One Big Bite by Michele Mills
10
“Iwould love that,” Roxy answered, “I’m always down for girl talk.”
Which was true. She really missed her friends from university. And she hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know her new coworkers before she’d had to ditch them, as well as convince them she was a coward who didn’t want to stick with the team. What a mess. It would be nice to chat with another human for a while.
Gorzan looked puzzled. “What is ‘girl talk’?”
Roxy grinned and placed a hand on his sleeve. “Don’t worry. I promise it’s not bad. It’s a human female bonding thing. And believe me, you won’t want to be here while we talk. I like the idea of alone time with Lila.” Because she knew this also meant she’d get good intel on Gorzan.
Claws wrapped an arm around his Bride. “I’m not leaving my pregnant female alone in this abandoned mine shaft.”
Lila placed a palm on the scary miner’s chest. “It will be fine. You’ll be on the same level. I’ll just ping you when we’re done talking, and you can come back and get me.”
“You have an hour,” he told her. “I will go and eat the lunch you brought and then come back for you.”
Lila rolled her eyes, but a mischievous grin played at the corner of her lips. “Okay, that’s a good compromise.”
“I will leave as you request,” Gorzan said. “Do you need more food or drink? I can bring back more.”
Roxy smiled. “No, don’t worry I’m fine. I ate so much of your food already I need a break.”
Lila then waved the two miners out. “Have a nice lunch,” she told them. “We’ll see you later.”
Both males stomped out of the workroom, clearly unhappy at being ordered to leave. The door closed behind them, and Lila waddled over and sat on the bunk. Roxy sat down, too, cross-legged, facing Lila.
“Okay, good,” Lila sighed, leaning back against the wall. “I love those two, but I wanted to be able to talk to you alone to make sure you know what you’re getting into if you become a Bride to a Xylan.”
“Oh, I’m not sure if I’m becoming a Bride.”
“Cannibal said he’d scented you as his Bride so…it’s basically a done deal.”
Roxy’s eyes widened.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Lila reached out. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just saw the way you two were looking at each other earlier and how easily you took his gloved hand and I thought you wanted…”
Roxy blew out a breath. “I do really like him. A lot. Too much. And he said that to me too, that he can smell that I’m his Bride? But the timing is terrible. And we just met. And…and there’s so much I don’t understand.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m here then. I know you’re on the run from something and you don’t want to talk about that. No worries, we’ll just talk about Xylan mating habits. There are only two humans on the planet Timbur, me and Leah Hernandez. Leah is married to Hook, another member of the Fever Brothers Crew. I almost brought Leah here with me to meet you, but we decided that it would be harder to explain away the two of us arriving here rather than just one of us. We’ve never come up here at the same time, there’s been no reason. Leah works in the mine part time, but she’s not assigned to this level right now because she’d working from home. It was just easier for me to come because I actually have a real reason to be here—I’ve brought their lunches.”
“I can’t tell you why I’m on the run and hiding here. Please believe me that it’s for your safety. I don’t want you pulled into my secret. But I also promise I’m not here hiding from law enforcement.”
“Oh, I believe you. In fact, if anyone here were to believe you, it would be me,” she said cryptically.
Roxy smiled at her. “Thank you. Because there’s lots I need to learn. I’ve researched the Xylan mating habits on my tablet, but hearing about it first hand from another human is much better.”
Lila patted her swollen belly. “Well, first, you’ll need to be prepared for the fact that you’ll become pregnant instantly. You have to know that becoming a parent is what you want ahead of time. Remaining unmated is the Xylan form of birth control and then clasping of hands and being claimed and mated is similar to us throwing out the birth control.”
“Got it.”
“This means that the time you’re spending with Gorzan right now is sort of like dating.”
Roxy smiled, thinking of how it was like dating. They were spending time together, touching lightly through two layers of clothing. But unlike the dating she was used to, there would not be even a single kiss until they clasped hands. When she took his claw, she had to be decided.
“And the claiming ceremony is pretty wild, not gonna lie.”
“Oh wow.”
“Yeah. And you know, they routinely have special Bridal luncheons later where everyone they’ve ever known is invited over to rewatch the claiming. The actual sex! They love it; they think it’s romantic. I’ve sat through three of these already that I was invited to by other Xylan Brides I’ve befriended, and I’ve learned to avert my eyes during the, um, ‘act’ and pretend I’m really into my food at that moment.”
Roxy bit her lip.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to have a Bridal luncheon. Leah and I have quietly explained how it’s sort of shocking and embarrassing to humans, so that part of the ceremony isn’t going to happen. But the rest, we do.”
“Yes. It’s just still weird knowing that we can’t date and then move in together and maybe years from now decide to throw out the birth control. It’s instant marriage and family, or nothing. Not even a kiss.”
“Right? I thought that was the hardest to wrap my brain around too. These males, they know from that initial scent that the female standing before them is their mate, so they instantly imprint on us. They are okay with the idea of their mind catching up to their body, this is normal among Xylan. But you and I are the opposite, our mind has to be all-in, then the body catches up. Although, I have to admit my body was ready right away,” she laughed.
Roxy grinned back, knowing that her body was all-in too. “Can you explain to me more what the claiming is like?” she asked. “It sounds scary.”
“Well, they usually claim their Brides in either ancient Xylan forests on Chronos, or on holodecks made to imitate those forests. But sometimes, like in the case of Zayzon and I, things happen by accident or so quickly that claimings are performed when and where they are. Sometimes a male will grasp hands with a female and she won’t yet be in her breeding cycle so they can postpone the claiming ceremony until it’s convenient. But if she’s in her breeding cycle, it needs to happen right away or she will be in pain.”
“Pain?”
“Yes, the mating pheromones effect you too, even though you’re human. You’ll see.”
“Is that bad?”
“No, I think it’s good. I haven’t talked to Darcy about this, but Leah and I both agree that we really enjoyed the claiming ceremony. It’s raw and yet sexy as hell. And if you’re in your breeding cycle it’s literally the moment you become pregnant. It’s really a momentous occasion. Xylan usually record it when they are performed in the Xylan forests or on the holodeck so they can watch it with pride later. Sort of like humans enjoy watching wedding ceremonies again and again.”
“I read that the male chases the female and battles her to the ground and has sex with her.”
Lila chuckled. “That sounds bad, doesn’t it? But you have the opportunity to get your own hits in. Your job is to make it hard for him. They like showing off their battle wounds at a claiming ceremony to other males. If you can scar them for life, all the better.”
Roxy giggled nervously.
“I know this sounds harsh, but actually it’s a very loving ceremony,” Lila continued. “You are it for Gorzan. He’s scented you. Remember, you have to be certain before going in and actually clasping his hand and starting this whole thing. Right now he’s still dormant and when you clasp his bare hand, you start the whole process. We are all lucky I guess, knowing ahead of time that if we clasp their hand, that’s it, we’ve decided to stay with him forever. But again, it puts more pressure on you. You can’t later take it back and divorce him. He will physically imprint on you. Also if you decide to become his mate you’ll live on Timbur for forever so again, you have to decide if that’s something you want.”
“What would happen to him if I left now? Like, if I had to go because…because of the reason that I’m hiding here for?”
“To be truthful he’d probably lose his mind and try and leave Timbur to come after you. And that would be a huge mess because the miners have this whole thing where they have a fever bond with their personal crystal, so leaving means he’d have to bring the crystal…I don’t even know how that works.”
“Do the miners ever leave Timbur?”
“No. Once a generation or so there’s a miner who is either kicked out or chooses to leave for reasons. They have to go through some kind of intensive detox which allows them to disconnect from their fever bond with their crystal. It’s hard but they are able to live through it. Daxon, the Fever Brother’s oldest crew member, left and is now a Bounty Hunter and has a mate and a new life. He’s happy. So, it can be done.”
“If I stayed, where would we live?”
“Well, Leah and Hook live in the employee quarters. But Zayzon and I decided to stay in the compound. The Xylan like to live together in large family groupings. Even the employee quarters are designed with common areas and ways that quarters can be connected together if so desired. So I hope you’re not super independent and like living alone…”
“No, actually I’m used to living with lots of beings. I was at university and we…” And then she shut her mouth, knowing she’d already said too much.
Lila leaned forward and gently tapped Roxy’s knee. “Don’t worry, only tell me what you think I need to know. I get it. What’s funny is this is how I arrived here too. Leah came to Timbur because she was hired to work on the mine and she met Hook on her first day on the job, but I was hiding on the planet, like you are.”
“You hid in a cave too?”
“No,” she laughed. “I hid in their compound because I thought it was abandoned.”
“Abandoned?”
“Yes. It was so filthy inside I thought it was an abandoned building. I fell asleep in Zayzon’s bed. He came home from his shift and found me in his bed.”
“Oh no.”
“But the good thing about me living with them for the last eight months is I’ve helped them upgrade from their one ancient cleaning bot to a whole team of high-tech bots. Also, I’ve had the kitchen remodeled. So it’s nicer than before. The outside still looks like it’s abandoned, but that’s because they said they need it to look like they’re still serving penance and demoted to the worst quarters on the planet. Lately they’ve got better shifts, so I think this moving below the radar plan of theirs is working.”
“Uh oh, am I going to ruin things for them?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so?”
“Earlier you referenced someone else. A third human? Gorzan said to me before that his brothers have married three different humans…”
“Oh yes, sorry. There are three humans married to Fever Brothers. Two of us live on Timbur. All three of us were born and raised on New Earth. I’m Lila Garabedian.”
“Wait. As in, the Garabedian Transporter Station in Singapore? Are you one of those Garabedians?”
She grinned. “Yes, my father built the transporter station. But I gave up all rights to the corporation to my cousin, who is doing a terrific job running the company. Meanwhile, I suck at business and I’m perfectly happy being here with Zayzon. Daxon is married to a human named Darcy Chopra. They live together with their children on the Bounty Hunter space station. They both work for the Bounty Hunter Guild now. Darcy is a mechanic, and I heard that Daxon is nearing number one in the Leaderboards. They seem very happy. I vid chat with Darcy at least once a week. You’ll like her, she’s super sweet and sooooo beautiful, as in she was once voted most beautiful woman on New Earth.”
“Most beautiful woman…wait, I remember her! She’s famous. Darcy Chopra is Gorzan’s sister-in-law?”
“Yes, Darcy is Cannibal’s sister-in-law too. Small universe, isn’t it? And then there’s also, like I said before, Leah Hernandez, she’s married to Hook and they live here on Timbur. You’ll see Leah a lot. I go over and help her out with her baby most days. She just recently came off of maternity leave. She’s testing out going back to work part time.”
“It all sounds so…normal.”
“It is. It really is. It was a big adjustment for me too, leaving my home on New Earth and coming here to live permanently, but I really like it here. Timbur is a nice place to live. And I don’t regret for a moment that I married a Xylan miner.”
“And you’re about to be a mom. Congratulations. Do you know yet if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“It’s a girl. She’s due in one more month.”
“That soon?”
“Yes, and to me she can’t come soon enough. I’m so ready for her to be here. I’ve got the bedroom that Hook vacated all set up as a nursery.”
“That sounds nice.”
“I can show it to you…”
They were both quiet for a moment as Roxy realized she couldn’t just go and visit. Which made her sad.
“Sorry,” Lila said. “I’m a little over-eager and I keep forgetting you and Cannibal aren’t a done deal yet…You know, Cannibal’s brothers all think he can’t properly care for a Bride.”
“Why not?”
“They think he’ll be so fixated on eating and taking food from you that you’ll starve.”
Roxy laughed. “Oh, no, it’s the opposite. Cannibal has been wonderful. He’s an amazing chef. I’m basically a fan of his cooking. I’m lucky that he’s decided to keep me fed. He’s been taking good care of me. He’s the whole reason I can hide in this cave and not starve.”
“Good. That’s what I told the others. I think he’s different with his brothers than with females he cares about. He stole Leah’s food when he first met her, but after that when he could clearly see she was pregnant and he’d gotten used to her, he cooked extra and sent it to her. He’s been fixing Hook’s lunches still and he doesn’t even live with them. And he’s been keeping me fed with extra food during my whole pregnancy. I really think he’s shown a good track record when it comes to females.”
Warmth spread in Roxy’s chest. Listening to Lila say nice things about the man she’d been spending so much time with was nice.
“Do you think you’re ready for all of this?” Lila asked. “The instant marriage and being tied to a large, extended family?”
“I don’t know…” Roxy admitted. “It’s all so…”
“Sudden? It’s okay. You’ve got time to think it over. I just wanted to explain it to you so you’d clearly know what you’re getting into. Also, I want you to know that Leah and I, and even Darcy, would be happy to answer any of your questions. And I promise if you end up moving into the compound and you don’t like it and want to move out into employee quarters near Hook and Leah, my feelings won’t be hurt. Living like that isn’t for everyone. You’ll have choices.”
Roxy continued to stare at Lila, lost in her own thoughts. Did she want to stay on this planet forever? Did she want to be a mother right now? Gorzan had made it clear to her that when they clasped hands, he would become enflamed, and his pheromones could very well spark a crazy reaction in her too, and if she was in her breeding cycle, he’d have sex with her immediately and she’d be pregnant right away. Basically, the Xylan’s whole reason for mating was to breed.
“One last thing,” Lila asked. “Um, do you like cats?”
