about being pregnant. Now I was being told I was having twins, and one would be a male who had experienced me in the throes of passion? That felt all kinds of wrong. But hey, my whole life had become all sorts of wrong. Or that was how it probably seemed to outsiders. For me, it had become my normal, right or wrong.
Charsus nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I want to remain with you. I love you. And I think you will help me learn more about love in its many forms. The sexual bond you share with your pod was never right for me. You will make an excellent mother. Danheez and I are both looking forward to the prospect.”
“Will you remember?” I croaked, feeling my cheeks flame.
“I will remember choosing you as my mother. I will remember my new role. I will not remember what it is to be part of your pod,” he said carefully, avoiding eye-contact.
I breathed a sigh of relief about that, at least.
I let myself consider the new possibility. I wouldn’t have to lose either Rian or Charsus, and they wouldn’t be forced to share a body.
“You guys are sure you’ll accept a Theran as part of your pod?” I checked.
All three Danans nodded.
“His body is Theran, but Rian’s soul is Danan,” Lain said, looking at the Theran he’d only recently stopped resenting. “The mating frenzy proved that. Rian will have no Danan young, but he is fine with that. Hopefully, Rhain will have more young to carry on his genetic heritage.”
I had a horrible feeling I had a lot of babies in my future. Theran/human hybrids and Danans. The girl I used to be would have run away screaming at the very idea. This new improved version of me was warming to the possibilities. Maybe I would make a good mother. And I’d have plenty of help.
“So why all the serious expressions? It sounds like you’ve sorted it,” I said.
“I will not do it if you are not comfortable with the idea,” Charsus said, dropping to one knee to claim the hand I’d jerked away from Meida not long ago. “I can move on, if that would suit you better. You come first, Jenna. In my very long life I had only ever loved my sister, until I met you. And I do not want to lose you. But I would never want to make your journey any more difficult than it already is.”
My heart softened. I loved him too, and I would miss his mature counsel and gentle presence. But maybe I could have him in a different way. There were many ways to love.
I raised his hand to my cheek and pressed it there. “I love you too, Charsus. I would be greatly honored to be your mother. Back on Gaia I saw kids who were more mature than their parents, so I guess that’ll be the way of it for us.” I laughed at my own joke.
Charsus leaned in and kissed my lips tenderly. “I am so glad I allowed Rian to bring me into your orbit. My life has been blessed because of it.”
When he drew back, he placed his hand on my flat stomach. “Goodbye until we meet again.”
Tears pricked at my eyelids. It seemed to be happening too soon. Surely there was time…
Theran eyes lifted to meet mine. I saw Rian staring back at me sadly.
“He’s gone?” I asked, a catch in my throat.
Rian nodded. “It’s going to take a while to get used to having the run of this body. Nobody looking over my shoulder, tutting at me.”
I laughed. “You have permanent ownership of the keys now. You can have all the wild parties you want in there.”
Rian grinned and leaned in to kiss me. His kiss was very different to the tender one I’d just shared with Charsus. It was passionate and filled with a wild sense of joy.
“There’s only one kind of party I’m interested in.” He wriggled his eyebrows at me.
I looked around at my oddly formed pod. I had aliens, who were barely legal, and a Theran, who wasn’t supposed to form bonds outside his species. They shouldn’t have meshed. Yet we had formed the kind of bond Danans were famous for. A bond that extended beyond death. And it worked for me!
Before I knew what was happening, Rian’s kisses had turned serious. His long silver hair brushed the side of my cheek. It was then oddly juxtaposed with the black braid that