Page 74 of The Pleasure Contract

“One of them has to be an instant death venom,” Zevan interrupts.

“I’d bet my left horn on the other being a venom that can turn the bitten into an actual likable creature. Everyone knows that’s what Glex really wants,” Ral adds.

“Whatever they are, everyone’s pretty sure Glex didn’t inherit an active bloodline venom himself, and so far, none of his offspring have, either,” I continue, ignoring my teammates and focussing on trying to give Lois the answers she wants.

“So… what?” she says, her little human nose scrunching up adorably. “He just keeps going, creating more and more kids in the hopes that one of them has magical fang juice?”

Zevan spits his drink out again.

“That is an obscenely vulgar turn of phrase, human,” Ral laughs, raising his glass to my Lois as Zevan continues coughing, and Vex is left wiping ale from his face once more. “Well done.”

“Essentially, yeah,” I agree, ignoring the others. “He’s pumping so much investment into the artificial reproductive technologies because he believes he can be the first to produce offspring with active venom that way. The experts have said it can’t be done. It’s never happened. But he’s convinced,” I shrug.

Lois blinks at me a moment, her eyes not focussing on anything in particular. “So,” she starts, clearly thinking out loud. “If he can bring the powerful bloodline venom back into his family tree, he has more influence at court, right? If that’s all he cares about.”

Zevan snorts. “Imagine if he only manages to bring back one of those completely useless ones?” Clicking his fingers and pointing at Jorren, he continues, “Oh! I once heard about a venom that literally just makes you shit yourself for a few days! Imagine he goes through all this trouble, and that’s what he resurrects!”

Varrex tuts beside me, shifting in his seat. “That’s not venom, that’s eating an overripe pukpuk fruit, asshole.”

Zevan starts to argue, but my Lois interrupts. “But I don’t think it even matters what the venom is that he’s trying to bring back, really,” she says, still thinking out loud. “If he can prove that he can do it – he can engineer an active bloodline venom, then he holds the key to the kingdom.”

She’s got it.

My female saw the danger in this from twelve galaxies away, while most just claim Glex has his horns screwed on too tight. They dismiss it as familial pride and a foolish longing for even a fraction more power than he already has. They think he’s just trying to prove himself as a male after so many fruitless breeding contracts. They don’t see that if he manages to do this, if he sparks and controls the industry that can hand out bloodline venoms to families, then he gets to pick and choose who those venoms go to.

Glex could potentially completely reshape the court in his favor.

“And not just the kingdom,” Lois continues. “If he can artificially create Xavianns with certain venoms. What’s to stop him from using those venoms outside of your society? What’s to stop him from selling those venoms on to a different species so he can gain influence beyond this planet?”

“We don’t do that,” Vex says in a gruff voice beside me. “It is not the done thing, and is against our laws.”

Lois raises a brow. “Until it isn’t. Until he promises venom to families that would back him in changing those laws. The next thing you know, Glex is controlling a whole new supply chain to the rest of the known galaxies.”

The cruiser is quiet.

“I know you guys don’t really trade that much outside of your own species,” Lois continues. “And I know you all see the venoms as sacred, ‘Goddess-given’ gifts… but what if he sees it as a commodity to exploit?”

There’s another moment where no one says anything.

Lois is right. I had not thought of it to this extent. Had never even considered that venom could be traded on a potentially large scale like that. You hear of venom chasers taking people and harvesting their venom against their will, sure. These instances are partly why we do not talk about our venoms. But these are criminals. Not someone at the very top of our society, making our laws.

It’s Ral who finally breaks the silence. “Thank fuck he’ll never manage to achieve his goals, then,” he says, lifting his glass before downing its contents.

“We’re here,” Rykor calls out from the front of the cruiser, and everyone looks out the windows to stare up at my father’s royal seat, the Central Palace.

Most of the separate principalities’ palaces are somewhat modeled on this one, with its grand spires, stained-glass windows, and gilding everywhere you look. But the Central Palace is almost like a small city on its own. The place is so gargantuan, it’s as if it birthed all the other palaces, and remains the larger, more dominant structure, ready at a moment’s notice to discipline any of its smaller palace-children should they step out of line.

“Can’t believe you’re actually letting us come here, Princey,” Jorren comments, craning his neck to try and peer up to the tip of the highest tower. He won’t be able to do it. I think even a drak would get a touch of sky-sickness all the way up there.

I roll my eyes even though Jorren still isn’t looking at me. “You’ve been invited to the palace before.”

“And you’ve always declined. The rest of us can’t very well show up to your dad’s house without you. That’s just weird.”

I open my mouth to respond, but Ral is already sliding forward to the very edge of his seat. “We’re here now, so,” he interrupts, his hands clapping once before he rubs them together with glee. “Let’s go, girls,” he says, mimicking that Earth song he’s been listening to on repeat since last night.

“I swear on my mother’s horns, if you say that one more time, I’m going to-”

Vex doesn’t get to finish his words. Ral is already hopping out of the cruiser, patting his cheek on the way out – an act that no doubt will do wonders for Varrex’s mood.