Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“It’s obviously not on Zerra.” I follow him into the cleansing room. “How long does the average Alit live?”
He sits down on the bench to pull off his boots. “At least ten times my mother’s age.”
“Holy cow.” I stop in front of him. “Will I live that long as well?”
“Yes, my sweet. We’ll grow old together.”
I’m struggling to wrap my mind around the stupefying fact. “That’s almost a thousand years. People on Earth don’t live much longer than a tenth of that.”
I can’t even begin to imagine how it must be to live that long.
His gaze darkens when I undress and get into the pool that’s already filling with warm water, which must be Aruan’s doing, as I’m not testing my new powers. I can’t deny that his reaction to my body pleases me. It’s good to know I affect him as much as he affects me.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he says in a gruff tone. “Not unless you want me inside you.”
I roll my eyes, ignoring the way his words heat my belly. “You’ll make me think you only have one thing on your mind.”
“With you?” He raises a thick, dark eyebrow. “How could I think about anything else?” Openly staring at my breasts and then lower, he adds in a low, dark voice, “I could never get enough of your body.”
I flush hotter, then remind myself that he wants me because we’re mates, which is a result of our programming. The mating system is ingenious from a biological point of view. It not only ensures procreation but also prevents the messiness that comes with breakups and divorces. Yet I still wish he liked me for me and not because some ancient programming in our DNA predestined us to be together.
His gentle question pulls me back to the present. “What are you thinking about that puts such a deep frown on your pretty face?”
“What you told me about the priests’ theory.” I sit down on the bench and stretch out my legs, enjoying the soothing warmth of the water. “About the tiny smart particles and all that.”
“Oh?” He rakes a gaze over my body as he sheds his pants. “Do tell.”
The sight of him naked always does things to me, things that make it hard to concentrate. I know where our bath is going to end if I don’t get my mind out of the gutter, so I force myself to focus on his handsome face.
“I think those priests are right. On Earth, we’re currently developing what could eventually become similar technology—some combination of artificial intelligence and nano-implants. So if that’s what happened here, then you and I—and every Alit—are products of a highly advanced ancient technology, the end result of a merger between humans and AI.”
He climbs down the steps into the water and sits down next to me. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.”
“It’s…” How do I explain AI and computers to a person who’s essentially from a medieval society? “You know what? Never mind. The key thing is, that could explain the mating phenomenon. You and I are literally programmed to be drawn to one another.”
“That’s what being mates means,” he drawls, locking his hands around my waist and pulling me onto his lap so that I’m straddling him. “We’re fated to be together.”
“Not fated, programmed. Like two pieces of software.”
He nuzzles my temple. “Uh-huh.”
“Do you realize what that means?” I lean back on his lap. “If it’s been done before, here on Zerra, there’s a very probable chance that humans on Earth will also succeed in developing into a species like the Alit.”
“Perhaps,” he says, his lips quirking.
I pout. “You’re not taking me seriously.”
“Oh, I am.” He strokes his palms down my thighs, grips my knees, and spreads them wide. “I just have other things on my mind right now.”
My reprimand is half-hearted at best. “Aruan.”
He goes from playful to serious in a second. “I want you, Elsie.”
My core tightens. I wrap my arms around his neck, knowing I’ll need to hold on. “Nothing has stopped you from taking what you want before.”
He encircles my waist and yanks me hard against him. “There’s something else you need to know about an Alit’s age, specifically about a female Alit’s maturity.” He smooths one hand up my side to cup my breast. “It takes only a few moon cycles for an adult woman to become fertile once she’s mated.”
My stomach contracts at the mention of the risk we’re taking every time we have unprotected sex.
Reading my mind as always, he says, “If it’s that important to you, we can wait.”
The declaration takes me by surprise. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“I thought you didn’t want to.” I search his eyes. “Wait, I mean.”
His gaze plays over my face, his expression honest and open. “I already told you. I want you to be happy.”