Chapter 12

TWELVE

Into the throng they went.

Mavrel was like an arrow, sharp and swift, slicing through the crowd with precision and ease.

But he never made her feel rushed or pushed around. He moved like a dancer, light on his feet but with every step intentional. Tall and imposing, he kept her by his side, radiating a protective aura.

They passed curious humans—mostly women, but a few men, too. Just like Bea, people had dressed up for this event. She saw glittering gowns and dapper suits. Some of the humans had chosen to wear traditional cultural attire, donning brightly colored silks, regal headwraps, or delicately embroidered garments.

Occasionally, she would see a human with a Kordolian. The combination was always a Kordolian guy and a human girl, with only one exception—a severely handsome black-haired man who accompanied a Kordolian woman.

That checked out.

It was common knowledge that amongst the Kordolians, there was a severe imbalance of males to females.

Thus, it made sense that most of the relationships that had formed were between a human woman and a Kordolian man.

Some of the Kordolian males acknowledged Mavrel with a nod.

Bea stared while trying not to look like she was staring. It was a little overwhelming to see so many of the striking silver aliens in one place. For all their otherworldly beauty, there was no doubt they were dangerous.

These males reminded her of Mavrel’s boss, the hard-edged former commander who had forced his way into Garner Tower and stolen away her friend Clarissa. Somehow, he’d managed to convince her cautious friend to go with him— willingly.

Bea was beginning to think that Zharek’s theories about the Mating Fever might just be true because they seemed to be able to entice humans to abandon all caution and logic.

Instinctively, she pressed her body closer to Mavrel as they approached the group of humans and Kordolians.

Picking up on her subtle cue, Mavrel held her tighter.

She couldn’t help it—she was a little intimidated.

Looking at them made her feel weird, like a rabbit amongst wolves. They were dressed in fine, sumptuous Kordolian robes. With their partners beside them, they were doing nothing more than standing around and chatting.

But the longer she observed them, the more uneasy she felt.

Maybe it was the way they stood: casually relaxed but radiating tension as if they could explode into violence at any given moment.

Maybe it was the way they moved: effortless, fluid, inhuman.

Her mind ran away. She could imagine them in their technologically advanced alien armor, wielding devastating alien weapons.

She could see them being very scary indeed.

“Bea, are you all right?” It was Mavrel’s turn to ask the question. His voice was a low rumble—for her ears only.

“I’m fine,” she responded, quickly regaining her composure. “Just not used to a crowd of this nature, I suppose. Not that there’s anything wrong. I’m more in awe than anything else.”

“Hm.” He stood with her for a moment, and it felt like he’d carved out a little space for them in the crowd. Mavrel was completely at ease here and indifferent to everyone except her. “What would you like to do? Would you like to visit a simulation of our home planet or taste some of the traditional delicacies of the Lost Tribes? Or perhaps you would like to see the advanced technology exhibition.” His tone brightened at the last suggestion. Bea found it rather cute.

“Honestly, I’ll go with whatever you suggest. Why don’t you surprise me?”

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to show you first.” As Mavrel started to guide her in the other direction, they were met by a couple.

Of course, the guy was Kordolian—lean and inhumanly graceful, his white hair cropped in a military style, his golden eyes twinkling with amusement. His features were sculpturally beautiful— too beautiful for him to be a deadly warrior, which is what he undoubtedly was.

The statuesque blonde holding his hand was equally striking—and human. She wore a simple aqua sheath dress that showed off her enviably toned arms.

“Oh, hi, Mavrel,” she smiled. “I see you’ve brought a guest.”

She held out her hand, taking Bea’s in a firm handshake. “I’m Arin.” She nodded at her partner. “This is Rykal. Thank you for coming tonight. It’s so nice to see some new faces onboard.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Arin fixed her with a direct but well-meaning stare. “From one human to another, I just wanted to say welcome. I’m sure you’re quickly finding out that our Kordolian allies here aren’t the demons our Earth’s media sometimes makes them out to be.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t already formed my own impressions.”

“Right you are.” Arin beamed at her. “We’re happy to have you here. I hope you enjoy the exhibits, the food, and, of course, the company.”

Rykal leaned in, a cocky half-smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Open-minded and curious humans get prizes.” He pressed a closed fist against his chest in a kind of salute. “We come in peace and harmony. Which hasn’t been our style in the past, but for our favorite humans…” Affectionately, he slid his arm around Arin’s shoulders. “Even someone like him can change for the right person.”

“What are you trying to say?” Mavrel’s left eyebrow twitched. “Speak for yourself.”

“He doesn’t need to change at all,” Bea declared, sensing her partner’s fragile state. With everyone but her, he was irritable. “I’m enjoying his company just fine, thank you.”

Rykal laughed, flashing his gleaming fangs, somehow managing to look both jovial and faintly threatening.

“Excellent,” he declared—as if some grand master plan of his had just fallen into place.

Before Bea could suss him out further, another couple appeared. This Kordolian male was huge and intimidating, with the most distinctive lavender-hued eyes. She hadn’t seen that before. Kordolian irises were usually yellow, red, or somewhere in between.

His partner was a petite woman with a neat bob of black hair and delicate features. She wore a beautiful red cheongsam embroidered with a golden floral motif.

The contrast between them was so wild that Bea almost did a double-take.

“Hello,” the dark-haired woman said.

“Hi,” Bea replied.

“Bea, meet Kalan and Jia.” Mavrel gave the big Kordolian a curt nod before turning to the human. “This is Bea, my guest.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Bea,” Jia said brightly. “What do you think of the Fleet Station? Impressive, isn’t it?”

“Very. And a little confronting for a mere human like me, to be honest. I wouldn’t even have been able to conceptualize it if I hadn’t seen it up close.

“It’s actually bigger than it looks, but don’t let its size intimidate you. These guys have put a lot of effort into creating human-friendly spaces onboard. It’s awesome, actually.”

“I can see that.”

“You’re pretty brave, coming up here for the first time. I wouldn’t have done it. Kalan’s just lucky we had extenuating circumstances to force us together.”

“Thanks, but I’m not that brave. I’d already met Mavrel on Earth. He’s the reason I decided to come. If I hadn’t, I doubt I’d be here either. Seems there are quite a few who are braver than me.” Bea looked around, taking in all the different humans who’d come from different parts of Earth.

“ Hm. ” Mavrel made a sound—so low she barely heard it.

She glanced up.

He gave her a smoldering look, along with a hint of a smile.

She nearly melted there and then.

Bea forced herself to act normally. “Please don’t take this the wrong way—I mean it as a compliment—but you both seem so reassuringly normal. ”

Arin and Jia both laughed while their mates frowned.

“We absolutely are,” Arin said. “Just run-of-the-mill humans. Nothing special. And not crazy, mind you.”

“Warts and all,” Jia added, grinning.

“You do not have warts,” Kalan growled.

“Figure of speech,” Jia and Bea said at the same time.

The big warrior glowered. “Infernal word games.”

Rykal laughed again, louder this time. “It’s their most potent weapon. We have plasma guns and Callidum blades. They have words.”

Jia shrugged, her eyes wide and innocent. “What else are we supposed to do? We’d never win against you in a swordfight or a gunfight. At least let us have our puns and metaphors.”

“We allow you everything, and you already know it,” Kalan rumbled, his expression changing from thunderous to mildly cloudy.

“That’s only because you want to keep us happy for your own selfish reasons.” Jia’s nose wrinkled mischievously.

“Hm.” Kalan didn’t deny it. He leaned in and affectionately kissed the top of her head.

Bea was shook—in a good way.

How could they be so chill? Neither of these women appeared to be afraid or oppressed in any way.

And while they’d been chatting, Bea had found herself becoming more and more relaxed, to the point where she was deeply enjoying the feeling of having Mavrel by her side.

Right now, his expression didn’t give away much, but his fingers, resting on her waist, were slowly dancing back and forth, caressing her through the silk of her dress.

She idly wondered where else those fingers could go.

Stars, this was a little harder than what she’d anticipated.

Just as she was about to make an excuse and drag Mavrel away to a quiet corner, he rescued her. “We’ll move on,” he said softly, offering both Jia and Arin a polite nod before giving Kalan and Rykal a pointed look.

Some silent communication passed between the Kordolians, and for a moment, Bea wondered if they were telepaths.

She hadn’t heard of anything like that, though.

Beneath Mavrel’s slowly dancing, devious fingers, her body was heating up—again.

Sneaky devil.

Were they even going to make it to the exhibits and presentations?

“Lovely to meet you all,” she managed to blurt as he swept her away.

“See you in a bit. Have fun,” Jia called after them, and Bea couldn’t help but wonder if they knew…

Exactly what this felt like.

“I know what I’m going to show you first,” Mavrel whispered in her ear as they broke through the crowd and crossed the floor, entering a space where the lights were dimmer, and the ceiling was a little lower—a more intimate space.

They’d reached the wall at the other side of the vast chamber. The place was huge, but it didn’t feel like they’d walked that far. Or maybe she just hadn’t noticed the distance because she was with him.

“This exhibit isn’t open to everyone, but for you and me, it’s a good place to start.”

“Exhibit?” Bea didn’t see anything except for the dark wall.

“It’s intentionally private. Only for those who are ready.” He disentangled from her and turned to face her, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the soft light.

Stars, he was gorgeous.

She was supposed to be careful here, but she didn’t want to.

“Do you trust me enough to come with me?”

“We’ve already come this far, haven’t we?”

“I wouldn’t do anything untoward.”

“You really don’t have to say that. I already know that.”

“Then come with me.” He took her hand and led her through a doorway that suddenly appeared in the wall from out of nowhere.

There was a secret door.

Of course there was.

She was beginning to feel a bit like Alice, except the creatures in this world were very lucid indeed.

They went through. The doors fused behind them, a whole bunch of tiny, threadlike fibers merging together to form the solid wall once again.

“What is that thing?”

“Qualum,” Mavrel answered simply as if it were the most normal thing in the Universe.

They were in a circular room. In the middle of the ceiling, a pale blue dome emitted a faint glow. There was a couch on one side, curved to fit the shape of the room.

“What is this place?”

“It holds the anatomy and physiology presentation.”

“Anatomy and physiology?”

“In a moment, I will activate the holo—a virtual and interactive module that explains the anatomical, physiological, and genetic differences and similarities between our two species—or, by definition, one species— and the likely origins of both our peoples.”

Bea gasped, her mouth forming an O of surprise. “This is… highly privileged information.”

Mavrel shrugged. “It’s scientific fact. There isn’t anything to hide.”

Stiffness had crept back into his demeanor. There was a hint of tension in his expression—she didn’t know why.

Trapped in this seemingly doorless, windowless room, Bea could have felt scared and claustrophobic.

But all she wanted to do was destroy this barrier that existed between them.

That was her instinct.

She’d always been this way.

“I would love for you to guide me through this, Mavrel.” She took hold of his arm and dragged him toward the couch.

He obliged.

“But promise me that I’ll be allowed to ask questions along the way.”

“Anything.”

Bea sat down on the soft, seamless couch. Mavrel took a seat next to her, his attention focused on the dome above. He issued a command in Kordolian.

Suddenly, Bea was looking at a perfectly lifelike image of a Kordolian.

He was naked.

It wasn’t any Kordolian in particular—just a default-looking Kordolian with a default-looking face and a default-looking body. The sort of generic model one might see in an anatomy class. His features were bland—so different from the Kordolians Bea had seen in real life.

“This is about anatomy, right?” Bea had a devious idea. “Before we start the lesson, can we change the guy so that he looks like you?”

“That won’t be?—”

Before Mavrel could finish his protest, the machine-thing obliged, and the holo of the default Kordolian guy flickered and changed into Mavrel.

Naked Mavrel.

Oops. What the hell have I just done?

Bea was not prepared for the intensity of her body’s reaction to the sight of virtual naked Mavrel.

And with the amount of heat that rushed into her face, she might as well have been a tomato underneath her melanin.

“Mavrel, I’m sorry,” she gasped. “It was just a joke. I thought the damn computer only responded to your commands. I didn’t think it would… I mean, not that I mind this at all, but… is that actually… you ?”

His arms, chest, and abs were nice, but her gaze was magnetically drawn to the fact that Mavrel was very nicely endowed.

Holy crap.

“The computer appears to have a mind of her own,” Mavrel said dryly.

He looked at her, eyes narrowed dangerously.

She squirmed as a tender ache developed right between her thighs. “Y-you can change it back if it’s weird for you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. This is the body’s natural state. We have no qualms about it. Humans are one of the few races in the Universe that get so worked up about modesty and coverings. If the sight of me pleases you that much, you can have me like that.” A mischievous glint entered his eyes. “But then, what should we do about the human part of the presentation?”

To hell with the presentation, Bea almost said aloud, but she stopped herself. She was interested. The problem was she wanted everything at once.

Him, the anatomy lesson, the Universal secrets about humans and Kordolians, the getting-to-know-you conversation…

She just didn’t know which order to go in anymore.