I patted his hand to reassure him. “No, T’raat, it’s not that. It’s just … I feel bad leaving Earth when there are still so many Xalanites in danger there. Like, it’s not fair to leave them to the AXL assholes. We should do something.”
“And we will, sweetie.” Aunt Ann pushed the plate closer to me. “Eat. Agent Timber and I are working with N’kal and X’nit—and now, I hope, T’raat and H’rran—to come up with a plan. We won’t leave the Xalanites to AXL.”
My fiancé nodded. “I will assist you in any way I can.”
H’rran waved a flat utensil as she cooked across the galley. “Yes. We can help to devise a plan of action.”
Aunt Ann raised a brow at her. “Even if that plan of action entails turning this ship around and going back to Earth?”
The Xalanite woman paused. “Yes. Even then. I cannot leave my people to such villains.”
T’raat frowned. “We cannot ask her to leave her family behind, Ann. This rescue mission was one thing, but what you speak of verges on an act of war between our people. H’rran has served her time in the Xalanite military. She should not have to choose between her loyalty to her people and to her own family.”
“T’raat, baby, I’m confused. I didn’t think many Xalanite women fought in the military, especially if they had families.” Xalanite culture, to my knowledge, was still relatively misogynistic, so it surprised me that they even allowed H’rran to pilot a ship at all, much less do so in combat. If she had a family, how did she swing this?
“Mytyr’il—my wife—bore our children. I am barren, so I received special permission to fly for our leaders. There werefew avenues of income available to Xalanite women before the uprising, and this was the only way I could provide for them.”
Okay, Xalanite lesbians. That was somewhat unexpected, but it only answered a few of my questions while raising more. “But if you married a woman and you’re barren, how did she—Like, is there some way Xalanite women can impregnate other females? I’m not trying to be ignorant, but … I guess I’m a little ignorant.”
H’rran smiled warmly. “I am not offended. You are attempting to alleviate your ignorance, and that is admirable.” She plated her cookedssolpand brought it to the table to join us. “My wife was in the breeding caste already before we met. She had birthed one litter whose sire did not want them, but the rest went to the fathers. Once we realized we were fated, I took her remaining children as my own when we wed. Adopted is the human word, yes?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Yes. I adopted them. They are now as my own.”
I rested my chin in my hands as I watched her eat. “How many kids do you have?”
“Three. Two males and a female. They are nearing adulthood. The males have been chosen as breeders, but the female is … damaged. Her gills did not function properly when the three of them were born, and she was deprived of oxygen until my wife could surface. Too long. She cannot care for herself, so my wife and I will keep her for the rest of her days, long after her brothers have left.”
How sad! “Is she a happy kid at least?”
“Very. She sings. Music is not a valuable enough commodity on Xalan for her to support herself with her songs, but we enjoy listening to her.”
The conversation petered out, and Aunt Ann excused herself to work on the battle plans, I guess. I finally finished myssolp, and H’rran took my plate back to the sink to wash it for me. Thewhole time, I was acutely aware of T’raat’s intense gaze, laser-focused on me. He had a goofy grin on his face that just widened the more I chatted with his friend. When we finally left to go to bed, he kept a hand on the small of my back as we walked. The door to our cabin shut behind us, and he engulfed me in an embrace.
“Thank you, Leigh. Few have taken the time to befriend H’rran because of her unusual nature. You have treated her as an equal, as worthy of attention and consideration.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, she’s a person.” It felt weird to get praise for treating a person like a person, Xalanite or no. “I didn’t do anything special, T’raat. I just talked to her. Listened to her story. It’s not a big deal.”
He cupped my chin in his hands, and I noticed the glimmer of tears in his yellow eyes as he spoke. “There have been Xalanites, her own people, who were unkind at best upon meeting her. She does not complain, does not retaliate for this unkindness, but I see the hurt in her eyes regardless. It pains her that others cannot accept her for who she is. I know your friendship means much to H’rran. So, thank you.”
T’raat’s kiss was soft and sweet, vastly different from his usual primal hunger. He picked me up and carried me to the bed, laying me down gently before slowly stripping first my clothes, then his.
I expected another frantic sex session, more rutting. Instead, he took his time with me. Every kiss, every touch brought a fresh wave of electricity to my body that increased with each new sensation. This was beyond pure sexual desire, beyond physical need. A new side of T’raat emerged as he lavished me with tenderness, and I was all for it.
While he stroked and licked every inch of me, T’raat murmured sweet Xalanite nothings. The translator nanites fedme a litany of new phrases and terms, some of which had no English counterpart.
“My little lover of life, my heart, my soul, my everything. May you never want while you’re in my arms. May your eternalgyrplive on in the love you share with others. May the stars sing your praises, and the planets revolve around the pull of your strength.”He punctuated each word with another kiss, another caress, and before he was done I writhed in ecstasy. I moaned, I gasped, I sighed. If this was how he reacted to me being friendly to others, I was about to become the most amiable human the universe had ever seen.
I’d make friends with a rock if it meant getting worshipped like this.
By the time he finally positioned himself at my soaking wet pussy, I’d already come twice. He was insatiable, and I fully expected him to turn on the turbo thrusters at any second. Hisn’rilvibrated so hard that the whole bed shook. From the look in his eyes as he slid inside, I was in for the dicking down of a lifetime.
But he didn’t just fuck me. He didn’t just slam his hips into mine, didn’t hurry or rush. His lovemaking, and I realized the difference at that very moment, filled me with a sense of wholeness that I’d never known in my short life.
He filled me with something else two hours later when he finally came, and yet again, we neglected to use azi’in.
Chapter 22
