Kniam: A Terraneu Novel (8 page)

She
was still seething hours later. Kniam had come to her door, 'I am not in the
mood to listen to more of your choices for me! Go… Away!" So it went for a
few days, until she was going stir crazy in her rooms all by herself, and Kniam
kept stopping by every day to try to see her.

On
the fourth day, Kniam was once again outside. Waiting to see if she was willing
to open the door.

She
had done a lot of thinking and come to the conclusion that she wasn’t against
being in a relationship with someone here on Terraneu. That was the key word
though, "relationship." She wasn't into hooking up, or having sex
with someone just because. She wasn’t a prude, she had sexual relationships
before she had married. Just look how that had turned out for her. What she
wanted was a real
connection
with someone. A connection she thought was
happening between her and Kniam. When he had said "sacrifice". She
had seen red. No matter that the idea of having sex with Kniam wasn’t
unappealing, quite the opposite. She was attracted to him and she thought he
was attracted to her. She huffed down onto the chaise again, after just getting
up. She buried her head and let out a groan.

Amber
knew on some level that she was reacting in a way that Kniam couldn't possibly
understand. He didn't have any idea how Earth females thought. He didn't
understand enough about the dynamics of Earth relationships to know she was
hurt by the choices he had given her. She knew that he was trying to help his
people, and that she was some kind of egg machine to them. She understood it,
but it still hurt.

Snap
out of it.
Her
effervescent side kicked in!
This is what happened in your marriage. If you
don't communicate with Kniam, how do you expect him to ever be boyfriend
material...? OR more!
 
Her head
snapped up, that was true. She had a man that hadn't been around any other
women. He didn't have any ex-girlfriend stories, or baggage. She just had to
help him to understand women.
Now wait just a minute, if you go out there
you are going to be talked into making babies for them...
Her logical side
tried to kick in, but it was too late. She had jumped off the chaise and ran to
the door. Just as she put her hand on the console and opened it, Kniam had put
his hand out to knock.

"Kniam,
I..." She started

"Amber,
I..." He started at the same time...

Simultaneously,
"You first."

Amber
smiled, "You first..." and let her eyes roam over Kniam. He was
wearing his usual black leather, head to toe. It was the big bunch of what
looked like flowers in his hand that caught her gaze.

He
stuck the flowers out at arms length, "I remember you saying you like
flowers on your planet. These are some of the kinds we have here on Terraneu.
They are non-allergenic, and have a pleasant smell.”

"Thank
you. They are very pretty." Amber took the flowers, but wasn't sure where
she could put them, so she asked.

"If
you like them, just put them in any space in your bathing room, they can grow
there. The spongy material used in the bathing space mimics their natural
habitat."

How
cool was that! She could just put any type of plant in the ground and it would
grow! “Can I put that material in different locations than the bathing space?”

Kniam
shrugged, “You could put it anywhere you want. Just ask, and we can supply you
with any amount, in any shape you require.”

Amber
got a thoughtful look on her face, trying to decide where she could “plant”
flowers here to make this space more colorful.

Kniam
broke into her thoughts, "Amber could we go onto your balcony space. I
think you need to get some sun and re-energize, and we could like talk
privately there."

She
did want to talk, so she led him through the bedroom...as fast as she could.
They were not going to have a replay of the morning of the council meeting! She
opened her balcony door, and turned but Kniam was going into the bathroom.

"Kniam,
where are you going?"

"I
was thinking to get some containers for water. Even though we absorb some water
in our bathing, or during rain...we still need to drink more often than you
might be used to. There are containers in the bathroom, or had you already
found them?" He returned with a flourish, two multi-colored containers of
water, one of which he handed to her.

"Thank
you again." Amber avoided the question about finding the glasses, she had
been using her cupped hands to drink water. She walked out onto her private
balcony and sighed. Every time she had snuck out here for some sun, she had the
same thought. It was going to need work. There wasn't a lot of space, just
enough for two reclining chaise loungers, with a small table between. A small
half-wall shielded the balcony from the walkway that was about four feet away.
The chaise loungers needed pillows, and the whole area needed color. There was
just a lot of that green grass like covering on the ground.

"Am
I allowed to plant these flowers anywhere and what if I wanted to get pillows
of different sizes and colors where would I go?" She turned around and
found herself plastered against Kniams hard body. Instant heat flared between
them, and she gasped and tried to step back. With his hands holding her at the
hips, she wasn't able to pull away.

"Amber..."
Kniam leaned in and whispered against her ear. His hands were moving up her
sides, across her shoulders and buried in her hair. Moving softly, massaging
her scalp.

"Kniam...that
is..." She needed to get a hold of herself, or she would be an
intergalactic baby-maker!

"What
is that thing we did by your bed the day of the council meeting...I want to do
that again? I dream of doing that again." Kniam's voice was a sensual
drawl against her neck, moving to her ear...across her check.

"Uhhhh...kissing,
it's called kissing." She made one huge effort and pulled back from Kniams
touch. "We need to talk please Kniam. I am attracted to you. I would love
nothing more than to ignore my uncertainties...but we need to get some things
settled." She had her hands against his chest, holding him back. He let
her, with his strength he could force his will on her, but he didn't. Taking a
step back he sighed.

"Very
well my little Amber, we can talk about anything you want." With that he
sat on one of the chaise loungers, gesturing towards the other. Amber sat, and
thought about what she wanted to say first.

"I
am ok with the fact that I can't go back to Earth. I am also ok with the fact
that I use the sunlight as energy, and don't need to eat again. You are going
to have to tell me what is safe to eat if I have a break down and want to
try." She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting, "Don't ask
me why...humans eat when we don’t need to. It's a mental thing. I don't know if
the changes the medical unit made will include my desire to eat. That is
something I can figure out as I go."

She
sat forward, her stormy blue-green eyes locked on him, "What you suggested
with your choices was an insult to me, on every level."

Kniam
sat forward as well and grabbed her hand, gently rubbing his fingers against
her knuckles. "It was not meant as an insult. I knew you would not take
the first choice. That is why it was offered."

She
gaped at him and tilted her head to the side in question, "Then why did
you include it as a choice? Why only really give me the choice of being passed
around from man to man?" she was getting wound up again.

"Maybe
the wording was wrong Amber. Nobody expects you to sleep around with
all
of the men in the community, having offspring with all of them. You would be
able to choose your partner, or partners. You could find a partner you are
compatible with, and have offspring with that person or persons. I remember in
our talk at the medical unit that you said some Earth women have one partner,
then for whatever reason want a different one."

He
grabbed both her hands and brought them to his face. "When I volunteered
to be your first partner...I was hoping that because of the connection we seem
to have you would find me acceptable."

"Hold
on." Amber leaned forward, "You just said when you volunteered, like
it was something you wanted to do...but back at the meeting, you said
"sacrifice"...?"

Kniam
interrupted, “Please put yourself in my position. I am supposed to allow for
voting, council meetings, and community input before making any decision. Then
after talking with you, I just knew that I wanted to be your partner. How could
I have handled it differently?”

 
Amber got lost in thought for a minute. If
she were to reverse their positions, she was the leader of an all male
population, then a female suddenly drops out of the sky what would she do? If
his men all wanted a chance to be the person she choose as a mate, a huge rift
could form in their social order. There had to be a massive conflict going on
for him, and his people right now, and it centered on her. "I can't even
begin to guess at the trouble I have brought to your people...you couldn’t have
done any differently I guess."

Kniam
interrupted her, "You did not bring the trouble here Amber. The
difficulties we face have been something we brought on ourselves. Would you
blame yourself for the decisions the leaders on your world made a thousand
years ago? Two thousand?" He pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand.
"You are the answer to the problem, not the problem itself." He
released her hand, she instantly missed his touch, and stretched back on the
chaise to get more comfortable. Amber did the same since to be leaning toward him
would look foolish. "We did some analysis of the possibility of bringing
more women here to Terraneu. The initial results are promising. We had no idea
that your population had grown that large. When we talked in the medical unit,
you did not state a population number, and quite frankly we never would have
guessed a number that high. We feared hoping that there would be sufficient
numbers of women to try to find any on Earth." He got serious for a
moment, "I do have to warn you Amber that the situation is volatile. Not
that any of the men on Terraneu would hurt you, we have a very strict honor
code that prevents us from harming any living creature." He gazed at me,
"It is just with the possibility of finding their own woman, as you stated
in the meeting, they are...
eager
to begin the search."

He
sat back up, "All of the details need to be worked on, and I'm sure you
will be asked to give as much input into the policies and decisions that we
make, you are the Earth expert." He suddenly moved to sit by her hip on
her chaise, and she was glad that it was able to hold both their weight. He
placed his hands on either side of her shoulders caging her, "All of that
aside...I need to talk about what you see happening with us. I am not
knowledgeable on human feelings and it was an obvious mistake to try to limit
your choices. I have feelings I don't understand, and can't control when it
comes to you. I wanted you to pick a mate, because then I could press myself as
the obvious partner for you. When the council met before arranging to tell the
rest of the community, I had already told them I would be your partner. If it
was acceptable to you, no other man would be your mate. I have told you that my
genetic line was more aggressive, and you just seem to increase that part of my
personality." He leaned closer until his chest was pressing into hers, and
his face was inches from hers, "Tell me what to do little Amber. Tell me
how I can win you as my mate."

She
had never been this hyper aware of a man in her life. Her body seemed to have
come in contact with an electric current, nervous energy was coursing through
her blood. She could feel the heat coming from him, it soothed her, and excited
her at the same time.

"Kniam...it's
not that easy..."
That's right, you hold firm
! Her logical side
chimed in. "I need to know that I'm not desired because of some
baby-making plan you have."
Oh for crying out loud!
Her
effervescent side let her have it,
When have you ever felt this way for any
man!
?
That's right, NEVER...for whatever reason you are here, on this
planet, with this smoking hot man who desires you...wants to make perfect,
purple eyed babies with you! If you don't get over yourself and jump his damn
bones, I swear...
All right, dang could a person's conscience be that
annoying?! "I will go with choice number two. I will enter into a
relationship with one of your men." Kniam stiffened at her words, she
continued “You, will be the male I choose." When he relaxed and bent to
kiss her, she hurried on, "I will enter this
partnership
on one condition
.
I want to wait to have a baby,
offspring
in case you need
clarification, until I can adjust to life on Terraneu."

Kniam
froze, his lips brushing hers, "If this condition makes you happy...I will
agree. I have many cycles to make you change your mind about
offspring."
 
With the decision
made, Kniam got a vacant look on his face. He sat there for a second then told
Amber, “I need to see to something, I will be right back.” He stood up
abruptly, “Don’t move from that spot.” He jumped over the balcony and raced
off. Amber was kind of surprised at his sudden departure. They were just
getting into the good stuff. She hoped that asking to wait for offspring wasn’t
off putting to him. She played with the edges of her dress until she lost
interest in that. She gazed at the suns shining in the sky, she could almost
feel her body absorbing the energy. Her eyes were closed, and she was letting
her thoughts drift lazily when she felt a shadow go across her face. Startled
she opened her eyes, Kniam was leaning over her. She hadn’t heard him return!