Page 6 of The Royal’s Bumblebee (Operation Colonise #2)

"Safe behind the fortress of my tail.”

Billie.

My heart is still racing but I’m worried about Hannah. She’s my rock, and they’ve carried her away. She was shouting and I don’t like it. Too loud.

I want her to come back once she’s quiet again. Back here I feel secure with the wall at my back and another wall my right shoulder is pressed against.

Above me is a network of tree branches so I feel like I’m in a shelter. 8 feet away from me is an Ucfeni, but only one of them. He is looking back at me, but he is still.

Very still. He looks like a statue. His eyes are yellow and he has black slits for pupils. Snake eyes. His scales are brown, like the tree branches above me. No pattern to distract me from thinking. No iridescence or shine to hurt my eyes.

He’s quietly watching me. He isn’t pretending not to. I want to know why he’s staring at me, but I don’t want to ask. I’m enjoying the silence.

I’m enjoying the freedom to take my time and process what, and who, I’m looking at. He reminds me of a King Cobra with that wide hood around his head, but he has small spikes at either side.

He’s wearing a similar skirt to Ambassador Rerasha, but his is the same colour as his scales, so it’s easy to think he isn’t wearing one.

Good. That’s less distracting.

Before I know it I’ve lifted my head and I’m sitting back against the wall.

“May I approach you?”

He asks me and his voice is deep but smooth. Good. Scratchy high voices hurt my ears.

“No.”

I’m not ready. He hummed and nodded.

“May I turn and face you?”

When I hesitate to answer, thinking about if I want him to move, he takes my hesitance to mean yes.

He moves his bulk slowly and I see that his face, neck, torso, underarms, and under his tail are cream coloured.

His arms are muscular and his hands look strong too, but they are relaxed down by his side.

He moves again, and I flinch, but he doesn’t come closer.

He circles on himself and the sound of his scales over the stone is smooth and echoing in the small space at the back of the hall. He quickly stacks his thick tail into comfortable rings, three tiers high, and lowers his upper body into the hollow centre. He folds his arms on the top ring as he faces me, and relaxes.

“You look comfortable.” I state.

“I am. Are you?”

“No.”

I shake my head. I can’t take my eyes away from his mouth. He barely moves it as he speaks. Now he’s facing me I can see that most of his face is brown.

Only his lower jaw downward is cream. His black forked tongue slips out every now and again.

“Why not?”

“Because the floor and wall are made of stone and it’s cold.”

“Then stand up.”

He shrugged.

“I don’t want to.”

“Okay.”

I can’t stop staring. I like the long pauses he gives me before speaking.

“Who are you?”

He is Ucfeni but he isn’t like the others. None of them had a hood. They were all loud and moved too fast. He’s still and calm. He’s easy to watch and listen to.

“I am Prince Izule. Who are you?”

“My sister told you my name before you made her go away.”

I raise a brow at him and he shrugs at me from his scaly throne.

“I wasn’t sure if you were listening when you were curled up. Yes Billie, your sister tried to take you away from me and I wouldn’t allow it.”

“Why not?”

“Because you were scared and came to me for shelter. I could smell your fear and I wouldn’t let anyone come near you while you felt that way.”

“Oh.”

I cocked my head to one side. “You say what you mean.”

“I do. Is that not how Humans talk?”

He inclined his head to mimic me and his cowl made the movement more dramatic.

“Not in my experience.”

I slowly push myself up against the wall and huddle with my back to it. “You’re a Prince?”

“I am. I’m also your sponsor.”

I fold my arms and narrow my light brown eyes on him.

“Since when?”

“Since you came to me for protection.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

He slithered over the side of his tail stack and lifted up to his ‘standing’ height of 7ft behind it. “You did so instinctively. I, therefore, protected you instinctively. I am now your sponsor.”

He braced his hands on the top of his tail pile and smiled at me. “You are contractually obligated to have a sponsor. It’s non-negotiable. Would you prefer one of the others?”

“No.”

I answer honestly and tap my thumb to my middle finger on my right hand. My left-hand feels empty without Hannah’s hand, so I hold my right bicep instead.

“Then I am your sponsor.”

He bowed his head to me. “As a Prince, my nest is large, luxurious, and remote. You are a ‘very important genius’ with an important job?”

“I am.”

There was no point denying it.

“Then you won’t have to worry about distractions. No one may enter my nest without permission, and you can have it renovated to suit your needs.”

“I have to live with you?”

“Yes.”

“Would we go there today?”

“Yes.”

He chuckled. “Is there a rush?”

“I want a shower.”

I mumble and blush, but he smiles at me with a nod. “You seem to be the best choice of sponsor for me.”

“Thank you.”

His deep voice is soft and he pats his tail. “In the future, if you wish to hide, you can tell me and I will surround you in my tail. Nowhere on Thelia is safer than in my coil.”

“I don’t like being touched.”

I shake my head and jostle my glasses. I push them back up my nose absently.

“I am large.”

He chuckled and his cowl seemed to darken with his neck scales. “You can stand comfortably in my coil and wouldn’t touch my scales unless you wanted to.”

“…?”

I took a curious step towards him. “…promise you won’t touch me unless I say you can? Or I ask you to?”

“I swear on my scales.”

“…”

I nod and shuffle towards him. I look into his yellow eyes and then lower my gaze back to his mouth. His eyes are intense. His mouth is easier to look at. I timidly point at his tail. “Show me?”

His smile opens wide, from jaw hinge to jaw hinge. A stretchy membrane becomes visible, connecting the upper and lower jaws on either side. I stare in fascination. He has no teeth and seems to be nothing but gums in his mighty mouth. Under my stare, he shuts his mouth but still seems to smile. I tense as he leans his weight to swing to my left.

“Steady.”

He speaks with a smile and I turn on the spot to track him as he coils around me. “There. Safe behind the fortress of my tail.”

I peer over the top ring of his brown scaly tail and he comfortably rests on a good amount of it, before the rest coils around me. “Comfortable?”

I fold my arms and turn around on the spot. He isn’t touching me. I lower down to sit with my legs crossed and he still isn’t touching me. I feel warm and it’s darker now I’m sitting down.

Since I have to have a sponsor, and I want to be here, Izule seems to be my best option. I look up and see his yellow eyes and wide cowl with the brown markings on his hood looking down at me. “Are you comfortable Billie?”

“You can be my sponsor.”

I answer him and I close my eyes. I am comfortable. “I want a shower.”

“As soon as the hall is clear I will take you back to our nest so you can be comfortable there. Anything that you need, you will have.”

As long as I can have my computers, my snoogie, and my sister, I’ll be comfortable.

“Will Hannah live with us?”

“No. She will have her own sponsor, but you can see her and speak to her.”

I peer up again and he’s still staring down at me. “Thank you for choosing me. I will make sure you don’t regret it.”

“Okay.”

I close my eyes and focus on my breathing. “But first I want my sister. She’s my rock. I don’t like that you made her go away, but she was shouting and I didn’t like that either.”

“Your sister is safe with the Ambassador, Billie.”

I pursed my lips together and look up to see Izule looking down at me from above the coil.

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“...okay. Can I have a shower now?”