Fray

"The female is mine." Locanas rumbles, looking down at the red haired female laying at his feet. Soleil cries over the poor thing, determined to take care of her.

I glare at my second in command. He's gone too far this time.

"No, she's not. She has not given herself to you. You cannot simply grab a female and say she belongs to you. That is not how it works." I explain through my teeth, absolutely seething. He is lucky I do not kill him here and now.

As soon as I heard a feminine scream, I came running, convinced that my sweet little Soleil was hurt. I haven't seen her in days, but my heart still belongs to her. I wasn't far. I immediately came running.

It was actually another female, and Soleil was trying to protect her like a Mother taking care of a kit. I'm assuming that this Elodie is friends with my female. Soleil was determined to harm Locanas, which is basically impossible. The fact that such a little female would try to attack a full grown Rytarian warrior, it's ridiculous, and she could have gotten hurt if Locanas was angry.

I used to trust the warrior, but watching the way he treated the females, my trust has disappeared.

Locanas snarls at me.

"But I want her. I will provide for her needs and protect her, and she will give me companionship and kits. That is how it works." He insists, and I shake my head the whole time he's talking. He is such a fool, how did I not see it before.

"That is not how it works." I repeat myself, growing tired of this argument. The female is obviously hurt and in need of medical care. There's no time for this. "The humans are delicate, you can't treat them so carelessly."

I give Locanas the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know that these females are so breakable, but deep down I know something is deeply wrong with him. I don't have time to deal with it. Soleil is hysterical.

"We need to help her, she's hurt." Soleil says, her voice brimming with sorrow as I look down at her. I nod at her, noticing that the sun is disappearing behind the mountains quickly.

I stalk closer to the little females on the ground, eyeing Locanas carefully. His eyes are narrowed, his mouth pinched as he thinks on what I said. I hope he realizes what he's done. Trust is not easily won back after such a sin is committed.

I kneel next to Soleil, carefully touching her delicate shoulder to calm her as she continues to stare helplessly down at her unconscious friend. My heart breaks for her. It must have been traumatic to view something so horrific.

"Is it alright if I carry her?" I wonder gently, coaxing my human to look at me with her deep, brown eyes. She blinks, tears falling.

Of course she doesn't understand me, but I'm amazed at the trust I see staring back at me.

"Help her." Soleil sniffles. "Please."

I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. How can I deny her anything?

Slowly, I ease the other human into my arms. Her head lulls to the side, so I rest her against my chest so she won't injure her neck. Her hair is a bright shade of reddish orange, a color of hair that I've never seen before. I wonder if that's the reason that Locanas had for wanting to steal her. No rytarian has red hair, or the small flecks of brown dotting her skin. It's strange, something I have never seen before. It's intriguing.

The small female doesn't make a sound while I carry her back to the ship.

Soleil stays close to my side, practically clinging to me as she warily eyes Locanas who follows us. His body is stiff, and his eyes dangerously curious. I give him warning signs with my eyes and posture. I don't want him getting too close to either precious female after what he's done.

I manage to stay a few steps ahead of him, keeping Soleil close. I try to keep my possessive feelings at bay, along with the desire to protect. I already see the tiny female as my mate. We haven't even exchanged words yet, but my feelings for her have grown from amazement at her gender, to affection for her as an individual. Her bravery, her kindness, and her fiercely protective nature are what draw me to her above all else.

It's even more abundantly clear while holding this other human female, Elodie. I feel no pull, no attraction whatsoever. Of course, since she is female, I have the responsibility and privilege of protecting her. But when the sun disappears and its time to climb into my nest, its not this red haired female I picture wrapping my arms around. When I imagine having a mate with a rounded belly that is filled with my child, its not interchangeable with any female. That life, I picture having it with Soleil, and only her.

I glance warily down at her, knowing full well that she knows nothing of my frighteningly active imagination. She walks on innocently, holding onto my elbow as she looks ahead to where I'm taking her.

When I think of Locanas, my heart sinks. I can only hope that his hasty, selfish actions haven't spoiled any potential future of our kind. If he's traumatized this female in my arms, then its very likely that she won't want to return to Rytaria and find a mate of her own. One glance down shows me that she's young and fertile, in the peak of her life for creating a family. It would be a shame if she didn't trust us enough to create a happy life on our planet for herself.

Then there is the unthinkable, that his actions scare Soleil enough to keep her on Earth as well. My breath catches in fear. This could blow our whole mission.

I decide that I will deal with Locanas later. I need to focus my attention on helping the frightened females first. As soon as they feel safe and secure, then I will be able to relax once again.