Xai'an cradled his mate in his arms. The swelling urge to protect her was even greater now than before. It was a primal urge that seemed to consume him which he could only conclude was a result of their mating.

He didn't like the sound of this 'birth control' implant. Female Yautja never had such a need for such devices. Though, if it helped her with pain during her fertile time, he'd leave it until he could have one of the scientists take a look at her. Surely they could find a solution for her.

He was indeed grateful that she didn't seem angry with him about their mating, but he knew it would be short lived. His natural lubricant seemed to have the same effectiveness on her as it would have on a female of his own species. It helped her willingness to mate but he didn’t anticipate it to have lingering effects. She almost seemed...enamored with him. He hoped one day she could truly feel that way.

"So I'm not going to get pregnant after all that?" She inquired. He didn't understand her fear of conception, but then again he would never have to. He was male. Though, if ooman pregnancy was anything like Yautja then she would be most temperamental. He definitely would not look forward to that.

He shrugged at her question. "Must run scan." He would have to get his mask to look at her biology make up. That would let him know if this device blocked his seed or if it was just the weaker ooman. Right now he just wanted to hold her. His mate.

"Is that what the mask is for?"

He nodded as his eyes took in the whole of her. She was much softer than he expected. Maybe that's why she favored soft bedding? He laid his hand on her flat belly. She was so small that it took up her entire stomach with enough space for his dark fingers to curl around her sides slightly.

He inched up to cup her fleshy globes, liking how it felt in his palm. She began twitching under him, her breath catching like when her inner walls clenched around him in her heightened pleasure. When she slowed, she slapped his hand, pushing it away from her body. Apparently, the effects of his lubricant wore off in minutes. "None of that! It won't be long before they come looking for me and though that was indeed the best sex of my life that doesn't give you claim over me! This," she motioned with her finger between them, "changes nothing."

He found that amusing. Of course it didn't. The mark on her neck does, but he knew she'd only argue with him and he didn't much care for pointless arguments. His mark would show everyone who she belonged to. Who her mate was. She couldn't argue that.

"Besides, I don't think my heart could take it." She mumbled and sat up. He mourned the loss of her, but he knew he'd have her again after he got her and her ooman 'friends' out.

He reached for her face, which he could do sitting down. "Z mate Xai'an."

She flushed red in her face. "Yes. And now I must wash myself all over again. So thanks. Now that you've gotten what you wanted from me, get out. Go on! Leave me in peace for a few moments."

He stood up then. "Hurry. Oomans will come. Will not see Xai'an mate naked. Break promise and kill."

She laughed. "Not if I don't kill them first. I didn't even want you seeing me naked. Now go on."

He shook his head at her odd humor and went to get dressed. His armor was just outside the sign in the wall that said 'Showers'. The chest plate went first, covering only one of his pectorals. Then his shoulder pads, a layer of impenetrable metal not found on Earth and Di'arnak skulls. An alien race with one of the strongest bones in the universe. His wrist sheaths, cuffs, and shin guards were next. A few clicks on his wrist device activated the netting to circle his body. Finally, his belts, loin cloth, codpiece, plasma cannon and his mask.

There was another message waiting from him from Warark. It was a video message from his own mask, showing him his steps. He was tracking footprints, larger than the average Kiande Amedha. So, another Queen had been spawned. He growled. This would complicate things.

The only positive thing was they tracked her heading north toward another ooman city. Though this behavior was highly unusual that also meant the drones would follow her so it would be safe for his mates oomans to flee this city before it fell. He hated the thought he had next, because he knew it was going to be the safest option for her.

Judging by the marks Warark showed him, the new Queen was growing much faster than was normal and hinted that this Queen would be a rarity for their species. Not even he had the chance to hunt a Xeno Queen. A female that grew much larger than a normal Queen. She would be too much for his brothers to handle alone if they didn't reach her before she fully matured.

He hated it with every fiber of his being, but it would have to be done. He knew he was going to have to leave Z in the hands of the other oomans so he could help his brothers catch this Queen. If he brought her with him, he'd be too concerned with keeping her safe to hunt properly.

"Why is the door blocked?"

He turned to look down at her. He hadn't even heard her. She was wearing a thin black material that hugged her tiny torso but left her arms bare. He could see through the material that she wore a cloth chest plate of some sort underneath that pushed up her fleshy mounds so they swelled up over the top. He liked it. She wore a thicker material of the same length that she had before to cover her sex.

Now with her standing here, he did a quick bio reading on her anatomy and sure enough he saw the rod implanted in her arm. The chemicals that pumped into her body from the thing would definitely prevent his seed from taking root. The thought annoyed him. Another matter for another time though.

"Did you…?" She trailed off with her brow raised in question.

He cupped her face with his hand. "No interruptions."

Her face grew warmer under his touch and he realized that was because she was embarrassed. Oomans were such emotional creatures.

"Safe for oomans to leave south. Xai'an go hunt north. Go with oomans. Safe. Come for you after." He went to the door where he pushed the metal containers in the way.

"You're leaving?" He liked the unease in her voice. The fact that she wanted him near almost made him reconsider his plan. Almost. "What if there are...Kiande Amedha left?"

He pushed the containers around back to their original positions. She had a point. Though the ooman male seemed to have training worthy of being hunted, he had many other oomans to care for. He could threaten the ooman but oomans often lacked honor and he didn't want to trust her safety on only the frightened word of an ooman.

Xai'an reached for his belt to pull out a device the humans called a shuriken. His was much larger and higher technology. "Hand."

She held her hand out, palm up, which he took. In his other hand he pressed the activation button, thrusting out is sharp curved blades. "Blood recognition. Activate for you. Protect you."

"You need my blood?" She asked nervously. He nodded. "How much?"

"Drop."

She nodded and he was careful as he pressed one of the blades to her finger. She didn't cry out in pain though she did wince once it cut into her. A small jewel of blood swelled up like a dome. Xai'an ran his claws over another button which opened the biometrics scan. "Press "

His mate didn't hesitate to listen to him. She pressed it in and her eyes widened as the shuriken absorbed her blood, learning her DNA. He reprogrammed it to recognize her as the master user so she could freely throw it without risk of it returning to cut her in half.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked, her green eyes looking over the weapon with fearful caution.

He had long since mastered the weapon so he didn't need the biometrics safety to use it. It was primarily so he could recall the weapon if it got lodged somewhere, but it was made for unblooded Yautja who hadn't mastered it.

Xai'an took her hand and showed her several times which buttons to activate it, until he was sure she could do it without issue. Then he threw it. The shuriken shredded through the metal, whirled back to his hand. His mate just watched in complete shock, her mouth hanging open. He wasn't surprised, even if she had been trained with weapons like her ooman friend, they had nothing like this on Earth.

He sheathed it, so it looked like nothing more than a silver disc and placed it in her palm vertically. "Blood keeps from cutting." To show her what he meant, he activated the blades. She yelped and tried to drop it, but he kept her hand firmly on it. He circled it in her palm, showing her that the blades sheathed and reopened in accordance to her hand.

"Whoa. That's...trippy. So I, what, throw it at them and it comes back to me without cutting me?" She asked as she watched the blades open and close.

"Yes." He said as he heard footsteps. They were too heavy for a female but he was sure it was the ooman male coming to check what was taking so long. The door opened without so much a knock. The ooman Danny came in, gun drawn. He growled a warning. This was the second time that male aimed a weapon in their direction and his instincts screamed at him to neutralize the threat...but he restrained himself for her.

He paused when he saw Z and Xai’an. "What the hell was that noise?"

His mate held up the shuriken then motioned to the destroyed metal boxes. "He gave me a present."

Danny nodded his head, brows up. "Nifty. I guess. Got anymore for us there, big guy?"

Xai'an growled. "Not for you."

Danny sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever."

His mate sheathed the blades and placed it in the pocket on her butt. "He gave it to me because he's going to go hunt those things with his brothers. Said it's safe to travel south because they are headed north. This," she patted her pocket, "is just in case there are any stragglers."

Before Danny could respond Xai'an slammed him up against the wall, quickly disarming him. He chose his words through recordings because he wanted to make sure that there was no miscommunication. "You will protect her. If she dies, you all die. I will be back for her. Understand?"

Danny glared those blue eyes up at Xai'an fueling his need to kill the ooman for the defiance, but he needed him alive...for now. "I planned on doing that anyway, asshole. You forget she's human and humans protect our own."

That was laughable to Xai'an, considering all the wars oomans have waged against each other out of pure greed. This ooman, however, believed his own words. He would protect her to the best of his ability. For now that would have to do.

"Xai'an. Let him go. How many times do I have to tell you that we don't hurt friends?" His mates small hands rubbed up his bicep, trying to ease him off the ooman. He growled but released him.

"Not my friend." He snarled at her but she didn’t even flinch. She glared up at him with her hands on her hips.

"My friends are your fucking friends, Xai'an. Don't be a dick." She was clearly angry with him, but he didn't understand why him having a penis would anger her. She seemed to quite enjoy it earlier. He could only assume it meant some other type of insult he was unsure about. He'd have to look it up later.

He just growled at the ooman male as his response. She didn't seem happy with him still but she let it go with a heavy sigh. Xai'an reached down to brush her cheek with his claws. "Stay safe. Be back soon."

Turning his back on the ooman male just to let him know how little a threat he meant to him, he cloaked himself and went through the door.