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"Why shame?"
He shrugged. "You know how males are. Gods, immortals, and humans are all the same in that regard. We are prideful, and we want to best our opponents."
Since the gods created people in their image using their own genetic material, it made sense that there were many similarities.
She cupped his cheek. "It's not the strongest who wins, but the smartest and those who persevere. I'm sure that you won in all the mind and strategy games."
"I won many of those, but there were better gods than me. It's hard to be exceptional in a society of trillions."
She couldn't imagine so many people. Earth's population was about eight billion. One trillion was a hundred and twenty-five times that.
"How many trillions?"
"There are about three trillion gods on Anumati and one trillion Kra-ell."
Frankie let out a whistle. "That's five hundred times Earth's population."
"That's only Anumati. Together with the colonies and settlements around the universe, it's close to double that."
"Incredible. Now I understand why it takes so long to get answers from the oracles, especially if there aren't many of them."
"I think that only the Supreme can answer questions of that magnitude," Dagor said. "Still, even if she could, it doesn't mean she would. She might decide that this is not the kind of information mere gods should possess."
As Dagor's fingers dipped into her moist center, Frankie's eyes rolled back in her head. "You win. The rest of my questions can wait for later."
He chuckled. "You are supposed to call the doctor and tell her when you are ready to see her. Can that wait, too?"
"Definitely."
Aru
"Good morning," Gabi greeted Dagor with a knowing smile. "How is Frankie doing?"
Given that the two had entered the dining hall holding hands and smiling at each other like a couple in love, Gabi's assumption wasn't surprising. Dagor seemed to have no problem with everyone knowing that Frankie was his. He'd even kissed the girl's cheek, and as she tried to pull her hand out of his to go to her friend's table, he'd held on for a couple of seconds too long before letting go.
"I wasn't allowed inside the patient room, but Frankie told me that the doctor wasn't too concerned. For now, she should be more mindful of her eating habits, and if the symptoms persist, she should see her regular doctor and have some tests done."
"I'm glad the human is fine," Negal said. "You seem taken with her." There was a gleam in the troper's eyes.
The guy would never admit it, but he was a romantic.
"Frankie is fun to be with, but it's just a vacation fling, so you can wipe those smug expressions from your faces. I'm not in love with her, and I won't be. Once this cruise is over, we go our separate ways."
Aru put down his fork. "Frankie is rumored to be a Dormant, just like Gabi was. If you feel a connection to her, she might be the one for you, and if she turns immortal, you can have a future together."
The stubborn expression Dagor often displayed slammed over his features. "I'm happy for you and Gabi, but this is not a path I can follow. I don't want to spend the rest of my immortal life on this godforsaken planet. I want to go home one day, even if it's in a millennium, and I can't bring a hybrid mate."
It was a valid point, and trying to figure out a way around it was keeping Aru awake at night. Like Dagor, he also wanted to go home one day and introduce his mate to his parents and sister. Still, as long as hybrids were considered abominations on Anumati and its colonies, that wasn't an option.
"I don't know if that's a wise approach," Gabi said. "A thousand years is a long time to be alone."
"Who said anything about being alone? I can enjoy myself with various females like I have been doing for five years. It hasn't been a hardship."
Aru didn't respond because it was futile to argue with Dagor. Sooner or later, he would realize that his reaction to Frankie was different and that there was more to their meeting than a casual sea-voyage trip.
"I'm always fascinated by matters of the heart," Negal said. "The heart takes over from the mind and commandeers the driver's seat."
"Not in my case." Dagor snatched a piece of toast from the tray and started spreading butter over it, but he was pressing too hard, and the toast was crumbling. "Damn. Why don't they use tougher bread?" He dropped the pieces on his plate and took another slice.
