to keep her in line when her head gets a little too big. I stay in their spare room now.” Yenni wiggled her eyebrows.
Senri snorted. Mave tried her best to keep a straight face as Allaina’s blush began to match her eyes.
“You’re not in my mayara,” Allaina reminded her female lover, the big warrior too flirtatious for her own good.
“Yet,” Yenni fired back.
“Well, I’m really happy for both of you,” Mave said politely, standing. She brushed the dirt off her pants, then held out a hand to help up Yenni. “And I’ll be more careful with you now that someone expects you to come home unbroken.”
“Ah, damn. I guess I can’t have it both ways, can I?” Yenni laughed as Mave pulled her up. “I can’t have the jaw-dropping mativa and flirt with the Champion.”
“No, you cannot,” Allaina said, a tense note coming through. “You should ask about Matesh one day. Mave and I have competed before, and I lost before I could even reenter the race. I’m not going to make that mistake again. So, no, please do not flirt with the Champion.”
“Ahhh.” Yenni’s eyes went big as she looked between Mave and Allaina.
“Let’s not,” Mave said, shaking her head. “Let’s not go there. Let’s just enjoy that we’re friends now, and you have three amazing husbands and Yenni.”
“I do,” Allaina agreed, smiling. “I…Sorry. I shouldn’t have inferred that you would try to take Yenni.”
“Or that I would pick the Champion over you,” Yenni said softly, walking closer to the mativa.
“You’re right,” Allaina said softly, tilting up so Yenni could kiss her. It was a sweet, romantic thing.
“Save me from the lovebirds,” Senri said blandly behind them.
“Are they always like this?” Mave pointed as she walked past them.
“Hmm.” Senri only smiled indulgently. “They don’t display their affection in front of the village because ahins are more frowned upon than bedins. This is a safe place for them, and it’s away from Allaina’s husbands, who have no problem, but do sometimes compete for time.”
“Well, if you two ever need a place to stay, I still have a spare room,” Mave offered, looking back at the lovers as she righted her chair and sat back down.
“It’s a breeding thing, and it’s not common that anyone has a problem,” Yenni said with a snort, fixing her own chair once Allaina let her go. “They’re not going to be mad at Allaina because she has husbands and could have children with them. They’ll be mad at me for not letting them breed me.” Yenni’s growl at the end was soul-wrenching. “In my lifetime, I’ve probably met ten Andinna who were vocal. Others just give me strange looks. It goes against Andinna instincts, and I get it. It gets frustrating to deal with, so we prefer to keep our new relationship quiet.”
“But no one cares about Alchan and Rain,” Mave pointed out.
“No one cares about Rain’s side of the relationship and being a bedin,” Senri corrected. “A good many people care about Alchan.”
Mave sighed. “Because he carries the royal bloodline.” She should have known. “Has anyone given him problems yet?”
“Leria sent a particularly pointed letter I read,” Allaina said softly. “I got pissed, then showed Alchan. She’s fine with him having a male lover but believes he needs to focus on finding a female and having a child, especially with a new war. We had a healthy and strong royal family before the last war. A queen, three female heirs, and two male heirs. We ended that war with only one remaining member, and he’s leading an army and has been risking his life for a thousand years. He’s also already nearly nineteen hundred years old. He should have a child by now.” Allaina picked up the thrown glasses and refilled them. Mave took hers as Allaina sighed.
“Even though the situation is pressing, I don’t believe anyone has the right to meddle in Alchan’s affairs. He’s the king. If anyone truly understands his burden, it’s him. On top of that, I am his mativa, the leader of the community around him. I don’t need or want Leria deciding she can enforce her opinions on my people,” Allaina growled.
The conversation turned, no one wanting to continue discussing Alchan’s sex life. Mave watched Yenni and Allaina closely, seeing how Yenni fell into a more male position and did things Mave’s husbands often did for her, like refilling her glass while she wasn’t watching.