Page 55 of Invasive Species
“Because you were grown in tubes? I’m so sorry, people the universe over can be assholes.”
He looks away. “It… does affect me. A lot. But I wasn't called a Tuber much. Not until…”
He slips into silence again, and I'm content to let him until my brain clamors for more info.
“Why is that?” I blurt, but then the doorbell rings out shrilly.
EIGHTEEN
GARA
Ice spreadsup my limbs at the summoning knocks pounding at the door.
“Ellen Smith! Are you in there?”
Arra-bellah sets her paintbrush down carefully but her skin flushes. “Maybe it's the postman.”
“It's Terry,” a voice shouts, muffled through the front door and the distance to Arra-bellah’s room. “Terry Fassbender. I know you're at home, your car is right here, you're in so much trouble.”
Arra-bellah’s scowl makes my fists ball. He is an enemy.
“Oh, great, the developer’s son. What does he want?” she fumes.
“He sounds threatening.” I ease my hands under her thighs and grab my knotting cock. I have to make it go down somehow and release us so I can drive this intruder off El-len’s property. I'm not much of a fighter, but I can be physically intimidating to these small humans.
“What are you doing? Won't this hurt you?” Arra-bellah holds onto my forearms, arresting my hands underneath her.
“We have to separate. I cannot let a threat to my mate exist, and we're in a vulnerable position.”
“He's not a threat in a physical sense… and what do you mean, “mate”?” She squints. “Is that a line from one of the Planet of the Pirate Prince books?”
“No, these are my words.” Now it seems lake water fills my lungs, seeping through the cracks in my chest. “We have mated. We’re mates now.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh. Uh. We… we really need to talk about this.”
No.No.She's going to cast me off. I tried so hard and it wasn't enough.
She cups my cheek. “Hey, don't look so sad, okay? Even your scales have gone blue. Human relationships just don't move fast. Let's date for a while, see where this goes.”
She offers me a lifeline along with her smile. I could ask whether I was good enough, but now is not the time. I’ll prove I'm a worthy mate and win the opportunity to please her even more next time.
First, I must defend her.
I crush my knotting cock in my grip. The pressure, so delicious inside her, becomes painful at the base of it, but I hold on tighter.
A sudden pop makes her jump, and pain lances into me like I was stabbed.
“Gara, did you break your dick?”
“Nanites… will fix,” I choke out. Did the sudden pressure change affect her internals? “Are you hurt?”
“I'm fine, you just deflated like a party balloon.”
She moves and I ease her up and off to briefly inspect the damage. Agony flares like a fire brand, but it's only one flap of skin that’s torn, already soothing as the nanites work.
I roll over and pull my pants over it gingerly.
“Don't do that again,” she chides.
