Chapter 6
Warrin had trouble thinking clearly as all the blood in his body rushed to his cock. He liked holding Elora in his arms, and he liked nuzzling his nose to hers.
He stared down at her, waiting for her to speak.
He’d just informed her of his desire to mate with her, but he didn’t want to carry her to his quarters until she was ready.
If she needed additional time to get to know him better, then he would summon the patience required.
But he sincerely hoped she would agree to consummate their union right now.
He was aching for her—physically and spiritually.
Immediately after the creation of the VAMOB program, he’d worked fast to construct a massive home in Starzzia that would befit his future mate—a home that would have plenty of space for a growing family. As soon as he’d finished building his house, he’d signed up for the VAMOB program.
Then he’d waited. And waited.
He’d started to worry he would never obtain a human female… until finally receiving the news that a woman named Elora had been matched to him. Initially, he’d cursed the glitch that had delayed the acceptance of his application, but as he stared at Elora, he realized he no longer minded the wait.
If he’d been matched to a human female nearly a year ago when he’d signed up for VAMOB, it wouldn’t have been Elora.
As he stared at her, he couldn’t fathom being matched to any other woman.
She was worth the wait.
“I-I need more time,” she suddenly blurted, taking him by surprise. Her eyes went wide with alarm, and she glanced around the bridge as though looking for an escape.
He attempted to keep his expression calm, though he couldn’t help but feel a stab of disappointment. He was so eager to claim her, and he’d believed she’d been on the verge of agreeing to mate with him. The scent of her arousal remained heavy in the air.
She wanted him, but something was holding her back.
He reminded himself that he knew very little about her.
He also felt a stab of regret after he recalled his earlier promise to take her to his quarters for a meal and a conversation.
Perhaps she’d been discouraged when he tried to change their plans.
Perhaps she’d been looking forward to speaking with him.
“It is all right that you need more time, little sarr’ahh,” he eventually said, and he leaned his nose against hers once again, giving her an affectionate nuzzle.
Then he straightened and met her eyes. “How about we go eat and you can tell me about your reasons for going on the road trip. Would that be acceptable?”
She swallowed hard, then gave a slight nod. “Yes, that sounds good to me. I-I’m sorry. Please don’t think I’m going to back out of our arrangement. I just need some more time. I’m nervous and…” Her voice trailed off and she blushed.
He helped her to her feet and clasped her hand.
“You needn’t apologize,” he said in the most soothing tone he could muster.
“Come, Elora. On the way to my quarters, we can stop at the medical bay, and I will administer your dose of nanobots. Then we will enjoy a leisurely meal—I’ll replicate whatever you desire—and we will share our past experiences with one another, as well as our hopes for the future and what our life on New Vaxx will look like. ”
Her eyes brimmed with relief, and she nodded again. “Thank you for being so patient and understanding.”
She was quiet as he led her to the medical bay.
He helped her sit on a patient bed, and then he pushed up her sleeve.
She shivered, and her breath caught when their eyes met.
Though he’d finished pushing her sleeve up, his hands lingered on her arm—touching, stroking.
Fluxx. Her skin was so soft that he couldn’t help himself.
A tiny whimper sounded in her throat, and it made his scrotum twitch and his cock swell harder. The little noises she kept making were driving him wild.
But she wasn’t ready to mate with him. Not yet.
She needed more time.
He dropped his hands from her arm, then took a step back. Would she agree to consummate their mating union later tonight? Or would she require several more days… or even longer?
As he searched for the dose of healing nanobots in the cabinet, he reminded himself that they came from different cultures.
On her world, people dated for a set time before deciding to get married.
And some couples never actually got married—they just stayed together and lived together.
He’d read about the marriage practices of humans, and he supposed that, from Elora’s point of view, their relationship was probably progressing too fast.
Patience. He would have to summon patience if he wanted to properly woo her. More than anything, he wanted to nurture a relationship built on trust and intimacy. If he pressured her, or made her uncomfortable, it might set him back in this regard.
A business arrangement.
Somewhere along the way, he’d forgotten his original plan for earning Elora’s affection. So taken by her beauty, he’d started to focus more on the physical aspect of their union.
While he’d tried to tell himself that by claiming her and spurting his seed inside her, he would be affording her the ultimate protection, since no rogue unmated Vaxxlian males would bother her in Starzzia, that wasn’t quite the truth.
The truth was, he was ravenous to claim her. So eager that he feared he might end up walking around with a constant erection until she announced she was ready to join her body with his.
He turned to face her while holding the syringe. Her eyes widened slightly, but she jutted her chin up again, as though trying to look brave. The forced display of courage made his heart soften toward her.
“I promise it won’t hurt,” he said, letting his hand fall to his side so the syringe would be out of sight.
“Toward the end of the war against the Irrcons, after all the healers and medics in my unit perished, I was assigned medic duty. And after the healing nanobots were invented, I was tasked with administering the shots to the remaining warriors in my unit.”
“Well, I’m glad you have some experience.
Sorry if I’m acting weird.” She flushed and struggled to continue speaking.
“I-I’m truly grateful for the nanobots. It’s just…
as you know, I was sick as a child. I spent a lot of time in hospitals getting poked and prodded.
Sometimes, the doctors and nurses would have to hold me down just to start a new IV.
” She peered past him, toward the viewport, as a strange, faraway look crossed her face.
“Close your eyes, little sarr’ahh.” He gave her an encouraging nod. “Please. I promise I’ll make it quick and painless—and then you will be practically invincible.”
Her lips quirked into a smile. “Okay. Closing my eyes now. Don’t worry. You won’t have to hold me down.” Her eyes widened briefly, but then she finally shut them—tightly—while muttering something under her breath in English about not uttering the double entendre on purpose.
He administered the shot before she inhaled her next breath. He stepped back, watching her carefully, but her eyes remained closed. Her expression, thankfully, didn’t reveal any hint of pain. She truly hadn’t felt it. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“All done,” he announced as he deposited the syringe into a bin.
She peeked one eye open. “Really?” She touched her exposed upper arm. “I didn’t feel a thing. Um, do I need a bandage?”
“You don’t require a bandage. Look. There’s no trace of the injection—because the nanobots are already working to heal any injuries or illnesses you might have—including the injection site.
” He cleared his throat. “By the way,” he said, switching to English, “I feel I should make you aware of something. I am fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and several other Earth languages.”
Both her eyes were open now, and she stared at him in shock.
She drew in a shaky breath and squirmed on the patient bed, appearing adorably flustered as she tugged her shirt sleeve down.
“Well, I’ll keep that in mind next time I have the urge to talk to myself.
” She straightened and stared at him, shooting him a questioning look.
“How are you fluent in so many different Earth languages? And why?”
“I’ve always had a natural talent for alien tongues,” he admitted.
“It’s been a hobby of mine for many years.
However, I made it a point to learn as many Earth languages as I could once it was discovered that humans were sexually compatible with Vaxxlians—for several reasons.
I wanted to make sure I could communicate with the female VAMOB would eventually match me with, in case she didn’t speak Galactic Common, but I also thought it would be prudent to be familiar with Earth tongues in case work ever brought me to your planet. ”
“Work?”
He quickly explained the many contracts he’d been offered by Earth leaders who desired his skills as an exo-agrobotanist. He also explained his reasons for turning them down, but said he remained open to collaboration—if peace could be achieved.
“I’ve worked in war zones before,” he said, not wanting her to think he was withholding his talents out of cruelty. “I’ve watched the fields I’ve cultivated get torched by the enemy—I’ve watched many moon cycles of work go up in flames.”
She tilted her head to the side. “So, you’re an exo-agrobotanist who’s in high demand, you worked as a medic during the war, and you also speak numerous languages?”
“That is correct,” he replied in a cautious tone.
Why did she appear mildly confused—or was that disappointment flickering in her eyes? He didn’t understand the odd, contemplative expression she wore. Perhaps she wasn’t impressed by his skills.
The tips of his ears burned as he recalled the childhood taunts that used to follow him. Dirt-fluxxer. Flower-sniffer.
Though he was now renowned among his people for preserving Vaxxlian plant life—and for helping the crops on New Vaxx thrive beyond expectation—his early fascination with exo-agrobotany had made him a target for ridicule.
Most Vaxxlian parents tried to guide their sons toward more glorious callings—fleet commanders, engineers, architects, frontier scouts, planetary surveyors. Among his people, botany had long been dismissed as a pastime for females.
Thankfully, the teasing eventually stopped when he unveiled his first creation: a line of highly nutritious crops genetically altered to grow in even the harshest terrain.
His invaluable contributions to terraforming research also helped bolster his reputation as one of the brightest minds of his generation.
Ironically, some of the same males who had mocked him as a child now paid handsomely for his expertise on New Vaxx.
Elora’s expression was still strange to him, and he wondered if she was having difficulty reading his emotions.
He didn’t think she would openly mock him, but he despaired at the prospect of her not respecting his work.
How could trust and intimacy flourish between them if she didn’t respect him? His heart started to sink.
She cleared her throat and shifted on the patient bed again, and to his surprise, he detected a fresh wave of arousal emanating from her—she was growing slick again. His pulse raced, and despite his worries about her private thoughts regarding him, his cock remained painfully rigid.
“You’re very talented,” she said slowly.
“I’m impressed, and I won’t lie—a bit intimidated and even jealous.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit I was a solid D student in my science classes, and I only speak English and Galactic Common.
As for a job… well, I was proud of the work I did as the economic development director of Oakdale, but…
I don’t think I was changing lives the way you clearly have. ”
His spirits lifted as he processed her words. She didn’t look down on his job as an exo-agrobotanist. Instead, she was impressed. His ego swelled and he drew in a deep breath, unable to keep from puffing his chest out a bit.
“Please don’t feel intimidated, little sarr’ahh,” he said, wanting to comfort her.
“As my father used to say, everyone is born with different talents. I am sure you changed plenty of lives as the economic development director of Oakdale. And as for being a… solid D student, that is the fourth letter in your alphabet, so surely it means you are more scientifically inclined than you are giving yourself credit for.”
A smile broke across her face, and her eyes glimmered with humor. She opened her mouth to speak, only for her stomach to emit a loud rumble. A deep pink flooded her cheeks, though he couldn’t understand her embarrassment over such a normal bodily function.
“Come with me, Elora, and we will retire to my quarters for a meal… and more conversation.”