Page 53 of Mated on Live

“Ilala, we’re kind of waiting for-”

Her gaze tightened again, the glare she leveled at him withering. Sophie smothered another giggle as he flinched.

“We’ll come home now, ilala.”

Ellow smiled bright, her olules waving in delight. “We’ll be waiting, my son! See you soon!”

The comm ended and Sophie burst into laughter.

“I see why you avoid talking to her now. She controls you like a puppet!”

He shivered. “That female is terrifying. I’m a grown male, you’d think my own mother wouldn’t be able to scare me like that anymore.”

Chuckling, Sophie turned and kissed his nose. “Oh, sweetie. I have bad news for you. Your mama is just like mine. And I’m just like my mama. You’re never escaping terrifying females.”

He shuddered in mock fear, even as he grabbed her tight, nuzzling her temple. “I guess I just need to never give you a reason to get mad. And learn from my father how to calm you down and handle you.”

“You think you can handle me?” She challenged with a smirk.

His pointed teeth shined as he bared them in a predatory smile that made her shiver in delighted anticipation.

Chapter 20

Serval

Serval always dreaded going home, until he arrived and remembered all the reasons he loved being there in the first place. And it was even better now that he brought his mate with him. Something about having her beside him on the bridge as he entered into orbit and put in his request for landing permission with the planetary government just made the occasion special.

And he also got to experience his planet for the first time again through her eyes as she stared in wide mouthed wonder at the camera display he had opened for her – his ship didn’t have windows, but he could emulate it through the outer cameras.

“It’s purple!” Sophie declared, laughing in delight.

Serval chuckled, finishing the landing request before turning to admire Wav’aii beside her.

The terrestrial part of his planet was, indeed, purple. A deep, rich color, almost magenta in some areas, spread across the surface of the planet like a latticework of lace. The bright, near turquoise blue of the water covered everything else as bright, white clouds swirled over the surface.

“Wav’aii is a water world,” Serval explained to her. “The land you’re seeing isn’t really land. Our planet has very little soil and very shallow seas. The purple you’re seeing isn’t dirt, it’s a specific species of petrified coral that was pushed up from the shallowest parts of the ocean floor.”

“Wow!” Sophie laughed, excited. “That’s incredible! It’s beautiful!”

Serval held his head up proudly as clearance for landing came through. He then put in a request for a landing shuttle. They both had packed bags that were sitting by the docking door already, and his family was waiting for them below.

He had time to explain to his mate more about his planet, surprising himself with how nostalgic and proud he felt about this place he only visited, very reluctantly, once a year.

“Our planet doesn’t really have countries, but people are very territorial over their commu – the place where their nesting pools are. Some commus have only one family living around them, while most supply multiple families, like mine. The nesting pools are extremely protected, and no one will destroy or build over a nesting pool. As a result, the terrestrial part of the planet is very undeveloped. I can think of only one or two urban places on the ground. There are a few floating cities though, and a lot of sunken cities. All of our industry and agriculture is done underwater. So, from the surface, the planet looks rather primitive and uninhabited.”

Sophie let out a breath of wonder. “It’s amazing, Serval.”

He put his arms around her waist, holding her close as he looked over his planet. “Yes, it really is. Our weather is mild, except at the poles, and because the planet doesn’t tilt at the axis, we don’t really experience seasons like others. We do have a storm spot though. See there?”

He gestured with his chin to the horizon they could see where a collection of clouds had formed a large, permanent storm.

“That’s Haka Mai’ra – the spirit of Wav’aii. In ancient times, my people believed the storm was a powerful and mysterious ocean spirit struggling to break free from the waves. It’s a permanent storm that is constantly moving over the surface. It doesn’t move very fast, so when it hits, you know you’ll experience harsh rains and powerful winds for a few tendays. Apparently, it’s over my sister’s academy right now, so they’re all on break and she’s home with the rest of the family.”

“Do we have to worry about it hitting us?” Sophie asked, frowning. “I’ve never been in anything like a hurricane before.”

“No. It’s far from my commu. And because it is so slow moving, it’s easy to track where it’s going and predict where it will go. Besides,” he brushed her hair back, “our homes are both above and below the waves, and Haka Mai’ra, though he churns up the surface, doesn’t affect the water below. We will be perfectly safe, lov’alel.”

She leaned her head onto his chest, still staring at the planet, a smile teasing at the corners of her lips.

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