Chapter 41
Alanna
A fight between domini, even a friendly one, looked vicious.
They did not pull their punches. Especially not now, when the fight was meaningful.
While Atem wasn’t aiming to kill or maim Survii, with alien medical technology, that line was a lot further away than it would be for humans.
They could do a lot of damage to each other.
They were, in a way, performing. For humans, that would have meant playing it up. For the domini, that meant making it violent and extra deadly.
Atem drew first blood. Survii’s constant ducking and movement, keeping just out of reach of his claws, finally failed.
It happened so quickly, Alanna missed the hit itself, but she couldn’t miss the dark, almost black blood that welled up from the three parallel lines along Survii’s arm and began to pour down to drip to the ground while he growled.
Atem grinned and brought the claws to his lips, licking the blood away. In a domini way, he was honoring him. Humans would probably see it as demented.
Alanna found it arousing.
She shifted her weight, rubbing her thighs together. The sight of Survii bleeding for her, Atem honoring him in his attempt, knowing what it meant to them, got her excited.
Look how ferociously Survii fought for her.
Look how he displayed his strength and determination.
The lacerations on his arm didn’t slow him down at all. Nor did the next blow that landed across his chest, cutting through the army green undershirt, tight against his chest. His unnaturally dark blood stained the grass as he kept attacking. Refusing to give up.
Refusing to give her up.
The next blow was his. He didn’t draw blood, but he did land his foot against Atem’s flank making him grunt and forcing him to his knee. Survii followed through, striking up with his claws. Atem threw himself back, barely avoiding getting cut across his face.
Survii continued to push his advantage, kicking out again.
Atem caught his ankle and twisted, bringing Survii down.
Survii turned and blocked the quick blows Atem nearly struck against him as he straddled his waist and struck down.
More blood flowed from Survii’s arms. But they didn’t stay like that long.
One wrist, then the other, was caught in Survii’s hands.
He yanked, thrusting his head up. The clacking of their skulls echoed over the grassy field as Atem reeled back, blood rushing from his nose.
Survii was already up, throwing himself at his gut. Trying to tackle him, but failing as Atem held his ground and struck with his claws down Survii’s back.
Survii returned the blows with a similar one of his own. Blood rushed from both of them as he pushed off Atem’s chest, slicing him in the process.
They separated, breathing hard. Grinning despite the pain they must be in.
Atem laughed, raising his claws. “You’re doing well,” he praised in Domtri. “But you really think you can protect Alanna with a weak effort like that?”
Survii laughed, raising his claws. “Oh, you think I’m done?”
And they were right back at it.
They both moved so fast, it was almost impossible to keep up with them. Atem especially was relentless and impossibly quick, hunting down Survii like he was on a time limit.
Survii was no slouch, however. While he spent most of the fight dancing just out of Atem’s reach, he was still dancing. He was laughing, almost playful as he tried to tire Atem out. A task that Alanna knew for a fact would be impossible for a single person to accomplish.
But Survii tried. He kept fighting through the pain. The exhaustion. Sweat beaded on his brow. The dirt was stained with blood. He kept pressing forward. Refused to give up. He even got in a few good hits.
The fight lasted much longer than the ones she had witnessed for her friends, and there was no doubt in her mind that it was because there were cameras.
She didn’t know if they were performing, or if they were showing/warning the Earthlings about their skills.
Regardless of the reason, they fought for her longer than any other and she couldn’t deny how special that made her feel.
All this effort, this blood, was for her. Impressing Earth was secondary.
But it was still happening. This was the aliens at their most basic. No weapons, no enhancements; just training and sheer determination. This was how deadly they were at baseline. Imagine, and fear, what they could do if they really put their minds to it.
Survii didn’t win. Of course not. No one won against Atem.
But he kept up the battle, never flagging, never wavering, until Atem finally grinned and stood straight – silently calling an end to it himself.
While defeating the guardian was generally encouraged, when it was impossible – such as when facing the greatest warrior on all Turv – all that was needed was their approval of a job well done.
Atem banged his fist over his chest, saluting him in the domini way. Survii, breathing hard, bleeding and sweating, lowered his arms. As tired as he must be, his grin hadn’t faded. It only widened now in triumph.
“You are a strong domin,” Atem praised, speaking in English again. “I know my sister will be safe with you. And if she is not, I will come after your hide.”
Survii saluted him as well, his fist smacking against the claw marks on his chest. “If I fail her, I will offer it freely.”
Alanna clapped eagerly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. The girls laughed at her excitement. She didn’t even try to hide her delight as she rushed to the opening leading into the makeshift ring still splattered with their blood.
Atem was already there, walking out and leaving Survii behind. He paused just long enough to clasp her shoulders and give her a smile before releasing her to rush past him into the ring.
Survii was taking off his shirt. There was no point in wearing it any longer. Atem had cut it to shreds. And apparently, Survii thought it was better served tied around his bleeding arm. He knotted it in place with his free hand and teeth.
And why was that so fucking sexy? Her male, wearing the battle scars that he gained on his mission to win the right to keep her, bandaging himself with his own shirt. Chest bare. Hair messy. Muscles all heated and engorged with blood.
Alanna grinned as she stepped in front of him. He chuckled at her enthusiasm as, technically, he was supposed to come to her. But how could she wait that long?
“Eager for me, vi Vitralai?” He asked in Domtri, giving her that sexy smirk that made her belly flutter deliciously.
“Ask me,” she demanded, eager for him to defeat her. To subdue her. To carry her away to his den where he would mate her. Properly. Inescapably.
She wanted to be claimed.
Chuckling, he grinned down his nose at her as he said, in English, “Alanna, I have proven myself capable of defending you. Will you accept me?”
The answer was unequivocally yes, but actually not.
“You can defend me,” she declared, beaming with all her might. “But why should I depend on you? I challenge you to determine who shall defend our den!”
Survii laughed and lunged for her. So slowly that she knew he was holding back. He was giving her the chance to dodge. To avoid him.
And she did.
While she would have loved to surrender immediately, that wasn’t what he needed. Even knowing there was no point fighting him, he still needed to actually defeat her.
These steps they were taking weren’t just ceremonial. They were biological. They were an instinctual necessity to him. They both knew he could easily conquer her, but he had to prove it to himself. Standing there and letting him catch her wouldn’t do that.
So, she dodged. Following his example, using the basic self-defense techniques the guys had been drilling into them. He was definitely holding back. His claws were completely retracted, and he made no attempts to stop himself from broadcasting his moves.
It felt like a game of tag.
Alanna found herself laughing as she kept just out of his reach. Swinging her hips. Beckoning him forward. Teasing and taunting him just a bit.
But he loved it. She could see it in the sparkle of his three dark red eyes.
On one turn, she squeaked when she felt something smack against her butt. She turned, shocked, to see his tail flicking playfully in the air.
She tried to grab it, to pull it in punishment. Of course, she wasn’t fast enough to grab the trailing appendage. But he continued to keep it up. Flicking the tip. Taunting her in turn.
Just like that, their ‘fight’ turned, and she was chasing after him. Trying to grab his tail, only to find it just barely out of her reach every time. She kept trying harder, jumping quicker, moving faster, chasing after the taunting appendage.
She was so focused, she lost track of her footing. One particularly sharp turn had her slipping on the grass. Gravity upended and she found herself falling forward, one hand still outstretched for a tail that wasn’t even in sight anymore.
But even as she fell, she wasn’t worried.
A strong pair of arms caught around her torso. Her knees didn’t even have a chance to hit the ground before she was pulled up again, clear off her feet. Survii was growling as he clutched her back to her chest, his tail wrapping around her leg.
“Caught you,” he said, right in her ear, making her shiver from the wonderful sensation.
She giggled, grasping his arms, her legs curled up off the ground. He held her so easily. Dead lifted her right off the ground. How could a girl not love that?
Unfortunately, they weren’t done. He set her back on her feet, though he kept her hands in his as he came around to her front.
A big smile spread over her face as he came down onto one knee. He kissed her hands before saying, in English she had definitely not taught him-