Close Obsession (The Krinar Chronicles 2)

On Thursday evening, right before their departure for Florida, they were scheduled to attend a celebration. Korum’s cousin Leeta had apparently been with her mate for forty-seven years – a major milestone in Krinar culture. In Earth time, it was actually closer to fifty years, as Krina traveled around its sun at a slightly slower pace than Earth.

It was Mia’s first public event in Lenkarda.

“We don’t have marriage and weddings in the human sense,” Korum explained, watching her get dressed in a beautiful dress that he had created for her. “Instead, when a couple wants to make a permanent commitment, they come to a verbal agreement and then document that with a recording. At that point, it’s really no one’s business. They don’t have a party or anything like that, and their union is not considered permanent until they are together for at least forty-seven years –”

“Why forty-seven?” Mia asked curiously, sliding her feet into a pair of sparkly sandals that went with the white shimmery material of her dress. The dress itself was form-fitting, showing off every curve of her body. It was also incredibly sexy, with her back entirely exposed. Around her neck, she was wearing Korum’s beautiful necklace, and her hair was decorated with a fine silvery mesh that had somehow worked its way into her hair, carefully defining and separating each curl. She looked as good as she could possibly look, and she was grateful that Leeta had taken the time to send her recorded instructions on what to wear. Korum had apparently insisted on it, wanting to make sure that Mia didn’t feel uncomfortable at her first big party in Lenkarda.

“Because it’s a number that we consider special. It’s a fairly large prime number, and several important historical events on Krina happened in years that ended with forty-seven. Plus, it’s considered to be a sufficient length of time for a couple to know if they are compatible for the long term or not. Before the Celebration of Forty-Seven, it’s very easy to walk away from the union; however, the event we’re about to attend tonight makes the union binding. After that point, a couple whose union falls apart loses some of their standing in society. Of course, if one person cheated or did something else to cause the union to end, his or her standing suffers the most, while the innocent party is less impacted.”

“So divorces are rare among the Krinar?”

Korum nodded, smoothly rising off the bed where he had been lounging. He himself was wearing a pair of fitted white pants tucked into knee-length grey boots and a sleeveless white shirt that was made of some kind of stiff, structured material. It was apparently the traditional Krinar attire for such celebrations, and he looked simply stunning in it.

“Yes, divorces – or union dissolutions – are uncommon. However, permanent unions are also unusual. Many Krinar don’t find the person they want to be with for centuries or even thousands of years, and some never enter into a traditional union for a variety of reasons. So, you see, the Celebration of Forty-Seven is a major event for us, and it will be widely attended. We can’t be late.”

“Of course,” Mia said, following him toward the bedroom door.

Leaving the house through the usual dissolving wall, they climbed into the aircraft that Korum had sitting next to the house in preparation for their journey. The celebration was here in Lenkarda,

but not within walking distance. Over the past two weeks, Mia had learned that the Krinar traveled in two ways – on foot or via small flying pods. There were no cars or ground transportation of any kind.

Sitting down on the intelligent seat, Mia enjoyed the sensation of being completely comfortable. Although it was already 10 p.m. and she’d had a long day at the lab, she was feeling quite hyper at the thought of attending this celebration. Tapping her foot on the floor, she watched as the ship took off, swiftly carrying them toward the center of the colony.

A minute later, they landed in front of a large building Mia had never seen before. Instead of being planted on the ground, it floated in the air a few feet above the tree tops. A long pathway connected one wall to the ground, serving as a bridge of sorts.

“It’s the Celebration Hall,” Korum explained as they exited the aircraft and walked up the pathway toward the imposing structure. The building looked to be about twenty stories high and the size of a city block. Mia was surprised she hadn’t seen it on the virtual map of Lenkarda earlier.

“Is this building always here?” she asked, seeing other ships landing all around them and hundreds of Krinar stepping out.

“No,” Korum answered, leading her toward the building and ignoring all the stares in their direction. “It was constructed specifically for this purpose, and it will be unmade after today. There is a much larger Celebration Hall on Krina, and that one is permanent, but there are too few of us here on Earth to justify having such a large building around all the time. The Celebration of Forty-Seven is one of the very few events that brings together the entire Krinar population of Earth. Many from Krina will also be watching virtually.”

The entire Krinar population of Earth? All fifty thousand? Mia hadn’t realized the full scope of this event. Nervous and excited, she clutched at Korum’s arm as they entered the building.

The noise inside was nearly deafening. It appeared that thousands had already gathered, and Mia couldn’t help gawking at the gorgeous creatures all around her. The females were dressed in shimmering, light-colored dresses similar to Mia’s, while the male outfits resembled Korum’s. Even the shortest Krinar women were several inches taller than Mia, making her wish she were wearing high heels. The building itself was beautifully decorated, with flowers and glittering surfaces everywhere. The walls were not transparent, as was usual for Krinar structures; instead, they seemed to be reflective, making the already enormous hall seem even larger.

Like at the Food Hall, the Krinar around them stared at Mia and Korum. Mia wondered if that was because they hadn’t seen a lot of humans – unlikely, given the fact that they all lived on Earth – or because they were surprised to see Korum with a charl. She decided that it was the latter. Probably it was just the novelty factor of seeing a Council member accompanied by a human girl.

As they made their way through the crowd, Korum put a possessive hand around her back, pressing her closer to him. Mia had learned over the past two weeks that it was considered a serious offense for a Krinar male to touch another man’s female, whether she was his mate or his charl. It was a strange throwback to their territorial beginnings. The Krinar were very liberal when it came to sex, and Krinar women had all the same rights and freedoms as Krinar men. However, once they entered into a committed relationship, no other men were allowed to touch the women without explicit consent from their cheren or their mate. In some cases, violating that rule could even lead to an Arena challenge.

Korum was particularly bad in this regard. When he picked her up at the lab on her second day there and saw Adam leaning over her to help her with one particular testing device, he had nearly flipped out. Mia had been impressed with Adam’s composure in that situation; instead of cowering at Korum’s rage, the young Krinar had calmly explained that he was helping Mia do her job and hadn’t laid a finger on her. Thankfully, Korum hadn’t done more than glower at him – Mia would’ve hated to see those two come to blows. Still, after that incident, Adam was particularly careful around her, always maintaining at least two feet of space between them. The last thing he needed was a jealous cheren after him, he’d explained with a laugh.

So now Korum kept her close as they walked toward the center of the giant hall. God forbid another male brush against her, Mia thought with exasperation.

As they approached the center, Mia saw a floating platform with a couple standing on it. She recognized the dark red hair of Korum’s cousin, whose union celebration they were attending. It was an unusual hue for a Krinar, and Mia wondered if it was natural or dyed. Leeta’s mate was as gorgeous as she was – tall, muscular, and with the typical dark Krinar coloring. They were each dressed in unusual robe-like outfits, pale mint-green in color, and stood completely still, just facing each other.

Hundreds of floating planks were arranged in circular rows all around the platform, and Korum led her to the front row. As a relative and a Council member, he apparently got the best seats in the house.

Looking around, Mia spotted a familiar figure a couple of rows behind them. Raising her arm, she waved to Delia and smiled when Arus’s charl waved back at her. Turning his head to see what Mia was looking at, Korum saw Arus and gave him a cool nod of acknowledgement. The other Councilor responded in kind. Clearly, the political tensions between the two had not improved since Mia had observed their interactions at the trial.

“So what’s going to happen?” Mia asked, watching as more and more Krinar piled into the building. Maybe it wasn’t quite fifty thousand yet, but it certainly looked like a huge number.

“In another few minutes, they will join together and then everyone will celebrate by dancing all night,” Korum said, and there was a wicked gleam in his eyes.

That gleam usually meant he was up to something. “What do you mean, join together?” Mia asked warily. Her mind was beginning to wander in a strange and inappropriate direction.

His lips parted in a smile, exposing the dimple in his left cheek. “Exactly what you think it means, my sweet. They will mate publicly, thus binding their union in the way of our ancestors.”

“They will have sex in front of everyone?”