Page 14 of Mated By Twilight

And that was alarming as well, though not as immediately concerning as the fact that, apparently, she hadnotbeen prepared for the two of them to appear.

And it also appeared that she was not taking the news well. Her pretty eyes were wide and darting, like she was getting ready to bolt. Fear, apprehension, unease all fought together on her face, making her twist her hands together as she shifted nervously on her feet.

That was wrong. Their female shouldn’t be so afraid, and he knew immediately that their plans for her tonight would have to change.

The moment he had that thought, he felt a similar determination settle in Sollit. This wasn’t what they had planned for, but what was a show without a little improvisation?

“Were you not informed, Miss Williams?” The domini female asked, appearing concerned. As she should be. If True Match was keeping such things quiet, there was a problem.

“No, I was.” Leah hastened to say, smiling nervously. “I mean, they wrote both their names, but I just kind of figured that it was like a misprint or maybe their names were written weird or something. I-It’s my fault, really. I was being dumb and not seeing what was right in front of me.”

“Do you…” the female domini started slowly, “… need to return?”

“Huh?” Leah blinked, as though surprised at the suggestion. Which was a relief. Tillos and Sollit’s immediate anxiety at the question ebbed just as fast as it arrived. Especially when she continued calmly, “No, it’s okay. Erm… Right? It’s okay?”

“Of course, it is,” Tillos reassured her quickly. But the frantic look in her eyes didn’t fade and he cast his mind around for a way to ease her apprehensions. “Perhaps, we can start slowly. It is an exciting day, but there’s no reason for us to rush our relationship.”

“Exactly,” Sollit agreed cheerfully, catching onto his plan like he had read it from his mind. “We’re just happy to meet you, Miss Williams.”

She blinked, as though startled, then started giggling. It was a sweet sound. Full and breathy, and it eased his and Sollit’s tension a bit more as her own shoulders relaxed.

“So… are we okay here?” The domini asked, looking between them.

Tillos and Sollit looked at their female, waiting for her decision. Tillos’ mind was already racing with thoughts and plans and ideas of what they could do if she decided to leave.

The little female didn’t answer immediately, her pretty eyes darting back and forth as she bit her lower lip, debating internally with herself. He and Sollit could only wait as she came to a decision and finally lifted her head, smiling at the other female.

“Yes, I’m okay,” she assured her.

The domini made a sound deep in her throat before glaring at them, like they might have done something wrong. “Very well. I’ll leave you here then. You have Ambassador Tzomei’s contact information. If you get a combot, make sure to send him your comm patch signature. We’ll be checking in every tenday, don’t forget.”

The last was said quite deliberately at Tillos and Sollit. Interesting. According to their research, the mated human females were settling in nice and safe. Though, maybe that wasn’t true. Or, if it was, there was more to the story.

Regardless, the domini female handed over control of the luggage cart to Sollit before bidding their mate a final farewell. Leah thanked her before waving her off, long sleeve falling down revealing her cute little hand. She had claws, but they were sothin as to be translucent and were kept short and clean. There wasn’t a single dangerous thing about her.

She was positively adorable.

“Shall we go eat?” Sollit asked, beaming between the two of them. “We found a lovely diner near our hotel room that we think you’ll enjoy.”

And where they would have a chance to talk to her. A chance to get her acquainted with them. Tillos had been afraid of this. She was from a largely monogamous species, suddenly being confronted with two mates, and by the nervous way her eyes darted between them, despite the smile on her face, he thought she maybe wasn’t quite comfortable with it.

Well, that was fine.

If there was one thing a pair of avanava males excelled at, it was caring for their mate.

Chapter 6

Leah

Two. Two!Two.

Okay. That was fine. She could do this. She could handle this. It was just like… twice as much of a good thing, right?

Two!

Oh, crud. What if she ended up picking favorites? What if one of them liked her but the other didn’t? What if neither of them liked her? What if she liked them both, but then things soured between only one of them later? What if they got jealous of each other? What if she liked neither of them?

This sudden, new complication made all the anxieties about this whole, interspecies mating thing come rushing up to the front of her mind from where she’d pushed them all away. Everything she’d refused to think about was now plaguing her, plus a whole new host of worries she didn’t even know she’d have to consider.

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