Page 10 of Jewel of the Alien Bandit
A glow caught my attention, and I stilled watching the gauzy fabric of the estreld I had set my sights on billow behind her. Those silver eyes were hard set, determined, and heading down here towards me. I waited, and tensed as the krelin male parted the space of mates for him to meet her trajectory.
And Loric said this wasn’t a competition of gorbles. His insectoid eyes were already targeted on her, and I could smell his glands warding off other males from approaching.
“Pardon me, ladies,” I gave a small tilt of my head, and worked my way through the now tightening crowd, as everyone had stopped to stare at the two of them.
She was glowing like the moons, and she was stunning. A fierceness to her face, and that’s what I wanted to see in her as she stared down her foes. She couldn’t possibly want to mate with a krelin, I assured myself.
I had to reach them before he started a traditional krelin mating ritual, some males were known to spray their mates with their scent so no other male will touch their prey. Not that it’s harmful, but my nose has always been sensitive to that odor, and it’s been known to trigger hormones in females that’s a pretty powerful drug-like state making them more susceptible to their ‘charms’.
He wasn’t going to spoil this ceremony for me by taking the one female that made having to go through that examination seem worth it. I’d already imagined burying myself inside her slick folds, and hearing my name on her lips.
Wind blew through my hair, and I cursed. He was one of those krelins… one with wings. He was a warrior within his hive.
Fuck.
He’d be more difficult to get rid of than I thought. Once they set their sights on a mate, they usually saw red whenfaced with other suitors. Most of the time they’d sooner kill the competition, even if they were part of their own hive. Dangerous creatures.
I didn’t know what was coming over me, but I couldn’t let it go. It would have been better to ignore her and focus on the job, but I couldn't walk away.
Focus on the objective. The girl.
Give her a powerful display. What was more powerful than saving her from the clutches of a krelin?
They needed touch to trigger their loh or something like that.
The krelin was already holding her hand, and stroking her fingers. I growled at the sight. Clenching my fists, I prepared to throw him off of her if he even thought of spraying her with his mating glands.
There were better ways of getting what I wanted that didn’t involve violence, I reminded myself and chanted, “Focus, power, touch.” Stick to the plan, Vareo, you just need to prevent his mating spray, and convince her that he’s not a worthy mate.
And you are? I thought grimly. No, of course not, but I was better for a one night stand than a krelin was. My gut felt like acid was tearing its way through the fourth black depths of Trillus Magus. Did I want more than one night? I shook the thought from my head.
Focus.
Power.
Touch.
Her head turned from the krelin’s wing display, which I tried to convince myself weren’t that impressive, to catch me mid stride. My heart hammered in my ribcage under her scrutiny, then the whole crowd went silent as she glowed brighter, and putting the earlier light show of the leader of the estrelds to shame.
She was the moon herself, trapped in the body of an angel. And when I thought she couldn’t be any more impressive, she sprouted jewels from her back that layered and layered like unsheathing an arsenal of daggers made of diamonds, spread out from her shoulders like her own set of wings. Deathly wings, that looked like they could stab the krelin if he got out of line, I smiled at that image in my mind. She’d be a force to be reckoned with, and I wanted her even more.
She had no idea how she tore through my control, making me want to pull her into my arms even with all of Estreldez watching. They seemed to be the voyeur kind of species that wouldn’t be too concerned about it, but there were things I wanted to do to her that I’d prefer to keep to myself.
My cock pulsed, already preparing itself despite the current circumstances that I was choosing to ignore. Like the krelin that was still holding her hand, and expanding his wings in an act of dominance. I wrinkled my nose as the waft of his warding glands intensified, it was a good thing the females couldn’t smell it themselves… they’d be repulsed instantly.
She spoke finally, interrupting the heavy air between the three of us, “I’ll see you at the dance, then.” Her tone was dismissive, and I grinned feeling relieved that she wasn’t affected by the krelin’s advances. She slipped her hand from his grasp, and turned abruptly from both of us.
Stunned, it took me a moment to realize she was also dismissing my own attempt to get her attention. She was leaving. I didn’t even get the chance to greet her, or ask her name.
Someone bumped into me from behind, and I watched as Loric passed by to pursue her himself. I glared after him and, coming to my senses, I followed after. As he got closer to her his blue loh morphed before my eyes, extending out like spikes from his arms.
He was a walking weapon, even the loh on his back grew up and out curving like odd wings of his own. Did all the estreld have these?
They weren’t the same as the diamond wings of the beauty escaping, but dangerous all the same.
It was odd that the kerlin didn’t make any attempts to spray or claim her when she left. I took a moment to glance over my shoulder, and like he was waiting for me he lifted an arm to show off a bracelet bejeweled with tarnpul. He gave me a victorious smile, and turned his back to me. The bastard, was that one of her offerings?
My insides boiled at his bold claim that I was distracted long enough for more females to surround me. One of them clung to my arm, and cooed.
