RATED R VIOLENCE The crowd's aggressive chants echo inside my head as we approach our seats. They seem to be in an excited trance. The fact that we are coming in late means nothing to them. They are ready for violence and possible death. "Zuri, trade me," Krystal whispers, and Zuri nods. She switches with Krystal, which places Zuri on the end next to the mean Maksin and Krystal next to me. As we sit down, I spot two Coks already positioned to fight in the middle of the field, and I realize we were pretty much moments from missing the start. I look over the two fighters, and my stomach drops. I bite my lip as fear and anxiety rip through me. They look ready to kill. Nothing about their stances says friendly competition. This will be bloody, and I am not prepared for blood. I am not ready for violence. "Do they look bigger today," Krystal whispers as she leans toward me and I nod without taking my bottom lip from between my teeth. They look massive! Like giants bred to d
FIADH POV Terrax begins to square up against his rival, and the crowd begins their build-up. Anxiety flip-flops my stomach once more, making me feel sick and weak. I begin to twist my hands into the fabric of my skirt, and Krystal glances at me."Are you okay," she whispers, and I swallow the lump in my throat so I can answer her."I like him. The Glortinon, I mean...I am scared the Frole will hurt him," I admit weakly, and her eyes begin to sparkle happily.Krystal grabs my hand, and my skirt falls back into place."Have faith in your champion, Fiadh. He seems strong and confident, and even if he doesn't win...I am sure your feelings for him won't change, right? So that means no matter what, you know who you want. The Kea technology can heal just about anything. He will be fine. They are soldiers," Krystal says softly, and I bite my lip again before I nod.The crowd's growl stops, and I turn my head just in time to see Terrax become a blurred sunbeam. The Frole moves just as fast as
FIADH POV "Why do the champions move to the bottom if they lose to one of the beasts? Shouldn't the champions who lost to other opponents stay on the bottom," I ask as I watch Jali pin back one of my curls?She smiles, and my eyes curiously analyze her fangs for the millionth time. I have begun to envy the two pointy white pearls. I wish I had fangs like them."The beasts the champions fight are massive creatures, and they should not be taken lightly, but the males have been killing these types of animals since coming of age. They are familiar enemies, and most champions consider the beast round to be easy. They use it as a round to showboat. Since this is a well-known thing, if a champion loses, they are shamed by going to the bottom," Jali says, and my eyebrows furrow."Wouldn't they only know how to fight creatures from their home planet," I ask, and Jali chuckles before meeting my gaze in the mirror?"You are forgetting the transport system. Many males hunt on different planets a
FIADH POV Suddenly the hideous beast drops down to its stomach. Its four arms begin to move like legs, and Jia gasps as I cover my mouth to keep from screaming.The way it is crawl-running toward Terrax is horrifying. It looks like a mutated zombie crocodile. If humans on Earth could picture this monster, they would have him star in every scary movie for the next ten years. If he were running like that toward me, I would run as fast as I could in the opposite direction, but not Terrax. Terrax isn't even flinching. He is standing firm and calm while watching the approaching danger."Oh gosh," I whisper as the creature springs back up to his back legs.He swings two of his massive arms at Terrax at once, and Terrax rolls in between his legs. Before the creature can turn around, Terrax stabs it. He drags his sharp blade down the Latroot's back, and the creature roars out in pain. He swings his lower right arm behind him, and Terrax is forced to jump back. But in doing so, he loses his w
"The Final day of the Harvest has arrived," the announcer says, and the crowd explodes as I shift a little in my seat. After watching the rest of the battles with the beasts and spending hours thinking, I am more confident than ever that I can have a happy life with Terrax. Putting my past behind me completely will be challenging, but I trust the people around me. I trust the male aliens more than I could ever trust a human male. "Each champion may challenge anyone they choose, and the fighting will continue until only one remains. Audience, join me one last time in welcoming this Harvest's Champions," the announcer says, and the sound around me becomes deafening. I place my hands over my ears right as the line of males come running onto the field, smiling. They wave at the crowd as they pass, and I smile when Terrax's eyes make a beeline for my face. He looks so beautiful, almost like a dream. His pale yellow skin and ice-blue eyes look too elegant to be paired with his manly
"Jali, do you think I will be a good mate," I ask as we begin to pull up the massive gown over my hips. My mind isn't even focused on the dress, even though it is magnificent. Besides the day my mother sent me here, this is the biggest day of my life. No matter how beautiful my gown is or how perfect my makeup is, I won't remember those details. In the years to come, I will remeber my mate choosing me and how I felt accepting him. I will remember how I began this new journey, not how I looked when it started. "I think you are like a flower about to bloom. Right now, people don't look at you, or maybe they don't notice you. You are shy and withdrawn, but with the proper care and growth...," Jali says softly as she zips the soft material and walks around to face me. I stare up at my tall colorful friend with a scared expression. The rest of my life is going to begin today, and I am so afraid that I will fail. Maybe I will cause Terrax to be violent. I might not be a good wif
"The next champion is Lieutenant Oslo," the Kea says, and I watch as a champion from Glortinon walks toward our line to choose a mate. He looks like Terrax, but not. His eyes are a darker blue, and his hair is brown, not blonde. His jaw isn't as chiseled, and his cheeks are rounder. All in all, Terrax is cuter, and the only similarity is their luminous glow.I smirk at myself as he and his newly chosen mate wave to the crowd. It's gotten easier as the champions have chosen their mates. My nerves have left me, and I have grown comfortable with how the selection process is happening. Xiu and Jia have already left us, which wasn't sad...it was beautiful. Xiu smiled like a happy child when her champion offered her his hand, and Jia looked like a beautiful princess.As the glowing champion and his female disappear, I turn my attention back to the Kea handling the list. He looks excited whenever he calls a champion, and it warms my heart. Krystal is excited too. She has watched every fema
FIADH POV "Captain Terrax, it is your turn to choose a mate," the male Kea announces, and my heart practically bursts through my chest as hope overloads my internal systems. Every second that has passed and every couple that left here happy has reassured me that this tournament is truly magical. The courtship between the males and us is so brief I didn't think love could genuinely blossom, but every couple, not counting Zor's, has left smiling. The joy radiating from them is almost visible in the air, and now it's my turn. My eyes are glued to Terrax as he cuts across the empty space between us. More than half the champions have chosen their mates, but being chosen first was never something I was concerned with. I don't mind the wait if it's for him. "Fiadh of Earth, I offer you my hand and my heart. If you accept, you will control both until the day I die," Terrax says as he holds out his pale yellow hand, and my eyes widen due to the sincerity in his voice. I lick my lips