Page 13 of You're Not My King!

Unless lizard people weren’t as fussy. In that case, I truly would be up shit creek.

Fiona rose from her stool and wandered behind one of the bookshelves, coming back with a furry shawl. “Sorry, lovey, it’s getting a little chilly,” she said, wrapping the fur around her shoulders before sitting back down. “It may never rain here, but it can get bloody cold.”

My brow furrowed at that—guess rainforest wasn’t the correct term. “How do you grow plants and stuff if it never rains?”

“The soil is self-sustaining. No need for water, sunlight, or even air. It’s pretty magical.”

I’d seen the moving trees and backward-running water and already made that deduction. “Then why aren’t there more of you? If the planet is so well stocked with supplies and the means to never run out of anything, why is it so… unpopulated?”

She tilted her head. “By humans, you mean?”

“In general.”

“Well, in the case of humans, they don’t know the planet exists, nor could they stumble upon it by accident,” she explained, leaning her elbows on the table. “As for the aliens, a fertile lee-zurd can only give birth once every three years, and young can only be conceived during the two days of a male’s yearly breeding season if it falls under a biannual red moon. So, while repopulation isn’t impossible, it can sometimes be a pain in the bum getting all the factors to line up.”

Her answer took me a second to process, and I snorted. “I’ll bet.”

“They’re not a simple species, I’ll admit. Definitely closer to caveman behavior than anything modern.”

I nodded absently. “There seem to be a lot more men… um, males, than females. Is that another factor?”

She shook her head. “Both male and female lee-zurd can bear young, so that’s of no consequence. And sexual preference isn’t even a topic, so it doesn’t matter either way.”

That was a positive, I guessed. Not the ‘dudes having babies’ part, the ‘no one’s gonna care that I’m gay’ part. That sort of discrimination would have been the absolute final straw. To be clear, I had no issue with the baby thing either, I was just glad to be human. The possibility of getting pregnant was the last thing I needed to worry about right now. But good for them.

“Cool, cool.” I blew air through my pursed lips, letting my thoughts wander for a second, the beat of silence much needed. “Suppose I’ll have to, um, learn who everyone is, then?”

“Yes,” she agreed with a triumphant smile. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, and all that jazz, but in truth, I was exhausted and had too much to process. I wasn’t totally giving up—not yet, at least—but for now, I’d play the part of defeated acceptance. “You’ve already met Zaay-el, Oak-taana, Eyk-layoo and Knee-tar. The rest you will meet, in time.”

I nodded. “You’re gonna have to spell those names out to me ’cause I’m pretty sure I’ve been saying them wrong and acting rude as hell.”

“You’ll get there,” she assured me. “I’ll help.”

This woman would probably be my rock for however long I needed to plan an escape. She seemed kind and genuinely happy to have me here—it was a refreshing change. I was so close to letting myself relax in her presence, my shoulders sagging and all the tension in my muscles loosening, when a blur of noise and movement barged into the tent, making me squeal and jump six feet into the air.

“Jesus fuck.” My hand shot to my chest as I breathed heavily, assessing the tall red girl—alien—looming over me, an alarmed look on her face.

“Puu-kah,” the healer scolded, slamming her fists into her hips. “What’ve I said about sneaking up on people, hm?”

The alien, Puu-kah, looked between the healer and me as if she didn’t know what to do. “I offer my sorrys,” she said in a weak yet musical voice, bowing her head. “I wanted to meet the mate of my blood-brother. I did not intend to terrify you.”

“It’s… it’s fine,” I said, forcing a small smile. She knew English better than any of the others I’d met so far. Judging by the familiarity between her and Fiona, I guessed it was because she spent a lot of time here.

She raised her head, beaming at my acceptance, and I noticed the lack of fangs in her mouth. Her teeth weren’t quite square, but definitely not sharp like the other aliens’ had been. She also wasn’t as tall, but still had some inches on me. Her tail was long and swished with excitement, and her hair was tied into two braided space buns, much like Zaay-el, which had me imagining her doing his hair for him every morning. I also briefly wondered if all female lee-zurds had these differences, or if she was just younger.

“I, Puu-kah,” she said slowly, placing a hand over her heart before motioning outward in a greeting gesture.

I mirrored the action clumsily. “Reuben.”

“It is pleased to meet you, Roo-bin.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Fiona corrected kindly, and Puu-kah barked an annoyed sound, stamping her foot.

“Your language is hard.”

I chuffed out a small laugh in agreement. “It is. You’re doing great.”

She grinned in pleasure. “Many thank yous.”

---