as he appears to be?”
“Bigger.”
She shrieks with laughter, and I cover my mouth with my hands and stomp my feet. I clench my teeth at the memory of it. The feeling of him in my hands, stretching my mouth, gushing hot seed over my breasts. Now that he’s gone, the intensity of my desire has come down. But the memory of the actual experience is no less intense.
“And have you gotten to know him, or are you just spending all your time… kissing?”
“We’ve spent hours talking. We’ve been discovering Martian art together. It’s not a subject that he’s had much interest in before now. But I find it fascinating. So we’re learning about it together. We’ve talked about our pasts, about our hopes for the future. And I know that he’s a good man, as much as I possibly can at this point. I can say with absolute honesty that I have genuine feelings for him. If we could return to a peaceful Earth, I would have to think long and hard about whether or not to leave him.”
“That’s saying a lot, Doris. Most of us would want to return if we could.”
“I know. I miss my mother and grandmother. But my feelings for Jaxxo are real. I’ve never felt like this for anyone. It’s above and beyond anything I ever could have even imagined. My last relationship didn’t even come close.”
“That’s not saying much.”
Bethany makes some tea and sets it down in front of me. I lift the cup to my lips, taking a sip. Part of me wants to run back to Jaxxo, to the simple comfort I feel in his arms, and to that drug-induced state of desire like the only thing in the universe worth my attention is him.
21
Leaving Doris at the bridal house feels like ripping off my own skin. The torture of it is beyond words. But I must leave her for this day. The high council is waiting for my report. It is critical that we all understand the outcome of the mission. And I expect that they will also want a full report of my own experience, having been the first Martian to be mated with an Earth female.
I turn my vehicle toward the capital, and my heart rate increases uncomfortably. I should not be nervous to see these men. I trust them with my life. But I hesitate to share the private bond that is tentatively developing between me and my match.
Despite my own indiscretion, I want to keep the tender truth of Doris to myself. But I know I cannot. They will need to understand to the extent of what is possible from one subject and what it is like to be matched with an Earth female. The fate of Mars is at stake.
I disembark from my vehicle and ascend the stairs to the capital building. The dark glass doors slide open, and I walk into the sleek tiled antechamber outside the Council Hall.
When I step into the Council Hall, everyone is waiting, seated at the large round table. King Damious Girr looks up at me and frowns. I hurry to take my seat on the opposite side of the table to my king.
“Nice of you to join us, Captain Noru,” Damious says.
“I had to drop my bride off at the bridal house.”
“Is she living with you then?” Lieutenant Martix Controi asks me.
“She is. But I thought I was here to report on our mission, not on my bride.”
“Lieutenant Controi has already filled us in on everything we need to know about the mission,” King Damious says. “What we want to know from you is your experience with the female.”
I lean back in my chair, my eyes scanning the room for an escape. But I know I cannot avoid this. I search for the right words to say. I will not betray Doris’s trust any more than I already have. She deserves so much better than this. I can only imagine telling her that I discussed our relationship in the highest government meeting on the planet.
“I have been matched with Doris Gray, a college librarian aged twenty-seven. She has a vast storehouse of knowledge and a sharp intellect. Her personality tends toward inquisitiveness, although she is highly adaptable and agreeable.”
“How has she adapted to the pheromone injections?” asks Malico Ossi, one of Mars’s top scientists.
“The effect has been powerful,” I say, although “powerful” is an understatement.
“And how is it affecting you?” asks King Damious.
“In all honesty, I believe the effect