10. Kaelus
KAELUS
The ride to Varell’s office took them through the heart of the settlement and Kaelus found himself reluctantly impressed by what he saw.
The Titus Four people had achieved an unusual balance between advanced technology and the natural environment. Their vehicles floated silently several feet above the ground, following wide paths paved with smooth pale stone but leaving the surrounding forest almost completely undisturbed.
Buildings rose among enormous silver-trunked trees, their walls curved around the natural landscape instead of cutting through it, and gardens seemed to be everywhere.
Brilliant flowering vines covered archways and balconies, while shallow streams of clear turquoise water ran beside many of the paths.
The people they passed were as unusual as the landscape—Kaelus saw couples everywhere.
And every male he saw appeared to be touching or helping his wife in some way.
One walked with his arm around his mate’s waist. Another carried several packages while his wife strolled beside him empty-handed.
At an outdoor café, Kaelus saw a male feeding his wife something from a small plate while she laughed.
Another male knelt beside a seated female and fastened the strap of her sandal while she rested a hand affectionately on his head.
Kaelus found all of it slightly excessive—performative, even. And yet…he was strangely intrigued.
Clair seemed completely fascinated.
“Look—they really do worship their women,” she murmured, pointing to the man who was fastening his wife’s sandal strap.
“So it would appear,” Kaelus muttered.
She smiled up at him.
“I kind of like it. Everyone seems so calm and loving. You don’t see anyone distracted by their phones or devices—they’re all just focused on each other. What a wonderful way to live.”
Kaelus looked down at her.
“Do you really think so?”
She shrugged.
“Well, sure. At least it’s a big change from Earth.”
There was something in her voice that made him think of the former husband she had mentioned only briefly. Kaelus knew enough to understand that the male had been unfaithful to her and had made her feel undesirable.
The thought filled him with inexplicable rage. Any male who could look at Clair’s abundant curves and fail to appreciate them was clearly mentally deficient.
He didn’t understand how males who were able to call a bride and form a long-term relationship with them could be so careless and ungrateful.
Clair’s husband had been Joined to an Elite and he had thrown their marriage away without a second thought.
Such a male deserved nothing but pain and regret the rest of his days.
Their transport eventually stopped in front of a large cream-colored building overlooking a lake of violet-blue water. They followed Varell and Maera inside and were led through several airy corridors until they reached a spacious office filled with plants and shelves of crystalline data tablets.
There were only two chairs.
Kaelus noticed this immediately. Naturally, Kaelus gestured to the one meant for him.
“Clair,” he said, nodding for her to take the available seat.
“Why thank you.” She gave him a smile as she sat.
Kaelus remained standing behind her. He expected Varell to give his own wife, Maera the other chair so the women could sit while the males stood. Instead, the other male sat on the chair himself and stared at him.
Kaelus waited, wondering what was wrong.
Varell continued staring until finally Kaelus could stand it no longer.
“Is something wrong?” he asked abruptly.
Varell looked from him to Clair.
“Why is your wife sitting alone?”
Kaelus frowned.
“There were only two chairs, so I offered her one so that she didn’t have to remain standing.”
“That was incorrect behavior. Come, my darling, let us show them how it should be,” he said, motioning to his wife.
At once, Maera came to sit on his lap. She didn’t just perch on his knee either—she snuggled back against him, sighing in contentment as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck.
“You see?” Varell asked, smiling contentedly. “When you truly worship your goddess, your body becomes her seat.”
Kaelus frowned
“No,” he growled. The word escaped before he could stop it. But if he let Clair snuggle on his lap like that, his body was certainly going to betray him, and she would feel how hard he got for her when they touched or got close!
At his blunt refusal, Varell’s brows rose and Maera looked surprised.
Sendar, who had been trailing along after them, looked thoroughly amused.
Clair covered her mouth with one hand and Kaelus felt heat rise beneath his collar.
“I mean,” he said stiffly, “we do not normally sit in that manner.”
“Your wife does not sit upon your lap?” Varell asked, looking both offended and shocked.
“No.” Kaelus shook his head firmly.
“Why?” Maera asked, looking genuinely confused.
Kaelus could think of several excellent reasons, beginning with the fact that Clair’s curvy ass pressed against his cock would make coherent conversation impossible.
“We have chairs in our laboratory,” he said at last. “One for each of us so we can work on different projects.”
Varell looked concerned.
“Doctor Kaelus, on Titus Four, a husband does not leave his goddess sitting apart from him when circumstances require them to share a place. Physical closeness is one of the simplest expressions of devotion.”
“It’s all right,” Clair said quickly. “Kaelus just isn’t used to your customs yet.”
“That is becoming apparent,” Sendar remarked dryly.
Kaelus shot him a glare and Sendar smiled pleasantly. He wondered why the copper-haired male didn’t have a “goddess” to tend to. Why was he allowed to have a position of power without his wife at his side?
Clair rose from the chair and gestured for Kaelus to sit.
“When in Rome, do as the Romans,” she said, practically pushing him down into the chair when he didn’t react at once.
“But we are not in Rome and there are no Romans here,” Kaelus protested. Sometimes the things she said made no sense at all.
“It just means we’re going to follow the local customs to be polite, sweetheart,” she said pointedly. And then, before Kaelus could object, she turned and sat sideways across his thighs.
At once it felt like every muscle in his body locked. Clair was warm and soft and curvy, and her soft little ass was pressed right against his cock, which was already getting hard!
Fuck—this was mortifying!
“Hold her,” Varell said, breaking his train of thought.
Kaelus had to fight not to glare at the other male.
“I am holding her,” he growled.
His hands were positioned carefully at Clair’s waist—he was afraid to touch her any more than that.
“No, hold her as I am holding my wife—my goddess.”
Varell gestured at Maera. She was sitting sideways across her husband’s lap, nestled comfortably against his chest while his arm curved around her body and his hand rested lightly on her thigh.
Maera smiled sympathetically.
“It may be difficult to get used to, if you don’t come from an affectionate society but please believe it is for the best. You will never fit in here on Titus Four if you don’t worship your goddess properly.”
Clair’s shoulders began to shake with suppressed laughter.
Kaelus leaned closer to her ear.
“If you laugh, I will drop you,” he murmured.
“No, you won’t,” she whispered back.
Unfortunately, she was right—he would never risk hurting her in any way, no matter how irritated he got with her.
Instead of dropping her, Kaelus adjusted his hold, wrapping one arm more securely around her waist.
Clair settled back against his chest with a contented sigh.
“This is nice, sweetheart,” she said to him. “I think I like the Titus Four customs.”
Kaelus merely grunted in reply, but her new position on his lap was worse—much worse.
Her hair brushed his jaw now and he could feel every breath she took. The sweet scent of her skin and the way her ass nestled against his aching cock was almost unbearable.
Varell smiled brightly.
“Now, isn’t that better? It is always best to keep your goddess close.”
“Much better,” Kaelus said in a strangled voice, when Clair elbowed him.
“Yes, thank you for showing us your customs,” she added, smiling at Varell and Maera sweetly.
“You’re more than welcome, my dear,” Maera saw, smiling back. “And now, if everyone is comfortable, perhaps we can begin your interview.”
“Of course.” Kaelus nodded stiffly. “Let us begin.”
And so they did.
For the first several minutes, things went reasonably well. Clair explained their research and outlined the crisis on Glenvarren, while Kaelus described what was known about Viral Hyperandrogenic Encephalopathy and the strange lack of violent symptoms among the inhabitants of Titus Four.
“And so, you can see that the situation is dire and we really need access to your scientific database,” he concluded.
“Women are dying because what you call “the Love Virus” and we call “Savage Syndrome” is causing males to turn against their mates and kill them by…” He could barely get the words out—as a Kindred, they tasted foul in his mouth.
“By raping them to death,” he said at last.
Maera gasped and Varell looked ill.
“Forgive me—the idea makes me sick as well,” Kaelus said. “Kindred do not harm women—ever. It is anathema to our very nature.”
“As it should be to every male,” Varell said. “But I don’t understand how the Love Virus could cause such savagery and hate!”
“We don’t either,” Clair said earnestly. “But we need to find out.”
“Of course you do.” Maera nodded. “Those poor women!” she added and her metallic eyes shimmered with what might be tears.
“What kind of living accommodations do you require while you stay with us?” Varell asked.
“Anything near the research center will be sufficient,” Kaelus answered.
Varell looked at Clair.
“And what would you prefer, Doctor Donovan?”
Kaelus frowned.
“I just answered. Since we are Joined, we will stay in the same accommodations.”