Rema landed, setting me on my feet to glance at the sky for a moment, counting. “There are nine. Five who are older than I am by a few hundred years, so they are more like aunts and uncles to me than friends. Their oldest, Dhadoi, celebrated her 687th birthday at the beginning of the year, she is a fierce warrior and watches her younger siblings when her mothers must deal with the Court. She was a constant source of knowledge for me growing up. You can thank much of my combat skills to her, though Ohem did his fair share in preparing me for war. Then there are the triplets, Zaatox, Uphaith, and Lingoi, that are close to my age. Zaatox, their second son, was a constant companion of mine as I matured. He is still a very good friend. I get all of their family updates from him via comm messages. And lastly, Dhessa, their youngest, who was born last year.”
Nine kids in a thousand years. For some reason I’d been expecting over a hundred or something crazy.
“Kids are something we haven’t discussed yet,” I said, stepping through the door from the courtyard that led into the hallway we’d used to come to the first dinner with Imma, back when she was just the Queen in my mind.
Rema stopped walking to look down at me, his silver eyes catching the ringed planet’s glow in their depths, making them look like liquid mercury. “Do you want children?”
My first instinct was to vehemently say no. But as my mouth opened to say it, I stopped. Did I want kids?
Not right now, no. Probably not for a long, long time. I could barely take care of myself, and I wanted to be selfish with my time with Rema for a couple hundred years or so.
“Maybe in a thousand years.”
Rema smiled, reaching out a hand to pinch my chin with his fingers. “I am selfish. I want you all to myself. So, we are in agreement. No children for a thousand years… or more.”
I ran my hands up his chest to wrap my arms around his neck. He had to help me reach by lifting me with an arm under my butt. “Glad that’s settled. We can be the crazy aunt and the cool uncle to Jack and Ohem’s kids when they have them.”
Rema hugged me to him, all four arms wrapping around my body to squeeze me tightly. “I like that idea. Though,” he said, starting back down the hallway with me still in his arms, “Jack’s children will probably be feral, heathen creatures that listen to no one, so perhaps we may skip that part too.”
A laugh bubbled out of me, and I rested my head in the crook of his neck. “From what Jack tells me, she was a terror as a child so maybe we hide out until the kid is a teenager andthenwe can be the cool aunt and uncle.”
Rema’s laughter joined with mine as we rounded the corner to the hallway to our rooms. When he reached my door, it opened automatically and I looked around as we entered my bedroom. Someone had been in and cleaned up. There was not a single indication that there’d ever been a fight in here. They’d cleared all my vines too.
“Damn. Imma works fast.”
A little green light whipped past my face, stopping a few inches to my right.
“Sulu! I’m happy to see you’re okay. That was a super brave thing you did. Thank you,” I told the little fairy female as Rema let me slide down his body to my feet.
The little fairy alien zipped back and forth, finally landing on my palm as I held my hand out. She held her spiderweb dress skirt out to the side and bowed, her feral smile in place.
“You’re welcome,” her squeaky voice said, barely audible to me.
And then she was gone, quick as a flash out of the room.
“Uh, so much for declaring my undying friendship.”
Rema chuckled, steering me to the bathroom. “Ki’sees rarely interfere as Sulu did. I think your friendship is set. She wouldn’t have bothered otherwise. Congratulations, Patty. Being befriended by a Ki’sees is seen as a good omen for a long life.”
I turned to him as he started backing out of my bathroom. “Will you sleep with me tonight?”
Chapter 16
Patty
He froze in hisretreat, meeting my eyes. His gaze was searching, but whatever he saw made him visibly melt, his face warming with a soft smile. “Yes. Let me wash and change, and I will be back.”
I looked at the massive stone shower and back at him, biting my lip. “Could you just shower with me?”
He stilled again, hesitating. “We aren’t supp—”
I held up my hand. “I know, I know, but I figured since we are here, and we only have a few more days left… Would it be okay? I promise not to push it any further than you are willing to go.”
I chewed my lip as indecision danced across his face. His emotions ranged from deep anticipation, desire, frustration, and finally settling on wry acceptance. I was already smiling when he sighed. He stepped back into my bathroom, closing the door behind him.
A trembling settled into my bones, heat suffusing my body as Rema smiled wryly at me.
“So much for my discipline,” he said dryly, his hands coming up to the hem of his shirt.
