Page 32 of The Royal's Bumblebee
“I hate that word.” He tenses. “It’s unquantifiable. People say ‘soon’ to be reassuring, but what’s reassuring about an unknown amount of time? Do you mean 5 minutes? 10? 30? 100? What’s the point of saying soon? It’s not reassuring. It’s unsettling.”
“Billie I’m sorry I was trying to—”
“I want to go now.” It’s too noisy in here, even with my ear defenders on. There are so many Ucfeni on the upper platform now. An Eryan with dark brown scales and a Naltik with vivid yellow and black markings are waiting on the other side of the platform.
“Billie we can’t.” I released his hand and he released a broken breath like I’d struck him. “Please. I am here. Would you like to hide in my coil? Billie?” I back up from him. I want to go home. I turn my head from side to side and feel like the world is getting too big and too small all at once. My heart is racing and try to focus on counting as I tap my middle fingers. I already feel cold, missing the heat of his hands. They are reaching for me and he’s turned his back on the festival hall. On the rest of the Ucfeni on the stage. “What do you need?” He speaks softly to me. So softly. He lowers down on his tail and flattens his hood. “I am your Mountain. I am here.” I swallow thickly and I nod. I know he’s here. I want to be here with him, but I want to go as well. I don’t want to let him down by fleeing, but I want to go back to our home. Not on my own, though. I want Izule to come with me.
“What’s wrong with your little human?” The heavily pregnant Ucfeni moved too close to me. She was behind me and blocking off my exit.
“Nothing is wrong with her.” Izule defended me and his tail coiled around me to bring me closer. “Billie.” I turn and look at his chest, seeing him right there, and with no other escape, I throw myself at him. He lifts me up in his arms, ready to carry me away, and I wish he would. “Thank you.” He whispers to me, resting his chin on my head and…I relaxed. Not completely, but this was helping. Curled up in his arms with my eyes shut, my arms around his neck under his hood, and my trust in my Mountain. I shut down. I put all of my trust in Izule and braced myself. “We will leave the first moment we can. I promise you that we will not remain a second more.” I believe him. “I am moving us back from the ledge. The Rapali are approaching.” I focused on the sound of his deep voice like an anchor. The sensation of it vibrating through his chest and leather collar against my cheek. The musky smell of him. “Is this helping?” I manage to nod, so he continued to give me a commentary. “We are near the back wall now. The Rapali party have joined us on the upper platform.” I try to imagine it. The Rapali have strange hoods and bright colours, so I’m glad my eyes are shut. “Move on.” He dropped his voice and I realised he wasn’t talking to me.
“Why should I?” A woman with a husky voice sang and I didn’t like the sound of her. Or how close she sounded. “I have come to scent any worthy Royal males Orna has to offer.” I realise that this must be Zassa. The Rapali princess with a purple hood and underbelly. “You’re big.” I bristled. I didn’t like the way she said that. Izule is big, but she’s not allowed to notice. Not like that. I sit up in his arms and turn my head towards this woman. She’s come to scent Izule. No. No she can’t do that. He’s my boyfriend. I think. Kind of. “Why don’t you put that little human down so I can—”
“H-he’s mine.” I open my eyes and flinch at the vivid appearance of Zassa. I blink a few times as I struggle to look in one place. Her hood tendrils keep moving and distracting me. “Izule is mine.”
“I am.” Izule puffs his chest out against me and I purse my lips together. I know I’m probably not that impressive or intimidating to this powerful Rapali Ucfeni, but she can’t have him.
“You have allowed this female to claim you?” She sneers at me and her damn tendrils keep moving. “This small little thing?”
“Yes he has.” I snap. I really want her snakey hair to stay still. She snickers in her throat and I glare through my glasses at her smirking mouth. “If Hannah was here, she would call you a bitch.” She would. She may even call her the C word, and we both don’t like that word. That’s how much I wanted this woman to go away. Izule is my boy-snake-friend.
“What’s one of those?” Oh. The Ucfeni must not use that word, or have a word for a female dog. Perhaps there are no dogs on Thelia?
“Y-you are one.” I caught movement to one side, and caught Szelor staring at her. “Like him.” I point quickly and hurry my hand back to the safety of Izule’s neck.
“Like who?” Zassa turned to look across and spotted Szelor. His hood flattened and his eyes widened as she locked him in her sights. “Who is that?”
“My brother Szelor.” Izule smirked. What was funny? “Billie is right. He’s abitchas well. Why not scent him? He is unclaimed?”
“Perhaps I will.” She slithered off towards Szelor and my vision became way too bright and filled with way too much movement. I turned my head back towards his hood, and smiled when I stared at the plain brown circle on the right side of his hood.
“Ah?” He chuckled and his chin affectionately nudged at my head, tousling my brown bob. He starts chuckling and I hear a lot of laughter and movement around us, but I don’t look away from his hood.
“What’s happening?”
“Oh? Zassa is chasing Szelor down.” More laughter and Izule chuckled deep in his chest. “He might not forgive us for that.”
“For what?”
“Zassa just claimed him.”
“Good.” Surely two mean people deserve each other? “Can we go yet?” I whisper and look up at his mouth. “I want to go home.” He opened his mouth to answer me. “Say ‘soon’ and I will scream.” He shuts his mouth and shrugs with me in his arms.
“Ah, and now my sister’s turn with the Rapali Hunter…no. Not a scent match. He looks more pleased than she does.” Izule whispered to me and I smiled. Does this mean this will be over soon? I really hope so.
“You’re not wrong.” An Ucfeni I haven’t heard yet speaks and he sounds like I do when I’m struggling. “I did not come to be scented any another. I have come to ask for your assistance, because I have scented the woman I wish to claim me, and suffer the madness.”
“Truly?” Izule seems surprised. I almost look over out of curiosity. Instead, I look at his face and see his expression is shocked.
“Yes.” The Ucfeni continues. “I have scented her and I can think of nothing else. She is within one of the alien compounds and will not come out. I have engaged her in conversation and tried to convince her not to keep a fence between us, but she will not come into the Jungle. She will not come to me, and I need her.”
“As you can see my son has the madness. He is consumed by it.” The Rapali Chieftain sighed.
“And why do you think I can help?” Xulei countered.
“Because you are allied with the aliens. Your youngest is cradling one to his chest like a youngling. They will listen to you.”
“I’m not a youngling.” I mumble and Izule’s tongue flicks at my cheek.
