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He nodded. “My Single Alien has quite a reputation.”

“It’s incredible. The work they do to find true love for lonely aliens and humans is remarkable. But it’s all new to me.”

“Do you think I can help you unravel the mysteries of these pairings?” Elias’s expression grew dark. “If you’ve come to me for relationship advice, I must advise you to look elsewhere. I have been single for a long time.”

“Oh, no, I’m not after relationship advice. I understand Retars have an unusual mating technique. Recently, we’ve had more inquiries from Retars about pairing with human females. I want to get a good understanding of how to make a successful match for them.” She hoped her lie sounded convincing. When she’d applied to My Single Alien, she’d claimed she had five years of senior level matchmaking experience. If she discounted her own sad attempt at love, she had exactly zero years of experience. She needed all the help she could get to cover her deception and avoid being fired.

Elias rubbed his broad forehead and frowned. “I’m not the best person to ask.”

“Please, I need your help. I’ll buy you dinner. We can go to the dining hall and chat. Like I said, I’m having such a head spin. Talking to aliens about their mating practises is so much easier than reading dry papers, watching documentaries, or trying to get my head around the mind-boggling algorithms we use at My Single Alien. I learn so much better by talking to people.”

Elias scrubbed the back of his neck. “I have noticed you enjoy talking.”

Hayley grinned at him. “I can talk about anything, so long as I’m passionate about it. Just you wait. I have a dozen more talks about dinosaurs. If you come to each one, I promise you, you’ll be a dinosaur fanatic by the end.”

His pensive expression faded, and he smiled. “That is something I will enjoy very much.”

Hayley let herself enjoy the visual delight that was Elias. He sure was a handsome alien when he grinned and relaxed. She couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t in a successful couple. “It’s a deal. But please, come and have dinner with me. I promise I won’t make the questioning too intense. If there’s anything you’re not comfortable with, then say and it’s off the table. We won’t talk about it.”

Elias’s expression softened, and he nodded. “Very well.”

Some of the tension inside Hayley uncurled as they walked toward the dining hall. She was glad to have Elias’s company and valued his insight into the unusual mating behavior of Retars. She’d read a couple of papers and still couldn’t believe it was true. She needed to know from a direct source if Retar females really ate and killed their mates after sex.

The dining hall was busy. It took them a few minutes to grab some food from the self-serve area. They found a quiet corner and settled into their seats.

Hayley carefully set out her cutlery and lined up her drink, so it was in the perfect spot for her to grab.

When she glanced up, Elias was looking at her curiously. She shrugged at him. “I like everything to be laid out, so I know where it is. I have a habit of flinging my hands around when I talk. If I put something in a position I’m not used to, it will go flying.” Hayley pointed at his drink. “That, for example, won’t last five minutes when I get going.”

Elias smiled and slid his drink out of her reach.

A shiver of interest ran through Hayley as she discreetly studied him. Elias was smart, as well as gorgeous. Until this evening, his questions about dinosaurs had been well-informed and complex. Tonight was the first time he’d asked a question about dinosaur mating, and he’d seemed genuinely surprised when she’d targeted him. Hayley could only assume he was having an off-day, just like everybody did.

They ate in silence for a moment. Hayley was happy to have time to compose her thoughts. Talking to anybody about sex was tricky. It was becoming less of an awkward subject, since she did it every day as part of her job, but sitting opposite such a gorgeous guy and trying not to leer at his full lips made her uncomfortable.

“You have questions for me?” Elias asked.

Hayley realized she’d been staring again. She set down her fork and nodded. “Is it true Retars don’t always survive the mating process?”

A shadow of pain crossed Elias’s face. “It is not uncommon.”

“I was stunned to read about it. We have a species on Earth, called a praying mantis. The female eats the male after they’ve mated. It supplies a source of nutrients to help her during the reproductive process, which is costly to her body.”

“I have not heard of your praying mantis, but the eating is done for various reasons with our females. It is true. In the past, females needed to kill and consume their mates for nutrients.”

“I wasn’t aware your planet had problems with sourcing quality food.”

“We have no problems. Many centuries ago, we suffered a devastating famine. Our main food source, a freshwater fish, became diseased and was not edible. We’d become lax and relied on it as our main source of protein. When the fish died, we were at risk of extinction. The practise began that a ritual killing is made so a pregnant female could feast on the carcass. Over time, it evolved so every female Retar has the right to mate with a male and eat him afterward.”

Hayley sucked in a breath, surprised by his openness at this barbaric behavior. “Surely most females don’t do that now. There must be feelings of affection and emotional attachment with a mate. I know, if I found someone to mate with, I wouldn’t want to eat him afterward. I’d want to hang out with him and eat toast and discuss our plans for the next day.”

Elias smiled. “That sounds charming. Female Retars have evolved a ruthlessness in their behavior. After the near extinction of our race, they have the final say in how our society operates. Without the females, we would have become extinct. If you mate with a female and she desires to eat you, you can do nothing but submit to her demands.” He looked away and slid his plate to the side.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask a difficult question. It’s fascinating what happens on your planet. Well, it’s fascinating what happens on every planet. Don’t forget this is all new to us humans.”

Elias glanced at her and let out a sigh. “Of course. I don’t mind you asking questions, but they are not easy to answer. I have lost many people I cared about because of our practises.”

“You have friends who have died?”