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“We provided translators. They must have implanted them while you were sleeping.” He growled. “I do not understand why they put you out for the procedure. It is a simple one.”
I was kind of pissed they’d put me out too. “I would’ve preferred to ride in a shuttle like a person rather than in a container like some merchandise.”
This had the giant red alien grumbling in agreement, and I suddenly felt a little closer to him.
“You are here now, my mate.”
There was that word again. Mating meant sex. Did this mean this Kadrixan claimed me for this entire rut? Or just for tonight?
“What does ‘mate’ mean? Does it mean you claim me for tonight or for the entire rut? Is it a word a Kadrixan uses to label a female they sleep with? Will all Kadrixans call me this?”
He growled, and the sound was terrifying. Still pressed up against his hard body, I felt the rumble straight to my belly.
“No. You are my mate. Mine alone. I claim you for always.”
“Always?” I shook my head. Had there been a miscommunication? “I’m here for the mating heat, the rut. I’m going home after. I have a brother back at the colony.I have to get back to him.”
He growled again. This time it sounded urgent, desperate.
Almost instinctively, I put my hand on his perfectly-formed pecs to calm him. I changed the subject from me leaving and asked about the other thing I was confused about. “We were under the impression that the Kadrixans share all the Earth females during this time.”
“The unmated males share the unmated females. But those with mates stay together always and do not stray.”
“And you believe I am this person for you. How? We just met.”
“I know you are mine. You will stay with me.”
His words held an air of finality, and I did not reply. I just sat there in his arms, one hand on his chest.
I concluded that mating and mates meant two different things, and when he called me his mate, it didn’t just mean he planned to sleep with me. It was something much more permanent. I was flattered but weirded out at the same time. I didn’t even know him.
And besides, I had a brother out there I had to return to.
But if Krxare believing I was his mate meant I wouldn’t be shared among a bunch of big, scary aliens, then I was willing to play along. One monster was all I could handle.
A buzzing sound rang out from a device clipped to his belt, and Krxare sat up straight. “I am needed. I will return.”
Krxare got up from the mattress, and I missed his warm and calming presence immediately.
He stomped out and left me alone in his room. Well, maybe room was the wrong word. It was more like a cave. The walls were jagged and made of solid rock. The place was lit by sconces; the lights within flickered as if they were fire lighting the darkness, though I was certain the light was artificial.
Everything in this stronghold had a bit of aCastlevaniameetsfuturistic cavemanvibe.
The mattress I sat on was covered in furs and skins, and dark netting hung from above like a gothic mosquito net.
I noticed my dress crumpled at the foot of the bed, picked it up, and pulled it over my head. The dress had looked elegant at first glance, but further inspection saw that it was made of a cheap stretchy material—easy to pull on and off.
There was a desk and a chair against one wall, but the chair was like no other chair I’d ever seen. The seat was tilted forward at an angle, as if it wasn’t for sitting but for leaning against, though I wouldn’t be able to use it with how tall it was.
I heard running water and got up to look around the cavern. A small sink with a constantly flowing fountain of water ran in one corner. Next to it, a door led to what I believed to be the bathroom.
Two large, gilded chests sat against one of the walls. That must be where Krxare kept his belongings. Curious, I tried to open one to see what was inside, but the lid was so heavy that it didn’t budge, no matter how hard I heaved.
The trip across the ocean had been tough on me, even though I’d been asleep through all of it. My face felt dirty, my hair was tangled, my stomach was empty, and my bladder was full. I took care of my business in the bathroom but found no sink for cleaning my hands.
I went to the fountain, dipping my fingers into the running water. I hoped this was the right thing to do. I wanted to splash the water on my face to wash off the dirt from my trip.
The door to the room slid open and Krxare walked in. This was the first time we were standing at the same level. Previously, I’d been strapped onto the wall, he’d been kneeling down, or we’d been on the bed. I looked up and up and up to his face. He was huge; I was positively tiny in comparison.
