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“And Ks actually go to these places?”
Korum nodded. “Some do, especially those who are otherwise reluctant to venture outside of the Centers. I’ve never gone myself, because I don’t have a problem spending time in human cities and towns. Many Krinar do, though; they can’t stand the crowds or the pollution, so the clubs are a convenient way for them to enter into sexual relations with humans.”
“So you think Leslie’s brother might’ve gone to an x-club?”
“It’s a likely possibility. In the last couple of years, these places have become more strictly regulated. Now a particular human is only allowed in twice a week, and the Krinar who go there are warned against sharing that human for the night. However, in the early days, everything was much more disorganized, and some humans got carried away. They would hook up with one or more Krinar per night and have their blood taken much too frequently.”
Mia wrinkled her nose, disturbed at the thought. When Korum took her blood, it was such a transcendent experience that she couldn’t imagine sharing it with anyone else. Of course, she couldn’t imagine having sex with anyone else either, so it probably wasn’t a fair comparison. “I see.”
“My guess is that Leslie’s brother became seriously addicted. Why he died, I have no idea. Perhaps he became violent and tried to force one of the Krinar women – that’s been known to happen and could be one reason why he would’ve been killed –”
“A human forcing a Krinar?”
“I didn’t say he would’ve succeeded. Our women are much weaker than Krinar men, but they are still stronger than humans. However, an attempt would’ve been sufficient to earn him a death sentence. No sane human would try such a thing, of course, but some of these addicts are not rational, particularly when they’ve been deprived for a while.”
Mia shuddered. The whole thing sounded awful. “Is there a cure?” she asked, trying to imagine how desperate those poor people must be.
“Not yet. As far as I know, it’s still in the experimental stages.”
“When did you learn about this? The addiction, I mean? Was it before or after you came here?”
“We’ve known about it for a few thousand years, but it wasn’t regarded as a real problem until we came here. It mostly happened with charl and their cheren, and it was considered to be part of the bond between the couple. And since those relationships were exceedingly rare, nobody really thought anything of it. Of course, now that we’re living among humans, it’s very different.”
“I see . . .” Mia looked out the window, trying to understand the implications. Something didn’t quite make sense to her, but she couldn’t place her finger on it right now.
And then it hit her.
Turning back to look at him, she frowned in puzzlement. “Korum, what would happen when the charl passed away? To the Krinar, I mean? If they were addicted to that specific human, how did they go on?”
For a second, Korum didn’t answer. Then he said softly, “The charl wouldn’t pass away, Mia.”
Stunned, Mia stared at him. “What do you mean?” she whispered, unsure if she had heard him right.
He was silent again, and she could see the tightening of the muscles in his jaw. All of a sudden, he swerved into the right lane and headed for the exit, disregarding the sound of screeching brakes and the outraged honking from the drivers he cut off. Startled, Mia gripped the door handle with her right hand, trying to hang on. A minute later, he pulled into the parking lot of Comfort Inn and put the car into “park” mode.
Turning to her, he said quietly, “We don’t let the humans we love die, my sweet. You, Maria, Delia – you’re all as close to immortal as a biological being can get. You won’t age, you won’t get sick, and any injuries you get – as long as they’re not beyond repair – will heal quickly, as they do for me.”
Chapter 23
For a few seconds, Mia could only gape at him in shock. Was this a joke? “B-but h-how?” she stammered. “I’m not Krinar –”
“No, you’re definitely not Krinar,” Korum agreed. “You’re human, just as you’ve always been.”
“So then how?” Mia could barely process what he was telling her. “How is this possible?”
“Have you noticed that you’ve been healing quicker? Maybe feeling better, more energetic?”
Mia nodded, her heart galloping in her chest.
“And you’ve never wondered how that’s possible? How your arm healed so quickly yesterday?”
“I thought you gave me something,” Mia whispered. “That pill yesterday . . .”
“The pill was a painkiller; it didn’t have the ability to heal you like that. For that, I would’ve needed specialized equipment similar to the devices I’ve used on you before. No, my darling, your arm mended so well because there are now millions of highly advanced and complex nanocytes in your body, and their sole function is to keep you healthy by repairing any damage – whether it’s on a cellular or DNA level.”
“What?” Dark spots swam in front of her vision, and she inhaled deeply, realizing that she’d stopped breathing for a second. “What do you mean? How would they have gotten into my body?”
“Ellet implanted them at my request the first night after you arrived in Lenkarda,” he explained, studying her with a watchful amber gaze. “I brought you to her lab, and she performed the procedure.”
