“Here,” Rachel said, pulling up an image on the comm screen. I released my hold on Mikki, but she didn’t move other than to look up, then smile. I felt a calmness settle over her, which soothed me.
Trax turned to look at the screen and crossed his arms over his chest.
The image was of water, all dark blue with ripples across the surface, then light blue sky. The image changed and changed again of this water. So much of it. So many different colors of blue, green and gray tipped with white. Fascinating.
“Those are waves. They crash on the edge of land. For fun, people ride them, and that’s called surfing.” Mikki waited a moment as Rachel pulled up an image of a small human riding a pointed slat across the surface of the water. “Yes, like that.”
Rachel was able to program the machine to have images change in and out. From water the color of the brightest blue to almost black. Wild and tempestuous, calm and serene. Then these waves, some two or three times as tall as the humans on boards, attempting to remain standing.
“Insanity,” I murmured, now understanding. I sensed her happiness at the images, the longing, the appreciation. It was beautiful but so foreign to me. Yet it made me understand my mate, a place deep inside her.
Mikki laughed. She was pleased.
“Are there any images of you?” I asked.
The screen went blank and Mikki appeared. From a distance it was hard to tell it was her, but I was her mate. I knew her.
“Gods,” I said, transfixed. “What the fuck are you wearing where humans could see you?”
She surfed beautifully in tiny scraps of cloth covering her breasts and pussy. I now knew how she gained the… tan lines as she called them. From what I could tell, then there was a video of her falling, of a massive wall of water collapsing on top of her.
“Mate,” I growled, feeling instantly afraid. I knew she’d survived since she was standing before me, but still… “Enough!” I snapped. I might understand her, but I didn’t like her reckless nature. It scared the shit out of me.
Rachel quickly turned off the comm screen.
“Sooooo, that’s surfing,” Mikki commented. “And waves. And the ocean.”
“It is beautiful,” Trax said, turning to look at Mikki. “I might be Prillon, but I was born on a battleship. Raised on one. The first time I touched a planet was at the Academy, and only for a short time. Then I was back in space except during battle. Being here, it is the longest I have been on ground.” Trax shook his head. “How can I be a good mate if I do not even understand what it is like to be… one with your planet?”
I sensed his concerns. I’d been raised on Prillon Prime. I didn’t have allegiance to the place, but I knew what ground felt like. Water, although nothing like what I’d just seen. Trees. Animals. Trax didn’t.
“A perfect match doesn’t mean we have to be alike. The best relationships are often founded on being opposites,” Mikki told him.
“Yeah, look at me and Maxim,” Rachel offered, giving Trax an understanding smile. “I tolerate him.”
I bit my lip. “I shall be sure to tell him that.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “Yeah, no.”
“I would not know what to do with all that water,” Trax added, although I sensed he was calmed by the females’ words. “And on such a small piece of wood.”
“You aren’t the only one,” Rachel told him. “And I’m from Earth. Don’t worry, Trax. Even Earth guys couldn’t compete with that.”
Mikki shrugged. “They could if they practiced.”
“And that would make you want them more than you wanted to get back on the board?” Rachel asked.
Mikki blushed and I felt something strange through the collar. Longing? Sadness? Regret, perhaps. Did she miss the ocean so much? Was she not going to be happy here with me? With Trax?
I gave her a nod, for she was thorough, or at least Rachel was in her imagery. It helped quite a bit, even though it had made Trax panic. “I appreciate your desire, your drive to surf. I think I’d rather fight a Hive trio than one of those waves on a board,” I admitted. “I admire your fearlessness, but you did not inform me that you had been injured.”
“It was a long time ago.”
That was not the answer I wished to hear.
“You refused to submit to a medical exam, and I allowed it. You will tell me now. I need to know every single injury and lingering weakness so that I may assess your health and properly care for you.”
“I’m fine.” She turned her head in an attempt to break away, but I held fast. Dominant. Demanding. She was mine. She would obey.