Yva nods in my direction then walks away before I have a chance to talk to him. But he saw me. Or at least I think the nod was for me. I don’t want to be an alien groupie, desperate for their attention. I wonder how many of these women understand what mating for life means, and that they have the power to really fuck these guys up.
How many care about the consequences, or is this a game for them?
Of course, if I say anything, they will accuse me of trying to get a mate for myself. And from the talk I hear, some of them aren’t happy that he’s working with me and that I have an unfair advantage. Or that it’s not fair I spend so much time with him because I’m too old.
I snapped at one woman over dinner. If I’m too old, then he won’t be interested so what’s the problem? She didn’t have an answer for that.
Part of me wonders if bringing more banished warriors into the colony might be better, that way they’ll be less competition, but the human men wouldn’t like that.
I’m about to leave, prepared to talk to him tomorrow and apologize for being a prickly bitch, when Sabine walks over. Her man is the leader. She’s a scientist studying mushrooms and thefood situation. No doubt she’s learned a lot about what is edible from her mate.
“I saw you looking.” She gives me a smile, as if she knows why I was looking. “You work with Yva, right?”
“Yes. Harper.”
She draws me away from the rest of the crowd. “Were you waiting to speak to him?”
There’s a glint in her eyes, as if she expects me to announce there and then that I want him to be my mate. Which I don’t. I like being on friendly terms with my coworkers. “He’s gone, so it can wait until tomorrow.”
I shouldn’t have stayed, but I was unable to resist knowing a little more about them.
“They all find the crowd overwhelming. They aren’t used to being around so many people after so many years away from their tribe.”
I hadn’t considered that. I try to imagine living with the same handful of people for several years and then suddenly being surrounded by several thousand humans. They aren’t even your people. We are as strange to them as they are to us.
“It is a lot of attention,” I say carefully, now that we are away from the gaggle. Sabine has led me closer to where the warriors are sitting. Their human mates are also there.
“It is,” she agrees. “Even for those with mates.” She turns to the warriors. “This is Harper. She works with Yva in the laundry.”
They all greet me, the men with their hands over their heart as they give me their names. The women with a nod as they say their name. I can see that they are all assessing if I am a worthy mate. I want to tell them I’m not interested in that…but I do enjoy spending time with him, which is why I don’t want the argument to fester.
But when out of the entire crowd it was me he smiled at, my heart might’ve given a flutter. If I ignore the large eyes, which are all oranges, yellows and reds, and the orange teeth, and the claws, then yeah, they are attractive in a large, muscled way.
“Hi…” I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say. “I was hoping to catch Yva?—”
“So were half the women here,” one of the men says with a laugh.
My cheeks heat.
Sabine puts her hand on my shoulder. “For them, being chosen is a big deal because there are far fewer women than men.”
“I know. Yva has been talking about his tribe and childhood as we work. Does he really win all the fights?” I thought he might have been boasting about being the champion.
“Yes,” they all answer.
“Then why do you keep fighting him?”
“Because it makes us better and stops him from getting lazy. He saved my life when we were attacked.”
“Mine as well. And he will never let me forget.”
There is more laughter, but they aren’t laughing at him. There is an affection because he protected them, the same way he did in the dining room when he stood up to the soldier. “He never mentioned that. Only that he never learned a trade, so didn’t have much to offer the colony.”
“He comes from a wealthy and powerful tribe. If he were a third born son, he would have found a mate in another tribe, strengthening alliances. As fourth born, he can’t offer his tribe’s wealth, and it is true his only skill is fighting. But that is a valuable skill to us, as banished,” Edilk says.
I feel as though I’m missing something, even though he offered an explanation.
Some of the human women walk over, hoping to join the conversation.
