Page 31 of Healing His Mate

“Now, I am not suggesting that you will soon be able to fly and breathe fire, Kay-teh,” Kaiva quickly clarifies. “This could be a direct result of the pregnancy. But as you are the only human on Oluura mated to a draxilio, I would like to start collecting regular samples to gain a better understanding of what is happening.”

“Uh, okay,” I hear Kay-teh reply. “It’d be cool to breathe fire someday, though. So, if there’s any way to make that happen, I’m down. But maybe after the baby is born.”

Kaiva chuckles at Kay-teh’s strange request. “Nee-roh, I have also noticed something fascinating with your cells since you became mated.”

“That is?” he asks, his tone stiff and haughty.

“Have you noticed any changes while in your other form?” Kaiva asks.

Kay-teh replies for him. “Yeah!” she exclaims, turning to address her mate. “You said you felt stronger the last time you shifted. And remember the other day when you could breathe fire right before the shift?”

Nee-roh clears his throat. “Yes, this is all true.”

“Ah,” Kaiva says, triumphantly. “That is what I suspected. The cells here appear more vibrant, healthier. The data reflects that. I am not surprised you are experiencing increased strength in your other form. But I would also like to monitor you more closely as you are the only draxilio we have frequent contact with.”

“I do not see the need,” he replies. “Contributing parts of my body, even on a microscopic, cellular level makes me uncomfortable. No.” His face exits the screen, and I see Kay-teh take his place in a huff.

“Don’t worry,” she adds. “He gets a little perturbed with stuff like this because of his upbringing, but I’ll work on him.”

“Is that everything, then?” Aye-vah asks Kaiva after a brief pause, noticing the sudden restlessness in the room.

“Yes, that is all,” Kaiva says, closing her screen pad. “Please continue to see me at least once every five days to give your sample. I shall provide updates on my research as they come.”

“And you don’t want us to tell the other humans?” Cloh-ee asks.

“No!” Kaiva quickly replies. “Do not tell the rest of the clan, either. Not yet. I do not know how they will react to learning that mating with humans slows the human aging process, and speeds the Trovilian aging process, simultaneously. There are males who are desperately hoping the tether forms with one of the humans, and I cannot foresee this information causing anything but distress.”

As the group starts to disperse, I make my way over to Cloh-ee and Varrek. Words come out of my mouth that I do not expect. “May I hold the little one?”

Cloh-ee and Varrek exchange a glance that indicates they are equally shocked by my request. “Sure,” Cloh-ee eventually says, cradling Vahla’s head as she places her in my arms.

The first thing I notice about the child is how small she is. Much smaller than a Trovilian baby, but since this baby is part-human, I suppose it makes sense. “She is named after your mother, yes?” I ask Varrek without lifting my head. I am far too distracted by Vahla’s pale golden skin and the tuft of brown hair with a small patch of silver by her tiny, pointed ear to look elsewhere.

“Yes,” Varrek replies. I can hear the smile in his voice.

“A beautiful tribute,” I add. Varrek’s mother was truly a magnificent female. She would have loved to meet Cloh-ee, and the adorable namesake I hold in my arms.

I thought the sense of longing I felt earlier would cease once I held Vahla, but if anything, it has grown. I have never felt comfortable in the presence of children, of any age, so this surprises me.

Unless Old Nalba wanted children of her own. Perhaps this feeling is an inkling of a memory, something that exists in my mind I simply cannot reach.

Cloh-ee must sense my confusion. “You’re good with her,” she says with a chuckle.

“I thank you,” I reply, quickly handing the child back to her mother. The longing has left me frazzled, and I do not know what to do with it.

Cloh-ee hands Vahla over to Varrek, who seems to glow with pride the moment his daughter is in his arms. “You know,” Cloh-ee begins, “you and Jo were lifesavers during the birth. God, that was such a scary day.”

The name she utters is not familiar, but instead of clarifying that, I am stuck on the part where I assisted in a birth. “I helped you?”

“Yes! Well, you and all the girls––Jo, Kate, Ava, Kaiva, Eleanor too! You were all so supportive and wonderful,” she says with a sigh. “I could not have done it without you.”

What was I doing assisting in a birth? This is not my area of expertise.

“Well, I am going to take this one back home,” Varrek says as he gazes lovingly at Vahla. He bends down to kiss Cloh-ee’s forehead, and when he leaves, I notice that everyone else has also gone.

Cloh-ee, Waldric, and I walk together back to my shop in a heavy silence. Me, from the unsettling emotions that stirred inside me while holding Vahla, and them, from the shocking theory Kaiva presented. I decide I cannot take it anymore, and say, “Is this better for the humans than the Trovilians? The slower aging process?” I am not directly asking Cloh-ee, but more presenting it to the group. “You will live longer once you are mated to a Trovilian. That is certainly appealing, is it not?”

Cloh-ee huffs out a breath. “I don’t even know where to begin with that. Because it’s still just a theory. How will my cells continue to change? What other changes will occur? Will my skin eventually turn gold? Will Varrek’s skin turn pasty white? Pfft, who the fuck knows!”

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