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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

-Clay-

I STARED AT the ‘outfit’ that one of the betas had picked out for me. The term barely applied. It was more like metallic decorations held together with strips of black mesh. I picked it up gingerly.

So, this was a date then. It’d been a shock when I realized that’s what he was asking, in a clumsy way. It had been so hard not to laugh at the seriousness on his face, and the uncomfortable way he’d shifted. It had almost been endearing.

I pulled it on, taking a moment to figure out which limb went in which hole, and checked myself in the reflective screen that acted as a mirror. Ok, damn — I did look hot.

Kesk appeared. “Ready?”

I nodded and followed him.

He took me to a dim room. I was expecting the mats and padded cushions on the floor like last time, but instead there was a table, one chair on each side, and a spread of dishes that held far too much food to eat. Rows of lights like fairy lights circled the table. It was…surprisingly cute.

When I came in, Arcay stood, his chest entirely bare, except for two golden hoops through his nipples. Gold sheathed his waist and tapered over his groin, turning into tumbling folds of fabric that cascaded neatly between his legs, leaving his legs, hips, and upper thighs bare. More gold glinted around his arms, ankles, and neck; his ears and nose, and woven into his white hair. The whole thing left swathes of smooth-muscled dusky flesh on display. With the wide cut of his shoulders, his towering height, and his burning amber eyes, he looked like a god of sex. I had the overwhelming urge to lick him.

When he saw me, his eyes widened. Was I having a similar effect on him? The urge to lick him, and more, increased tenfold.

“You look very nice,” he said roughly.

“Thanks, so do you,” I said. It felt like a very lame thing to say—he didn’t look nice. Nice was inadequate. Nice was pathetic.

A silence opened up between us as we stared at each other, palpable tension building in the air between us. I flushed—why did this feel like an awkward first date?

Unsure what to do, I sat down at the table, and he followed.

I looked at the unfamiliar food spread before me and felt overwhelmed. Where should I start?

“Please eat,” he said when I didn’t make a move to take any. “Are you not hungry?”

“No it’s not that,” I said. “I’m just not used to eating...whatever this is.”

Arcay picked up a piece of green fruit. “This is called a klava ,” he took a bite. “It’s a delicacy on my home planet. Try it, you will like it.”

I hesitated, before picking up a piece of the fruit and taking a small bite. I choked.

“It’s very sour,” I said.

“Yes. The most sour fruit that grows near my home,” he said proudly. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely special.”

When he wasn’t looking, I hid it behind a bowl and went for something else that looked a bit like slices of chicken. It was pleasant and lightly spiced, so I stuck with that. After a while, Arcay spoke.

“As you have agreed to stay here, is there anything I can do that would make your stay more enjoyable?”

A few things instantly came to mind that involved his mouth and his hands. Probably best not to say that. I also thought ‘ you could let me go’ might not be appreciated either. And apart from those two things, I couldn’t think of anything.

Except…

“Some pants?” I said.

He frowned. “Pants?”

“Yeah, like the things humans wear on our legs?”

“I will have Lendel and Kesk look into it.”

The thought of wearing proper clothes again perked me up. “Thanks.”

“I have another question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“What activities do humans consider fun?” he asked.

“That depends who you ask. Why?”

“I am attempting to perform ‘dating’ with you, but our records do not go into detail about the specifics.”

His face was so serious and earnest that I felt my heart melt a little bit. Had he always been like this, and I just hadn’t seen it?

“Well, there’s the cliches, like horse riding on the beach at sunset,” I said. “But I’ve never done that.”

“What is a horse?”

“It’s a big animal with four legs, and you can sit on its back and ride it around.”

His face brightened. “Would you like to try it?”

For a hot second I thought he meant did I want to sit on his back and ride him. I had to swallow my food before I choked on it. That image was not suitable for the dinner table.

“You have horses?” I croaked, still clearing my throat.

Arcay stood up, his eyes gleaming. “Of course.”

***

“THAT IS NOT a horse.”

If a rhino, a panther, a horse, and a dog had a gang-bang, the animal before me would be their monstrous love child.

Arcay frowned. “It fits the description you gave; big, four legs, and it is ridden. We call them Kraat . Are they similar to yours?”

The huge creature looked feline, with mossy green fur and long legs. It had something foxy around the face; large eyes, alert ears, and a tufted ridge of hair running from its head to its tail.

“I wouldn’t say that,” I said.

Arcay held the reins in his hand, holding the animal steady. The paddock was huge, like the biodome, but less overgrown. I couldn’t get my head around the fact that these guys not only had a jungle on board, but a stable and paddock. What did they even need these animals for?

“How big is this ship, anyway?” I asked

“It has everything required to sustain us indefinitely.”

“On one ship?”

“The word does not translate well, in our language it is more like ‘small world’. We could live here for as long as we need. But we will be returning to our home planet once the anomaly has sealed itself and no longer needs to be guarded.”

I didn’t want to think about that, so I turned my attention back to the ‘horse’.

“Would you like to ride him?” Arcay asked. “I can show you how.”

I circled the creature, looking for some handhold or way up onto his back. I could just about put my hand on the top of his shoulder if I stretched. I considered his wide, green flank.

“How am I meant to get on it?”

Arcay pursed his lips like it hadn’t occurred to him. “Yes, you are quite small.”

I bristled. “Well, actually, I’m above average for a human. Just not compared to you gangly weirdos,” I said.

He raised an eyebrow. “It is not my fault your species is undeveloped. Perhaps your ancestors needed to eat more healthy food as children.”

Something in the way he said it made my head snap up. Arcay’s expression was nothing but serious, but there had definitely been a smirk in his voice. “Was that a joke?” I asked.

“I am the Second, I do not use pointless frivolity,” he said just as seriously, but something gleamed in his eye.

Wait, was Arcay actually funny? Was there a sense of humor lurking in there somewhere? I stared at him while Arcay rubbed the animal’s neck and murmured into his ear. The Kraat lowered himself onto his haunches obediently, and Arcay gestured for me to climb on.

I’d piloted everything from private shuttles to shipping freights, how hard could this be? I clambered up onto the creatures back, clinging to his fur.

Arcay made a sharp noise and the Kraat rose.

“Whoa.” I wobbled and held on as the back beneath me seesawed upwards. It felt a lot more perilous up here than it looked from the ground. The Kraat shifted uncomfortably under me, stamping his foot in agitation at the new and unknown situation.

“He does not know you. Reassure him,” Arcay said. “Like this.”

He ran his hand gently down the animal’s neck and murmured low soothing words to him, and the Kraat stilled . Yeah, that’d probably work on me too, to be fair.

I pried free one of my hands, the other still clenched in a white-knuckle grip, and moved it down his neck. He stilled slightly, letting out a blast of air from his nose and flicking his ears back towards me.

Arcay nodded. “Good. Feel his movement under you. To make him walk, adjust your weight forward and squeeze in with your heels.” He took my ankle and gently pushed my foot into the side of the animal, which shifted, responding to the command but still held back by the reins. “Like this.”

“OK.”

“To stop, lean back and say ‘ahoo’ .” He pitched the word low and the animal stopped shifting.

Right, so stop and go, and you pulled the reins to steer. This was surprisingly easy compared to piloting a ship. No problem.

“Right, I’ve got it,” I said.

Arcay dropped the reins, and I shifted forwards, squeezing hard with my heels.

The animal shot forward and I toppled backward. The ground rushed up to meet me, and then I was lying in the dust trying to remember how to breathe.

“Are you all right?” Arcay’s face appeared above me, creased with concern.

I groaned and sat up. “What happened?”

“You fell.”

I rolled my eyes. “No shit, Sherlock.” His brow creased.

The animal turned and came trotting happily back towards us, his long tail snaking back and forth behind him. He sat down next to me, and I got the definite impression of smugness. He was really starting to remind me of Arcay.

I shoved at his flank irritably, and he lent down and licked his rough tongue up the side of my head in one, huge, wet swipe. Saliva coated my face and dripped off my chin in long gloopy trails.

“Oh, eww. Jesus.” I spat drool and dirt out of my mouth as I tried to shove him away again.

I heard a strange noise and looked up. Arcay was staring at me, his eyes so wide they almost bulged out of his head, and his face turning a shade of deep purple. His whole body tensed, tighter and tighter, like pressure was building inside him and he was about to explode.

“What?” I asked, startled. He looked so…wrong. “What is it? Are you ok?”

“Your—face—” he stuttered.

Arcay’s body twitched and shook and then a sharp shock of noise bubbled up out of his mouth, so startling it made me jump. At first, I thought he was having some sort of medical emergency; a seizure or something.

And then I realized what was happening.

“Are you laughing at me?”

He looked as shocked as me as he continued to bark out uncontrollable noises that grew louder and louder. It looked painful.

“I–can’t–stop.” He screwed his eyes shut and squawked like a choking parrot. “Your face!”

I sat, stunned, until his strangled laughter finally died down and resolved itself into gasps.

“What the hell was that?” I asked.

“It was an odd feeling.”

“Please tell me that’s not the first time you’ve ever laughed.”

Arcay wiped his streaming eyes. “I am sure I have at some point. Perhaps as a child.”

“Wow. Just wow.”

After that I tried to ride the Kraat a few more times and only fell off twice more. Arcay did a good job of maintaining his stoic resolve, but I could see the slightest hint of amusement around his mouth, the smallest quirk of his lips.

Eventually I gave up, and Arcay offered to show me how to do it properly. Very generous, although it might have been a good idea if he’d done that in the first damn place. He approached the Kraat and went to swing himself up onto his back. But, at the last second, the animal stepped smartly to the side and Arcay fell to the ground in a graceless heap. As the Kraat swung around I swear he grinned at me. A huge laugh bubbled out of me and I patted his side.

“Ok, I think we’re going to be friends after all.”

Arcay stood up and dusted himself off with a stony expression, holding his arm stiffly, and my laughter died away. In all the fun and games I'd forgotten that he hadn't actually been to the healers yet to get his wounds sorted out.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” he said, but winced as he moved to take the reins again. He missed, stumbled, then swayed and caught himself against the animal. That’s when I noticed the blood seeping out from under the dressing.