“Not right now,” I admit. “We’re having too much fun with sex. Maybe sometime in the future.”
Ruth leans in, whispering. “Pregnant sex is really awesome, too.”
Oooh. Pregnant sex is good? “Tell me more.”
“Well, if I’m not anxious barfing, my libido is through the roof.” She shoots a hot look at her mate, who stands a few feet away, talking to mine. “I just want to grab him and bite him constantly. And I wake up horny. And—”
“Good afternoon,” calls out an austere voice, interrupting just as Ruth gets to the good stuff.
“Tell you later,” Ruth whispers, moving away to join her mate. I turn and head for Mathiras as Lord va’Rin and his wife enter the room. Milly va’Rin reminds me of an older version of Alice—she’s delicate and has a sweet face, but where Alice is yellow-haired and tanned, Milly va’Rin is pale and freckled, her hair bright red and pulled into an elegant knot at the base of her neck. She wears an iridescent gown that flows around her small form and emphasizes her big, pregnant belly.
I wonder if she’ll let me touch it and feel for the baby inside.
As if Mathiras can sense my thoughts, he snags my hand and squeezes it, keeping me close to him. “Thank you for the invitation, Lord va’Rin,” my mate says. “I wish we had better news for you.”
The elegant lord gives us a polite smile. “You have saved hundreds from slavery. What better news is there than that?”
We sit down at the long table and servants bring in dishes of delicious-smelling foods of all kinds. My mouth waters and I’m excited to taste it all, and I fill my plate up the moment others reach for the utensils. Lord va’Rin, Matty and Straik talk about the numbers and types of slaves found on the derelict ship, but my mind is caught up on food. There’s something that looks like stewed fruit in a golden sauce, and bright green veg, and a dish of some sort of grain that’s mixed with nuts and spiced. I don’t see meat, but that’s not surprising. Matty eats it if he has to but he’s not much of a fan of it.
I decide I like all foods, and I taste everything while they go over numbers. Far too many clones, a good number of them gladiators, and a greater number than that of human slaves.
“Integrating them might be a challenge,” Straik says. “I know it was quite traumatizing for my mate when she learned she had been cloned. It took some time for her and Ruthie to get used to each other, but there is another clone of the same make upon my ship now, and it’s brought these difficulties back to light.”
I look over at Ruth in surprise, my mouth full as I chew. Is she sad? I didn’t realize. I immediately feel like a bad sister and make a worried noise in my throat.
Ruth looks over at me and winks to let me know she’s all right, but her expression isn’t as happy as it was before. Oh. “It’s different than the a’ani,” Ruth says in a quiet voice. “They know from the moment of their creation that they’re clones. There’s no expectations there. With myself, Ruthie, and Ruthann, we all assumed we were the ‘original,’ so to speak, and it’s jarring and unpleasant to find out that there are others running around thinking exactly the same. It takes some getting used to.”
Lord va’Rin nods. “We’ve scanned the genetic material of each rescued slave and compared it with the database we have of our existing residents here on Risda. Anyone with duplicate genetic material to someone already here or in the rescue group has been separated out. Clones will be kept in stasis for a time while we determine the best possible settlement for them. I can assure you they will be safe, though, and humanely treated.”
“What about those that have multiple clones in your grouping?” Ruth asks, worried. “I’m sure you’ve got a few more of me in that group, since I seem to be a popular model. Or even Helen.” She glances over at me. “That’s great that you separate out the clones from the others so they don’t panic at seeing a copy of themselves, but what if there’s copies in the clone group? What then?”
“I understand your concerns,” the mesakkah lord says. “And I can assure you, there are no other qura’aki. As for the multiples, no duplicates will be settled with others. It’ll be easier that way. If we have to make several settlements, then so be it. Their well-being is the priority. I’ve assigned some of my personal taskforce to this and will keep you updated, of course.”
“You mentioned a station before,” Mathiras says, speaking up. “Will that be in use?”