Page 10 of Joven's Bride
“I had once considered artificial insemination with donor sperm,” Carly said. “But as a last resort. I really wanted to make a family and not be a single parent. I wanted a life mate to share my life who would be mine alone, and I would be his alone.”
Joven smiled. “And you will be, you are. That is,meomee.”
“This will all be new for you, never having your own family.”
“We learned about family life and relationships in virtual reality. It was our prize at the end of the service. If we fulfilled our terms of service, then we would be released, free to try to live a normal life. In the meantime, our brothers were our family,” he said. “Because we are cyborgs, bred to be merciless warriors, we are not the most desirable mates for ordinary females. They feel that our years of fighting and killing make us too dangerous to be suitable for mating.”
He said the last with a touch of bitterness.
“That may be true, but I don’t believe that. The matchmaking service explained that cyborgs are predisposed to cherish and protect their mates, especially felines.”
“Doesn’t it scare you that once we meet, you can’t change your mind? That you will be biologically unable to leave me or risk death…”
“I could ask you the same,” she countered.
“No, my sweet Carly, you aremeomee, my soulmate. There is nothing I want more than to have our lives joined together irrevocably. That’s why I hired the service to find you.”
Carly stepped closer to his hologram and raised her hand to touch his arm metaphorically. “Me too.” she murmured. “The hardest thing about this whole endeavor is the length of time it is taking me to reach you.”
“Yes.” His hologram smiled down at her, and his hand came up as if to caress her dark hair.”
“It’s been a long day for you, meomee, perhaps we should end this session so you can get some rest.”
“Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Count on it.”
