Page 13 of A Mate for Vasek
“This is normal,” Vasek explained. “Your body, in conjunction with a medication, is busy clearing out the toxin and fighting the bacteria in your system. You should sleep again.”
“But it’s late.” She looked out at the night sky.
The sun had set during their meal, and the inky black now twinkled with the first stars of the night.
“What do you mean?” he asked, not understanding her statement.
“You need to sleep too. I shouldn’t sleep on your bed.”
Was she afraid he’d force himself on her in the night? He frowned. “You’re safe from me, I will not ask for anything you do not want to give.”
“Thank you. I believe you.” She hesitated a moment, then added, “But usually my owners do not let me stay on the bed because it could trigger a mate bond. It’s why Kotch always preferred his Fiete females.”
Technically, the Fietes were also capable of forming mate bonds with Talleans, but it was very rare. So rare that some people thought the reports of matings were either just a rumor, or a desperate mind tricking the body, or even just plain lies. With humans however, it was as if their bodies couldn’t tell they were a different species at all. And they were so close biologically, in fact, that it was possible for them to procreatewith just a teeny, tiny nudge from a doctor in the form of fertility enhancements.
Vasek found it entertaining that they’d both been worried about the same thing. But with the olfactinull in the air, they were safe.
“We don’t need to worry about that. Sleep. I will join you when I’m finished scanning my networks.”
Dawn wrinkled her nose but nodded, before disappearing into the facilities to prepare for bed.
Vasek settled down with his portable personal computer to scan the broadcasts for anything he might need to know. Despite not enjoying interaction with others unless he had to for work, he liked being up to date with the happenings in and around both New Rhea and Vosthea. At first, he’d thought it was because it was necessary to his survival, but he’d since come to terms with the fact that he simply enjoyed it. It was a hobby. He liked being in the know.
Recently, he’d also added Reka 5 to his radar. That colony had gotten bigger over the years and was now impossible to ignore. According to his sources, Reka 5 had recently added one new colonist, a human named Cami, to their roster, then promptly lost her when she joined theNew Horizonas an official crew member.
Vasek had worked on Cami just recently, reprogramming a chip to say that she belonged to a male named Berus, and for anyone finding her to return her to theNew Horizonfor a reward.
News like that seemed trivial at first, until one realized who captained the ship. Captain Uzzar might seem unassuming, a little older and past his prime, but Vasek knew that he wasactually Ulrek, one of the Dominion’s most wanted in disguise. It might as well be a public secret at this point, considering many of the port officials already knew but kept the secret since Ulrek made them more credits in the long run alive and free than otherwise.
Not to mention, the former Dominion captain had enough allies out here that anyone who gave him up would find themselves rather dead in a very short time.
There wasn’t any news of what happened to Bakum yet. But then, it was probably too early.
Satisfied for now, he got ready for bed. He found Dawn curled up against the wall, barely taking up any space. There was plenty of space for him. She’d left the single pillow for him, probably afraid to take it. Perhaps he could stop by the depot on the way back to pick up another for her for their trip to Vosthea.
He climbed into bed, careful not to wake her, and ordered his shuttle to turn off the lights and turn off the view screen so the morning sun would not wake them. Then, with Dawn's tiny form curled up next to him. Vasek closed his eyes and slept next to a female for the very first time.
***
Vasek woke to Dawn plastered against him, a leg thrown haphazardly over his body. She was using him as a body pillow, and he was holding her back. She was snoring softly, and despite his initial reaction to shove her away, he couldn’t. He inhaled, trying to see if he needed to spray the olfactinull again, but he still couldn’t smell anything. That meant he was safe.
This was actually quite nice.
Was this how it felt to have someone special in his life? He’d never been curious about it because he’d known it wasn’t something he could have, but he was glad he had the opportunity to experience some form of it, no matter how mild. He knew that lying with a female was nothing like lying with his mate, but he could imagine and pretend.
He wasn’t a stranger to the pleasures of the flesh, but he always kept his distance, preferring to leave immediately after his conquests. He also never slept with the same female twice. Of course, he’d been extremely forthright with the females he’d spent time with.
Tallean culture was very lax when it came to sex. And since mate bonds usually did not form unless there was physical intimacy, often in the form of sex, many young Talleans hopped from bed to bed in a bid to find their mates. But a decent percentage of them were like Vasek: just there to have fun.
So Vasek wasn’t lacking bed partners. But if he had to admit, only to himself, he was lonely. But then, he’d known all his life that he would be. His sire had warned him repeatedly, and every story that had come in about his uncles hammered it home. And of course, there was Ranek.
Was what Vasek was feeling now with Dawn a tiny taste of what his brother had felt before the rejection from his mate had driven him crazy?
Vasek thought of the last time he’d seen his brother. What a disaster!
He’d become so dangerous that the Dominion had to lock him up. The only reason they’d spared his life was because he’d been their sire’s son, and their sire had been highly decorated in the Dominion military.
Was Ranek still rotting in a cell somewhere in an inner planet prison?
