as you are to me, to show you just how special you are in my life. I never realized until I met you that I was not a whole Tak’sin male. I was devoted to my duty. But you have shown me more.”
Charlie flushed. “Well, thank you, then, for stealing me away. For making me your mate… For making me happy.”
His chuckle warmed her as he gathered her close in his lower arms, his forepaws encircling her. “I am thankful for that every day, myself. But this life between us, Cha’lii, it is what we make it. The gods gave us an opportunity and provided the bond. Now we nourish it and build our joy together. We have each other. Forever.”
She realized she depended a lot on his cues on what it meant to be mated. Her mother, like so many non-gratas, had been single, and Charlie had never been in a long-term relationship either. She only had media to go off of, and that wasn’t exactly reliable. Her friendship with Ag’hana helped her navigate the unfamiliar waters as well, for which she was immensely grateful. At times, she was struck with uncertainty, and felt the familiar press of anxiety asking if she was doing it right. She was afraid of her happiness being taken away.
But here he was, reminding her that it wasn’t all just a matter of chance, but a choice to cherish each other and build upon their love.
Moments like these reinforced that this was a forever thing for them both. Rhyst wasn’t going to leave her for an easier life, nor was she going to abandon him to go back to the colony. She felt his adoration in every touch, and she did her best to make sure that he was aware of the depth of her feelings.
Chapter 34
Rhyst stood in the meeting chamber, Cha’lii beside him as he watched the king’s expression carefully.
“I see you have brought your mate,” he observed.
“This matter concerns her as well, my lord,” Rhyst replied.
He raised his brow at Fa’suh, uncertain as to why there should have been any question about her presence. The king grunted in agreement.
“Just as well. I had some information for you from my medical advisory team.” He sighed as he waved forward a male waiting off to the side.
Rhyst recognized the male from the last time he had met with the king. He inclined his head respectfully to the head medical advisor as the male smoothed his outer robe and hurried forward. The scientist cut a look at Rhyst but addressed the king.
“As you know, the matter was raised whether an a’sankh male, if free to reproduce, would breed Tak’sinii or a’sankhii offspring. Although we do not know if humans are compatible with any degree of certainty without looking at a sample of the female’s ova, we have determined that an a’sankh’s spermatozoids do not carry any of the genetic markers of the a’sankh. If Rhyst, or any other male among the population, chose to mate and breed, they would produce fully Tak’sinii young with the same options when it comes to selecting a’sankh duties or not.”
“Wait, you didn’t know?” Cha’lii asked, her voice unnerved.
The head scientist stared at her aghast as Rhyst stroked a wide palm down his mate’s mane, seeking to comfort her. He noted that, since escaping the human colony, it was becoming longer and thicker. Although shorter than the length that Tak’sinii preferred, he noted Cha’lii reacted like one of their species to having her mane stroked. She relaxed into his touch with a heavy sigh, though some tension remained. He hated that she was unduly stressed. It seemed that the matter of breeding was another difference between species.
“Tak’sinii have controlled breeding,” he explained quietly. At Cha’lii’s surprise, he continued, “Our females are not fertile without the appropriate hormones delivered to their bodies via a bite. The glands that produce the mate-marking pheromones also produce these hormones. This causes a change in the female’s scent that triggers a male’s seed to release.”
“So when you were coming before, you were just shooting blanks?” she asked.
He stared at her, digesting the strange terminology, but it seemed apt enough, from what he could gather. His seed was empty. That was correct.
“Yes, that is accurate.”
“Oh.” She frowned, her face scrunching up as she regarded him. “Just so you know, humans are fertile every month whether there’s a bite or not, so once this drug is out of my system, I will start ovulating again.”