Page 6 of Their Human to Entice

“I need to speak with Simone,” the newest human says before Ralleth can speak. “I am a male. I am not a human, and I need to speak with you about the future of your tribe. First, I need to speak with Simone.”

The not-human male looks around the room at all of us, not giving any of us more than a glance as his eyes search out someone who is not here. I take a step closer to Lyath, positioning my body in front of his. I doubt this not-human could do any damage to any of us since he is built much smaller than us. I do not want to take any chances, though. Not when it is my mate’s life that could be in danger if this new creature is more dangerous than he seems.

“Where is Simone?”

Each time the not-human says Simone’s name, Ralleth gets more and more angry. His eyes are already red, but now his claws are growing long at the tips of his fingers. Simone is the human female who left with Ralleth’s brother to tell the other tribe about our females in the hopes their tribal leader would get a better hold on his males trying to kidnap our females. Simone is a prickly female, but she has very much ensnared Ralleth’s brother with her charms. We all know it is only a matter of time before she accepts that she is meant to be his mate.

“My brother’s mate is with him,” Ralleth snaps, causing the other male to stare up at him as a flicker of white crosses his eyes so bright I think I must have imagined it for a moment. “They are on their way to his tribe to explain the existence of our human females.”

The not-human seems to recover from this revelation much faster than I would if I were in his position. He is saying Simone’s name like he is her mate and not like she is the mate of someone else. I would be upset if someone were to tell me Lyath is mated to another and is not where I left him, but this male does not seem to have this problem.

“I need to speak with you then.” He nods to Ralleth, not sparing the rest of us another glance. “When will your tribe be able to take on more females?”

“How many more?” Ralleth asks, his arms crossing in front of his chest. His anger seems to have dissipated almost as fast as it came on now that the male is speaking of bringing more females to our tribe.

Ralleth looks around the male to the other side of the partition, where we can all hear Olivia still speaking with someone else. Whoever it is, she has not come out from behind the partition, and I think she will not until Ralleth and this not-human have their conversation.

“Hundreds, at least,” the not-human says.

The beating in my chest is hard and loud as the reality of what this not-human is saying. There are hundreds of females needing homes, and we could offer them those homes here in our tribe. If there are hundreds, that means there is a better chance of Lyath and I getting our other mate. Lyath’s hand squeezes mine, a hopeful look shining in his eyes as he thinks the same things.

“We need time to prepare homes,” Ralleth says. He barely seems surprised, even though we all know he is not prepared for the idea of so many human females coming to the tribe. “We could house maybe a hundred now, but we’d need to expand the walls of the tribe, get the farms up and running, and get more males here to do more hunting if we are to feed that many.”

“How long?” the not-human asks again. “I can bring them in waves, so let’s just say fifty for the first trip. Not all of them will be adults.”

“If the other tribe is open to assisting after learning of our humans, and there are truly only fifty or so who will not mind sharing spaces with one another, we can have space for them in a hundred or so days. That allows time for the storms to be over and for us to have a first harvest.”

The not-human nods his head once and then sticks out his hand. “A hundred days. I need it done by then.”

Ralleth takes the male’s hand and shakes it twice before releasing it. Their conversation is over just as fast as it happened, and then the not-human is turning to face all of us. He cocks his head to the side as he looks over my brothers and me. A soft white light glows from his skin in a strange way that makes my scales crawl. Something is not natural about him, but I cannot place my finger on it.

“I need someone willing to mate a female who will struggle to give you young, and you need to do it right now.” The not-human looks to all of us like he is asking an easy thing.

He wants us to mate with someone we have not seen, have not talked to, and do not get to woo. I care very little about the young since Lyath and I agreed a long time ago that we were fine with no young. I do not feel any sadness in not having them because I never even thought it was a possibility. Not to mention I am already greedy enough with my mate’s time. There is no way I could find it in me to give up so much time for a young and still be happy.

The silence in the dining hall is intense as everyone takes in what the not-human is asking of us. I’m starting to feel offended for this poor female on the other side of the partition who can hear that no one is offering themselves up to mate her.

“You have approximately three minutes to decide before the creatures I work with come to collect her and me. The only way she stays on this planet is if one of you mates her.”

Again, no one talks, no one offers themselves, and no one even moves. Well, almost no one. Lyath’s hand is down my pants, coaxing my cock out of its pocket. He has had enough of no one offering to take on this female as a mate. Everyone is so focused on the not-human and his offer of mating a female that we do not get to see who cannot have young that they pay no attention to Lyath as he strokes my cock.

I should stop him. I should tell him we are not meant for a female yet. Especially not when the others do not know that we want her. I do not stop him, though. No, I close my eyes, let myself imagine the human on the other side offering her mating to me, and I release into my mate’s hand.

“We’ll take her!” Lyath shouts as he pulls his hand from my pants and runs around the table toward the partition.

“Lyath?” Ralleth’s eyes go wide when he all but runs past him toward the partition.

A hiss escapes my lips just as it does anytime anyone else says my mate’s name. It is foolish because he is a male, and the brothers who are only interested in females think very little of how it seems like an overstep to me. He is still only allowed in my bed, which means I should be the only one to say his name.

I stalk in my mate’s wake, following him toward the partition but staying near Ralleth and the not-human. Lyath is probably the best one to see the female first. He will be more cheery than I am, and I do not want to scare her off before I have even shown her how safe she will be with me.

“Okay, this is kind of weird,” I can hear Olivia explaining the mating ceremony to the other female, but she cuts her off.

“The doctor already told me I have to eat their ejaculation and then call myself theirs.” The new human’s voice sounds so determined, so vibrant. I know I already very much enjoy hearing her talk, and now I just wish to hear her talking to me.

“Did he tell you there’s a possibility of being mated to two?” Olivia asks, uncertainty filling her voice. She knows that Lyath is my mate, knows he finds his pleasure on my cock and in my hand.

“He’s said it’s happened before.” The determination in the new human’s voice wavers slightly as Lyath disappears on the other side of the partition, kneeling so he can be near her. I wish to be near her as well, but there’s no reason to overwhelm her with the two of us when even the idea of belonging to two males has lessened her resolve.

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