Chapter 4
Tuvo
Three Earth aircraft sat, waiting, on the tarmac being readied for takeoff. Their security team was handling the transfer of luggage and overseeing the teams preparing the craft. There would be no mistakes here.
Not when everyone’s life was at risk.
There wasn’t much left for him to do. The security teams were set, the plans were made, Alanna’s uncle would have a team waiting for when Hattie and Tuvo landed. They were as safe as they could be.
Turning, he reached into his hip pouch and pulled one of the two communicators that they had brought down to the planet.
The only alien technology that came with them.
Earth wasn’t allowed to advance beyond their naturally attained level before they became proper members of the Coalition, not just a protectorate.
Anything brought to the surface had to be carefully checked.
The communicators were very simple. They could only transmit sound and only connected to the Jutiron Stor.
He turned and offered one to Survii, who looked surprised.
“You’re giving this to me?” He asked, plucking it from his hand.
“You two are going the furthest,” Tuvo said. “You’ll otherwise be out of range of communication. That is unacceptable. Take this just in case.”
Survii nodded – a human gesture that had an affirmative meaning. The others had adopted the human movements much more easily than himself.
Survii tucked the device into the pocket of his human pants before asking, “Will you be keeping the second one?”
Tuvo grimaced and admitted, reluctantly, “Yes.”
The others gave him curious looks, but it was Atem who answered, “He tried to give it to me. But Peony and I are staying in Geneva. We’ll have the best portion of the security team.
Moreover, we’re closest to the others. If necessary, we can be back together quite quickly.
The four of you-” he looked between Survii, Alanna, Hattie, and Tuvo, “-are going the furthest. I’d rather you have the comms.”
Tuvo couldn’t stop his displeasure from showing. He would much rather his Dominani have the second comm. Atem and Peony were, objectively, more important than himself. After all, it wasn’t hard to find a skilled warrior amongst the domini.
But the part of him that demanded that Hattie be placed above all others was eager for the comm. Atem, the male he thought of as a brother, had argued for him to take it, but Tuvo hadn’t protested very hard.
Looking at the others, he started setting his rules for the separation. “If any of us have to summon the shuttle and return to the Stor, the moment we’re back, we send the shuttle for the others. So, if the shuttle shows up, climb aboard and get out. No questions. Got it?”
“Yes, dad,” Peony said with a sarcastic, good-natured smile that made the others chuckle.
He could not join in their levity. “I mean it. Separating and going back amongst the Earthlings opens us up to potential attacks. We have to be cautious. We can enjoy ourselves, but we have to be aware that not all Earthlings are accepting of us and the relationships between us.”
“We’ll be careful,” Alanna promised with a reassuring smile. “Any other rules?”
“Don’t leave your security team. Don’t go anywhere you haven’t already cleared beforehand.
In case of emergency, we – and I mean us domini specifically – are allowed to kill any humans that are attempting to kill us.
We’ve already warned the Earth of this. I’m warning you now, females.
I know you’re delicate and you don’t appreciate violence, so I’m telling you what will happen so you can prepare yourselves mentally if it comes to that.
“Two weeks,” he finished firmly, looking at them in turn. “That’s how long you have. By the end of two weeks, I want everyone back here. If you aren’t back by then, I’m coming to get you.”
“Yes, sir!” Alanna put the side of her flattened hand against her forehead in the human version of a salute – he was pretty sure she was mocking him as Peony had, not showing true respect to his military command.
“Relax, Tuvo,” Peony laughed, nudging his side. “We’re okay. Right, Atem?”
His Dominani grimaced. “I didn’t want to separate at all. I was outvoted.”
“You’re also paranoid.”
“An aversion to being killed is not paranoia.”
They were both right as far as Tuvo was concerned.
Atem did have, as Peony called them, trust issues – but he had seen his family assassinated as a child, so he could hardly be blamed for that.
That being said, Tuvo had voted alongside Atem to not separate, so he could probably be called paranoid as well.
Despite his mistrust having grown from the humans’ own actions.
“Sir!”
That was a male calling out to him, using an English honorific. One of the few words he had come to know in his time here. He turned as one of the security team jogged up and said something that he did not understand.
Scarlet, the blood haired human female, translated for him.
“The plane to Paris and London is ready,” she said, sharing an excited look with Havali. They were going to Paris, while Holly and Romival would be going to London.
He thanked the male and got another human salute – probably more genuine than Alanna’s – before he jogged off again to oversee the other two planes.
Holly was visibly pregnant, and Scarlet was not yet visibly pregnant.
The two of them and their mates were going to be sharing a plane to their destination.
Romival, Holly’s mate, was not happy about his female being out of her nest, but Havali’s instincts hadn’t been triggered yet, and he smiled at Scarlet like giving her this was all he wanted in the world.
The four of them bid their farewells before climbing the wheeled staircase into their aircraft. It had already taxied away and screamed down the runway by the time they were informed that the second aircraft was ready.
This one was for Hatti and Tuvo.
The human male, Keith, was already inside. He had come with Hattie to the tarmac but immediately climbed into the aircraft. Like an overeager pup. Tuvo was just glad he didn’t have to deal with him yet.
There were more farewells. Hattie gave hugs to everyone as they said goodbye like they weren’t going to see each other again in mere days.
Not that he could blame them. After having received one, he understood why everyone enjoyed being hugged by Hattie.
She was so warm and seemed to hug with the whole of her body.
She clung on like enjoying the embrace was all she wanted in her life, and even their size difference didn’t diminish the simple pleasure in it.
And he was grateful that she didn’t appear to have felt his cock. It likely would have poked against the underside of her breasts and there was no disguising that.
“Two weeks,” he repeated firmly. “Be careful. And use the comm if you need to. And don’t forget to get the others if something happens.”
Survii chuckled, completely unbothered as he put an arm around his mate. “Relax, First Warrior. We’ll be fine. Now, get going. Hattie’s eager to see her family again.”
Tuvo grabbed her bag and followed Hattie up the steps, pausing at the top so she could call out her farewells to the others one last time.
She bounced on her heels, waving her hand wildly in the air as she smiled so brightly, it seemed to him like the blinding rays of the sun. Beautiful and life giving and painful.
Because it couldn’t be his.
Finally, she turned and walked into the plane. He followed after, automatically checking the cabin to make sure everything was in place.
Apparently, these aircraft, as ancient as the technology seemed to him, were the height of human luxury and speed when it came to travel.
They usually had many humans crammed into them to take on their journey, but these were for private use.
The only people on board, besides Hattie and himself, were the pilot – who remained safely ensconced in his cockpit – and Keith.
The obnoxious male had his human comm device in hand and was using it to take photos of himself on the soft, leather chairs with a glass of the nasty, sparkling, human alcohol in hand.
He looked ridiculous as he made various faces and tilted his head in different directions while moving his phone around to get the perfect shot.
His Hattie truly was a patient and kind female if she tolerated him touching her.
She was ignoring him now, however, as she approached the storage for the luggage – hers rolling behind him as his own was tossed over his back.
“In here,” she directed, smiling. “And thanks again. You really didn’t have to carry those.”
“I wanted to,” he assured her as, overhead, the pilot’s voice declared something.
“We need to take our seats,” Hattie translated. “We’re taking off now.”
Tuvo nodded and gestured for her to go first.
The private plane wasn’t huge, but it was luxurious.
The front chairs were big enough to be comfortable despite having to stoop as he walked across the cabin.
They were in two rows of two and Hattie chose the window, furthest from Keith.
Tuvo was only too happy to take the seat beside her, blocking the male’s view of her.
The plane was already moving by the time they buckled in.
Hattie pulled out her human comm device and set it to a special mode that, apparently, the plane required in order to fly correctly.
Tuvo didn’t know enough about human technology to know why or what would go wrong if left out of that mode, so he just followed her lead.
Their phones rendered useless, he put his back in his pouch as Hattie leaned forward and frowned at Keith – still posting pictures of himself to the human subnet.
Tuvo didn’t need to speak English to know she was chastising him for not yet disabling his device. Keith did not appear impressed, his two eyes rolling in his head.
Tuvo growled. He knew that gesture – it was a sign of disrespect.
Keith heard him and jumped. He sort of glared, though not directly at Tuvo, and scoffed as he reset the mode of his comm. He then tossed it onto the empty chair beside him and held up his now empty hands, giving Hattie another disrespectful look.
Tuvo’s growl got louder.
Keith clicked his tongue and turned away, muttering something under his breath. Tuvo heard him fine but didn’t understand. Hattie did however, and her face flushed as though embarrassed.
“What did he say?” Tuvo asked, looking between her and Keith. The male was silent now, glaring out the window as the plane began to jet forward, rushing to build up the necessary speed in order to achieve lift. So old fashioned, it was quaint.
Hattie averted her eyes, answering him softly. “Nothing important.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“You’re just going to get mad.”
“I promise not to punch him. As long as it wasn’t about you.”
She looked surprised. “Me?”
Krik. That was too close to being honest about his feelings. He cleared his throat, casting his mind around for a quick excuse.
“I am your guardian in Atem’s place. If he is insulting you, I need to know so I can defend you.” Yeah, that was good. And allowed him the opportunity to get mad later as well without her looking too deeply into why.
She was still safe from him.
Hattie gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you, but I know that means violence. You can’t beat him up, no matter how much you might want to.”
“That’s debatable. What did he say?”
“Nothing about me.”
“Then, what did he say about me? Don’t I deserve to know that?”
She bit her lip before sighing, giving up. “He called you… a simp.”
Tuvo frowned. “Is that an English word?”
“Yeah. It’s the shortened form of simpering.” Her face was red again, embarrassed. A non-camouflaging reaction that the humans experienced sometimes. “He was accusing you of being too nice to me and white knighting.”
“Another term I am unfamiliar with.”
“You know… trying too hard to defend me just because I’m a girl.” She wasn’t even looking at him this time, her fingers curling nervously through the ringlets in her long, brown hair.
Tuvo was only confused further. “I can be too nice to you? Too defensive, I can understand, but I haven’t even threatened him. It was just a little growl.”
Hattie laughed, shaking her head. “Forget it. It’s a stupid guy thing. He’s just mad that I was telling him what to do.”
“The flight mode for the comms?”
“Airplane mode, yeah. He says it’s not even a thing anymore, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. He can be without his phone for a while. And we have wi-fi. He can connect to that. He’s just being mad because he doesn’t like people giving him orders.”
“He is clearly not involved with the military then.”
“No, definitely not.” She laughed before suddenly making a face.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Just… Why is our easiest conversation about my ex? Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure,” he inclined his head. “What did you have in mind?”