My hand in his settled some of my worries. I wouldn't say I had a problem being the center of attention, but this was more than just a passing notice. There was an acute fascination in the looks of all the males who stood milling around the first of the roads in the ship's inner city. There was a distinct air of curiosity around us.

"Are you ready?" Esayr's voice soothed the rougher edges of my emotions, drifting over me like a balm.

"Yes," I sounded surer than I really was.

Esayr tugged me along beside him deeper into the throng of people going about their lives. I stuck as close to his side as I could without being a nuisance.

So many people called out to him, speaking in that lilting language that I didn't know. They chatted animatedly and happily. Many offered small waves to me. Some spoke to me and Esayr gratefully translated their words to me so that I could understand.

One male stopped us and spoke to Esayr for only a short moment he broke into laughter and clapped Esayr on the back before waving at me and continuing on. Esayr had laughter in his eyes as he watched the male go, "Do you know him?"

He smiled as we stepped into a small dark restaurant, "We attended a lot of the same training schools when we were young. He's an Empath as well."

I was shocked, I'd expected any other Empath's to look like Esayr. That other male was large and brawny similar in build with Addric, where Esayr was closer to Kados' leanness. "You don't look similar."

"He's his mother's son. She has the same red-gold hair and dark blue eyes. His father was more Fie'lali in appearance." Esayr sat us at a small private table in the back of the room.

It was surprisingly crowded. Males sat in large friendly groups around tables laden with many different plates of food. Some of the food looked familiar while some certainly did not.

"The owners took to following some broadcasts that detailed how to cook some of your dishes from home. They were quite popular when we first came to your planet."

"Really?" I glanced down at the menus that were on the table before I remembered that I couldn't even read the language. Thankfully, there images to go along with most of the items on the menu.

"The attraction died down after some time. Many males came here to familiarize themselves with human customs and meals but after the long wait for a match to be made the hope and joy began to drain. This place began to be more of a haunt than a meal hall."

"People must have still come for it to still be in business."

"Some did." Esayr looked sad for a moment, "Mainly the males who'd gone planet-side and returned with nothing came to this place." He flipped over the menu and managed to look interested in the images in front of him.

"How many?"

"How many males?"

"Yeah, how many have gone down to Earth?"

"Quite a few. I don't have an accurate count but probably near 200."

It wasn't a large number, but it was certainly larger than the zero we'd thought had been frequenting our planet. "We had no idea. Are you also including Sian in that count?"

"No. Those males are not included. There are a few per country depending on their size."

I nodded at that information. What else could I do? I'd believe most any possibility after the days that I'd had. Someone could tell me that Vampires and Werewolves were real and I'd probably just respond with, 'yeah but have you heard of the hot alien husbands waiting for us on their ship up in our atmosphere?'

Out of nowhere, a male dropped into a seat at our small table. I tensed immediately stressed until I noticed it was Kayle. He gave me a dazzling smile and Esayr just glanced up from the menu, unruffled.

"You've both become quite a spectacle. No one expected to see you anytime soon what with your unconventional mating. There've actually been bets on how long it would take to spot either of you two outside of your accommodations." Kayle smiled brightly between us.

I was reminded of the fact that mated couples took a long honeymoon to bond before they returned to society. They all think we've boned. My face flamed immediately and Kayle's bright attitude seemed to dim.

I knew that he could read minds, so the fact that he seemed to have misinterpreted our relationship came as a slight surprise. Granted I wasn't constantly thinking about the fact that we hadn't slept together. No, you're just regularly thinking about sleeping with him. It was mildly true. I'd known the man for all of 3 days and already I was infatuated. I'd had to stifle some old ugly feelings that society had ingrained in me to associate my self-worth with sex. I knew it shouldn't matter, but I felt easy.

Kayle cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with me, which was all well and good because I had a faint inkling that eye-contact made his powers more potent. "I think that Vailen and Roan have finished preliminary communications with the Terran media."

"They have?" I was excited. The idea of finally speaking to my friends again even if just to let them know I was ok was almost overwhelming.

"What makes you think so?"

"One of the media buildings has been airing some new communications with them. Apparently, the American Government is being a little more straightforward this time."

"Probably just to cover their asses," I grumbled.

Both males looked my way.

"You don't have much faith in your leaders."

"Of course I don't. It's pretty corrupt. It was better before when there weren't as many issues putting pressure on our planet, but we're overpopulated and there's a lot of pollution. Maybe it started out with good intentions, but women are nearly being eaten alive by debt because of measures that were taken to reduce children. Women are more of a liability now than ever so we aren't quite highly regarded since we're the ones that quote-unquote keep indiscriminately adding to the population." I was bitter over the way I was treated, that was for sure. I hadn't intended to rant, but it came out anyway.

Both Kayle and Esayr looked horrified at my proclamation, bless them.

I shrugged, "It's probably a big reason as to why they were so amenable to allowing the lottery to even be a thing in the first place. Most of the time human men get weird about women being taken from them. Honestly though, now we're probably just perceived as more of a nuisance."

Kayle muttered something that even I could tell was a curse in their language. He and Esayr exchanged a quick conversation before he excused himself with a nod to me.

Esayr and I ended up ordering two cheeseburgers since that was always a safe choice. He was quiet until our food came. It was...surprisingly good. It tasted handmade and genuine. A little different, but that could easily be from something as simple as it having no preservatives or something as unthinkable as it being a completely different kind of meat.

Esayr decided to talk to me right as I had a mouthful of my burger, "Your planet seems to showcase a considerable disregard for the female populace. It'd disconcerting."

I shook the little silver bracelet on my wrist at him as I swallowed my bite, "I agree." I flipped the bracelet around to show him the area where I red light would blink when it was time for me to bleed. "These are mandatory issue for all women above the age of maturity. It's a notification of when we've gone through our fertility cycle. As long as we refrain from undergoing steritech procedures to temporarily remove the ability to have children we have to pay dues to the government for caring around a liability within our bodies."

Esayr reached out and fingered the device. It couldn't be taken off without special equipment. "We will have the males in the science bay take this off." For the first time he sounded angry, "I don't want it on you." He shook his head, the burger forgotten on his plate, "You shouldn't be punished for your body. I can understand the concern of overpopulation, but that's no excuse to oppress have of your race. You won't be condemned for the miracle of the ability to conceive."

My thoughts turned to Petra and I hurt for her and the fact that she might never be able to have children. Up here on this ship, I was given that chance despite the fact that I was unsure. If Landon hadn't been so perfect for her I might have even wished for her to be matched to a Val'Dornn.

"You're sad."

I tried to think of my friends, to block those emotions but I couldn't stop what'd already been done, "I'm wishing that one of my friends had the chances that I had."

"The chance to find themselves upon this ship with a male of her own?" Esayr's eyes almost sparkled with amusement.

The fact that there was a male on this ship that considered himself mine was mind-boggling. "No. Not quite. On this ship, I'm exempt from some of the harsher population regulations. If you want to have a child, a single child mind you, you have to petition the government for the right to conceive. Only it's rigged. Lower status couples almost never get their petitions heard and those that are rich almost always do. Petra, one in my Riniere is to be married soon and all she's ever wanted was to have a family. She and her husband to be don't ever think they will be able to, though. Not if our government has any say." I felt guilty, "The fact that I have that opportunity and I keep trying to push it out of my mind feels like a slap in her face."

Esayr was thoughtful, "That decision is yours, Addison. It isn't contingent upon a guilt you feel for a friend or an obligation you feel to me. Make no mistake, I want children with you. But, I and no one else control's your body. You do. We have the means by which to put it off should it be a concern for you.

Reasonably I knew in my situation the concept wasn't far-fetched, hell by Val'Dornn standards I was a married woman who'd apparently already been boning her husband. But, it still felt like such a wild concept. It probably helps that you're still a virgin. None of those chances for a pregnancy scare to really put the idea of a child into perspective. "I feel so young. For all I know I'd be a terrible mother."

"You'd be a lovely mother."

"You don't even know me, Esayr." I laughed at the absurdity of the concept of me holding a child --my child; our child.

"Don't I? Our souls were created from the very same cloth. My soul has known yours since creation and I happen to have faith in my ability to parent a child, so I'm certain in yours as well."

He was always so sure. He wasn't wrong, though. He would make a wonderful father.

He tapped my silver bracelet and motioned for me to get up. "Let's take you to the science bay and get that implant as well as get this distasteful thing off of you."

****A/N****

I struggled writing this scene because of the knowledge that the rest of Esayr's Riniere actually reasonably shouldn't be able to understand Addison, yet I'd written it into the story previously that they could. For now, I'm keeping it understandable and acting as if they can understand each other, but when I go back through on my edits for NaNoWriMo I'll probably change these sections considerably.

Thank you for your understanding and thank you so much for taking the time to give this little ditty a chance as always. Almost 300 views are astounding to me. I'd only ever imagined my close circle of friends ever reading this story and yet here you are.

Much love,

Layla