Authors: Allie Ritch
No sooner had that decision been made than Xindra called her. Pixie had come to regard her instructor as a friend despite their age and personality differences. She was touched when the Allurian woman invited her to go dress shopping with her and Katra’Ruma, Spri, and Benni. Considering she just barely had two days to find something, the timing was perfect.
Contrary to what her mom hoped, Pixie had no intention of wearing her cousin’s wedding gown. Tabby was twice her size, and that dress was a beaded monstrosity. No, if she was going to go through with this mating ceremony—which was crazier than flying to an orbiting casino to get hitched—then she’d choose her own dress, thank you very much. When she and Zeo got back from their honeymoon, she’d let her mom plan their whole reception to make it up to her.
“This one matches your ring,” Katra’Ruma remarked. She held up a colorfully patterned skirt.
“Oh … uh … it has to be white.” Pixie had preserved the right to the color, and she planned to wear it with pride.
“It’s symbolic,” Xindra explained.
“Hmm.” The Duosien woman put the skirt back.
Spri patted Pixie’s shoulder. “We’re honored to be a part of your ceremony. Don’t worry. We’ll find something you really like.”
“I wonder if we’re going about this the wrong way,” Benni said.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re not only getting married in this outfit. You’re also going to have sex in it.”
Pixie’s cheeks burned, although she wasn’t nearly as embarrassed as she would have been before meeting Zeo. She just wished Benni would keep her voice down.
Xindra seemed to follow Benni’s train of thought. “It needs to be comfortable and provide easy access. Perhaps we should look at some sexy lingerie first.”
Katra’Ruma strode closer. “We could always add a detachable skirt. Something that can be easily removed.”
“That might—” Pixie swallowed. “That might work. I want it to be pretty, though. Nothing tacky or, um…”
“Slutty?” Benni’s eyes were twinkling.
Xindra laughed. “We’ll find something sweet and elegant. I know just the place.”
She led them down the street to another store, and minutes later Pixie was surrounded by frilly underthings. Some of them appeared fairly normal, but others she couldn’t even begin to figure out. What did you do with all those straps?
Walking farther between the racks, she searched for something white. Since most of the sexy pieces were done in skin tone, red, or black, color really narrowed down her options. Pixie plucked a few items off their perches and accepted half a dozen more from the other women. She stepped into the dressing room to try them on.
“I kind of like this one.” With a deep breath, she opened the door to show them. If she couldn’t bear to let the other women see her in it, then there was no hope for Tuesday night. “The lace is a little itchy, though.”
“If you feel that way now, it will be worse when you sweat.” Katra’Ruma’s tone was practical.
The other women nodded.
“The off-white one rode up, and the one with the corset was too tight.”
After ducking back into the dressing room, Pixie added a low-cut one-piece to the reject pile. She then discovered a couple of maybe’s before trying the very last one. The moment she put it on, she knew.
“This is it.” She opened the door.
Made of satiny white, the modest two-piece made her feel sensual. The sleeveless top was form-fitting without being restrictive, and it had just enough detail work to add some pizzazz. Finishing out the bottom, a boy short gave the whole thing a sporty flare, which was far more flattering on her than the high-cut briefs.
“May I?” Xindra asked.
Pixie nodded even though she wasn’t sure what she was agreeing to.
Xindra twirled her finger to get her to turn around, and then Pixie felt a tug at the bottom of her shorts. A touch of cool air followed. Reaching back with her hand, she discovered the cause.
“Oh.” She was back to turning red again.
“Open crotch seam,” Benni said. “Nice.”
“It’s perfect,” Xindra seconded.
Pixie knew they were right. She didn’t bother trying on anything else.
A couple hours later, she had a skirt tailored to match and was thanking the other women profusely. Growing up, she’d gotten used to her mom picking everything out for her and telling her what to wear. She’d never gone shopping with anyone else. Pixie had no idea it could be this much fun.
“And the fun isn’t over,” Benni announced.
Spri winked at her. “We know this is a cross-cultural mating, but we don’t want you to miss out on any of the New Earthling traditions.”
“We’d like to take you out on the town tomorrow night for a bachelorette party,” Xindra explained. “We’ll pick you up at seven.”
Tears stung Pixie’s eyes. She’d never been good at making friends. It was touching to have such remarkable women going out of their way to do this for her.
“Thank you.” She choked up. “You don’t know what this means.”
Benni laughed. “Yeah, I hear brides are supposed to get all emotional before the vows.” She gave Pixie’s shoulder a playful bump to show she was kidding.
Previously, Pixie had felt jealous of these women, each for different reasons. Now she felt blessed that their lives had intersected with hers.
* * * *
It was official: the other races were crazy. After an evening spent prowling the city’s nightspots, Zeo was pretty sure things were finally winding down. He and the other men had landed in some kind of bar with low lighting, a small stage, and crammed tables. Here he was, eating strange food and sipping something that made his throat burn all the way down. Whitt, the youngest of his classmates, was onstage singing along to bad music, while Glynn scowled at his drink and Quinn kept slapping Zeo’s back. Both Varion and Krux appeared amused by the whole thing.
“This is really a New Earthling tradition?” It was maybe the fourth time Zeo had asked that, but he felt sure they must be hazing him.
Varion laughed and morphed his features so that he could have been Quinn’s brother. “Would we lie to you?”
Quinn threw a peanut at the Multan, which caused him to shift to blond hair and golden skin.
“I’ve attended one of these before.” With his four arms, Krux was able to cross his arms and take a drink at the same time. “Just be glad they didn’t hire a naked female to handcuff you.”
Yes, they had all lost their minds.
“You nervous?” Krux asked him.
Pretending to misunderstand, Zeo returned a careless shrug. “I am not afraid of naked women with handcuffs.”
Krux chuckled. “Not about that. I mean tomorrow night.”
Zeo sobered as he thought about the mating ceremony to come. He looked forward to taking his mate—he was a full-blooded male, after all—but he was very conscious of the difficulties.
“My only fear is that I will hurt Pixie.”
“There’s no avoiding some of it,” Quinn pointed out. “It’s better that you both waited for someone you care about. Love can smooth over a lot.”
Krux agreed. “Keep your focus on pleasing your mate. We’ll help you leash your baser instincts.”
“I trust you.” Zeo said it with certainty, and it was the simple truth.
When asked if he’d hold on to Zeo and control his thrusts, Krux hadn’t so much as blinked. The Brachoi had accepted the responsibility with the confidence and control that seemed to define him. Quinn was calling Krux the “best man.” He was definitely a very good one.
Finally, blessedly, Whitt concluded his song and returned to their table to finish his drink. Moments later, a screechy girl took his place onstage, but Zeo and the guys were already heading for the door. With a few more congratulations—and more than a few ribald remarks—they parted ways.
Most of the men had work tomorrow morning, so it wasn’t terribly late. They’d also kept the drinking to a moderate level, although Zeo still felt a bit slow and fuzzy as he walked home. Perhaps the loud music had damaged his inner ear.
The sensation only cleared slightly by the time he passed through the front gates to his community and reached his door. Despite the aftereffects, Zeo wasn’t sorry he’d gone. His bachelor party had been fun in an absurd sort of way and was something he wouldn’t soon forget. In fact, now that he wasn’t having to listen to it, the memory of Whitt’s singing started to make him laugh. He had a sudden image of the tableau they all must have made at the bar.
Still chuckling softly, Zeo let himself in and almost missed the soft rustle beside him as the door clicked shut. That split second’s warning was all he got before the intruder clocked him in the chin. The blow cleared his head faster than anything else could have.
In the next instant, his assailant tackled him, and they went down in a tangle of limbs and swinging fists. Their momentum slid them across the slick floor until they landed in a pool of moonlight spilling through the window. Framed in the cold light was Ulistro’s snarling face.
*
“You girls are crazy.” With a final giggle, Pixie got out of the car and waved good-bye.
Arching her back out the window, Benni waved upside down as the vehicle pulled away from the curb. Pixie watched until the other woman disappeared around the corner and then headed up to her apartment.
“Oh. My. Gods.” Now that she was alone, Pixie couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Her face hurt from all her smiling and blushing, and her head was spinning. First Katra’Ruma had taken her and the other ladies to dinner at some chic restaurant where the dishes didn’t match. They’d overstuffed themselves on fancy entrees and even fancier desserts, all the while testing Katra’Ruma’s nose, which could apparently identify the ingredients of any dish with just a single sniff. Then Xindra had hauled them to a lounge for drinks in funny neon glasses. Spri had produced matching T-shirts and beaded necklaces for everyone just in time for Benni to take them to a male strip club.
They’d laughed themselves stupid when Benni and Xindra had tried to pry Pixie’s hands away from her eyes. No doubt turning ten shades of red, Pixie had managed to watch until a large, well-endowed dancer had strode closer and pulled off his, um, pouch. He’d then started simulating—
“No, don’t go there.” Pixie knew she’d have enough trouble getting to sleep as it was.
Although the jitters hadn’t fully set in yet, she could feel them hovering at the back of her mind. If she thought too hard about what she was going to do—in front of witnesses—tomorrow night, she’d freak out. The only thing keeping her from panicking already was the memory of Zeo’s arms wrapped around her this morning. She just had to get through tomorrow evening, and then she could wake up every day with him beside her.
Feeling klutzy, Pixie hissed in annoyance when she stepped into her apartment and heard a clattering sound. She hadn’t knocked anything over, though. One of her necklaces had popped. As they hit the floor, the colorful beads bounced and skittered in every direction in the darkness. Dropping to her knees, she lunged after them as more continued to slide off the broken string.
The loud bang that followed was a thousand times louder than the commotion on the floor. It made her jump. She didn’t know what she expected to see, but the sight of Rinda holding a broken chair wasn’t it. The Nimanian woman had … dear gods, she’d just tried to bash Pixie’s head in.
Pixie squeaked. “What are you doing? H-how did you get in here? Lights!”
Her overhead lights obeyed her verbal command.
“Our community owns a security company,” Rinda responded with eerie calm. “Did you think your little home unit would keep you safe?”
Since the larger woman was blocking the door, Pixie had no way out. Very carefully, she began backing farther into her living room, heading for her vid screen. If she could reach it, then maybe she could code in a distress call.
“Wh-why are you here?” But she already knew. There was only one thing Pixie had that the Nimanian wanted.
Rinda snarled. “I’m here to take back what’s mine. Zeo is mine. You don’t know him. You don’t deserve him. He wants me, and we’re going to be together.”
“Okay.” Pixie tried not to panic as the other woman stalked closer. She just kept angling closer to her vid screen. “I didn’t realize how much he meant to you. If he wants you, I won’t stand in your way.”
A lie, but she wasn’t about to mess with the crazy female. Already, Pixie’s heart was pounding like it wanted to explode, and her hands felt clumsy as she reached behind her to feel for the screen. Her only advantage was the fact that Nimanians preferred a hand-to-hand fight. If Rinda had held a gun of any kind, she’d surely have been dead already. The woman looked murderous.
Rinda glared so hard she didn’t even blink. “But you
are
in my way. You’re a distraction. I’m the one he’s supposed to be with. We’re going to be mated, and we’re going to have a family, and everything will be perfect.”
The second her fingertips found the edge of her vid screen, Pixie searched blindly for the manual keypad and started punching numbers. She didn’t care if she patched through to a pizza delivery place. All she needed was to get someone’s attention and let them know she was in trouble. Despite coding in twice, the screen remained silent.
“Stupid New Earthling.” Digging into her pocket, Rinda pulled out the vid screen’s miniscule control chip. She dropped it on the floor and crushed it beneath her foot. “No one’s coming to rescue you. You’re so pathetic, why would anybody bother?”
Pixie didn’t waste time trying to negotiate. With no way out, she had no choice but to stand and fight. Releasing a long, slow breath to stem her shaking, she planted her feet shoulder width apart and rolled to the balls of her toes. People she trusted kept telling her to follow her instincts. Right now, she sure hoped those instincts helped her out.
In the next second, Rinda let out a savage growl and lunged at her.
*
Lightning lit up the inside of Zeo’s skull as he took another punch to the chin. Fortunately for him, the younger male didn’t know how to fight. In his rage, Ulistro threw his full weight behind the strike, overbalancing on the follow-through and leaving himself wide open. With a controlled jab of his elbow, Zeo broke the male’s nose and kicked him off. They were both on their feet again in seconds, but only one of them was bleeding.