“I don’t know, I’ve never managed to catch the eye of one. Maybe I’ll make that my mission, and then I’ll have some actual facts to tell you instead of hearsay. Velorina, one of the flyers, is super sexy and doesn’t seem to be opposed to other species. Maybe I’ll invite her out for a drink.” She giggles at her pun before leaning forward like she’s got a secret to share with me.
“The clan we have here tends to feed only from one another, but I did overhear two of them talking the other day, and they said that Saxon has been getting his blood and sex from someone else. So maybe there really is a chance for me. Oh, and they have their own version of soulmate, or fated mate I guess. They call it theirsanguin rosala, or their blood rose. Apparently they know from the smell of the blood, but the bond is not sealed until they drink from one another.” She is full of the information I need, even though she said it’s hearsay.
“So they only mate within their species?” I ask, only slightly curious. I’m already juggling three men, so I don’t really need to add any more.
“As far as I know, yes, but so many species like to keep their secrets. There’s less chance of being wiped out if no one knows the key to your reproduction. What I do know is that they are super territorial. A lot of the galaxy species are. They are more primal than humans and Skarrians, and a lot less tolerant of other races.”
I snort quietly. “No shit! I’m beginning to discover this for myself. Even that cyborg nurse was staking his claim on Link. I read about this kind of behavior in my paranormal romance books, but I can’t believe it’s true.” I blink, not even sure how to process everything she’s told me before shaking my head. “I don’t have time to care about their sex rituals or who is fucking and drinking from whom, or how they reproduce. The real question is, and I need you to be honest, am I going to get my ass kicked?” She laughs at me, noticing the shift from curiosity to downright worry.
“Oh yeah, most definitely. They are super athletic, and they are all required to do a term in their armed forces. I think it’s a minimum two-year obligation, and no one gets out of it. They are considered one of the fiercest armies in the galaxy. You do not want to fuck with the Vilaxians. They are brutal, and because they drink the blood of their enemies, they don’t fatigue. They just keep going and going.”
She winks when she tells me this, but I’m nearly pissing my pants. Self-defense with a vampire warrior? Yup, my life isn’t strange at all. I frown. “They don’t sound like tricksters, they sound too noble to coerce someone into giving their blood.”
“Where did you hear that rubbish?” she asks, sounding shocked, but then she puts two and two together. “Dylan, right? What a dick. From what I hear, he wasn’t opposed to offering himself up as a blood sacrifice to them. Estrella, Radella, and Hale were always hanging out with him. He has always had his eye on Saxon too, but as I mentioned, I guess Saxon has someone providing him with blood as well.”
I think back to what Dylan told me.
“They cannot take your blood without permission, but be careful. They are tricksters, and words can often be twisted so you end up giving blood without realizing it. They don’t kill their donors, but they can make it as pleasurable or as painful as they like. It’s not up to you which sensation you’ll get.”
So I guess that was all bullshit. I wonder if the other bit was too?
“One thing you need to know is that although all of us may have a human-like form, we are far from it. Underneath our clothes, things may not be what you expect. Be aware of this if you decide to pursue any kind of physical relationship with anyone. You need to talk to your grandpas about Skarrian physiology too before you do anything like that. Educate yourself before you get into trouble.”
I shake off my memories with the promise to take everything Dylan told me with a grain of salt.
“Okay, so is there anything else I need to know?”
She snorts with amusement. “Oh, babe, you’ve opened Pandora’s box. I’m sure there’s a million things you need to know, but it’s not all going to happen in one day.”
Ashort while later, William is showing me into the gym. It’s set up much like a human gym, but on steroids, and this one even has a course much like American Ninja Warrior. A lot of the equipment is occupied, and people smile and wave to us. We do the same in return, my grandpa more familiar with everyone than I am.
He doesn’t stop in the main area, instead taking me past everything to a door in the back wall which opens as we approach. When we step through, I can see it’s a private but open space. I guess it may be for classes or private lessons, but what catches my attention the most is what I think are two people sparring. They are moving so damn fast my eyes can’t keep up. It’s like watching everything in fast forward.
“That’s not even full speed,” William mutters out of the side of his mouth, and the two beings stop all of a sudden.
“Holy shit. Doesn’t that make you feel sick?” I ask. One of the guys, who has ice blond hair and bright, teal-colored eyes, winks at me and shakes his head, chuckling.
“Do you feel dizzy when you stop running?” he asks, and I instantly feel a little silly.
“Touché,” I mutter, and his grin grows.
My gaze goes to the other man, and this one seems familiar. It’s the man with the deep magenta eyes I remember from my first evening. His head is tilted to the side, and he’s studying me like a predator studies its prey. I’m not sure if the shiver that runs through my body is from fear or those damn pregnancy fuck me vibes. I hadn’t gotten a good look at him when he’d caught me that day, it was just his eyes, but I take a moment to study him.
He’s wearing a pair of athletic shorts and nothing else, and it gives me every opportunity to look my fill. I hadn’t realized how damn tall he is, he’s got to be six-eight maybe, with broad shoulders and a muscular upper body. I move my gaze downward, and I notice he’s got musculareverything—abs, thighs, calves, and I bet if he turned around, his ass would be tight enough to bounce a quarter off of. This guy’s most definitely a warrior. Like many of our armed forces men back on Earth, he is ripped to say the least. Where Xavier is lean like a dancer, and both Caspian and Link have swimmers’ builds, this guy is beefy. He looks like he could bench press me, and I’m so here for that, but on the other hand, he might just be about to make mincemeat out of me, and I may have peed my pants just a little.
What skin I can see is pale, and his lips are almost the same color as his eyes. His hair is pitch black and is close cropped. He studies me with the same intensity that I’m looking at him, but I’m not sure I’ve impressed him like he impressed me. He sneers slightly, and I see a flash of fang.
“Well, as fun as the tension in this room is, I need to jet. Time for me to get something to eat.” Blondie flashes some fang at me, and I can’t help but gasp and step back. Inwardly, I groan. Fuck, way to go, Lila, insult the vampire. “Unless you’d like to offer up a vein, beautiful?” I think I take too long to think about it, because Blondie’s face goes from amused to something different, something almost primal, and he takes a step toward me.
“Hale!” William scolds, and the vampire shrugs.
“Don’t blame me, it’s not often we get newbies. It’s fun fucking with them, but I am sorry if I scared her.”
He and Saxon do a bro hug type of thing before he walks over to the door, which slides open, and then he disappears in a flash. My eyes are still trained in his direction, even though the door closed once he left the room.
“Saxon. Thank you so much for doing this for us. I appreciate you giving up your downtime for it. You remember Lila, our granddaughter?” William introduces us, and I turn my attention back to the serious man in front of us and hold out my hand.
“Nice to meet you. I really appreciate you catching me that first night. That would have really hurt if I’d hit the ground.”
