"Not at all. You're tiny," he said, a note of amusement lacing his words as he subtly, almost imperceptibly, tightened his arm protectively around her. The gesture, simple as it was, carried an undercurrent of possession.
"What's your name?" he then asked, his voice maintaining that same low, gentle quality, a question that felt impossibly profound amidst the surreal landscape.
Rami hesitated, the moment stretching, before she finally offered, "Oh... Erm... Rami".
"Rami. Cute name," he murmured, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he observed her, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips.
Then came the seemingly casual question that, in a single breath, shattered her fragile composure and redefined their interaction: "Do you have a mate, Rami?".
Her heart, already fluttering with exhaustion and apprehension, now skipped a frantic beat.
"Ah... Mate?... Do I have a mate... oh... Hmm... Not?" she stammered, her uncertainty hanging in the air. His heart, she noted, seemed to skip a beat at her hesitant response, and his smile widened, a distinct, possessive gleam entering his eyes.
"So, you're not mated?" he confirmed, attempting, yet unsuccessfully, to keep his voice neutral, the underlying intent barely concealed. Rami shook her head, a strange flutter intensifying in her chest, a nervous recognition of the direction this conversation was taking.
His next words were a direct, forceful declaration, delivered with a low growl and a fierce intensity gleaming in his eyes: "Good. No mate means you can be mine".
Rami could only stammer, "What?" taken completely aback, her mind struggling to process the stark simplicity of his claim.
He watched her innocent, bewildered expression, a dawning realization crossing his features—a sudden understanding that she might not comprehend the customs that governed his world.
"When a male finds an unmated female, he can claim her as his mate. Like this," he explained, his free hand moving with deliberate slowness, subtly spreading her legs slightly. His sharp nails lightly grazed her inner thigh as his hand inched higher, a calculated gesture of demonstration.
Panic, hot and sharp, surged through Rami, overwhelming her. Her legs snapped shut, and a desperate plea was choked out, "Wh-what... D-don't do... That...".
He froze instantly, taking her reaction seriously, a flicker of genuine confusion crossing his face, as if such a strong aversion was an anomaly, as if most females would welcome such a gesture.
"Do you not like that?" he asked softly, his hand retreating completely. Rami, a flush rising to her cheeks and a searing heat of embarrassment washing over her, shook her head.
He then probed further, his gaze unwavering as he lifted her slightly higher against his broad chest, his voice still gentle but with an underlying question that demanded a response: "Do you have no interest in mating?".
The humid air, thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying foliage, seemed to press in on Rami as Yves's deep voice resonated, discussing mating with the casualness of asking about mundane preferences. Her mind spun, the world tilting on an unfamiliar axis, and a profound embarrassment washed over her, making her face feel as if it could bleed.
"How can someone be this shameless?"
she thought, the question echoing in her mind as Yves chuckled softly, trying to decipher her intense reaction.