And if he did, would she be able to resist him? He was pretty big, and his arms looked strong under his coat.
She looked at his eyes again and found herself getting lost in them.
How did this humongous, red-skinned alien with gold-green horns and those intense eyes see right into her soul? It felt like he could hear her thoughts. He did not step closer to her, but she wondered if she gave him any kind of approval, would he? She wanted to hit herself for not listening more in the lessons. She didn't think she had a chance at being chosen, so she hadn't paid attention. Now she felt a fool.
"Janae, that is your name?"
She nodded, her body responding in ways she had not ever felt. Good ways. Powerful ways. Intense ways.
Just from saying her name! How did he do that?
“Janae. I like that,” he said and smiled. It wasn’t a joyful, silly smile, either. It was a passioned one. One that looked like he was ready to mate with her here on the landing platform.
It made her shiver.
“Are you well?"
She nodded. "I am fine. Just... Uh... You said your name was Khalzin?"
"Yes."
"So, uh, what now?" she asked.
"I shall take you to your residence where we can be officially mated." His definitive tone did not help the knots in her stomach.
"You all don't waste any time." She said it, she hoped, in a joking way.
He didn't take it that way. "Why would we?"
He had a point. Why would he indeed want to get to know her? After all, she would be the mother to his children if everything worked out as it should. He claimed she would be cherished, but who knows what that meant in his world compared to what it meant in hers.
He headed toward the end of the pad where he and the other Kantenans had been standing before. The other three were still there, one looked bored, and the other two seemed slightly nervous.
"Are they friends?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. "And volunteers."
She chuckled. "We're both in the same position then, I guess."
"How so?"
She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Graecey was taking the group back into the ship. "Both of us are going into this situation without any idea of what to expect."
"I know what I expect."
She was about to ask him what that was, but they were getting very close to the others. Her instincts told her that was a more private conversation to have.
The other Kantenans looked the same, but not. Varying skin tones in shades of reds and browns and all with different versions of the green-gold horns. One's horns were more upright and straight out. Another's remained closer to his head. The last had horns more like Khalzin's, but not the same.
"Ahh, the binding of the mating," one said.
Khalzin glared at him. "Do not start, Dhomhes."
"Shall you ever live in eternal company and mating joy," he said, grinning. His horns were the ones that stuck straight off his head, higher than the others. It made him look like his face was in a twisted clown-like grin.
"Leave him alone," one of the others said, the one with the horns close to his head.
"And you can tell me what to do, Fiviel?" Dhomhes asked.
