“That’s our cue to leave you two alone, but before we leave, I’d like to introduce ourselves because we’ll be spending a lot of time together from now on...” The male with the teal tattoo snickered, crossing his arms and nodding to his emerald tattooed twin. “My name is Xenak, and this is Ryzen, my twin brother. We are the ship’s Co-Commanders and the only Verya on board. This trio of Rhehk clutchbrothers—”
“Clutchmates,” the ruby-tinted Rhehk corrected. “I haven’t found myenaxyet… The Stars must have punished me for my foolishness.”
“You know it wasn’t your fault, Zyxel,” Fybl growled, flaring his ears back. “At the very least, let the commanders who saved us speak before you spiral into self-hatred and regret.”
Zyxel sighed as his fiery slitted eyes dimmed. “But that doesn’t mean I found someone to share my life with like you both.”
While staring at the phallic object in his hand, Xizi mumbled, “No, but I am sure you will find the one for you, and when you do, they will make everything all right.” He then looked up at Ashley, and his yellow-green eyes met hers, stunning her in place. “Fate works in strange ways.”
Twelve
Xizi
As Xizi looked around the room as Commanders Ryzen and Xenak gave their instructions on how to prepare for the journey ahead, he noticed a problem. The majority of the humans, including his enax, were naked and desperate for clothing.
“Pardon me.” Xizi took a step forward, his voice strong and clear as he addressed the commanders. “What are we supposed to do about the humans? They have no clothes, and we need to find something for them to wear.”
Both Ryzen and Xenak gave each other thoughtful looks as if they were considering his question, perhaps even having the telepathic conversation that was possible between their species.
“Ah, yes. We have some clothing available,” Ryzen spoke up. “It isn’t much, but it should get them through our journey. We’ll have it delivered to your cabins as soon as possible. Your cabins, meanwhile, are ready for you. Everything else you require will be found there.”
Xizi nodded, a wave of relief washing over him. It felt good to know they’d be taken care of and that they’d have everything they needed to make the journey.
He was concerned about how they would spend the time traveling to their new destination: the new sanctuary built by the commanders.
“Thank you,” he said quietly, his voice soft and grateful. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for my clutchmates and the rest of us who have been stranded, trapped, and captured by humans.”
Ryzen and Xenak exchanged glances and nodded, as if they understood the gravity of his words.
“It is our duty to help those in need, especially since they are citizens of our galaxy. We scout between this one and ours to take down pirates and free those who have been captured or stranded,” Ryzen explained, as his emerald runes covering his skin pulsed with each of his words. “We are here to protect and serve, to help those who need our assistance.”
Xenak nodded, his expression turning serious and focused. “And we will do everything in our power to ensure your safety, to make sure that you are comfortable and secure for the journey ahead. We want to heal any problems you may have, and to take you to our sanctuary, where you will be protected from harm as you have a chance to rebuild your life.”
As he realized they were in good hands, Xizi felt a wave of relief wash over him. These commanders had come to assist them, to guide them through the changes that had occurred in the universe while they were imprisoned.
He’d be naive to believe that after spending over twenty Earth years trapped underground, everything had paused, frozen in time, only to resume now that he’d been rescued.
Xizi looked around at his clutchbrothers, seeing the fear and uncertainty in their eyes. But he also saw a sense of hope, a sense of possibility.
We were free, and despite the fact that they had lost their other clutchmates, it was up to them to decide how they would manage their future. He’d see to it that those who’d died were remembered.
Things would be fine as long as they stayed together, with their enax by their sides.
Xizi watched how Fybl held his enax, Dia, and how she seemed to accept his clutchmate’s touch, and pushed the claws of jealousy away. Flicking his gaze to their old leader, Rylyx, he saw that their display of affection had affected him as well.
They were the only survivors, but it appeared that only one of them emerged victorious—Fybl.
Even though their new Verya commanders had no concern for his enax, Ashley, or the rest of the abducted humans, something felt off about their relationship.
Had the Stars misled him? Was she really the Fates’ choice for him?
In the grand scheme of things, he should be grateful to have met hisenax, but now he was in the position of already aligning his body to her, binding himself forever.
It was up to him to take the time they had on their journey to get to know his enax, hoping she would continue to view him with an open mind and forgive him for mislabeling her as a bounty hunter.
He spun the phallic sex toy in his hand, unable to believe how accurate it was to the cocks of his species.
Xizi was willing to look past her special acquisition, hoping that she would accept him as an alien—something she had only heard about in their media... and to contribute to her phallic trophy collection.
