Stran parked himself at my feet and lifted his head towards me. While he was bulkier and far more muscular than the modified Creckel, Stran stood slightly lower than they did, as part of the modifications done to my companions had also lengthened their legs. Nevertheless, like them, he also had that little crease under the scales at the back of his ears. The loud purr that tumbled out of his throat when I began scratching that sensitive spot had me bursting out laughing. Even the other Creckels made the snorting sound I associated with laughter. Doom’s eyes seemed on the verge of popping out of his head as he stared at his friend’s draconic face dissolving into an expression of pure bliss. Instead of the slow and steady wagging Brees’s tail had done on the ground, Stran’s was frantically tapping it in quick bursts before pausing, his body shivering with pleasure.
“What the fuck?” Doom asked, bewildered. “What are you doing to him?”
“Scratching his ears?” I said, stunned that he seemed unaware of it. “That is an extremely sensitive spot for Creckels.”
Doom’s jaw dropped. He gaped at the Creckel disbelievingly before looking back up at me.
“Stran and I have been friends for the past thirty-five years, and I never knew that!” Doom exclaimed.
Stran gave his friend a sideways glare and snorted with disdain as if to say Doom had failed him. He then closed his eyes again to continue to enjoy getting petted. The rest of the team chuckled. Shaking his head, Doom headed back into the underground base, this time with Thanh, to finish opening the way to the basement while the others returned to their work.
The females had set up some tables and benches to cut the meat in the shade of the ship, in large part to protect Madeline’s sensitive albino skin and eyes from extensive exposure to the sun. The men had set up their own workstations a few meters away, butchering the still whole Zebiers laid down on a large hovering platform.
“You know,” Reaper said pensively, “you are probably the biggest Creckel expert in the galaxy. Once we get back to Khepri, I suspect many of the best xenobiologists of the Coalition will die to speak with you.”
I felt myself flushing with pleasure, and I preened under his genuine admiration. He was probably right that few people knew Creckels as well as I did—at least modified Creckels. It was a unique quality I had to offer, something that would add to my value as a potential mate.
Not waiting for me to answer, Reaper caressed my cheek with his knuckles before getting back to his workstation to butcher the Zebiers. After subjecting me to a quick scan and another protein injection, Jessica got me back to work alongside Martha and Madeline who, like Thanh, had also completed her task with the ship repairs.
Less than an hour into our task, Reklig came to our area to bring Madeline large sections of Zebier’s skin. Instead of cutting up meat like Jessica, Martha, and I were, she began scraping off the fat, skin, and tissue behind the scales.
“She’s saving them for our females,” Reklig said in response to my confused look. “Scelk females love to craft pretty things with natural materials. When we hunt, every part of an animal is used in one form or another. Nothing is wasted.”
I nodded slowly then bit my bottom lip, wondering if I should go ahead and ask the question that was burning my lips.
“Speak freely, little human,” Reklig said. “You are among friends here.”
This time, the usual teasing and provocative tone was absent from his voice. He was looking at me with a gentle, almost protective expression on his alien face.
“I… I was just wondering if you are happy on Khepri,” I said, not daring to fully express the real question.
He stared at me for a second, weighing my words. It worried me that he hadn’t immediately said ‘yes, of course, I’m happy there.’ But it also made me very curious about the answer he would give.
“Are you asking me a general question about how I feel about Khepri?” Reklig asked cautiously. “Or are you asking me how do I, Reklig, feel about Khepri as someone so completely different from everyone else?”
My cheeks burned at the sheer accuracy of his question and at how it could be perceived as an insult. Instead of getting upset, stiffening, or turning to his go to of taunting and sarcasm—which I was beginning to suspect were a defense mechanism—his face softened to something almost brotherly, if not paternal.
“I am very happy on Khepri. My people and I were created by the General to be monstrous, bloodthirsty, mindless killers. Our appearance and our ability to read and control other people’s minds made us understandably terrifying to the members of the Coalition we were meant to hunt. And yet, here we are with our own city there, our females and offspring thriving in a safe environment, and wonderful women such as my magnificent Madeline seeing the male within the beast.”
He turned to his mate with such a tender expression on his face that I couldn’t help the pang of envy. Madeline extended her pale, albino hand towards him. He took it delicately before lifting it to his lips and gently kissing her fingers. Who could have imagined such tenderness from this intimidating male?
“The Vanguard is one huge family, and its homeworld, Khepri, is the realm where every dream can become a possibility for those who come with goodwill and a sincere heart,” Reklig continued. “We do not control how we are created and for what purpose. The Dragons, like your Reaper, didn’t get to choose their sire or the nefarious plans he had for them. But we chose the path we wanted for ourselves and Khepri gave us the power to do so, to be more, to be something we could be proud of, instead of ashamed.”
I shifted uneasily on my seat. My eyes flicked towards Brees, surrounded by some of the other modified Creckels, busy slicing some of the meat. My gaze then rested on Reaper who was helping Stran to peel off the skin of a Zebier before turning back to Reklig.
“Reaper will follow you,” the Scelk said with a certainty that left me reeling. “Whether you choose to stay with the Creckels on Dreija, or come with us to Khepri, Reaper has pledged himself to you. You will find that there are certain things Dragons do not play with. Their word is their bond.”
“But what if he regrets his hasty pledge?” I asked in a small voice, stunned how easily the Scelk was making me voice the fears lurking in my subconscious.
Reklig smiled again, but it was Martha who answered.
“There was no hastiness in his pledge,” she said. “I have been Reaper’s Soulcatcher for three years now. He’s a wonderful man and the big brother I’ve never had. Dragons and Xian Warriors are genetically conceived to react in a specific way to certain people. It’s encoded in their DNA. For example, they could never cause harm to anyone that shares Gomenzi Dragon blood like they both do. The mere thought makes them physically ill. They are also unwaveringly loyal to those they consider their people, humans featuring at the top of that list since it is the species of their mothers.”
She flicked her long brown hair over her shoulders and examined my features with a somewhat wistful expression.
“But the bond he has formed with you transcends any of that,” she said in a warm voice. “To him, you have become the most important person in the galaxy. I hope you choose to come with us to Khepri as I would hate to lose my brother. But whatever your decision, I am happy he found you.”