Page 28 of I Dated the Lost Song

“Okay. It makes more sense now. How did all these odd actives come together?”

“The Blind Date Corporation. To get away from the legal strictures that the capitol had introduced, they opened up an escort agency for actives. The escorts wear a mask that respects the patron’s anonymity. The escort is also hidden from patrons who would get a little more obsessed. If a couple is monogamous long enough, they are offered introductions. If either party refuses, it is dropped until they bring it up.”

“Was that situation ever tempting for you?”

“To have Zera search the list of patrons to find one physically compatible? It was tempting but not likely that there would be a match.”

He carried her back into the living room, where the others were in eager conversation.

Raek asked his sister, “Is the acceleration dangerous for her?”

“No. It has been used successfully on other actives, even those who are lactose intolerant.”

Raek and Cadence nodded. “Fine, but we have to amend the contract before I do it.”

Zera had a tablet and was working on it. “I have the amendment. You just need to look it over, and you and Raek have to initial it.”

Cadence looked it over and made a slight change in phrasing. She initialled her change and handed it to Raek. He smiled, nodded as well, and initialled.

They returned the tablet to Zera. She smiled softly at the change. “Right. Mother. Not surrogate.”

Im-bar made a happy noise.

Salmet grabbed a bag and extended it to Raek. “Here you go. Each vial is for two weeks. Keep them in the freezer under lockup. We have had one active go a little crazy and dose herself until she could feel the baby moving. Don’t do that. Just get through the first trimester, so from here, six doses.”

The bag had a frame with twenty vials in it. Raek took it and removed six of them. Im-bar took the others and said, “I will hide them, frozen.”

Salmet nodded. Kritz got up and said, “I will bring a cup with hot water.”

Raek shook his head and held the vials in his fist. There was a humming, and he smiled. “Okay, Cadence. Here we go.”

He opened the first vial for her as Kritz sat down. She tipped the vial back and blinked. “Lemon?”

Salmet laughed. “For adults, she plays with the flavour, but her doses got my three grandkids into the world happy and healthy.”

“Salat has kids?”

“Five. Two adopted and three from Khytten. Their house is full of toddlers. It’s just down the road as well.” Salmet smiled. “A very lively place.”

Cadence went through all six vials and felt the changes taking place. She kept her hand over it as she felt the pulses of a pattern that was part her and part Raek.

Raek covered her hand with his. “I can feel it. It blends our patterns.”

Cadence grinned at him. “It does.”

Salmet had tears in her eyes and then paused. “You can feel it in utero?”

“Yeah. My mother said I was like that, too. She had a drumbeat inside her during her whole pregnancy. She thought it was the word of god. I was a bit of a let down when I cried every time they put clothing on me.”

Kritz laughed. “How did they get you dressed?”

She looked at him. “They took me aside, and they beat me with a belt until my back was covered with welts. Then said that the welts made god look on me with disgust, and they told me to cover them. It set a pattern for later in life.”

Kritz paused. “Oh, I am sorry. I thought it would be cute. Does Arcady know?”

“I don’t think she realized what that was. She thought I was getting special treatment because my clothing covered my arms and back and legs. I got new clothing, not hand-me-downs. I was too big for the girls’ clothing, and the boys’ clothing was not appropriate. They had to buy new or risk the marks being seen.”

There was suddenly sobbing in the room.

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