I guide her to the nutrition bay. Hadrian, just as I asked, dragged my table from my room and put it in the middle of this room. I pull out her chair and help her to sit—just like the men from her movies. She lets out a pleased sigh that fills me with hope.
Hadrian, from somewhere hidden, kills the lights. The small dome on the table lights up. I’m not sure if this is close to her candlelight dinner but by the teary way she runs her fingers over the dome and sniffles, I feel as though maybe it does invoke some memories from home. My chest is tight with anxiety but so far, she has loved every one of my gestures.
Hadrian appears, carrying two plates of food. He places them down in front of each of us.
“Rekk,” he curses, his eyes glued to my mate’s chest.
I growl, causing Aria to giggle. Her breasts jiggle and earn more of Hadrian’s attention.
“Uh, that’s a nice…zuta-metal mess on your neck,” he says, attempting to save himself from a throttling.
“Oh, Hadrian,” she says in amusement, “it’s a necklace. And thank you.”
“I’ve cut your sabrevipe into tiny pieces,” he boasts. “And your green-bunches are the greenest, which means they aren’t as bitter. Should I cut those up for you too?”
“This is perfect, Hadrian. I can manage.”
He nods and scurries off. She smiles and blushes under my intense stare. I don’t want to eat. I simply want to look at her. When she realizes I’m not eating, she picks up a piece of her meat with her fingers and holds it up to me.
My mouth waters to taste her more than the meat, so I pounce on the opportunity. I clutch her wrist and draw it closer. Tugging the meat from her grip, I quickly eat it and then dart my forked tongue out. Her breath hitches as I lick the remnants of the meat from her flesh.
“Wow, uh, it’s warm in here,” she murmurs.
We continue our meal and she tells me all about waterfalls and islands. I don’t know about these things but the way she describes them sounds lovely. If I could give them to her, I would. Eventually, we finish and I guide her to the command center, which has been set up for more of our date.
Inside, we find one of the computer screens on. I help her settle into one of the seats and start the recording. This was the trickiest thing, and I have no idea how it turned out. I’m hoping Hadrian didn’t make a mess of things.
When it starts, she gasps.
And then laughs.
Laughs and laughs and laughs.
I laugh too.
That mortarekker did not disappoint, and how he managed to rope Draven into it, I haven’t a clue. They made her a movie. They’re all in it. Galen, Avrell, Calix, Draven, Oz, Jareth, Sayer, Theron, and finally Hadrian.
Acting.
Each male plays himself except Hadrian and Draven. Draven is me, and I must admit his growling is on par with the way I do it. I’m impressed at how tough he looks as he struts along.
But Hadrian? Hadrian is pretending to be Aria. I’m laughing so hard, tears leak from my eyes. Aria is still laughing too.
“Oh, beast, show me your naked cock again you giant rogstud,” Hadrian says, his voice high-pitched. He flits around making a fool of himself.
Draven growls. Again. And throws Hadrian over his shoulder. “Alien, I’m taking you to my lair to put my seed in you over and over again until you’re fat with my young.” He slaps Hadrian’s bottom, and he screeches.
“Not so hard, you mortarekker!”
Draven beams at the source of the recording as he walks around the facility “working” with a squirming Hadrian pretending to be Aria thrown over his shoulder. They even mimic a hunt, where Hadrian whispers loudly for Draven to set him down. Then he’s back to being Hadrian, and he kills the “biggest sabrevipe in all the land.” Once he struts around, showing his muscles, he dances off the screen and then returns, pretending to be Aria again.
“Hadrian, you’re so brave. When the old man kicks it, I’ll take you as mine. You can put your seed in me and—”
Draven whaps him in the nog. “Don’t disrespect the commander.”
“I mean,” Hadrian backtracks in his high Aria voice, “I’ll be so distraught over the handsome commander that I’ll never crawl out of my bed again.”
Draven nods, pleased. “’Tis a good thing I am still alive.” He starts to unzip his minnasuit—but then he waggles his finger at us. “To see more, you’ll have to catch the next one,” he says.
All of the morts take a bow and the recording ends.
“Oh my God,” Aria giggles through her tears. “You really do pay attention to everything I say.” When she settles from her laughter, she stands from her chair and crawls into my lap. “I don’t know what could make this date any better aside from the happy ending we’ll get later.”