Knollig: A Terraneu Novel ( Book 2) Read online

  They all got a glazed look in their faces, then one spoke up…”He is in the Council chambers, it is not very far from here. We can escort you there.” One had a hand on her arm, one put his hand on her back, one had his hand on her other arm…they all started leading her along the path.

  “Thank you” Mairi beamed at them, “You are all very helpful!”

  One particularly blunt male asked, “Have you chosen Knollig as your mate?” All eyes swung to face her, forward motion on the path stopped.

  Mairi turned bright red. Yes she was attracted to Knollig and was going to pursue a relationship with him…but she wouldn’t go so far as to say she was giving them “mate” status.

  “I just needed to talk with him. He was kind enough to offer me a tour of your lovely complex. I just wasn’t ready when he left for the Council meeting.” She smiled at the men still waiting around her. It wasn’t exactly a lie. He had said he would give her a tour of Terraneu.

  They got the glazed look again, then one said, “So you are an available female. We can try to win your affection since you have not chosen a mate?”

  Now if you have ever fed bread to a flock of geese at a lake you can imagine what happened next. Once the males had stated that she was available since she hadn’t chosen a mate, word must have spread. She didn’t know how, not one male said a word…they just started multiplying. One second she was standing with five of them, the next second she was surrounded by ten…then twenty. She lost count as the space around the dome was quickly filling with men! She tried not to panic when she got jostled to one side, “You are not a fit mate for her, and she would prefer me!” Then back to the other side, “You are scaring her, she would be much better off with me.”

  “Get a hold of yourselves!” After this was yelled over the crowd, the men all froze. Not one of the men moved, or said another word. They seemed to be stuck in place. Some had made to step, but were only halfway in the process. They all looked like statues!

  One man pushed his way into the crowd to get to her, so he wasn’t frozen. Some poor fellow was even pushed over, and landed with a thwack! Undeterred by the person he had knocked over, the man finally reached her. He had glorious golden hair and a kind smile, “My name is Ailech. You must be Mairi!” He gently pried the other hands off her arms and back. “Follow me please, we are having a meeting…and you are welcome to attend, it is after all about you and the other Earth females. I am actually surprised that Knollig didn’t bring you.” His eyes were alight with mischief.

  “Uh…thank you for coming for me.” She took his offered hand and together they made their way out of the crowd then toward a dome that was about twenty to thirty feet away. She could see Kniam standing outside. His eyes were flashing with anger, and he had a concentrated look on his face. Beside him was Amber, her lips twitched from suppressed amusement. A few other people she hadn’t met yet, and then her eyes landed on Knollig. The reason she hadn’t seen him was that Kniam had stepped in front of him, with one hand held up as if for silence.

  Knollig wasn’t saying anything, his eyes were doing all the talking. If she was any judge, he was enraged. She was hoping it wasn’t aimed at her.

  Amber rushed over, “Mairi, you look beautiful! Your dress looks amazing, how did you get it to drape like that?” Amber looped her hand through Mairi’s arm. “I can’t ever seem to get this thing on properly, and yours just looks incredible.”

  Mairi smiled at the compliment, “Thank you for saying so, but I don’t think it is on correctly and was looking for someone to help me with it.”

  Amber just smiled, “Are you sure you don’t like it? I think it looks fantastic. If you are uncomfortable showing that much…ahhh…cleavage, we can re-tie it. I think you should leave it though!”

  Amber had walked her into what was obviously a meeting dome. There was a crescent shaped table and other chairs set about. Once the women were through the doors they closed automatically. She heard great shouts, and yelling outside.

  “What is going on out there? Should we be worried?” Mairi asked nervously.

  Amber just laughed, “No. Kniam just released the mind hold he had on all the males. It is a little something extra he can do. They can all talk to each other in their minds, Kniam however can “freeze” them if he has to.” Amber wiggled her fingers and waved her hands around. “He hasn’t done it very often…though I must say, since myself and now you…he has had to do it a bit more frequently.”

  She burst into laughter when it got quiet again. “If I am not mistaken, he is giving them a severe talking to! They were acting in a really shocking way. I mean you would think we haven’t been talking about when females arrive for the last six months. We are going to have to arrange more classes for the men. Would you be interested in helping?”

  Amber pulled over a chair from a bunch to set next to a lone chair in front of the crescent. “This is kind of my spot. I come to the Council meetings a lot. Now you can join me!” She smiled like this was a great idea! Mairi wasn’t sure what to think.

  Amber patted the chair next to her, “You might as well sit. When Kniam gets into a mood he can be kind of long winded. He will want to make sure you are comfortable going around in the complex. It is a really good thing Knaleg wasn’t here.”

  At those words there was a resounding yell outside, “I am taking the offenders on an overnight training mission, be ready in thirty minutes!”

  Amber sighed, “Oops…I spoke to soon. That was Knaleg. He is in charge of the military men here in the community.” She leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “He takes security very seriously! He is obsessed with making Terraneu safe for the women coming in six months. He is worried of course, just like the rest of us. I just know that it is going to work out though!” Amber chirped out happily, then leaned back in her chair. She really was a gorgeous woman Mairi thought! Her ash blond hair had a mix of mocha and darker blond. Then there was her body! She made Mairi feel like a slug!

  “Kniam, I don’t think…” with a flurry the men came through the door.

  “Not now Knaleg. I understand your concerns, and we will work on all of them.” Kniam put his hand on his brothers shoulder, “We can’t take this incident as a sign of failure. The men were not hurting the female and I don’t believe they would have. Take them on your overnight “training”, Amber will increase the number of classes, and we all will keep an eye on things.”

  “Mairi has agreed to help with etiquette classes too Kniam.” Amber yelled out.

  Since Mairi hadn’t done any such thing, she jumped in her seat at hearing her name mentioned.

  “You see Knaleg, the female isn’t afraid of helping with classes.” He came toward his female, bending low to give her a quick kiss, which turned into a long kiss.

  “Kniam!” All the men in the room shouted. He jumped with a start, which had them laughing.

  “Really you two…with all the sexual intercourse you have, how are you not tired of each other yet?” Mairi hadn’t met this man, he stopped in front of her and held out his hand. “I am Thian, a Council member here on Terraneu. It is a great pleasure to meet you Mairi. Your grandfather is doing us a great service, and you are an honored addition to the community.” With a low bow, he moved to stand behind the crescent table at what she assumed was his chair.

  There must have been an agreed upon welcome speech because she got it again from a man named Asteen. Then it was Ailech’s turn, he was the golden one that had rescued her from the crowd outside.

  Then there was the other brother Knaleg. She had thought that Kniam and Knollig were large…well she was wrong. Knaleg was eating his Wheaties or something because he was just…well huge. They reached the same height give or take an inch. He had the same silky black hair and similar facial features as his brothers…but his musculature. Wow! He held her hand, his eyes twinkling, and recited the same welcome speech only he added, “Mairi if there is anything I can help you with, “His eyes strayed to her exposed cleavage, “Anythi
ng at all…you just ask.” He gave her hand a gentle kiss, his eyes shifting just slightly to the side.

  “Uh…thank you Knaleg, I will remember that.” She knew who he was looking at, and she understood what he was doing. Sibling rivalry must be a universal thing. He was trying to get a reaction out of Knollig.

  Knollig hadn’t said anything since entering the room. He had come in with the rest of them. Silently prowled around the room, restless and still obviously angry. When the others had made to greet her, he had worked his way closer and closer until with the last member of the Council in front of her, his brother Knaleg…he was just to her left. He had stiffened when Knaleg had taken her hand, and his face was getting redder the longer Knaleg talked.

  Mairi gently withdrew her hand from Knaleg and looked around at Knollig. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, before she could say anything, he had bowed low in front of her. When she tilted her head just so, they were a breath apart.

  “I am Knollig.” His husky voice trembled down her spine, “A Council member here on Terraneu.” He took her hand from her lap, “It is a great pleasure to formally greet you Mairi.” He brushed his lips against her hand, “Your grandfather is doing us a great service, and you are an honored addition to the community.” He turned her hand over and rubbed it against his cheek, placing a kiss right into the most sensitive spot on her palm!

  “Th…” Mairi had to clear her throat. “Thank You.”

  “There, now we can get down to business.” Thian broke the silence that descended around the room. Knollig released her hand, gave her a small smile and worked his way to his seat. She and Amber swung their chairs around to face the table.

  “Yes, to business.” Kniam stated, hitting the table with a little hammer. We will be transmitting this meeting so that all of the other males will know what is being said. “Also, we will be talking out loud so the Earth females can hear.” His mate gave him a huge smile, and he cleared his throat loudly. The five Council members bowed to Kniam, then he sat in his chair. The others followed suit and took their seats.

  “Is there anything that you feel you haven’t been informed of Mairi? Any gaps in your understanding of why you are here? What has been done to your body medically? Where this is?” Kniam asked her.

  Mairi thought for a moment, “I think I understand everything Kniam, thank you for your concern.”

  Thian broke in, “You understand that the females we are bringing in six months are hopefully going to be mates for the men here?” Before Amber could correct him he hastily added, “Yes Amber…I know. Not right away. They are going to be given time to adjust, and get to know the men…then they can decide if they want to be mates.”

  Mairi nodded that yes she understood. She did have one question, “What if they don’t want to.” All the men froze, confusion on their faces.

  “Don’t want to be mates?” Asteen asked.

  “I know that some women may not wish to be tied down to a mate, which I am all for leaving them their choices. I meant what if they don’t want to wait to be mates?” Mairi clarified.

  Kniam answered for the others, “It would be wise to establish a solid relationship before agreeing to be a mate with a male. Our males have not had the same experiences as the men of Earth. If a female chooses to stay single, that is their decision and we will respect that. It will however be very difficult to change your status once you agree to be mates. We haven’t decided on an exact process, but it will have to be harder so that the females know it is a serious commitment.”

  When Mairi opened her mouth, Kniam cut her off, “We are talking about the same thing correct? Mates are forever, like a marriage?”

  “Yes.’ Mairi stated, “We are talking about the same thing, to take one man, move to New Haven…have a mate. What if they don’t want to sleep around with other men?”

  Kniam looked puzzled, “The women will all have the choice of dating or …” he looked to Amber and she supplied, “hooking up, jumping in the sack…mattress mamboing.” He gave her an exasperated look, “Yes. The females from Earth will be allowed to do all those things. They can have multiple partners, they can take a male then decide against keeping that male. They will not however, be able to change mates easily. This is something that has been agreed upon by the Council, and members of the community. Why would a woman not want to see which male would fit her best?”

  Amber saved her from answering, “The women can date as long, or as little as they wish…until they find the one they agree is their mate. It doesn’t matter how much time passes, it only matters that both of them are willing and understand the ramifications of choosing mate status.” She swung her eyes to Mairi, “Also, the men and women won’t be allowed to be cruel to each other. We are hoping that the psychological evaluation Kneus comes up with will weed out any really unacceptable females.”

  Mairi had a lot to think about. She knew she didn’t want to explore other men. She wanted to explore Knollig. The Council had decided that the women should date around, not necessarily from bed to bed…but get a feel for the men of the community before deciding on one. Her body had already decided on Knollig. She wouldn’t have any problems being friends with other men in the community, but she wanted him.

  “Is there anything else I need to be present for?” When they shook their heads no, she could leave. She asked, “Is there someone that can walk me back to my quarters?”

  Knaleg and Knollig both stood up and simultaneously said, “I can take you.”

  All eyes swung to the two brothers.

  Chapter Seven

  Knollig almost laughed over his small victory. Knaleg had stood up and volunteered to take the female back to her quarters. He had taken great pleasure in reminding Knaleg, “You are scheduled to go out and train the men who swarmed Mairi are you not? Besides I already offered Mairi a tour.”

  Knaleg had inclined his head, then with a flourish grabbed Mairi’s hand and lingered over it. Whispering words he couldn’t hear, that had the female laughing. The husky sound had skipped down his spine, sending little waves of electric shock to all his nerve endings. If this was how he was reacting to one small laugh from the female, how was he going to last through her dating different men?

  With a low growl, he had bumped his brother out of the way. Just how he was able to manage that feat he wasn’t sure. He really did need to have a talk with Knaleg about slowing down on the training. At the rate he was going they would need to widen the doorways. His brother was turning into one massive beast. He really felt sorry for anyone who messed with him…they wouldn’t come out the winner.

  “Mairi,” he pulled her tenderly to her feet. “Allow me to give you the tour I had promised earlier, and then walk you to your quarters.” He didn’t wait for her acquiescence, with his hand on the small of her back, he propelled her forward.

  Before they made it out the door Amber yelled after them, “I will stop by tomorrow and talk to you about the classes for the men.” He had turned with Mairi in time to see Amber do a wave and Mairi did a wave back. Then he couldn’t help himself his hand slipping to even lower on her back. Somehow he got Mairi out the door before Knaleg could interfere.

  ~*~*~*

  “Did you feel the sparks between them?” Amber was waving her hand in front of her face. “I mean…Wow!”

  “I only feel sparks for you little female.” Kniam came around the table and helped Amber to her feet. Keeping his arm around her shoulder.

  “I have to agree with Amber. They are going to have a sexual relationship!” Knaleg laughed. “He wanted to kill me for even touching her. I could feel it.”

  Kniam’s concerned gaze swept to his brother, “Knaleg don’t taunt Knollig if he has chosen Mairi.” He held his hand up to his brother, “I know you do not have real feelings for her, if you did it would be you walking her around the compound and not Knollig.” Then before Knaleg could escape to his training mission, Kniam asked, “Are you well? We are all worried about you. All you think about latel
y is security and training with the men. Do you know how long it has been since you have laughed?”

  Knaleg smiled, “I just laughed a moment ago.” Kniam made to protest and it was Knaleg’s turn to hold up his hand, “Yes, I know! I have been a bit out of control with training and preparation. I am just determined that we are going to be prepared for the females and any trouble that might come up. I want everything to be perfect.”

  Amber moved to grasp Knaleg’s hand, “Everything can’t be perfect. That is a common problem with life on Earth. Sometimes perfection can never be attained! Then all you will have is disappointment. We have a thing we called “Murphy’s Law”, anything that can go wrong…will go wrong.”

  Amber gently hugged him, “Please, try to relax.” Before Knaleg could protest she hurried to add, “After the first group of females are here. When things settle down, and your security measures are successful. Then you can work on finding a mate and relaxing? Please say you will try?”

  Knaleg returned Ambers hug, “I will try after the first females are here.” He turned to the Council, a wicked smile crossed his handsome face, “Now, who thinks that Knollig will make it two days before the female gets him into bed?”

  Nobody raised his or her hand, “Who thinks it will be tonight?” In unison everyone raised their hands, and then they all burst into laughter.

  ~*~*~*

  Knollig moved his hand from Mairi’s back to take hold of her hand. She looked surprised, then smiled. Moving a step closer to him until they were almost touching shoulders.

  “This is the Sorrem holding. They are very docile pack animals that we use for transportation.” He turned to look around at the small crowd of men that were following them. Giving the men a glare, he turned back to Mairi. Walking around the complex and showing Mairi some of the different features of the industrial domes. She had a lot of questions about how things were manufactured. He explained that they could replicate anything as long as they had the base materials and a template. They also did some woodworking though they limited the amount of lumber they used. There were also metalworking, and textiles. Finally after the tour was over he was ready to take her back to her living quarters.