I already knew where he was going with this line of thinking.
“Eventually,” I replied.
“So, what if you get over your obsession withme?”
I spoke calmly. “The Ripgrass was a childhood obsession. It is an animal, and I was a youngling.”
Then my fingers tightened, and this time I did not loosen them. I pressed my chest flush against his back, lowering my snout to his small pink ear to growl the next words.
“Now I am a mature adult, one much older and experienced than you. And you, my little human, are my mate, whether you like it or not. My filum. My ultimate obsession. I craved you for moons before even speaking to you. A mere glimpse of your hidden face turned me on, and I would rush home to touch myself while thinking of you.”
His face flushed until the starry specks on his cheeks disappeared among the pink.
“Y-you did?” he blurted. “No way, I don’t believe you!”
“Your belief does not change the truth. I was sick with fascination over you. Much pollen was spilled in your honor.”
“Oh, stop,” he said through a laugh. He hid his face in his hands, but it didn’t stop his wide grin from peeking through.
“Do you have any other pressing concerns for me to reassure?”
His smile faded. As I continued washing him, he didn’t speak, but the silence was comfortable. Easy. I sensed only the mildest anxiety floating around him, even without the use of my feelers.
“Sort of,” Assistant 23 murmured.
“Tell me.”
“It’s selfish.”
“Be selfish,” I insisted.
He exhaled a big sigh. “I don’t want to be pregnant. I really, really don’t!”
I wondered why he had brought that up again. Had I not already informed him I was infertile?
“I am too old to breed,” I reminded him.
He ducked his head. “You said that, but I’m still nervous. Humans with my body type aren’t supposed to get pregnant, ever, but it happened to the others. What if some crazy DNA magic bullshit is involved, and I get knocked up, too? It scares me to death!”
I could tell by the frantic way he confessed that this had weighed heavily on his mind. I felt guilty for not easing his worries sooner.
“Not only am I too old to breed, but I have no desire for younglings,” I told him. “To be truthful, I do not want any distractions fromyou, little human.”
Assistant 23’s eyes went wide as moons. He seemed touched.
“Really?” he asked.
If words were not enough to soothe his worries, I had other avenues of communication. I wanted him to be as certain as I was.
“I can show you, if you allow me,” I offered, raising my feelers.
His green eyes darted to my floating appendages. He seemed less suspicious of them now that we had shared a moment of intimacy.
“Sure,” he conceded.
“Relax for me.”
A soft shudder ran over Assistant 23’s skin, but he obeyed, releasing the tension in his muscles held by habit. When he went limp against me, my feelers floated down to his bare shoulders. As the tips wriggled closer to the surface of his body, he gasped, going stiff and straight.
