Kian chuckled. "The first generation was awful. The voice was male, and hearing my wife talking to me in a male voice was disturbing."
"I can imagine." She smiled up at him. "How complicated is it to teach it to use my voice?"
"I'll show you." William took the device from her.
"While you do that, I'll check on the princess." Kian turned around and left the room.
William spent the next few minutes showing her how to program the device and then left to give the new devices to the medical staff.
As Jasmine continued training the teardrop the way William had shown her, she thought about communicating with the prince the same way she would be talking to a human man in his situation.
The nuances of speech and the emotions behind them might be completely lost on him, and the same was true for her, even if William's team updated the earpieces before the prince woke up.
The prince was an alien from a completely different world with different values and beliefs. Would she understand him even if she could hear his voice?
Could she read him like she could read the people of her world?
Probably not. She would have a hard time communicating with someone from Tibet or Japan in a meaningful way, even if there was no language barrier. Their cultural expectations were too different.
Things would be so much easier with Edgar. He was an immortal, also alien in some ways, but he had been born on Earth, and he had grown up immersed in the same Western culture and values that had shaped her.
With him, there would be no language barriers, no cultural misunderstandings. Still, as the thoughts flitted through her mind, she pushed them aside because there was no escaping the fact that Edgar was not the one meant for her, and she should stop thinking about him as an option.
22
MARINA
Marina cringed at the number of cappuccinos she'd made that had gone down the drain. "I just can't get the hang of it. It looks so simple when you do it."
Wonder put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to develop the touch, which only comes with practice."
Leaning against the counter, Aliya nodded. "It took me days to master this beast and weeks until I could make all those fancy hearts and other designs with the frothed milk."
"Thanks for the pep talk, but I still feel like a failure."
Marina was getting used to the hybrid, who was very different from the other hybrids she knew from Igor's compound. The girl seemed more refined and better educated, but when Marina remarked on that, Aliya burst out laughing.
"I had the bare minimum of education when the clan found me. What you see now is the result of my mate's hard work. Vrog is a teacher and took it upon himself to educate his ignorant mate."
"Are you exclusive with him?" Marina asked hesitantly.
"I am." Aliya sighed. "When I came of age, I entertained following the Kra-ell ways and had several males in my unit, but it just didn't feel right. Vrog didn't want to share, and I didn't want to either. I'm very happy having only one mate." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Frankly, I don't know how the Kra-ell females manage several partners. It must be exhausting."
It had been quite a shock when the humans at Safe Haven had heard about Jade choosing one of the immortals as her exclusive mate, but evidently, she wasn't the only Kra-ell who had gone that way. Aliya and Vrog were also a monogamous couple. Emmett was another hybrid Kra-ell who was in an exclusive relationship with an immortal, but then Emmett was unlike anyone else on this planet.
"Hello, ladies." A tall, striking woman with long, silver-blonde hair approached the counter. "Can I bother you for a cappuccino and a pastry?"
Wonder cast her a warm smile. "Of course, Kaia." She turned to Marina. "Our newest hire will make your cappuccino."
Marina felt her cheeks get warm, and she wasn't quick to blush. "I'm not good enough yet."
"Welcome to the village, Marina." Kaia smiled. "I'll gladly be your first customer."
Marina winced. "Are you sure? Every cup I’ve made so far has gone down the drain."
Kaia shrugged. "I'm a scientist. I'm used to trying things a thousand different ways until something succeeds." She extended her hand. "I'm honored to try your cappuccino."
That was such a nice thing to say. "I'll do my best."