Enticed by the Satyr (Kindred Tales)

“Now can I go outside and try to help some people?” Olivia asked. “Please, Baird—there must be something I can do!”

Baird still didn’t want to let her go. The poor bastards who had been stripped bare by the Darklings looked dead to him and he didn’t want Olivia to risk her life. What if the Monstrum Kindred had missed a few of those snake-bat bastards? What if—

But the thoughts were wiped from his mind when an immense, dark shadow fell over the Crystal Dome.

“God in heaven!” one Council member gasped hoarsely. “What now?”

Looking up, Baird saw a vast golden ship hovering over the World Council Building.

“The Mother Ship,” Storn breathed, his eyes glowing.

“I thought the Mother Ship was still orbiting the Moon?” someone said.

“It is. I believe that is the Monstrum Mother Ship,” Sylvan remarked calmly. “And I believe we’re about to have a meeting with them right now.”

“What? But this is highly irregular! No one invited them!” Aldus Perce sputtered. “This is a secure and private meeting! They can’t just—”

“Excuse me, Perce, but they just saved your fucking planet,” Baird growled. “I think they can do whatever the hell they want.”

As he spoke, a golden shuttle flew from the Docking Bay of the Monstrum Mother Ship and headed straight for the landing area of the World Council Building. The ship found a clear place to land, a hatch opened, and a male unlike anyone else Baird had ever seen stepped out.

33

The new warrior must be Chief Commander Rarev, Baird thought, because he did look vaguely like the Earth animal called a lion. His face had wide cheekbones and a broad nose and his upper lip was slightly divided, rather like a cat’s. A wild mane of golden hair waved out from his leonine head and fell to his broad shoulders. It fluttered in the breeze as he approached the doors leading to the dome.

It was hard for Baird to tell if another male was handsome or not, but he could hear Olivia murmur with appreciation.

“Hmm, you think he’s hot, do you?” he sent, tinging his mental voice with amusement.

“Well, let’s just say he has an exotic kind of really masculine beauty,” Olivia sent back. “I’m sure he wouldn’t be every girl’s cup of tea, but I can imagine lots of women would be happy to be Claimed by him. Nice uniform, too.”

Commander Rarev was wearing a metallic gold uniform shirt tucked into tight black leather trousers, which showed long, muscular legs. The trousers were tucked into high black boots like a regular Kindred wore—well, like a non-Monstrum Kindred—which led Baird to believe that most of his body was humanoid in shape.

“His hands are normal—that’s more important than the feet,” Olivia remarked in his head. “It’s nice that he has regular fingernails instead of claws. A man needs nice, well-manicured hands in the bedroom.”

Baird stifled a grin. He knew his mate liked well-manicured hands—it was one reason he kept his own in such good shape.

“His hands might be good, but he seems to have fur all over his body,” he pointed out. Which was true, the Monstrum Kindred commander appeared to have short, dense, golden fur covering his face and all his exposed skin. It glinted in the shifting sunlight and shadows as he approached.

“Mmm…velvety. Like cuddling with a giant, muscular plushy!” was Olivia’s comment.

“Hey—I thought I was your giant muscular plushy,” Baird sent back.

He was glad she’d stopped talking about going outside—not that the human guards at the doors would have let her. And besides, the poor bastards out there were clearly dead and past any help his talented mate could give them, may the Goddess grant their soul’s rest.

At that moment, the Monstrum Commander finally reached the door to the Crystal Dome.

“Don’t let him in!” Aldus Perce exclaimed, glaring at the door guards. “Under no circumstances is that monster to come into our sanctuary!”

“I disagree.”

Baird looked at the Council table in surprise. It was the mature human female—the one with iron gray hair—who was speaking. She had been the first to notice the green gash in the sky too, he remembered. The small flag in front of her place was the one of Great Britain and her nameplate read, “Minister Emilia Oxley.”

“What did you say?” Perce turned to glare at her.

“I said, I disagree, Secretary-General,” the woman said in her crisp, British accent. “These people—these Monstrum Kindred—have indeed saved the Earth from a truly horrible fate. I believe we owe them the courtesy of meeting with their leader and hearing what he has to say.”

“I second that,” another Council member said.

“Here, here!” a third declared.

“Notice that all the people speaking up for the Monstrum are women?” Olivia sent to Baird through their link. “You think maybe some of what I said about Kindred being good in bed sank in?”