Page 72 of Experimental Voyage
I loved the Veloc, especially when the anti-social elite among them decided to take the abrupt approach with problems. To reward her, I snuggled into her plush feathers and preened her neck with my fingers. “There, Waldren. Now you have a tempting dowry to lure you into being next. An entire racer, all for you, and all you have to do is sacrifice some of your pride and permit yourself to be captured. But don’t worry. You and Palta will be offered a most comfortable nest, free from the clutches of your sister’s husband, the evil being that he is.”
I’d met the Veloc responsible for having brought the siblings into the Emerald Crests, and he tolerated being ambushed, snuggled into submission, and robbed with grace.
I wore his green shiftgem crystal in my hair, one of my favorite prizes.
Waldren’s sister had apologized, repeatedly, for all the trouble he kept causing me, especially on the romance front.
Waldren’s grumpy ways made an appearance, and he leveled his most dour glare my way. “You’re siding with them!”
I nodded. “They know what I want, and they’re siding withme, sir.You’re next. You can surrender or put up a fight, but you are not escaping. You will be transferred to your new nest kicking and screaming if you refuse to cooperate. And not asingle Veloc will assist you. Your fellowhomo sapienswon’t lift a finger to help you, either. They know better than to come between a female and the male she hunts.” Then, to make it clear I would not lose, I said, “And once I have captured an entire Veloc clan, I will have them help me. And your clanwill betray you. They’ll help me. Why? Because they like me.”
Waldren raised an eyebrow. “You are confident.”
“I am. I am the one being adopted today, as is Delta… and Delta is on my side. All he has to do is say a few words, andhisnew clan will join forces with me to make certain you are appropriately transferred to your new nest. But just keep your eyes on the various prizes. You will be safely claimed, and you will no longer be hunted by female Veloc seeking to breed adorable little hatchlings with you. You will be gifted with a beautiful racer you can ask me nicely to upgrade for you without your clan helpfully sabotaging the pieces.”
“Helpfully?” Waldren flung his hands in the air. “They sabotagedmy entire ship. That wasnothelping.”
I took my turn raising a brow and staring him into submission. “You were brought to me for my enjoyment for weeks. They were helping me. Had you resisted less, your ship would have been just fine, but no. You’re stubborn. And I’m immune to your grumpy ways, so don’t even try that with me, sir.”
My friend hooted her amusement, and as she was likewise immune to Waldren’s grumpiness, she nuzzled him. “They were teaching you she is ready to fly, and they put her in a position where she could shine while you drooled like the hopeless and dense male you are. You lose nothing from being next, and you gain much. She will drag you across the stars with your precious Palta in tow, and you will find joy in the journey. But if you resist, we all have a great deal of fun. So do at least posture some to drive her new clan a little wild. Please, at the very least, acceptthat your nest now has two occupants instead of one. We can wait, at least a while, for the wedding ceremony. But do not think you are escaping the ceremony. I will drag you to Veloci Major for it myself if need be. You are on notice, Waldren.You’re next.”
I loved everything about the Veloc and their twisted society. I kissed my friend on her muzzle before planting my hands on Waldren’s shoulders and shoving him in the direction of the amphitheater entrance. “We can discuss this more in our quarters tonight. But there is no more my quarters and your quarters. They’re our quarters, and any of our quarters with beds too small for twowill be destroyed.”
“Upgraded,” my friend corrected. “Those beds are expensive, so they will be upgraded rather than destroyed.”
“If he resists tonight, the bed gets what it deserves.” I hissed at her, well aware the Veloc enjoyed when I stood my ground.
She hissed back.
Waldren turned, wrapped his arms around my shoulder, and dragged me away before I could pick a fight and try to steal another bauble. “But what if I want you to be next?”
“We can discuss that in our quarters tonight.” To make it clear I wasn’t fully domesticated, I took a swipe at my friend and hissed at her. “Go ahead and push me, you feathered menace! Once I’m finished with him, maybeyou’llbe next.”
“Oh, no. I am being threatened with matchmaking and romance. I am not certain how I will cope.”
To my delight, she did the Veloc equivalent of death throes, flopping onto the ground and twitching, sprawled every which way. While I laughed, Waldren dragged me well out of reach. “You are such a cat sometimes, Camellia.”
“Well, maybe if you’d resist a little less, I wouldn’t have time to showcase my status as a cat. This is your fault, Waldren.” As I couldn’t reach my friend, and he would drag me to our seats without even a hint of remorse, I gave up the fight andwent along willingly, checking to make sure we hadn’t disturbed Squeakers.
The little bird still slept, safe and sound in her nest within my purse.
“I’m starting to think my sister gave me some bad advice,” he muttered.
His sister would, as she enjoyed drama. “What advice did she give you?”
“For the best result, put up a long fight.”
That evil woman would pay. “It’s been plenty long!”
“Prove it.”
I yowled my frustration for the gathered Veloc to hear, aware I drew more than a few pairs of eyes with my antics. “If it wasn’t for this dumb ceremony, I would!”
“You can prove it after,” he reminded me.
“But that’s not now, and I wantnow.”
With a sigh promising his patience had been tested to its limits, he herded me to our seats, which were located in the front and center of the bowl. As one of the two prizes up for grabs, I’d be seated next to Delta. Waldren would sit beside me, and Viva would keep her partner contained.
