Page 20 of Mated By Twilight

“We’ve cleared out space for you in these drawers,” Sollit said, pressing against something on the wall. It made said drawers pop out, all of them empty and waiting. “You can put your clothes here.”

“You shouldn’t-”

“We have a private privy,” Tillos said, pointing to a door along the wall. Then he pointed to the one on the opposite side, “And that’s the food pantry where we keep snacks and drinks. Help yourself. Tell us if there’s anything we can add to it.”

“You’re not listening to me,” she frowned.

“We’re just hastening the conversation,” Sollit chuckled, as Tillos offered a hand to help her down. “It’s not going to go anywhere anyway, so why waste the time?”

“You’re staying here,” Tillos told her firmly. “Now, you can argue about it, lose, and stay here, or you can accept it, stay here, and we can use the extra time to help you get settled.”

Leah had to bite back a smile. They were just so seamless in the way they worked together. While Tillos helped her down, Sollit took over moving the luggage she had been sitting on. Tillos then turned her over to his brother to show her around the room while Tillos set the luggage cart outside. Tillos then began showing her how all the new technology worked while Sollit picked up a box from one of the bedside tables, bringing it to her with a smile.

“A gift for you,aevea,” he said, setting it in her hands. “From the both of us.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she said, smiling at them, even as she lifted the lid off the pretty, glittery, wrapped box.

Inside, nestled on a little cushion, was her own little combot. It was dull in comparison to theirs that were flitting around their heads, but when Tillos flipped a switch, turning it on, it lit up bright pink and baby blue, like cotton candy, as it bounced up into the air.

“A combot?” Leah said, following it with her eyes as it hovered around her. They had just given her the equivalent of a new phone.

“Pretty necessary for life, really,” Sollit chuckled as Tillos turned her around to begin showing her how to activate the holodisplay.

He was incredibly patient as he instructed her in how to use the new device. It was a smart phone, a computer, an electronic bird that followed her around and obeyed her voice commands. It even connected to the communication relays back to Earth, giving her access to her playlist without needing to worry about her mp3 player dying.

Sollit was the one who reminded them to send Ambassador Tzomei her new patch signature. It was then that she discovered that Sollit and Tillos had already put their own information within it. They had prepared this just for her.

This was serious for them, she realized. She didn’t know why that wasn’t obvious, but seeing two males instead of one had really thrown her off her game. But this piece of tech – that certainly couldn’t be cheap – brought her back to reality.

Okay, yes, there were two. But they both still wanted to mate her. And not in a way that meant she had to pick one or the other. They wanted to work together to love and mate her, justlike they had been doing since they picked her up. To them, life was a team sport, and their buddy system had been set since the womb.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely, smiling between them. “Really, thank you both so much.”

Sollit beamed. Tillos smiled.

“We’re happy you’re here,” Sollit assured her. “We want you to be comfortable.”

“You can rely on us completely,” Tillos agreed. “Courting is a large part of our culture anyway. So, it is no matter for us, no matter how long you need to be comfortable.”

“Whenever you want to invite us back into the room, feel free to let us know.”

“But don’t feel rushed to do so. We’ll be comfortable in crew quarters.”

Leah’s head turned, following them as they talked like she was watching a tennis match. It was still hard for her to believe, the very idea still made her heart pound with nerves as her belly clenched up in a way that wasn’t quite comfortable, but she believed them. The room with one bed, the perfect synchronicity of their movements and thoughts, convinced her of the truth of their words.

“Thank you,” she said again, meaning more than just the combot this time. “I’ll… I’ll try to get comfortable with it as soon as I can. Really. I promise.”

“Take your time,” Tillos said peacefully.

“We’ll enjoy every step of the way,” Sollit said happily.

Chapter 9

Tillos

“We shall never join you!” Tillos shouted. Sharp, black, shiny claw caps that exaggerated his own claws flashed in the light as he raised his hands, ready for a fight.

“You will kneel, or you will die,” Skara growled, raising her own claws.