Whelon thought that was a very delicate way of putting it. Surprising coming from Penelope since delicacy was not one of her strong suits. Those women had practically had their lives destroyed by medical practices that should have be outlawed. He was angry enough to eat those responsible for the females’ troubles. Or burn them to a crisp with his dragon’s fire. Any healer should know to never to do harm.
“How far along in their gestation are they?”
“Only a few months, but Chashan has learned of the human practice of ‘second opinions’ and requests another Healing Master to review their cases. He doesn’t want any mistakes. Lily is in her first month and doing well but she also has physical difficulties that may worsen as time passes.”
“Hmmm…” Whelon pinched his lip as he fell into deep thought. Blending human and Preor DNA was difficult enough without the women being compromised!
“How are Hannah and Dawn?”
“We don’t know about Dawn yet. She’s been running around with Heart Master Khaza. Vende chases after them both. He seems to have forgotten about me completely.”
Whelon fought to suppress his smile. Penelope sounded as if she pouted. “And Hannah?”
“She’s doing great. She’s never been enhanced or had surgery of any kind. She has a very healthy pregnancy and seeded with Brukr almost immediately.”
“There may still be complications. You only breed your female every other year.” he murmured thoughtfully.
“I’m sure Hannah will appreciate being compared to a farm animal.”
“What? I did not compare her to a herd beast.”
Penelope giggled, a smattering of tinkling sounds that mimicked a female’s laughter. “Earth farmers say that about their livestock. No Preor warrior will understand the reference, but Hannah will.”
Whelon grinned. “I will keep that in mind in the future.”
“There’s a shuttle waiting, Whelon. Chashan wants you there ASAP.”
As soon as possible. He had learned some of the nuances of the human language while interacting with the various human-Preor mates.
Whelon nodded and shut down his station. He spoke to Yazen briefly, setting up the trainee healing warriors with a bit more work and responsibility. They were lucky they had so many Preor to step into empty roles. It was good for the troops to test their skills in command, engineering, and healing, instead of just focusing on being fighters.
Once he knew Yazen had plenty of help, he went to his quarters and packed a bag—just a change of katoth pants and a few medical supplies. Chashan would be well stocked on Earth there but every healer preferred his own instruments. When he arrived at the docking bay, he was surprised to find a large group of Preor warriors filing into the shuttle.
He realized there must be a Choosing about to happen down at the tower and felt an instant stab of discomfort. He was not going to walk into a “cattle call” and move through potential females as if he were at a market buying a herd beast. He knew why some called it a cattle call and he found it insulting to all Preor as well as the females who attended.
He kept to himself on the trip down to the surface, choosing to focus on the medical files of the pregnant females he was to evaluate. The specifics of each one’s condition were troubling, and he understood why Chashan had asked for him to assist.
As they landed on the wide strip on top of Preor Tower, he let the others exit first. They were all excited and speaking in loud voices, some even referring to the women as if they were actual cattle.
“I hope I get a blonde one,” a tall Preor with lavender wings spoke eagerly. “Once the Knowing hits, I’ll be mating her within seconds. I’ve waited so long for this!”
“Have you seen some of those models?” Another warrior asked. “They are so sleek. More like tigers than cattle.”
Whelon kept his eyes on the ground. No matter how disgusted he was with their comments, he would not get involved. He was here to do a job and he refused to get caught up in the mess that was the Choosing. If he had a mate, he would not find her there. He was quite sure. He turned his back on the line of Preor heading for Preor Choosing Station Tau. Instead, he focused on the problems facing each female and her dragonlet and pushed all else from his mind.
He was not so desperate for a mate that he would consider this “cattle call” business, and he most certainly wouldn’t treat her like a broodmare or sexual object as some spoke of the potential mates.
If he was to be mated, it would be the right woman. He was content to wait for the rest of his life if necessary because the right match was far more important than his own desires. Mating was not something that could be rushed.
Chapter Three
“Stand still, Sasha!” Jenna snapped. “How else am I supposed to lace up your dress?”
“But, mother—” Sasha tried to interrupt her mother… again. And failed… again.
“No. I’m not hearing it. Not anymore. Just stand still!”
Sasha took a deep breath, tried to ignore her mother’s movements, and focused on the mirror in front of her. Her long, thick black hair was piled on top of her head, curly tendrils falling down to frame her face. Her dress was a soft, pale pink with little roses printed on the fabric. The narrow lace-up back tightened around her breasts and stomach as her mother yanked on the strings. Sasha’s breath blasted out of her and she tried not to move. Her mother would tighten the dress as much as she could, and if Sasha couldn’t breathe… Jenna would simply tell her not to bother.
She pressed her lipstick-coated lips together, barely stopping herself from biting them and ruining the work her mother had done. They’d been at this for hours and it was already late afternoon. They didn’t have time to redo any part of Sasha’s appearance because they would have to leave soon to reach the Choosing on time.
Sasha took the deepest breath she could manage—which wasn’t much—and tried to talk to her mother again. “I want you to look at these invitations, Mother. I have three really good, legitimate charities that have requested my presence. It will have full press coverage as well as our own camera team. It’s excellent publicity—”
“The Preor story takes precedence.”
“The Preor story is just an opinion piece! It’s inflammatory and hyped up!” Sasha’s words leapt out before she could stop them. She never spoke to her mother like that and she immediately regretted the outburst.
Jenna looked into her eyes with a steely gaze, her jaw going tight as she glared at her daughter. “Never speak to me like that again.”
“I’m sorry, Mother. I simply think—”
“How many times do I have to tell you, I know best? You have to do as I say, darling.” Jenna’s voice softened and she stroked Sasha’s cheek, hooking a black curl behind her ear. “I love you, my darling. I want what’s best for you.”
“I know. It’s just… these charities really need me. I could do a lot of good there.”
Her mother waved a hand dismissively, turning away to look through the jewelry on the dresser. “There will be time for that later.”
Sasha swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty. She knew there would not be a later.