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“I’d only do that again if we wanted to breed a cub.” He led her into the bedroom and steered them to the bed. He lay down and opened his arms.
She climbed in after him and snuggled close. Brassi liked to hold her, and she liked being held by him. She rubbed her cheek against his silky chest and smiled. “I love that you cuddle.”
“It’s bonding. Mates do this.”
“You liked to hold me before we’d officially mated.”
“I knew you were mine from the start.”
Her smile grew wider. “We feel right together.”
He nuzzled the top of her head with his jaw. “We fit perfectly.”
“We do.” She yawned. “I could go for a nap. I don’t even know what time it is.”
“You need sleep, but you should eat first.”
“Later. Right now, I just want to sleep with you.”
He ran his hand over her back, caressing her. “We’ll eat later. It’s been a full day for us both.”
“It has.” She kissed his chest and closed her eyes, yawning again. “Good night, Brassi. Thank you for making me your mate.”
“It’s my honor, Vivian.”
Chapter Thirteen
Vivian felt a bit shy three days later, when she left Brassi’s quarters with him for the first time. They’d spent the previous days alone, bonding. He’d left to get them food but always returned quickly. Now his crew wanted to see them both together, and she only hoped they would accept her as easily as Brassi had implied. Humans would have a much harder time with her mating to a Veslor. At least, she was pretty sure they would.
They entered what Brassi called the common room. The males were at a table with plates. Everyone stopped talking to stare at them. Vassi rose to his feet first and ran his gaze over her from head to foot.
“Hello, Vivian. How are you?”
“I’m great.” She tightened her hold on Brassi’s hand. Vassi was his brother, family. His reaction mattered the most to her.
The male came closer and his nostrils flared. He grinned, looking at his brother. “She carries your scent strongly.”
“She does,” one of the other men agreed. He peered at her with curiosity. “You both showered but your scent is strong. I no longer pick up her Earthling scent. Just yours.”
“No copulation smells,” another one muttered. “All Brassi. She’s your mate. You did it. Scussusk.”
Brassi snarled at him. “I warned you, Nessel.”
Vivian glanced between the two. “What did he say? I really need to learn your language.”
Vassi waved his hand. “It is a noise we make when we don’t agree with something. It’s not because you mated.” He stepped closer. “We all are happy you are Brassi’s mate. Nessel is unpleasant all the time about many things. He fears all Veslors will automatically mate to your females now, if we copulate with them.”
She took that in, her mind working it over. “Oh.” She forced herself to look at the upset Veslor. He was a handsome guy, despite the way he scowled…or what passed for one. “I see. That would be a problem, wouldn’t it?”
Nessel’s eyes narrowed.
“I mean, humans have sex with each other just for pleasure,” she explained. “It would be scary if we mated accidentally all the time, instead of doing it intentionally.”
“I volunteer to find out. Do you know any unmated Earthling females who will copulate with me?”
She jerked her attention to a smiling Veslor male. He was handsome, too. “Not really.”
“What about that female you were speaking to on your vessel? The one in your ear.”
“Abby. I don’t know. Right now she’s got other things to worry about.” Like staying alive and keeping Commander Alderson from destroying evidence. Guilt hit next as she thought about the danger Abby could be in.
“Enough,” Brassi snapped. “You’re making my mate sad.”
“I’m fine,” she told him. “Abby’s still on the Gorison Traveler. Has anyone heard from her?” She glanced around at Brassi’s crew.
One of them shook his head. “Not since she asked us to come back for you.” He paused. “I’m Kavs.”
“Hi.” Vivian waved to him. “It’s nice to meet all of you, and thank you for rescuing me twice.”
One of them chuckled. “I’m Ruggler. No thanks required. Brassi didn’t want to leave you in the first place. He was happy when the call came and eager to get you back and on our ship.”
Another male snickered. “Eager to get her under him and claim her as his mate.”
“Yoniv,” Brassi growled.
The male laughed. “Truth. You mated her.” He winked at Vivian. “Welcome to the Brar and our family.”
She took in their faces. Only Vassi and Brassi looked similar. “You’re all related by blood?”
“No.” Brassi led her to the table and helped her sit. “We grew up together though, like family. Our bond is strong.” He left her to go get two plates of food from a serving counter.
Vassi sat across from her. “We form groupings.”
“I’d love to hear more.” She gave a thankful smile to Brassi as he sat a plate of meat, what looked like steamed rice, and some kind of purple veggies in front of her. He left again and came back with two cups of the berry-scented drink before sitting next to her.
“Groupings are tight relations with close friends who grow up together,” Ruggler explained. “We choose to stay together throughout our lives.”
“Work together. Live together,” Nessel grumbled. “Even if we don’t want to.”
Some of the males chuckled. It was Brassi who spoke. “No one else wanted Nessel in their grouping. So we welcomed him into ours.”
The male made a low rumble sound but that was it.
Vassi met her gaze. “He’s got an unpleasant outlook on most things. It annoys many. We’re used to it. He’s family in our minds.”
She nodded. “What happens if someone doesn’t have a grouping to belong to?”
Brassi stiffened slightly.
She looked at him. “Was that offensive to ask? I’m sorry.”
“It’s a sad thing,” Ruggler replied. “The males and females don’t survive long on their own.” He touched his chest. “Alone, we’re empty inside. Veslors are built to be together in groups. It also offers protection. We fight together. Watch out for each other. Care for our grouping.”
All the males nodded, even Nessel.
“I like that.” Veslor groupings sounded nice to her.
Ruggler leaned closer. “Humans don’t have this?”
She shook her head. “Not really. We have family and good friends but we don’t stay together from childhood to the end of our lives. Only couples stay together once they’re married, but not always for the rest of their adult lives.”
“Married?” Kavs asked.
“Mated. But if it doesn’t work out, they divorce. My parents did that.”
“What is that?” Nessel stared at her intently.
“Nothing you need to know,” Brassi grumbled. “You’ll just worry Vivian will leave me. But she won’t.”
“He’ll die if you leave him!” Nessel shot to his feet, knocking over his drink, and snarled at her. “You can’t do that.”
Brassi stood and snarled back. “Don’t talk to my mate with that tone!”
“Whoa!” Vivian stood, too. “I’m never leaving Brassi. Please don’t fight.” She glanced at them, then the others. “There’s a lot we need to learn about each other. I accept Veslor mating rules and swear to never leave Brassi. I’m with him for life.”
“It’s not a rule.” Vassi spoke quietly. “We mate for life, but if our mate dies or leaves, we give up living…or wish we had.” He glanced at Nessel, then gave Vivian a telling look. “The males change inside. Lose their heart if they survive the loss of a mate.”
Vivian sat down. “I see.” She looked at Nessel, feeling sad for him, pretty sure Vassi was trying to convey that’s what had happened to his friend. S
he totally understood his worry for Brassi if that was true. “I’m never going to leave Brassi. I promise, Nessel.”
He sat, appearing calmer. “Good.”
They resumed eating after the spilled drink was cleaned up by Yoniv, the silence unnerving. She took a sip of her drink and cleared her throat. “Is there anything you want to know about humans?”
“You don’t want to offer that,” Brassi warned. “They will ask about copulating. Your face turns pink sometimes with me, and I’m your mate.”
She laughed. “True, but I’m sure they’re curious. I became a cultural specialist because of my curiosity about other races. Now I’m living on your ship. I’m sure there’re things they’d like to know about me and my kind. It’s okay. This is how we can learn about each other. Part of my alien studies had some anatomy lessons that I found fascinating. For instance, the Crezzi have a ball-like penis that pushes out of their lower stomachs, where it’s usually hidden until breeding. They don’t just ejaculate their sperm—um…seed—from one hole, but a dozen of them on the rounded surface of their sex organ. And the Bri have two penises that look like twisted rods. I can talk about this stuff.”
Brassi shot a warning look at his males. “Keep it polite.” Then he waved his hand, as if they could start.
Kavs was first. “How do your females let a male know if they want to copulate?”
“See?” Brassi sighed.
She just smiled and took a deep breath. “We flirt and then date.” She went on to explain further, and their reactions had her laughing. They were mostly horrified.
It was a pleasant meal after that. She liked answering their questions, even if some of them were very personal, including about her own body parts and explaining human male anatomy.
When they finished eating, they moved to couches around the room, just hanging out together. Brassi stayed at her side, holding her hand the entire time.
“You should make detailed announcements to share with our males,” Ruggler suggested.
Vivian cocked her head. “Announcements?”
“Written documents for them to read. Many males will be curious once they learn Brassi mated an Earthling female. Especially undesirable ones like us, who have little chance of finding a mate of our own kind.”
That confused her. “Undesirable?”
“Females want to stay with their own groupings on our home world. They don’t like to live on ships.” He motioned around the room. “Space travel is not an interest to them. Any male who doesn’t live on a planet full time is undesirable as a mate. But you give us hope we can still find mates. You’re copulation compatible with Brassi.”
Kavs vigorously nodded. “Our females also don’t prefer males with groupings this large. They like to bring those males into their female groupings. At six, we stand no chance.”
“What does that matter?”
The males glanced at each other. Was there something Brassi hadn’t told her about becoming his mate?
A horrible suspicion built…and she felt the blood drain from her face. She stared at Brassi.
Did groupings mean they shared their females with the other men?
That wasn’t going to happen. No way, no how, would she ever let them pass her around.
Brassi frowned, watching her. “What’s wrong?”
“Why do your females not like male groupings?”
Ruggler touched her leg and she jumped, jerking away.
He frowned, letting her go. “It’s the living situation. Groupings stay together. We share this ship, and it’s not large. We’d have to buy a larger ship if each of our mates had groupings, to fit them here—if they consented to live on a ship at all. Smaller groupings are better when mating. On our planet, it would mean building onto their homes to make room for more to live together. It can get expensive. You look frightened, Vivian. Why?”
Brassi’s eyes narrowed…and then he growled. “We don’t share mates. Is that what you thought?”
She relaxed. “Maybe. How did you guess?”
“You were looking at my males with fear and flinched when Ruggler gained your attention with touch. I’d kill one of them if they tried to copulate with you. Our females just don’t like having to live with dozens of people in their homes. It can get that way quickly, once the mates breed cubs. Some homes have over fifty living together.”
She snuggled against him. “Sorry. We have a lot to learn about each other still. No offense to anyone, but I’m glad to hear I’m just yours.” She gave the other guys a shrug. “Most humans, at least this one, are into being with just one person. Not, um, groups for having sex.”
Nessel let out one of his already familiar low growls. “She’ll want you to herself, then—and ask you to leave us.”
Vivian met his gaze. “No. I understand. We’re a family and will live together. I’m fine with that. When each of you finds a mate, it will mean I have females to make friends with. Humans just tend to come alone if you mate with one of them. No groupings to find rooms for.”
Nessel snorted. “Now she will urge us all to mate with her kind. I’m not taking one.”
Kavs chuckled. “Her females will be grateful for that.”
* * * * *
Brassi was glad Vivian had been accepted by his males. Only Nessel had any problems with their mating, but that particular male worried about everything.
He took Vivian to their quarters and sealed them inside. She turned to him. He spoke first. “I should have explained groupings to you. I’m sorry. It’s just how it’s always been for us. I didn’t consider how you’d feel, knowing the males on this ship are with us for life.”
“I think it’s great, Brassi.”
“Even Nessel?”
She smiled. “He’s a bit paranoid.”
“He’s had a hard life.”
She pulled him by his hand to the couch and sat. “Tell me about him. I mean, if you can. I’d like to understand.”
“His parents died when he was young. There was a storm while they were traveling. He was too young to go and remained with the rest of their grouping. Their deaths left him unhappy and desolate, and his grouping began to reject him for not being a playful cub. We lived close to his grouping, and saw him alone often.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “How old was he?”
His mate was sensitive and caring. He liked that. “Three years. We drew him to us and made him one of ours. He wasn’t playful but we included him in everything. He put up with us.” He smiled at the memory of Nessel scowling at them all the time, refusing to play games, but he always stayed close. “By four, he had moved in with us. There was a female, though, from his first grouping, who he felt strong emotions for. He watched her from afar, always.”
“His mate?”
Brassi touched his chest, and then his head. “In here, and here, but she wasn’t interested in him. She never approached him when we grew older. Instead, she mated to someone else. He was deeply hurt. We thought we’d lose him. He didn’t want to eat. Sometimes we’d make him.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Literally?”
He chuckled. “Yes. We pinned him and wouldn’t let him up until he ate. He got angry about that but it worked. Then we decided to become traders. It saved him from seeing the female with her mate every day, once we left our home world. We hoped he’d grow better. And he did.” He hesitated. “I worry about how he’ll take it, now that I’m mated. So far it’s just been us males.”
“Maybe we can find him a mate.”
Brassi leaned closer to her and pressed a kiss on her lips. “You are a sweet one, Vivian. But no female would want to mate with him. He’s grumpy and not pleasant. We make stops at our growing colonies often to pick up trading supplies. Some females there are unmated and will copulate with him. That’s enough.”
“Maybe one of them will want to mate someday.”
He shook his head. “They have large groupings and don’t want to leave their home planet. Our females really don’t like t
raveling, and I’d worry if he ever left us. We look out for him. I don’t think any other grouping would accept him. Males like us are only for copulating with. A temporary experience.”
“Oh.” She frowned.
“What is it?”
“Do you copulate with a lot of females?”
He hid a smile. His female was jealous. “You’re it for me for life, Vivian. The only female I want to touch. Forget my past. I already have. You are my future.”
“We haven’t really talked about that stuff. Do you have any cubs? I should have asked that.”
He shook his head. “Only mated couples have cubs.”
“It never happens by accident?”
“No. Does that happen with humans if they aren’t married?”
“All the time.”
He was stunned.
She nodded. “We ovulate every month and can get pregnant if we don’t use protection.”
“What is that?”
“Protection? There are shots we take to avoid getting pregnant. Without them, our men can impregnate any female who is ovulating. Married or not.”
“Are you on protection?”
She grinned. “No. I’m not on the shot. I wasn’t dating anyone. No copulation for a long while.”
He nodded. “Did you copulate often?”
She shook her head. “No. I grew up on the Gorison Traveler. Most of the guys assigned there aren’t looking to get married. They just want to hook up with as many women as possible. Man whores aren’t my thing.”
“Man whores?”
She hesitated. “Guys who have sex with a lot of women, sometimes just to see how many they can get into bed. It means nothing to them. It’s about numbers, not emotion. I had a few of them come after me because it was a big ‘fuck you’ to my dad. At least, I guessed that was their motivation. He was their boss. I didn’t want to be a way for them to retaliate against him for whatever slight they felt he’d given them during work. It wasn’t until I went to Earth that I felt any guys were interested in me for the right reasons, and had sex.”
“Your people are strange.”
“Yes. They can be.”
“I should ask you if you’ve had cubs, since your kind can have them without being mated.” He definitely felt jealousy. Had a male given her a cub when Brassi couldn’t?