her. “Oh, no! You can’t do that! I couldn’t take it. Really. I’m perfectly capable of doing my own hunting.”
He frowned. “We have hunted here much since coming. The animals are harder to find now.”
“At least that makes me feel a little better about my lack of success,” Eden commented. “I still don’t want to take yours.”
He looked uncomfortable. “You would be liemzde to return without.”
Shamed. Warmth flooded her at his thoughtfulness. He was concerned that she would be disgraced if she proved to be a bad hunter. She supposed she wouldn’t be setting a very good example, but that was hardly a reason for him to do without! Besides, she would be a lot more embarrassed to take credit for something she didn’t do. She told him as much.
The reward was immediate and it discomfited her. He gave her a look of admiration she hardly felt she’d earned. “A gift then … for peace offering.”
He wasn’t mentally deficient or obtuse. He knew she wouldn’t want to insult him by refusing to take it under those circumstances. She smiled with an effort, still not terribly happy about taking his food. “Thank you,” she said a little stiffly. “All we need to do now is figure out how to get it back to the city.”
He bent over promptly, hefted the thing and placed it on his shoulders. Eden tried not to look as impressed as she was by the show of strength, or as revolted as she was at the thought of having the dripping dead thing around his neck.
He hadn’t put on his boots and neither had she, but she didn’t want to hold him up when he was carrying something so heavy. Collecting his boots and weapon and then her own, she followed him rather meekly as he struck off unerringly in the direction of New Savannah while she consulted her locator for directions.
Her feet were tender. His apparently were not. She was so busy trying to pick her way carefully to keep from stepping on something that would jab into her feet that she nearly ran into him when he stopped to allow her to take the lead. He gave her a curious look and dropped the carcass. Grasping her upper arms, he pushed her gently to the ground, took the boots from her when she was seated and proceeded to put them on her. “I am not good at this,” he said apologetically. “I am soldier. The workers would be very practiced and careful of your comfort.”
She looked up at his face as he knelt over her. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. Your hands are very gentle.”
He reddened. “The workers are better. They are the breeders and thus taught from youth to please. There are five breeders in my brood. Two others are soldiers as I am.”
Eden stared at him in confusion for several moments, but the suspicion that rose in her mind refused to be banished. “Are you …? You’re not …? What do you mean by brood?”
“The birthing brood,” he responded promptly, looking vaguely surprised and more than a little uncomfortable. “I have told you we are kzatha.”
Embarrassed heat filled Eden’s face. Warmth seemed to fill her entire body and not all of it was embarrassment. “Are you suggesting … uh … what I think you are?”
He tilted his head at her when he’d finished tying her boot straps. “Sademeen suggested. You chose my brood brothers among those for the celebration. We thought that that meant that you were considering choosing us--if you found us suitable for your needs.”
Eden felt her jaw go slack. Her mind instantly began to scramble to recall the details of that embarrassing episode, but to save her life she couldn’t conjure any clear vision of the faces of the men she’d thought she had picked so randomly.
Oh my god! She thought, horrified.
Chapter Nine
Despite Eden’s shock, it penetrated her chaotic mind that Baen appeared to be more than a little offended by her reaction. He was frowning as he took his boots from her limp hands and pulled them on.
“Your customs are much different from
He frowned. “We have hunted here much since coming. The animals are harder to find now.”
“At least that makes me feel a little better about my lack of success,” Eden commented. “I still don’t want to take yours.”
He looked uncomfortable. “You would be liemzde to return without.”
Shamed. Warmth flooded her at his thoughtfulness. He was concerned that she would be disgraced if she proved to be a bad hunter. She supposed she wouldn’t be setting a very good example, but that was hardly a reason for him to do without! Besides, she would be a lot more embarrassed to take credit for something she didn’t do. She told him as much.
The reward was immediate and it discomfited her. He gave her a look of admiration she hardly felt she’d earned. “A gift then … for peace offering.”
He wasn’t mentally deficient or obtuse. He knew she wouldn’t want to insult him by refusing to take it under those circumstances. She smiled with an effort, still not terribly happy about taking his food. “Thank you,” she said a little stiffly. “All we need to do now is figure out how to get it back to the city.”
He bent over promptly, hefted the thing and placed it on his shoulders. Eden tried not to look as impressed as she was by the show of strength, or as revolted as she was at the thought of having the dripping dead thing around his neck.
He hadn’t put on his boots and neither had she, but she didn’t want to hold him up when he was carrying something so heavy. Collecting his boots and weapon and then her own, she followed him rather meekly as he struck off unerringly in the direction of New Savannah while she consulted her locator for directions.
Her feet were tender. His apparently were not. She was so busy trying to pick her way carefully to keep from stepping on something that would jab into her feet that she nearly ran into him when he stopped to allow her to take the lead. He gave her a curious look and dropped the carcass. Grasping her upper arms, he pushed her gently to the ground, took the boots from her when she was seated and proceeded to put them on her. “I am not good at this,” he said apologetically. “I am soldier. The workers would be very practiced and careful of your comfort.”
She looked up at his face as he knelt over her. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. Your hands are very gentle.”
He reddened. “The workers are better. They are the breeders and thus taught from youth to please. There are five breeders in my brood. Two others are soldiers as I am.”
Eden stared at him in confusion for several moments, but the suspicion that rose in her mind refused to be banished. “Are you …? You’re not …? What do you mean by brood?”
“The birthing brood,” he responded promptly, looking vaguely surprised and more than a little uncomfortable. “I have told you we are kzatha.”
Embarrassed heat filled Eden’s face. Warmth seemed to fill her entire body and not all of it was embarrassment. “Are you suggesting … uh … what I think you are?”
He tilted his head at her when he’d finished tying her boot straps. “Sademeen suggested. You chose my brood brothers among those for the celebration. We thought that that meant that you were considering choosing us--if you found us suitable for your needs.”
Eden felt her jaw go slack. Her mind instantly began to scramble to recall the details of that embarrassing episode, but to save her life she couldn’t conjure any clear vision of the faces of the men she’d thought she had picked so randomly.
Oh my god! She thought, horrified.
Chapter Nine
Despite Eden’s shock, it penetrated her chaotic mind that Baen appeared to be more than a little offended by her reaction. He was frowning as he took his boots from her limp hands and pulled them on.
“Your customs are much different from
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