“What the hell, guys?” I ask miserably as I sit down at the table. Both of them spin toward me at the sound of my voice. “Can’t you get along for one day?”
“I’m sorry,” says Shathar, exhaling deeply. “But I simply can’t tolerate his deception anymore.”
Khesan’s fans rise even higher on his head. “You mean your deception. You do not have the nalopo.”
“Stop it!” I shout. Both of them freeze, and I take a deep breath. “There’s an easy way to solve this. Why don’t you both show me?”
Khesan’s mouth falls open. Shathar, though, looks as though I’ve discovered the secret of the universe.
“Yes,” he says, turning back to Khesan. “She’s right. It is simple to prove who is telling the truth.”
I get to my feet and stand between them.
“Pull them out,” I say in a commanding voice, “and let’s see.”
Chapter Seventeen
Shathar
I think my human woman might be a genius. Of course there is a simple way to determine which of us is honest. And I am happy to show off my nalopo to her. Once she sees the truth, she’ll be mine, and Khesan will get sent back to Arshur.
That, oddly, gives me a sick feeling. I have also grown quite used to him, and at least for a few days, we got along. But there can only be one of us at the end of this trial marriage, and I am intent on it being me.
So, I unbutton my jeans and drag down the zipper. Khesan stares at me as I do it, and I gesture for him to do the same. With a heavy swallow, he glances once more at Fiona, then nods his head.
“Fine.”
He follows suit, sliding his pants down. My gaze is drawn to his groin as he reveals his cock, and my hands come to a halt.
Vakha. Sure enough, the recognizable ridges of the nalopo trail along the length of his shaft, from base to tip.
How is this possible?
Awestruck, I drag my jeans the rest of the way to my knees, and my own cock emerges. Khesan’s eyes jump down to it, and then they go wide as plates when he sees the truth that I, too, have the nalopo.
Somehow, we have both bonded to Fiona. Somehow, she is not only my fated mate, but his, too.
My heart thuds wildly in my chest when I realize what this means. One of us will have to leave at the end of this, according to Earthling law—which would lead to a life without the other half of our souls. Once an Arshurian bonds to their fated mate, they will never stray, never find another lover.
Whichever one of us loses will be sentenced to a miserable, lonely life back on Arshur.
“What am I looking at?” squeaks Fiona, glancing between us and then down at our exposed members.
“This is the nalopo,” Khesan explains, running his hand down his cock, thumb over the nalopo. “These ridges are new. They only develop when we smell our fated mate.”
“But… you both have them?” She looks confused. “How?”
I quickly put myself away, zip up my jeans, and refasten them. Panic starts racing through my blood. This is no longer a sure thing for me.
“I don’t know,” answers Khesan, his gaze finding mine. The impossible has happened, and the competition has leveled between us.
What do we do?
Hurriedly, Khesan tucks himself back in, and we both sit down at the table. Fiona joins us, her expression puzzled.
“Does this mean you’re both fated to be with me?”
I nod, and so does Khesan. We are both too horror-struck by this news to speak. Silence settles over the table as Fiona glances between us.
