral tones of the earth.
The crowd cheered until Adder Rex, held up his hand.
Hope took a deep calming breath and straightened her shoulders as Adder began to speak. She did her best to not shame Viper in some unknown way, attempting to mimic Hyla's stance near Adder. Hope didn't want to embarrass him or make humans look bad.
Then again her imminent wardrobe malfunction might undo that effort. The damn band of fabric was way too narrow. Hope glanced down in horror as she felt her tits slipping free. A bead of sweat that had little to do with the heat ran down her brow. Should she tug it back up?
"What is wrong?" Viper leaned in and whispered as his father addressed the people.
Hope pointedly glanced down at her chest and Viper's eyes followed. The areola of her left boob was exposed, only her nipple keeping the fabric from slipping lower.
Viper's eyes widened and his mouth rounded with an "Oh".
"God this outfit was a joke. For a race where men growled at other men in jealousy you'd think a burqa would be the preferred attire for females. No no, they showed off their skin since it did that freaky chameleon thing." Hope silently cursed.
Viper tugged Hope against his chest and banded one arm across her breasts. Anyone watching would just assume it was a possessive gesture.
No sooner had Viper gripped her than a cheer went through the crowd.
Adder cast them an amused glance and stopped discussing the rescue and relocation of Hope's people and moved on to introduce them, seeing that the Anguis people were more interested in that detail.
"Thank you, people of Anguis Minor." Viper rumbled at her back and Hope nodded to the crowd in greeting.
It was odd being stared at by so many people, let alone alien people. Viper held her as he spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"You honor me and your new Uxorem with your warm welcome."
Another cheer erupted and Viper had to wait for it to subside before continuing.
"I am blessed to find my subeo among this great race of humans whom we have had the honor of assisting. As you can see Uxorem Hope is small of stature, but like many of her kind, brave and strong of heart. I am humbled at the generosity you have shown not just here for the humans but for many years now as we fight against the Morbo."
Another boisterous round of applause rippled through the crowd and Hope smiled up at Viper. He was quite the diplomat and apparently well received. She especially liked how he described her people to the Anguis. Humans may look small and were probably more delicate, but they were brave and strong, and generally outspoken too.
Today began a melding of their people and customs. No doubt the culture clash would take some getting used to.
Hope was relieved their public appearance was short lived. She got the distinct feeling this might be one of many. Several Anguis men that looked like guards similar to those on the ship approached Viper and Adder. Viper whispered something to one of the men who jogged off, but quickly returned with a cape.
Hope sighed in relief when Viper placed it around her shoulders. Not only did the long thin white linen material hide her lack of clothing, it covered her shoulders which were starting to to look like they might burn in the Anguis sun.
The four of them followed the guards through the crowd and Hope caught a peek of her new home.
When Viper and his father had described the temporary dwellings Hope had pictured a tent city, but this was much better. There were hundreds of pods all clumped in organized rows, along a main promenade. Each dwelling was a different color to help distinguish between them and featured a simple shape beside the door. It was a system any race might be able to use to find their assigned quarters.
The central area featured a large oblong dome at the middle. Outside the main building were tables and chairs scattered here and there that Anguis citizens sat at. Along one side of the central park was a playground, at least that's what Hope assumed, since several little Anguis children were frolicking on the unusual structures.
"I like the playground." Hope grinned up at Viper.
"It keeps the little ones busy since they usually rebound the fastest after revival." Adder smiled.
That sounded about right. Children were resilient.
"Most of the dwellings will hold five to ten people." Viper commented. "Would you like to go inside one?"
"Sure."
Viper opened the door of the first pod they came to. There was a large sitting room with seating and a dining area connected. The walls were a calmer yellow hue than the lemony color that decorated the outside, with a large shuttered window facing the main road and a colorful abstract painting on one wall. It looked like much like a chic modern hotel suite. Certainly not barren and stark like she'd expected from emergency housing.
"This area is for preparing meals but the main building has a large dining hall. Most of your people will be too overwhelmed to deal with making meals straight off."
Hope agreed. She herself didn't know half of what she was looking at in the kitchen. She followed Viper down the hall to see two bathrooms similar to the ones on the ship and five bedrooms some with two beds others with one larger bed.
The best thing about the pods were that they were air conditioned. It would've been hard on most of her people if it hadn't been, considering the temperature of the planet.
Nothing could truly make the loss of her home better, but this really went a long way. Hope was impressed and touched by how their needs had been considered. The Anguis really had out done themselves constructing all this in such a short time.
"These houses are amazing." Hope exclaimed as Viper led her back out to find Adder and Hyla waiting.
Hyla was leaning against Adder smiling at him. She almost looked sweet.
"This is really great. Thank you. It's better than what I could hope for." Hope told them truly grateful.
"Sadly we have done this before." Hyla said sounding sympathetic.
Hope wondered if Adder had encouraged her to retract the claws, or maybe Hyla was glad Hope hadn't embarrassed them earlier. She wasn't quite sure which.
"I know, I'm sorry." Hope replied and meant it. The woman had lost all but one of her children, and Viper apparently spent a lot of time traversing the galaxy fighting the strange virus. "I thought these homes were going to be glorified tents from the way you described them going up."
Hope would've never fathomed that one of these pods unfolded from a smaller cube about the size of a car, almost like an RV expands. It was shocking the Anguis considered this temporary. She knew many people who'd be content to stay in them permanently.
Apparently in the next few years a community would be built with permanent homes more like those of the not too distant Anguis metropolis. Humans could choose to mix in with the Anguis as they became acclimated or form a closer knit suburb to the town that welcomed them.
Hope was so glad the Anguis were used to other alien species. She could only imagine what chaos would ensue if a group of aliens tried to colonize the burbs back home.
"I'm glad you like them." Viper smiled as he and his parents led her towards the large building.
Hope pulled the thin wrap around her shoulders, again blessing Viper for hunting it down. She looked up to see Tara and JP along with Ophidian approach.
"This building is the main center for recreation, meals and security." Adder pointed to a large central structure.
"Is this where the medical facilities are located?" Tara asked.
"Yes, they are here too, though there is a larger hospital in town." Adder replied.
"Oh good. I like how it's in the middle of everything." Tara noted.
"Let take a look and see if it is to your liking." Viper suggested to her doctor friend. "Ophidian can introduce you to the physicians, you haven't already met from the ship who can get you acquainted with everything."
"That will be good, then we'll be ahead of the game when we wake everyone up." JP added as they entered the community center.
In no time at all close to five hundred humans would be swarming the place, with ten times more arriving in the weeks to come.
The dining area was massive like a highschool cafeteria.
"So where will we be staying?" Hope asked Viper.
Hope paused as she realized how quickly she'd gotten used to the idea of shacking up with Viper.
"The prime household for Anguis Minor is just inside the city." Hyla stated.
"Oh."
Hope hadn't realized she wouldn't be close to her people or her friends. Viper saw her concern and shook his head at his mother.
"No, there is a smaller pod near central command that we will occupy, so I can oversee everything."
"Eventually you will be expected to return to Anguis Prime." Hyla argued. "I expect you to settle down now." She looked from Viper to Hope with an expectant expression.
It was amusing how Anguis females seemed more docile and meek on the surface, but in Hyla's case it was a bit of a ruse. The woman was opinionated especially where Viper was concerned. Hope couldn't blame her even if she was bearing the brunt of her angst. Hope was doing her best to not take it personal. She couldn't get a bead on the woman. Hope didn't know if Hyla felt like she was losing Viper to an alien or if she was pleased at the prospect Viper might have a reason to stay closer to home.
"Well my filius, I'm going to get your mother settled in town and then we'll return for dinner." Adder nodded to Viper as he led Hyla out.
"Let's go see how you like out pod." Viper led Hope through the recreation building towards the opposite side.
Hope glanced through a set of doors and smiled as she noticed Tara and JP touring the clinic, both of them chattering happily. She was glad her friends had this to occupy their minds. It kept all of them from dwelling on their loss.
Viper walked past a few pods then stopped in front of a little pale blue one.
"It reminded me of your eyes." Viper smiled at her.
Hope glanced at the symbol by the door, it was three wavy lines. She lived in the blue house with three wavy lines near the community center. That was easy enough.
"Your friends and family can stay next door."
"Thank you."
Hope walked in and noted it wasn't much different from the others but someone had already put up their pictures from the ship and brought their belongings in.
"It's not much." Viper said as he pulled her into his arms.
"No it's great." She smiled.
"I need to get up to speed and check in with security. Do you want to settle in here or join me?"
"I might go find Tara and JP, or whoever you think can help me with getting everyone organized once we start waking folks up."
"Sounds good."
12 Superstar
Hope
Hope spent the next several days getting to know the Anguis that worked in the colony and preparing for the challenging task ahead. Then the slow process of reviving her fellow humans commenced, in groups of several dozen at a time. Everyone was finally awake and had been divided into three categories, disturbed, panic stricken, and freaking the fuck out. Tara gave the stages a clinical name, but that pretty much summed it up.
That later category exhibited itself in one of two ways either the person attempted to run screaming into the night or sat catatonic. This made getting their name and vital information for the database Hope created a little difficult.
Hope spent the first week after revival helping families and friends find one another and transition into the temporary housing or rearranging to live with each other. There were many public meetings where Hope, Tara, and JP spoke to large groups about what happened on Earth. Hope retold her story about the meteor strike till she was blue in the face. But she felt it was important, she didn't want her fellow humans freaking out that this was some insane plot against humanity, spouting nonsense like they'd all end up in a cooking pot or something. Hope sheepishly had to admit that had been a fear of hers in the beginning.
The native Anguis led excursions into the city nearby or out into the wild landscape showing and teaching the humans anything from the basics of the public transportation system and the market, to what animals were benign or dangerous. They attempted to give them a crash course in all the things they would need to survive though most of it could've probably been explained by an Anguis kindergartner. Hope laughed at the thought when one Anguis was doing a lesson with various foods. This fruit is edible, but it looks like this one that you might find in the wild which is poisonous.
"Note to self no eating wild plums, or anything in the wild."
It wasn't a hard concept. Hope never went out picking wild berries and chowing down back home.
The Anguis were kind, hospitable and very patient. Hope was glad that a large number of people were sane enough to be able to go on the field trips and attend the lessons. Sadly poor Tara and JP were stuck much of the time assisting the head cases. Hope didn't get out of the pod city herself, but at least she wasn't surrounded constantly by the morose or violently frightened individuals that couldn't come to terms with what had happened.
Hope was so grateful Viper realized she wouldn't feel right not staying with the others and had their dwelling set up near the communal building and infirmary. Hope thought he'd perhaps made the excuse that he needed to be there to help, so his mother didn't completely hate her, but he did work a lot. He spent much of his day organizing further housing, supplies and security. He was basically the governor of their small city.
Hope found herself looking forward to their meal breaks and their evenings together as they fell into a comfortable rhythm.
The only thing she didn't like was how the Anguis also had entertainment media. They seemed to follow one or both of them everywhere. Hope more than once had avoided going outside since they weren't allowed in any of the buildings. Viper
wanted to toss them out of the camp, but that would only make it worse. Paparazzi were the same everywhere, a damn nuisance.
"So you are going shopping with the group today?" Viper asked as he reviewed his tablet sitting on the sofa in their pod's living room.
Hope snapped out of her reverie.
"Yeah, I didn't get a chance to when they went last time." Hope replied as she pulled on a pair of sandals then paused.
It dawned on Hope that this would be the first time she and Viper would be separated by more than a short walk in the weeks since they'd met. As much as Hope wanted to go into town she was suddenly not so interested anymore.
Hope looked over at Viper as she finished buckling her shoe. She tried to catalog the intense emotion that had been growing and smoldering inside her. It was different from anything she'd been willing to admit to herself thus far. Sure she felt lust and an easy affection for Viper, and he made her feel safe not only physically but deep down. This was more than that.
The realization scared her.
Viper always looked at her with adoration and desire, but in the back of her mind Hope worried that all Viper's affection was hormone induced, and one day he'd wake up and she'd have been nothing but a phase. In the beginning it hadn't bothered her that much. However now it intruded on her thoughts more and more. If that was the case it would devastate her because help it or not Hope had seriously fallen for the man. And the longer she knew him the harder it became to guard her heart.
Hope shook her head trying to reconcile the things she felt.
"One day at a time." She coached herself.
No sense in worrying and jinxing everything. She just needed to let the pieces fall where they would. If she tried to hold on to too tight, she'd just strangle the life out of whatever they were building.
Viper stood and handed Hope a small thing that looked like a smart phone.
Viper's Hope (Anguis Defenders Book 1) Page 16
