“That’s your answer. I’m the first human scientist ever.” She smiled broadly.
“Huh?”
Her smile never leaving her face, Lela took the leather pouch from her back and opened it. In it, Milo saw wooden sticks, without bark, but with markings. Twenty-eight, to be precise, and in regular intervals, he saw longer and deeper notches. “Science on Earth started when humans first recorded their observations in a way that made it possible for others to draw information from them.” She held up one of the sticks. “The cycles of the moon.”
“Twenty-eight days.” Milo looked reverently at the piece of wood. In his modern eyes it might not seem like much, but it was the beginning of what humanity had now. Not forgetting the roots was important. “That’s how men started their journey to understand their environment.”
“Women,” Lela said pleasantly.
“Women?”
“Why would a man mark the cycle of the moon? He has nothing to gain from it, at least he didn’t have at the time women started doing it.” She winked. “It took men a little longer to see the benefits.”
“Of course. It’s only logical.” Milo stared at the stick with even deeper fascination. “Science started with women.”
“It sure did. Is there anything you want to ask me?”
“Oh, I have a million questions, but we probably don’t have the time. Though I’m sure Quirion would understand.”
“He would. Unfortunately, the wish for knowledge is no reason to remain here when you belong someplace else.”
“Then I have to think hard.” Milo stared at the stick. “Do you think it was worth it?”
Lela’s smile was blinding. “In the short term, it was more than worth it, because women were able to plan ahead, avoid unwanted pregnancies, and generally take better care of their bodies with the knowledge they gained through their observations.” She turned thoughtful. “There were drawbacks, some pretty nasty, as you well know. All in all, though, I think the search for knowledge, the willingness to cross boundaries that seemed set in stone is what might save mankind from itself. And mankind desperately needs saving.” She took the stick from Milo’s hand and put it back in her leather pouch. “And I’m sure you’re going to leave your mark, Milo. I wish you a happy eternity with The Scholar.”
“Even here he’s known for it?”
“He is. Don’t tell him or he gets even more conceited, but your mate is the definition of a scholar. That’s why you’re his mate. Nobody else would have fit you as perfectly. Or him, for that matter.”
Before Milo could react to that, she vanished.
He blinked and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in Quirion’s bedroom, in his demon’s arms.
“You’re my mate.” Quirion sounded very happy.
“I’m your mate.” It was a dream come true.
Chapter Twelve
Quirion looked into Milo’s beautiful eyes, which were a bit clouded—no wonder, after what his body had had to endure. His gaze wandered farther down, to his neck and chest, where gorgeous demonic runes were covering his skin, proclaiming to the world that this perfect man belonged to Quirion, son of Alerion, King of All Demons. Quirion would have never thought of himself as possessive of another person—books were another matter entirely, and didn’t count—but what he felt for Milo was even stronger than the urge to hoard books in the safety of his library. He would even go so far as to say he would sacrifice the books for Milo, a thought so huge, he had trouble processing it.
“Who did you meet?”
A happy smile appeared on Milo’s face. “You wouldn’t believe it! I met the first human scientist ever! Her name is Lela and she showed me her sticks.”
“She did?” Quirion wasn’t sure what to make of the mentioning of sticks.
“Yes. The sticks where she marked the cycle of the moon. And apparently her own?”
“Oh, now I get it. Yes, women were the first to pay closer attention to their surroundings. Did she have any wise words for you?”
“Well, she basically told me to trust in science. Which I already do. But it was nice meeting her. You know, I always had this notion that men were the scientists, but now I can seehow that’s a case of language misguiding my thought-process. So yeah, I learned a valuable lesson.”
“That’s all we scholars can hope for.” Quirion winked and pulled Milo closer to his chest. He liked feeling his naked skin. “You know, now that we’re mates, you technically don’t have to take that test anymore.”
Milo lifted his head a bit. “I don’t?”
“No. What’s mine is yours, and mine is enough money to fund your research indefinitely.”
