Page 13 of Alien Triton's Prize

Also, their custom of eating animals that were already dead just felt wrong. Why would anyone want to eat something like that? Food should still be alive when you catch it.

But now that I’d met Vera, I could see the positive traits. Their skin was silky smooth in the water, and as Iravan noted, their torsos were like that of our females except more voluptuous, and softer.

It was as if their fertility was thrust right out, along with their rounded bosoms. The feel of Vera’s body as she struggled against mine had affected me greatly. Even now, the thought of her silky-smooth skin gliding against my scales had me fighting my vent, which wanted to open and release my cock. That kiss we had shared before I left wasn’t helping, either.

“Go, Cetius. Your female awaits. Don’t waste a special day like this working. Cetion wouldn’t be happy if he found out.”

“Cetion doesn’t know she’s here yet.” My grandsire knew I had contacted Starlight Brides, but not any of the details.

“But he will soon, unless you teleported her directly to your bedroom. Better get back to her before Cetion shows up and starts bargaining with her for future great-grandspawn.”

Iravan was correct, of course. The significant attention we’d gotten on the streets meant that half the city probably already knew about her.

“You are right. I should go rescue her.” I picked up my personal contact conch and shut my terminal down.

Iravan chuckled. “Yes. Go do that. And once she gets settled, I have to meet her. I can’t believe my best friend is actually married.”

“You could always go to Starlight Brides yourself,” I suggested.

He snorted. “And risk getting matched with a Gargii? No thanks.”

***

I returned home too late. My grandsire had already found my little bride. I found him and Cetia in the library, showing Vera the journals he’d kept in his youth as he traveled the five seas. I wondered if he’d had time to mention great-grandspawn yet. I fervently hoped not.

“Therehe is! I can’t believe you brought her home without letting me know and then went straight back to work afterward. That’s why we have employees, Cetius. You really need to learn how to delegate.”

“You’re right, Grandsire. And in fact I gave Iravan my work contact conch for the next few days so I can spend some time with my new bride.”

“Good, good. Get started on those great-grandspawn for me.”

Cetia looked ready to explode with mirth as she held in a laugh. If she was a few years older, our grandsire would be pushing her as well, but for now, she was immune to the ever-present pressure to repopulate the city and keep our kind from dying out.

“I don’t have long now, you know,” our grandsire said, erasing any traces of amusement from Cetia’s face. “I want to see all of you happy before I leave.”

“We are happy,” I said.

“Ya, completely happy,” Cetia echoed. She hooked an arm through our grandsire’s elbow. “Now let’s leave the newlyweds alone so they can get started on those great-grandspawn for you. We can head out to the market.”

I looked over at Vera, hoping this wasn’t scaring her away, but she just looked amused. It was only now that I noticed her color wasn’t as rosy as it had been before. I waited for my sister and grandsire to leave, then asked, “Are you feeling all right? You look a little pale.”

I took her hand in mine and was surprised by the wrinkling skin on her fingers. They had been perfectly smooth before.

“What happened?”

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Drat! I’d forgotten about her voice.

Gathering her into my arms, I whisked us down the corridor and into her room, the only dry refuge in the home. I probably should build a few more of them for her, even if she was only going to be here for a year.

She gasped in her first lungful of air greedily.

“What is wrong?” I asked her again.

“I think I’ve been in the water too long. I’m getting all wrinkly like a prune. I feel a bit dizzy, too. And I just realized I haven’t had anything to drink since arriving on the planet.”

“To drink?” My body naturally directed the water I needed into my digestive tract, and while I sometimes chose to imbibe flavored drinks as well, it certainly wasn’t a requirement.

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