Orth
Orth burned for her. Honestly, when he’d heard other warriors speak of their passion for their mates, he’d been skeptical, but just one touch had him muddling colors on his skin and muddling words in his brain.
And he had an excellent brain. The warriors of Etlon were not known for their brute strength or absolute stamina as other Mahdfel were. They were slighter, and possessed agility and swiftness. Although he was just as skilled a warrior as the rest of his class, he had been selected to be a medic. Many of the warriors looked down upon medics as inferior, but he knew the truth. Only he would be trusted with the delicate handling of their tender mates.
Up until the moment he met his, he had been pondering his options. In which planet did he want to specialize? There were quite a number of appealing options. Tablena females were tall and a pale yellow that was pleasing to the eye. While not known for their beauty, Garven females were sturdy and bore many sons, and there was also the opportunity to be stationed on Garven, a lush verdant planet with purple skies and three moons. Now, he had his eyes set on Terra, a small, insignificant blue planet on the fringe of Mahdfel space with females that were short and shades of dull browns. It would not have been his first pick if it weren’t for his new fascination with the woman he had to have.
Visually, she was appealing and the lack of interesting pigments in Terran skin didn’t seem to bother him with Clover. She had brilliant blue eyes and a light cream complexion. Her hair was a platinum color with hints of the palest yellow. It was short for a Terran woman, but it framed her face in a way that made Orth want to wrap his hand in it and pull her mouth closer for another kiss.
Even from this spot where he waited, he could smell her scent. He hadn’t wanted to wash his hands. The sample was too contaminated to get an accurate DNA reading but his nose told him she was a near perfect match. Clover, a name that evoking a field of flowers. Her scent was that and more - freshly roasted frag cheese over the fire, a hint of peppermint, and something else he couldn’t identify. He’d been pondering it over for hours. He couldn’t get near her ship without getting hard.
He’d tried switching it off, going into his clinical doctoral brain, but nothing, even running through seven different species autopsies, could turn the heat off of his cock. His body wanted nothing more than to bury his cock deep inside her and bite into her neck as his body claimed her for his own. It was nearly overpowering.
He’d been minding his own business, taking a few laps around the station. He wasn’t the only Mahdfel that ran regularly. Generally, others just got out of a Mahdfel’s way if he came barrelling down the hallway, but not his mate. She just appeared out of nowhere and with his quick reflexes, he was able to grab her before she hit the floor in a tangled heap. He had inhaled as she hit him and that warm hint of a scent that he’d been experiencing over the past few days came at him full force. She was his and that was the end of any argument. He had pressed his mouth to her and laid claim to her. He would have claimed her fully, right there and then, had they not drawn an audience. They had distracted him long enough for him to realize that she was no longer quite as willing as before.
Alien females could be particular about finding their mates and being properly introduced in much less carnal ways than they had experienced. She’d run the moment he’d placed her on her feet and it had taken every solid fiber of his mind not to give chase. That was not the way. The Mahdfel did not take an unwilling mate. He would sever his own head before he ever harmed or let harm come to her.
He’d spent most of the morning tracking down information about her. As a female medic specialist, he’d recognized her species, of course, and that made it quite easy. There were very few unmated females running around on the station, just one in fact. To his grand turmoil, she had been due to leave the station in a few hours. Something had to be done immediately. He lacked the resources, but not the brainpower. The com conversation with Etlon had been quicker than he’d estimated.
“Relay the message. I will specialize in Terran females,” he told his commander. Once his training was complete, he would be placed with a clan high in Terran female matches, or stationed on Etlon, where he could service many clans at once from a central location. He wondered which Clover would prefer, to live in a big city or be nearer her own kind. Although she would not have much choice in the matter, her opinion already mattered to him.
“Terran? A moment.”
He sat by the view screen for a moment, the fear that his choice would be rejected spiralling in his stomach. When Etlon of Etlon appeared on the screen, he actually stopped breathing for a moment.
“My son has recently been matched with a Terran. Your marks are high. I find you acceptable, if he wishes you to join his clan.”
He couldn’t manage more than a nod. That was all the highest warrior on his planet needed before the screen blinked back to the standard emblem. A few searches later and he discovered Athen, son of Etlon, was currently stationed on an outpost at the extreme edge of Mahdfel territory, far, far away from any possible danger. It was the perfect spot to raise a family.
He did not believe in fate.
No, he did not believe in fate.
Orth closed his eyes for a long moment and when he opened them again, Clover was coming straight toward him.
“Excuse me. You’re kinda in the way of my ship.”
He had practiced what to say. Really, he had. He’d start off with something nice. Something factual, but safe. What a nice ship she had. Terran females loved that sort of thing, or so his research told him. But when he opened his mouth, he made the mistake of breathing in her scent and then? Then things did not go as planned.
“My mate.”
“Your mate? Your mate what? Your mate does not have to know about that little extra hello in the hallway earlier, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No. You.”
“Fine, blame me. But I’ve got to get going. I’ve got things to do.”
“I-” He needed to start over. “I am-” he repeated his name for her in his native tongue, in Etlonian. He did not speak it much, the language of his home where his mother had seen her entire family taken and slaughtered. “Orth Suhlatarnitombar.” He hadn’t meant to, but the back of his brain just wanted to whisper to her all the lovely things he wanted to do, to give her, to-
Clover laughed. He tried not to take offense. Honestly, he was happy she was not horrified.
“Really?” she asked.
He repeated it again, basking in the fact that he had her full attention and she was no longer trying to run away.
“He Who Tears Out Suhlik Throats With His Teeth, eh? Well, ain’t that a mouthful.”
“It is not as long in my species’ tongue.”
“Really. I wouldn’t have guessed. You mom must have had some issues… or really high hopes. Have you?”
“Only four. I did not use my teeth. Most of my time has been spent in studies.” He felt the need to explain why he did not have thousands of Suhlik dead to his credit. He had been in battle early, and had distinguished himself with the number of Mahdfel he had saved in the field and the cool head he exhibited under pressure. It was one of the reasons he had earned the privilege of specialized training.
“Well, nice to meet you, Teeth Tearer Throat Outer.”
“I am an obstetrician.”
She froze, as if that was some sort of joke then realized that Mahdfel were not prone to humor. Then, she giggled. It was an enchanting sound. He should not be so enchanted.
“I bet that goes over real well with the ladies.”
“You will be my mate.”
Her giggling stopped immediately. Her amusement melted away and he wanted to replace it with something less than a slight look of horror. His own frustration flushed onto his skin.
“Please,” he added.
“I’m not really in the market right now.”
“We are a perfect match. I will get a DNA sample to prove it to you.”
“I don’t have to submit to the Lottery for another ten months, thank you very much.”
He had not submitted to the lottery. It made no sense to have a mate until he was settled. It was sooner than planned but it was inevitable and he was not willing to risk that she would find a higher match with some other warrior. It was unthinkable.
“Ten months or ten minutes, we will match.”
“Look. I’m a space cargo captain. I have a ship. I travel. That’s what I do. This kind of life doesn’t come with strings. And honestly, I’m not ready to settle down. So thanks, but no thanks.”
With that, she swiveled around him, coming so close to him that, for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. The portal to her ship slammed shut before he had the wits to take in a breath and nonetheless tell her that he was her new passenger.