Page 19 of Breaking Ties

Molly said, “So we can have kids with them.”

“Yes. There are over a dozen little Terran-Hmrain hybrids running around, including the oldest Hmrain and his queen, Harwin.”

Molly blinked. “Harwin?”

“Her last name. She is the last of her family, so the name is now on walls and cartouches all over Aten and the surrounding worlds that belong to Ra.”

The other ladies who had been classified for Hmrain gathered around. “Can you tell us about the other Terrans and how they are doing?”

“Sure, I can even tell you how to spot an idiot in the Hmrain. He’s better now, but Zell was a moron. He just kept taking energy without giving anything back. No touches, no cuddles, no being held after she rocked his world.” She smiled. “So... she left. The moment her contract was up. It was a thirty-day contract to get Zell up and moving, and when it was done, she left.”

The ladies were hooked. Molly asked, “What happened next?”

“He was irritated and tried to go after her, but he ran into another Hmrain who asked him about how he had treated her, and Symo decked him. Some Hmrain are attuned to the needs of others. Symo is one of them, and now he and Bailey are finally together.”

One of the ladies said, “Zell?”

“Oh, he and Symo went after his ex-companion, and they found the two ladies hiding at the temple. Zell asked politely to be allowed to speak to his companion, they worked out a contract, and he’s getting smarter by the day.”

Molly said, “So you weren’t kidding? They get stronger with us?”

“Oh, yeah. The designers made incredibly strong, powerful, beautiful, and intelligent beings and gave them worlds to watch over, and then they gave them a need for companionship and a desire for family to continue their bloodlines. The need for contact drives them and keeps them from becoming monsters. It keeps them interested in the people around them.”

A shy woman said, “Do they kill their companions?”

“Companions? Very rarely. Casual women who want to ride the lightning? They can drain them until the women are unable to stay alive. Turn them from a grape to a raisin.”

The woman gasped, and Avery snorted. “Right. Like you know all this.”

Aubrey looked at Avery. “I wasn’t talking to you. Your minimal rating will get you comfort but not prestige. Enjoy being a lower-tier companion, and don’t mess with your bondholder.”

Avery looked a little wary, but she stiffened her shoulders.

Aubrey said, “Don’t you want to know where Desmond and Paris will be?”

“They are coming with me.”

“Oh, definitely not. They have their own destiny, and the moment you set foot on that shuttle, your lives went in different directions. They will not be there to catch you or protect you from your own actions. I congratulate you; at twenty-seven, you are all grown up. It just took the world ending and you losing everything you knew to boost that along.”

Avery stepped forward and swung to slap Aubrey. Her hand froze midair. Aubrey looked at her with a slight smile. “You dare to strike the oracle?” She rose to her feet and towered over her sibling, locked in place by the field Aubrey had learned to generate.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Aubrey looked at the station guards, who grabbed Avery and hauled her away. “You will learn.”

Molly blinked. “What did you do?”

“It’s a restriction field. Some of the others on the station want to either destroy me or kidnap me, so I had to develop a defense. This works.” She didn’t explain how it worked. It used the compression of air around Aubrey to create an electric shock that locked the nervous system of her attacker. She liked the humans, but life had taught her that her own kind was treacherous if they thought they could benefit from it.

The head of her guard appeared and said, “The committee has a request to speak with you. Overseer Eliada.”

“Ah, of course. Off we go. Aren’t you glad I don’t need to eat every ninety minutes?”

He chuckled, and she nodded to the ladies and moved out of medical, fluttering as she walked.

She was down to six guards now that she had her little trick. They had tested it, and even projectiles stopped before they hit her. She was glad. She still had the same guards, but they were able to split shifts.

Aubrey walked with her entourage to the elegant tea rooms that were high-security and set aside for Hmrain and other important visitors to meet their probable matches. She walked with her head high and was escorted to the room where Eliada waited.

Eliada stood, and Aubrey walked up to her, inclining her head. “Lady Eliada, I am the oracle. I am pleased to meet you.”