Chapter 46
Havali
The moment they returned to the compound, Scarlet and Alanna had commed Holly and Hattie back on Turv to give them the good news. They did so from Peony and Atem’s nestroom so that all five could be involved in the conversation.
There were more cheers. More hugs. More excited chatter in their native tongue that left him both charmed and slightly left out as they talked around the males.
“They look happy,” Tuvo said softly, standing back with Havali as they watched the females.
Atem had Viktor around his neck, speaking to Survii on his own comm as they continued to coordinate their impending departure.
Not just from the ring back to Turv, but for the much greater trip into uncharted territory from Turv to Earth.
First contact might be Standardized – as all things were – but that didn’t make it easy. There was still a lot of work to be done.
When the ratchi youth that captured the females had originally found their planet, they had done so completely by accident.
Now, they would have to route to Earth on purpose for the first time and that was a very different trip.
The calculations to navigate through subspace had not yet been done, which was a highly complex task.
That was Romival’s job as First Scholar and he had already begun working on it. He would be coming with them to do the navigation himself both because subspace was his area of expertise and because his mate, Holly, was going so she could see her family again.
Holly was pregnant now as Peony had been, though not as far along.
There wasn’t much chance of her giving birth while visiting Earth, though she would be obviously gravid to her family.
Havali thought the nervous girl would be in fits after Peony’s birth video got out but seeing it had actually calmed her down since it was just a standard birth to her.
Romival was the one who began panicking now that he realized what his Holly was going to be going through. Which prompted Scarlet to remind them all that Holly would have the benefit of medical care and she wouldn’t feel the same pain Peony did.
That reassurance did not help.
Havali rather understood where Romival was coming from. It was something he worried about obsessively and he couldn’t even get Scarlet pregnant yet.
Survii and Atem would be working together to lead the negotiations with Earth – alongside Haviss who was at his own compound, organizing his own trip to Turv. The ratchi elder was coming here soon to continue making plans with Atem and Survii together.
Setting up proper accommodations for the male and his mate – who insisted on coming with him when she heard – was Havali’s job.
In fact, seeing everyone comfortably housed and cared for while on the trip to Earth, while orbiting Earth, and potentially while on Earth, was all his job.
He now had three different species and their needs to keep in mind.
Luckily, he was going to be working with Tuvo for security, as usual, and First Healer Donivi. They were all going and while they might not all go down to Earth’s surface, if things went well, then Havali definitely would.
He couldn’t wait to see the world that birthed Scarlet and the others. They described plants with green leaves and water of deep, almost haunting blue underneath a sky of the purest, brightest blue lit up by the light of a yellow sun. It sounded stunning.
He might even meet Scarlet’s family.
That’s what the five of them were discussing now.
Peony claimed to have no family or close contacts on Earth, but the others were talking about relatives that they missed and friends that they worried about and were probably worrying about them.
Alanna had been sure to mention each female’s name so that their families would know where they were.
Hopefully, that brought them some measure of peace until they arrived.
Havali glanced over to Tuvo to find the large male staring at Hattie’s face on the holodisplay with undisguised longing and pain.
Peony’s condition had yet to be met. Tuvo claimed he was waiting to talk to her in person, but Havali thought that rather seemed like an excuse. He didn’t want to talk to her at all.
And Havali understood why.
Having fought his own mating instincts for so long, he could just imagine how badly Tuvo’s must be ripping him apart inside. His head must feel near imploding from the pressure.
“If you don’t do something about that, you’re going to make yourself sick,” he said softly, drawing Tuvo’s gaze.
The other male did not need him to clarify what he was talking about. He growled, hands clenching into tight fists. He was one of the only domini Havali knew that would prefer to fight with fists instead of claws.
“I have thought about…” His voice trailed off on a growl.
Havali cocked a curious brow. “About what?”
“Castration,” he murmured.
Havali’s eyes widened in shock. Chemical castration was a medical procedure to turn off a person’s libido. Complete loss of sexual desire and sexual responses in the body. It was a drastic sort of treatment, usually reserved for those that lost their mates before they could be claimed.
“Do not,” Havali whispered furtively. “You are being ridiculous, Tuvo. Just talk to the female.”
Tuvo snarled at him, fangs bared in threat.
“You’ve no idea what I’m going through. I cannot just talk to her.
If I talk to her, I won’t be able to keep my hands off of her.
I’ll want to claim her. And do you see the size difference?
I would rip her apart! I would rather remove my sack with my own claws than hurt her. ”
“Tuvo-”
“We’re not all like you, Havali,” he sneered. “Some of us actually have honor and would never dream of making our female bleed.”
Crack!
The entire room went silent as Tuvo fell back a step. The slap Havali landed across his face still ringing in the air as blood from the four claw marks gouged along his cheek began weeping.
Tuvo smiled as he crouched.
Havali could do nothing more than brace himself before he pounced. He fell with a grunt, slamming to the ground, Tuvo beating down with both fists.
Havali struck upward at the same time. Claws out on both hands, tearing through his skin, sending a rain of blood onto his own body. He was distantly aware of the females crying out in shock and dismay, but he didn’t try to stop.
Then, suddenly, Tuvo was gone, and Atem was standing over him. The larger male had been thrown backward and hit the wall with a loud grunt.
Havali snarled, throwing himself to his feet, ready to leap upon him and tear him asunder.
Atem was ready, turning and slamming his fist into Havali’s gut.
The power of the blow near made him sick as he staggered back.
He hissed in a pained breath through his teeth as Atem turned, preempting the attack Tuvo tried to launch and punching him across the face, sending him careening right back into the wall.
“Enough!” He roared, standing between them. “You are scaring the females!”
The harsh reminder made both males flinch. Fighting might be common and expected among their kind, but the humans did not appreciate it. In fact, they tended to avoid it as violence put undue stress on their minds and spirits.
They knew that and all of them were careful not to fight seriously around the females. But that comment had been too far. An insult Havali could not stand.
“You do not get to speak about what goes on between Scarlet and I,” he growled, standing up straight even as doing so made his abused abdomen ache. “I actually talk to my female. I do not ignore or insult her as you do.”
Instead of prompting more rage from Tuvo, the harsh words made him flinch as he looked away. All the fight draining out of him in an instant.
Then, Scarlet was there at Havali’s side. Her hands running over him, worried. He could barely feel the various blows decorating his skin – though he knew he would later. For now, it was enough to put his arm around Scarlet and hold her tight.
An action which prompted a growl from Atem, though only a small one.
“What was that about?” Scarlet asked, looking between them, fear on her face.
The sight of it sapped away the last of Havali’s anger. He did not mean to make her afraid.
“A difference of opinions,” he said, reaching up to stroke her hair. Only to stop when he realized that his claws were covered in Tuvo’s blood. And he did not want his blood anywhere near her. “I have to go wash off.”
“You’re okay though?”
“Perfectly fine, Healer,” he promised. “You should see to Tuvo. I used my claws on him.”
She nodded but stared after him until he left the room.
Once in the hall, Havali let out a long breath as his shoulders dropped.
He had been planning on challenging Atem officially for Scarlet tonight. But the mood for that had definitely been ruined. He would have to delay it again.