Page 7 of The Emerald Boa’s Lover (Operation Colonise #3)

“Sections.” He nodded and swung his upper body towards me.

For the first time, however, there wasn’t a sexual ounce to this move.

He offered his arms toward me and nodded.

“As you can probably imagine, areas with lots of movement shed first. We shuck dead skin from our fingers, wrists, elbows and shoulders first.” I nodded with genuine interest. Dalahan pointed to his neck next.

“Then we lose it around her heads and faces. This tends to happen within the first few days, but the majority of the 7 to 10 days is all about shucking off the rest.” He grimaced and waved his hands down his torso and indicated his tail.

“The underside of our tails flakes off next, then the rest comes off when it’s ready.

Damn itchy. Oh?” He snorted suddenly like he just remembered a good joke and smiled instinctively.

“Tabitha said that the first time I shed with her here, I reminded her of a cat as I scratched myself on everything. Even she wasn’t safe, as she was able to scratch between my shoulder blades in a way that was just soooo gooood.

” I imagined it and had to laugh. It was funny.

Especially when he wriggled his shoulders and back to mime the motion.

“Another reason the hygiene room is large. The walls are rough for helping with shedding season, and the bathing chamber becomes a replacement nest during that week too.”

“Soaking helps?”

“Oh yeah. As do oils.” I nodded and he smiled at me for a moment too long. “Tabitha helped with that too.” He turned and wound quickly on the spot to twirl up the hole in the sealing. The pulley ropes jostled with the movement, but within seconds Dalahan was out of sight. “Come on up!”

“Ah. Right.” I approached the pulley warily. “This thing better be sturdy.” If I fell on my ass I would not be pleased.

“It never failed to support Tabitha.” I finished stepping into the leather seat and pulled on the opposite rope until it was taught.

I looked up and squinted my green eyes upward, to see Dalahan draped comfortably around the hole with his head propped up on his fist. “Hold on to your rope. I’ll help you up while you get used to it.

” I barely had time to swap my hands to my own rope before Dalahan displayed his superior strength by reaching out with both hands to feed the other rope downward.

My feet swung off the ground and my body moved in tandem with each pull of the other rope.

As he lifted me up I saw more of the hygiene room and thought it looked like a massive wet-room.

The surface in here was rougher than the smooth marble downstairs, but it was clearly still made of the same kind of rock.

I was relieved beyond relief to see a human toilet cubicle in the back right corner.

There was a metal chute to the side of it, whatever that was for.

My jaw dropped as I saw that most of the floor consisted of a sunken bathtub.

It looked like a massive tank that was custom built to mould around the central access hole.

“Oh, it gets better.” He oozed with smugness at my reaction.

My bare feet planted on the rough stone floor on the other side of the sunken bath and turned on the spot to look behind me.

There, in the corner, was another bathtub.

This corner bath had steps leading down into it and looked more like a jacuzzi than a bath.

“Tabitha detested sharing bathwater with me when I was shedding and begged for her own bath. You can thank her when you meet her.”

“I will.” I chuckled and walked over to brace my hands on the square edge.

I could already see myself unwinding after a long day at the clinic.

I’m sure I’ll receive my assignment orders regarding that soon enough.

It was still boggling that I wouldn’t be in a lab studying the local microorganisms and pathogens like I first signed up for.

I am technically a medical doctor, though I always went in for research over patients.

Still, the blow was lessened by the fact my patients would be aliens.

“The nest is on the top floor.” Dalahan was grinning so much at my appreciation for his home that the membrane connecting the hinges of each jaw together was visible.

“Alright.” I shrugged and walked back over to the pulley system.

I fed the leather seat back up and sat on it.

Dalahan had already slithered up to the top floor before I finished securing myself against the leather seat.

“Ready.” I called out and watched two muscular green scaly arms work the rope like a regular sailor.

At first I was relieved to see what looked like a regular human-style bedroom.

It had a massive kingsize bed with low wooden frames and a plush-looking brown duvet.

There was a chest of drawers and a wardrobe to the left.

A desk and a chair to the right looked like a perfect place for me to work at home.

The smile fell from my face as I watched Dalahan slide his bulk above the bed to coil up happily on the massive mesh hammock…

that hung directly over where I would be expected to sleep.

It was fixed to thick metal bolts and hoops on all the walls, so it looked secure…

but I still wasn’t happy. “…er…I’m not sure that’s going to work. ”

“Why not?” Dalahan lifted his head out from the tangle of his own green tail to look at me like I was doing something odd.

“I’m not sleeping with you on top of me.” I immediately wanted to shove my foot in my mouth. Dalahan snorted at me and I palmed my face with a groan. “I am not sleeping with you suspended over me.”

“Tabitha didn’t have a problem?” His upper body slid down from one of the side openings and he landed on his belly, before lifting up on his tail to wind down towards me. “Have you never had to share a bedroom before? Do you not have hatch mates?”

“I was an only child, if that’s what you mean.” I rolled my eyes and ran my hand back through my blonde hair.

“Think yourself lucky, then.” Dalahan winked at me. “I have provided separate sleeping arrangements for us. I am wealthy enough to have made several modifications to my home to make you comfortable. Most can’t afford to do this and have to share a lot more than their nest room.”

“…do you mean that some humans are having to share a bed with their sponsor?” Dalahan nodded, but there wasn’t the carnal edge I was expecting.

“Communal sleeping is very common. Family homes have one nest room, where all sleep together. It’s a practical way of conserving heat, as well as space. I thought my solution was quite ingenious actually.” He nodded up to his hammock. “Though, if you’d prefer we snuggle, I’m game?”

Ah, there it was. His shit-eating grin was back.

“On second thought, the hammock is a fantastic idea. Stay up there and do not touch me while I sleep.” Dalahan hissed a chuckle and put his hands on his hips.

“I will keep my hands, and the rest of me, off you until you invite me to do so.” I rolled my eyes and turned back to look at the pulley system.

“Can you register us please? So I can have my stuff delivered here?”

“At once dear.” His tongue flicked at my cheek, but he dived down the access hole before I could show my displeasure.

Breathe Charlie, I tell myself. If I remember clinic hours, which I do, I’ll barely be at home anyway for him to perve on me.

I will be a zombie when I am, and all I’ll do is eat, wash and sleep.

Not necessarily in that order. I just had to survive the probation period.

Then I would be free of this frisky oversized snake.

I need to keep my eye on the prize, or I might end up letting the guy fuck me just to work off the tension he is giving me.