Page 28 of The Arabis Triad

He frowned as he regarded her. Her eyes were open and clear. She was sincere in her question.

“You have nothing to doubt.” He ran his fingers along her hair, reveling in the silky feel. “The Fates do not get Quads wrong.”

She sighed, her hand dropping from his forearm. “Things go wrong all the time, Coltan. I don’t want you to make a mistake. Any of you. I’ve seen it too many times not to be concerned with this fate talk.”

He lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. He didn’t want her to justify any of her concerns. This was a tender moment, one in which they all needed to show her how much they cherished her so that she would have no more concerns.

“There is nothing to get wrong,” he said. “On our world, once a Quad forms, it is perfect and lasts for a lifetime.”

A sad smile twisted her luscious mouth. Even her eyes went dull. “It sounds too good to be true. You’ve obviously not been to Earth.”

“What has happened to you to make you feel this way?” he said.

Her face lost all expression, forming into a well-practiced clear slate. “Nothing has been done, Coltan. We just don’t have mates or Fates or anything similar on Earth. We have a saying—if things are too good to be true, they generally are. You have to understand this is difficult for me.”

He suspected that wasn’t the whole of it, but he also knew she had shut down. If he pressed, he would only succeed in driving her further away. They would get to the bottom of things. Now was the time to appeal to her human side and learn about each other.

“Would you like to go on a date?”

Her mouth curved with an amused smile. “Do you even know what that is?”

“No, but you will tell us. Come. Let me take you to your other mates and we will discuss this.”

“You really don’t have to do this, Coltan.”

“No. I do nothaveto do this, mate. Iwantto. That is the difference. First you will eat, and then we will talk about this date.” He lifted her slight form, loving the welcome weight of her in his arms, the subtle scent of the soap from her skin and just beneath that, her natural feminine fragrance. She put her arms about his neck. Her soft breasts brushed his chest and his cock went rigid as though there was a switch in his pants. He lifted her higher so she didn’t feel his shaft prodding her.

Paxt and Ashir stood as he carried Evelyn into the meal prep area. A banquet had been laid out on the bench. Evelyn placed a hand over her stomach, but he still heard it rumble.

Paxt sat and held his hands out to her. Coltan delivered her safely into his brother’s lap.

“I can sit by myself,” she said. “—just like I can walk for myself, you know.”

Paxt chuckled, surprising Coltan. He sent his brother a look over Evelyn’s head. Paxt never made that sound.

“We know you are very capable, but we like caring for you,” Paxt said.

“I’m known to be an independent woman.” Her eyes grew wide as Ashir placed the dishes on the table in front of her. “Oh, my god. You eat burger and fries as well?”

Is that what that was? He had no idea what the foreign-looking food Ashir had prepared was.

“I got the recipe from the Ozar Triad’s mate, Riley. She said you would like this meal. She said she ate enough to feed an elephant when she found out we could fabricate it, if that makes any sense,” Ashir said.

Evelyn glanced up at Ashir, her eyes sharp. “Riley? She’s human? Do you know her last name?”

Ashir shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t. I can ask in our next communication with the Ozar, if you like.”

Evelyn nodded. “That would be great. Thank you.”

“Do you know this Riley?”

“I know of her name. I think she was one on a great long list of missing people I was investigating,” Evelyn said. She placed a thin, light yellow piece of food in her mouth and closed her eyes, before snatching more and eating them by the handful. “Oh, these aregood.”

Ashir puffed out his chest, looking far too pleased with himself. Colors flashed within the black swirls on his markings.

Coltan would ask for permission to speak to the Ozars’ mate to make her happy. He’d heard human females liked sweet meals that would make them happy as well. He mentally catalogued to make Evelyn something sweet that she would love just as much.

“Evelyn was telling me about a human custom called a date,” Coltan said to Ashir and Paxt.

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