Page 2 of Simon

Shifters, who were predominantly in the Cerulean Moon Kingdom, were very warm-blooded. Even though I was a good three feet away from his massive body, I could still feel the heat radiating off of him. I tried to look him in his eyes. It was like he was wanting attention, perhaps demanding. I wasn’t sure, but he kept looking me up and down.

I gazed around his body, seeing my father with his cane coming in my direction, along with the king and queen.Please hurry and get here.

“Lucy. Is it alright if I call you that?” I peered up at Dutton, seeing him stand above me. His darker hair, wet from sweat, fell onto his forehead. That crooked smile was still on his face. He was handsome, I’d give him that, but he wasn’t anything that lit my world on fire.

No man ever could. I was starting to think I was broken. I’d just never had a feeling or desire for anyone in particular. I’ve tried to look it up, of course. The scientist in me wanted to make sure my body wasn’t broken. The results were… inconclusive.

My face went pink again.Kitty whiskers! I hope he didn’t think I liked him or anything.

“L-Lucy is fine. We will travel for six weeks, right? Miss won’t be required.” I nervously chuckled and stood up straight to step away.

Six weeks. It would be the longest I had ever been away from my father. Before this, I’d only been away from him for four days, when I came down with dengue fever. Even that didn’t really count because I was asleep and he was at my side, but that was beside the point.

Dutton rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, we will be. The other warriors are excited. The females especially. They want to know all about your travels on Earth. One wants to explore there once this expedition is over.”

I nodded, and my ears perked up. “Yeah, do they like science and discovering new species, too?”

Dutton threw out a boisterous laugh. “No, she is looking for her mate. She is nearly thirty. They get antsy, you know? She thinks she will find them on Earth.”

Right, the mate thing. Thesoul matesidea that I found absolutely intriguing.This realm seemed to revolve their whole lives around the notion that a soul was not complete unless they found their other half.

Some humans talked about soul mates on Earth. Finding the perfect person who complimented you in every way. In Bergarian, there was a common belief that was centered upon a Moon Goddess who gifted each person a soul mate. I was still trying to understand this religion, but it was hard for my mind to grasp. Father taught me to be more scientific. He raised me to see how things were and how things worked.

The study of religious cultures never tickled my fancy. I was very hands-on, I loved to touch and feel what I was studying. The thought of a higher form was hard for me to grasp, but I knew they were important.

Here, this Moon Goddess was prevalent. More than that I even realized, and I would need to study it further while I was on the trek to the Monktona Woods.

“There you are!” I heard my father call around the wall, I mean Dutton, who was still standing in front of me.

My father, a shorter man of just five foot five, a head full of white hair and an equally white mustache, approached. “You are too close to her. Back away.” Father took his cane to separate Dutton and me.

Dutton put his hands up in surrender and smiled. “Professor Watts, I meant no disrespect.”

My father huffed in annoyance and held his arm out for me. I was taller than him by at least four inches. I let him lead me away, relieved to be away from the source of my anxiety. “Perhaps I should go, too. I don’t know if I trust some of these men that are going to be around you.”

“Father, it’s going to be alright. They won’t lay a hand on me. Besides, I took those self-defense courses you wanted, and the king and queen trust these warriors the most.”

The queen, a short, petite woman who looked much younger than me, pranced over with her tall, imposing husband—mate. “Trust me, none of them will harm you. They know what consentis.” She raised a brow over at Dutton, who bowed with one arm over his chest.

My father bristled and shook his head. “I don’t…”

“Father, I don’t plan on consenting, but even if I did, it would be my decision.” I stood up straight and held my notebook closer to my chest.

The people here do date, but it was never for the long term, and I wasn’t one for a one-night stand. I had never even been on a date, never had the desire nor interest, and that made my father all the more happy.

“No one is good enough for my daughter,”he would say.

“There, you see. She has a backbone.” Dutton chuckled and stalked off back toward the wagon. My father bristled. He took a step to try and catch up with Dutton, all the while, having to use his cane for support. I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back toward me.

“Father, I will be fine. It was a joke.”

The light that was filtering through the branches of the trees was suddenly blocked, and when I turned my head, a large male stood beside us. The king was large. His forearms, covered in tattoos, were crossed over his bulging chest, making his tunic stretch so much it was in danger of ripping to pieces.

“I will speak with him,” the king, known as Kane, said. “He, nor anyone else, will cause you problems.” He walked past us, and I wanted to stop him, but Queen Clara put her hand on my forearm.

“Let him boss someone around.” She sighed as she stared off, looking at his backside. “He is practicing his daddy skills now that he has a daughter. He will make sure that Dutton and the other warriors leave you alone. This is strictly business.”

I bit my lip. “I don’t want to cause trouble or have people hate me. I don’t want…”

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