Chapter Seven #3
“Um. It might fall off me, but yes, it’ll work. Don’t worry, it won’t actually. It’s just not going to look very flattering. Oh, good. Marcus says temperature spike and hormonal ‘hot flashes’ are part of the injection doing its thing. Oh. No good.”
Gideon raced to the edge of the bed where she had returned to perching, his eyes worried. “What? What is not good?”
“He says a human body is going to try to mimic a Felid heat, and so if I experienced certain ‘symptoms’ or ‘urges’ around the fertile point in my cycle before, I should expect those to be ‘greatly magnified.’” Sasha shook her head. “Don’t know what I’m worried about.”
“Does he mean you’ll develop a genuine fever?”
“No, he means I’m going to develop genuine insatiability.
” Sasha bit her lip. Before, she’d shrugged off that worry.
She wasn’t going to be some horny, sex-starved woman, because you have to actually like sex—or have had more than a couple orgasms in your life that were delivered by your own hand—to crave it.
Even as a student who had been learning anatomy and the functions of different hormones in humans, and even after reading all the copious files Marcus sent, some part of her had simply believed she would be immune.
Gideon made it clear to her that she wasn’t as uninterested in romance as she thought.
“But out on Lynx-Nineteen, which is where there are many human and Felid couples, and many cubs coming, I think... I think I would like to grow things. And raise things. My money would bring returns if properly invested in properties, but I don’t want to become like Farhet or his associates, where all they nurture are their credits.
I would have a small farm, perhaps, or no...
An orchard. I know it is hard to grow citrine and plumcotta in climates like the far end of the Lynxian System.
So many come from the Tigerite System or the Servali System.
But with enough credits, we could create an indoor orchard—a terraformed space like the bay on the ship. ”
“A giant growing house. Greenhouses, they used to call them a long, long time ago, when trees and gardens were still common on Sapien-Three.”
“They’re not now?”
“Nope. There are huge agricultural areas that just grow food, and then huge city areas. 90% of the people live in the cities, and only the rich have greenery.” Sasha swallowed.
It was not lost on her that Gideon said “we” a moment ago.
But that might have simply been a collective term, him and his money, him and his plans.
“I think that would be a great idea. A lot of people pr-probably don’t invest like that in that sort of small rural community.”
“It wouldn’t be profitable on a large scale.
But what if it wasn’t a large-scale endeavor?
Just enough to keep a district of little families supplied with fresh fruit for a much lower price?
I know they do have good trade agreements with the neighboring Servali System, but even so—they are a tiny little planet, far from any major trading route, I imagine. ”
“I think so, too, if you’re talking specifically about Lynx-Nineteen.
When Farhet pulled his stunt with subbing you in as a ‘sperm donor,’ Marcus had a fit, and I heard part of it while I was in the clinic waiting room.
He was talking to someone at Bastet Mercy and explaining there were only two people in the galaxy trained to handle the procedure from start to finish, as well as do all the initial testing, and who routinely worked with humans: him and Dr. Weaver out on Lynx-Nineteen.
He made it very clear that most of the Felids in the Galaxy wouldn’t find that an easy trip. ”
Gideon shook his head. “He is right. People will do anything for their children, but—”
Sasha held up a hand, a worried look on her face. “Farhet wouldn’t.”
Gideon didn’t reply.
“He wouldn’t,” she persisted. “He couldn’t even touch my hand.”
Gideon sat beside her and took her hand in both of his. “I do not have that problem.”
Everything else that she wanted to ask or say was wiped out.
Questions about Farhet’s suitability to raise a child, questions about journeying to Lynx-Nineteen together one day, or even seeing each other after this...
So many questions, so many thoughts... All gone.
Everything pinpointed down to the texture of his pad-like digits massaging her palm, and his earnest eyes capturing hers.
Heat speared through her, and her cooled cheeks were suddenly aflame. “I couldn’t do this without you,” she whispered.
“I would not want to do this with anyone else. Not now that I have met you, my Queen.”
“My King?”
“Only a Knight,” he corrected, his head bending closer.
Her eyes closed, and her lips tilted up. “Aren’t you only a Knight until you have a Queen of your own?”
“Yes, but—”
“You have me.”
“Only on a loan. I know that this program will end and then you—”
“Then we can pick who we want to keep being with, or seeing, on our own terms.” Sasha pushed herself up and let her lips connect with his.