The guard's gloved hands made a crumpling sound as his hands turned to fists. “Listen,you—”
“Actually, Maxwell already agreed to it,” I cut him off. He raised a questioning eyebrow. “Ghauro ordered that I remain by his sister’s side, and I intend to follow my future husband’s wishes.”
I did not. But their constant insistence on me staying isolated and alone felt fishy. I didn’t trust a single one of them and Zhari felt like an ally—at least for now. Not sure she’ll feel that way about me once my plan to flee and hide for a year was in action. Betrayal hurt, but survival was at the forefront of my mind.
The last three days had been exhausting. All these medical examinations were only a way for them to increase the odds of me getting pregnant as fast as possible. They checked every inches of me to ensure I wasn’t on any kind of advanced birth control—like I ever had the money to use something more than fucking condoms—and tested me for every STDs known to both humans and aliens. Not to mention the shots I received to make me immune to some potential other diseases that could be found on Taurus.
I was tired of being looked at by strange men—all of it under Zhari’s curious eyes—and sore from vaccines they shot me with. If I was being honest, even though I initially felt awkward as hell about her being here as I was thoroughly inspected, seeing me naked so many times in the last seventy-two hours that I was now certain she could name every anatomical difference between our bodies, her presence had been reassuring. With her by my side, thedoctors' hands had been careful and a single glare or growl from her had made them back off from any excessive examination.
“I should have skewered him the second he asked you to open your legs on this strange table,” she said, pouting on her bed. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared straight in front of her with a murdering look.She kinda is her brother’s spitting image right now. “You are promised to Ghauro, and they are disrespecting both of you by touching and looking at the private parts of your skin.”
I couldn’t hold the scoff that came out of my throat as I secured the towel around my frame before bringing my hands to the one drying my hair. “There are no such things as decency and privacy here. Especially when it comes to health. You should see the number of people that are in birthing rooms…My mother told me there were five midwives coming and going on top of her doctor.”
Zhari tilted her head to the side. “Mid-wives…” she repeated. “I am not familiar with that word.”
“They assist the doctors and women when they give birth.”
I wasn’t sure what confused her in this statement, until she spoke again, “Unless a condition is critical, health should not be overseen bystrangers.” She spat the last word like it burned her tongue. “Mates look after one another. You will be expected to check on Ghauro’s and he’ll check you. We are all taught medicine and basic care from a young age. If he knew what they did to you over the last few days, he would feel gravely insulted.”
Oh.Shit. “Am I—will I be in trouble?”
Her face softened. “No. Notyou. You are not mated yet, so he will have to choke down the anger when I give my report.”A report?Damn, she was being a thorough spy. “But he will not allow them to do anything like this ever again. You will behisfrom tonight. Your care and health will fall on his hand and we Tauri take our traditions and people seriously.”
Why did that melt a little of my stone-cold resolve? Us humans had no idea how to treat and look after ourselves, even lessothers. If I had a cold and the money to do so, I went to a doctor who then gave me a prescription for some medicine. If I got hurt, the only way to fix it was to go to a hospital.
She picked up a linen pouch and pulled out two long sort of silky scarves, cream-colored and embroidered with sage green and golden swirling patterns. She then turned the little bag upside down and a few gold metal pieces clattered against each other on the bed next to her.
“Are you ready?” she asked and my throat bobbed, a mix between anxiety and trepidation. I’d soon be free from this station and my wardens. The only thing left to do was to escape my hot future husband. “I will dress you and apply the ceremonial paint. No matter how reluctant my brother initially was to take a human bride, I can guarantee he will not be able to take his eyes off you from the second you set foot on our land. I am sure you will be pregnant in no time!”
6
I will have to explain to them about the breast thing
Ghauro
Where. Was. My. Bride?
We have been waiting for the human space transportation box for too long. She should have been here already! Has something happened? Had the humans changed their minds? It was too late to go back on it. Melanie was promised tome. She would be mine—should already be by now!
What if stupid Filbur had gotten her instead? I saw the way he had looked at her when she stepped in the room. The same fucking wayIdid. He had thrown all of his reservations in the waste pile andwantedher.My bride.
“Stop pacing, you are making me dizzy,” Thanato said.
“The humans are late.”
“You are awfully jittery for someone who did not want a bride just a few days ago.” I glared at him. He was enjoying my change of heart way too much. “No one in this room was blind, you know? If all human females look like her, I doubt there will be any issues for…the seed to come out,” he said, deepening his voice, his hands mimicking a mouth talking.
Using my own words against me. What an ass. Melanie was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on. Me who, until now, had only felt the urge to mate as a stress relief and barely sensed my female peers’ heat, was now unable to form a coherent thought from the lack of blood reaching my brain. My cock and sack hurt from the constant strain.
It had been three days since it last went down for more than an hour.
I was just a moment away from storming into the human base on the other side of the clearing and requesting they take me to her now when the typical rumble of a human engine made my heart leap in my chest. My head fell back, hand shielding my eyes from the unrelenting evening summer sun as my eyes caught the trace of the small transportation box slowly getting closer.
“There she is,” Thanato said with a chuckle. I didn’t even have the energy to tell him to fuck off, too focused on the shiny flying vehicle approaching.
My bride was coming. Dressed, prepared, and protected by my sister, as our tradition dictated. I patted the little pouch attached to my belt for the box I already knew was in there and steeled myself when they finally landed on the large patch of grass we kept cleared of trees for our constant back and forth since they made contact with us thirty years ago.
This was it.
