Page 64 of Master
“Do you remember seeing particles of white power in the greenhouse?” Clara prodded.
“No.” Buck paused, sinking down on the bench as if the recollection exhausted him. “It got hazy, but I don’t recall any white powder.”
“What happened then?” Clara had the gift of pushing just enough to keep him on track without being overwhelming.
His slender shoulders moved in a heavy shrug. "I don't remember. Like I told you, I woke up face down in the sweet potato plants, my head hurting like I'd been on a bender.”
“The greenhouse isn’t airtight, is it?” Clara wondered aloud.
"No." The last time I saw the structure, it needed several panes of glass.
“I left the door open too,” Buck said absently, his mind elsewhere.
Clara gave a faint hum, the forefinger of her left hand tapping against her lips. I knew her well enough to recognize the gesture as signaling deep thought. Her violet gaze swept over the square, dappled sunlight erasing the earlier dismalness. Her eyes settled on a nearby bush full of deep purple blooms.
Her sharp gasp made me tense.
“Mei’s research!” She jumped to her feet, pacing and tapping her lips so furiously that I feared she might bruise one of my favorite body parts.
"I thought Mei's research was on plants," I remembered. Granted, I'd been paying more attention to Clara's plump, sweet ass than her words when she told me about the science experiments.
"Yes and no," Clara grinned. "Remember, she was working on bolstering a plant's natural defense systems. Her notes said that sweet potatoes have a compound called DMNT. It's found in other plants, but sweet potatoes have twice the usual amount. What if something in the mumje triggered the sweet potato's natural defense system, which kept Buck from being infected? As long as the mumje remained in the air, it kept him kind ofout of it, but once the rain fell and neutralized the drug, he woke up." Her attention jumped to Buck. "You said you woke up face down in the plants... right?”
“Yes, ma'am." Buck blinked up at her."Still got dirt in my nose.”
"How do we test your theory?" My question only broadened her smile.
“What if we get the sweet potato plants from the greenhouse and see if they help Lula?” Buck suggested, jumping to his feet.
“It’s as good an idea as any,” Clara agreed.
The greenhouse was as I remembered from my last trip to Tau Ceti many years ago, except showing more broken andmissing windowpanes. We gathered the plants between the three of us, arriving at Mei’s cottage a few minutes later.
Bartholomeus and Mei lay curled together on Mei’s bed, holding each other in much the same way we'd found them. Bartholomeus cared so deeply for this small human woman—I prayed she did not pull away from him if we managed to free them from the mumje. I know how it felt to have the female you wanted shy away from your touch… just as I now knew the joy of having her crave it.
Lula occupied the guest room, curled on her side under a light blanket. Tears slipped from Buck's eyes as he dropped the tray of plants he held, sinking onto the mattress beside Lula and pulling her close.
“How do we do this?” I asked, placing the tray I held atop a nearby table.
Clara tapped her lips for a few minutes. "Let's do this as scientifically as possible. Help me set the plants around her on the bed."
Buck reluctantly rose from his wife’s side and helped us surround Lula with the winding pale green vines. We pinched and tore at the leaves and vines to activate the defensive properties.
Pulling a heavy blanket from a nearby cupboard, Clara draped the cloth over Lula, cocooning her underneath, alongside the plants.
“How long till she heals?" Buck asked nervously, staring at the bed.
"We don't know if it will work, Buck. But I won't stop trying until we find a way to cure Lula," Clara professed, a daintyhand patting Buck's arm reassuringly. A dainty hand that held my heart and soul in its grip.
When did I start feeling this way about her?
When had I not?
The violet eyes watched the bed with such determination that my heart swelled with pride. Clara was smart and kind and loyal… and mine. Even if the Valana never saw fit to bless our mating, my heart… everything in me belonged to Clara.
A weak moan jerked all attention to the bed. Buck lunged forward, yanking the blanket from his wife's face. Lula squirmed weakly, issuing low, breathless moans.
“Lula, honey, can you hear me?” Buck cradled her face in his hands.
