relationship that mattered between them now. This was an althicar reporting to his superior regarding an extremely important mission. A mission that could affect the fate of their entire species.
“I’ve simply been performing my duties,” Zevris said. “I have information to pass on. There is a fragrance here that has had severe effects on me. Convallaria majalis, known in English as lily of the valley.”
“What effects?”
“Dramatically increased sexual drive and urges, to the point of being almost uncontrollable. I have never encountered so potent an aphrodisiac. After smelling it for no more than two or three minutes, I was forced to…deal with those urges for the better part of nearly two Earth days.”
Khelvar frowned. “I will pass the information on to our researchers. Is that why you look so weary?”
“In part. I have formed a mating bond with a human female,” Zevris said.
Khelvar’s eyes rounded, and the faintest smile touched his lips—more like the ghostly memory of a smile than a true change of expression. “And is there a child expected?”
“Not yet. We’ve been…working toward it.”
“This is excellent news, Zevris. You will need to keep me informed of the progress on that front.” The ultricar looked away, as though toward some other screen or source of information. “We’ll have to mobilize the extraction and medical teams that have been on standby. They’re going to want to monitor the vessel, and should she conceive, they’ll keep track of—”
“Khelvar, with all respect, she is not a vessel.”
The ultricar’s brows fell, and he swung his gaze back toward Zevris. “I understand you’ve bonded with this human, althicar, but as far as the Exthurizen is concerned, she is a vessel. The most important vessel in existence.”
“Have you formed a mating bond with a female, Khelvar?” Zevris demanded.
“You know I haven’t, Zevris, but that’s beside the point.”
“No, it is not. Until you have, you cannot truly understand. She is my mate. I know that there is data to be collected, but I will not allow her to be treated like a test subject.”
Khelvar’s features softened infinitesimally. “I mean you no disrespect, althicar. What you’ve managed may well be the hope we need for the survival of our race. But we cannot afford any attachment to this female. It’s too important that we know what’s possible so we may replicate it.”
“You knew when you sent us on this mission that we’d grow attached to the females we eventually bonded with, Khelvar. She is my lifemate. And her life is here on Earth, her place is here on Earth. She will not have it unreasonably disrupted, and she will not be taken from it. Nor will she be taken from me.”
The ultricar’s expression darkened. “It’s not your place to make demands, althicar.”
“It is, ultricar. And should it not be enough to know that it is possible? Forcing these females to become little more to us than wombs will only provoke their hatred, will only make them fight us. Should we not be treating them as our most treasured possessions rather than merely wombs? Let them make the choice to stay or go. After all my years of service, after all our years of friendship, after all I have done, you can allow me this much.”
Khelvar dropped his gaze, lifted a hand, and raked his claws over his cheek. Dexter made a barely audible whimper in response to the sound of Khelvar’s rasping claws.
“I cannot promise you anything, Zevris,” Khelvar said after a long while, “but I will do what I can.”
“I know you will, Khelvar. And you know that I will do what I can to keep her safe if I disagree with the response from Command.”
For several tense seconds, Zevris and Khelvar stared one another in the eye, neither blinking, neither speaking, neither wavering.
“Mind your comms,” Khelvar finally said, looking away. “I will be in touch soon.”
The hologram disappeared, plunging the room into sudden darkness that left Zevris blind for a moment.
Something thick and heavy sank in Zevris’s gut, and his chest was tight, making his breaths short. He’d never wanted it to come to this. He’d never intended to essentially threaten his commanding officer, his friend, his surrogate father—a threat that basically extended to his entire race. He was gambling the hope of his species on the safety and happiness of a single human female.
Dexter crawled across Zevris’s lap, planting the majority of his weight on the faloran, and leaned his head forward the lick Zevris’s hand.
Zevris smiled down at the dog and absently petted