Page 74 of Saved By the Alien Hybrid
“It is not the same,” Ven argued, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “We must think of the danger to them, to all of us.”
“I will not allow it!” Rentir said.
Ven stepped closer, glaring. “You do not have the authority to make such a decision.”
“I could say the same of you.”
Ven sneered at him. “Then I shall call Yelir up here and catch him up on the events of the past few days, as I should have in the first place.”
Rentir’s blood ran cold. “You can’t,” he said, throat tight. “Not without Thalen here to mediate. You know what will happen.”
He would take control of the males on the upper floors, and he would not bend to compassion for the women. One whiff of this, and he would throw them into quarantine without a second thought. Or worse—if he knew the Aurillon wanted the women, he might seek to use them for bargaining power. He was not an evil male, but he was pragmatic.
“Put your cocks away,” Xeth snarled, flicking his tail hard. “You even look at that comm, and I’ll put through the ground, Ven. The last thing this situation needs is Yelir putting his spin on everything.”
Rentir was surprised by the show of allegiance. What had he said when he’d asked him what his problem was?The same thing that’s wrong with you.Had Xeth… bonded with one of the women?
What of those who do not wish to be bound to a female?he’d asked. He shared a knowing look with Rentir. Were his newinstincts causing him to rebel against the idea of imprisoning the women?
Haerune sighed, sinking into one of the plastic chairs. His tendrils went limp and spilled over his shoulders. “I do not know that quarantine is necessary. We are not yet sure what causes the change to occur. Lidan has made casual contact with some of the females, and he is unchanged. I have been in close proximity to them for days, though I have not touched them, and I feel no different.”
“Did Thalen have contact with them?” Ven asked.
“Ah… not that we are aware of,” Haerune answered before Rentir could explain about Sophia and her branch. Surely being clocked over the head wouldn’t cause him to bond with her, anyway.
Ven’s tense muscles eased.
Rentir paced a few steps, contemplating. He stilled, looking at Xeth. “The answer must be in the commonality between you and I. Which female have you attached to?”
Xeth’s jaw ticced, and he stared pointedly at the far wall as his tail raged. It smacked a chair hard enough to tip it over, the loud clatter echoing off the empty walls.
“Her name is Seren,” Haerune supplied on his behalf. “The one with red hair.”
Xeth’s scyra sharpened, lashing a gouge into the wall before shifting back to its neutral shape. The tips of his ears twitched.
“And you touched this Seren?” Rentir probed.
Xeth glared at him. “She was all but nude, and it is cold on the mountain during the early dawn,” he spat. “I feared she would die of exposure.”
Rentir blinked. “Just how closely did you touch her?”
Xeth growled, the sound a bass rattle that kicked around in Rentir’s chest. Rentir held up his hands in a gesture of peace until Xeth subsided with a scoff.
“I have touched and kissed Cordelia,” Rentir said. “Though I believe I have been attached to her long before that.”
“What iskessed?” Haerune scratched his head.
“Kissed,” he said, correcting. “It is when you press your mouths together. The experience is… arousing.” His cock pulsed in agreement.
“So, there is a word for it,” Xeth murmured. His gaze went distant.
“You have kissed Seren?”
He blinked, looking momentarily confused by the question. “No, of course not.”
Ah, then he meant…Noa. The males had been lovers for many years in secret. It had been Noa’s loss that served as the spark of their revolution. Rentir looked at Thalen in the medpod at the far end of the room. If not for Thalen’s willingness to implement his plan ahead of schedule, Xeth would be long dead for the violent treason that had followed news of Noa’s “retirement.”
Haerune sighed. “There is no sense in speculating, for now. The best course of action is to avoid direct contact with the females until we know more.”
