The Breeding Prize - Aya Morningstar Page 0,15

spoon for stirring soups and tasting silly little treats?”

Kula brings his knee up. I wasn’t 100% clear on Valittu anatomy, but judging from the way Raiska’s face looks as Kula’s knee slams between his legs, he definitely has balls that are about as vulnerable as a human’s.

Raiska rolls off the counter and lands flat on his back.

Kula grins and stands, towering over Raiska. He reaches out a hand, and Raiska takes it. Their big forearms bulge as they finally shake hands. They butt their heads together until their horns lock.

“I don’t forgive you,” Kula says. “But I will help you protect your mate.”

“I’m not his mate,” I say.

My voice cuts through the silence of the kitchen. One of the cooks clears her throat.

Raiska looks over to me. “You are not. Still, I will protect you as if you were.”

Kula nods and snaps his fingers. “Yufia! You will run the kitchen today.”

He undoes his apron and throws it into a drawer.

He cocks his head toward us, and we follow him.

He takes us into the dining room, and we’re given a table. A waitress brings us several different items, and that’s when I first realize just how starving I am. I didn’t eat on my lunch break, and then an alien battle erupted out in the library before I could even have a snack. My missed lunch was only a few hours ago, but it’s felt like days. I’ve been almost entirely in flight-or-fight mode ever since I realized Raiska was an alien, and my body is completely drained, and my stomach painfully empty.

Kula introduces us to each dish. It’s clear he’s very proud of his creations, and as I start trying everything, I’m certain that it’s not just my hunger making everything taste so good.

“It’s silly,” Raiska says, crossing his arms. “You could simply synthesize everything. Instead you and all these people waste your lives with primitive cooking as if you lived on some backwater.”

“I think this tastes great,” I say, taking a big bite of something that tastes a lot like cheese, but somehow much better than cheese. It even squeaks as I bite into it.

Raiska crosses his arms. “Because you’re from a backwater, little human.”

I roll my eyes at Raiska and take a sip of this pink drink that is like liquid happiness. It probably actually has some kind of drug in it that is liquid happiness.

“Tell me about the Breeding Games,” Kula says.

Raiska does his best to explain. He talks about the little goblin aliens, the guy with the nanoswarm that died, and the golden-skinned one that really likes cheese steaks.

Kula nods as Raiska speaks, as if this is all just normal stuff that isn’t at all surprising.

When Raiska finishes, Kula looks at me, and then back at Raiska. “I, um, Annabelle, my Muru is a human woman as well. I understand human culture and customs much better than my barbarian of a half-brother. Still, I am Aparan, and what I am going to suggest is likely to offend you. I think it would be quite rude of me to ask you to leave, but saying my suggestion in front of you will also be rude. I don’t see a way to move forward without giving you a poor first impression of me, so I’ll apologize in advance, and ask you what you’d like to do.”

Raiska lets out the most exasperated sigh I’ve ever heard. “She can hear what you have to say.”

I nod. “You won’t offend me, Kula. I realize this is a dire situation, and I don’t need you to walk on eggshells around me.”

Kula frowns, and takes several moments to collect his thoughts.

Finally he speaks. “Strategically, the answer to your situation is very clear. You could stand your ground here and wait for the others to come for the fertilze pr—for Annabelle. I could fight with you and help to even the odds, but we could still easily be caught off guard. Fighting while keeping Annabelle safe is a tactical disadvantage and—”

“Don’t lecture me on strategy,” Raiska says, pounding a fist on the table. “I have defeated fiercer foes than you.”

Kula rolls his eyes. “So you get it. It’s not advisable to stand and fight. The winner of the Breeding Games is decided by whoever’s seed is strongest. Whoever gets Annabelle pregnant wins, and the Ulkar will exterminate the losers. If you simply bond her as your mate, and fill her with your child, the Ulkar will do the dirty work for you. The other