Based on my calculations, the food Tovis had brought me would let me live in denial for a few more weeks than I’d hoped.
“Amy is mated to Kes, Penny is mated to Adak.Hope is mated to Aeko and Taz is mated to Dargo.Carn and Naomi live nearby but they aren’t truly part of the band.”
“Why not?”I asked, my mind spinning with all the new names.
Tovis shrugged, an uncomfortable look crossing his face.
“Carn was a gladiator.We were all enslaved to the sytos, many of us were forced to fight for their entertainment, but Carn...”he trailed off before shaking his head.“His reputation in the arena makes the others distrust him.He killed too many of us, it's easier for them to live apart.”
My hands stuttered mid stack at his words.I wanted so badly to ask questions.Who were the sytos?Tovis had been enslaved?A human woman was mated to an alien so violent his own people didn’t want him around?
But his answers would upend my reality.Right now, I was doing my best to pretend he wasn’t an alien, that the world hadn’t ended, that I was in some small way, safe and in control of my future.
I knew aliens had invaded, but I didn’t want to know about Tovis’ part in it.There was no way I could be comfortable around him if I knew details.
“Did you pass on my invitation to the women?”
He nodded, leaning casually against the table.
“I did.They plan to visit you in two days.”
“Two days!”I dropped a can of corn.“I have to get ready, clean.”My heart thundered with excitement and nerves.In two days, I’d see people again, humans.“Are they all coming?”
Tovis bent over and saved the can of corn from its roll across the floor.
“All but Taz, she’s on a supply run with her mate for the next few days.”
“Do all the women do that?”I asked, picking at my nail polish.My manicure would be wrecked after I scrubbed every inch of the spa, so I wasn’t too worried about preserving it now.My eyes fell to his hooves, still sparkling from the shimmering polish I’d applied yesterday.
“Most of them,” he replied easily.“Penny and Amy have stayed in camp since they got pregnant.”
My eyes shot to his face.
“They’re pregnant?” I gaped at his inhuman face.The red skin, the bulky features, the huge horns arcing off his head.Someone that looked like Tovis had knocked up a human?
“Yes.”He cocked his head to the side as he met my stare.“They’re mated,” he said like that explained everything.
“H-how did that even happen?”I stuttered, something about his expression made my throat seize up with nerves.He was watching me so intently I felt like he could see under my skin.
An impish grin broke over his face.
“Do you want me to explain how a turoch breeds his mate?”
“No!”My face flamed with embarrassment.“I just meant, how did five human women end up with aliens.”
“The males claimed their mates, in the way of our people.”His smile didn’t fade as he took in my discomfort.“Is it so different for humans?”
“Humans don’t claim mates,” I said a little starchily.
“Then humans are wasting their females.From what I’ve seen, you’re all too appealing not to be claimed.”
My face was so hot I wanted to fan myself, barely holding back the urge.I was pretty certain Tovis was hitting on me, and I didn’t hate it.
Obviously, I’d been alone so long that any attention felt good.I couldn’t really be attracted to him, could I?
“You don’t have a mate,” he said slyly.
“I was what humans called ‘perpetually single’,” I muttered.“Not that it matters now.”My lack of a love life had been the least of my concerns until just this moment.
