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“What?” Mia blinked at him in shock.
“It’s done. You have the implant. We’ll give it about a minute to sync with your neural pathways, and then we’ll test it out.”
“But how? Where did it go in?”
“It went in through the skin,” Korum explained, smiling at her. “You didn’t feel it, right?”
“No, I didn’t feel anything.” Were they playing a joke on her?
Saret laughed, enjoying her reaction. “Good, you weren’t supposed to. The device itself has analgesic properties, so you shouldn’t have felt the tiny cut it made in the thin skin behind your ear.”
Mia raised her left hand, feeling for the wound, but there was nothing.
“So tell me, Mia, do you feel any different? Are you thinking any thoughts you shouldn’t be thinking?” Korum asked her with a mocking gleam in his eyes.
Mia shook her head, frowning at him slightly. She didn’t appreciate his making fun of her ignorance.
And then her breath caught in her throat.
Korum had just spoken to her in Krinar – and she had understood his every word.
“Wait a second,” she said, and the words that came out of her mouth were strange and unfamiliar. Yet she knew exactly what they meant, and her facial muscles seemed to have no problem forming the sounds. “You just spoke in Krinar!”
Korum smiled. “And so did you. How does it feel?”
Mia blinked at him. It felt strange, yet effortless. “It seems to be okay,” she said again in Krinar. “I just don’t understand how it works. What if I want to say something in English?”
“If you want to say something in English, you just have to think English, and you’ll switch languages,” Saret explained. “Right now, your brain’s natural response is to speak in Krinar because that’s the language in which we’re addressing you. You have to actively think that you want to speak in English in order to do so when confronted with Krinar speech. However, later on, when you get used to the implant, switching back and forth will be automatic and won’t require any extra thought on your part. This is really not all that different from being multilingual. I’m sure you know people who speak several languages fluently – and now you have that same ability, just taken to a different level.”
Mia listened to his explanation, the reality of it seeping in. “Wow,” she breathed softly, “so I can really, truly speak any known language now? Just like that?”
She wanted to jump up and run around the room, screaming with glee, and she controlled herself with effort, not wanting to appear like a silly kid in front of Korum’s friend. It was just so unbelievably amazing. She had always been good with languages in school, studying Spanish and French throughout high school, but she’d never managed to become fluent. And now she could speak whatever language she wanted? Her earlier reluctance forgotten, Mia could now only think of the mind-blowing possibilities.
“Just like that,” Korum confirmed, looking down at her with a smile, and Saret nodded as well.
Struggling to appear dignified, Mia fought back the huge grin that threatened to split her face. “Thank you,” she told Saret. “I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, Mia. I hope to see you soon.” And with that, he touched Korum’s shoulder again and left, the wall to their right disintegrating to grant him passage.
Chapter 3
Once Saret was gone, Mia couldn’t contain her elation any longer. She felt like she would choke from the sheer delight that filled her from within, and she knew that she was grinning now, probably looking like an idiot. But she couldn’t bring herself to care anymore, her excitement too strong to be restrained.
She was now a polyglot!
She tried to picture herself speaking Cantonese, and the words suddenly came to her. Opening her mouth, she heard the harsh tonal sounds coming out as she told Korum, “I can’t believe this is real.” Promptly switching to Russian, she continued, “I can’t believe I can do this!” And then again in German, nearly jumping from excitement, “Oh my God, I can speak them all!”
He grinned at her, his face glowing with pleasure. Letting go of her hand, he brought his palm up to her face, curving it around her cheek. Looking down at her, he said in English, “I’m glad you’re excited. There’s so much I want to show you, darling . . .”
Mia stared up at him, her excitement over her newfound ability suddenly transforming into something else. He was so beautiful, and the warm expression on his face as he gazed down at her made her heart squeeze. “Korum,” she said softly, “I . . .”
She didn’t know what she could say, how she could express what she was feeling. There was still so much unresolved between them, but in this moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care about the way their relationship had started, about all the mutual lies and betrayals. In this moment, she knew only that she loved him, that every part of her longed to be with him.
Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and tentatively brought his face down toward her. Rising up on her toes, she kissed him on the mouth, her lips soft and uncertain on his. She rarely made the first move – he was usually the one to initiate sex in their relationship – and she could feel the sudden tension gripping his body at her touch.
He kissed her back, his mouth hot and eager, and she found herself lifted up into his arms and carried somewhere. The destination turned out to be the bedroom, and they ended up on the bed, his powerful body covering her own, pressing her into the mattress with its weight. Mia’s hands frantically tore at his shirt, trying to find a way to get it off him, to feel his nakedness against her own. She felt like she was burning, her skin too sensitive, and the barrier of clothing between them was simply unbearable. Wanting more, she kissed him harder, catching his lower lip between her teeth and biting on it lightly.
Korum sucked in his breath, and she felt him abruptly pull away. Before she could do more than blink, he reared up on the bed and swiftly pulled off his shirt and shorts, revealing his large erection. Mia’s mouth watered at the sight of his naked body, all toned muscle covered with that smooth golden skin, his chest lightly dusted with dark hair – and then he was on her, tearing off her dress and leaving her lying there, spread out and exposed before his eyes.
