Chapter 7

Sophie

Tiny sparks of electricity, caresses of stinging pain, traveled all over her skin where Serval's warm, mobile olules touched her. They were dry and soft, velvety, but where they touched her, they left a stinging trail that heated Sophie's blood.

Like the sting of a spanking, but lighter. Localized. All over her fingers. Her palms. Pain that wasn't quite painful but sparked all along her skin like kisses of lightning.

Her eyes rolled back in her head, her skin broke out into gooseflesh, as her pussy clenched eagerly around nothing as she imagined those tiny sparks on her nipples. On her clit.

Then, suddenly, it was gone. She blinked, focusing back on reality where Serval had leaned out of her reach and was giving her a searching look. He took hold of her hand that was still hanging in the air, examining it closely, before checking on her.

"You're sure okay?" He asked, voice deep and rough.

She nodded, staring at his lips. Desperate for more. For a kiss. She had to take a deep breath, fingers curling into her tingling palm, as she raised her gaze.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm alright. You?"

"Me? My olules don't hurt me."

"No, but I touched them."

It took him a second to realize what she meant. His jaw tightened and he shook his head. "Sorry. No. No trigger."

Sophie frowned, the delicious fluttering in her belly easing. "Dang. I was hoping that would work. Nothing?"

"No. I would know." His eyes darted to her fingers again. "You're sure you're not hurt?"

"I'm fine." She dropped her hand back to the table. The lingering effects of his sting had faded. "It wasn't really painful."

"That's actually fairly strange," he admitted, still looking at her fingers with concern. After a second, he focused back on her face. "Shall we try the kiss instead?"

"Do you think that will work?"

"It cannot hurt. And it's your people's equivalent. My people aren't often triggered outside our species, and when we are, it's usually an accident. But it can occur if our olules touch you while being intimate in other ways."

"Yeah? Worth a shot then."

He nodded. But it wasn't with the eagerness of a man anticipating a kiss. It was more like a kid who was old enough to know medicine was good for him but not old enough to be willing to tolerate the taste without a fuss – determined but resigned.

"How do we perform the kiss then?"

Sophie laughed. They were still speaking English, but she rather thought that was for her comfort more than anything. Hearing him butcher the language like her abuelo at the grocery store was just funny.

"I suppose we can start by standing. It's easier than trying to kiss over a table."

He grunted like that made sense as he got to his feet, offering her a hand to help her up. Which she took with a smile, keeping hold of it as she came around the table.

Her belly fluttered with nerves. Touching his olules had set a burning heat afire in her belly that made her eager for his kiss.

But their weird relationship still made this whole thing odd. Aliens really believed in the whole mating trigger thing. It was a huge part of the greater universal culture that humans largely missed out on due to their inability to recognize their own mates. Which made the whole matchmating thing even more valuable on Earth, but it also meant that this was a whole relationship dynamic that Sophie had no practice in navigating and therefore felt strange.

This wasn't exactly dating. It wasn't really marriage. It should definitely be romantic, but they were still basically strangers.

And the fact that he hadn't been triggered yet was concerning.

Sophie knew she wasn't the first human to mate an alien, but the others had all triggered their mates immediately – hadn't they? That was what all the rumors and stories said. Aliens took one look and fell madly in love.

Her guy had molested her hand with his olules completely, but nothing.

Maybe the kiss would do it. And maybe once he was triggered this would feel more real.

She stepped in closer, putting her chest against his, resting her arms on his shoulders. Immediately, his olules began stinging her fingertips, making her jump and shudder in delight.

"You really like that," he whispered, hands resting on her hips.

"It tingles," she giggled.

"Is that what a kiss feels like?"

"No. A kiss is… warm. Or hot. Like a hug but closer. Deeper. It's like sex with your tongues."

"Sex?" He repeated, surprised, like he hadn't even thought of it that way.

"Yeah. Hot and wet and close. Our lips moving together, our tongues sliding against each other. I really like kissing."

"Show me," he ordered, his hands tightening on her curves.

Sophie smiled, bringing him down as she went up on her toes. He bent his head without complaint, looking at her with such focus it made her laugh.

"Close your eyes," she whispered, barely an inch between them.

"I want to see you."

"It's weird," she snickered. "And you can feel it more if your eyes are closed."

He seemed skeptical, but obediently shut them anyway. She smiled, getting a closer look at his eyelashes that weren't eyelashes. The little spines, connected by little blue fins, were the same darker blue of the ones on his forearms and calves that matched his olules.

She admired the sight for only a moment longer before focusing back on the kiss. Her gaze darted down to his lips. They were slightly parted, waiting.

"Purse your lips," she said, running one hand along the side of his neck.

He did. Too much. She bit back a snicker. It was his first time, and she didn't want to give him a complex about something so new to him. And, in a strange, fun way, it was kind of hot to direct him like this. To command him to move and see him do it immediately.

"Softer," she whispered, barely ghosting her lips over his. "You're hugging my mouth, not attacking it. Softer. A bit more. There, just like that…"

She pressed a single kiss to his lips. They were surprisingly firm and tense. She didn't know if that was just how his lips were shaped, or if he was uncomfortable, but she pressed on.

"Now, when I kiss you, move with me," she said, giving him another simple peck. "I move." Kiss. "You move." Kiss. "We match our bodies together." Kiss. Kiss. "Until we're one. Like making love, but only with our lips." Kiss. "And tongues."

She flicked the tip of her tongue against his top lip. He started in surprise, but before he could react, she pressed her lips against his, giving him a proper, lingering kiss.

He was warm. His skin was smooth, like velvet. His lips were hot but stiff. Definitely tense. But not unwilling as, slowly, cautiously, they moved against hers. Following her lead. Until she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and nipped it gently.

He growled, wrapping one arm around her waist and jerking her up against him as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. Inexpert, inelegant, but eager and hungry. The desire for her, unrefined and unskilled, was still better than a boring, practiced kiss from other guys.

The first sting of his olules brushing against her cheek, pulling forth a whimper, made her hands tighten into fists on his neck as he bent her back, trying to conquer her. He was a novice kisser, but he was a quick learner, and as he got comfortable, he began exploring and testing for himself.

Sophie was the one who gave up first. She broke the kiss with a gasp, panting hard. Opening her eyes to look upon his face, only to find that his eyes were already open. His gaze so heated it burned along her skin, making her shiver, as he licked his lips.

"I see now," he said softly.

Her heart skipped an excited beat. "Your trigger? Did it happen?"

"No," he replied evenly, sinking disappointment deep in her belly. "But I understand kissing now. I see why your people like it."

Her smile grew again. "Did you like it?"

"I did," he whispered, trailing his lips along her neck, as if he was just realizing that he might be able to kiss other parts of her body.

She frowned. He said he liked it, but aside from the heat in his eyes, he didn't seem affected. "You're not even out of breath."

He chuckled. "My people can hold their breath for half a day or more, lov'alel."

"Oh," she breathed, her belly tightening as she thought about how useful that could be. If he didn't need to breathe for hours then he could…

But there had still been no trigger.

He seemed to read the thought on her face, because he stood straight, lowering her back onto her feet.

"Don't worry," he said. "We have the assurance from True Match. We'll trigger it soon enough. When we figure out how to make it happen. Shall we get on with the tour?"

She nodded, grateful for the change in subject. Being guaranteed a mate was cool and all, but not if they didn't actually mate.

Sophie didn't fully put the topic from her mind as they moved through the ship. She was imagining different ways that might trigger him – from grabbing his olules with both hands, to letting him stroke her hair with them, to seeing if touching them directly against her pussy would do it.

That last one might have been fueled by a desire for that anyway, but it was still a plan.

She plotted as he showed her his recreation room with its big holo-TV and its gaming rig and massage chairs. He took her to his little medical room with a simple scanner built into the wall. He showed her his landing pods and explained how, when he was chasing a story, he would use them to land pretty much anywhere. They were small, only big enough for one person, but that meant they could penetrate any environment. They also had an auto recall feature that would immediately navigate them back towards the ship since it didn't actually have a way for the occupant to drive it. He showed her the cockpit, which was a smaller donut room, the center of which was a huge, 3D star map.

"Where are we heading?" Sophie asked, staring at their spot on the map. Their dot – she assumed it was them – wasn't moving, but the space around them was.

"An informant sent me some information that I'm following up on. We're heading to Holivair for a royal party."

Sophie started, surprised. "A royal party?"

He smirked. "Don't be too impressed. Holivair is populated by the shinuk species. They're a species with hundreds of kings and queens and even more princes and princesses. Being royal isn't very exclusive, or impressive, to them. There are a few that are legitimately wealthy and powerful, but there are just as many that are poorer than dirt."

"How does that work?"

He shrugged. "Their planet has a very unique topography. It creates natural pod-like areas that the shinuk live within. Each pod is owned by a single hive that will claim the land and any resources upon it. Those owners will be a king or queen. Non-royals can travel freely between pods as workers, but the royals maintain control over their pod and don't leave it. The royal family of a pod is only as wealthy or powerful as their pod allows them to be."

"Like little, individual countries," Sophie said thoughtfully. "If their borders couldn't change or expand in any way. Is that right?"

Serval made a noncommittal sound of agreement. "The information I have suggests that someone is involved in illegal, exotic animal trade in one of the wealthier pods. So, we're going there to investigate. My informant is working on a way for me to get in unobtrusively. Which is a bit difficult considering my level of fame."

"Oh? You're famous?"

Serval started laughing. She grimaced, realizing how that sounded.

"I'm sorry, that was rude, wasn't it?"

"No, you legitimately don't know," he chuckled, putting a hand to her lower back. "My news segments are part of a larger group of multiple journalists. I'm one of the most popular in the group. My stories are the best and people enjoy my style."

"So, cool!" Sophie beamed. "And you're interviewing me for your segment?"

"Nox, my boss, demands that I take a vacation by doing a softer piece. So, I thought you and our mating would be perfect since it involves True Match."

"Oh. Okay," Sophie said, keeping her smile fixed in place.

That actually kind of hurt. She thought he was really excited about mating her and so wanted to tell all his followers, like she had. But he was just required to do a puff piece and she was a convenient option.

Though, she had to be fair, she told herself. His style seemed a lot more formal than her channel. He probably wouldn't have introduced her at all if it weren't for the True Match thing. He did hard-hitting stories about things like illegal animal trading. She shouldn't be hurt that he wouldn't be showcasing her to all his followers like she did.

She made sure to ask him where she could find his videos though, so she could study up on her mate and what he did. She wanted to know everything.