His pants clung to his body, the leather uncomfortable, ill-fitted for the planet’s hot humid climate. Perspiration beaded over his skin. His verme lifted, sensing Mirian’s approach before he did. She padded toward him, her quick, light footsteps easily recognizable. Our breeder. Furu glanced up, openly admiring her lithe feminine form, the gentle sway of her hips and the welcoming smile on her beautiful face. A warmth spread over his chest, a feeling of acceptance, of home, coiling around him as tightly as one of her frequent embraces. “Is Xan still exploring the valley?” He prodded the blue soil with his handheld device, unsurprised by Xan’s extended absence, their Dreck lover happily leaving them to their science, returning only for food and sex and sleep. “Yes.” Creases lined Mirian’s tanned forehead, her concern for Xan reassuring Furu, none of his father’s breeders having ever exhibited that emotion. “He’ll be safe,” she added, as though convincing herself, the warrior well able to take care of himself.
