Page 14 of Songbird
I made it to her side in a few steps, nodding my head in greeting as words... and breath seemed to leave me. Gods and goddess, she was so beautiful.
“Hi!” Izzy offered, her smile brightening. But the hand she lifted to give me an adorable wave trembled slightly. Could it be possible she felt nervous, too?
“You look beautiful.” I noticed the interested glances of patrons standing in line to enterSpace Pearlsand others milling about the street. I should have shouted to further our ruse, but I kept my voice low, wanting my words only for her ears.
“Thank you.” Izzy’s face flushed with color, and her gaze darkened as it swept over me. “You look pretty good yourself.”
“Shall we go?” I offered my arm, feeling a surge of pride as her hand came to rest in the crook of my elbow. Shesmelled sweet, like those cakes Priemba fancied, but with a spicy undertone that made my blood heat.
As we strolled away from the restaurant, a sense of contentment washed over me. Her presence by my side, her arm linked with mine, felt as effortless and natural as breathing. Treating her as my mate would require no acting or false pretenses. It was simply how she deserved to be treated... how I wanted to treat her. The streetlights cast a romantic glow upon our path, and the soft sound of our footsteps mingled with the distant hum of space station life. The night was alive with possibility, and I couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else in the universe but right here, with her.
“So, where are we going tonight?” Izzy asked as we strode along the corridor.
“I thought we’d have dinner atNebula,” I said, the word itself sounding like a distant galaxy, and watched Izzy’s eyes widen in surprise. The restaurant was situated in the upper tier of the space station, accessible only to those with exclusive invitations or high status. With a glass ceiling, twinkling stars and colorful quarks that seemed close enough to touch, the restaurant imparted the sensation that patrons dined amongst the cosmos themselves.
“I’m impressed,” Izzy said on the heels of a laugh.
“The food atNebulaisn’t as good asSpace Pearl’s, in my opinion, but it’s a very romantic setting, and our dining together there will cause much speculation.” I led her past the lift tube that would have delivered us toNebulain seconds, instead choosing the pathway that would do a loop around our current level before gradually ascending. “This direction will take us by a known Berajbe haunt.”
“It’s all about being seen together,” Izzy sighed in resignation.
“Yes,” I agreed. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and quickly noticed that no one else seemed to be able to, either.
As the day drew to a close, the bustling corridor thinned somewhat, still teeming with creatures making their way home after a long day’s work or heading out for some evening entertainment. The air was thick with the tantalizing aroma of food from nearby restaurants, highlighted every now and again by the whiff of perfume from the beings that passed us by. The dull roar of conversations and footsteps echoed, creating a soundtrack to the chaotic energy of the crowd. Each step brought a fresh sight or sound—the flash of colorful advertisements, the clanging of street performers’ instruments, the occasional burst of laughter or argument. It was a vibrant world within these walls, filled with life and movement.
Izzy noticed the stares from those we passed, her cheeks taking on a fetching pink hue. Most of the glances held surprised curiosity. Jala was right. My reputation as a playboy preceded me. But amidst the curious and judgmental, there were some that held a softer gaze, filled with wonder and pleasure at the outward indication that my wayward days were over and perhaps I had finally found a mate.
“So, tell me about the Berajbe.” Izzy’s eyes darted to and fro as if trying to ferret them out from the crowd.
I gently placed my hand over the delicate fingers she had tucked at my elbow. Her skin felt like velvet, radiating a comforting warmth that seeped into my own. The minuscule hairs on the back of her hand tickled my palm, and I couldn’t help but imagine a faint electrical response to our touch. It was as if an invisible current flowed between us, connecting us in a way that defied explanation. My heart fluttered at the thought, and my tail... after tonight, I might have to cut the damn thing off.
“The Berajbe are a species from the Gliese system,” I said as I pulled her toward the inner railing where our conversation would be more difficult to overhear. “Most are small and slender with pale lavender skin, small eyes, but very large ears. They are not warriors, nor is their technology up to par with the rest of the universe, but their ability to obtain and spread information is unmatched.”
“So, Jala was right. They’re a big bunch of gossips?” Izzy teased with a wry smile.
I laughed heartily, the sound drawing a gasp from an elderly Aljani female who had us in her sights.
“It’s more than just gossip. The information they control can destroy planets.”
“Goodness,” Izzy breathed, her eyes going wide.
“The Berajbe settlement here is only a small part of the greater whole. Their network spreads throughout the universe, in the court of every ruler, within every sector of government,” I explained.
“Better than Facebook,” Izzy mumbled with a twist of her perfect, full, rosy lips. While I would admit to being intrigued about a book made from a face, the sight of her luscious mouth took my mind in a completely different direction.
If she were another Stranac, our tails would knot together, only unraveling once we consummated our mating. Izzy was human, and despite my eldest brother’s mating with a human female, I had no idea how to proceed. “Since you have been in a similar situation before, as facial hair, what do we do? Just walk along and nuzzle?” I’d like to nuzzle her. I’d like to nuzzle her a lot. I’d even decided that I might like to try the Earth gesture of affection known as kissing. My brother Siemba and his human mate Dixa did it a lot, although the first time I saw them, I thought Siemba was trying to eat her face.
“Facial hair.” Izzy’s laugh was bright, albeit a little nervous. “Why don’t we just get to know each other a little bit before we start with the nuzzling?”
Disappointment crept through me at Izzy’s gentle refusal of the most common way Stranac showed affection. Yet, as I watched her, I noticed the way her free hand fidgeted about and how the pink of her cheeks deepened in shade. Within the next few days, we would have to mate fully and intimately to stand a chance of convincing the conciliator. Perhaps getting to know each other was the key to placing her at ease for what came next. While I suspected Jala was correct in that the Berajbe would have news of our mating spread throughout the galaxy by the next rotation, thankfully, they did not possess the olfactory senses to discern whether or not we had mated fully. They could only report what they saw. And while there were certain things we would have to do to sell the ruse of our mating, first and foremost, I wanted Izzy to feel comfortable and safe.
“What would you like to talk about?”
Izzy cut her gaze at me, one thin eyebrow arching suggestively. “You’re not really a playboy, are you?” She kept her voice low, the question for my ears alone.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, reflecting the pleased glimmer in her eyes as she noticed my reaction. Wishing to keep our conversation away from prying ears, I deftly maneuvered through the bustling crowd, eventually guiding us toward a secluded spot by the inner wall. From our vantage point, we could see the sprawling gardens of the space station below us, bursting with an array of brilliant colors and exotic plants from every corner of the universe. The air here was sweeter, thick with the scent of exotic vegetation and her own feminine, spicy scent.
“Truth?” I asked. While my playboy persona was a bit much to take, my real life could be even more so.
