Author's Note: I'm glad you all enjoyed the rodeo scene; it was a long time coming! And I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for this chapter, I wanted to get it finished sooner, but I kept getting kicked off the computer and couldn't work on it.
Warning: …Nah, I'm not going to spoil you
Disclaimer: We all know better, right?
Haven
Lex wasn't sure what the celebration was for, to congratulate the clan for their victory against their rivals, or to sanctify the mating of Lex and Scar.
Whichever it was, there seemed to be no end. There were loud drums being beat, and wind instruments blown, dancing and roaring. Across the hall Yauja warriors snarled at each other in aggressive, but good natured ways bumping their chest together enthusiastically. Stimulated by the vibe, Lex couldn't help but be swept away by it. She felt like a crazy college student again.
They were all wearing light armor, enough to protect there wearer if they got into a fight in the middle of the dance floor, but not full battle armor. There was a snack table of sorts, and a strange blue drink was being served. A dance started up, like a rave, lights went out, and on again, making it all but impossible to keep an eye on anyone.
Except for Scar.
Lex kept an eye on him the whole time, making sure he didn't disappear into the crowd, and he did the same, they never strayed to far from each other's side. They danced to a wild beat, Scar snarled and flared his mandibles, sharking his head, letting his beaded tendrils bang together creating an additional clank to the music.
Lex laughed, banging her head to the beat too. For a brief moment she wondered what time it was, but quickly let the question be forgotten, feeling it would be better if this night never ended.
Dodge and Burn came by a few times, stealing her from Scar teasingly, and she was yanked away by several other Yautja who shook her shoulder ceremonially, but no one attempted real conversation. The words would have drowned in the sounds of the party. Lex saw Strike and Tool dancing nearby, about as far from each other's side as Lex and Scar were.
Of all the faces she saw during the dance she noticed one missing.
She hadn't seen Javelin all night.
She'd danced with Scar mostly, danced with Dodge, Burn, Crusade and Wrath had both come over to pass on their blessings, as had Scar's many brothers, and while they didn't do anything except share a nod, she'd seen Strike and Tool. Hell, even she'd even seen Dart pass by them with a cold look in their direction a few times.
Where could Javelin be?
Scar's arm looped around her, pulling her back into an embrace and leading her away from the music. She saw several Yautja leaving the dance in a pairs, tired looking and trilling with amusement, disappearing down various halls. To their private quarters? Maybe, but that was not where Scar was leading her.
They stopped at a section of the ship Lex hadn't thoroughly explored; the room was barely used, and half the ship probably didn't know it even existed. She could still hear the beating of the drums, but not as clearly. Lex knew exactly why Scar had brought her here.
Like a pair of lovers hiding in the janitors closet…
Once she would have hesitated, once she might have even shied away like a nervous virgin, but something had changed in Lex and she found herself unwilling to even pause to contemplate the strangeness of her coupling with Scar. He lowered his face to hers brushing his mandibles against her forehead as he undid a latch on her armor, and she tugged on his belt, leaning forward to kiss his neck.
What once seemed unnatural was now the only thing they wanted…
…
Far below, in the science wing Javelin had abandoned the party for a more dire matter.
"Xeira…" He growled soothingly from his side of the cage. The large queen hissed at him and charged the fields confining her. Javelin took a step back out of reflex, like he had when he had first started to try gaining the trust of this Kainde Amedha. "Xeira." He snarled again, firmer this time.
She shrieked and him and turned away angrily screeching impatiently. Javelin despaired a little. He had worked so hard to gain Xeira's confidence, to get her to trust him, and now it seemed that one incident, one time he had taken her out to battle, had unraveled all that work and destroyed her faith in him.
"Xeira." He growled softly, one more time as he turned away sadly leaving her to be angry at him, "I'm sorry." He rumbled, not knowing if she could hear or even understand the concept of an apology.
He thought to go up to the party, but he wasn't in the mood, so instead he continued up to his private quarters to be alone with his thoughts.
Would the Queen ever trust him again?
Back down in the science wing Xeira looked back to see that Javelin was gone. Her screeching silenced, and her tail which had been swaying angrily stilled. She laid her head back down and waited. Would Javelin come back?
The entrance to the science wing opened, Xeira lifted her head, expecting the Yautja elder and snarled half in greeting, half in warning, but her senses quickly registered that the Yautja approaching was not Javelin, and he snarl became a full warning.
Come no further.
The figure did, but towards the other queen not Xeira. Unconcerned with the other queen Xeira laid back down and tried to sleep, but something made her turn again to see what was going one.
The other queen did not make any move against the intruder, she snarled lowly but nothing else. The Yautja, a younger one stayed where he was, but then turned away and left without doing anything. Xeira was reminded of the first time Javelin had come to see her.
She bristled, not liking the silence or what had just transpired. Something bad had just begun, she could tell, but what she didn't know was if she could stop it.
Or, thinking of Javelin and his misuse of her trust, would she want to?
Author's end note: Again sorry it took so long to get this finished. Blame the cosmos for not letting me use the comp!