Page 58 of Eat My Moon Dust
“Deep water shils are far more solid than those of us from the shallows,” Zufi contemplated, sipping away while I craned my neck, still distracted.
“Uh huh.”
“He must be rough to handle.”
I scrunched my brow. “What? Hunar's as sweet as they come. He’s got a temper and can be a grump, sure, but he’s not a brute.”
Zufi set his glass down with a victorious smile. “So you haven’t experienced a frenzy yet.”
Oh no…
A hot coal burned my chest as Zufi’s smile grew and I clenched my jaw.Shit, shit, shit.He’d led me right into a trap. Hunar had described a frenzy as a starving man devouring a feast, and though the image of him feasting onmeis what propagated my lusty panty supply, I actually had no idea what he’d be like for real.
Why oh why, didn’t I watch shilpakaari porn vids instead of making a stupid slideshow?
“He works hard to be gentle,” I said carefully.
“Mm,” Zufi agreed, leaning back on his hands. “Not a single red mark. He does indeed have the self-control of a monk.”
I laughed bitterly, popping the yellow sweet into my mouth. It was a bit like a truffle and melted on the tongue, but I couldn’t enjoy it just then, not while Zufi pinned me to a corkboard like a butterfly. “He’s not a monk, I assure you.”
“Perhaps you’re right. He does have three spats to contend with,” Zufi sighed thoughtfully. “Most new coils can’t keep their hands off theirpriyathough, regardless of the company. It’s a matter of biology, not manners.”
“We don’t want to rush the kids,” I tried. “They’ve gone through a lot of big changes.”
The moment I said it, Zufi’s mane curled over itself in triumph. He leaned towards me, picking his drink back up with laser-focused intensity. “Is that why he doesn’t call youpriyaeven if they call youna’maan?”
He finished off his liquor and set it down, speculative eyes never leaving mine. I had no answer and couldn’t think of a lie before he decided he’d won, leaning back on his lower hands. “Hunar’s brood is impressive,” he admitted. “They’re very good actors, if all this theatre is purely for my benefit.”
The color drained from my face and left me cold despite the warm jungle air. I trembled, glancing out at Hunar as Reha showed her brothers all the lights we’d put up together. She reprogrammed their colors as the boys shouted out what they wanted. Hunar put his hands on his hips and enjoyed them while they ran around the booths.
“Weareencoiled. He’s done what your stupid contract says,” I stammered, biting my lip. “Why can’t you just leave him alone?”
“The pursuit clause is very clear, Tinsley,” he lamented like an oily politician. “When it was drafted, we had no idea that humans could coil with shilpakaari. I’d hoped, but I didn’t know for sure. So I chose my first round of delegates carefully." He ticked them off on his lower hands. "Ezraji, a well-coiled adult. Piro, an untested young man. Bajora, unable to coil with shilpakaari women. Aavar, acutesentitrauma. Hunar, a coil-malnourished adult. Each of them coils differently, my dear. I didn't choose them for this lightly."
I felt sick as I dabbed my mouth, straightening plates out of nervous, angry habit. “So you’re just playing a pimp then.”
Zufi’s frown deepened. “No.” For the first time, he looked uncomfortable with himself, standing up to avoid my anger. “Long-term intimate relationships. CE Fareshi has spent more than an orbit avoiding humanfriendshipslet alone the stipulations of his contract. This,” he gestured to me vaguely, “is not a good faith attempt at rectifying that, is it?”
I got to my feet, stamping the pins and needles out of my soles. I felt faint with worrisome fury, confused about how to answer.
Would Hunar get kicked out because of me after all?
I decided to lay everything bare, opening my mouth to make a statement, but Hunar’s hand slipped around my shoulder, pulling me away. His eyes locked on the ambassador, and he flashed his colors with that hollow echo of his that made the hair raise on the back of my neck.
“Is everything alright?” he asked, barely civil. The ambassador held up all four of his hands in surrender, but his tendrils stayed where they were, never sliding behind his back.
“Of course. Tinsley and I were just talking about the future,” he said.
Hunar’s slitted nostrils flared as his palm brushed behind my ear. Could he taste how unnerved I was? Probably. I took a deep breath and smiled, making up my mind.
“It’s getting late for the kids, isn’t it?” I asked. “They have school tomorrow.”
Hunar’s tendrils rumbled, but he nodded down to me with concern. “You wrangle, I’ll pack up.”
I found Taha stalking his brother and sister in a game of hide-and-seek tag, keeping my eyes on the tense discussion between Hunar and Zufi. He didn’t flash his colors again, but his shoulders were stiff, mane lifted in anger.
“Wrangled and ready!” I bellowed, giving their dad enough time to shake it out. He turned away from Zufi, looking me up and down.
