Page 7 of I Married A Lizardman

Bewildered, Olix stared in turn at me, my crotch, and the back of the mraka. Disbelief, disappointment, annoyance, and a hefty dose of discouragement fleeted over his reptilian features in quick succession. He emitted a sibilant sound the creeped me the fuck out. It reminded me of the hiss of a snake mixed with some sort of a rattling, grumbling sound.

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling horrible as I watched him reflecting on a solution.

He didn’t respond, but the look he gave me hurt. And yet, I couldn’t blame him for it. I, too, was wondering what the fuck I was doing here. Clearly, I wasn’t adapted to this world. Maybe this was happening for a good reason, while we were still at the spaceport. This marriage could be annulled, and I could get my sorry butt back home. I still had a few months before my twenty-fifth birthday.

“Wait here,” Olix said in a grumbling tone. “I will find something to make the ride safe for you.”

He didn’t wait for my response. Turning around, he headed back towards the entrance of the spaceport at a brisk, but stiff pace. I blinked away the prickling in my eyes. I had never felt so useless and inadequate than in this instance. At the same time, I was angry at Olix for not having considered our genetic differences when planning on bringing me home. Granted, he hadn’t had much time to look into humans, considering how quickly all of this happened. However, he shouldn’t have just settled for whatever species would have accepted him. He should have looked into each compatible one and narrowed the choice down to one he was comfortable with and understood.

And you shouldn’t have just accepted him after Kayog had informed you of this.

A wave of distress and sorrow washed over me. I felt increasingly overwhelmed by this whole mess. I hadn’t expected a fairy tale, but I had hoped for a smoother start than this—an instant chemistry between us that would have validated the Temern’s empathically driven choice of matching us together. But there had been none of this. For him, I was just one big disappointment after another.

Olix never entered the spaceport. Just as he was reaching the doors, Kayog walked back out, carrying something big in his arms. The two males stopped and began to converse. Kayog extended the package to Olix, who took it hesitantly. The conversation between them appeared to intensify, drawing the attention of a few other patrons walking in and out of the spaceport. The Temern gestured with his head for my husband to follow him as they took a few steps to the side, away from prying ears.

My throat tightened. From this distance, I couldn’t hear anything they said, but I could see a somewhat concerned expression on the agent’s face. Judging by their body language, I suspected Olix was trying to dump me back on Kayog, who was doing his best to convince him to give it a fair try. I felt humiliated and embarrassed. Sure, I might be wrong. Maybe the Temern was only giving him some last-minute advice or insights about dealing with a human mate, but the pessimist side of me expected the worst.

Stupidly, the thought of him wanting to get rid of me suddenly made me want to stay and prove him wrong, prove to him that we could make it, and that I could be the best wife he could have ever hoped for. So much for my own thoughts that this was a mistake.

I wasn’t a quitter. His people were going hungry. I could change that. I could be valuable to all of them… if only given a chance.

After a couple more minutes, Olix gave Kayog a sharp nod, and the agent appeared to relax, giving my husband a pleased smile. Olix turned around and started heading back towards me, carrying the package Kayog had given him, while the latter waved goodbye at me. I waved back, tears of relief prickling my eyes.

As Olix closed the distance between us, I recognized the object in his hand as some sort of massive saddle. My heart warmed for the Temern. I cast a glance back at the entrance, but the agent had already left. Of course, he had known it would have been impossible for me to ride the creature and had immediately gone and fetched what I needed. He had made no mystery that he wanted this union to work. But this gesture went beyond the call of duty. I hoped we would make him proud in the end.

“Kayog Voln always thinks of everything,” Olix said in a grumbling tone, showing the saddle in his hands. “This should keep you safe and make the ride enjoyable for you.”

“Awesome, thank you!” I said as he began strapping it on the creature.

“Do not thank me, my mate,” Olix said, his scales darkening with embarrassment. “It appears that I just keep failing you. I know you are disappointed with how inadequate I am proving to be. But I promise to do better.”

My chest constricted hearing the depth of the shame in his voice. This whole time I spent thinking he was judging me and finding me lacking, he’d been beating himself up, thinking I was doing the same to him.

I instinctively placed my hand on his upper arm, giving it a soothing, gentle caress.

“You are not inadequate,” I said gently, but firmly. “And you haven’t failed me. We are two strangers united by fate, and who have committed to be each other’s support and most loyal partner, for better or for worse. You have much to learn about me and humans in general, just like I have much to learn about you and the Andturian people. We can do that together. As long as we communicate and keep an open mind, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

His expression softened, and he stared at me in silence, his golden eyes roaming over my face as if he was seeing me for the first time. After a beat, a gentle smile stretched his scaly lips.

“Thank you for your understanding, my mate,” Olix said with that adorable accent of his. “I will endeavor to make you proud.”

“As will I,” I replied with a smile of my own.

My husband made quick work of settling the saddle on the back of the creature. It was quite impressive, with a thick blanket falling to the sides to avoid the scales scraping my legs despite my pants, and an even thicker, cushiony bench that sat on top of the creature’s back. It allowed me to sit comfortably with my legs either folded back on each side of the cushion or dangling down. Once he had me settled, Olix hooked my bag to some sort of strap on the front side of the beast. He then hoisted himself behind me, directly onto the unsaddled part of the mraka, and wrapped his arm around my waist. He pulled me backward on the cushion until my back pressed against his muscular chest.

The hard heat of his body around me was surprisingly nice. For some reason, I’d expected his scales to chafe and scrape my skin, but they felt oddly supple against me. Despite the elevation provided by the saddle, Olix still sat almost a head higher than me. His pleasant earthy, woodsy scent titillated my nostrils. Cocooned and sheltered by his body, I relaxed against him.

“Is this comfortable for you?” he asked, his deep voice giving me goosebumps.

“Yes, this is perfect. Thank you,” I replied.

“Good. I will go slowly at first. If you start feeling pain or discomfort at any time, please let me know immediately,” he said.

“Okay,” I answered, feeling touched by his solicitude.

We began to ride mostly in silence, the mraka gradually picking up the pace. Within ten minutes, the beast was galloping at dizzying speed. At first, my stomach roiled a little, and my teeth chattered, but I eventually adapted to the motion, flowing with the creature’s movements, as well as Olix’s behind me. I would still be sore as all hell in the morning, but in time, I didn’t doubt for a minute that this method of transportation would grow on me.

Although Olix pointed out some landmarks along the way, he mostly remained quiet. I didn’t mind. Between enjoying the stunning view of the mostly untouched, savage land, I welcomed this opportunity to gather my thoughts and mentally prepare for meeting his people…mynew people.

---