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The females who’d been with us for a few years now considered this stronghold their home and took great pains to make sure things ran smoothly. To be completely honest, our fortress ran much smoother now with them around. There was always someone to alert us of supplies running low or other issues.
I thought back to how Clara had insisted she’d be leaving at the end of the rut, and clenched my fists at my sides. Many of the females who came to us had nothing left at the colony, and that made it easy for them to stay. But Clara still had family. I’d need to work twice as hard to convince her.
It had also become clear in the short time Clara and I were together that I needed to delegate my leadership if I were to have any time with my mate, especially if I needed to convince her to stay. Twice I’d been pulled away for problems that could’ve been solved by someone else.
I stormed over to the group of females, not knowing how to fix her unhappiness. The group quieted as I approached, and Clara turned around. Her eyes were round as she took in my form, and I tried to make myself look less menacing.
There was still no sign of what had upset her.
“Did you enjoy the tour?” I pulled her up into my arms.
She looked shocked for a moment that I’d asked her about her day. Was it not customary for human couples?
She shook off the shock. “The stronghold is very well-organized. It’s much bigger than I thought it was. I think I’ll stay in this part for now so I don’t get lost.”
I grinned, and her eyes went to my sharp teeth. Remembering that some humans were afraid of them, I covered them with my lips. Perhaps the females were right about letting the new arrivals socialize with them first; they didn’t react to our teeth anymore.
“We’re doing classes on how to use the replicator tomorrow,” Penelope said helpfully. “To avoid what happened that first year.”
“What happened that first year?” Clara asked.
“You’ll have to come and find out.”
I guided my mate from the low table toward the raised platform where my captains and I sat during large gatherings, while she waved goodbye to her new friends. Friends were good. If she made friends here, she would be happy and choose to stay. Her friends waved back.
It was such a charming custom, hand waving. Kadrixans simply nodded to each other.
I sat down on my cushion, pulling her down to sit next to me, so close we touched. Her slinky red dress pulled up over her knees, the slit exposing much of her thighs. I took the opportunity to press our legs together.
Some of the females had called our pheromones “cheating,” but to us, it was natural. We had no control over their production, especially as we neared our rut, and I was not against using this advantage to influence my female. The more we bonded, the better.
The one capitulation I’d regretted agreeing to was allowing the females to choose to return to their colony so soon after. At the time, I’d been focused on the survival of my warriors and allowing the women to leave right after the rut meant more females would be willing to sign up.
“Why do we sit up here?” Clara asked as she adjusted her skirt. It was no use; the stretchy fabric bounced back up again.
“I am.” I paused, then corrected myself. “I was the Champion, the leader, of this army back on Kadri. The other six places on the platform are for each of the six captains of the ships in my fleet.”
She eyed the six other sets of low tables and cushions. Only one of my captains had found his mate over the last few years. Rrak sat at the end, talking animatedly with his mate in his arms. Tasha had been part of the welcoming committee who'd shown Clara around. Two other captains sat alone, scanning the now crowded great room. Three had yet to arrive.
“So you are the leader of your people?”
Was that a good thing or a bad thing for her? I couldn’t read her face.
“When we arrived here, I dissolved our detachment. We are no longer military here but settlers, colonists, and civilians. I no longer have my status, but my males insisted we continue with tradition. They re-elected me their leader, and my captains became my counsel.”
“You don’t sound very happy about it.”
My mate was observant.
“I didn’t ask for a leadership role. It is…stressful to have the fate of so many on my shoulders.” Now that she was here, I’d delegated some of my responsibilities to my captains, something I should have done long ago. I had felt so bad that many warriors had been exiled along with me that I’d taken on all the work, hoping it would somehow absolve me of the guilt.
The Great Hall was now filled, and the first platters of meat were being passed from group to group. The platter came to us, and I picked up one of the warm towels. Taking her tiny hands in mine, I cleaned them. Her tongue darted out to lick at her lips, and she looked away shyly, as if somehow just cleaning her hands was an intimate act.
Being so close to her and aware of her every movement, it almost felt as if it was.
I chose the juiciest pieces for her plate before serving myself and passing the platter to Vostak.
Kadrixan warriors required large amounts of protein to maintain our physiques. We were lucky that this continent had plenty of prey animals. According to our calculations, a small colony such as ours made no dent in their numbers, and hunting as we did now was sustainable indefinitely as long as we did not destroy their habitat with agriculture, and took only what we needed.
