Page 46 of King of Serpents

He would have to make it up to her. He would make certain to go hunting in the morning. Not only to be certain that they were both properly nourished, but so as not to give his rival an opportunity to care for her.

Alex was his ashlava. He would care for her wellbeing. No other male was welcome. He was not Slengral or one of the hunters of the upper caverns who reluctantly accepted other males out of necessity. He was the best hunter among the Vehal. He was capable, and he would deal with any male who attempted to insert himself into their nest.

Chapter 33

The meal they put together was pitiful. There was no nicer way to put it. Therxian looked both guilty and annoyed at the results of his own impulsive reaction. The simple provisions that Therxian gathered for her were fine for making a soup or a kind of mash with the thicker tubers in the earlier part of the day, but for an evening meal, it was a bit disappointing. It made her miss even the horrible synth-meat that Darvel fed all the non-gratas with to make sure that they were provided with essential nutrients. Though there were some in the colony who avoided the meat that the Seshanamitesh brought, preferring to mix native vegetation with plants grown within the colony conservatory, Alex was not one of them. And she didn’t even have the familiar plants of her homeworld to help vary her diet either. It was clear that the Seshanamitesh diet was primarily carnivorous for a reason beyond that of being a biological necessity for the species.

True, she could survive on what Therxian left her—and would be grateful for being able to it—but she couldn’t lie to herself that it was satisfying or even pleasing. Still, she tried not to sigh when she thought of the thick chunk of meat that her mystery visitor left for her that was currently sitting deep within some ravine beneath the broken tunnel. She didn’t want Therxian to feel worse for what was obviously a very instinctual reaction.

One thing was certain—it certainly did what Buosoa hoped. Perhaps a little too well. Although he tried to conceal it behind his tail, Therxian was obviously still engorged and extruded. She did her best to pretend that it wasn’t obvious, but it had created a subtle, heightened sexual tension between them as they prepared their food, returned to the nest, and ate. Alex was not unaffected either. She felt overly sensitized, hyperaware of his every movement, and on edge as if no matter what the distraction, some part of her was waiting for his touch. Her skin felt tight, feverish, and tingled with awareness if he so much as leaned toward her or looked in her direction.

Perhaps that contributed to the food being practically tasteless.

And the fact that her eyes kept returning to that carefully concealed spot as if drawn there. She tried to tell herself that it was because the coloration of his tail with the darkening scales of deep indigo contrasting with the shifting bioluminescence of his gavo was beautiful and kept attracting her attention. Unfortunately, even she wasn’t buying the bullshit she was trying to shovel. Oh, she was admiring his tail alright. It was worthy of marvel because despite the broadness of his tail, he had to partially extend his gavo to conceal the impressive thickness and length of his sant.

And she was staring... again.

Alex tore her gaze away for what had to be the hundredth time, forcing her eyes to shift upward, expecting to be able to distract herself by admiring his profile. Instead, his red eyes were focused on her—studying her. Watching her. Her lips twisted in an apologetic grimace as she carefully, and swiftly, turned her attention to focus on the wall instead. She tried not to show it outwardly, but inwardly she cringed with embarrassment.

Fuck. Caught in the act of perving.

“Alex.”

He didn’t say her name. He sang it. He crooned it in that same humming way that sent a shiver through her, rapidly heating the core of her. Her cheeks flamed all the way to the tips of her ears, drawing a raspy hiss of amusement from him. She glanced his way from the corner of her eye in time to see both of his dark tongues extend to tease the air as he deeply drew in a breath. It was immediately followed by a low, guttural groan that made her belly clench tighter with a rush of desire.

“So enticingly sweet. Never have I tasted such pheromones before,” he rasped. “Not even the throne chamber filled with the pheromones of females from over a dozen noble lines had such a hold on me.”

Alex’s mouth went dry, her eyes widening as she stole a glance at him. So that was what happened? His control over himself and his natural resistance had been worn down by numerous females trying to lure him in. Her mouth tightened faintly with bitter disappointment. It wasn’t about her. It was them.

“I think you are giving me far too much credit,” she replied as she pretended to be busy inspecting the fraying edge of her flight suit. There were fresh swaths of fabric that were wound around her upper and lower body beneath it, the lengths billowing out from the torn ends, but even the special weave of the Seshanamitesh couldn’t quite warm her to a comfortable degree. “I think if it had anything at all to do with me, that you would have had some reaction long before now.”

He hummed contemplatively to himself as he rolled back, shifting his weight on his massive, coiled tail. “You think that there has been nothing?” he challenged.

Alex’s cheeks grew warmer still as she thought of the occasions on which she had become uncomfortably aroused in his presence.

“Humans are not like Seshanamitesh,” she mumbled in excuse. “We don’t require things like pheromones to trigger a sexual reaction. I would say my imagination gets me into enough trouble all by itself.”

To her surprise, Therxian’s eyes narrowed as he regarded her, not the least put off by her observation.

“It is true that pheromone marking and bonding is an important part of the mating process,” he drawled with a low hiss. “But if it was necessary and depended on for everything, then our species would have likely gone extinct generations ago.” His eyes narrowed further into red, glowing slits. “It is, however, the first tell of a bonding—even if we try to ignore it—but one that cannot be ignored for long.”

“Okay,” she mumbled. She cleared her throat nervously. “So, what are you saying? Has there been... something?”

His held cocked curiously at her, his gavo rising slightly in dual horn-like crests at the top of his head. “Do you not think so?”

She shrugged, fidgeted, and looked down at her hands. She knew Buosoa said that the sisters believed she was a distraction to him and were certain that he would prioritize her wellbeing if she was caught in the middle unprotected, but that didn’t mean that whatever he felt toward her was this almost magical chemistry like what she heard mated women at the colony whisper about. It seemed that it was literal chemistry. The kind that could be evoked by any female who got there first. Therxian had been able to resist her without any problem until he was sufficiently aroused by another. It didn’t make her special. Whatever emotional attachment he had to her was likely built on his sense of responsibility to her.

She suddenly felt a bit foolish about how much she had presumed without even realizing it. Some small part of her had been excited to feel that response and what it could mean for her. But it wasn’t a magical alien connection. It wasn’t instant, undying land fated love. It was just instinct due to a biological reaction. She nearly laughed right then. All those women at the colony who exchanged knowing smiles, spoke of fate and the blessings of alien gods, and hinted at their satisfaction with their doting mates. They would be so disappointed if they had the slightest inkling of just how replaceable they would have been if literally anyone got to them first.

Reality did a lot to cool her simmering lust. It didn’t bank it entirely—she wasn’t certain that it was altogether possible at that point without sufficient distance for several days—but it took the edge off enough to think clearer.

Alex laughed humorlessly and pushed her empty bowl away from her. “Hell if I know. I never did understand how it all worked.”

“How it works?” Therxian echoed, his gavo lifted slightly as he tipped his head quizzically. She hated how oddly endearing it was.

“You said there were human women among the Vehal.”

He inclined his head. “Many.”