Page 13 of Vylit: Glowing for Her
My arms locked around Maya like living restraints, refusing to loosen even after the teleport's light faded and the familiar walls of my skiff solidified around us. The luminous fluid from my wounds seeped between us, painting her borrowed moss-covering with glowing streaks of my life-essence. Each heartbeat pumped more rage through my system, setting off reactive pulses beneath my skin that lit the chamber in aggressive flares of crimson and violet. Pirates had touched what was mine. Had tried to take her. The memory alone made my gills flare and my secondary heart chamber constrict until I could barely draw water through my respiratory system.
"You're hurting me," Maya whispered, her small hands pressing against my chest.
I released her instantly, horrified at my lack of control. My biolights dimmed to apologetic blues as I stepped back, taking in her disheveled appearance. The Nest Moss clung to her curves like a second skin, pulsing with protective vibrations. Despite everything, my body responded to the sight, sending embarrassing flares of gold racing up my thighs.
"They need to pay," I growled, moving toward the communications array. "The Agency must be informed. This attack violated seventeen separate mate protection laws."
Maya caught my arm, her fingers barely spanning my forearm's width. "Is broadcasting our position smart right now? Those pirates knew exactly where to find us."
I stared down at her, my rage momentarily tempered by her logic. She stood before me… a tiny human female who had fought beside me, who had chosen me over captivity, who had let me claim her body if not yet her full essence. The partial bond between us pulsed like a living thing, incomplete but growing stronger with every shared breath.
"The Intergalactic Dating Agency exists to protect mates," I explained, trying to modulate the rumble in my voice. "They enforce the laws that keep genetic complements safe from poachers and pirates."
Kazmyr snorted from across the chamber, the sound sending ripples through the water droplets suspended in our atmospheric mix. His obsidian skin still radiated heat from battle, the Ember Marks along his arms glowing with residual energy.
"They talk of protection while mates vanish from seventeen sectors," he growled. "Empty promises from bureaucrats too comfortable in their floating fortresses."
Silvyr slid into the chamber, his silver-toned skin rippling with code patterns as he interfaced with the skiff's systems. Tiny emoji drones manifested around his head, betraying his agitation despite his carefully neutral expression.
"Report it or don't," he said, fingers dancing across a holographic interface. "But do it quickly. I need to purge our position data before someone follows our teleport signature."
The decision crystallized in my mind, rage overtaking caution. I strode to the comm array, slamming my palm against the activation panel with enough force to crack its crystalline surface. The holowall flickered to life, Agency insignia rotating slowly as the connection established.
"Identification," requested the automated system.
"Vylit of Mavtros, warrior class, genetic identification MV-743-LP," I snarled. "Priority report: mate violation attempt in Sector Six, Quadrant Twelve."
Maya moved to my side, her presence both comforting and inflaming. The moss covering her shifted uneasily, responding to my agitation. I noticed her uncertainty, her rational mind assessing threats despite standing with me.
The Agency seal dissolved, replaced by the bland features of a dispatcher, humanoid but with the distinctive eye ridges of Centaurian heritage. Their gaze flickered over my battle wounds, then to Maya, widening slightly at the sight of her.
"Mate violation report received. Please detail the nature of the incident."
My biolights flared with renewed fury, tracking up my neck and across my jawline in aggressive patterns that made the dispatcher flinch visibly.
"Eight pirates breached a sealed tide cave in the Elysian Reef System," I began, each word precise despite my rage. "They attempted to extract my mate after detecting our compatibility signal. They explicitly stated intent to separate us despite initiated bonding."
Maya's hand found mine, her fingers twining with my webbed digits. The small gesture centered me even as my internal temperature spiked with remembered fury.
"They knew her value," I continued, voice dropping to a dangerous register that set the comm crystals vibrating. "Not only did they know where she was almost the moment she appeared, they discussed her price as breeding stock. They planned to kill me and take her before full bonding could complete."
The dispatcher's features remained professionally neutral, though their third eyelid flickered rapidly, a sign of stress in their species.
"Were any of the pirates identifiable by faction or genetic markers?"
"Skull-split Consortium, based on their weapons configuration," I responded. "Led by a Sharkoran male with modified gill structures. All eliminated."
The dispatcher's hands moved off-screen, presumably logging details. "And your mate's status? Human female, correct? Was she injured during the attempt?"
My glow shifted to protective purples, wrapping around Maya like a living shield. "My mate fought with the courage of ten warriors. She remains unharmed." Pride swelled through my secondary heart chamber. "Our bond is initiated but not yet complete."
Maya stiffened beside me, her cheeks darkening with what I recognized as embarrassment at this clinical discussion of our intimate status. The moss covering her puffled slightly, as if sharing her discomfort.
"The Agency will dispatch a security team to your coordinates to investigate the incident and provide protection until your bonding is complete," the dispatcher stated. "Please maintain your current position and?—"
A sharp hiss cut through the chamber as Silvyr's form blurred with sudden movement. His hand slammed down on the comm array, severing the connection mid-sentence. His eyes, normally silver with scrolling data, had gone completely black… emergency protocol mode I'd seen a few times when a war situation was particularly bad.
"What the fuck?" Maya exclaimed, startled by the abrupt action.
