“I told you,” Ghauro answered. “On the human base. Since you are a healer, I thought you would be interested to have this.”
“Why?”
His annoyance only seemed to grow. “Because this book contains everything you need to know about human anatomy. About their health, their eating habits, theirreproductive system.” Ghauro made a point to insist on this last bit.
And this was the answer to a lot of worries I had.
“Are they…” I stopped, unsure of what I wanted to really ask. “It cannot bethatdifferent, right? The humans would have told us if there was anything—”
“Do not be alarmed, but humans have sexoutsideof their heat,” he said, his tone turning very serious.
I blinked, half confused by the whole situation, half relieved.So that answers my earlier questions…
“Can you believe it?”
I dropped the towel, the book and picked up the clean and more formal pants I had brought to wear for our partnering ceremony.
“I do, Ghauro,” I said calmly. “Only Tauri and Ari females do not feel sexual desire outside of their fertility period.”
He narrowed his eyes on me as I tied the knot at my belt. “How wouldyouknow about that?”
“Because as part of my healer training and to help ensure the brides’ program would go smoothly, I was asked by the human base to spend months at a time on all the planets of our system,” I deadpanned. “Youknowthis. You were the one hosting me when I was on Taurus.”
His eyes lit with the memory. Ghauro and I had been friends at some point. The reason for our fight seemed meaningless now.
“And you learned specifically about my species reproductive system?” he asked.
“Of course not. I learned about a lot of things, the reproductive system was only one of them.”
I had enjoyed the two years I spent moving from planet to planet to learn about all the other species. The humans had sponsored this experiment and in exchange for all the knowledge I gathered for myself, I was to report a few things to them so they could prepare for the brides’ arrival. I was glad the information I had provided them had been useful. Thanks to it, I was given a whole list of our food, medicine, and plants that were either safe or not for humans. All the other species must have received one too.
“So you are telling me that Cancos have sex. Like, just tohavesex? Outside of heats?”
I looked away. Sex was something private and important for my species, talking about it was not something we usually did.
But for the sake of our former friendship and to get rid of the confusion on his face, I answered. “When we find a partner we are serious about, we do.”
“Melanie said that is how humans usually are too,” Ghauro mused. “So I guess you will not need this,” he said, bending to pick up the book.
I did not think I would need it. Yet, I rushed to take it before him and held it tight to my chest.
“I will keep it.” He arched one of his hairy brows at me. “For research purposes.”
I was too curious. And too worried. I knew a lot about all the species, yet when it came to humans, I was completely clueless. They felt sexual desire, like us, but were their pleasure points the same? I knew enough aboutallthe species’ anatomy to be able to pleasure any of their females—ifI wanted to—so I would feel stupid to end up frozen on the spot facing my human bride.
“Research, huh?” he teased. The bastard saw right through me. “That is fine. I read the interesting passages so many times now that I know it by heart. I also spent so much time with my naked bride that I could findallher sensitive—”
“I get it,” I interrupted him. And here I thought Tauri males could only be aroused in the presence of a Tauri female in heat? Maybe human females could also poke at it…
We stayed still for a moment, facing each other in silence.
“Was this all you came here for?” I asked warily, lifting the book up.
“Oh. Yes.” He gave a sharp nod, like he was not used to the motion.Right,the Tauris were some of the ones who spent the least time with the humans. They must have barely started to use most of their non-verbal communication… “I guess I will get going now. The shuttle I requested is waiting for me near your camp.”
And yet he did not move untilIstarted walking.
“Are you sure?” I finally asked as we slowly made our way back to the rest of my people. They must have been done setting up the camp for the night.
