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It was literally the best kiss of my life.
All other kisses were pretenders to the real thing.
And then I retrieve my purse and squeak with enjoyment when he takes my hand, leads me up the ramp and gives me a quick tour of the small craft. “It’s so nice,” I say a bit too loudly. “So high-tech. I feel like I’m in an episode ofStar Trek.”
“What isStar Trek?”
I groan with dismay at his lack of knowledge and pledge that I will teach him, and we will binge it all later.
He nods in agreement as we enter the cockpit together. Derwen sits me next to me and straps me in. Then he takes the pilot’s seat, straps himself in and taps on the screens in front of us and the ship flares to life. In moments we are off the ground and watching the dark, starry night pass us by through the front window.
I’m having an out-of-body moment as I watch him expertly maneuver the ship. His white dress shirt is unbuttoned half-way down, allowing a peek of his hairy gray chest. And his sleeves are now rolled up to his elbows, and I focus on his veiny forearms and the black claws on his large, rough hands which felt so good on my skin. I want more.
“Where are we going?” I ask, trying to sound normal, as if being on an alien hovercraft with a strong, powerful Derwen Tusk is an everyday experience. “You said you bought a new home. Where?”
“I purchased a large domicile on ten acres of land in a location called the central California coast. It is near a small ocean town called Cambria.”
I clap my hands with delight. “How perfect. I live in California and I’ve been visiting Cambria with my family since I was a baby.”
He smiles. “I hope you enjoy the home I’ve chosen. I wasn’t supposed to go into heat on Earth so everything I’ve done to plan for a mating is new to me. I didn’t arrive on this planet specifically looking for a mate. I was surprised to discover I was in mating heat.”
“When you discovered you were in heat while working on Earth, why didn’t you return to Voltare to find a mate?”
He exhales. “I’m too old.”
My brow furrows. “Derwen, you’re only forty-one, that’s hardly old. You’re a sexy beast and I’m certain any unmated female on Voltare would want to have babies with you.”
A chuckle rumbles in his chest. “You are not only sexy but also adorable. Males my age do not go into heat. Heat happens at the latest, thirty-five years old. Typically, around thirty. It could be as early as twenty-four. But by thirty-eight if you haven’t found your heat, it won’t ever happen.”
“That’s sad.”
He shrugs. “I wasn’t unhappy. I had pleasure mates, but no long-term mate or offspring. I’m not the only male on the planet this has happened to. My sisters and brothers all have offspring, so there are still many children in my extended family for me to care for. When I discovered I was in heat I was surprised and I did think of returning home, but the voyage would take weeks. And in the end I would arrive as a sort of newsworthy aberration. A forty-one-year-old male goes into heat, that would be the headline in our news channels. And the chances of me finding the right mate would be low considering very few females would want to be near a male who many consider too old for mating, when they could have their pick of younger males.”
“I’m so sorry, Derwen.”
“I decided to try and gain a human mate. Not that I thought my chances would be any better due to my age, amongst the humans. I just sensed that my mate was on this planet. And it turned out I was right.”
Warmth spreads across my chest. He’s said this many times, that he thinks of me as his mate. And suddenly I worry that we might not agree over the meaning of this loaded term, which in the end will just cause me heartache. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Um, what do you mean when you say you want me to be your mate? To me, as a human, it sounds like you’re asking me to marry you,” I laugh. “I’m so sorry if I got that all wrong.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Camila, I think I need to explain Voltare mating to you.”
“Yes, please. I really think I need to learn.”
Derwen puts the ship on autopilot and then turns to fully face me. All that potent male attending tome. “Let me start from the beginning,” he says. “Earth is a terrific business venture. Trade negotiations have recently opened all-new markets. I jumped at the chance to bring Voltare government-approved goods to Earth consumers. Opening this new market for Tusk Tribal Inc. has already proved highly profitable. I come from a long line of ancient tribal aristocrats and our crumbling castles require huge amounts of currency for extensive remodeling to save them from ruin. I’ve already been able to entirely fund the update of two different castles that members of my line can move into and live in.”
“Oh, that’s nice of you.”
“It’s not a matter of ‘nice,’ it’s my duty. And since I’ve passed the age when mating typically occurs, this makes it easier for me to be the first being who jumps on the idea of isolation on a primitive planet to continue these negotiations. Most other adult Voltare wouldn’t like the idea of working on Earth because they might want to remain nearby in case they came into heat. And others would be older and mated, with offspring, and the thought of being separated from their immediate line, or bringing them along, would sound risky. But I am a good candidate because I am beyond the time for heat to occur and therefore not worried about needing a mate, nor do I have offspring to consider.”
“Oh, I’d always wondered why you’d originally decided to come to Earth. That makes sense.”
“I thought there wasn't anything risky about this job and I liked the idea of getting to know and work with an entirely new species. But unfortunately, I've been here for six months and my heat kicks in. And I'm immediately in pain because there isn't another Voltare female on this planet for me to possibly bond with. There are two other Voltare on the planet, and both have mated with human females, so at least I knew I could possibly find a match here, locally. I have a domicile ready for us. This is what the male is supposed to do. I get our home ready. I met you at the auction house and confirmed that we are a pheromone match, because I scented you and I am enflamed. You are here with me as part of the Voltare mating ritual. And I assume the equivalent of that for your human culture is something you call ‘husband’ or ‘marriage.’ I call that my mate, or true mate. For me, this evening is the first night with my mate.”
“This is your wedding night?”
