Page 28 of My Big Scaly Alien Naga
“What kind of food is this?”my mate asked.“It smells kind of fishy.”
“I cannot fully read the label, it is not written in Intergalactic Standard.Maybe it is a dialect the early game makers spoke.If I’m not mistaken, this word means ‘avian’.But I could be entirely wrong.Does it matter?”
She gave the pouch a sniff.“I suppose not.It’s edible for me, right?It won’t poison me?”
No, but I might.
I cleared my throat.“No, it won’t.But before we eat, I have to ask your permission to…” I sighed.She was going to get scared.But this could save her life.I had to.
I slowly extended my fangs to their full length, watching her closely.“Nagas are venomous.The venom contained in my fangs can kill.”
She did not look scared, only curious.“Could you kill the monster that chased me?”
“A prondu?Unlikely.But my venom would hurt, maybe even paralyse.It would be enough to give me the time to get away.That’s more important than killing the beast.It is not evil by nature.Only hungry.”
Clare grimaced.“It looked very hungry.”
“The game makers would have made sure that it was.It looks better on camera if the monsters are crazed with hunger, taking risks they wouldn’t otherwise.But going back to my fangs.The venom in them might not be enough to kill a prondu, but it would be lethal to you.Not that I would ever hurt you.Never.”
“Then what is the problem?”
“I know I said I would not talk about it again, but it is important.A naga’s venom has healing properties for one person only: their mate.We don’t know what we will face out there tomorrow, or in the days to come.I want to be able to help you should you get injured.”
She cocked her head to the side, her gaze fixed on my fangs.“Do you want my permission to bite me in an emergency?”
“Yes, but that is not all.If I bit you now, it would kill you.Your body needs to get used to my venom first.It will be enough for me to add two drops to your food.You might feel a little queasy afterwards, but having a full stomach should help.And I… I will need to drink your blood.”
Now she looked a little scared.“Please don’t tell me you’re a vampire?”
“What’s that?”
“Bloodsuckers that can turn into bats.Well, it depends on which story you read.Dracula is very different from Edward.Anyway.Are you a vampire?”
“I can assure you that I am a not.All I need is a drop of your blood so that my body can change the venom’s toxicity into something that is no longer lethal to you.I suppose it’s like I’m teaching my venom that you are my mate and that you are not to be harmed.”
“Only one drop?”She seemed relieved.
“I promise.I will prick your finger and you shall hold it over my mouth.I cannot mix your blood with my food like we will do with my venom.It has to be fresh.”
“You are a vampire,” she muttered, but it was light-hearted, not with fear.“Are there any other side effects I should know about?”
“Nobody has ever done this with a Peritan,” I admitted.“But we are mates, Glycon be praised.We are destined to be together.You will not-“
She held a finger to her lips.I stopped talking, even though I wasn’t sure what she was doing.Was she about to bite her finger to provide me with her blood?
I pulled the axe from beneath my blankets.“Do not bite yourself.We shall use the axe.”
Clare gave it a doubtful look.“I wasn’t about to bite my finger.That gesture was meant for you to shut up.You were talking mates again.You really have to stop doing that.”
I wanted to argue.Tell her that we were mates.That this was real.She had to feel it.Surely, she felt it in her heart, in her soul.We were meant to be together.Now and forever.It didn’t matter that we were different species, coming together in the deadliest place in the galaxy.None of it mattered.She was my mate.
“If we’re using the axe, then I’m going to do it myself,” she said.Before I could stop her, she’d pressed her left thumb to the blade, nicking her skin.I could smell her blood immediately.It was sweet, so very sweet, like ripe fruit on a summer’s day.
I made myself smaller and bent my head back, exposing my throat.If she’d been a naga, she knew that I would only show such vulnerability in the presence of my mate or my parents.I opened my mouth, my fangs still extended, and waited for the drop of her lifeblood.
I felt a little self-conscious.Until now, I had tried to keep my forked tongue out of sight.There were many species across the universe who saw it as a symbol of evil – not that I'd ever understood why.But nagas were generally misunderstood, so it shouldn't have surprised me.We were seen as tricksters, criminals, the worst of the worst.I was glad that my mate had grown up on a backwater planet where she wouldn't have been exposed to such rumours.
The moment the drop of blood hit my tongue, bolts of electricity raced all across my body, down to the very tip of my tail.I gasped for air, taken aback by the severity of the reaction, before I managed to pull back control.I closed my eyes for a moment to enjoy the feeling of bliss now spreading through me.The blood tasted of iron and commitment, a promise of bonds too strong to break.I swallowed it, savouring the taste, then looked at my mate with a smile.
