Page 29 of Cosmic Husband

“Of course, my Seth.”

“NAID mentioned there were things about your species you didn’t understand, but then she got squirrelly.”

His eyebrows drew together. “I don’t know what that word means.”

“Squirrelly?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Evasive?” I offered.

“I don’t know what it was referring to.”

“She,” I corrected.

“Excuse me?”

“NAID is a she, not an it.” I swallowed, unable to keep from tensing.

“NAID is not a she. It's an it. A computer program.”

I crossed my arms to conceal my shaking. “NAID told me she likes to be referred to as a she, sosheis a she.”

His mouth curled into a frown, and my breathing turned shallow as I scooted away from him, but Kal did nothing. After a moment, he asked, “NAID told you this directly?”

“Yes.”

Kal’s head tilted to the side, making his long earrings kiss his neck. “Interesting.” Before I could say anything, he continued, “You are correct. If NAID identifies as a female, then she is indeed a she.”

I sagged against the arm of the couch from his easy response. I had not made him angry. This time.

“As to the other matter, I don’t know what she was referring to.”

“NAID?” I asked. “What were you talking about?”

This time, she took the appearance I was used to. “Yes, Seth?”

“What were you talking about earlier?”

“Copulation habits?”

Heat shot to my face.

Kal whipped toward me. “Copulation?”

“The other thing,” I said, trying to change the subject before Kal could read into it.

“His inner fire.”

“Oh, that. I would like to visit the other topic.” His tail flicked wildly.

“I don’t. Explain the inner fire thing.”

NAID smirked, and the monitor went blank. If she had a physical body, I would’ve contemplated strangling her for her obvious amusement.

“We’ll talk about copulation another time,” he said.

Or never.

---