The Varkari

Dance

"I hate you," I spat. "I know about you spitting in my drinks. I would never mate with you out of my own free will."

Rahzgaur became very still around me, his purr disappearing into thin air. "We both know that is not true. But I will take great pleasure in showing you that you already have and will." His purr then returned full force, louder than a swarm of bees as if he was trying to intimidate me. Like a heated back massager, his sound percussed my muscles until they liquified, the fight seeping out of me no matter how I clung to it. The frequency he emitted made me respond involuntarily and I had no idea what to do about it.

At last, the vehicle came to a stop and he pulled me out with him, not putting those plates back up around his chest or neck. As he strode up the path, a mogka approached, looking very much like a velociraptor that could walk on four legs just as comfortably as two. It had the same jewel green coloring to its scales as the forest, though they were shaped larger and more leaf-shaped, the tips each dotted in a light lavender. The large crests on its neck and tail were also purple, though it faded to white as it neared the top.

It released the same rattling sound as Rahzgaur which startled me. And then the Varkari responded with the same as if they were communicating. I made a squealing noise as the mogka leaned in and started sniffing at my legs and ass with its slitted nostrils. Instead of rounded holes to inhale, he or she had long ones that likely followed the holes in the skull beneath.

Rahzgaur snapped his teeth together to let the mogka know that enough was enough and the mogka opened its mouth in return and released a chatter before it turned and ambled away, long tail swinging.

"That was Aldar," he said, opening the door with a scan of his hand. He did not set me down until we were in the kitchen and I was placed gently on a Varkari bar stool. "I think he approves of you."

"Great," I rolled my eyes. More males that thought I might be delicious.

"I will retrieve the purchases. Do not move," he warned. I watched him disappear around the corner. Immediately, I wanted to rifle through every drawer in search of the most wicked knife I could find, but there was something far more important. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out one of the mushroom caps and sniffed it, balking at the foul odor that was like soured rice and mildew. I might be able to shove it in my mouth and swallow, but keeping it down would be another story. Before I ran out of time, I emptied my pockets and stuffed them all in the very back of a cabinet where nobody would look routinely.

The benefit would be worth it. I rushed to the sink and fumbled with the strange fixture until Varkar's water came out. I gulped it down like I was dying of thirst, noting that the water itself tasted like very diluted tea and melted ice, which only confirmed that the added sweetness had been his potent Viagra venom.

He reappeared just as I turned the tap off, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "I told you not to move."

"I was thirsty."

He moved toward me and I drifted around the other side of the island, mirroring him, facing him directly. The edge of his mouth lifted at the challenge and he tipped his horns slightly. "Must we always dance, my dear?"

"It's not a dance if I'm running, Admiral," I hissed.

The spikes lifted and fell subtly. I doubt a Varkari of his standing would let that emotional demonstration slip on the battlefield, but it was a win for me. His pupils increased as he decided to take my threat seriously.

"How good the water tastes without your...filthy spit in it," I continued, prodding at his patience.

Would he give up? Would he launch over the counter? I knew he was fast, but he could not be fast enough in such a confined space to chase me around and around. I assumed I would wear out before he did and then what? Would he bite me? Spank me? As I held back a shiver, keeping myself perfectly still so as not to actually trigger his reaction, I questioned if I hoped for it.