Page 12 of Her Alien Prince
Unbuckling myself from the seat, I got up only to stop at the door that was left open to the main transport of the shuttle. I rolled to my back, pressed against the wall when I saw another krelin at the airlock talking with Trent. Peeking around, I could see Gaven still passed out and strapped into his seat. The soft rise and fall of his chest assured me he was indeed sleeping, and nothing more serious.
The krelin bowed and slammed down on one knee, brown and tan wings fluttered behind the man dressed in warrior leathers before Trent's black wings flashed open blocking my view.
"Our queen had doubts about your commitments, but I can see she had nothing to worry about," the man said with disbelief.
"You had your own doubts as well," Trent surmised from his tone.
"Every female warrior is being gathered to try to find a suitable queen for the hive. Forgive me for doubting you. We need to be strong for when King Sylve tries to claim this planet. Necias Delta Fal warships have been spotted in the sector, and we need to be ready."
"What have you done so far?" Trent was dismissive of the information and pivoted with a bored interest in whatever the warrior had to tell him. How was he not more concerned about outlaw warships coming our way? And what did the krelin mean about their commitments? What was a krelin doing greeting our shuttle and not one of the estrelds assigned to this station? An uneasy twist of my stomach was replacing any remaining sexual desires I had for Trent with a heavy anxiety.
But I did nothing. I listened with curiosity.
"The station has been secured, Commander. You were correct about all their resourcing being diverted to the mating ceremony. It's an honor to have you come to assure our success."
"I'm here to make sure your team doesn't screw up my plans for securing Estreldez through a mate contract."
"Commander?"
"You were there when I told my queen about needing time, were you not?"
There was a silence that I assumed meant the warrior was nodding instead of replying verbally.
"Then you are aware that what you are doing right now is counterproductive to my plans to secure the planet and open up the mating ceremony to our warriors."
"But there is no proof that—"
He was cut off by Trent, "I am the proof."
"Did you find a queen among the estrelds?" his voice was hushed, and awestruck.
"I've found that the radiation of the estreld’s loh act similarly with our genetic mating markers as the queen's blessing. A mating contract with their future Almder will secure our spawnrates for many generations to come."
While Trent's wings were extended, and blocking the other krelin's view, I quietly padded around the doorway. Crouching behind a seat, I slowly peeked back to make sure I could still make my way to Gaven. I wasn't completely sure what was going on, but it didn't feel right.
"Mabel," Trent called over his shoulder, blowing my cover. Fuck. Well, there went my plan for being sneaky. I was sure I was being quiet. "This is Commander Li-aq," he introduced, and I could see as I popped my head up that Trent's wing was no longer hiding me.
"Who do we have here?" Commander Li-aq clucked his tongue and with a nod of greeting he asked, "Show me estreld, can you bestow one of your blessings on me?" The way he approached was predatory, and his question was more challenge than interest, like he didn't believe an estreld's loh could do what Trent implied. He could be telling the truth, but I'm not the one to prove or disprove this theory.
I haven't once released the light of the moon from my loh... until today. With only three loh to begin with, I even wore specialized gloves with amplifiers made to look like loh to help my body absorb more of the moon's radiation. Every specialist on estreld had said it was highly unlikely I would be able to release radiation due to my body needing all the radiation a few loh would grant me. There shouldn't have been any radiation to spare. Yet, when Trent kissed me. My thoughts wondered, and my lips tingled at the very recent memory.
"Don't be foolish," Trent chided. "You have your pick of the hive to mate with, and if you are to activate your glands, you'd be risking an end to your current exploits."
"Perhaps," the krelin agreed, though reluctantly it seemed. "So, you've mated with one then?" He quickly changed the subject on to Trent's business.
"My glands are active, but the estrelds have strange mating practices that I must adhere to before completing the Kloaph."
"So, you haven't taken the one that activated you? By our customs, it is your right to take her to the oasis to complete the claim. Display your prowess, and worthiness while you insure your seed fertilizes her eggs." He shrugged as if that information wasn't horrifying. "Even if she doesn't choose you, at least you know her future spawn will be yours."
My mouth hung open. Trent stood beside me and tapped my chin with a gentle finger to close it. "We aren't our ancestors, Li-aq, we do not steal our mates and trick them into continuing our genetics regardless of their interest. I have found my mate, but I will follow her customs, and make sure she is to stay by my side before I fill her so completely there is no other cock she'd wish for."
My skin buzzed at his words, ears burning as if he directed those intentions towards me, instead of Luan. I knew he intended to have an advantageous mate that would assist a peace treaty, and it certainly wasn't someone like me, but I couldn't help but imagine my folds stretching around him as he made sure not even his name was coherent in my thoughts, just the sensations of the deepest part of my heat being struck with his hard... my thoughts were interrupted.
"That is not the way of females," Li-aq chortled. I glared, both irritated that he was so set in his opinions and because he reminded me such thoughts of Trent were making my folds slick with anticipation for something I couldn't have.
"You are not the choice of females," I clarified, disgusted with Li-aq’s implications of both how he planned on mating with someone in the future, and his lack of respect for anyone that wasn't him. Who did he think he was, speaking of all females this way? I was sure there were some in any culture that were just as he described, but that didn't speak for the whole gender, across all species, including estrelds or krelins. That would be the same as me saying all men were chauvinist like he was choosing to be.
The smug smile of his snapped into one that made me think he'd charge me with his horns as his wings spread out in warning. "Hold your tongue estreld runt," he growled.
