Chapter 17
Holly
Freshly cleaned and dressed, Holly stepped out of her room as she pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail. Her yoga session this morning had been empty and hollow without Romival by her side. Her training exercises, that she had dutifully completed, were boring and repetitive.
In a way, she was grateful for the reprieve from the conversation she knew they would need to have and from that amorous look he kept sending her way that set her body afire.
But she was also disappointed that she didn’t have the chance to earn another ‘reward’.
Or maybe to even offer a ‘reward’ of her own as thanks for all he was teaching her.
She sighed, disappointed, as she sat on a lounge, gesturing her combot forward so she could order breakfast. She wasn’t really in the mood though, disappointment having sapped her appetite, but it was probably best to at least eat something.
However, she had only just begun perusing the menu when the door slid open and Hattie rushed inside, panting, face flushed, eyes alight with excitement.
“Holly! Come here! I need you!”
“Huh?” Holly lifted her head, finger paused over her order. “Why?”
Hattie had already stopped by her side and was grabbing her hand, pulling her up. “Tuvo is finally back, and he ordered breakfast, and you’re coming with me so it’s not obvious. Come on!”
“Whoa, wait, Hattie,” Holly chuckled, letting her lead her to the door. “Maybe put those words in an order a normal person can understand.”
Hattie turned to her, bouncing eagerly on her toes as she rushed through her explanation.
“Tuvo is back. I don’t know when he got in, but he’s back and the guys are all in the Council Chamber and they ordered food and I was down in the kitchen working when it came in and I volunteered to take it up to them so I can see him again but you have to come with me so it’s not obvious that’s what I’m doing and I need your help, so will you come with me please? ”
“Breathe,” Holly laughed when Hattie’s voice went up as her oxygen ran out. “Yes, I’ll help you bring them food.”
Hattie squealed, throwing her arms around her waist and giving Holly one of her fantastic hugs.
Holly laughed, patting her back as she looked over at the tray that was already loaded down with breakfast for the council members, fully visible under glass domes that were there more to protect them than to keep anything warm since it appeared most of it was chilled.
All but the cups of blood that were on their own warming plate, separate from the rest of the meal.
“You’re the best, Holly. Come on, it’s this way.”
Hattie pressed a button on the wheeled cart, setting it to follow them as they walked side by side down the hall. Hattie was fussing with her hair and her pretty coral dress while Holly assured her that she was gorgeous and telling her to calm down.
Just as they turned down the hall leading to the chamber, they nearly ran into Peony. For the first time in a while, she was without Atem.
“Hey,” she smiled at the two of them. “You brought breakfast? Awesome. I’m starving. I’ll be right back though; I have to pee so bad. Door is open, you can just go on in, they’re not talking about anything super-secret right now.”
“We’ll keep your blood on the warming plate for you,” Hattie promised as Peony skirted by, rushing as quickly as her bladder demanded.
Holly grimaced and shuddered at Hattie’s words.
Along with her weird separation anxiety from Atem, Peony’s pregnancy had also given her a tolerance and craving for fresh blood.
Like a domini. Her baby needed it and, apparently, her body had adapted to absorbing the high iron load – despite it being toxic to humans normally – to give to the developing fetus.
But it was still viscerally disgusting to think about chugging back a glass of warm blood.
It was a hard reminder of the dangers of playing with Romival. This planet didn’t have birth control because they never needed it before. Holly did not want to find herself in a position where she had to go full vampire for her baby’s health.
“Come on,” Hattie said, positively giddy. There was no doubt in Holly’s mind that Hattie was absolutely down to go full vampire, right this minute if she could.
Her mood now significantly depressed by the reminder of the threat of pregnancy Peony represented, she walked silently next to Hattie as they approached the Council Chamber. As Peony promised, the sliding door was held open at the moment and deep, rumbling male voices emanated from within.
She didn’t really pay much attention, lost as she was in her thoughts, until Hattie’s arm shot out and caught her by the midriff, stopping them. Hattie was looking at her, grinning. She didn’t understand why until she heard her name.
“...Holly a lot, Romival.” That was Atem’s voice. Suspicious and growling.
“I am. Is that a problem?”
“It is if you’re planning on mating my sister and you’ve not said a word to me.”
“There’s nothing to say to you-”
Something slammed, making Holly jump as Atem growled.
“Holly is a very skittish and fearful female, Romival. I won’t have you frightening her, and I won’t have you playing with her emotions. Humans are highly fertile and very selective about who they choose to father their young because of it. If you are just taking her as a pleasure mate then-”
“That is not what I said, vi Dominani. I was saying that there is nothing to say to you yet. I am very aware that Holly is skittish and fearful. I am taking my time to make her comfortable with me. I will mate her in time and challenge you when that time comes.”
Hattie, grinning, shook Holly by the arm. They said nothing, staying quiet and just out of sight of the door.
Holly wasn’t sure what to say. Hattie was excited, but Hattie already had her eyes on a domini male and the more of her friends similarly got hitched – or whatever slang term there was for mated – the happier she would be.
But hearing that Romival apparently had a long-term plan for her already in place made her heart thump painfully in her chest.
He was already planning that far ahead. Which meant he already saw them as something special. He was going slow, against his own instincts, in order to make her happy, but he had already put wooing her on his busy schedule.
That’s why he showed up to do yoga with her every morning. That’s why he was so eager to get her into his office instead of using the public archives. He wasn’t just having fun with her or using her as a science experiment.
He had intentions.
Holly bit her lips to avoid making a sound.
Unsure what she was supposed to think or feel – her thoughts were racing, and she was feeling everything at once.
Atem was all about keeping Peony happy and pregnant, and when it came time for a domini female to go into her heat – which was different for each female, not seasonally dependent – they always tried to get pregnant because the odds of it happening were low and they needed to play the numbers game.
Was Romival going to want to play that same numbers game, even when she had a completely different math equation?
He did keep mentioning her being pregnant and fertilized by his seed specifically, but she had always assumed that was just theoretical.
“I would prefer,” Atem growled, his tone unforgiving, pulling her from her thoughts, “that if any of you are wanting to court and claim my sisters, you let me know immediately, not right before you challenge me.”
“Why are you looking at me?”
That was a different voice – neither Romival nor Atem.
Deeper. Darker. Holly didn’t recognize it immediately, but the dreamy expression that came over Hattie’s face told her that it must be Tuvo speaking this time.
He sounded grumpy. Considering he always looked grumpy, it didn’t surprise Holly that he sounded that way too.
“You know why I’m looking at you,” Atem growled.
“I most certainly do not,” Tuvo growled back like he most certainly did and was trying very hard to pretend he didn’t.
“Tuvo, I love you as a brother, but you are not exempt. If you are going to court Hattie-”
Tuvo’s rising growl cut him off.
Holly’s eyes turned quickly to Hattie who was now gnawing on her lower lip, staring at the open door, waiting for the conversation to continue with wide eyes, fingers digging into Holly’s arm. And Holly was suddenly very uncertain about staying here to eavesdrop any further.
“I am not going to court Hattie,” Tuvo growled before Holly could convince Hattie that they should just bring in the food.
Hattie stilled, her grip tightening further.
“I have seen the way she looks at you,” Atem started but Tuvo was growling again.
“It is not going to happen, Atem. I will protect your sisters as though they were my own, but I am not courting Hattie, nor shall I ever court Hattie.”
Holly winced as Hattie’s expression fell.
“Why ever not?” A new voice Holly didn’t recognize asked. He didn’t sound at all growly. His voice was smooth and buttery instead. “From what I see, the human females are ideal for mating partners.”
“Don’t you start either,” Atem growled in warning.
“I am speaking theoretically, vi Dominani, I assure you.”
“The yellow haired one is mine, if you are trying to pick,” Romival interjected, making Holly’s face flush with pleasure and embarrassment. “Hattie is the light brown haired one, if you’re interested. She does make delicious food.”
Tuvo was growling again. Rough and loud, like a machine rumbling.
“Why are you getting angry?” The soft voice asked, amused. “If you’ve no intention of courting or mating her, why should you care if I do?”
Hattie’s head perked up again. Hope flashing in her eyes.
“I do not care,” Tuvo said, sounding like he was snarling through his teeth now. “The human females mean nothing to me except by association through Atem.”
Romival was snickering now. “Yes, that’s why you’re growling loud enough to vibrate the walls.”
A smile was forming on Hattie’s face now. As though Tuvo’s extra grumpiness was just proof positive that she had a chance.
But the growling stopped and Tuvo scoffed. “I am angry that we are still having this useless conversation when we could be focusing on the plan.”
“It is not useless,” Atem snarled. “These are my sisters, and their protection is my priority, and no males will be flicking their tales at them without my permission.”
“Then you can consider me a non-threat. I do not want Hattie.”
The smile fell. Holly reached out, gently touching her arm.
“Why ever not though?” The soft voiced male asked. “That would make you the only unmated male on all of Turv who wasn’t enticed by the human females.”
Tuvo scoffed. “The blood haired one, maybe. But Hattie? No. Not ever. She is just so… I mean, look at her! Do you not see the size of her?”
Holly stilled now as something broke across Hattie’s features. Tears swam in her eyes but didn’t fall. Holly couldn’t look away from her face. Her own heart stopped dead cold as they listened to Tuvo’s words.
“I can understand the size issue,” the soft voiced one added thoughtfully.
“Hattie is perfect,” Atem growled. “They are all perfect. Stop insulting my sisters just because they’re different sizes.”
“It is not an insult if it is a fact,” Tuvo said. “I could never bring myself to touch her. Not when she’s so… soft.”
Hattie made a quiet sound. Like a cross between a hiccup and a whimper.
Her arms tightened around her middle. Hattie’s figure was best described as curvaceous.
Luscious was another way. She was thick, in the best way.
Big bust, big hips, big thighs. It came with a soft stomach, naturally, but she was warm and gave the best hugs and cooked the best food and, even with all the extra fluff, she was gorgeous and sexy.
Apparently, the guys didn’t agree. Hearing them dismiss her so easily over it was a blow to Holly’s heart – and they weren’t even talking about her.
And especially coming from Tuvo. The same male Hattie had set her heart on. The careless dismissal of her size, just because she was bigger, had to hurt that much more coming from him. And that hard tone of voice, tight and harsh, made it worse.
Anger, protective and righteous, rose in Holly’s throat and she felt her hands clenching into tight, shaking fists.
“Fine. But you, Romival, if you treat my sister badly-”
“I would never disrespect my future adassi,” he assured Atem, insulted that the Dominani would even suggest such a thing.
Holly could barely hear his defense of her over the blood rushing in her ears. The only thing keeping her from charging in there and upending a cup of blood over Tuvo’s head was Hattie’s trembling grip on her arm.
Hattie sniffed and Holly felt a tear hitting her hand.
“What was that?” The smooth voiced male asked sharply.
Hattie hiccup/squeaked and turned on her heel, running away.
“Hattie!” Holly tried to chase after her, but the cart got in the way as it tried to follow her as well, bringing Holly up short.
She growled, moving it, but Hattie was already gone.
The cart’s control panel blinked twice, alerting her that its target was out of range, then went back into standby mode, waiting for a new target to follow.
Still taking up the majority of the hallway.
The inside of the Council Chamber had gone deadly quiet.
Growling, Holly slammed her hand on the cart’s control, forcing it to follow her as she stomped inside, heated and furious.
Tuvo was a big, burly, beast of a male who normally scared her. She didn’t give a single damn at the moment as she stared him down, only barely aware of the other males around the table who were looking at her with varying degrees of guilt and horror.
She grabbed the handle of the cart which was only used to place the device after navigation was turned off since it auto rolled after its target. It even beeped at her, warning her that it didn’t need assistance right now.
She ignored it as she swung it around so fast the cups of blood all went tumbling under their dome, sending a wave of red crashing under the glass, seeping out underneath, and upending the bowls of fruit and the platter of raw, bloody meat.
Snarling, she shoved it forward, slamming it against the table, creating an even bigger mess.
All the while, she stared Tuvo down. Making no secret of her displeasure with his casual rudeness towards her friend.
“Breakfast is ready,” she snarled before turning on her heels and stomping away.