Page 12 of I Married A Lizardman

“You are officially mated before the Spirits and the Andturian people,” Molzeg declared. “Welcome to our family, Clan Mistress Susan.”

The people tapped their tails and whistled their welcoming chant. This was finally over. I turned to the people and tapped my tail twice on the ground while pressing my right palm over my heart. Susan eyed me before repeating the gesture, tapping the ground twice with her right foot instead.

It was beyond adorable.

Everyone started laughing, but not in a mocking way. Despite the earlier incident, approval shone on their faces at her attempt to adapt to our customs and working around her limitations. That instantly lightened the general mood, and she gave the audience a timid smile, a pale redness creeping back on her cheeks.

Thankfully, while she’d come fetch Susan’s bag, my sister had the foresight of warning my people of the meaning of a human’s reddening skin. Therefore, no one panicked and instead observed the phenomenon with undisguised curiosity.

“Come, my mate,” I said in a gentle voice, placing my hand on her back to nudge her forward. “We will go to the Great Hall for the feast.”

She hesitated and gave me an uncertain look. “Would it be okay for me to put some clothes on, now? It’s a little chilly, and I’m getting cold.”

Her redness increased again. And then she shivered, and a swarm of bumps erupted all over her skin.

“Are you unwell?” I asked, instantly worried.

“No, no! It’s just goosebumps. That happens when humans get cold or when we feel certain types of emotions,” she explained sheepishly. “It will fade away in a few seconds.”

My mother coming to stand next to us with an inquisitive look on her face put an end to that topic.

“Susan is cold,” I explained to my mother. “Her skin requires clothes to maintain a healthy body temperature.”

My mother’s eyes widened in understanding. “I will take her to your dwelling so that she can dress. You attend to your guests,” she replied.

“Thank you, Mother,” I said, affectionately.

Susan’s relieved and grateful smile made my chest tighten again. She was making many sacrifices for me, and I wasn’t taking good enough care of her. Once this evening had concluded, and our guests had departed, I would start doing better by her.

“Please tend to the welts on her sides while at it,” I added in Andturian.

“Of course,” my mother replied before ushering my mate home.

I watched them walk away until they entered my dwelling. Luped’s hand on my shoulder brought my attention back to my immediate surroundings. Smiling, she gestured with her head at the Great Hall. I smiled back and walked alongside her, accompanied by the other guests. As soon as I entered the building, my heart filled with gratitude for my people. Despite the scarcity of food, all the clans had contributed to give us an impressive feast.

I did a quick round of the many tables surrounded by circular benches where the clans had taken their places. In the center of the room, a large warbull had been roasting on a spit alongside a couple of boars, and smaller game meats. Various roots and vegetables wrapped in giant leaves were cooking near the coals. Gatherers from all clans were beginning to carve the meat so they would be ready to serve the meal once my mate had returned.

After expressing my thanks and paying my respects to the other clans, I made my way to the main table at the back of the room. Unlike the others that were circular, this one was long, narrow, and rectangular. It had benches only on the far side so that the people sitting there could face the other guests in the room. While my council usually shared that table with me, today, only my mate and close blood relatives would.

Naturally, I didn’t make it there without getting intercepted by Zoltar. The male was becoming a thorn in my side. There had always been a healthy competition between us, ever since our childhood. He had wanted to be clan leader in my stead—and still did—but acknowledged that I was the better Hunter. However, since the game had increasingly been deserting our hunting grounds, Zoltar had begun challenging me more often and more vocally. He believed his ideas on turning the situation around would work better than mine. Molzeg’s insistence that I mate with an off-worlder to help save our people had only reinforced his belief that I was no longer suited for the role.

In his stead, I would probably feel the same.

Zoltar wasn’t a bad male, just too impulsive and headstrong. He was a great Hunter but would make a terrible clan leader.

“Well, that was an interesting spectacle,” Zoltar said in a taunting voice. “You mated a plucked bird more brittle than a twig.”

“Watch it, Zoltar,” I snarled, taking a menacing step towards him. “It is my mate you are speaking of and your Clan Mistress. You will not disrespect her.”

However, his comment was all the more offensive that the exact same shameful thoughts had crossed my mind the first time I had laid eyes on her.

“I mean no disrespect, Clan Leader,” Zoltar said in the most insincere apologetic tone. “But she is shockingly fragile to this much pain from such a light flick of the somitan branch.”

“Do not be so haughty, cousin,” I said in a harsh tone. “Yes, her species lacks the natural protection granted by our scales, but that is no bragging right. We didn’tearnour genetics. We merely inherited them. She had the courage to uproot herself from her homeworld and come live among complete strangers, bigger, and stronger than she is, plus she’s making every effort to embrace our foreign culture.”

“Bah,” Zoltar said, waving a dismissive hand. “We are a peaceful people. Our customs do not require much sacrifice to adapt to.”

“You know not what you speak of,” I said, disdainfully. “You mock her, but if you were the one marrying a human female, would you have worn the multi-layered clothes their males wear, with shoes? Would you have kissed your wife when asked?”

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