Chapter 19
“Does your mother ever speak to you or is she still mad that you didn’t want to be a warrior conqueror.”
“Our family units are different from humans’. We do not live with parents like you do. After our first change, our training starts.”
“First change?”
“Zyrgins go through three changes after we are born. We are fully grown within five years.”
“Five years, so you’re never children?” That would take some adapting to if they ever had children.
“No, we are born with the knowledge of our ancestors and, during our lifetimes, we build on that.”
“And Zyrgin women don’t mind that their children are never babies they can cuddle. It must be sad for them.” Add the way the women seemed to be second class citizens and she thanked her lucky stars she wasn’t living on their planet.
“There are no Zyrgin women. For many generations no women have been born. We take our women from the conquered worlds.”
“Do you give them a choice? No wait, you said you give that bear skin thing and then the woman is yours.”
“Eduki and, yes, that is the custom.”
“That’s barbaric. So your mother is from another planet. Do their children on that planet also go through three changes.”
“There are similar occurrences, but we have observed that their family units function much like that of humans.”
“Could you phone home? If you wanted to, could you phone her?”
“Yes.”
They landed at the hospital and Madison went back to work. For a short while she’d forgotten her terrible grief while Viglar told her about his home world. Now it all rushed back.
“Want to go for coffee?” Viktor asked and she smiled and agreed, even though she didn’t feel like company, glad to once more be accepted by her colleagues.
Through her grief and dealing with everyone’s sympathy, she kept thinking of Viglar’s mother. Of her being married off against her will and having to live on the planet and among the invaders who’d conquered her people.
That night, after dinner she insisted they talked about his mother.
He stared at her. “Why would I want to talk to her?”
“I insist that you contact her.”
“She would not be able to understand you, Madison.”
“We can both talk to her,” she said. It disturbed her, that he showed no need to talk to his mother.
He shook his head. “You would have to have a translator implanted that allows you to speak Standard Galactic.”
“How long does the operation take?” she asked.
“It will take minutes. We have upgraded the system, and now the translations starts to work the moment it is implanted.”
Madison battled a queasy need to let it go, to accept that he didn’t want to talk to him parents. “Do it.”
She expected him to take her to his infirmary but he merely touched her temples and it was done.
Viglar phoned home. A beautiful woman answered and was obviously glad to see him. He spoke courteously to her, but not warmly. Madison promised to phone as much as she was allowed and invited her to come and visit.
The bald, very beautiful woman smiled at her. “I look forward to talking to you both.” Her smile was almost human, her face softer than a Zyrgin’s.
“Are you satisfied she is all right?” Viglar asked when the call disconnected. “You will never find a bruise on her,” he told her seriously.
Madison cupped his cheek. “There are worse bruises on the heart sometimes than there can ever be on your body.”
He stared down at her for a long time and then nodded. “I will phone her frequently and tell her about Earth.” He leaned down and kissed her. “You will now again attempt to tempt me to the dark side.” He suddenly stiffened and stepped away from her. “I apologize. It is not the human custom to do this when a close human has died recently.”
Madison walked into his arms and held on.
She wanted to make love with him, needed to make love to him to reassure herself that she was still alive. That losing Rory and Rachel did not eat a part of her soul.
“I need you, Viglar.”
He made love to her, slow tender love, as if he knew that was what she needed at that moment.
“What would you have done if I was with the resistance? If I used your blood to create a virus that can kill Zyrgins?”
“I would have taken your punishment and kept you as my breeder. You do not have the skill to create a virus, therefore The Zyrgin would have been merciful.”
Madison stopped kissing his taut stomach and looked up at him with narrowed eyes. “You have one moment to amend that statement before I reverse direction. And once I do that I will never take my lips in that direction again.”
He tilted his head and she could see the struggle going on. He really wanted her to use her mouth on him, but for a literal guy like him to say she could create a virus was almost impossible. She waited, curious to see what he would do.
“I will teach you to become good enough to create a virus,” he said at last.
Madison didn’t waste time celebrating her luck. She continued down his unbelievably muscled chest. “Do you feel this?”
“Yes.”
She carefully nipped lower. “And this?”
“Yes.”
She moved even lower. “Do you feel the dark side coming over you?”
“Yes.”