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He chuckled. “My drones are not all visible. Some of my tiny creatures were in the room.”
“Do you design them all?”
“Yes. You will see the means of manufacture when we are home.”
“The idea of home doesn’t mean much to me right now.”
He paused and looked at her. “No, I guess it wouldn’t. For now, it will be the safest place in the universe.”
“That is only if you are next to me.” It was hard to admit. “There are others out there who want consorts dead.”
He muttered. “You are the most sacred creatures on any world. Who wants you dead?”
She looked at him honestly. “Other Terrans. Those who want our positions, or those who believe that we have betrayed our own kind. It still hasn’t sunk in that our species is nearly gone and will be wiped out in three generations.”
He frowned. “I am not suited for other Terrans, and they are not suited for me. I would drain them into collapse in a matter of hours. I wouldn’t even bother giving them reinforcement. I would simply drain and discard them. What would they gain?”
“The dumb ones are after financial gain. They were the same ones after that same thing on my world. Of course, there, it wasn’t life and death. They had fallback positions. Parents, family. Most of those are gone, but for them, it is like a phantom limb. They think it is still there somewhere. They will learn, but it might cost their lives.”
“What do you think about being out here?” He stroked the inside of her thigh.
“I think that I was alone, and I found people, and then I was injured, and others found me while my own people left me to die in that truck while they ran for the temporary base. It was station personnel that came for me, saved me. Loyalty switching is easy when betrayal has already happened.”
He kissed her temple. “So, you are loyal to me until I betray you?”
She whispered, “Yes.”
“Then, you will be waiting a very long time. Centuries, in fact. I can promise you two, and after that, it is up to you.”
“Up to me?”
“Consorts can choose to fade. It breaks their mate, but it is understandable. We are structured to defy the ages, and while I can maintain your body and mind, your soul is under your control.”
Lily looked up at him. “Do you know those who have lost consorts?”
“Of course. We all do. The first of us were not particular when they chose mates. They broke many of them.”
Her gaze flicked toward his crotch. “Ouch. I think I know how.”
“Not with sex. Just draining them until they have nothing left. They learned how to take on consorts with practice, and the designers began to put the knowledge into each of us, so we were more successful at eating.”
“Is that what you call it?”
“It is what happens. You put out energy, I absorb it, and I feel stronger, smarter, and you do not feel depleted.”
“Well, I tired after a while.”
He laughed. “After hours of playing. You are recovered when you wake.”
“That is true.” She had felt exceedingly good when she should have been weak as a kitten after sleeping for three days.
“So, precious. Care to see how long it takes you to recover this time?”
She looked at his features and saw his face was taking on an intense look. Lily licked her lips. “You are older. Are you sure you are up to the challenge?”
His grin showed a lot of teeth, and she remembered the feel of his mouth against the softest parts of her. “You are challenging me, precious?”
“I would never dream of that, Overseer.” She couldn’t meet his gaze, so she looked away.
