She stared at him. “Wow . . .”
“Wow indeed,” Korum agreed, enjoying her reaction.
When the lunch was finally over, they took a long walk on the beach and talked some more. Korum held her hand as they leisurely strolled on the sand, reveling in the feel of her small fingers squeezing his palm so trustingly.
He had been worried initially that her memory loss would set them back months, that she would be frightened of him again. But instead, it seemed as if a part of her still knew him – maybe even still loved him. Her calm acceptance of the situation was both surprising and encouraging, particularly since there was no guarantee they would ever be able to reverse the damage Saret had caused.
After the Council meeting, Korum had visited Ellet, hoping that the human biology expert had made some progress toward finding a fix. While the human brain was not her specialty, Korum had hoped she might’ve been able to learn of some research being done in that direction. To his tremendous disappointment, Ellet hadn’t come across anything, despite reaching out to dozens of Krinar scientists on both planets. She had also spoken to all the mind experts at the other Centers. As far as she knew, there was no way to undo a memory wipe of the kind that Saret had used.
“So what made you decide to come to Earth?” Mia asked as they stopped to sit down on a pair of large rocks. In front of them, a small estuary flowed into the ocean, serving as an obstacle to further passage but creating a very scenic view. “I know you told me how you planted life here and basically created humans, but why come here and live alongside us? From what you’ve said, Krina sounds like a very nice place to live. Why bother leaving it?”
“Our sun is an older star,” Korum explained, repeating what he’d once told her. “It will die in about a hundred million years. At that point, we’ll need another place to live – and Earth appeals to us for obvious reasons.”
She frowned, wrinkling her forehead in a way he found very endearing. “But that’s so far away . . . Why would you come now? Why not wait another ninety million years or so?”
Korum sighed, recalling their last discussion on this topic. “Because your species was becoming very destructive to the environment, my sweet. We wanted to make sure that we had a habitable planet for when we needed it.” That was the official story, at least. The full explanation was more complicated and not something he was ready to share with Mia quite yet.
Her frown deepened. She obviously didn’t like hearing that – but then his charl tended to get defensive when he criticized her kind. He couldn’t really blame her for that; she was as loyal to her people as he was to his.
“So when your star begins to die, all the Krinar will come to Earth?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“Most likely,” Korum said. He actually hoped that wouldn’t be the case, but he couldn’t tell her that yet.
“Then what would happen to us? To the humans, I mean? Do you really intend to live with us side by side? Wouldn’t the planet be too crowded then?”
Korum hesitated for a moment. She was asking all the right questions, and he didn’t want to lie to her – but he couldn’t tell her the truth yet either. The last thing they needed was for some rumors to spread and cause the humans to panic again.
“Not necessarily,” he hedged. “Besides, that’s not something we’ll have to worry about for a very long time.”
She looked at him, obviously trying to decide how much he could be trusted. Korum could practically see the wheels turning in her head. He loved that about her: her unabashed curiosity about everything, the logical way her mind processed information. She was young and naive, but she was also very intelligent, and he had no doubt that one day she would leave her own mark on society.
For now, though, Korum needed to distract her from this particular line of questions. Smiling, he reached over and brushed her hair away from her face. “So what do you think of Lenkarda so far? Are you starting to feel more comfortable, or is it still very strange to you?”
She gave him a small smile. “I don’t know, honestly. It’s not as strange as it should be. I don’t remember anything here, but it’s like I know it on some level. And it’s the same thing with you –”
“I’m as familiar to you as the furniture?” Korum teased, watching as her smile widened into a full-blown grin.
“You are . . .” She laughed ruefully. “I don’t understand how any of this works, but you’re not nearly as scary as you should be. None of this is, for some reason.”
Korum felt his chest expanding to fill with something very much like happiness. “That’s good, my sweet,” he said, stroking the softness of her cheek. “You shouldn’t be scared of me. I would never hurt you. You’re my everything; you’re my entire world. I would sooner die than h
urt you. Believe me, there’s no reason to be afraid . . .”
As he spoke, he could see her smile fading and a strangely vulnerable expression appearing on her face instead. “Do you –” she swallowed, her slim throat moving, “– do you love me?”
“I do,” Korum answered without hesitation. “More than anyone I’ve ever loved in my life.”
“But why?” She seemed genuinely confused. “I’m just an ordinary human, and you’re –” She stopped, her cheeks turning pink again.
“I’m what?” Korum prompted, wanting to see more of that pretty blush. He wasn’t sure why he found it so appealing, but it never failed to arouse him. Then again, she turned him on simply by breathing, so it wasn’t all that surprising he found her flushed cheeks irresistible.
The color in her face deepened. “You’re a gorgeous K who’s been around since the dawn of time,” she said quietly. “What could you possibly see in me?”
Korum smiled, shaking his head. His little darling had never understood her appeal, never realized how tempting she was to the male of both species. Everything about her, from the soft, thick curls on her head to the creaminess of her skin, seemed to be made for a man’s touch. She might not be classically beautiful, but in her own delicate way, she was quite striking, with those large blue eyes and dark hair.
In hindsight, Korum should’ve known better than to let her work in such close proximity with another unattached male. He couldn’t really blame Saret for wanting her, for craving something that he himself was so obsessed with. He wanted to tear his former friend apart for what he’d done, but he understood – at least partially – why Saret had done it. If the roles had been reversed, and Mia had been someone else’s charl, Korum didn’t know how far he would’ve gone to get her for his own, how many taboos he would’ve broken in his quest to possess her.
Of course, her physical appeal was only a part of it now. Reaching over, Korum took her hand again. “I see in you the woman I love,” he said, not even trying to hide the depth of his emotions. “I see a beautiful, smart girl who’s sweet and brave and has the courage of her convictions. I see someone who’ll do anything for those she loves, who’ll go to any lengths to protect those dear to her. I see someone I can’t live without, someone who brightens every moment of my existence and makes me happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”