The vial was carefully wrapped in the softest cloth from my planet. I unwrapped it carefully, not wanting to break the fragile spun glass.
The magick inside was translucent, hints of pink and blue dancing with glows of yellow and orange. I pressed my code into the top, and it hissed open.
The best way to accept the magicks into my body would be to immerse myself in one of the sacred pools of my planet. The royal house had its own. But there was no time for slow transfusion.
I lifted the vessel to my mouth and tipped the container. The magicks spilled into me, rushing through my body like falling, dying stars.
The pain of it was intense. An ill-advised shortcut. But it was the only method I had to refresh myself.
I screamed from the pain of it, falling back against the floor and writhing as my body fought the power.
And it wasn’t even that much magicks. It was only a drop in a pool of energy back on my planet. But it hurt.
And it wouldn’t last me long.
19
Evik
I had planned to go to the bridge to join the others, but when I arrived, I overheard Alder complaining to Morpheus that he should have been the one to couple with Lise, so I simply withdrew to my crew quarters.
I would never fully understand mammals, with their jealousy and possessiveness. In my world, there was nothing more glorious than to share a queen. If Lise had chosen one of them over me, I would have been saddened at being left out—but not angry.
Even now, I found myself releasing a scent of sorrow that my egg sac and chitin sharing warrior as one found unhappiness in my joy.
Part of me wanted to offer to share Lise with him. But that was not my choice. It was hers. Males served at their queens’ pleasure.
And I could not bring myself to consider giving up the time Lise had promised to me. My flagellum had begun swelling the moment she skimmed her hand across my outer carapace, and now it was so thick it pressed against the walls of its internal pouch.
When a chime came at the entrance to my quarters, I paused to gain control of my scent glands before opening it to admit Lise.
“Hey,” she said, her voice quieter than usual. “Are you busy right now?”
Absolutely not. I reached out with my upper appendages to slide against the bare skin of her arm, her body heat radiating out to me. Are you here to continue our explorations from the medbay?
She bared her teeth in a smile—an expression it had taken me quite some time to recognize as friendly rather than predatory when I first traveled to humanoid-mammalian planets. But her return touch, once again gliding above the carapace and brushing against the stelae, was unmistakably designed to arouse.
“Yes, I am.” She inhaled deeply, drawing in the pheromones of my response, even as I tasted hers in the air. “You smell like some of the spices from my homeworld,” she observed. “And something unfamiliar, too. Comforting and exciting, all at once. I like it.”
After Alder’s near-constant complaining about my scent communication, her words sent joyful tremors through my body.
I enjoy your scent, as well.
“May I sit?” She gestured toward the furniture most crewmembers would use.
Of course. The bed was of little use to me, too short for my entire body, but when she perched on it and I raised only my upper body, we were of a similar height.
For the first time, I felt nervous about copulating with Lise. I had never been with a human before. I had been with very few mammals, in fact. Too many of them were uncomfortable with my insectoid biology, and I had learned quickly that it was better to suffer through the mating cycle pains alone than risk rejection—the unfortunate incident with Alder and Morpheus aside.
I waited for her to begin. She was, after all, the female. After a long silent moment, however, I began to wonder if she had perhaps changed her mind. My antennae fluttered anxiously. But then she reached out a hand to soothe them to stillness.
She placed her hands on either side of my head, leaned in, and began licking me again. Her tongue was slick and mobile, and for a moment, I wished fervently that I had a tongue like a vertebrate.
But I had other advantages over humanoids. For one, in this position, I could use all four of my upper appendages. She had enjoyed it when I touched her mammary glands through her shirt, so I began using my middle appendages to slide across them again, this time moving in circles around the center. The way they tightened and peaked fascinated me. Lisa’s breath quickened, a physiological response I was learning to equate to sexual excitement.
May I remove this clothing? I hesitated. Or will you be too cold without it? It had taken quite a while for me to understand that mammalian clothing was sometimes for protection rather than decoration.
“Yes, please.” Lise’s voice came out breathy, the scent of her desire floating out into the air on her words.
With her help, it took only a moment for her to stand before me in her unadorned state. When she began to return to her place on the bed, I stopped her. Wait. I would like to touch you while you stand.
She nodded, her gaze tracking across my own body, as if learning it through her limited sight.
Reverently, I ran all four upper appendages across her body, finding those places that made her shiver, testing my understanding of human anatomy.
Like Alder, parts of her grew slick when aroused, and her pheromonal output increased.
Not that Alder would ever allow me to touch him like this.
When I was certain I had a clear sense of where she liked to be touched, I began moving my appendages more rhythmically, in circles— one in and around her mouth,
