“I’m sure they must be,” Ty said in his best diplomatic tone. “They seem…charming,” he added as Gruff and Isabel left their respective owners and went to sit on the back of the couch together. The two fluffy creatures hummed happily and began grooming each other with long pink and black tongues.
Lisa shook her head and sighed at Ty’s wary expression.
“There’s just no way to explain the significance of chewchies to someone who doesn’t have one of their own,” she said sadly. “I wish I could give you an dea of how much these little guys have changed our lives.”
Asher nodded seriously in agreement.
“The only change more significant would have to be our bonding,” he said, pulling Lisa tighter against him.
Lisa squeaked in mock protest and then giggled, rubbing herself against Asher rather provocatively, Ty though with some surprise. Such overt displays of sexual desire were usually kept for the sleeping chamber. But then he noticed that the two chewchies were doing more than grooming each other—much more by the look of it.
“A-hem.” He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Perhaps I should go.”
“You might have to,” Asher rumbled apologetically.
“Sorry about that.” Lisa giggled as she pressed even closer to her mate. “Once the chewchies get going, it’s kind of hard to say no.”
“We can talk more later—before you go,” Asher told him, but it was clear his attention wasn’t on Ty at all. He was nuzzling beneath Lisa’s chin and Ty saw the sharp points of his fangs skating dangerously along the vulnerable flesh of her throat. Clearly he was preparing to bite his bride, which would give her an instant orgasm.
If Ty wished to avoid seeing much more than he wanted to of his old friend’s new relationship, he needed to go now.
“That’s fine,” he said, getting up hastily. “Um, is there anything else I ought to know about the Chorkay before I leave?”
“Just that they all have blue skin and three eyes. Oh, and the women have three breasts and two vaginas,” Lisa volunteered and giggled. “Oh, Asher, don’t! Not yet, anyway…”
“They what?” Ty had exclaimed. But then, seeing that their love-making was imminent, he waved his hand to negate the question. “Never mind. I’m sure I’ll find out for myself. Thank you.”
And he had let himself out of their suite in a hurry, before he could see more than he’d already been subjected to.
Chapter Five
When he got out into the long curving metal hallway, Ty had shaken his head. The erotic love-play he’d witnessed at his old friend’s suite had bothered him. Not because he’d never seen its like before—erotic play in all its forms as well as the proper pleasuring of a female had been some of his earliest lessons at the slave station.
No, what bothered him was the fact that Asher, who was usually so professional and subdued, had acted in such a fashion in front of him. His old friend had changed—and not for the better, in Ty’s opinion. It wasn’t just that he had a bride and seemed deliriously happy to have her, when he and Ty had always used to scoff at the idea of getting bonded. It was the fact that he now apparently had a telepathic pet, which spoke into his mind and influenced his actions in a way that couldn’t be good for future missions.
This was a surprising and not-very-pleasing turn of events. Still, Ty felt he had learned some valuable lessons in the short time he spent with Asher and his new wife. First and foremost, he ought to be careful of the chewchies. Though it was clear he would need to be respectful, since they held such a high significance with the Chorkay, it would be better to avoid getting one himself.
The second thing he’d learned was much more welcome. The fact that the Chorkay looked so different from what he considered the norm should help him keep professional distance between himself and the new Potentate he was going to serve.
After all, there was no possible risk of him falling in love with a blue-skinned, three-eyed, three-breasted female with a bossy telepathic pet and two vaginas.
Right?
* * * * *
Except now, walking down the long hallway that led to the Grand Balcony with the Potentate in tow, Ty wasn’t quite so sure.
For one thing, Ellina was quite pretty—beautiful even—despite or maybe because of the third eye which rested in the center of her forehead, slightly above the other two, more normally placed ones. They were all the same rich, vibrant blue as her skin and hair—a lovely color which stood out, even in the ocean of blue and bluish-green shades of all the Chorkay people.
As for the three breasts and two vaginas, he hadn’t seen any evidence of those yet—not that he expected to, since she was always modestly dressed. And her chewchie—she called him Lor—seemed to be well behaved and quiet, unlike Asher’s chewchie, Gruff.
It was the fact that he found her attractive and wanted to protect her, rather than simply wanting to do his job, that caused Ty to worry. The professional distance he had tried so hard to keep between himself and the little Chorkay female had somehow broken down the moment he saw her crying.
Her tears had touched something in him—a part of his heart he had thought was inviolate—and Ty hadn’t been able to resist holding her and comforting her. She wasn’t like
