Page 8 of Tempting Fate

Orukem caught my arm. “We’ll be preparing the newcomer’s hut in a few days, if you still wanted to do something to help?”

She insisted Fenn and I were guests, that we weren’t expected to help out in this way, but village life was a communal endeavour, and it felt wrong not to contribute.

“Yes, just let us know when,” I said. Airida was important to Shohari, and Shohari was important to Garrison. Maybe I’d been romanticising the rescue mission, but if Airida meant something to my friend, he meant something to me, even if it was in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

By the time we emerged into the morning sunlight, the large hover-transport to the ruli fields had arrived. Fenn and I boarded, along with some villagers, and sat on the long benches with the other occupants already picked up from town.

The transport powered up with a whirr, and I took a long, slow, breath. Life on Vadias would be simple and good. I didn’t need anything more.

CHAPTER FOUR

Kalidi

Airida

THIS ISN’T RIGHT. This isn’t right at all.

I sent Tokki a frantic message and slumped back in bed, waiting. Last week’s acute nausea would almost be preferable to… whatever this was.

The chiyi drank from her bowl of sweet water, and I focused on her, the way her wings fluttered as she drank, how water droplets stuck on her round tongue as she brought it to her mouth.

The door slid open, revealing Tokki’s silhouette, backlit from the corridor. “What is wrong?”

My face flushed with too much heat, echoing other parts of my body. “I am too hot. And parts of me are… malfunctioning. Uncomfortable.”

He stepped into the room. “Are you hard?”

Hard was a suitable word, but it did not do justice to the insistent, throbbing ache that bordered on pleasure before twisting back into pain. But I tilted my head in agreement.

“This is your kalidi. It won’t always feel like this, but your body has many years to catch up on all at once, and this is difficult.”

The fog in my brain grew thicker. How was I supposed to think through this scorching need? And what did I need? “I do not understand.”

“You were not taught about this at all?”

There was no judgement in his tone, but I bristled anyway. “No.”

“Your cock is supposed to get hard. It’s how you mate.”

Oh.

I knew the basic mechanics of reproduction but had never been interested enough to think on the specifics. And as my member had never done this in my life—surely this increase in size was not natural—what reason had I to know?

“I cannot mate,” I gritted out. “A male such as I is unworthy, which is why I never felt the urge.”

A very kri’ith growl rumbled in Tokki’s chest. “That’s Orithian ulthshit.” He took a small, ragged breath and sank down on the single chair in my cabin. “But that’s a conversation for another time. I can help you now, if you would like?” He offered as casually as he might bring a mug of arl-krei tea.

“…How?”

“By touching you with my hand.”

“You would touch me there?” I was as perplexed as I was curious to know more.

“I would. Only to bring you relief while you are unable to.”

I did not know what he meant, but my body was weaker than ever, other than the one unyielding part of me. I barely had the strength to raise my hand from the bed. “Such touches are only for mates, surely?” I knew little of mating other than this. But my body argued with every breath, every muscle refusing to obey me, this damnable throbbing worse than the fever of the first day here.

“That is an Orithian belief, but yes, such touches can be reserved for mates if that is what you want. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And right now, you are suffering. You are in this position because you’re coming off lifelong drugs you never should have been on.” He swung his head. “It was not so long ago that I have forgotten how this feels.”