Chapter Thirteen
Taryn
It was hard to bury the hurt even if I knew it was ridiculous. There had been a moment where it seemed like there could be something more, like Rhydek might view me with something other than duty and responsibility, but then he’d turned away.
I finished washing, relieved that the others in the River Caverns had grown bored with staring. Either their curiosity was sated, or they were worried about Rhydek, but either way, it was easier to emerge from the water and grab a towel without unfamiliar eyes crawling across my flesh.
A shiver rolled through me as I wrapped a towel around myself.
Morrakan was warmer than Earth, even the river a comfortable temperature compared to the colder waters of home, but the River Caverns were deep enough that the difference between the water and the air had goosebumps breaking out along my arms.
I hesitated over grabbing another towel to wrap my hair, but a trickle of water down my spine and the fact that I could see multiple stacks of them available had me taking hold of one and bending over to secure my wet strands inside.
A noise behind me made me straighten and look over my shoulder to find Rhydek frowning at my head. At least, he seemed to be focused on my head from what I could see of his face from my peripherals, because my gaze had landed on his chest and I couldn’t bring myself to drag it upwards.
Rhydek’s chest was a wide expanse of muscle, bisected by both his kethra and layers of scars. His skin was a rich brown in direct light, but in the dimness of the cavern, it was almost black, making his markings seem even brighter.
There was something about their bioluminescence being the only pops of color amidst otherwise neutral, earthy shades, that made them even more beautiful. I couldn’t help that following them led my attention down his abdomen to a concentration of his kethra that made my eyes widen.
Were they sure we were compatible?
I wanted to look away, I tried, but sheer incredulity kept me staring. Like the rest of him, it resembled a Human’s, but on a larger scale. The markings along the sides lit it enough to show horizontal stripes across the bottom of his length, but it was the bulge at the base that gave me pause.
For a moment I thought perhaps their gonads were within their shaft instead of hanging beneath, but then I remembered the mention of knots.
He was going to shove that thing inside me, and then that bulge was going to get even bigger, locking us together until his body had finished filling me with his seed and doing its best to assure fertilization.
I swallowed as my core clenched, not sure whether it was dread or curiosity tightening my belly.
Rhydek stepped past me to grab a towel for himself, and I finally managed to pull my focus away, staring at the smooth stone beneath my feet instead of the rough alien beside me. Either he hadn’t noticed my staring, or didn’t care, because for once his smirk over my embarrassment was missing.
I didn’t like the idea of putting the clothes I’d already worn back on, but I didn’t have a choice since I hadn’t brought a change with me.
Unless I wanted to walk back up all those stairs in nothing but a towel…
Grimacing, I reached for the fabric and tugged it back on, feeling the grit of the sand trapped in it even though I’d only been on the surface for a few breaths. The roughness of the Morrak’s skin as well as their slit nostrils made more sense after experiencing the wind above ground.
A thought struck me and I turned to study Rhydek once more. The academic curiosity helped me focus instead of letting my gaze rake over his body despite him only having his pants on.
“Do you have a membrane to protect your eyes?”
The question caught him off guard and he gave me an odd look before partially closing his lids. The red inner membrane in the corner of his eye extended across the gap, confirming my guess.
The membrane retreated when he opened his eyes again.
“There are animals on Earth who have a similar membrane, and my experience with your light wind made me wonder.”
Brow arched, his lips twitched like he wanted to laugh.
“Shaevrin has shaped us to suit Morrakan. There are also membranes in our nostrils and ears to keep out the sand.”
Leaning down, he tipped his head and showed me what he meant.
“We still wear a thavren when on the surface for more than a few shyret.”
I frowned, trying to work out the meaning of the new words.
I’d never found learning languages easy, although I’d managed since it had been required to get through Vet school.
Most medical terms had transferred from the Latin of previous centuries to Common, but there were still a few carryovers that had forced me to learn bits of it as well.
“Thavren are the cloths those outside were wearing when we left the shuttle?”
“A sand veil. Yes. It protects from the wind and Vorrashan’s rays.”
Rubbing my temple, I sighed. Morraki seemed to have a lot of words with similar sounds, but if I figured out the roots, I might be able to decode it.
“Vorrashan is your sun. And shy-rhet is…?”
Rhydek tipped his head and began walking, making me follow as he answered.
“Shyret is the second smallest unit of time.”
“Shyret, shyret, shyret.”
I repeated the word to myself, hoping it would stick. Time and money would be the two most important things to learn. I would have added directions to that list, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t get the chance to get lost since I doubted I would be wandering Korvashan alone anytime soon.
“Do you have a tutor for us to learn Morraki?”
We were only halfway up the first set of stairs, and it was already getting hard to keep speaking as I tried to stay at Rhydek’s side.
The steps were steeper than I was used to, and combined with a job that had mostly kept me confined to one building, I wasn’t exactly in shape.
My thighs burned and I was breathing heavy by the time the ground briefly leveled out.
Rhydek paused and glanced over at me.
“Do you think I’m not a good enough teacher?”
Lips parting, I wasn’t sure what to say. It was hard to tell whether he was offended or teasing since his head was tipped to the side but his brows were creased.
“I guess I didn’t think you’d have the time. Or wouldn’t want to?”
He turned and started up the next set of stairs, almost making me miss the flash of something across his features.
Regret?
“I am your alpha, soon to be your mate. You are my responsibility.”
That wasn’t an answer, but I figured it was the best I was going to get.
Women had fought hard on Earth to be given equal rights as men, but I didn’t know how things worked on Morrakan.
Their technology surpassed ours, but their capital city looked like something from prior to Medieval Times, until you spotted a data pad on the wall to open doors that disappeared into the stone, or a communicator hanging from someone’s belt.
And on top of genders, they also had dynamics complicating things, so where did a female omega fall? And a Human one at that?
Deciding it wasn’t the moment to ask those questions, I focused on making it back to his quarters without sounding like an asthmatic having an attack.
“Move to Morrakan, where you have to traverse three flights of stairs just to bathe. You’ll be in the best shape of your life in less than a month.”
I thought I’d muttered the words quiet enough that Rhydek wouldn’t hear since I’d fallen behind, but I caught the gleam of his golden eyes over his shoulder in the dim light.
“You’re already the best shape.”
His tone told me he didn’t understand what I’d meant, but the off-hand compliment still made something flutter in my chest. My curves were something I rarely thought about, but when I did, it was usually with disdain.
They revealed my lack of control when it came to food or forcing myself to exercise.
Ignoring the sensation, I tried to find something to say in return but was relieved when he focused on the path ahead once again so I didn’t have to. I couldn’t help realizing, though, that all of the women who had been chosen, including the one bonded to the commander, were plus-sized.
Human beauty standards had come a long way from the anorexic-model era, but we seemed hardwired to be critical, of both others and ourselves. Fat-shaming had mostly become a thing of the past, but I had never matched the ‘ideal’ standard.
We reached the next landing, the number of others moving through the tunnels and stairway increasing. Light and the murmur of voices drew my attention through an opening, the sight beyond one that made me pause.
I caught a glimpse of tables covered in baskets and racks of fabric with Morraki moving amongst them. The scents that drifted from the opening were overwhelming, making my head spin as I tried to process them without anything to compare them to.
Warmth pressed against my spine and I jerked, finding Rhydek beside me, hand urging me forward. Realizing I was in the way, I hurried forward and began the next climb.
“That was the Cavern Markets.”
With Rhydek’s hand still on me, I risked glancing back.
I used to love thrift shopping because you never knew what you would find, but I hadn’t realized an alien market would hold the same appeal.
I hadn’t really thought about shopping, but if I had tried to picture it, I would have expected something more along the lines of the sterile, boring superstores on Earth.
Too curious to hold in the questions any longer and with less people ascending the last set of stairs with us, I risked asking them, starting with what I thought would be the least offensive.
“Why do you live so far from the River Caverns?”
Rhydek’s brow rose as he looked at me from the corner of his eye, focused mostly on the stairs ahead. It was easier to climb them with the steady pressure of his hand on my back, so I had enough breath to manage a few words.