She glanced around the room, her gaze going over everything, before landing square on him.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Would you want to be here?”
“Again, I don’t know.”
“Until you know, you are just, what, then?”
“Continuing the path, I suppose.”
“Would you want to go back to your world?”
She opened her mouth to reply and stopped herself. Again, she looked away before she met his gaze. “I was about to immediately say ‘yes,’ but I really don’t know. I don’t have a lot to go back to if I did return.”
“At least here, there is no ex to contend with,” Phares said. He was attempting to make a joke.
She nodded her head. But she didn’t seem to think it was very funny. Instead, she yawned again and curled into herself on his couch. She seemed petite on the couch since the furniture was built for generally larger beings like him.
“You do need rest. That is the second time you’ve yawned.”
“I do.” She looked over toward the bed. “How do we do that, anyway?"
"Sleep? Close our eyes. Do you have sleep rituals?"
She shook her head. "I meant with the mating and sleeping arrangements and all of that. Am I expected to sleep with you?"
"The bed should be wide enough for both of us."
She smiled for a second. "I don't worry about the width. I'm more concerned with mating rituals."
“Why?”
She shrugged and looked away. “What is expected of me? What the rules are here regarding this? Are your people like all ‘Raw, this my mate! Raw, I take what I want! Raw, raw!’ and throw me over your shoulder and have your way with me.”
She did all this with hand gestures to illustrate, as well.
And stars, if it didn’t ignite his Fever. He would like to throw her over his shoulder, carry her to the bed and mate with her. He had to shift and clench the side of the couch to keep from moving and doing exactly what she said.
Phares stared at her. “Is that what you like?”
“Uh, no. I mean, well… I mean…”
The need in him grew, and he needed to get himself under control. He stood from the couch and paced back and forth.
She watched him, and if she saw how hard his body was getting over the mating conversation, she didn’t say anything.
Finally, he spoke. “We have Fever. Xianans do. It is a powerful yearning to mate. I could very easily do those things with you.”
She gasped.
“I will not, however. Not without your permission.”
She seemed to relax a bit. “Does it hurt you not to mate?”
“When the Fever begins, yes, it can. I take medicine to hold back the worst of it.” He wasn’t going to mention that the medicine wasn’t working as well as it once had. He didn’t want to scare her.
“How long can you take the medicine?”
