Chapter Seventeen #2
Liru and Zurok exchanged a little squeeze of their tails. And I supposed I felt the moment a little when I gave Roan, who was a few steps out of my reach, a little curl of my own that he pointedly ignored, despite his tail echoing the sentiment back.
“So, using this program, we’re going to keep watch of our territory, and you’re going to destroy them. Once that’s complete, we’ll send blood serum over to merge your host inseparably.”
“Sarka!” Tsul dropped the eviscerated Revulon claw and stared up with big, pleading eyes. “Does this mean we get to have an egg? Can we?”
Sarka’s cheeks warmed. “If they so choose to provide us with genetic samples… We can induce a season for you.”
Tsul’s eyes widened further; the kittenish appearance of the male enough to make me want to hold him and give him a squeeze. “Hatchling! Can you imagine? I’ve never seen a hatchling before… Well, I saw myself, I suppose. Please, Zurok?”
“Gorm’s available for beta donations if you’re willing to take it straight from the source.” Roan snickered and Sarka growled lightly.
“My mate will not be touched by another unless we so choose to bond with one.” Sarka’s tail squeezed his mate’s again. “And we’d prefer genes a little less prolific.”
“Give me ten minutes and a glove, and I can get you a sample off Wallace.” Roan’s snark made my cheeks burn. “He’s only produced two eggs in his life and both with me.”
If it wasn’t for how proud Roan puffed up when he said it, I might have sneered.
“Roan and Wallace had two eggs in their clutch and one of the eggs chose us and bonded.” Liru’s soft voice warmed my heart.
I felt such guilt for letting one of my children go, giving them away, but the joy the two held on their faces, the sweet delight, and the utter peace between them made my heart soar.
“It is very difficult for a mated pair to bond to more than one egg. Triads can handle two, but pairs find it so difficult that one of them often suffers.” Sarka offered a slight smile.
“They end up small and violent, like me!” Tsul dug into the basket for another claw, snapped it open, and offered it to Sarka who took one, finally. “This Noel is small and violent, too, yes?”
“Uh, he’s about…” I held my hand a few inches below my own height. Still, probably six or eight inches taller than his probable sibling.
Zurok cleared his throat. “That is likely because Nirem and Raziel imprinted him and he bonded. With their own eggs destroyed, they likely craved the bond so badly.”
“That’ll do it.” Tsul cracked open another claw and shook it at Roan, who politely declined. Zurok and Liru took up the offer and munched away, slurping at the juices inside the shell.
“Mmf! How did you get that salty creamy taste in there?” Tsul sucked at an empty shell.
“A seed oil I was able to extract and cream with mineralized salt.” I smiled because in my research, the Naleucians had spices and flavors at one time, but Colthraxians neglected them because taste was such a foreign concept to them, a sensation they never fully understood.
“Hehehe… Seed oil.” Tsul sucked at the claw again and earned a little swat of warning from Sarka.
“Apologies for my mate.” Sarka cleared his throat.
“No apologies needed. You’d find good company among the Terran born.” Liru smiled, and I shook my head.
“Wait… Can you make seed more delicious?” Tsul glanced up, eyes wide.
“Oh, I got this one. There’s like, these compounds in the fruits I’ve analyzed here…” Merriel popped up a window for Tsul, and we’d officially lost the little spaz to the never-ending Terran debauchery. “Wait…”
He had a diagram open of anatomy and frowned. “I thought betas had two phalluses!”
Roan frowned.
Sarka shook his head.
“If it’s just the one, no thanks.” Tsul continued his reading as Sarka glanced over, eyes wide.
“They have been remarkably informative,” Zurok said, his grin widening toothily.
“Then it is decided, we shall take an appropriate beta specimen’s seed, and your alpha’s seed and make sure the threat is annihilated.” Sarka folded his arms and stared me down expectantly, like I could just reach in my pocket, whip out a baster, and go for it.
“Well…” I cleared my throat. The idea of donating seemed a little less concerning, and I glanced at Roan, who gave a nod of approval.
“You’re required to be a participant, too, Roan,” Liru laughed. “You’re mated. Some of your ejaculate would stabilize his, since your immune systems are linked, now.”
“I hate this planet,” Roan muttered. “Fucking space jizz lizards.”
I lost track of the conversation as we stared one another down. I was in love; I was certain.
“Jizzards!” Merriel announced before a thwack interrupted him.
“Ignore him, his programming is broken.” Leticia’s voice held all the ire I’d ever known it to have.
“I like this. Jizzards!” Tsul laughed. “Wait, what is this word, jizz?”
“Not it!” I said, touching my nose as Zurok and Liru followed suit.
“I fucking hate you all.” Roan sighed and prepared himself to educate a previously unperverted species.