“Maybe I can help with the healing,” Danni offered, also wanting to get into the life of the village. “I mean, if anyone is hurt or injured, I’m a doctor, so—”
“Do you mean to say you heal people other than your spouse?” For some reason, Navii looked shocked. “I mean, you heal men besides your husband?”
“Well, sure,” Danni began. “I mean, I do have a medical degree so I can heal most anyone who’s sick or—”
“No. Nope, no she doesn’t,” Bravik interrupted her.
“What?” Danni turned her head and looked up at him, annoyed all over again. What was he doing?
“But Danielle said—” Kozen began.
“Faulty translation,” Bravik said quickly. “She only heals me, her spouse. I’m the only one Danielle heals. She doesn’t lay a hand on anyone else—especially not any other males.”
“Oh my—that translation!” Navii laughed nervously. “Gracious, Danielle my friend, it will certainly get you into trouble if you are not careful!”
Danni tried to smile but she was feeling very confused. What was going on here? Why was it wrong for her to be a doctor?
“I’ll explain later, little girl,” Bravik growled in her ear. “For now, just trust me and go with it—okay?”
“All right,” Danni whispered back, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit irritated. Being a doctor was a big part of her self-identity. It didn’t sit well with her to just pretend to be the big Kindred’s wife and nothing else.
While she and Bravik had been talking, Kozen and Navii had also been whispering together. Danni saw her new friend gesturing to herself and Bravik and then Kozen nodded and whispered something back. What were they saying? Did they suspect that she and the big Kindred weren’t what they were pretending to be?
Then Kozen spoke up.
“Well, now that the feast is almost at a close, there is something I have promised to teach my friend, Bravik,” he remarked. “And I can think of no better time to teach it.”
“I can,” Bravik said quickly. “Um, maybe it could wait until tomorrow? Or maybe the day after that? I mean, don’t you need to get to the Chamber of the Mother Stone for your nightly, uh, worship?”
“The Adoration of the Mother Stone doesn’t truly start until after the sun sinks below the horizon,” Kozen said. “We still have some time. So attend to me please, my friend, and do as I do.”
“What is he talking about?” Dannie whispered from the corner of her mouth. “What is he supposed to teach you?”
“I just want you to remember this was Kozen’s idea,” Bravik muttered back. “I had nothing to do with it—nothing.”
“Had nothing to do with what?” Danni hissed. And then Kozen said,
“My dear friends, I have promised Friend Bravik that I would teach him my special technique for the perfect breast massage. And since my lovely wife, Navii, has agreed to assist me in demonstrating, please follow along.”
Breast massage? Oh my God!
Danni absolutely couldn’t believe this. But sure enough, the Head H’raken was cupping his wife’s full breasts through her thin linen dress, holding them as carefully as if they were delicate fruit he didn’t want to bruise.
“Well?” He frowned at Bravik, who was still just sitting there. “Why do you not follow along, my friend? Surely you will not disrespect your lovely wife by refusing to cup and massage her beautiful breasts.”
“Shit!” Bravik muttered behind her and Danni could feel every muscle of his big body getting tense.
“Well?” Kozen asked again, his frown deepening.
The big Kindred’s hesitation was attracting attention from the other H’rakens too. Up and down the table, people were looking at them and starting to whisper. Danni suddenly realized that if Bravik didn’t start “massaging” her soon, the jig was going to be up and they might even be kicked out of the village.
She thought about grabbing his big hands—which were currently resting on his thighs—and placing them on her breasts, as she had before, but Navii had seemed to think this was wrong. It had looked like she was forcing the big Kindred to touch her.
He’s going to have to do it on his own, Danni thought. Or they’re going to think he’s disrespecting me.
“I told you, Kozen, that my wife has very tender breasts,” Bravik growled. “I do not wish to hurt her.”
“But that is exactly why I am teaching you this technique!” Kozen exclaimed. “It is especially good for females with sensitive breasts.”
Danni made a quick decision.
“Husband,” she said loudly, looking back at him. “I do not find that my, uh, breasts are quite as tender tonight as they have been in the past. It should…” She cleared her throat, having to force herself to continue. “It should be all right for you to massage them.”
“You’re sure about that, little girl?” Bravik sounded wary.
“Positive,” Danni said firmly. “Please learn what our new friend, Kozen, has to teach you. I’m sure it will be helpful in the future when my, er, breasts are feeling tender again.”