Chapter 2 #3
Her rich, earthy scent filled me, pulled me under, and swept me away.
All the world faded until all that remained was her.
My skin tingled and my thundering heartsbeats filled my ears.
The blood rushing through my veins became a roar.
I had lost myself in a sudden riptide…but paradoxically, that tide had brought me to shore and a place of safety—of warmth and harbor, hearth and home.
I wanted her—gods, I needed her. My chest tightened as if I could not breathe without her scent in my nose. My cock and the tip of my tail stirred and thrummed in eagerness, ready to please her.
Realization was slow in rising, but when it did, it came with the same fight-or-flight sensation Olme’s unwelcome message had caused. This all-consuming desire was the call of a true mate.
The fact I had never wanted this for myself did not matter. My body’s response to her was physiological, innate, as natural as breath and bone. The call of a true mate promised pleasure and contentment and tomorrows full of joy.
No. I pushed back against the lure of her with all the strength I could muster.
How could my body and soul know she was perfect in every way when we had been in each other’s presence only moments?
Had I not left my parents’ compound because they tried to force me into a relationship I did not want?
Olme’s message had just reopened that wound.
And more importantly, I had chosen science as my path and passion. I did not want to be distracted—not when my privilege to live on Hyderia depended on focus and results.
I took a step back and fought to regain my equilibrium.
Professionalism and clinical detachment, I told myself, and forced my body to comply outwardly, even if my hearts raced and my stomach churned and my fingers tingled with desire.
I folded my wings, stilled my twitching tail, and clasped my hands behind my back so she could not see them tremble. And I puffed smoke from my nostrils as well, trying in vain to banish her scent.
An antigrav sled emerged from the rear of the transport and deposited a stack of crates on the far side of the landing pad, safely out of the way of the ship’s thrusters. Her lab equipment and supplies, no doubt.
“Dr. Regis,” I said, my voice rough. I cleared my throat. “I do not think Nova Cal will be an optimal place to conduct your research. I urge you to reconsider.”
Her mouth fell open. Shock, confusion, and then anger crossed her face before she drew herself up to her full height.
“Well, I disagree,” she said icily. “And more importantly, the Nyvoran Ministry of Natural Sciences seems convinced I’m well-qualified and an ideal choice for this post. Only two other mycologists have ever worked here, and that was decades ago. The fungi on this planet is virtually unknown.”
Behind her, the transport’s door hummed as it began to close.
Go, I wanted to shout. Get back on that transport and go somewhere else—anywhere else. I am begging you.
But I could not do that. She would have every right to complain to the Ministry, and I would have no explanation for my behavior that would not be humiliating in the extreme.
“Nova Cal is very isolated,” I said. “There are only myself and my research assistant here, and we are very busy. I do not think you will be…content.”
“You don’t think I’ll be content?” Elena put her hands on her hips. “You can’t be serious. I’m a field researcher, not some spoiled tourist. I just spent six months at a polar research station on Aloris.”
Forux growled. When the transport’s door closed and sealed, I very nearly growled too.
“You weren’t exactly enthusiastic in your response to my message introducing myself,” Elena continued, “but you said you’d set up a lab for me and had an apartment waiting. And now you want to kick me off the planet?”
She took a step forward, her eyes blazing with fury and defiance. Our height difference did not seem to intimidate her in the least. I suspected very little did.
Her scent swirled around me again. Her anger had its own fiery fragrance too—one I liked, though I cursed myself for it.
“I’ve dreamed of researching on Hyderia since I was seventeen, Dr. Husiorithae,” she snapped. “I have worked very hard for this. So whatever your problem is with me, too damn bad, because you’re stuck with me.”
The transport’s engines powered up.
Elena grabbed the handles of her rolling crates and headed for the lift doors. “Don’t worry about the rest of my gear; I’ll come back for it myself,” she said over her shoulder. “If you’ll just show me my lab and where Forux and I are going to be sleeping, I can find everything else for myself.”
I followed her to the lift to grant her access to the facility via the palm scanner. I would take the stairs myself.
“Speaking of your companion, I do not want fur in the labs,” I said, my voice frosty.
“Neither do I,” she shot back. “Arvals don’t shed. He does bite, though, so I’d keep my distance if I were you.”
I bite too, I wanted to say, but did not. Such a statement was neither professional nor clinical, and at the moment I was not sure if I meant it as a threat or a promise.
Once Elena and Forux were in the lift and headed to the main floor, I stalked across the landing pad to the stairway hatch.
The transport lifted off. The thrusters displaced air with a force that made me stumble, but at least that cleared Elena’s scent from the area.
In despair, I watched it rise above the treetops, circle, and accelerate toward the sky and the tiny, just-visible glowing dot that was Nyvor, Hyderia’s sister planet.
As an atmospheric scientist, Hyderia had been my paradise for nearly two years. And despite what I had said to Elena, it was a mycologist’s dream as well. But while she had found her paradise, I had unexpectedly lost mine—or had it ripped away.
For at least six months, I would be trapped in this small research facility with Elena, a human who had, for reasons biology could explain but I dared the universe to justify, triggered my instincts for a true mate.
Surely a deeper, fresher, and more miserable hell did not exist.