Page 4 of Bred By Fafnir

I nod, giving her a weak smile and a small wave as she bolts down the corridor again. I should follow, but my feet won’t move. My steps carryme further away until my back meets the cold wall, my breath coming a little too quick now. A new sense of dread building deep in my stomach. It’s another amendment we had to consent to, the possibility of matehood. Not something humans have to deal with but many other species recognize fated mates, whether it’s a biological thing, a spiritual thing, or a mix of the two it means our year contract turns into a lifetime one, for better or worse unless you’re lucky enough to be rejected or at least not forced to stay on world for the duration of your mutual lifespans.

The corridor is cramped compared to the outer rim. The inner ones act as a sort of maze. My fingers tremble as I reach out, all but slapping my palm on the wall control. The soft ding sounds followed by a voice speaking a language I recognize as the Oozarian. It takes only domtics to pause, reading my biometric signature as my chest squeezes like a vice. “Terra2 universal English detected. Please name your destination.”

“The Solar Breeding Agency,” I pant out, wondering how the hell Melody had run off without it. An implant, I’m guessing. She said this wasn’t her first time, but… I can't fathom remembering the path through any of this. It dings again, a faint blue arrow lining the metal walls. All I need to do is follow it.

I don’t.

Instead, I let myself slip down the wall, my ass connecting with the floor through the thin dress, ignoring the quizzical stairs of the few beings filtering through. No part of me budges, my eyes glued to the clock. I’m two hours early. I thought that was a good choice at the time, that it’d give me time to gather my thoughts. Turns out that was a terrible choice. The thoughts are not my friend. Eventually, my mind quiets, and my eyes stop seeing the numbers as they flip and change. I have no concept of how long that took until my pager dings. Myheart lurches, the calm fading as I wake the screen, knowing it won’t be Mom but hoping all the same.

Melody Arnold:“He’s big :0”

A short, almost hysterical bubble of laugher escapes from my throat.

Glimpsing the clock and finding only a whopping forty-three ontics have passed, I get to my feet, straightening and smoothing my hair and dress before I steel myself, finally following the little blue line.

three

Lenora

“Let’s review this paperwork, and we can get into the nitty gritty of things, yes?”

My scowl deepens on the Oozarian woman, her gooey body shaped into a humanoid top and blob bottom in a smart looking alien take on a pencil skirt and vested blouse. She told me her name earlier, but the swap to English was butchered by her translator.

Thorn-e-la-nease orsomething like that.

I don’t respond, my fingers tapping anxiously against my thigh. I can’t tell if she’s building up the anticipation for climactic effect or if this is just the natural cadence of things, but I’m seconds from exploding. Her mate, who didn’t bother introducing himself, lords behind her like always, happy to let his other half run the show whilehe looks on with mild glints that bounce between annoyance and amusement.

“You’ve been placed with a species who resides on a class Four B planet, it will be done via natural copulation, under a standard one-year contract. No extra ceremony or traditions, such as but not limited to bodily modifications—"

“Hang on, you said class Four B?” I interrupt, my anxiety spiking.

She scowls over her datapad, not answering my question.

My eyes dart to her mate as if asking for some help. He offers none. “That’s… they're a dangerous species then, right?”

“We have no information on why the planet's grade was listed as a B. As we have told you, all candidates are vetted thoroughly.” She sneers, not bothering to mask her annoyance.

Yes, vetted unless they have enough credits.

I keep that to myself, nodding for her to continue when all I want to do is stand up in my uncomfortable chair in the humid office and launch myself over her desk to see the species' name. There’s no doubt she’s drawing it out on purpose at this point. Some information suggests a kind of psychic ability is present within Oozarians. If that’s true, it’s a secret they hide well, as nobody has been able to confirm.

My attention blips in and out, which she doesn’t seem to mind.

Is he here already? Have they already spoken to him?

Did he find my appearance lacking?

The pitch in my brow deepens. It doesn’t matter if he thinks I’m cute. That’s not the point. To him, I’m an alien. I probably look…. gross or weird. Unless he’s one of those with a human fetish, then I suppose—

“…Your match will transfer the required credits to your listed beneficiary if it is not yourself. Immediately after both parties sign the required agreements, there will be an additional five present increase in compensation because of the B grade of the planet.”

I perk up at that, making her give me a pointed smile.

“Now allow me to show you your partner for the next year.” She makes a grand show of smashing her blobby finger down on the hologram pad, her husband doing something akin to rolling his eyes. It's uncomfortable seeing them actually roll around completely inside his head. My stomach flips as the image blurs to life in front of me.

“Fafnir is a Bhaurnul, who lives on his native planet of Yolmarth, in the third quadrant. He is quite an accomplished warrior among his people. While the Bhaurnuls have been known to recognize mates in the past, it hasn’t been done in ages and never to an off-worlder.”

My eyes are glued to the man in the holograph, wide and I’m sure terribly expressive, judging by the stifled laughter from the back of the room. I’m not sure which part of him to analyze first, the bulked equestrian shaped legs complete with hooves, and what appears to be short, warmed toned gray fur. His long-ridged antelope like horns only adds to the severe and stern looking man, like very possibly he’s never smiled a day in his life. Long hair is the same warm gray shade as the fur on his legs. His bottom half appears to be where the fur tapers off, forming an alluring V shape over tapered hips and stomach. Oh, and a….tail.

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