Keld’s expression went grim. “No, they couldn’t.”
Grayson paused. “What do you mean?”
“A mated Omega is physically incapable of running away.”
Something cold slipped into Grayson’s stomach. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m surprised you don’t know this.” Keld leaned forward, elbows resting on the table. “Mating causes a pair to become physiologically dependent on each other’s pheromones. If they spend too long apart, it causes physical pain.”
The blood drained from Grayson’s face. “So they’re stuck together… forever? Like they have to be around each other all the time?”
Keld shook his head. “It gets better with time. After a few months, you can spend a few hours apart, a few years, you can be apart for days, and so on. But if your mate dies… it’s like addiction withdrawal. Sometimes the living mate doesn’t survive.”
“That’s awful,” Grayson whispered. “Do the human Omegas… know?”
Keld looked taken aback. “Of course they know. Their orientation is very thorough in the Mermate program. We aren’t tricking humans into a lifelong bond.”
“Right.” Grayson’s face heated. “Sorry, that was a stupid question.”
“One shrimp udon.” The server’s voice nearly sent Grayson shooting out of his skin. “Andnefuin’e jangeo’diae mapir’e naoak’kas kelp feuit. Give me one second and I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
The smell of crispy shrimp and miso paste instantly soothed Grayson’s spiking anxiety. Across the table, Keld had some kind of grilled meat with a side of purple mash and a plate of seaweed salad.
“So,” Grayson said. Why was his voice so high? “What exactly is that?”
Keld scooped up a forkful of the purple substance. “This is an Usoi tuber callednaoak, steamed and mashed with salt. This isjangeo.” He gestured to the curled slices of meat at the center of his place. “It’s an Earth fish species. We only brought plants when we traveled across the galaxy. Invasive species and all that. Technically we brought one fish, but they’re for cleaning scales, not eating.”
“Jangeo? I’ve never heard of it.” It smelled good at least.
“Try a bite, it’s really good.” Keld held out a speared bit of fish.
Grayson eyed it apprehensively. “I told you, I’m not the most adventurous eater…”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll never make you try anything ever again. In terms of food,” he added with a wicked smile.
Grayson leaned forward and took the proffered bite. He expected to gag, but the fishwasactually delicious.
“See?” Keld’s tone was smug. “Told you.”
“I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it,” Grayson said, picking up a set of chopsticks. He’d arrived to Miami completely incapable of using them, having always eaten his Chinese takeout with a fork. This had disgusted Jaeyong so much that he’d sat Grayson down in his kitchen and forced him to eat an entire plate of spaghetti using nothing but the flat, metal chopsticks favored in Korea. Grayson’s hand ached for days after, but at least he could manage the disposable wooden ones now.
“There’s an English word forjangeo, but I can’t think of it…” Keld popped a bit of the fish into his mouth, his eyes unfocused. “The English word was gross, so we borrowed the word from Korea. It’s one of the only human countries that eat it…” Suddenly, he slapped his hand on the table. “Hagfish! That’s what it’s called.”
Grayson choked on a noodle. “Hagfish?The one that turns itself into a glob of snot when you touch it?”
“That’s the one!” Keld sighed and returned to hisnaoak. “That was going to bother me.”
“I cannot believe you fed me snot fish.” Grayson’s stomach roiled. “I’m never letting you feed me again.”
“You liked it before I told you what it was,” Keld pointed out.
“Completely irrelevant.”
Chapter 20
Keld
The Omega was still glaring at Keld when their drinks arrived. Keld feigned ignorance and took a sip of his salty, citrusy beer. From the corner of his eye, he observed as Grayson cautiously gripped the sake bottle by the hand towel wrapped around it, and poured steaming, translucent liquid into the tiny, matching cup. The scent of poison coiled in Keld’s nostrils, making his eyes burn.
