“Sure.”
“What do you think my chances are? Like, do I have a shot at being picked? Would I be… desirable as a hucow?” Her grey eyes are like the desert sky at dusk.
Something thrums deep in my abdomen. “Yes, Celeste. You’ll be a… very desirable hucow.”
Her intensity sharpens. “If… you, personally,werein the market, would you be… open to a trial period? With me?”
It’s like she has me under some kind of spell. “I’d be open to quite a lot with you involved.”
She leans closer, giving me a better look at her small, determined face. I could hold her whole head in one hand. “What could… convince you? To be in the market?”
“Well, the… caimites are very sensitive to change.”
“Right… the caimites.”
“Besides, you’d hate the desert. It’s very dry and quiet and lonely.”
“I like dry and quiet and lonely.”
Our breath mingles between us.
My face is much, much too close to hers.
I blink and lean back. “Maybe you can visit when Andromeda does.”
She does a good job of hiding how she wilts, but I have a sharp eye.
Her voice is strong as she says, “Yeah. That’d be nice.”
I need to get out of here. I turn and stride toward the exit, but every step gets harder, like I’m sinking into quicksand.
The caimites have been breeding well. With the payment for the eggs I just delivered to Sylvus, I could run the farm for years without a single sale. And that’s not even counting my savings. I can tolerate a few cycles of smaller clutches and some bickering among the females.
Besides, she’s so small. Her vibrations would be minimal, even after the hucow transformation. I could simply carry her around and manage the vibrations that way.
I put a hand to my forehead. Why am I thinking like this? This isn’t like me.
But I know one thing for sure.
If I leave this room, I’ll lose my chance with her forever.
“Wait—“ I turn, ignoring how the other Arthropoids glance at me. All I see is her wide, grey, hopeful eyes.
I step deliberately back across the room, forcing myself not to rush.
I reach the table to find Andromeda sitting next to Celeste, a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“Wait. Celeste, if I…werein the market, would…youchoose me?”
Hesitant, she nods. “Yeah…” Then firmer, with more confidence, “Yes.”
“It’s… a trial period. So… might as well try, right?”
“Yeah,” she breathes. “Let’s try.”
CHAPTER 4
CELESTE
