Chapter 22
Draggar
I usher Haley through the door, relieved we have finally reached the privacy of my home without being seen by anyone other than my cousin. I do not wish the other members of the tribe to know about her just yet. At least, not until I have found out if she will accept the amoris bond.
I want us to have peace and quiet for these first moments together where we can communicate completely with each other. I want to enjoy talking to her and learning all about her, and if she accepts the mate bond, I want us to be able to enjoy that, too.
But I do not have much time before one of the other tribal members finds outs. Whether by Vrenner accidently mentioning Haley’s existence to them or by one of the other males stopping by my hut for some reason. I have been absent from the village for days, and as soon as word gets out that I have returned, males will show up at my hut. Whether it is questions about training or squabbles among the hunters or an invitation to go hunting, Haley and I will not have a moment’s peace.
Right now, I cannot help but notice the dark circles under my mate’s eyes and I know there will be time for us to discuss the mate bond later. But for now, I want to take care of her and ensure she is comfortable. The urge to pamper my mate and feed her is strong and I cannot resist it. It is an honor for a Laediriian to care for his mate and a duty that we take seriously.
“I wish to show you something.” I gesture towards the room at the back of my hut and urge her to follow me. As I open the door, I realize I also want Haley to be impressed, to be proud of my efforts. This planet can be hard at times, and I want her to enjoy this little luxury. I just hope she will like it as I much as I do.
We enter the sanitation room and I watch as Haley’s mouth drops open. A warm glow of joy settles inside my chest as she studies her surroundings, a look of awe on her face.
It is not false pride to say that my sanitation room is one of the best in the village. I hand cut the stones that line the walls and floor from a deposit of pale blue rocks with shimmering white veins running through them, and I hauled each one back to my hut to carefully place them in this room.
Vrenner and Maalin helped me create a cleansing system that is unlike any other in the village. It is a large, spacious stall in the corner with three walls that come up to just below my knees. A metal pipe high on one wall releases a stream of water almost like a small rainstorm, and a thin pipe in the center allows water to drain away.
Rainwater is collected and stored in a barrel on the roof of my hut. During the hottest months, the sun heats the water, ensuring that it’s always warm. There is no door or gate to enter which means the drain can be stopped up and the stall filled to the top with for a bath.
There have been many times I have been thankful for my sanitation room, especially when I have returned home dirty and tired after a long day of hunting or battling the Pugj.
Some of the other males in the tribe laughed at me for wanting such an extravagant room that would only be used to cleanse the body, but feeling the thread of delight that glows from my mate as she stares at makes all of their teasing words worth it.
Haley’s eyes quickly well up with tears, and I am startled for a moment, wondering if I have done something wrong or if she is in pain. Before I can ask her, she turns and throws her arms around me. Her small face buries against my chest and my second heart speeds up in reaction.
“First a bath, now a shower. A real shower. This is amazing.” She leans back and looks at me, her blue eyes shimmering like the ocean that stretches out on either side of our landmass, and it is all I can do not to ask to join her in the cleanser.
But I must resist the temptation. Haley would probably appreciate her privacy right now. I have learned during the time we’ve spent together that humans can be odd creatures, and unlike my species, they enjoy their privacy and prefer to keep their bodies covered most of the time. At least, Haley does.
I run my hand through her soft hair and urge her to take her time. She smiles at me and stands leans up to press her lips against my cheek. Then, she turns and begins humming under her breath as she trails her fingers over the smooth stones lining the walls. I step outside the room and quietly pull the door closed behind me.
I take my time washing up at the small sink in the meal preparation area of my hut, before changing into a fresh loincloth I pull from a large wooden trunk. When that is done and I am clean, I get to work preparing a meal for us using the ingredients available from my food stores.
I get out a bowl of the bilb berries that Haley enjoys so much, a stoppered bottle of nectar from the large blue flowers that are so common on our planet, and smoked dicro meat that I slice thinly. At the last minute, I warm pieces of gretit, soft discs that one of the elders makes from ground grain.
I wish I had a better meal to serve Haley – maybe one of the delicious thick stews the cooks of our tribe prepare over many hours or the slow roasted meat that we only enjoy during celebrations – but this is the best I can do without going out to the main fire pit.
I want to enjoy this meal with Haley and spend our time together getting to know her better before we must face the tribe. There are so many questions running through my head that I wish to ask her. Where she comes from, how she came to be here, but most importantly, if she will stay with me and accept the bond. Both of my hearts pound in nervousness.
I hope Haley will say yes. I hope she will consent to the amoris bond. The thought of not being by her side when she wakes every morning, of never hearing her laughter or seeing her bright smile leaves a hollow space inside me that aches.
I want to be by her side. To protect her and keep her safe. To make sure she has enough to eat and she’s warm and comfortable. During the time we have spent together, I have realized there is no satisfaction greater than pleasing my mate – to see her devour the food I hunted or to hear her hums of enjoyment as she bathes.
Well, there may be one more satisfying feeling. . . making my mate moan and clench her thighs around my head as I taste her.
My cock immediately hardens at that thought. Not that it takes much for me to grow hard at the thought of Haley – I have existed in a state of lingering arousal for days now ever since I first met her. If I am being honest with myself, ever since I first saw her.
I should have known then that she was my mate, but I did not think it was possible for a Laediriian to bond with another species.
But it is. My newly awakened second heart that beats only for her, the mateblood that flows through my veins strengthening me and urging me to claim her, the electrifying connection between us that is so strong it seems almost like a living being, and the small, tantalizing echo of her that I can feel inside me are all testament that she is my spirit mate and I am hers.
Even now, though we are separated by walls, I can still detect a glimmer of pure bliss and peace blooming inside my chest that I know is Haley. And she accepts the mate bond between us, then that faint connection will grow stronger until it is almost like a physical tether connecting us.
I have just finished setting the food out on the small table and I am starting to second guess myself on whether I have chosen foods my mate will enjoy when Haley exits the sanitation room. I can only stand and stare at her as it feels like my hearts will beat out of my chest and appear in front of me.
Her long, hair is wet and clings to her glistening skin. Her scent is fresh and she smells of dried lamia leaves that we use as a cleanser. But beneath that, I can still detect the same sweet fragrance that is unique to Haley. I have the strongest urge to lick my mate from top to bottom, but I push it down.
Trails of water have spread from Haley’s hair onto the blue dress she wears and the fabric clings to her body, showing off her luscious curves. The two protrusions from her chest draw my attention and I notice the small nipples in the center of them poke against the material of her dress as if they are begging for my attention. My mouth waters as I think about answering their call and drawing them between my lips.
My mate has never been more beautiful or desirable than in this moment, and I thank the universe or whatever deities were responsible for sending her to me.
Haley walks slowly across the floor towards me, her hands knitted together and a tremulous smile drawing my attention to her lips. I suddenly realize she is nervous, too. This will be the first time we have had an actual conversation with each other alone. I want to do whatever I can to make sure she is comfortable here – with me. I wish to ease all of her worries.
As soon as we have both settled in our seats at the table, Haley does not hesitate and she asks, “So, where am I? I mean, what is this village? I think you said this planet is called Laedirissae.”
“Yes, we are on planet Laedirissae, and this is my tribe’s village. We are the Anuriix tribe. We have many members, from graying elders to the tiniest of kitlings.” My chest swells with pride. “We are the best tribe on Laedirissae with the fiercest warriors.”
“And the most modest, too, right?” Haley’s eyes twinkle as she pops a berry into her mouth.
I long ago abandoned the suspicion that Haley could be here for a nefarious purpose – she is much too kind for that – but I’m still curious about how she came to be here on Laedirissae and who the other females with her are.
“How did you come to be on planet Laedirissae?” I ask her as I set a cup of water down beside her.
Haley watches me intently as I tear off a piece of the warmed gretit and dip it into the nectar, and she does the same.
“Oh my God, this is so good.” A moan of enjoyment escapes her mouth as soon as she bites into the soft disc of grain, and the sound shoots straight to my cock making me grow even harder than I already was. I shift in my seat, willing it to subside.
After a few moments of enjoying the gretit, Haley swallows and takes a sip of water before clearing her throat and saying, “Some gray aliens abducted me and a bunch of other girls from our planet, Earth. They were going to sell us at a slave auction.” Her eyes darken until they are the color of a stormy sky and a line appears between her eyebrows.
“Well, actually, they were taking me to sell on another planet because they said I was inferior stock.” Haley does an odd hand motion with her fingers when she says the last words before she sighs and takes a large gulp of water. Her voice is nonchalant, but I can feel the turmoil of emotions flowing through her.
I let out a growl at my mate’s words, and she whips her gaze away from the cup she still holds in her hand and we lock eyes. The thought of anyone hurting Haley, stealing her from her home, and selling her makes me burn with the need to protect her. To seek revenge for her.
And to label her as inferior. . . they know nothing of my mate. I do not know anything about other humans, but I know she is the finest of her species. She is not inferior.
If I ever have a chance to lay a hand on the miserable sardos who abducted her, they will regret the day they did so.
My mate watches me, as if she knows exactly what I’m thinking, and considering the potency of the mate bond between us, she might. I push down the anger rising inside me and turn my attention back to her.
After a quiet moment, only broken by the sound of Haley chewing thoughtfully on her food, she swallows and continues, “Something happened. I think the ship we were on was being chased by cops or something. Anyway, long story short, the aliens who abducted us dumped us and we crashed here.”
Haley snags another one of the soft discs of gretit and takes a big bite. “Why were you in the jungle alone? It is a dangerous place if you do not have weapons.”
Haley stops chewing and places the half-eaten gretit on her plate. “There is a little girl named Zoe with us. I woke up during the night and didn’t see her, so I went outside to look around for her thinking I’d easily find her. Piece of cake, right?” She chuckles derisively. “I ended up getting lost in the jungle. I’m just glad you came along and saved me from that dinosaur.”
The translator chip does not recognize some of the words Haley uses, but I understand the basics of what my mate has said. I do not know what a sweetened food has to do with the little girl, but perhaps Haley is asking for more food. I move the bowl of berries and the bottle of sweet nectar closer to her so that she understands she may eat as much as she wants.
As for the other things my mate said – my chest swells with pride. She is fierce and she willingly puts herself at risk to help others. My mate has more courage in her tiny round ears than most Laediriian males have in their entire bodies.
But the thought of what could have happened to her if I had not arrived in time to battle the tiniio makes my body grow chilled.
“You did not find the kitling? Zoe?”
“No.” Haley frowns. “I hope she made it back to the ship, but I don’t know. That’s something I kind of want to talk to you about. I really need to get back there. My friends are probably going to run out of food and water soon, and I was wondering if you could help us?”
The expression on her face is so hopeful, and I could not turn her down even if I wanted to and I do not want to. I do not know if the other members of the tribe will be happy with my decision to help the humans, but it does not matter. I will help my mate and her people whether my tribe – or my father – approves or not.
“Yes. We can leave as soon as possible.”
A large smile stretches across Haley’s face at my pronouncement, and I feel an answering happiness swell inside of me.
Haley and I finish eating our meal, and as we are gathering the plates to stack in the small sink, she asks me, “So, considering everything that’s happened between us, I just want to make sure. . . um. . .” Her words trail off and she looks down at her the floor, and I can’t help but wonder what has suddenly made my mate so flustered.
Haley takes a deep breath and asks, “You don’t have a wife or anything, do you?”
“What is a wife?” The translator chip is still learning Haley’s language, and it does not recognize many of the words Haley uses, including this one. From what Vrenner explained the chip will essentially teach itself Haley’s language over time and eventually the translation will be nearly seamless.
She tilts her head to the side as if she’s trying to think of an explanation. “Um. . . It’s the person you’re in a relationship with. Like, for humans when we meet someone we love and we want to be with them forever, we have a ceremony where we commit to being with only them for the rest of our lives.” Haley frowns. “Except sometimes it doesn’t last forever.”
“We have something similar called spirit mates who are bound together by the amoris bond.”
“Huh, cool. So, do you have amate?”
“Yes.” At my answer, Haley’s eyebrows rise high on her forehead. She reaches out to grab onto the table in front of her and her knuckles turn white as she grips it.
I answer. “You.”