Page 9 of Jewel of the Alien Bandit
“Him! How did you know? What is his name? Look at all of his scars, he must be very powerful.”
“Or very reckless,” I grumbled back to her, feeling an odd desire to dissuade her from her choice.
Mabel said his name, offering it to Flauna. “Vareo, a bounty hunter passing through the star system. He seems like a fine mate, even if his motives may be credit-inspired rather than diplomatic.”
“Doesn’t matter what got him here, all that matters is that he’s here now,” Flauna cooed. “He’s looking this way.” She blushed turning her blue skin a bit purple in the cheeks. Her loh between her shoulders was pulsing, and they grew a bit in size. This should have made me happy to see mating signs, but I found myself scowling instead. I turned my glare onto Vareo, and a different kind of heat twisted my stomach, my anger dissipating. Maintaining my glare was becoming difficult, but that grin of his was so smug I was resolved to keep him at a distance until I’ve stolen his ship for a ride to the nearest starsystem. Since he was just passing through anyway, I might be able to make the whole trip with him none the wiser that I had stolen aboard. I could just slip out at his next stop. Bounty hunters usually made a pit stop at the outlaw planet Necias Delta Fal, and I could find a new transport there easily enough with a few jewels, and a guarantee for more once I was delivered to my destination.
“That’s unusual,” Mabel muttered, her attention distracted in a different direction from the large bounty hunter. She nudged me towards another male with yellow eyes, and golden blonde hair. He blinked and I noticed he was also staring at us, double lids clearing his vision. I gulped back my distaste for what he reminded me of, a krelin, but he seemed different from the delegates sent from Krelis before.
“He’s the ambassador from Krelis,” Mabel had already swiped my still open screen to his file.
“But he’s… participating,” I finished her thought for both of us. That was highly unusual for any of the Krelis delegates to subject themselves to an exam and do more than be an observer of the ceremony. Almder always gave Krelis an invite so that they weren’t offended when we relied on them for the trade of their hewve lard, and other nutritional supplies. Not once have they participated.
Did he actually think anyone would mate with him? I practically scoffed at the idea. They were a brutal hive-like species, and any offspring from them could be considered a security risk.
He was probably planning how to invade our planet and steal our resources right now, making my mission to find other trade agreements that much more important. They were already strong arming us during trades for more than agreed upon at time of delivery, one step away from being considered an outlaw themselves.
I folded my arms instinctively protecting myself from even his stare, but didn’t turn away from him. I was not afraid, at least I wouldn’t let him know I was.
“Any estreld who has already seen a potential mate, please give them an offering of tarnpul inviting them to the dance in celebration of another cycle of the moons,” Salph instructed, and Flauna bounced from her seat. As did many other estreld who felt the pull of their mating loh. My stomach twisted in knots knowing who she was giving her tarnpul offering to. We all accessorized ourselves with various tarnpul for the ceremony. I had several tarnpul rings, and even a headdress beaded with bleached tarnpul to match my hair. I twisted the ring on my thumb nervously, and it was Mabel who touched the bangle on my wrist to get my attention as Flauna approached Vareo.
Trying to ignore them I bit my lip and gave Mabel all my attention. Then I noticed her pained expression.
“What is it?”
She cleared her throat. Unable to say it herself she pointed to my screen, that I still had yet to close. There was a message from my mother reading:
You’ll offer the ambassador of Krelis some tarnpul, My Jewel.
How could she call me her jewel and ask me to do such a thing at the same time? I fumed.
“One piece of tarnpul doesn’t mean you’ll mate with him,” Mabel tried to reassure me that this was merely a show of respect, and not of interest. We could only hope he wouldn’t take it that way.
Heavy footed, I made my way down the rows of seating to reach the males, in particular the one called Trent, from the planet Krelis. My whole body tensed up the closer I got. A heat surged up my spine, and my breathing was becoming irregular. Was I sick?
Mouth dry, I watched as Trent was making his way through the crowd to eliminate the distance sooner. No, no, no, I repeated in my mind. Too quick, I needed time to think of what to say. He was one of the few males that still had his shirt on, thank the moons. His leather armor had intricate designs across it that I hadn’t noticed until he was standing before me, his nostrils flaring, sniffing the air. From behind him wind gushed making other males make space for him, and wings emerged from his back. Leathery, and some part iridescent with a gorgeous yellow shimmer to them.
I gasped, unable to stop myself from being breathless at the display. He was uncharacteristically handsome for a krelin, and I had no idea that they had wings…
The burning sensation crawling up my spine intensified, and the humm of the crowd murmuring amongst themselves was distracting.
Trent reached out his hand, and stupidly I accepted it with my own.
“Luan.” He knew my name… and the way he said it was deep and husky. His yellow eyes slanted with his double lids once more, reptilian or insect like, but I didn’t hate it.
I should dislike it, but I found myself unable to look away.
Recovering myself I spoke, “Will you accept my offering?” I unclasped the bangle of tarnpul from my bicep and it fell down to my wrist. With a gentle hand he slid the jewelry from my hand on to his without releasing his grip. His thumb caressed my skin, and my back was practically on fire.
Then I heard another’s deep voice in the distance, as if he were right next to me, “Focus, power, touch.” I grinned to myself, amused that he was repeating the words like a mantra.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Vareo
LORIC ALREADY HADa swarm of females around him, giving me the chance to slip away and work my way towards the silver beauty, but she hadn’t even budged from her seat. Still glaring in the viewing decks, and then a spritely girl with blue hair, and a soft blue tint of flesh flung her arms around me. If she actually weighed something I might have lost my balance, but when I guided her back to her toes, and firmly back on the ground, she patted a stone that hung around my neck now. This was their tarnpul offering the what’s her face was talking about.
“Do you accept my offering?” she asked after she’d already had the damned thing wrapped around my neck. It wasn’t an offering at all, it was a hostile takeover. A low growl was surfacing in my throat, and I tried to suppress it. The handler had told me I couldn’t go to the dance without an offering, and I wasn’t about to dismiss a free pass, just in case it was my only opportunity. I quickly found she wasn’t my only opportunity at all, as a few other estreld females approached, and one after the other was draping tarnpul jewels across me. I had bracelets on my wrist, even a damned ring on my pinky, I felt like I was at the outlaw gambling parade on Necias Delta Fal. All these bits of tarnpul alone would pay for the next few months of maintenance on the ship, maybe even get my screen fixed so it didn’t glitchanymore. As long as Carmen didn’t get a hold of them, this trip wouldn’t be worthless even if the job was a scam.
