Page 15 of Her Alien Warrior
I choked out, "Excuse me?"
"Something he can keep with him that smells of you, so he may lock in on your scent and build up a bond with it even in your absence. He will seek you out on instinct no matter where you are on the ship if he accepts the offering."
"That is a very, uh, generous offer. I'm sure General Sou-el will make someone a wonderful mate one day, but I'm part of the Blue District studies."
Commander Rokva's eyes narrowed, but it was more a look of concentration than annoyance, I thought. At least until she slammed her fist on the table and growled. "Our laws over rule that of your Earth contracts, this ship is under Necias Law, even your contracts include a clause about prevailing laws of the territory you are stationed. This ship, my ship, our laws. If you want to be with my brother, I will terminate your contract and you will be part of our tribe, protected by our law."
She stood and placed her fist to her chest with a thump and said, "It is settled, Renee of Earth. Show me an unne mark before we arrive on Trillume and your contract is void. My brother is an honorable and wealthy warrior, you will want for nothing.A drop of your blood in a bead for his hair is an ancient art of Rakne to prepare a warrior for a battle of Rakture in tribal mating rights. You can get a specimen bead from his office, or any of the research facilities on the ship. I'll catch up with you after confirming all programs are running smoothly aboard the ship."
Commander Rokva rushed through the aisle between tables and she was fast. There was one person who got up from their seat and the commander seamlessly pivoted around them before the person even noticed they almost collided. The wind from her movement fluttered the fabric and hair of the man, and he blinked in confusion before looking at the back of the commander just as she disappeared out the door. I had no idea how fast a necia warrior was until then.
I sat there stunned for a while, mindlessly swallowing the rest of my not-chicken grainy food substance. Eventually, I was spooning up air, and left the spoon in my mouth, its handle hanging from my lip.
What just happened?
Did the commander of this ship just set me up with her brother, who very clearly said he'd never touch me again, and asked me to gift him with a vial of my blood?
Well, I certainly wasn't going to be doing any of that, but I smiled anyways.
General Sou-el was lucky to have a sister who cared so much, but I doubted any mate prospect would overridethe trauma he must have had from surviving parents that tried to kill him. My smile flattened. Now that I knew that about him, I was the last person his sister should be setting him up with. I was married to a human, and this was only temporary for me. He deserved someone that wouldn't abandon him, that knew what they wanted.
I was too much of a mess.
Chapter five
General Sou-el
"Idon't need, nor want, your matchmaking," I said through gritted teeth. Without prying eyes, I could finally speak freely with my sister, instead of who she was among the tribe, my commander.
"I have a nose for these things," she insisted.
"Your nose is wrong!" I lost my temper, my breath heaving as I whirled on her, even my epul jutted from my arms and fingers as if I would fight her for shoving a hopeless dream in my tired hearts. This was cruel to keep pushing a mate on someone like me, who would never have the honor.
Her own epullengthened, ready to defend herself should it come to how we dealt with fights as spawnlings. Her eyes alight with mischief, but then they sobered to pity that I couldn't stand to look at for a second longer.
"What are you not telling me?" she asked, taking a step back to give me space. She did not become commander for being reckless, she was fiery, but fair, and wise.
I was no match for her in a fight, she would win, but she didn't want to send me to the medbay over this.
Rokva had already saved my honor today by spraying my shoulders with a numbing agent so I could extend my epul without pain. Keeping my shoulder epul inside was uncomfortable, and eventually I would have had to go to medbay to release them again. She carries that spray with her everywhere, so she can help me cover my weakness, but it wasn't much of a secret among our tribe.
"My enzymes harm her," I groaned out with frustration.
"They what? That's ridiculous, you hardly have any enzymes to grow a thorn on great Horve's Vine."
It was an expression, no amount of enzymes could grow a thorn on a vine, but it was to say I was harmless and incapable of having any sort of effect on anyone in that manner. I couldn't regulate another female's glands better than they could do of their own efforts. The enzymes in a warrior's fluids are meant to help balance the adrenaline in their mates. I don't have enough enzymes to help a necia warrior, but I had enough to harm a human.As my commander, she should know that this was a possible reaction with humans, so I gathered my resolve to tell her.
"I attempted to bathe her, and she trembled and leaked from her eyes before she collapsed in my arms. Mating her is not an option."
"Horve's Vine..." Rokva sighed. Pacing the security room that she'd emptied in her haste to drag me here after we left the dispensary. "You are more hopeless than I thought," she finally huffed. "You are blind when it comes anything outside the office of your research. Perhaps your brain turns off when you leave?"
"Enough, Rokva. I've long since accepted your matchmaking attempts are wasted on me."
"The reports from Necias Prime have stated humans are more sensitive, possibly due to their thin skin and how their blood is easily accessible, or even their singular heart. Sou-el, have you not thought perhaps this is caused because you have not courted her properly? Our traditions are not to be dismissed. Rumors have said one of the humans is mated to our future king, making our future queen a human. Do you not understand what great news that is for you? A human queen means great honor in having a human mate! Times are changing."
She wore our tribal dress, ignoring the uniforms befitting a commander of a ship. The trill aboard the ship avoided her with their conservative robes but did not dare to question ourtraditions and laws. Our bodies were natural weapons, and most clothing got in the way or ended up destroyed by our epul.
"And what would you have me do?" I said with exhaustion. It would please me greatly to have a chance with Renee of Earth, but I would not risk her health for my happiness.
