Page 6 of My Date is a Wild Yeti

“Ah. Is that why you take bookings with Amadine?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know why she kept booking me, but having me in as a maid and handyman was an interesting break to my time. She’s a fun conversationalist, and it is so relaxing here.”

“That it is.” She smiled. “Getting virgin tech was tricky, but we managed it.”

She got up and cleared the plates before he could grab them. She filled the sink and started washing.

He brought his dishes around and put the leftovers in the fridge. “You don’t have a scent gland in your neck.”

“Oh. No. It was shredded, and I didn’t know what it looked like. Aksalla didn’t have any anatomy books that included it, so I was left putting myself together with standard human anatomy. Anything particular to omegas that wasn’t intact couldn’t be rebuilt.”

Geero asked softly, “What happened?”

“The Uraddan government were bastards, and a group of us actives were able to come up with an escape plan. We ran for it, and two of us took turns digging a tunnel. There were ten when we started and six when we managed to cross the border. That is when the collapse struck. Well, that is when Uradda got someone to shatter the tunnel. I was the last in the line, and the woman in front sent the others ahead as I slowly bled out. She told me to pull myself together, so I did. A voice in my head told me to lift myself and start moving, so I did. We passed those who died in the collapse, and she kept moving with me, singing to me until I responded, and we dragged ourselves into the sun, away from Uradda.”

She smiled at him. “Freedom tasted like snowflakes and sunlight.”

He blinked. “That’s... I have heard of the Uraddan escapees, but the Aksallan government kept mention of them fairly quiet.”

“Don’t worry. They have only just been giving us the possibility of citizenship.” She sighed. “And there weren’t many actives left when the wall came down.”

“There were a few hundred.”

“There used to be thousands.” She smiled sadly. “A hundred years ago, we were a rapidly advancing nation.”

“Please, tell me you were not around for that.”

She snorted. “No, but I had a grandmother who was. She told me a lot of stories.”

She rinsed the dishes, and he dried. He asked, “She was an active?”

“Oh. No. She was my father’s mother. Just human with hidden genetics.”

“Your father?”

She quirked a smile. “Oh, h0.e was a government minister. He actually thought that his family was exempted from examination. Boy, was he surprised. He was horrible to others, but he tried to be a good father. He was executed for hiding me.”

“What about your mother?”

She dried her hands off. “She turned me in.”

He stared and then put the dishes away. “Your mother...”

“Oh, yes. She was loyal to the cause and had herself sterilized the moment I was identified as an active.” She grimaced. “I really don’t like that woman. It is a shame she just disappeared one day.” Her grimace curled into a smile.

“You sent an agent after her?”

“Someone did.” She chuckled darkly. “If I ever find out who, I am sending them chocolates on their birthday.”

She smiled and wandered into the living room. Ondine settled on the couch, and a book emerged from the coffee table.

“I thought that Amadine couldn’t be around tech?”

Ondine flipped through the pages. “She can’t be around tech that has an imprint on it. She can pull the residual signals out of the air and project them so they can be seen. She does a lot of impromptu trials. She just got back from being taken to the Sethir stronghold.”

“What happens if someone tries to keep her?”

“Oh, that has happened a time or two. I go get her, and I bring friends.” She chuckled. “They surrender her without much of a fight. Well,wedon’t consider it a fight.”

---