Both his voice and his dulled eyes betrayed the raw emotion he failed to conceal from me. His shoulders sagged and his vines hung limply to the mysterious floor.
“I’m not disgusted by your appearance,” I said quietly, straightening as I rubbed my arms, training to calm their sudden chill. “But I’m not interested in children, at least not right now, not when I’m not sure what’s going on. Even after things settle down, how do you know we can...”
“The Mother Tree wouldn’t have entwined your fates if you weren’t capable,” the hometree declared, her flashing bright coloring reflecting her upbeat tone of voice. “No one is forcing you to reproduce every season, but whenever you’re ready, all you have to do is drink from my Giving Pool.”
“What do you mean?”
Was this some kind of birth control provided by a plantwoman’s high-tech, smart tree?
“My Giving Pool assists in the development of female Calyzis into origins. They can take their mate’s seed and createtserwa—offspring from the strongest genes—after filling their bodies with my enhanced water.
“Then, after a few days, the new origin deposits the youngtserwain my Giving Pool, and I will care for them until they are mature enough to feed on their own—”
“Or with their parents’ help,” Zyre murmured as he lifted one of his feeder vines to me, his face defeated. “I would gladly feed you and anytserwawe have, as many as you allow.”
Reaching for his feeder, I gently wrapped my hand around it and placed my thumb in the center, feeling the softness of the petals.
Everything they said was more difficult to comprehend, much deeper than I had anticipated at this point in my life.
I was basically an abandoned foster child who became a world champion in eSports. Never in my life had I considered marrying, settling down, and having children. Not after having spent my entire life being tossed around and working my tail off to get where I was now.
None of that was relevant here.
Instead of being the leader of an eSports winning team, with enough whip and dagger skills to slice up any mage or assassin I came across, I was given the opportunity to make more of my life.
“If I accept everything—whatever the responsibilities of being yourluwaeriare—you are willing to give me your support, access to your hometree, and time to adjust, settle down, and come to terms with everything before agreeing to have babies with you.”
Zyre’s face lit up with hope as he stepped closer, palmed my cheek, and stared at me with fierce determination.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I will give you everything you need—even the very leaves on my back—if that’s what it takes for you to join my life?” He took my hand in his and pressed it against his strong pectoral muscles to feel the rapid beating of his two hearts. “I’m willing to give up hope for anytserwa—and let my brethren repopulate our species and our planet—if it means we can spend the rest of our lives together until we return to the Mother Tree.”
Zyre was offering me his undying love and support, and all I had to do was swear myself to him, sealing our bond. He wasn’t looking for children; he just wanted me to be his lifelong companion.
“Is that a promise?” I licked my lips as I tried to take in everything that was said, hoping that we could settle everything and not have to revisit such a sensitive subject in the near future.
“I want nothing more than for you to choose me, for my body to blossom.” His eyes softened as he combed back my hair. “I hope my blooms are as lovely as you.”
As the sounds of my rapid heartbeat pierced my ears, my breath caught in my throat. He was saying everything I wished a man would say to me, but he was more—a plantman—and was willing to give up everything just for me to accept him.
Could I believe what he said?
“I’d wear my color with pride—and show off everything you’ve given me,” Zyre said quietly, resting his forehead on mine. “Please, Viola, allow me to demonstrate how much I adore you. How much I want to learn everything there is to know about you, inside and out. Allow me to shower you with so much love and pleasure that your smile will shine brighter than the sun on the brightest of days.”
“Then show me.”
The words slipped from my mouth, but I had no regrets.
Perhaps he was sent to me from the universe, and our paths crossed in some way, to show me all how to love and be loved.
“Now?”
“If you want to seal our fate, I’ll take us out of here.
“We can explore each other’s bodies, and I can feed you my seed until your body can’t take any more.” His lips tightened into a devilish grin that matched the mischief in his teal, heated gaze. He jerked his head away and motioned to the hometree in the middle of our surroundings. “But we haven’t created anything that you came here for.”
“Let’s take a rain check and finish what we started.”
Closing the space between us, I pressed my lips on his and gasped at the sudden shock that beamed between us.
