by Luna Hunter
We bid Egon goodbye, and my uncle puts his arm around my shoulder as he leads me away. I glance back, but the alluring human female has already left.
Much to my chagrin.
So that’s what they look like…
Sure, I’ve seen human females on the ‘casts before, but that doesn’t do them any justice. The blonde one had me captivated.
“Sit down,” Torin commands me. We’re now in a study, with two leather seats in front of a window. He closes the door behind us.
I lower myself into one of the chairs.
He hands me a glass of kuhla. I accept and bring it to my lips. My throat burns as the alcohol goes down, warmth spreading throughout my body.
“You don’t like humans,” Torin says.
It’s not spoken as an accusation, but purely as a fact.
“I…”
“It’s okay,” he says. “Most Zoran’s don’t. And not entirely unjustified, I might add.”
I cock my head. “Yet we are here for your mating union with a human female.”
“I am. But I am not blind to the truth — some humans consider us enemies. They fear our strength. They see us as threat to their rule of the galaxy.”
I can’t help but scoff. “Humans are far from ruling the galaxy.”
“They are now, yes, but don’t underestimate them, Kage. Humans are resourceful and tenacious. Some day they will achieve greatness. Personally, I would rather have them as an ally than as an enemy. What about you?”
I take another sip of my kuhla as I consider the question. I thought I was here for a dumb party, and yet here is my uncle, grilling me. Truth is, I haven’t given it much thought either way. I’m not even a warrior yet — why would I be thinking about the future of our entire species?
“It’s not my place to decide,” I say. “I’m a warrior. I follow orders.”
“You’re a warrior, yes,” Torin says. “Or at least, you will be soon. But do you want war?”
“Only to defend my homeland. Only when it’s justified.”
“That’s where the problem lies. Who decides what is justified?”
I shrug. “King Vinz.”
Torin nods. “Yes, King Vinz does. And yet, before him, it was Emperor Qleiord — who our beloved King rebelled against. Don’t follow orders blindly, nephew. Be your own man.”
“What’s your point?” I say, shifting around in my seat. “Did you bring all the way here just to lecture me on Zoran history?”
He chuckles and downs the rest of his glass.
“No, Kage. I brought you here to ask if you wanted to be one of my groomsmen.”
“My what?”
“It’s a human thing,” he says with a gesture. “It means you’ll have an important part to play in this wedding, this mating union.”
“Ah. Important, you say?”
“Very,” Torin says. “This union isn’t just about me and Nora — though don’t get me wrong. That woman is my chosen, my fated mate, and I love her more than I love the world itself. That being said, this union is also about human-Zorans relations in general. Not to overstate my own importance, but this is about the future of our two races. After what happened with Siya Onyx… we need a new narrative, a new story to tell. Not one about war, but one about love. And I want you to be part of that, my nephew.”
The look on his face is very serious.
“I want you to represent me. I want you to represent our clan. I want you to represent our entire species. I have faith in you, Kage. I know you’ll be a fantastic warrior, but you need to control your temper, your urges, your raw, untapped power. Can you do that? There will be human dignitaries here, of course, but also Asir, Suuna, even Kua. All the great races will be here. Are you up to the task?”
My chest swells with pride. Representing my race is all I’ve ever dreamed of. A chance to prove my worth!
“Of course, Torin!” I say. “I won’t let you down!”
“I know you won’t.”
My mind reels with ideas. What will I do? Wrestle? Win a bare-knuckle fighting tournament? Or perhaps it’s blade on blade?
“Go to your room and rest up,” my uncle says. “Be sure to stop by the tailor on the ground floor — he’ll take your measurements and will have a suit ready for you.”
“A battle suit?” I ask, my voice rising with enthusiasm.
My uncle smirks, his eyes twinkling.
“Not exactly. The humans call it a tuxedo. It’s meant for dancing. With the human, female bridesmaids.”
Chapter Four
Zoey
“Nora!”
“Zoey!”
My cousin flings her arms around me and I hug her back tightly.
“How long has it been?”
“Too long!”
“How was your flight?”
I stretch my arms over my head and yawn. “It was long, I’m not going to lie! But by the looks of this place, it’s been worth every minute! Wow!”
A beautiful, fairy-tale like castle is perched on top of a hill. I could see it from miles away on the shuttle, but up close it’s even more mesmerizing.
“Thank you again for my ticket,” I say. “I wouldn’t have been able to afford this trip.”
“Don’t mention it,” she says. “Anything for family. Come, let me show you around!”
She grabs my arms and leads me into the castle. The doors are so high, two Zorans could stand on each others shoulders and they still wouldn’t be able to touch the ceiling. That’s saying something!
“This place is amazing,” I say. “How old is this castle?!”
“Several hundred years,” she says. “Kings and Queens have lived here. And now I’m getting married here!”
Nora squeezes my arm, and I smile at her.
“How come you have all the luck in the world?” I say. “First you hook up with a hot, dangerous alien, and now you are getting married in a castle?! What’s going on? What kind of lottery did you win?”
Nora shrugs. “Maybe it’s karma?” she laughs. “Remember, when I first met Torin he was still considered the galaxy’s most dangerous man. Humanities enemy number one! Falling in love with a man like that hardly counts as winning the lottery.”
“Ah, he was cleared on all charges in the end,” I say. “That doesn’t count.”
“There are plenty of single Zorans around, you know. In case you want to sample the alien wares, as it were.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, like any of them will be interested in me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, look at you. And me.”
My cousin is looking absolutely radiant, her summer dress bringing out the color of her eyes.
“What?!” Nora says. “You’ve always been prettier than me. You know ever since we were kids I’ve been jealous of your beautiful hair, right?”
I fidget with a lock of said hair. “Well, I’ve always been jealous of your figure.”
“Then we can be jealous together,” Nora smirks as she grabs my arms. “Look, speak of the devil! There’s Torin and a few of our groomsmen!”
My eyes follow her gaze, and then the whole world simply… stops.
Three dangerously good looking men are standing together, chatting. One of them is turquoise, and I recognize him from the invite: Torin, Nora’s husband-to-be.
The second one is green, and dressed in jet-black armor. I recognize him from the vids. That’s Egon, the leader of the Resistance.
Yet, it’s the third one that catches my attention. The purple warrior. When I look at him, everything else just… disappears. He’s so tall, so broad, he’s simply breathtaking.
Our eyes meet and I feel an electric current pass through my entire body. It’s like his gaze pierces my very soul.
“Are you listening?” my cousin says.
“S-sure,” I stammer. A bold-faced lie. Since that Zoran looked at me, the whole castle could have collapsed and I wouldn’t have noticed a damn thing.
Sh
e gently but firmly grabs my arm and pulls me away. I follow her up the stairs, too afraid to look back for my heart is still racing. Nora shows me the rest of the castle, but honestly, I barely hear a word she’s saying. I keep thinking about the purple man I saw.
Is he one of the groomsmen?
I’m not sure if I want him to be or not. I want to see him again, and at the same time, that thought scares the hell out of me. We only exchanged a simple glance, but at the same time, it felt like so much more. It felt like a minute, no, an hour. It felt like he claimed me with his steely gaze alone.
The fantastic view of the valley down below is what finally snaps me out of my wanton daydreams.
“What do you think?” Nora asks. “This is the bridal suite!”
We’re at the very top of the castle now, up one the spires and the view from up here is breathtaking.
“This is amazing!” I say. “Simply amazing!”
Nora nods. “It even has a hot tub and a sauna over there — not every part of this castle is centuries old. We won’t be using this room until the night of the wedding though, so if you want to use the sauna, just ask me for the key.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Yeah, why not? It’s just sitting here. Would be a shame not to use it.”
I file that little nugget of information away. It might come in handy this weekend…
Chapter Five
The next day
Kage
“Pull! Pull! Pull!”
I grab the rope and pull again, yanking it as hard as I can. My fingers burn as the rope slips through my grasp, my feet firmly planted into the ground.
“Come on, is that all you got?! Pull!”
We — all the groomsmen, each one of us a powerful Zoran in his own right — are playing tug of war, and I am desperate to prove that I am an asset to my team. These Zorans are some of the most powerful warriors the universe has ever seen.
Egon. Kazim. Dost. The list goes on.
I need to focus. I need to prove myself. These people are my heroes. They took down Onyx, they saved our kind. This is my chance.
Instead, I keep thinking about the human female. About her hair, her eyes, her lips.
Her cunt.
My feet slips and we come tumbling over, all at once. I’m buried in a sea of colorful limbs, internally cursing myself for letting my arousal get the best of me once more. This is not befitting of a Zoran of my stature and ability.
I dust myself off as the other team celebrates. I mumble an apology to my side and head over to Torin.
“What more do you have planned this weekend?” I ask, trying to appear nonchalant.
I’m actually interested in learning more about the human females and their activities.
“Are you that eager to dance?” he laughs. “Did you visit the tailor yet? Nice man, that Valentino.”
“I did,” I answer. I’m not a fan of the way human men dress themselves, but it’s not my place to complain. It’s Torin’s union, and if he wants me to wear some ridiculous costume, then that’s what I’ll do. “I just want to know what I’m getting into.”
“Very well, nephew. Today is men’s-day,” Torin says. “I believe that’s how the humans call it. The females are having a female-day.”
“What goes on there?” I ask. I can hardly imagine them having a tug-of-war. My curiosity is piqued, however.
“You do not want to know, young one,” Torin smirks. “Next up for is is the mud-wrestle, of course. Ready to avenge yourself?”
“I will wipe the floor with you, old man,” I growl.
“That’s more like it.”
“What will we do tomorrow, though?”
“Tomorrow? You’ll see.”
“A hint?” I ask. “That’s all I’m asking.”
“I promised Nora I wouldn’t tell.”
“Technically, you’re not yet mated, right?” I say, trying every angle I can. “So you can still tell me.”
“Technically? Perhaps,” Torin laughs. “Realistically, however, we were mated the moment I laid eyes on her. I felt it in my very bones, my very fiber… the fated bonds we have are a curious thing, nephew.”
His eyes glitter as he looks up at the castle. Somewhere inside is Nora, his fated, the one who his souls belong to.
And perhaps my soulmate is in there as well.
I push that thought way. Don’t put the brahim in front of the cart. We’ve only exchanged one glance. I don’t even know the human’s name.
Still, my uncle’s words sound too familiar. First eye-contact, a feeling in my very essence…
“It’s pretty nice, huh?” Torin says.
My uncle thought I was admiring the castle instead of lost in thought about that damn female. Good.
“It’s impressive,” I concede.
“Exactly — and it’s more than five centuries old. Our suite is at the very top, right there. Inside there’s one of the best humans inventions ever: the sauna.”
“Sah-Nah?” I say. “Sounds like something a Kua would try to feed you.”
“No, sauna,” he corrects me. “It’s like a bath, but it’s not. Ah, you’ve got to experience it to believe it. Remind me later, and I’ll give you the key.”
“The key? Are you sure?”
“We won’t be using the room until the night of the union,” he explains.
“Why?”
Torin shrugs. “Human superstitions. I don’t ask too many questions. I’ve been informed it’s best to give human females what they want when it comes to these affairs. I heard a strange story about these ritual unions. Apparently, if you don’t give the human females what they want, they could transform into bridezillas.”
“Sounds fearsome,” I say. “What exactly is it?”
Torin shakes his head. “Some type of lizard monster, I assume? It must be like a ghost story they tell their human children. Be nice to mommy or she’ll become a bridezilla and eat you flesh! That sort of thing. I’m assuming.”
“Human culture is strange,” I say. “Very strange. Why would the woman transform? They are so…”
I don’t finish my sentence, because all I can come up with is attractive. Alluring. Captivating.
Torin doesn’t need to know the nature of my obsession.
“Like I said,” Torin answers. “I don’t ask too many questions.”
The other Zorans motion for us to get back to the game. Egon and Kazim are already covered in mud as they wrestle, their muscles bulging. The two warriors are quite evenly matched, and I wonder who will win.
It doesn’t matter, though, because everyone will lose to me.
“Coming!” Torin says. He slaps me on the shoulder. “Let’s go, young one.”
Chapter Six
One day later
Zoey
Oh god.
This is really happening.
We’re out on the field behind the castle, ready for another day of ‘activities’. I’m wearing a flowery sundress, and already I’m thinking that was a mistake — because there’s a massive cross-country course laid out in front of us.
There’s two groups of us. The men, and the women. The men are all Zorans, all tall and broad and all muscle. The women, all human females.
The groomsmen and the bridesmaids.
The only thing is… everyone here is a couple. All of the Zorans are mated with a human female. All except for one.
Him.
The purple warrior with the intense, radiant eyes, the eyes that peer into my very soul. That very man is looking right at me from across the field, and his gaze keeps me nailed to the ground.
Yesterday was the ‘bachelorette’ party. I didn’t know what to organize on such short notice, but Nora told me not to worry; she had a fantastic idea.
We sampled alien wines while we watched the Zorans wrestling outside. It was simple, yet amazing. Now that I’ve seen a bunch of shirtless Zorans wrestle in the mud, their muscles bulging, I can see why all these girls
have fallen for these hulking alien warriors…
And apparently, they’re not bad in the sack either! After a few glasses of wine, the topic of performance came up. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but lets just say the Zoran men know their stuff.
Or so they say.
Now I’m looking at the only single Zoran out of the entire group, and my mind keeps going back to the one place it shouldn’t. The place that wonders what is underneath that armor of his. The place that wonders if all the stories really are true. Are they big all around? Are they as fierce as they say? Only one way to find out…
That thought scares the hell out of me. I’m by no means little, but compared to that alien warrior? Hell, I’m dainty as fuck.
Around us, everyone pairs up, the couples all mingling. I take a step towards the brooding Zoran, and then another one. Before I know it I’m standing face-to-face with the purple warrior.
“I am Kage,” he says.
His voice is a low growl that I feel all the way down in my belly.
“I am Zoey,” I say, and I offer my hand to him.
He looks at it like I’m being weird.
Right. Nora told me about him: He hasn’t met a lot of humans. Perhaps he’s not as familiar with humans customs as I thought.
I never considered shaking hands a ‘human custom’, it’s just something you do, but here I am, talking to a bona fide alien. I’ll need to rethink all that I consider ‘normal’.
Nora also mentioned that he’s incredibly talented and powerful…
I grab his hand and shake it. The moment we touch, I feel a spark.
“Do you know what we’re supposed to do?” I ask. “Nora wouldn’t tell me.”
He shakes his head. “I was hoping you would know,” he growls.
“Is everybody ready?” Nora yells.
We turn towards the couple-to-be. Nora has climbed upon Torin’s shoulders and is now towering over all of us. Her hands are cupped around her mouth as she yells at us.
“I thought it would be fun to do a couples race!” she says.
Oh god no.
“The goal is simple! The first couple to cross the finish line wins!”
