CHAPTER 60
The next morning, I was more than a little stiff and sore between the legs. Spending the night alone in my house was a good decision, I thought. I needed some recovery time.
M’Pak was very amused at the whole affair.
He chuffed as he watched me feed the ovinas on shaky legs.
He told me he would seek his own mate next season.
I would be sad to see him go. I hoped he would come back, but I couldn’t keep him from living his own life as a wild Granthor.
I hugged him before walking into my cottage to shower and change for lunch at the Palace.
The Charonu delegation would be leaving in the afternoon, so it would be my last time seeing Leo for a while.
He had quickly become one of my best friends, and I was going to miss him.
M’Pak accompanied me this time. Even though he still didn’t mindspeak to Leo, he felt some affection for him and wanted to see him off.
“He is a good human,” M’Pak said as we walked through the Palace gates. “He has brought you joy.”
“He brought me human food,” I joked. “I’ll be forever grateful for that.”
M’Pak chuffed, but I wasn’t kidding. It made life on Ptekennan so much more tolerable for me.
Dakleth came to meet as we entered the Palace.
Before he could reach for me, M’Pak stood on his hind legs and rested his front paws on Dakleth’s shoulders.
M’Pak was about the size of a large horse, so I couldn’t imagine how Dakleth was able to hold his weight.
Dakleth did not back down, but he held very still.
M’Pak made a show of inhaling around Dakleth’s mouth.
He looked Dakleth dead in the eye - predator to predator.
Dakleth held his ground, but extended his wings and raised his crest. His eyes started to glow red.
“M’Pak!” I shouted out loud. “Get down!”
M’Pak chuffed and swiped his tongue from Dakleth’s chin to his forehead, then returned to all fours and shook as though nothing had happened.
“I think he just warned me to treat you well,” Dakleth said in wonder.
“Um, sorry about that!” I said, glaring at M’Pak. M’Pak stared at me impassively and twitched his tail.
“That beast is smarter than he lets on,” Dakleth said, eyes swinging between the two of us.
“Too smart for his own good,” I huffed. “Come on, let’s find lunch. I want to see Leo before he leaves.”
Dakleth gave me a swift kiss, just a brush of lips, then took my hand and guided me down the hall. I loved that he was willing to touch me, even in public. I wondered what Kashtinela and her father would think of that.
The receiving room had a jovial air. The negotiations had gone well, I understood, and the Charonu and Ptexari were parting as tentative allies, if not friends. Leo spotted us as we entered and came up to give me a hug.
“What, no growl?” he said to Dakleth, smiling brightly. His white teeth gleamed against his dark skin. I was going to miss him.
A lazy smirk slowly took over Dakleth’s face. “I am feeling more…settled today,” he said, staring at me fondly. I blushed, looking away quickly.
“It’s about time, huera!” Leo joked. “You led this gargoyle on a merry chase.”
M’Pak interrupted by bumping his head into Leo’s palm. “Subtle, buddy,” Leo chucked, scratching behind M’Pak’s ears. “I’m gonna miss you.”
“We’re going to miss you, too,” I said, trying to keep myself from choking up.
“None of that, bestie! We’ll send video messages all the time. And I’ll find an excuse to come back soon, I’m sure.” He smiled at me. “Come on, I was just about to sit and eat.”
He led us to the table where Aldrin and Gafand were already seated. I hadn’t spoken to them since the incident with Dakleth weeks ago. Gafand looked at Dakleth and then me. He swallowed nervously. “I owe you an apology, Princess,” he said.
“Yes, you do,” I said, holding my voice steady. “But to be clear, what exactly do you think you’re apologizing for?”
“This has been an enlightening visit for us,” he said, gesturing to Aldrin.
“We had not previously interacted with females like you or her Highness,” he nodded towards Kashtinela.
“Leo has been trying to tell us for years that our treatment of females on our planet is abhorrent, but we did not…well, we did not think of them as our equals.”
“What we have seen here does not match what we are taught at home, Princess,” Aldrin interjected.
“And what have you seen here?” I asked.
“The females here - both the Ptexari and you as a human, are the equals of your males. You are educated in the same manner and have the same intelligence and skills. Although some skills may be different. The Ptexari women are the equal of their males in physical strength. I do not think the same can be said for you humans, but you and Leo embrace each other’s differences without treating one gender as lesser,” he said, thoughtfully.
Gafand jumped in. “We insulted you when we spoke of having relations with you without gaining your consent. Or asking if you were already attached,” he looked carefully at Dakleth and inclined his head.
“It honestly did not occur to us that you would refuse. Or that you could refuse. We have much to learn. That is the nature of my apology.”
I smiled at him. A genuine smile. Such a turnaround in a few short weeks. Perhaps some good would be done for the women of Charonu following this visit.
“Apology accepted,” I said. “Now let’s eat.”
“Thank you,” Gafand breathed out, sighing in relief.
I looked meaningfully at Dakleth. He cleared his throat. “I, too, should apologize. Although you did insult my mate, my reaction was…somewhat disproportionate.” Understatement of the century. I smothered a smile and saw Leo doing the same.
“Yes, well. It was understandable. No permanent harm done,” Gafand conceded, although he still seemed a bit wary.
“If you do not mind me asking, Princess,” Aldrin said, “are all human women as beautiful as you?”
I choked on the fruit that I had just put in my mouth.
Leo came over and slapped me hard on the back.
I fortunately didn’t spit it out and chewed very carefully before swallowing.
Dakleth looked like he was ready to jump over the table and tackle Leo, but I put a restraining hand on his arm, and he settled.
“All human women are beautiful,” Leo said, “but Andie is exceptional, even for a human.”
“Leo!” I whisper-shouted.
“Oh hush, brighteyes,” he laughed, dimples showing in his cheeks. “You know you’re hot.”
I giggled as Dakleth put his hand on my forehead. “Her temperature feels normal to me. Do you feel ill?” he asked earnestly.
Leo chortled. “Sorry, translation error. ‘Hot’ means sexy. Andie is both beautiful and sexy,”
I blushed, feeling warmth spread through my cheeks.
“Now you are hot,” Dakleth declared. “Your skin is pink and has heated.”
“Kill me now,” I said, as Gafand, Aldrin, and Dakleth all stared at me in alarm.
“It’s nothing, I’m just blushing!” I exclaimed.
“What is blushing?” Aldrin asked Leo.
“It’s a human physiological response. The capillaries open and the blood rushes to the skin, mostly on the face and neck. It usually happens if a human is embarrassed or sometimes anxious,” Leo explained. I was impressed with his clinical explanation.
Gafand stared at me, then looked at Leo. “I have not observed this response in you,” Gafand said.
“My skin is darker, so you wouldn’t see it,” Leo said.
“What are the lumps on your chest?” Aldrin asked. So I guess today was just going to be a whole course in human anatomy. Great.
“They’re called breasts,” I said. “All human women have two of them. If we ever give birth, our breasts fill with milk to feed the baby.”
This time Dakleth was the one to choke. He coughed and wheezed for a full minute, then looked at me. “I thought they were a secondary sex organ.”
Oh, I was doing ALL the blushing today, as I carefully avoided Leo’s eye. “Um, yes, that too, but their primary purpose is to feed a baby.”
“Did you say you give birth?” Gafand asked excitedly. “Are humans live bearers?”
“Ahhh, yes. Of course. What do you mean? Are you not? How do you have babies?” I hadn’t really thought much about alien reproduction. I mean, I’d never really thought about human reproduction either.
“Live bearers?!” Aldrin exclaimed. “Why did you not tell us of this?” he glared accusingly at Leo.
“It never came up,” Leo shrugged. “I mean, Andie is the first human female you’ve ever met. She’s probably the only human female you ever will meet. How she has a baby isn’t any of your business.”
“No babies. I’m not having any babies,” I said quickly. Children had never been part of my plan, not on Earth, and certainly not here.
Dakleth had gone very still. “Oh shit,” I said, “Were you expecting us to have babies?” Crappity crap, of course he did. He probably had to secure the royal line or something.
“Ptexari are egg layers,” Gafand said. “You won’t be compatible for breeding.”
“But the Charonu are also live bearers,” Aldrin said, still excited. “You could come to our planet and have as many offspring as you wish. The males of our planet would be delighted.”
Dakleth growled, a low warning rumble.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I snapped. “Just because I can have a baby with you doesn’t mean I want to.”
“My apologies, Princess,” Aldrin bobbed. “I meant no offense. Livebearing species are incredibly rare. I was just overcome with surprise. I completely forgot that you are already mated. Your forgiveness, please.”
“Do you just go around propositioning all females who happen to give birth to babies?” I asked, genuinely curious now.
“You are the only live bearer I have ever met outside our species,” Aldrin said.
“He wasn’t lying when he said it’s rare,” Leo chimed in. “More than 98% of all species in the known universe are egg-layers.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“I’m a vet, remember? I studied a lot of biology and anatomy as part of my training.
Plus, it’s something interesting that stuck with me, since we’re also a live-bearing species.
It’s true on Earth, too, Andie. Think of all the insects, reptiles, fish…
Humans and other mammals are pretty far outnumbered. ”
I knew about egg-laying because Miravel was expecting, but I hadn’t given it much thought. “Wait, so I can’t get pregnant here?” I asked Dakleth.
He nodded, but didn’t say anything. His expression was carefully blank.
I was suddenly nervous. Was he going to dump me now that he knew we couldn’t have children?
On the one hand, I hated to lose him, but on the other hand, part of me was relieved.
We hadn’t practiced safe sex - I hadn’t even thought about it, and I was really glad to know I couldn’t get pregnant.
It hadn’t occurred to me to ask about condoms. I didn’t even know if the Ptexari had condoms. Then I had another unwelcome thought.
I gestured to Leo to lean in. “What about diseases?” I whispered.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Can I, you know, get a disease from a Ptexari?” I asked quietly.
He grinned widely. “No. Our physiology is too different for pathogens to cross species. I bet you haven’t been sick the entire time you’ve been on this planet.”
I thought back and realized he was right.
I had suffered some stomach issues with food, but in terms of colds or other viruses, I hadn’t had so much as a sniffle.
Hey, if I had to be kidnapped and stranded on another planet, at least I could say there was one advantage.
I looked at Dakleth, who was carefully avoiding my gaze. Well, maybe two advantages.
We finished our meal in relative silence. Dakleth avoided conversation, and his disengagement brought the mood down a bit. I was going to need to talk to him once Leo and his partners left.
At the end, I gave Leo a big hug. “I’m going to miss you so much!” I said, squeezing tight.
“Me, too, huera. But we’ll stay in touch. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He shook Dakleth’s hand, who seemed confused by the gesture, and gave M’Pak another ear scratch, then he walked away.
I felt tears welling up, knowing it could be months or years before I saw him again. M’Pak leaned in to give me comfort.
Dakleth’s hand came up to wipe a tear as it spilled from my eye. “Once again, I have failed you, mate.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, thoroughly confused.
“I have shackled you to me, and I cannot give you offspring. If you wish, I will find a way to release you from the bond so you can go to Coromonn.” He looked away from me.
“Dakleth, you’re an idiot,” I said, exasperated.
“I know,” he said morosely.
“Look at me,” I said.
He turned his head and gazed at me with sorrow. “Dakleth, I’m going to tell you something that a lot of people don’t believe,” I said.
“What is that, my mate?” he asked.
“I don’t want children,” I said. “I’ve never wanted children, even when I was back on Earth. I wanted to perform on Broadway - sing and dance. Call me selfish, but kids weren’t part of the future I pictured for myself.” I said.
Dakleth was quiet for a minute. He seemed unable to process what I’d said.
“What about you?” I asked. “I guess I’ve failed you as a mate, too. I assume you want children. You need to continue the royal line of succession, right?”
“I have thought about offspring in the sense of the legacy for our family, but I cannot say it has been any dream of mine to be a father,” he said. He paused, then continued, “My father will be disappointed.”
“But are you disappointed?” I asked, nervously.
His expression softened. “Never, my mate. If you wanted offspring, I would give you as many as you desired. We would adopt them if we could not have them ourselves. If you want none, I am content to live my life in your company alone. Children would divert your attention from me. I can admit that I am also selfish. I want all of your attention for myself.”
I grinned at him, and he smiled back. I threw myself at him, and he enfolded me with wings and arms. “Every time I think you can’t get any more perfect, you go and prove me wrong,” I laughed against his chest.
“Same, mate. Same.”