When morning comes, my mate is resting…

24

Marv

When morning comes, my mate is resting peacefully in my arms. I hold her for as long as I can, but I know the males are waiting.

When I finally stand and get dressed, she opens her eyes.

“Selecting more women today?”

I nod. I’m not sure how to answer her without starting another fight.

“Can I stay here? I don’t think I can watch that again.”

I bend down and brush a kiss over her forehead. She pulls me down for a long embrace, and I’m sure she’s trying to hear my thoughts. It’s okay though. My only thoughts are of her.

“I’ll come back quickly. There is food in the ice chest.”

She rolls back into her blankets and fakes sleep.

When I leave my quarters, I stand in front until two guards arrive. True to the King’s word, he will protect my mate while I fulfill my task.

I turn to the guards and tell them, “Don’t worry, you will all get

mates before the day is done.”

Both of them grin. They must’ve seen some of the gorgeous females

yesterday. None were as beautiful as my Naomi, but the males were quite pleased.

I walk slowly to the main auditorium. We must work our way

through the entire kingdom, which will not be an easy task. The King has prepared tablets for everyone, and I will upload the App for them all at once.

When the entire auditorium is full, I pick up the loudspeaker.

Silence fills the room immediately.

“The V’aalarans have offered us a gift,” I say. “They created an App that attracts females. Everyone here will choose a female today. Choose well. You can only have one.”

I conduct round after round of matches. The room fills, then empties again, each male hauling his prize out with him. Some of the females look devastated. One of them sank down to her knees and cried. She had to be carried out. Another kicked and screamed as she was carried over a warrior’s shoulder.

By the time I’ve finished the last batch of males, I’m exhausted. I’ve seen females of every size, shape, and skin tone. I know that the true females will bear the lavender color by morning. Others might take longer, perhaps a day or two.

But they will accept us.

They have to. What other choice do they have?

I return to my door, where both guards await eagerly. I repeat the process with them, and they each select a female. Their mates appear in front of us, one fighting and one forlorn. It’s a scene I’ve watched all day, and I’m exhausted.

“Thank you,” I finally say before entering my home.

I walk past the two guards with their newfound mates, locking the door behind me as I enter.

I don’t see Naomi when I enter, so I wander into the extra room.

She’s sitting next to a small plant, singing to it.

“Hi,” I say.

“Hi,” she answers.

“May I ask what you’re doing?”

Naomi shrugs. “I read somewhere once that plants grow if you sing to them.”

I stare at the little plant that she’s been singing to. It’s a slow growing foarder plant, one of the starchy vegetables. She pats the leaf then smiles.

“I’d like to think that it’s listening,” she says, then stands. “How was it?”

“Sad. I can see why you didn’t want to be there.”

She wipes her hands on her pants, smearing tiny traces of dirt. “It’s hard to suddenly have all your choices taken from you.”

“Do you feel that way? Like I won’t give you any choices?”

She moves slowly across the room, then bends to pick up a small plant. When she’s holding the little container in her hand, she tells me, “Imagine you’re a plant. You have to grow, that’s your job. But you could grow tall and be a tree, or you could stay small and keep your fruit to yourself.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m not sure if I’m the tree or the small plant. But I want to choose.”

She sets down the plant and looks up.

“Okay,” I offer. I’m not sure what she needs to hear from me.

“Let me try it another way. My life was difficult, but not terrible. I had my own place, a job, and friends. I visited my Mom sometimes. It was my life, and I liked it.”

I stare at her, waiting.

“But now I’m here. I have a big alien dude with purple biceps. I’m going to be living here, underground, and on a spaceship satellite thingie. But I won’t get to stand in the sunlight.”

“You want sunlight? I can find sunlight for you.”

“Let me finish,” she says. “I can’t decide if I want to be a tree or a small plant. But if I don’t have sunlight and I’m trapped, my choice is already gone.”

I think I understand.

But then, why did she wake me up with her mouth? And why did it feel so perfectly amazing?

“What do you need me to do?”

“I don’t know. Just be patient with me. This is really hard.”

“Of course,” I promise her. “Whatever you need.”

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