Another picture appeared beside the first.
I sucked in a sudden gasp as my eyes widened and shock radiated through me. Now I understood why he couldn't come down to Earth to meet me. Now I understood all the sections in the contract, including the one about the pre-application of medical salve that would go up inside of me as well as the health tracker I would wear on my wrist to monitor my physical state during our first bonding. Now I understand the layered safe words, both the vocalizations and the physical gestures I can make on the health tracker, and that if I use those safe words, it would likely be even more traumatic. Now I understood the section that detailed that three squads of Norratar soldiers would be required to extract me if I used my safe word, and there was no guarantee that they actually would be able to get me out.
I reached out, scrolled to the bottom of the contract, and signed it.
The Chyrrith made a chittering sound again.
"What?" I asked.
"Excuse my surprise," she said. "I wasn't expecting such a reaction to the second image. If you don't mind my asking, what about his form caused you to finalize your decision? It was assumed that the second image would cause humans to reject the mating."
I stared at the second picture, biting my lower lip as I took in the image of my fantasies brought to life. The clause in the contract about what I would need to do to prepare for the mating clicked into understanding in my mind. Now the contract made complete and utter sense.
"I've always wanted to be ravished by an Eldryx," I said.
Chapter
Two
VAELITH
My mate signed the contract.
She would be mine at any moment.
I paced the length of the containment chamber, double-checking that everything was still set up and in place. I wanted it to be perfect for her. For that to happen, it needed to perfectly fit in with my instinct to hunt her down and carry her off. The chamber was suitable, with flat, tilled ground that was soft, so that when she ran, she wouldn't have any obstacles to fall over or that could harm her. All the machinery had been removed from the room.
I couldn't wait to see her.
I knew I would be as gentle as I could, but there was only one thing that would bring me out of my rut, and if I was the slightest bit impatient in my intoxicated state, the size difference between my girth and her channel had the potential to be painful for both of us. It was another reason I agreed to work with the Norratar regulations rather than slip through their considerable defenses. They had a solution. I had to wait a period from when she signed the contract until she came to me, as she had to go through astretching and strengthening routine to ensure her body could handle our mating with minimal damage. Her species was adaptable, and mine had the technology to heal our mates after the initial rut, but I agreed with the Norratar regulations. I was pleased that they provided preemptive care to prevent serious injury.
I didn't know anything about her, other than she was human, which wasn't a surprise. My kind had a long history of finding mates on Earth, so when I made the journey to see if mine was there and found Norratar had taken it over, it was a surprise. Not an entirely unpleasant one. Yes, the Norratar were an aggressive and protective race, and getting past their defenses to find my mate planetside would have been difficult, but I didn't have to infiltrate. They had a system, one that had served me well and was much better than me having to roam around on the planet, avoiding detection until I found my mate. It also prevented the need for snatching her and running off with her without her informed consent, as now she could agree to everything in advance.
The fact that my mate would be able to agree to my mating haze, rather than have it thrust upon her as a surprise when I found her, was significantly more palatable to me.
With this system in place, it was likely many more of my kind would come to see if their mates resided on Earth.
The containment chamber was vast, large enough for me to fly across without having to land for at least one hundred wing beats. It was normally used as a farm to grow food to supplement the Earth's supplies while they adjusted to the Norratar-imposed restrictions on farming, designed to remove the toxins and unsustainability of their previous practices. I had already paid a deposit for the repairs and sterilization that might be required, as well as the construction of a temporary den on one side of the facility. I wouldn't be allowed to take her into my realden on my spaceship until after the initial mating had occurred without her changing her mind. It was an annoyance, even more so since it was clear they would be collecting data on my species, but it was a necessary. The Norratar had Earth well protected, so there wasn't any other option for me.
The temporary den was on the far end of the containment chamber, across the rippling fields.
I had been living in the temporary den to ensure it was saturated with my scent, so that when I went feral, I would use it instead of trying to get to my spaceship. The Norratar insisted that my mate be available for an in-person after-care check-in. It was insulting for them to insinuate that I wouldn't care for my mate properly, but the ease of their new system made up for it.
I paced back and forth, my need for her growing. I had looked for her, longed for her, for centuries, and finally, I would get to gaze upon the sweet morsel of a human that my heart would forever soar on fiery wings for.
My mate had signed the contract, and so very soon she would step through the doors to meet me.
I took a series of deep breaths, intending to saturate myself in oxygen as much as possible to enhance my breath control. I wished to spend as much time with her as I could before I lost it to the frenzy. I couldn't wait to find out everything about her. She was the finest treasure, and now I would have the utter joy of being able to explore both her mind and her delicate body. I rubbed my filed-down claws against the inside of my palm, double-checking their smoothness. I had done a full rounding in both of my forms so that I wouldn't accidentally scratch her in my haste to tear her clothes from her body.
I took another series of deep, fast breaths.
I heard a soft click, the only warning before the hatch slid open, and my mate stepped into the chamber, and I sucked in my last breath and held it.
She was utter perfection.
My heart swelled as I looked at her, a soft ache of admiration pressing against my ribs. Her body was a living poem, all curves and bold invitation. The fabric of her shirt clung tight against her breasts and stomach, the faint rise of her belly visible where the hem refused to cover it, riding up to reveal its doughy delicacy. The sight stirred something primal in me. The curve of her hips filled the space beside her, the swell of them outlined beneath the thin, flowing skirt that brushed the tops of her thighs when she moved.
She didn't walk so much as sway, each motion a subtle rhythm of softness over strength. Her thighs pressed together when she shifted, and the slightest tremor followed. The light caught along her skin, drawing attention to the smooth line of her arms, the gentle dip at her waist. She was tall for a human, with long, thick legs, built with a kind of strength that came from living rather than training.
