Page 8 of Warlord's Mate

“Oh, well, no. The warlord has put Jityria in charge of the chores around camp and lets her see to his needs and this leads her to believe he will someday take her to his bed.”

Marcy raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t already?”

The alien who sat on the other side of the baskets finally spoke up, a tiny grin on her face. “No, and that is why she is so angry.”

This female had skin not much different from her own. It was pale and in certain places where the sun shined on her limbs, it looked as if her skin glowed or sparkled. If it weren’t for her pointed ears and thin face, she’d almost pass for one of those sparkly vampires from that book series that was all the craze a few years ago. Then again, if she would have had wings, she would have been a dead ringer for what she assumed a fairy would look like.

Marcy grabbed one of the short stools like the others were sitting on and pulled it over before crawling from the ground and sitting down properly. “So, Jityria wants to be the warlord’s main squeeze, and he’s giving her the cold shoulder. Had she been his favorite once upon a time and now isn’t? Is that why she’s so moody?”

The blue alien shook her head. “No, the warlord has not taken any of us to his bed.”

Marcy felt her eyes go comically wide and had a hard time relaxing her face. “He doesn’t sleep with any of you?”

“No.”

“Why?”

The fairy-girl shrugged one shoulders. “We do not know.”

“Huh.” Marcy looked toward the trees in the direction the warlord had gone. “Does he swing the other way, then?”

“Swing? He does not swing at all that I’ve seen.”

Marcy laughed. It was the only time since she’d been separated from Sara that she’d felt the first bit of humor. “I meant, does he like men instead?” At their confused looks, she said, “Other males. Does he like to take it up the ass?”

All three women looked horrified. The fairy was the first to speak. “Males do not do such things.”

“Uh, yeah they do.”

The three looked at each other, then back at her. “Males do this where you come from?”

Marcy shrugged. “Well, yeah. Women, too.” Their expressions were still showing their shock. “You honestly have never heard of two men together before?”

“No. But I was taken when very young so perhaps it occurred and I was not aware.”

“How do they—” The blue alien stopped talking moment’s before her eyes widened. “Oh! Up the—ass.” The three exchanged another look, then laughed. “No. The warlord does not share his bed with another male.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” The third female, whose skin looked almost pink and had so far been silent spoke up, her gaze darting back and forth between the other two. “Do you suppose that is why Rikou and Wyvind insist on sharing that tiny hut together?”

The other two smiled, their cheeks darkening in a way that made Marcy think they were blushing.

Marcy glanced into the baskets. Thick wads of what looked like animal hides filled them. Leaning in closer, she got a whiff of the stench and sat back. “Ugh … What is that?”

“Drexum. Large beast with shaggy hides.”

Marcy looked at the blue alien when she spoke. “What are you doing with it?”

“Pulling out the wevolts.” She picked something from the lump of fur in her lap and held it up. A fat wiggly grub-like creature was pinched between her fingers. “They burrow down deep and eat the flesh. We remove them to preserve the hide.”

“I see.” Marcy looked into the basket again. “So I guess I’m picking giant, squirming lice from dead animal fur. Lovely.”

She reached for one of the hides and grimaced as it made a wet sound when she pulled it from the basket. It wasn’t a large piece, thankfully, but it smelled even worse up close. She gagged and had to take several deep breaths to keep from puking. The alien women laughed before going back to picking the wevolts hidden in the fur.

Marcy pulled the first one free and held it up. “What am I supposed to do with them?”

The blue alien picked up something by her feet and sat it between them. “Put them here.”