Page 5 of Enchanting Her Mate

“Move slowly,” Alu cautions me.

“What happened?”

The look on Alu’s face tells me it is something she does not wish to relive. Eventually, she sighs and her shoulders slump down. “Mek flew into your head. I am sorry for his terribly rude behavior.” She snarls when she turns to face the bird, who is perched behind her on the back of the couch, looking positively unbothered.

His three eyes blink at me and his head tilts back and forth as if he is trying to figure out if I am a friend or foe. He is quite pretty to look at. The deep red feathers that cover his body have a slight shimmer, making it appear as if thin blue streaks are within them.

“I am not here to cause you harm, sweet fellow,” I tell him. “I came to help you.”

Alu continues addressing Mek directly. “She came all this way from the clan of the golden ones, Mek! Stop embarrassing me.”

Mek squawks back with a loud, piercing pitch as if arguing with Alu. Though I suppose that is the ancient spirit trying to communicate. Poor little creature. It must be so frightening to have another presence invading one’s mind. I must help him, but I am not certain I have the strength or the focus to solve this problem this late in the eve.

“Would it be possible to exorcise the spirit inside Mek tomorrow?” I ask Alu. “I am quite tired from the journey.”

“Certainly,” Alu replies. “Come along, little menace,” she says as she pats her shoulder. Mek hops from the couch to Alu’s shoulder, his claws digging into her glowing cerulean skin. He is quite large, almost too large to fit on Alu’s shoulder, but it seems as if he is unaware of his massive size. She disappears down the hall, presumably to the spare room he occupies.

She returns soon after, and I feel my heart skip at the sight of her entering the room. Her long black mane is swept up into a ponytail, showing off the intricate dark blue tattoo etched into the shaved side of her head. Her hips sway enticingly with each step, and though she is covered in lean muscle, her thighs jiggle and her breasts bounce with each movement. The black horns that jut out of her head are wide at the base and dangerously sharp at the ends, making her look like the most lethal predator one could encounter in the jungle. Perhaps she is.

Her soft smile gives her away, however. There is no one on Oluura, or anywhere else, for that matter, with a warmer heart than Alu. She is so much more than she seems.

“Your home is quite lovely,” I tell her, clearing my throat and trying to push away the thoughts of her that will surely cause my knees to buckle the moment I stand.

“I thank you,” she says with a nod. “I believe that is what you were about to say before my bird collided with your face.”

We both chuckle as she helps me to my feet.

“I have another spare room across from mine that you may use,” she says as I follow her down the hall.

“I thought I would be sharing with Mek.”

She laughs, the sound uninhibited and loud. Not the least bit dignified. It is a sound I immediately become addicted to. “I would pull you into my bed long before I would allow that to happen.”

The moment the words leave her mouth, a loaded silence builds between us like a wall; requiring a bold action from one or both of us to tear it down.

“Well, I must rest,” I tell her after waiting what feels like an eternity to see if she would kiss me.

“Are you certain you should sleep with a head wound?” she asks, pointing to the large bump just beneath my hairline.

“Ah, it is no bother,” I tell her. I wave my hand over the area as my eyelids close. Then I concentrate on the color of the injury––a bright, concerning shade of pink––to dull the color. I feel the pain slowly evaporate as the tint softens, and eventually, disappears altogether.

Alu’s gray eyes widen as she leans in close to examine my head wound. “Did you just heal yourself?”

“I did, yes,” I tell her with a nod. “It is a limited power, however. I can only heal myself, not others, and if the wound is severe, I will not have enough energy to mend it.”

“Fiyana!”she shouts. My translator chip indicates the meaning of this Sufoian phrase is “incredible.” She opens the door to the spare room and gestures for me to enter. “I am astounded by your power, Jo.”

I smile at the compliment but hastily add, “That is kind of you, but my power is an uncontrollable burden at the moment. It is not the impressive attribute you think it to be.”

Before I can take a step into the room, Alu grabs my arm. “No, Jobaki. Your power is what makes you a spectacular creature. You do not need to be in tune with it for it to be an impressive part of you. It is only one of many extraordinary parts of you.”

A shiver shoots across my skin as Alu’s gaze holds mine. I do not know what to say. Though I am quite certain I have never been on the receiving end of such kind words in the five centuries my soul has been inside this body. “I…” I stammer then clear my throat, “I thank you, Alu.”

She smiles, showing off her white, pointy teeth. They are not the sharp fangs I have, but between the blunt squares humans have and the fangs all Trovilians possess.

“I am glad you were able to stay with Kate and Niro before coming here,” she says, leaning against the door. Then she lets out a dreamy sigh. “Seeing my brother happily mated is such a gift. I hope the rest of us podlings are able to find our mates one day. Our ‘inaras.’ That is the term you use in the village for mates, yes?”

“Historically, the term ‘inara’ is reserved for the female mates of male Trovilians,” I explain. “It refers to the story of our creation when Goddess Ruhveena saved our people in a battle to the death with the Gods Buhno, Mikaroh, and Danik. The gods were in an endless struggle for power that lasted centuries, and when she defeated Buhno and Mikaroh, Danik was so grateful to be spared that he devoted himself to her entirely. She became his reason for living, a reminder of all that is good and right in the galaxy.”

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