Mated by Twilight (True Match)

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.

“Please, stop this!” Sollit yelled, looking between them. “This fight is pointless! There can be no winners here!”

“Silence!” Tillos snarled, tail whipping dangerously. “I will… I will… Ski rei! ”

The tension of the scene was cut as he waved his combot forward, checking the script. It was their first run through of the domini based play, and they’d just returned yesterday, so he didn’t have it fully memorized yet.

“Tillos is forgetting lines?” Skara laughed, crossing her arms. “My, you truly must be distracted by your mate.”

Tillos sent her a withering look, but, well, he couldn’t exactly claim she was wrong.

Unbidden, his eyes turned down, seeking out his bright-haired female. It didn’t take long to find her, as she was the most beautiful creature in the room. She was standing in the audience, walking around with one of the keeping staff – the ones responsible for upkeep and cleaning.

Corvidair had come to her this morning, asking if she knew how to clean. She assured him that she did and was quite good at it – and any other domestic chores. She’d seemed relieved he’d asked, in fact, and was smiling as she was shown what to do and how by the others. Bots took care of the bulk of the labor, but there was always a need for a person to oversee them, to handle the more delicate work, and to deal with any surprises.

“Distracted,” Skara suddenly whispered in his ear.

Tillos jerked back, glaring as she threw back her head, maw open, guffawing loudly. He held his head high.

“Let’s get back to rehearsal,” he said, turning to see Sollit still staring at Leah.

There was a certain comfort in knowing that she was their mate – True Match didn’t get these things wrong. Courting an avanava female was done without knowing she was their mate, not until the first time they went to bed together. But they already knew Leah was their mate, and that made the courting process that much sweeter.

It also made it easier to let themselves get swept up in their own tender feelings. It didn’t seem wrong to let themselves become lost in how lovely she was, though they weren’t actually mated yet. She was so pretty, so sweet, it was easy to become obsessed with her.

“Ugh,” Skara made a face. “You’re disgusting.”

“You’re also wasting time,” Corvidair added, annoyed. “Take it from the top of the scene. And Sollit, give me more devastation! Your childhood friend is throwing away his life for a battle you know he can’t win, but he’s too proud to forfeit – give me sorrow .”

They lined back up and started the scene again. Tillos didn't forget his lines this time, but he was still distracted by this female that was to be his.

Leah was taken on a tour first, shown her way around and told what everything was called. She was bright and eager, rushing around with the other crew members. There was no further apprehension or hesitation – being put to work and given direction seemed to have calmed her greatly. He made a note of that as they repeated the scene.

The show was going to start in just two days. Fetching Leah had cut a lot of their rehearsal chances, but the rest of the show had been planned and prepped without them. All that was left was for Tillos and Sollit to learn their lines – and they were consummate professionals. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d needed to learn quickly, and it wouldn’t be the last either.

Sollit thrived in chaos. When things got crazy, he somehow became more efficient. Tillos liked things planned better, but he also enjoyed a challenge. Taking on this one was fulfilling, especially knowing what he’d gained by going through this.

Sollit got yelled at twice more for being distracted by Leah, but otherwise the marks they spent practicing went well. Eventually, the other actors left, leaving Corvidair to continue directing Tillos and Sollit through their parts.

They stayed late, finishing up the whole show. Leah helped prep the auditorium then left with the others. She was smiling and chatting, like she’d made friends. He was glad. She’d been so anxious before, he was happy she was finding a place, even if it wasn’t immediately with himself and Sollit.

Corvidair finished with them later in the evening. Sollit and Tillos ran through a few of their scenes together, just to make sure they had them down. They were playing friends, not brothers, this time. When a multi-species performance depicted a mono-species story, there generally wasn’t a concern about who played what role. However, just for visuals, it was better when those who looked alike played the same kind of roles. Though they weren’t playing brothers, they were in the same clan, and that was better visualized on stage by being the same species.

However, when they needed to look different, it was nothing some makeup and costuming tricks couldn’t fix. The costuming and makeup department person was especially skilled. He had once turned Tillos into a ratchi for the sake of a play before Skara had joined the troupe.

They stopped by costuming after they finally finished rehearsing. They already had their measurements memorized, but still needed to try the finished product to make sure it was perfect. Only after that did they start searching through the Twilight Star for Leah.

“I don’t like being away from her all day,” Sollit said as they walked through the halls, waiting for her to answer their message regarding her whereabouts. He was frowning at the floor, almost sounding bewildered as he admitted to it.

Tillos understood his confusion. They knew she was their mate because they’d been matched, but they hadn’t actually bonded. There was no reason for their protective, possessive instincts to already be attaching themselves to her. But…

“She’s so little and helpless,” Tillos said thoughtfully. “It makes you want to take care of her, even without the instincts.”

“That’s true,” Sollit chuckled. “But she’s also so adorable! I just want to be near her. Have you smelled her? So sweet and rich.”

Tillos made a sound of agreement deep in his throat. He had smelled her. And he knew exactly what his brother meant. Avanava weren’t the best in the universe at scenting things, but their senses of smell were still considered advanced. A species like the ratchi were superior to them in that, but they could still scent their female and danger and anything else important. Leah’s scent was neither floral nor sweet, but somewhere between the two. Like a flower made of sugar, crystalized and beautiful and delicious.

He wanted to lick her all over and find out if her skin was as sweet. But that was something he’d have to save for later. It was too soon.

They finally found Leah in the galley – sitting at one of the tables with a group of three other females and one male who were all crew members. They were laughing and chatting together, like they’d known each other for years. But the moment one of the females spotted him and Sollit walking in, she grinned wickedly and went silent. The others followed suit.

Leah, her back to them, turned to find what they were staring at.

And she smiled.

It was bright and open, not a trace of discomfort or anxiety. Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of red, and her gaze lowered for just a second before raising again, shy but not unwilling to meet them. He would much rather the shyness over her unease.

“Hey,” she greeted cautiously but brightly. “Are you done with rehearsal?”

“We are,” Tillos said, stopping behind her chair, reaching out to run his thumb along her jaw as Sollit pushed her hair back behind her ear. She smiled, leaning forward into their touch.

“Have you already eaten?” Sollit asked.

She shook her head – the human way of saying ‘no’. “I was waiting for you two.”

Tillos smiled, pleased. He wouldn’t have minded if she’d eaten with her new friends, of course not. But that she’d waited for them meant she’d been anticipating seeing them again.

“We’re going to go, Leah,” one of the females said, getting to her feet. The others agreed, all of them standing and filing out, tittering to each other, giggling wickedly as they passed by.

“Shall we?” Sollit asked, offering Leah his hand for her to stand.

She took it, smiling at him, then at Tillos as he let his hand trail down her upper arms.