“Oh, but that’s different.” Palqeet beamed. “From what I hear from Grindeem, Wexxon was taken with you.”
“What does that mean?” I asked. “Taken? Why’d you say it like that?”
“You don’t know about the connection?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Palqeet.”
“He didn’t tell you? That scoundrel!” Palqeet laughed as she spoke. “It’s something we on Xelxar feel for our mates, or at least, the people we think are meant to be our mates. Of course, things don’t always work out, but connections, much like love, are able to be fostered and grow. And when you are close enough, you’ll be able to feel each other in the wind.”
“That sounds…”
“Magical?”
“Obsessive,” I offered.
And Palqeet laughed again. “Maybe so. But I think it’s a beautiful thing. I long to have a connection with a male someday. Until then, it’s all just meaningless mating as we wait.”
Palqeet then held my hair up with one of her palms as a small frown appeared on her face. “Have you ever considered shaving down your fur?”
“Oh. It’s not fur.” I nervously chuckled.
And Palqeet shrugged at my response. “All right, then. As long as your mate likes it for now.”
She then playfully nudged me in the shoulder before she walked away from me and the chair. A few moments later, she returned with a large pile of various dresses held tight in her grip, ranging from gaudy to bland, the fabric shimmering in her palm.
“Would you mind being a little doll for me? Just once more?” Palqeet smirked.
And I happily nodded over at her in return, my hands already reaching for the dress that sat on top of the pile.
“Oh, little doll,” Palqeet gasped as I stepped outside of the dressing room closet, a bright red dress clinging tight to my frame. Palqeet had been forced to use a pair of scissors to trim it down to my size, the fabric being meant for a much taller woman, but once she’d managed to make it fit me, even I couldn’t deny that it looked gorgeous against my skin.
“The way it glitters in the sun…” My eyes lit up as I looked down at the fabric. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful, Palqeet.”
“That’s exactly what your mate is going to be saying about you, too.” Palqeet grinned. “Oh, Rachel. I can see why he chose you now. Like this, you are one of the most beautiful females on Xelxar…well, after me. Of course.”
“Of course.” I lightly chuckled as I playfully rolled my eyes. It was strange that Palqeet was one of the few women who I’d felt a certain kinship with throughout my life, especially since she was literally an alien. And yet, being around her made me feel so much more comfortable, like maybe if I’d ended up trapped on this awful, violent planet, at least it wasn’t going to be all bad all the time.
“Do you think you’ll take a mate soon?” I asked, quietly wondering if my time with Palqeet would be limited, if she’d be out of the castle in a few weeks or a few days.
“My little doll, I take a different mate every night.” Palqeet laughed. “I’ve never been one to seek out matrimony, but if it comes calling my name in the day, I just might answer its call—”
“What are you doing here, Palqeet?” Wexxon’s voice was gruff as he suddenly stepped inside the room, the friendly moment between Palqeet and me evaporating into thin air. “Why do you have my mate outside of her designated space?”
“Why are you back so early from the arena?” Palqeet scoffed. “I thought you were supposed to be facing Radpor today. It didn’t take you at least a few hours to vanquish him?”
“Radpor has already been vanquished,” Wexxon replied. “There were no other challengers for me at the arena today. Although I’m sure there’ll be someone tomorrow.”
“Yeah, right.” Palqeet flippantly waved a hand. “Going up against you is a death sentence, Wexxon.”
She then took a few steps closer to him, clearly unafraid of any semblance of consequences. “And if you must know, I was beautifying your mate. How do you expect any female to feel wanted or desired in a dirty old church robe?”
“I don’t want her out in the open, Palqeet,” Wexxon warned.
And Palqeet hastily glanced around the room. “Since when do we consider the beauty parlor out in the open, Wexxon? She is as safe in here as any other female in the castle, even safer when she’s with me.”
“You haven’t trained in many moons, Palqeet.”
“Yes, but I can still slice someone’s throat in my sleep.” Palqeet’s response was sharp as a knife. “Killing is an easy thing when you’ve been raised for it.”
“Don’t I know that story?” Wexxon smiled over at her before he motioned for her to leave the room. “You may go now, Palqeet. I’ll call for you if we need you again.”
“I will speak with you later, then, my little doll.” Palqeet grinned as she looked over her shoulder at me.
And then she silently walked out of the room.
“She called you her little doll…” Wexxon mused as we headed back into my secret room, tucked away from the rest of the hall. “Why?”
“It’s an inside joke.” I smiled over at him before I sat down on the edge of my bed.
“An inside joke?” Wexxon tilted his head to the side. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“It’s just like a regular joke, except it only makes sense to two people,” I explained. “Or more than two people, I guess. Whoever happened to be around when the joke was first made.”
“That sounds like something that should be shared between mates.” Wexxon frowned before he sat down beside me on the mattress. “Will you share an inside joke with me, my little warrior?”
“Maybe,” I replied. “If a moment ever comes up.”
“I hope it will.” Wexxon sighed as he ran his fingers through my hair, just as gently as Palqeet had done a little earlier. “Have you been having a good day with your new friend?”
“Palqeet was very kind to me,” I answered, with a slight smile. “I didn’t know Xelxar females could be so kind.”
“You cannot judge Xelxar by the worst of us,” Wexxon continued. “If all you think of is Radpor and Furlata when you think of Xelxar…then we’d seem like an awful planet, indeed.”
“How was your day at the arena?” I asked as I stared over at his face, trying to guess his response before it even came out of his mouth.
“Uneventful.” He shrugged, his hands going toward my waist as he easily pulled me into his lap. “Did you wear this dress just for me, my little warrior?”
Wexxon’s hands moved lower, toward the inside of my thighs, his fingers running along my sensitive skin. “Did you want to tempt me into mating with you?”
“This was just something Palqeet picked out for me,” I murmured. “She…wanted me to have some nicer clothes.”
“Nicer clothes…” Wexxon repeated, his hands gently spreading my thighs even further apart. “If these are as nice as Palqeet’s typical clothing, then I should be careful not to rip the fabric.”