Some of the girls are here! Tessa, Gwen, and Skye! The joy I felt at seeing the faces of people whom I'd known only very briefly before the worm attack is baffling. Although a lot of what has happened to us can be described as exactly that, I suppose. I might even chalk up my escalated delight to having shared an utterly bizarre experience with these girls. Maybe experiencing these events together has forced some kind of bond. Or maybe I’m just giddy to see more human faces.
After a tense first meeting, the other High Spear, Zarriko, seems to warm to at least Rynn and I and invites us to meet with him in his hut for a bit of privacy. Before we all enter though, a shriek pierces the air and every Trixikka in the vicinity goes on high alert, producing spears and blades, ready to protect the girl whose scream still seems to echo through Zarriko’s village.
But when I look, I see no danger. Only Skye hugging one of Rynn’s warriors, her arms holding him tight and her cheek pressed into his bare chest. The Trixikka himself looks as though he doesn’t know what to do in her embrace, his skin-stars racing all over the place, even after she releases him with a squeal and shouts to the others, “they have chocolate!Real chocolate!”
It takes a moment or two, but the other Trixikka gradually come to realize that there is no threat amongst them and they lower their weapons. Instead, they watch as Gwen, Skye, and Tessa nibble a bit of the sweet treat and moan in delight. I bite my lip to keep the grin from forming on my face because the girls are oblivious to the utterly rapt audience they have surrounding them as the seven-foot bird-men encircle the three girls, skin-stars bursting to life all over their bodies as their tails flick behind them. I think the two alien suns could fall clean out of the sky right now and not one of these guys would notice.
“Thank you so much!” Skye beams at the alien she had been embracing just moments ago. He nods eagerly in response as if he understands her before his hand disappears into his hide satchel, searching for more of the chocolate we found on the ship.
“Whoa, hold on now,” I say, stepping forward to halt his rummaging. “We need to save some for the girls back home. It’s not fair to give it all away.”
The Trixikka looks at me and then to Skye and I can almost hear the cogs whirring in his handsome alien head. He’s still stunned by that hug and he wants another.
“Do not make my mate repeat herself,” Rynn growls from behind me, sending a shiver down my spine.
In the end, Rynn’s Protector - one of the big, warrior aliens - relents. Though not without wearing a look on his face not too dissimilar to a kicked puppy.
Finally, we can follow Zarriko as he leads us to his hut to talk. The girls come with us too, as well as two of Rynn's men and two of Zarriko's - including the scary-looking one who is far too interested in every little breath Gwen takes. Although the High Spear's hut is the largest in the village, it doesn't seem to cater all that well to a group gathering. Rynn's men and those of Zarriko's remain standing, their muscular arms folded as they stay on the fringes of this meeting, keeping a watchful eye on one another. We, on the other hand, are invited to sit, both Trixikka High Spear's wings spreading a little so their feathers don't crumple on the compacted dirt floor. Tessa, Gwen, and Skye take a seat on the ground too but before I am able to follow suit, Rynn's strong hands maneuver me so that when I sit, my butt is in his cross-legged lap, my side pulled tightly against his large chest. Skye manages to stifle her giggle at watching us.
"I can sit on my own," I protest. I'm not a child, after all.
Rynn arranges me so that my legs are to the side. "I do not want you to."
That shouldn't start a little flutter in my tummy, but it does. My eyes meet with some of the girls', but I look away quickly, my cheeks heating. God, what must they think?
Talk surrounds the important task of finding the remaining girls; Dove and Sophia, as well as those that were sleeping in the pods. Luckily, both tribe leaders agree on this and its importance. Quickly, an agreement is forged to have the forests patrolled constantly and those evil demon-chimp, ‘mimyckah’ things tracked. I find myself grinning up at Rynn when it's decided the tribesmen will be working together. His lips twitch ever so slightly back at me and he pulls my body more tightly into his as if trying to tuck me away safely into himself. The thought makes me feel strange; warm. I'm not used to that. The feeling only intensifies when his velvet black tail wraps around my waist.
After it's explained how I'm able to communicate with Rynn and the other Trixikka, Zarriko sends for one of his men to approach their own temple to beg for more translators for the other girls. "I congratulate you on your matehood," Zarriko says, nodding to me sitting in Rynn's lap. "I hope for many more mated pairings amongst our tribes." The High Spear's eyes slip to Gwen, and then to that scary-looking hulk of a Trixikka male standing directly behind her.
"It is something we must discuss," Rynn's words resonate through me, his voice so deep and soothing, I almost don't register the topic of conversation. "My males must have the chance to meet with your females. They must be given the chance for their heart-stars to ignite."
The Trixikka behind Gwen shifts on his feet.
"As must my males be permitted to meet with your females, Rynn."
Zarriko's expression is absolute. I can feel Rynn's frame still against me as both sides of this meeting eye each other until Rynn finally relents, his head bowing a little as he says, "of course." The tip of his tail flicks against the small of my back once, twice, three times. "The female who ignites a male's stars must decide which tribe she will reside in."
Suddenly, the conversation hits me square in the chest. "Wait, are we not taking Gwen, Tessa, and Skye back with us?" For some reason, that's what I'd assumed. At my words, the huge, scary-looking Trixikka's hand went for the hilt of his dagger, and the warning growl that Rynn lets out echoes in my ribs as he holds me impossibly tight.
Gwen, bless her, looks around, wide-eyed. "We're... we're ok here," she squeaks. "At least I am. These guys have been really nice to us and it will be even better when we get our translators." She turns to me, giving an encouraging smile. "You should come live here with us, Serena. Everyone's been real friendly-"
Rynn's growl hitches up a notch and I swear, if he holds me any tighter, he's going to break something. "It's ok, it's ok," I tell him, stroking his arm. "I'm staying with you. I'm not going anywhere." Without thinking, my hand starts stroking his tail where it's banded around my waist instead of the skin of his arm. Rynn's growl dies in his throat and he looks down at me, his eyes blazing with something I can't read.
For a long moment, it feels like it's just me and him. But then, Rynn swallows thickly and addresses the other High Spear in the room. "The females will decide with which tribe they will live," he tells him, his voice full of authority. "The females will choose, always. The mated males may move between tribes, depending on their female's preference."
The older Trixikka gives Rynn a long look, his gaze then taking in the Trixikka Protectors staying close to the walls but hanging on the two tribe leader's every exchanged word. "This is acceptable," he agrees with a grunt before gesturing for food and drink to be brought in to share with us. Within seconds, the tension around the group eases. The girls chatter in low voices and some amount of small talk passes between the two different tribes.
After a little while, Rynn shifts where he sits and there's an unmistakable, large swelling poking at the side of my butt and hip. Placing a strong, warm hand at the nape of my neck to hold me still, Rynn ducks his head to whisper, his words feeling hot against my ear. "Your little hand on my tail is rather distracting, my mate."
Looking down, I see that I'd continued to pet his tail without noticing. Jolting my touch away, I mumble an apology, my cheeks flaming hot. God, is that some sort of sexual come-on to these guys? Did I just do the equivalent of patting his upper thigh? Or worse?
"Normally, I would not mind," Rynn continues to murmur in my ear. "But soon we will need to depart and standing like a green-male with a lively cock beneath my cloth, eager to fill his first seed pot would not do well for me."
I can't help but giggle at that. And I won't deny that being enveloped by the strong arms of this massive Trixikka male is turning me on a little. Not to mention how easily I seem to be able to affect him too. "Is there anything I can do tohelp?" I ask, purposefully wiggling in his lap - that purpose being to rub against the big guy's huge erection.
Rynn lets out a quiet groan and buries his face into the hair behind my ear, his grip on the back of my neck tightening. "You are a wicked female," he tells me, which only makes me giggle more.
"Well, you're the one who decided I should sit in your lap."
