Page 7 of A Fool For Her Mates

We’re running through a swamp free of those awful “flip flops” and I feel like I can breathe for the first time since we entered the SuperMart. The hot humid air swirls around us as the sky darkens to a deep pink and reminds me of our home planet.

I wish we were there now, instead of racing to our vehicle in hopes of making it through the spacegate on time. But even stuck out here, there’s much to treasure. The wind in my face, the soil beneath my toes and the excitement of having an adventure with the two people I care about the most. It’s just the three of us, and the battery tied to my back.

I hope the human enforcers are not too close. I don’t see them on my comm scanner, but I don’t know what kind of technology they have at our disposal. I pick up my pace just to be safe and hear H’Row’s footsteps speed up behind me.

I look back at H’Row and smile. He returns the smile, glad to be on the move, glad to be with Fancy. He’s carrying her on his back as we make our way back to our transportation unit. She looks a bit dazed but not unhappy as H’Row leaps through the darkening forest.

We have Fancy to thank for making it this far. She instructed us how to navigate out of here through the garbage collection dock and led us through the maze of the “parking lot” to the entrance of the backwoods we’re in now.

She’s a fast runner for a human, but it soon became clear that H’Row and I could cover ground a lot faster. Especially once we make it to the forest and pick up the homing signal of our vehicle.

From there, it’s just like the games we played as kids, racing through the swamps, avoiding hazards, and hopefully arriving at our goal together in one piece. The thought of it fills me with a familiar excitement, and I know H’Row feels it too. I let out a happy, exhilarated breath and pump my limbs faster. It feels so good to move like this.

Nowadays, H’Row and I do a lot of standing around and looking intimidating. We act as bodyguards for VIPs as they travel from planet to planet. Or stand guard in front of warehouses and bank vaults. So many dark alleys, transportation hubs, and spaceships. Closed in, smelly, and cold.

It’s actually kind of insulting that our mere presence is meant to inspire fear. Fancy isn’t afraid of us. She likes us. She wants us. Stars above, the feeling of her against me, beneath me, with both of us was incredible. Her excitement was electric, and it flowed like a current between us, brilliant. Intoxicating. So right that it feels fated to be. So different from what we usually experience.

I haven’t had a chance to talk to H’Row about it, but I can tell that our energy, our desire, matches hers. Being with Fancy feels like finding a missing piece of a puzzle. On our planet, there’s no guarantee you’ll find a third or fourth mate. So, the fact that we did, here on a faraway planet, is an amazing stroke of luck. It feels like nothing short of a miracle, but one that may be short-lived.

If we can’t convince Fancy to come with us, we’ll lose that piece of our hearts. One third, gone forever. But there’s so much we still don’t know about her. Does she have her own family here? People she loves and would never leave behind? Just because H’Row and I have little to anchor us to our homeland doesn’t mean the same will be true for Fancy.

What feels simple for me and H’Row, falling in love, committing to a future, may be too much to ask of Fancy. I don’t even want to think about how heartbroken H’Row would be if she stays behind. Somehow, I’m more worried about his heart than my own.

I try to push the worry aside and focus on the task at hand: getting back to the transportation unit. But it’s hard to ignore as I feel every shift in H’Row and Fancy’s emotions flowing through me. H’Row is already fully smitten with Fancy, and never wants to let her go. Fancy is a swirl of longing, fear, and hunger. I guess earthlings aren’t used to discovering their mates are from another planet and they need to be fed regularly.

I leap over a log and hear H’Row make the same leap. We’re almost back to the transportation unit. When we arrive, we’ll have to have a real talk with Fancy and get her something to eat. Maybe a few additional kisses will help convince her. I feel a fire kindling deep within me already.

But before it can grow stronger, a cluster of flashing lights break through the dark of the forest along with the sound of humans and their animals making chase. We’re their prey. I signal to H’Row and we huddle briefly.I’ll be a decoy, and he’ll carry Fancy to safety. At least that’s the plan. But nothing’s gone according to plan since we crashed entered this planet’s orbit.

“I’ll meet you back there,” I say, more for Fancy’s benefit than H’Row’s.

“Stay safe,” she whispers.

“They’re the ones that must stay safe,” H’Row mutters.

“Please don’t kill anybody,” Fancy adds quickly.

“We’ll do our best,” I assure her and make a hard left turn towards the lights. I hear H’Row veering off in the other direction and say a small prayer to the stars that I can keep my promise.

Chapter 7: H’Row

Nothing will stop me from protecting Fancy. She is mine. Ours! Thank the stars I have her close to me. I don’t think my heart could survive entrusting her to someone else, even V’Lin, who I trust above all others. I can feel V’Lin’s concern, his focus and motivation, but I feel something even stronger. I’m excited. Thrilled to have the chance to protect my mate. To battle if necessary. What could be more glorious than to defend what I hold most dear?

It sure beats protecting the lowlife criminals that we usually work for. I’m sorry we had to leave Fancy’s palace. I can imagine going there every day and serving as her protector there, standing tall under those terrible bright lights and keeping the vermin from bothering her. The thought of it fills me with pride. Alas, it is clear we must leave this place as quickly as possible and equally clear to me that Fancy must come along.

I’m running as fast as I can now away from V’Lin as he draws the hunters away from her scent. It brings a smile to my lips. V’Lin will tie them in knots trying to track him down. While I was always faster and stronger, he would inevitably win in games of stealth and strategy. My heart beats faster just thinking of him and how talented he is.

Fancy’s hands flex on my shoulders. My dear mate feels anxious perched on my back as I leap over logs and scramble through brush. I want to stop and reassure her, and maybe kiss her some more, but I cannot. My only priority now is bringing her to safety.

I find myself running along a medium-sized creek and decide to wade in to make it harder to track us. Fancy yelps in surprise as I splash into the waist-high water. Her fingers are now gripping my shoulder in something close to terror. Does she not trust me to keep her safe?

“You can’t stay in the water, there are gators,” she whispers urgently in my ear. I love the feel of her breath on my skin, but understand she is trying to warn me of danger. What is a gator? I do a quick search on my wrist comm and learn that it is a large (for earth) reptile that uses these waters as a hunting ground. I almost laugh. These gators seem like child’s play compared to the creatures that roam our homeland, but I don’t want to dismiss her warning. I trust Fancy’s judgment completely.

“I will watch for them,” I whisper back. From what I’ve observed, humans don’t have the same swamp senses that my people do. Otherwise, Fancy would have realized that there are no gators in this area. But I silently promise to watch for them because I am quickly covering new ground, and even I have been surprised once or twice.

It’s slower going through the water, but I’m still making good progress in evading the humans and their animals. I can feel Fancy relaxing on my back. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of holding her like this. And it’s not just because humans are so small and cute. I love the feel of her heartbeat against my back, her soft warm legs wrapping around my waist. Star above, if I had my way, she’d be wrapped around me all day, every day. With V’Lin too. That would really be the best.

Now that I’ve tasted her, there’s nothing I could crave more, except perhaps for my other mate. I feel a pang of regret that we failed to complete the mating ceremony before we accepted this job. It’s all for the best, because we met Fancy, but I don’t think I’ll feel truly secure until the three of us seal our bond back home in the official ceremony.

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