The child’s eyes were huge and blue. The irises took up the entire space, giving him a surreal look. Nu-reeh looked down and I saw her mouth curve into a wide grin.
“Most certainly Evan’s first male offspring,” she announced to her Sisters.
“Good man,” Dinah said patting Evan’s back.
I looked up and Evan was stunned. Fingers traced the little boy’s brow as Even stared down at us.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.
“We will send in Healers,” Nu-reeh said in a business like manner. “Feed the boy as often as he wants. He will begin to look for his Brothers soon. We believe he will find them. All boys born to us seek out their Brothers.”
“He must have them,” Dinahmented, “all men do.”
As my young son suckled contentedly I spoke without thinking.
“He has them already,” I said watching his little face. “I felt them when he was inside of me. I’ve heard their heartbeats for many turns of the moon.”
The room was silent as I pushed a wet, sticky lock of hair back from his face. It would need to be washed soon. It would never be cut, though, that much I knew.
“You heard them?” Nu-reeh said sounding surprised.
“Humans cannot…” Dinah started to say and stopped.
“Most humans cannot,” Nu-reeh said and I looked up to see her looking quite pleased, “I chose my breeder well. This human’s mind is well suited to this world.”
The men looked perplexed, which I suppose is why Nu-reeh continued to talk.
“You are born into sets determined by a force outside of our control,” she said conversationally. “Most female breeders feel it the moment each of their offspring’s Brothers connects. Your ve’s ability to adapt to our world is quite impressive. I am d we chose this ve. It was a wise decision, Sisters,” thest twoments were directed to Tosu and Dinah.
The women were talking about this, so Christof took the chance to rify.
He spoke softly and let the question hang without pushing the women. “You chose this ve for us, Mistress?”
“Your Brothers wanted a human ve,” Nu-reeh answered him, “we saw this ve and knew we would give her to you all. We sent you to the auction and we… assured no other Paterians would bid on her. She was paid for before you first saw her.”
It felt so strange to be reminded I was just a thing the women traded at will. My very existence was theirs to y with. Ever since the moment I left Earth, my life had been theirs to control. I was swept by the old feelings of abject helplessness and that depressed me greatly.
The conversation continued as I stared down at my baby, but I did not hear it. I felt theforting hands that Evan and Damienid on my head and shoulder. They understood how this made me feel. Gratefully, I rubbed my cheek on Evan’s hand as ity on my shoulder, as I fought the tears that wanted to flood my eyes.
The women left and the Healers showed up after the centa had been delivered. Once again, they wanted it. Damien still found it an odd request, but he didn’t see any harm in it.
My lower body was dried and then coated inside and out with a generous portion of the powerful healing salve. I felt my flesh tighten after the application.
“He is so small,” Evan said as Bane picked me up.
That was urate. The little bundle in my arms was tinypared to both Hannah and Kennedy. It could have been Evan’s gic makeup or it could be that’s how boys were, I just didn’t know.
“His hair is all stuck together,” Evan continued as Bane walked us toward the bedroom. “We need to bathe him.”
“Patience,” Damien warned pulling back the covers on the bed, “let them rest a little, like we did with our other children. You don’t need to rush, Brother.”
Damien’s words seemed to impart some calmness to Evan and he allowed us to be settled on the bed. He tucked the covers around my feet and helped Kein prop me up with the pillows so our son could finish feeding. The child and I were made absolutelyfortable as he finished and I burped him.
The other men went to clean up the birthing room, but Evan would not leave. He was fascinated with the tiny boy now sleeping in my arms. Nu-reeh had wrapped the child tightly, but his head was exposed. I watched transfixed as Evan tasted the boy’s ear and licked his cheek.
“It tastes of you and me,” he said curiously, “but I taste him also.”
“Do you want to hold him?” I asked.
Evan did. He held the sleeping child and practiced rocking him as I’d done with Hannah and Kennedy. I let my eyes slip closed as I heard Evan murmuring to the boy.
I woke on the bed with Evan still beside me. Our son was nestled in the covers between us. I looked down to find the little one sucking loudly on Evan’s smallest finger.
“He started to make loud sounds,” Evan said, “and I put my hand near his mouth. Now he is happy.”
“That will work for a bit,” I assured him, “but if the child is hungry, he must eat.”
I sat up and picked up my wide eyed baby. He was absolutely voracious when he found the nipple again. He had been practicing on Evan’s finger for quite a while it seemed.
“Do you know his name?” Evan asked suddenly. “You have not told us this one’s name yet. I wish him to have a name.”
Evan’s eyes bore into me as he watched our son feed.
“Well,” I said hoping this decision would not offend his Brothers, “do you have a name you would like to call him? Is there a name you’ve heard that you like?”
Evan looked confused. “I wish to call him by his name, not the name of another. What is his name?”
I smiled at Evan and remembered how new this was to them. The name would be mine to choose.
On Earth I’d helped my cousin pick out baby names. We’d gone through books and books of names for her child. One had always reached out to me.
“His name,” I said with authority, “is Jonathan.”
Evan repeated the name several times as he grinned down at our boy.
“Jonathan,” he said still smiling.
It didn’t seem anything could take the happy look off his face.
The rest of the family came in and sat on the bed around us.
“He is Jonathan,” Evan informed his Brothers proudly.