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than the oKiaf's, matched the gems in color and brilliance.
To my eyes she looked rather a starving, dirty jlorra, but Jylyj and every other male around me seemed to be staring at her with great admiration.
"Where is this Jarn you've told me of?" the feline woman asked. "I want to meet the female who convinced you to take her to wife."
I considered that an invitation, and walked over to stand at my husband's side.
"My wife, Jarn," Reever told the female. He looked down at me. "This is my friend, Uorwlan."
"I am happy to know you," I said, and made the Jorenians' polite gesture of welcome. "Do you know you're wearing the garments of a male?"
"She has good eyes." The Takgiba's piercing blue gaze shifted down and then up as Uorwlan inspected me. "But Terrans are usually larger, are they
not? Is she a child, or a runt?"
"I am an adult, but I was made in a machine," I told her before Duncan could answer. "Evidently, there wasn't much room in it."
"So it would seem." Uorwlan's thin white lips peeled back from sharp-looking teeth in a faint snarl. "I've tried to learn that Jorenian hand-speak, but it
made my wrists sore." Without warning, she bent and slung her arm around my neck. "Good to meet you, little sister."
I returned the embrace, feeling awkward but determined to make Duncan's friend feel welcome.
Uorwlan straightened, cuffed me under my chin, and eyed Jylyj, Qonja, and Hawk. "Are these your other husbands?"
I smothered a laugh and shook my head as I performed the introductions. The Takgiba gave each man the same rough embrace before addressing
Reever.
"I thought I'd come down to the planet and see how you were fairing," she said. "I trade with all the tribes in this region; Dnoc and I are old friends. He
thinks I'm a male, by the way, so don't wreck my hunting privileges by telling him otherwise. I've no taste for cooking and scraping the ground with my
nose."
That explained her choice of garments. "I wish I'd thought of that."
"It helps not to have discernable teats," she told me, rubbing the flat surface of her chest. "Mine pop out only after I breed. Not that I plan to. I've yet to
meet a male worthy of siring my offspring." She gave my husband a sly glance. "Well, one, but my kind and Terrans can't crossbreed. Probably for the
best. Back when we were slave running, Duncan and I would have whelped an entire colony of kids between us."
My chest felt tight as I realized what she meant. This female and my husband had been lovers.
Dnoc spoke to Jylyj, who said, "The chieftain asks if you want your usual kiafta, Uorwlan."
"Why bunk alone when there are two Terrans to warm me?" the Takgiba said. "I'll sleep with Reever and Jarn."
We took Uorwlan with us back to our kiafta, although I felt a little disgruntled with how quickly Reever had agreed to let her stay with us. I didn't know why
it bothered me, either--Iisleg customs gave men the right to have two women, and it wouldn't be the first time I had shared a bed with two other people.
Uorwlan talked a great deal, all the way from the fire to our shelters, and hardly paused for breath. She spoke of her overland trek to reach the camp,
killing the game with her escorts, and how paranoid the Elphian had become lately. By the time we bid the others good night, I was almost tempted to ask
Qonja and Hawk if I could join them.
As soon as we were alone, the Takgiba began stripping out of her clothing, revealing more black-and-white fur and a long, thin tail that moved as
languidly as Uorwlan did.
"Secure the inside of the entry hide, will you, Jarn?" the Takgiba asked. "The natives won't intrude on us, but they've been known to peek."
I saw she intended to remove all of her garments, and turned to Reever. "You never let me sleep naked."
He shook his head at me slightly before addressing the Takgiba. "Uorwlan, my wife and I are exclusive to each other. We will not have sex with you."
"What?" The feline gave him a look almost as astonished as my own.
"She thinks she can couple with us?" I said, almost at the same time.
"How else am I to get warm?" Uorwlan gave me a hateful look. "So this is what you've done to him? Turned him into a Jorenian?"
I didn't like that, especially as being exclusive had been Reever's idea from the beginning. "Terrans are usually monogamous," I informed her. "When I
agreed to become his wife, I also accepted his ways."
"That Terran"--Uorwlan pointed to Reever--"was never monogamous. Even when he shared my bed. In fact, he went through females almost as quickly
as he did blades."
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