Page 34 of I Married Amreth

“Do you need me to bring you back anything from my ship?” he asked.

I shook my head. “We have everything we need. The deployable lab is perfect. But whatever you’re fetching over there,do notbring back any food!”

I burst out laughing at the way he scrunched his face. I doubted he had actually considered doing it, but this reminder that he wasn’t enjoying the mostly vegetarian food they had herecracked me up. He looked like a little boy pouting over having to eat his broccoli.

“Understood. I’ll be back soon,” he replied.

Then, with a powerful flap of his wings, he took flight. I couldn’t help but admire his grace and strength. Amreth was magnificent. Obviously, his physical appearance didn’t hurt my eyes. But what I had seen so far of his personality was seriously growing on me. It was exceedingly early in our relationship, so we had ways to go in getting to know each other. However, I loved his intelligence and his ability to quickly understand things and focus on topics that usually had people’s eyes glazing over in seconds.

My main concern was how rigid he sometimes seemed to be when it came to observing the law. I understood that it was nearly indoctrinated in his people from birth. But nothing was ever completely black or white. At least, he was open to arguments, listened with an open mind, and seemed willing to make concessions.

A strong sense of being observed had me jerking my head suddenly towards Aku. Finding him and Enre staring at me with a slightly amused expression had my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“He pleases you,” Aku said in a factual manner.

I shifted on my feet, feeling a little awkward and shrugged dismissively. “I hope so. We’re soulmates after all.”

“You don’t know him yet,” Aku challenged.

“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be natural chemistry. Your friend said that we were meant for each other, as did my own,” I said nonchalantly. “Sometimes, you don’t need to know someone for a very long time to get a good sense of who they are and of their true nature. I don’t know you, and despite you kidnapping us, I trust that you’re a good person. Youractions and devotion to your people broadcast it loudly. I feel the same towards Amreth.”

A strange expression fleeted over both his face and Enre’s.

Aku nodded slowly. “Your words are kind. But as stated earlier, the feeling is mutual. That said, it is fascinating to witness this attraction between such different species,” he added pensively, which prompted Enre to nod in agreement.

I smiled. “It is very common off-world. People from many planets of our alliance marry each other. Soulmates are not determined by species. I mean, your own soulmate could be human.”

Aku recoiled. “Ewww! Absolutely not!” he exclaimed with the same horrified expression that Enre displayed.

“Ouch!” I said, pressing a palm to my chest as if I had been mortally wounded with an overly dramatic expression on my face.

“Apologies,” Aku said, his ears darkening with embarrassment even as I burst out laughing. “I meant no disrespect. You and your companions are charming enough, but no, me ending up with a human is highly unlikely. In truth, an off-worlder mate would not be welcome here after all of this. It will take my people quite some time to heal and to see strangers as anything other than bringers of doom.”

“Right,” I said, sobering.

“But I’m glad for you,” Aku said in a gentler tone. “He truly seems honorable. For what it’s worth, he was not easy to capture, even though he believes so, and it wounds his pride. Ten of us had to use our powers on Amreth to bring him down. And even then, he still fought back. It has been a while since we’ve had to chase anyone or anything for that long. They usually don’t make it to the tree line.”

“Oh wow! You should tell him that. He indeed felt quite mortified for getting captured,” I said, a silly wave of pride surging through me.

“Not happening! We wouldn’t want that getting to his head now, would we?” he said in a taunting tone.

I snorted and shook my head at him. “Then maybe I’ll just do it myself. I kind of owe him that much. He came all the way here to rescue me without us ever even meeting,” I added wistfully before giving him a serious look. “I understand that you cannot tell us anything about your friends. But are they a threat to us?”

Although I had no reason to trust that he wouldn’t lie to protect them, the swiftness and conviction with which he shook his head at least convinced me that he genuinely believed they weren’t. Not that it proved anything.

“They are not. Their affairs are in the Eastern and Western Quadrants. Dark things are brewing over there. I can only pray they will come out on the winning side once all is said and done,” Aku said in a mysterious tone laced with a hint of worry for his friends. “But now we shall leave you. Your companions and I will ride out early. Enre will leave tonight to Jaln Village ahead of your arrival. Rest well.”

“Will do,” I said with a smile.

After one final stiff nod in response, Aku turned around and walked out with Enre shadowing him. I watched them until they vanished from view then headed for my house. To my surprise, I caught myself rushing in to take a shower and pick the outfit I would wear from the respectable selection that had been provided for me. There were a few nightgowns, sexy enough while remaining prim and respectable—the type of nightwear I could wear in front of him without it coming across as me trying to get frisky. Still, I suspected whoever picked those clothes for me knew I would be with Amreth.

Judging by the outfits worn by the Kreelars, they had not created these clothes. Their people—both males and females—mostly wore trousers that reminded me of those puffy harem pants with colorful belts or loincloth on top. Neither gender wore tops, aside from the occasional sash, weapon strap, but more often a series of colorful beads and necklaces around their necks, which tumbled down to the middle of their chests.

Their females didn’t have prominent breasts like we did, just an extra set of nipples. I couldn’t tell if their garments meant to hide their nudity or were simply a fashion statement. But I appreciated not having to stare at their naughty bits. The one male patient we examined gave us more than an eyeful. If the Kreelars were all made the same, they might have simian features, but they were hung like horses.

After settling on a coral, sleeveless negligee that flattered my dark complexion, I brushed my hair and teeth, making extra sure I didn’t have anything funky stuck between them. I was that person wildly grinning at others while oblivious to the fact that I had a piece of spinach wedged between my front teeth.

A swift glance at my watch indicated that twenty-one minutes passed since Amreth flew off to his ship. Considering he said it was nearly a ten-minute flight in each direction, it would probably take him another twenty before he returned. Feeling restless, I went back to my laptop to try and get a bit more work done, but my mind just kept wandering off.

---