Kiss the Stranger

The quiet room echoed with the loud sounds of chewing and swallowing. Kamar and I stared across the table at the man, our faces a mixture of surprise and displeasure. When he begged us to share our meal, Kamar refused as I had expected. But I couldn’t turn him away.
I have to help people survive, Kamar. We have plenty of food.

At my words, Kamar scowled but stepped back. The man settled himself confidently across from us and began to devour the spread as if possessed. He ate faster than even Rikal, who was the speediest eater I knew—and he ate a huge amount. At one point, Kamar actually grabbed his wrist as he reached for more meat.
“That’s enough. You’ve eaten more than enough.”
Grinding his teeth, Kamar released the man’s wrist with a toss and slid the meat platter toward me. Not for you to eat, his gaze seemed to say, but Kamar shot me a look meaning, Be quiet. I bowed my head in silence. The unexpected guest glanced regretfully at the empty plate, then grinned broadly.

“Wow, that was delicious. I nearly starved to death, and yet such merciful neighbors have moved in next door—what luck is this?”
He prattled on cheerily.
“There aren’t many guests here; most people leave quickly. I’ve been here the longest. If you want recommendations for good restaurants or cheap shops, I can tell you about most of them.”

“If you know so much, how did you starve?”
Kamar sneered, and the man scratched his head, laughing.
“Well, research makes you lose track of time. Before I knew it, the fridge was empty. When I went out to buy more, I nearly collapsed. Then I caught a whiff of savory meat in the hallway…!”
He inhaled deeply with a pleased, smug “hmm,” then beamed at us.

“I will never forget this kindness. If you need anything at all, let me know—I can be very useful.”
“Uh-huh….”
I gave him a forced smile, and he pressed on.

“So, is this your first time in Al-Ad?”
His gaze shifted to Kamar, and I felt a strange tension. Nervous, I watched as Kamar spoke.
“Yes.”

“Oh, I see, I see.”
He repeated himself, still smiling, then tilted his head. Definitely odd. He clapped his hands like to attract attention and looked between us.
“Welcome to Al-Ad. Do you have any friends here? Or am I your first friend? Oh, how lucky.”

He launched into small talk about the weather and traffic—endless chatter that made me feel dizzy. As my mind began to drift, Kamar put his arm around me and pulled me close, as if to say, Wake up. Blinking, I snapped back to reality and Kamar spoke.
“If you’re done eating, maybe you should go. We need our private time.”
“Oh—right. Are you two a married couple?”

The man asked, toggling his gaze between us. Startled, I blinked. We’d thrown off our wrappings and spoken occasionally, so he must have known I was male—yet he’d assumed we were married. Kamar frowned suspiciously. The man laughed and went on.

“You look like a couple at first glance. Congratulations. But why did this gentleman come here? Business trip?”
“Why would we have to tell you?”

Kamar snarled. The man spoke too much, prying like a spy—it made me uneasy. I stayed silent and let Kamar handle it. We’d already given him a meal; that should count as help. The man just smiled and said,
“You two are clearly in love. Is this a lovers’ escape?”
Kamar released me and stood, bristling as if to grab the man by the collar if he said another word. The man, undeterred, continued.

“Traveling together can’t be easy. Are you fleeing because of him? Where did you come from?”
“What are you trying to get at?”
Kamar snapped, and the man shrugged before dropping his usual cheer and speaking earnestly.
“I told you, I can help.”

Through his glasses his eyes glinted strangely. He looked at me.
“You’re an omega, right?”
In that instant, Kamar’s hand shot out across the table and clamped onto the man’s throat.

“Kamar!”
“Ugh.”
A strangled groan came from the man’s throat. Alarmed, I reached to pull Kamar’s hand away, but he didn’t budge. With one hand choking the man, Kamar simply stared at his pale, panicked face.

“Stop it, Kamar. You’ll kill him—he’ll really die!”
Kamar didn’t respond. His eyes gleamed gold, and his scent grew heady. I felt dizzy and sank to my knees.
“Kamar, please….”

The memory of spraying crimson blood filled my vision. Kamar never hesitated to kill. This time would be no different. As I watched his hand turn white with the man’s struggle, I cried out.
“Kamar, stop! I said stop!”
I clung to his legs in desperation. At that moment, Kamar looked down at me with knitted brows, muttered a curse under his breath, and loosened his grip.

“Koff, koff… ack, koff.”
The man doubled over, hacking and coughing violently. I scrambled up and thrust a cup of water toward him.
“Thank you. You really are kind.”

His voice was rough and hoarse, perhaps from the strangulation. He drained the cup in one gulp, exhaled, and looked at us again.
“I said let’s talk things out with words—what do you do with fists?”

“Shut up and get out!”
The man warned gravely, “You won’t live long if you keep this up.” His previously jovial face had gone eerily serious. He continued.

“Aren’t you curious how I knew you were an omega? Your pheromone scent is overwhelming. Both of you.”
Kamar loosened his tie but glared at the [N O V E L I G H T] man.
“Kamar is a beta.”

“What?”
The man furrowed his brow. I said calmly,
“He’s a beta. That’s body odor, not pheromones.”

The man fell silent, glaring suspiciously at us. Then Kamar spoke.
“It’s the truth.”
“Huh.”

He let out a flat breath, scratched his head, and shrugged.
“Alright then. Where are you from? From a Union city, I presume. You don’t have to say if you don’t want to, but you should know what kind of place this is.”
He sat back as if in his own home and gestured us to sit. Hesitantly, we did, and he resumed.

“Like other cities, Al-Ad has deep prejudice. If you’re captured, you might end up a sex slave—that’s the best-case scenario.”
At Kamar’s hard expression, he went on.
“The king is on his last legs, and the heir hasn’t been seen for months—supposedly unwell, but who knows. Politics and security are in turmoil. Even if the prince returns, it won’t change anything for you. He’s devout; omegas aren’t treated as human. Well, that’s typical of nobles, I guess.”

He added with a sardonic grin.
“Anyway, you’ve been helped, and if there’s anything I can do—like get you suppressants?”
“Suppressants?”

I blurted in surprise. He blinked and said,
“Haven’t I mentioned? I’m a doctor.”
“You didn’t.”

“Oh.” He sounded entirely unconcerned. “Now you know. I look forward to helping. What are your names?”
He held out his hand. Kamar hesitated but shook it.
“…Kamar.”

“I see. And you?”
“Yohan.”
“Yohan.”

Repeating our names with a smile, he said,
“I’m Norman Steward. An American. Pleased to meet you.”