The captain laid his cap on the desk with care and smoothed the ‘hair’ on his crest.Ugh.He moved to the padded chair, draped his tail over an arm, and sat in it then indicated Aelanna should sit.
When she’d done it, he changed his mind and moved to the wooden chair alongside hers, stroking his hair as he sat. She felt sure she would never get used to the business with the crest.
“This is less formal. I want to make you feel at ease. You needn’t be frightened of me,” he said. “My name is Rout Thrashk, Captain Thrashk, but I’d be honored if you’d call me Rout. What is yours?”
She was so busy trying to hide her aversion of lizards, she didn’t hear what he said. She eyed him in alarm, then swallowed, an attempt to make her dry mouth work.
“Pardon?” she croaked.
“I asked if you have a name,” he clipped.
Confused, she frowned.He already knew her name. Rathri had yelled it, loud and clear.
“Aelanna Smith.”
He stared at her with unblinking reptilian eyes. “Aelanna Smith,” he repeated in a flat tone, and his stare only succeeded in making her uncomfortable, and she blushed.
“Why has your face turned red? Is your blood trying to escape?” he asked. His face was deadpan. She couldn’t read it and she didn’t understand why he was asking.
“It’s too warm here, I mean, for us. For mammals,” shestuttered. At his silence, she dug her hole deeper. “We’re mammals, you know. Humans are...”
A lame excuse, but he wasn’t to know.
After a pause, he said, “I find your warmth appealing. You generate your heat in your own bodies, yes? It’s very attractive to me.”
Confused and repelled, she sprang to her feet. “Look, you’re very nice and all that, but you and me... it’s never gonna work.”
He looked up at her. “But I’ve already cleared a space in my nest. You will fit well into it.” He sounded taken aback. Thank God his tone gave some indication of his emotions, because his face certainly didn’t.
She froze again, rooted to the spot. “Nest?” she bleated.
“Look, you won’t get any other suitors. There’s only me.”
“Why not?”
“Because most of us prefer lizards. We know that this is an experiment to foist mammals on us by High Command, but it won’t work.” He was pleading now. “A few of us are willing to give it a try and as I say, you’re pleasing to me. Strong prey makes strong offspring.”
Prey.
She turned to flee and she got as far as the door when he said, “They’ll allocate you to me, anyway.”
She didn’t want to hear any more. She scuttled back to reception and flopped on a sectional alongside Kora.
“How did it go?” asked Kora.
“Don’t ask,” she replied, fanning her flushed cheeks with a hand and without turning her head to her friend.
“I haven’t had suitors. Nobody’s asked for me.”
“Count yourself lucky. Where’s Nayli?”
Kora jerked her head toward the bar. “In with the brigadier.” She mumbled the next bit through her teeth, trying not to move her lips. “Looks like an escape plan is priority number one.”
To Aelanna’s horror, Captain Thrashk burst through thedoors and ran up. He had chased after her.
“You don’t get to say when I've finished with you. I do,” he barked. Ohirins didn’t go red in the face, but she could see he was angry. He had forgotten his cap, and the fleshy fringe on his crest stood rigid, and he trembled all over.
Aelanna was struck dumb, and the others were staring.
