Page 13 of The Alien Minotaur's Bride

"You would what?"

"When you are ready. When the production is established. I would help you. Tend to you. It would be–" He turned the word over, searching. "Meaningful."

I stared at him. He was kneeling in front of me, his huge hands still hovering near my breasts, telling me that drinking my milk would be meaningful.

"This is insane," I said.

"Yes," he agreed. "But it is also true."

He meant every word of it. That was the part I couldn't get past.

We arrived at Khorreth three hours later.

I'd spent those three hours in the cockpit with Keth, watching his world grow larger in the viewport. It was beautiful, I had to admit: blue-green oceans, vast swathes of rust-coloured land, swirling white clouds. Not so different from Earth, if you squinted. If you ignored the fact that you were about to land on an alien planet full of giant bull-people who apparently considered you a sacred commodity.

"There," Keth said, pointing to a shape on the nav display. "The landing port. And there–" He pointed to another shape, smaller, on the outskirts of the settlement. "My dwelling."

"Your house."

"My dwelling." His eyes warmed. "Our dwelling, now."

I didn't correct him. I was too busy trying not to throw up.

The landing was smooth, or as smooth as anything could be when you were strapped into a seat built for someone three feet taller than you, your feet dangling in the air, watching an alien world rush up to meet you through a viewport the size of a small car. Keth had rigged a harness for me that mostly worked, padding the gaps with folded blankets so I didn't rattle around too much.

When we touched down, he unstrapped me himself. His hands were gentle, careful with the buckles, and I let him, because my own hands were shaking too hard to manage.

"Stay close to me," he said.

"I wasn't planning to wander off."

"No." His eyes met mine, and there was an edge in them I hadn't seen before. "I mean stay close. Within arm's reach. Do not let anyone come between us."

"Why?"

His jaw tightened. "Because your scent is very strong now. And there will be others."

Right. The other alphas. The ones who would fight over me if I wasn't claimed.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

The ramp lowered, and we stepped out into a new world.

The first thing that hit me was the smell.

Rich and complex and completely alien: green growing things, damp earth, something sharp and mineral underneath. And layered over everything, the scent of them. The Khorreth. Dozens of them, maybe hundreds, their individual scents blending into a wall of musk and warmth that made my head spin.

The second thing that hit me was the scale.

Everything was enormous.

The landing port was a vast open space, easily the size of three football pitches laid end to end. The buildings rising around it were massive, their doorways built for beings half again my height, their windows set well above where a human's head would reach. The Khorreth moving through the space were–

I stopped walking. Keth's hand settled on my back, warm and steady, and I leaned into it without thinking.

They were huge. All of them. Eight feet, nine feet, broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, their horns catching the light. They moved through the port with the easy confidence of beings who had never once had to worry about being small, and every one of them turned to look at me as we passed. Somewhere in the crowd I caught the word Keth had taught me, passed from mouth to mouth in that low rumbling tongue. Peritan. Peritan.

I came up to the middle of Keth's chest. Some of the young ones in the crowd – half-grown, gangly, still shy of their full height – already stood taller than me, staring with unabashed curiosity. I was a novelty. A spectacle.