Turning back to my woman, I fought the urge to squirm under the intensity of her stare.
“Your talent as far as speaking with the ‘ladies’ goes is also quite phenomenal,” Linette said, matter-of-factly.
My face heated and, this time, I couldn’t resist the urge to squirm.
“How long were you here?” I asked, replaying in my head all the horrors I’d spewed.
“When you said you were unmated,” Linette replied. Although she attempted to play it cool, an undeniable stiffness belied her indifference.
Is she jealous?
“I’d been informed Stella was headed here, so I came from the opposite direction to cut her off,” Linette explained. “Madeline had reported that Stella had been harassing Scelks of late with her unrequited attention.”
“Well then, I should thank Madeline for looking out for us, and I thank you for protecting our virtue from unscrupulous women,” I said teasingly.
Linette snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “Based on that very tantalizing tale you just told, I don’t think anyone needs to protect your virtue from most women. You’re doing a pretty damn good job.”
I flinched, having deliberately made it sound horrid to make Stella piss off. “None of it was true. I was merely trying to freak her out.”
“Really?” Linette asked before making an exaggeratedly disappointed face. “So, Scelks are not compatible with humans? You don’t give your women endless strings of orgasms that will wreck their vocal cords for days? What a letdown.”
“We are compatible,” I quickly rectified, in fact a little too quickly. “And…”
The words died in my throat, and my skin all but burst into flames from embarrassment as Linette raised an eyebrow, daring me to finish. What was I going to say? That we were indeed sex gods? I who had never been with a female before?
“Contraceptives do work, and the whole larvae business wasn’t true. Scelk pregnancies are similar to human ones, although our females prefer to give birth in shallow water since Janaurians are originally amphibians,” I mumbled, feeling super awkward for the first time in my life.
“Damn, no womb writhing with cannibal larvae,” Linette said, shaking her head in disappointment. “You had me sold on that one.”
She burst out laughing at my glaring expression. Yet, as embarrassed as I felt, I loved her playful nature, and the fact that this was actually giving us an opportunity to broach a potential relationship between a human and a Scelk.
“What about the transformation bit?” Linette asked, the lightness of her tone belied by the intensity of her gaze.
“You’re wondering if mating with me would turn you into a Scelk?” I asked in a taunting tone to hide the seriousness of my question. I could have kept it more generic by saying ‘mating with one of us’ instead, but I was slowly building towards making my move and needed to be bolder in making my interest known.
Linette tilted her head to side, appearing to debate whether to smack me a good one or give me a tongue lashing. “That’s one way to put it, yes,” she said, holding my gaze unflinchingly.
I hesitated for a moment. “Would it bother you if it did?” I asked, not yet ready to answer.
“Depends,” Linette said with a shrug. “I mean, you guys have an amazing skin that also allows you to breathe underwater, and those scales are rather pretty. Considering the scale mantle Sabra got from mating with Chaos saved her life, I could see a benefit in developing both of those things. However, your females are bald. I’m not ready to trade my hair for scales. But that’s just me. I’m not sure how other women would react. By the way, you didn’t answer my question.”
I smiled and nodded in concession, both pleased by her answer yet uncertain how to reciprocate.
“Truth be told, now that you ask, I have no idea,” I admitted, kicking myself for not inquiring after nearly three years pining over her. “The only Scelks to have mated did so with the Janaurian females modified to be compatible with us for reproduction purposes. They have not experienced any changes from mating. Should I understand that you’re interested?”
Linette snorted and gave me a mocking smile. “Considering what you said to the last human female to have answered that question, I think I’ll take the fifth and spare myself a disturbing response from you.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said smugly.
“However you take it,” Linette said, not denying it either, “you are more and more in the eye of the public. The Scelks are stirring positive interest from some of the Vanguard females. As you correctly told Stella, your own female population is limited. Assuming your people might be interested in such relationships, those are definitely questions a potential mate would need you to be able to answer.”
“You make a valid point,” I said, sobering. “A major negligence on my part that I will see rectified in all haste.”
“Well then, I won’t hold you any longer. I’m sure you had other plans before that woman messed with you,” Linette said, suddenly looking shy.
“There was nothing urgent, but some meditation in the garden before our training together,” I replied gently.
“Good. I’ll see you later then,” Linette replied.
“See you later,” I echoed.
Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, but as I watched her gracefully walk away, I felt more convinced than ever that she was indeed drawn to me and willing to explore a potential relationship. Before the week was out, I would declare myself to my woman.
But first, I needed to speak to Rogue, the Chief Medical Officer of the Dragons.
Chapter 6
Shuria
Flying my shuttle at neck breaking speed, I raced to the back entrance of the Likteek hive. In the distance, three dozen vessels of General Khutu’s Imperial Guard were already landing near the main entrance, some of the Soldiers jumping right out from more than six meters high and landing smoothly on their three-segment legs.
I cursed up a storm as the thrice-damned psychic dampeners and disruptors that riddled the city prevented me from telepathically communicating with Lekla to warn them of the impending attack. For half a beat, I considered risking reaching out to them using my com, but the signal would undoubtedly be intercepted. My only hope was that the Soldiers would get lost long enough in the maze of connecting tunnels that I would be able to reach the Queen and her General before them and stealthily get them out. If Khutu killed Daeko, all would be lost.
I performed a less than smooth landing between two rock dunes. Cleverly carved to create the perfect optical illusion, they hid both the landing pad and the secret passage into the rebel’s base. In my haste to punch in the access code, I nearly destroyed the damn lock by failing to control the enhanced strength Khutu’s experiments had bestowed upon me. With my personal stealth shield activated, I ran to one of the hidden lifts, broadcasting the whole time to Lekla and my sister Lanam, but without success.
And then Lekla finally answered.
“Shuria? What is—”
“SOLDIERS AT THE DOOR!” I psychically shouted to her. “Get Xerath and Daeko to the back entrance immediately!”