Page 125 of Tharn's Hunt
"Yes," she mutters, her mental voice strained. "It’s like… little swimmers. Tiny cells that carry half the genetic material needed to make a human."
Kol looks genuinely intrigued now, his golden eyes narrowing in thought. "And the female provides the other half?"
"Exactly!" Jah-kee vocalizes. "The egg comes from the woman, the sperm comes from the man, and when they meet, they can create a baby.”
Kol’s gaze sharpens, his head tilting further as he digests this. "And this fluid is… released during the act of joining?"
"Yes," Jah-kee projects.
I freeze.
The fluid released during the act of joining.
My mind flashes back to the many times I have filled her, the heat of my release spilling into her again and again. The memory burns through me.
"Jah-kee?" I project slowly. "This is the fluid my member produces when I… fill you?"
Her gaze snaps to mine, her eyes widening slightly, but her expression remains composed.
"Yes," she projects carefully. "That’s sperm."
The word resonates in the mindspace, heavy with meaning I’m only beginning to grasp.
A strange mix of emotions surges through me. Understanding, confusion, and something deeper, more primal. "Then every time I have filled you…" I trail off, my thoughts tangling.
Her brow furrows, her tone softening. "It’s not the same, Tharn. You’re Drakav. I’m human. It’s hard enough to get pregnant on Earth. There’s no way our genetic material is compatible."
Her words are logical, reasonable. They should soothe the strange tension building in my chest.
But they don’t.
Behind us, Jus-teen shifts uncomfortably. I hear her swallow audibly, her vocalization quiet but edged with something uncertain. "Aliens who… transformed to be perfectly compatible with us."
I stare at Jah-kee, my thoughts spinning.Compatible. The dust reshaped me. Altered me in ways I do not fully understand.
Beside me, I feel a flash of sharp, panicked thought from Jah-kee, directed entirely at her sister. It is too fast for me to grasp fully, a jumble of human words and a chemical name I do not recognize.
Jus-teen’s response is a wave of pure, cold dread.
Could it be possible? Could I create life with Jah-kee?
My chest tightens with awe and wonder, the thought spiraling through me. A new Drakav. A progeny.Myprogeny.
My focus shifts to Rok, and I see the same realization reflected in his golden eyes. His gaze flicks to Jus-teen and stays there.
But…where would this new Drakav emerge from?
Would it grow beneath Jah-kee’s soft skin, hidden from sight? Would she crack open like a Giving Stone, revealing new life within?
I do not want my mate to crack open.
Jah-kee exhales sharply, breaking the silence. "We’re not down here to discuss making babies," she vocalizes.
Her words snap me back to the present, though the thoughts still churn in my mind.
"We’re here to figure out why the women are getting sick, and where you came from," she continues.
Kol gestures to the carvings. "The answers lie here. In the Hall of Knowing."
