by Amanda Milo
If I’d been asked, “Hey, if a giant alien grabbed you and started roaring in your face, would you be afraid?”
Yes. Yes, of course I would be.
But this is Zadeon.
And right now?
He’s pissing me off.
With a roar of my own I try to shove him back.
To my surprise - my arms go free.
Because he let me.
This only makes me madder.
I leap on him and it must be because he planted the idea in my head - or maybe I want to hurt someone the way I was hurt - excise a demon or two, I don’t know.
But… I bite him.
I bite him hard.
I sink my teeth into his skin and… it’s weird.
It’s really weird.
The texture of his skin in my mouth, the rough drag of his scales when I pinch his flesh between my tongue and the roof of my mouth… I shudder.
What am I DOING?
What in the hell am I doing?
I start to release him, quickly relaxing my jaw and preparing to rear back - but his hand clamps over my neck, then slides up through my hair to palm the back of my head. Holding me still… cradling me to him.
“No,” he whispers. Begs. “Please.”
I try to shove away from him - but he won’t let me go!
“Zafeeon!” his name comes out muffled because he’s shoving my face back into his chest - but this time, he pushes me over part of his suit. Where he’d placed my hand earlier.
Right over his crazy pounding hearts.
“Do it.”
Idiot! He’s smashing my nose he’s pushing me so hard! Well. He asked for it.
I get a mouthful of his skin captured inside his clothing. This helps; I’m not freaked out when I grind my teeth down until my jaw is sore.
He almost loses a damn nipple when he roars and scares the shit out of me.
But it isn’t an angry roar.
And… is he… getting... hard?
Sick!
After that, I corncob the fuck out of him.
◆◆◆
My tongue feels cottony - probably from losing all my spit into the fabric of his suit. And my temples ache like I’ve been chomping on a ball of old gum. And my fingers are all oddly sore.
But Zadeon?
Happiest alien I’ve ever seen.
He. Is. Deranged.
When I kind of came out of it, blinking and having to rely on his help to steady myself on my feet - he whips off his shirt like a stripper - buttons everywhere. I could have lost an eye.
And then he is slamming his palm into one of the walls. “Give me reflection.”
Huh. The monitoring team really was kind enough to take that away for me.
But they give it back to him quick.
Zadeon acts like he is admiring all his bruises.
I’m horrified.
He looks… he looks like I did after... - without the blood, but… my stomach heaves.
Zadeon’s head snaps around. “My Callie?”
The next thing I know, I’m in his arms - and it isn’t until much later that I realize; he didn’t ask me before touching me. Again.
And I don’t mind.
CHAPTER 22
ZADEON
I change out fresh pillows for my mate and press the used one against my cheek. I drag my temples over it and my tail waves so uncontrollably that I have to reach behind me and squeeze it until it falls limp.
I’m startled when my Callie chuckles.
“It’s just happy,” she teases. “No need to kill it.”
“I don’t want to harm you with it by accident,” I explain. Then I review how that must have sounded. “Or on purpose-”
She holds up a stalling hand. “I get it. Sooo…” her eyes move down to my chest. And my ribs. And my forearms. And my shoulders - she’d marked those when I’d dropped to my knees. She’d followed me down like she was starving and couldn’t bite fast enough.
She acts like she can see them. Like she has an ability to manipulate wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that will allow her to see through material barriers like clothing.
I don’t think she can do that.
I ask her.
Her mouth moves but no words come out.
I rub my right ear.
It is the one that functions better. Most rotations, anyway.
I hear a puff of sound. Of disbelief. “Like… X-ray vision?” Her laughter bubbles. “No! I don’t have X-ray vision.” She plants her fingers into her brow fur and uses the heels of her hands to muffle more laughter. “Aliens.”
Her sounds are happy and they make my hearts light. Even lighter than before, which in no way is easy to top. She made magnificent marks. I believe they are the most well-set of all the males’ marks in this compound.
For the first time, I contemplate deliberately seeking out the company of others just so I can show off how much my female cares for me. Just how deeply she shows it.
Instead, I turn to caring for her. “How do your fingers feel?”
She begins to examine them. “They hurt, actually.”
I wrap her closest set of digits in one of my hands. “Human nails are not only ineffectual - they are poorly designed. When they started to bend backwards, I was afraid they would break and bleed.”
“That happens,” she says, and her tone has turned heavy. “It happened when…”
I recognize when. I saw the state of her claws when I rescued her.
She put up a hells of a fight.
I change the subject. “Do you feel better?”
She pauses, considering. She huffs out a breath in disbelief. “I think I do.”
Her eyes move over me quickly all of a sudden. “Wow. That was abrupt, even for you. I think this is the lightest color I’ve ever seen on you.”
She is feeling better. It worked! “I am very happy.”
“Clearly.”
“All I want is to help you. To do that, I… Do you forgive me?”
Her face ridges meet again. “For what?” She gestures to the markings. “I think I’m supposed to ask you that.”
“Never. I am…” I swallow. “I am beyond pleased that you chose to bite me. I have been trying to be careful of you, to make sure you are comfortable with me. But it doesn’t seem to be the best course with you. Not always. I regret though if I frightened you.”
Her lips quirk. “Confused me. But… I’m okay. I’m weirded out that you're so happy but whatever turns your crank, I guess.”
I contemplate the idiom and decide it fits.
I am near to bursting with emotion and to express it, I yank the pillow I forced to her back just a click ago, and I scent mark all over it.
She surprises me by immediately taking it back and settling against it once more.
It’s almost as if she is wearing my scent mark - the real thing, not the bottled imitation Dohrein developed for her to wear.
Considering that the pillow can’t yet be dry, some of it might even transfer to her clothing.
My claws itch to grab her and check - and to remedy this myself if it hasn’t.
But I restrain myself.
Instead, I stare at her, in complete, utter love.
She meets my eyes. “Zadeon?”
“Hmm?”
She doesn’t break eye contact when she firmly restates, “I wasn’t hurting myself on purpose. I need you to believe that. To believe me.”
I take in her earnest expression. I nod. “Okay.”
Boldly, I press a fingertip to her forelock and slowly sweep it behind her ear.
Her gentle smile makes my hearts swell. I take a breath and try to word the offer carefully. “Something is still wrong though, isn’t it? Do you want the monitoring team to-”
“No.”
“Then they won’t,” I agree. “It will take time for your spirit to heal, but this is a start. Sometimes even the strongest fighters lose a battle - and then they pick up their weapon and st
rike back even harder next time.”
She snorts. “I’m no gladiator.”
“No.” My hearts fill with pride for her. “You’re a Warrior.”
CHAPTER 23
CALLIE
He’d said it so easily, "You're a Warrior". Like he believed it. No question. He had been so matter of fact, I reflect later as I hit a speed bag.
Again.
Without enthusiasm.
I groan. “Something else, please. Anything else - this is so boring.”
I might be whining.
A lot.
Loudly.
I narrow my eyes at him - is he laughing at me right now?
He drags a hand over his mouth. Coughs.
Ugh! He is so laughing at me!
“What-” his voice is shaking a little. With mirth. “W-what do you like?” Then he turns more serious. And even more observant. “What about what you did before?”
I danced.
“Nah.” I quickly go back to hitting the bag.
A hand stops me before my knuckles connect with the leather.
Uh oh.
I’ve learned that when he initiates contact without asking me first - he’s about to push my boundaries.
My eyes scan the room behind him. This time, we’re not alone in the gym. He was throwing a huge bolt across the door in the beginning, but lately, I’ve told him it’s okay.
Not surprisingly, we still don’t get too many people willing to work out next to the crazy girl and her crazier wild alien.
“I know you danced.”
This guy knows everything.
“I don’t anymore.”
“But you liked to dance,” he probes, honestly curious.
Liked?
It was my whole world.
“Did your sires teach you? Or your dam? I never saw you learning, I just saw you dancing...”
I feel the backs of my eyeballs start to sting. “Stop pushing, Z.”
My voice comes out harsher than I intend.
And it becomes apparent that me showing this level of emotion is some sort of clarion call or bat signal or something.
Because now, whenever my emotions climb - he’s been urging me to express them in the form of biting.
I watch his eyes go hot.
Sick, sick boy.
I shake my head in disapproval. “Nuh uh. I’m not doing this. I’m not going to be one of those chicks that smacks a man around because he won't hit her back for it.”
Zadeon is instantly offended. “That’s not what is happening here. You forget I am not human.”
Holy shit.
He’s right - for a second, I had forgotten that.
I start to look him over. How could I have-
Been so comfortable? Maybe because I’ve technically known him all my life.
His jaw hardens, I think mistaking my silence as me being as yet-unconvinced. “It is very different for my people.”
And wow. Was I judging him by human standards? Yes, I had been. If he was from another country would I waltz in and act like every different thing, every custom I didn’t understand - would I immediately disregard it as wrong just because it was different? I’d like to think I’d be open minded. Be a good guest while in another nation.
And right now, I pretty much am in another nation, aren’t I? One that happens to be located on a whole ‘nother planet.
His voice is very firm when he explains, “You aren’t smacking me - you are giving me WarriorBites.”
I huff a laugh. Then I pull it together. Let out a breath. Okay, this is how we do it. “Alright.”
An eavesdropping hob speaks up. And I notice with no little amusement that he doesn’t have the balls to actually stroll up to Zadeon when he butts in; “Is that what you call them. You cheat her out of lovebites."
Zadeon might be able to squash this guy with a look. He definitely glares like he’s trying. I’d be very much cowed if I were this guy. “There is no cheating. This is how she bestows her bites. There is every honor in taking them.”
“And taking them is what you do,” he mutters. “Stealing, is more like it.”
I can tell that Z isn’t able to catch what he says. There’s this defined tick of frustration I’ve noticed at his jaw whenever he is in conversation - it often makes an appearance right before he asks them to repeat what they said.
But he doesn’t ask the hob to repeat himself.
To the hob, Z probably just looks murderous.
But to me, I can see he’s irritated, defensive, and frustrated.
And I can’t believe I didn’t put it together before.
It isn’t that Zadeon has some trouble hearing people sometimes.
It’s that Zadeon has trouble hearing anything sometimes.
My lips.
He’s always watching my lips.
How does that even work? I’ll have to watch his next time - does the translator make it so that his brain actually translates the movements of my lips? Or am I really “speaking” alien when I move my mouth, or am I saying it in English and it comes out translated in alien? I know I have a different translator than Angie - hers started off for alien pets, she said. But how mine differs, I'm not sure. I haven’t paid close enough attention. It didn’t matter to me before. We could communicate; problem solved.
But this!
Zadeon can’t properly defend himself against assholes like this.
For the first time… somebody can use my help.
Zadeon can use my help.
I can help Zadeon.
Zadeon kind of… needs me.
Okay, not need, per se - but I can help him. I can defend him.
I will defend him.
The warmth that floods my body at recognizing I can have purpose here… I grab onto it with both hands.
There is more muttering from the hob as I shake myself to focus. This prick is giving Z a hard time about how I bite him? What alternate universe have I slipped into?
Apparently, one where I’m rated on how I bite an alien.
Is there like some sort of panel of judges, or some pinched face critics that will hold up score cards and say things like, “Her angle was all wrong. And she wasn’t smiling - two point deduction!”
You’ve gotta be kidding me...
It’s absurd!
But this hob isn’t shutting up about it. I reach up and grab Zadeon’s lapel and snap it flat so that it rides up his neck.
He was glaring down the hob, but now his head whips down so fast that he startles me. I recover though, and bring myself up on my tip toes so our faces are closer. I move my lips with intent - not speaking slowly so much as making sure I speak clearly. “On your knees.”
His eyes were hot before? They are lava now.
He is down on his knees with a dull thud into the mat.
Better able to reach, now I readjust and flatten his lapel squarely over the spot on his scales that I want to…
That I want to bite.
And - not angry, completely going in with intent to ‘properly bestow’ - I move in to perform the strangest kiss I’ve ever given in my entire life.
I suck on his suit until my mouth goes dry and the fabric is soaked through so that his skin is wet and bruised beneath.
And then I clamp down and pretend I’m a lioness taking down a half-ton water buffalo by the throat.
Bet it doesn’t feel all that different.
My body jolts when he wraps one huge arm around the backs of my thighs.
Low, and only for my ears, he rumbles, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your dancing.”
I bite him harder.
He groans.
This is… kinda fun.
And fuck if I don’t smile.
Take notes, hob. I just aced this.
CHAPTER 24
ZADEON
I am extremely content with my mate. I don’t know if she can see the changes in herself, but they are apparent to me.
And everyone else.
/> It has been two rotations since she claimed me so thoroughly in the sight of that hob.
(Whom I soundly beat the day after under the guise of ‘guiding him on how to properly block punches’. He’ll either learn to control his mouth or he’ll learn to fight better. I’ve done all I can to help him decide which element he wants to work on.)
That situation showed that certain interactions are healthy for her; if she feels that I am in need of defending, she not only rises to meet the opposition - she blossoms after the altercation.
These last two rotations she has not lounged in bed from suns up til suns down. Instead, she has trudged dutifully (even if she protested loudly) to the fitness chamber.
And twice now, she has touched me.
Twice, she has placed her hands on my face while she speaks to me.
And when I was doing pushups, she plopped cross-legged beside me and - smelling of interest - watched so intently that I fell out of rhythm.
That’s when, planting both hands on the mat, she leaned forward and nipped the back of my shoulder.
I barely felt this one through the suit, but all the same.
I collapsed to the mat, unable to function for several clicks.
I felt wrapped in layers of bliss.
She laughed heartily at my reaction, delighted.
I am delighted too.
She is growing more relaxed with me.
I have bided my time, letting her settle. Letting her get comfortable.
I haven’t spoken another word about dancing.
Instead, we’ve worked out together.
Or, I’ve worked out.
She has complained.
My mate hates boxing.
Loathes running (although she does enjoy being chased despite her claims and threats otherwise).
She avidly avoids anything that involves equipment. Though, most of the equipment is designed for Rakhii and therefore is useless for her anyway.
As for other forms of exercise… She has imperiously decreed pullups, chinups, situps, squats, lunges, rowing, and battle ropes are cruel and unusual punishment.
Today, I will wage battle on dancing. I know she misses it. I have dreamed of her longing.
“Rotk Kotok Zadeon? Can you punch this for me?”
I don’t smile at the hob; I don’t have to. My reputation is the better for appearing unpleasant.
