him?”
“Of course. I need to see what guy is good enough for my little sister.”
She looked at her mate, and he sat at the second screen. The moment the signal reached Jim, she knew it because he said, “Good god.”
Toyo raised an eyebrow and spoke careful English. “It is good to meet the sibling of my bond mate. She is an extraordinary woman, and I am richer for her being in my life.”
Beryl blushed.
“Well, Toyo, Bebe hasn’t told me too much about you. What do you do for a living?”
Beryl stopped her cackle by pressing a hand over her mouth as she listened to Toyo explain the Guardians, the supernatural powers and fighting bad guys.
“It was during the job that I first met your sister. She ripped the ears off a man who had taken her hostage, and I was smitten.” He grinned.
Jim cracked a smile. “That would do it for me. Bebe has always been a very direct sort of woman. You never need to guess how she feels.”
Toyo and Jim continued talking. When Loesh came in with her supplement, she took her shot, gagged twice and Loesh logged it in the system. The alarm went off if she missed a dose, and so it behoved anyone passing medical to check the countdown clock. When they gave her her vitamins, the clock reset for another six hours.
Jim was concerned. “What was that?”
Beryl smiled, “Vitamin supplement that tastes like lima beans and grapefruit skin with a hint of onion.”
“Why don’t you just take a pill?”
“They can’t make one with a high-enough dosage.”
“Injection?”
She snorted. “My skin is too tough for an injector to get through. It goes with the increased strength.”
Jim raised his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Increased strength? How increased?”
Beryl looked at Toyo and he grimaced. “I can lift a van and smash it through concrete. I can’t fly yet though, so Toyo is lucky.”
Her brother paled in shock.
Toyo tried to calm him. “We do not know if the effects are permanent or related to the pregnancy. The child is strong with my skin density, so it was necessary for Beryl’s body to adapt accordingly and our bonding ritual made it easier.”
Jim perked up. “Bonding ritual?”
Beryl smacked a hand on her face. This was a subject she had hoped to avoid. “Toyo, you explain and I am going for a snack.”
He nodded and continued speaking to her brother, explaining the blood sharing and the teeth.
When Beryl returned with a bowl of gashki, her brother looked a little unwell.
“Bebe, did you really?”
“Yup.” It was a fair guess that anything Toyo had told him was accurate.
“And he…”
“Yup. Blood exchange at a delicate moment.” She ate some of the beetles and smiled.
Jim scowled. “Uh, what are you eating?”
She looked at the bowl of de-legged roasted bugs and twisted her lips. “I am not going to tell you. It would freak you out more than the bond mate ritual.”
He leaned back and sighed. “Bebe, I love you and I am happy for you, but your life is weird.”
She grinned. “I know, isn’t it great? I actually have a life now.”
He laughed and Toyo smiled.
Drovin came in and whistled sharply.
Beryl sighed. “Sorry, Jim. Toyo has to go to work. I love you and I will talk soon. Promise.”
“Love you, too. Congrats on the baby, Bebe.” He winked and they shut their coms down together.
Toyo got to his feet and gave her a kiss. “I will be back as soon as I can.”
She relaxed, and the moment the Guardians were gone, she headed to the vid room to watch the slug documentary she had wanted to see for months.
She was more than halfway through the seven-hour miniseries on the Vaccuu slug when she heard a thump from outside and the base alarms went off.
She set her gashki down and stalked toward the sound. She heard something that sounded like mechanical footsteps, and she followed the noise of an intruder.
Beryl headed to the skimmer launch and found the invader in a mech suit and taking aim at the com towers.
She whistled to
“Of course. I need to see what guy is good enough for my little sister.”
She looked at her mate, and he sat at the second screen. The moment the signal reached Jim, she knew it because he said, “Good god.”
Toyo raised an eyebrow and spoke careful English. “It is good to meet the sibling of my bond mate. She is an extraordinary woman, and I am richer for her being in my life.”
Beryl blushed.
“Well, Toyo, Bebe hasn’t told me too much about you. What do you do for a living?”
Beryl stopped her cackle by pressing a hand over her mouth as she listened to Toyo explain the Guardians, the supernatural powers and fighting bad guys.
“It was during the job that I first met your sister. She ripped the ears off a man who had taken her hostage, and I was smitten.” He grinned.
Jim cracked a smile. “That would do it for me. Bebe has always been a very direct sort of woman. You never need to guess how she feels.”
Toyo and Jim continued talking. When Loesh came in with her supplement, she took her shot, gagged twice and Loesh logged it in the system. The alarm went off if she missed a dose, and so it behoved anyone passing medical to check the countdown clock. When they gave her her vitamins, the clock reset for another six hours.
Jim was concerned. “What was that?”
Beryl smiled, “Vitamin supplement that tastes like lima beans and grapefruit skin with a hint of onion.”
“Why don’t you just take a pill?”
“They can’t make one with a high-enough dosage.”
“Injection?”
She snorted. “My skin is too tough for an injector to get through. It goes with the increased strength.”
Jim raised his hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Increased strength? How increased?”
Beryl looked at Toyo and he grimaced. “I can lift a van and smash it through concrete. I can’t fly yet though, so Toyo is lucky.”
Her brother paled in shock.
Toyo tried to calm him. “We do not know if the effects are permanent or related to the pregnancy. The child is strong with my skin density, so it was necessary for Beryl’s body to adapt accordingly and our bonding ritual made it easier.”
Jim perked up. “Bonding ritual?”
Beryl smacked a hand on her face. This was a subject she had hoped to avoid. “Toyo, you explain and I am going for a snack.”
He nodded and continued speaking to her brother, explaining the blood sharing and the teeth.
When Beryl returned with a bowl of gashki, her brother looked a little unwell.
“Bebe, did you really?”
“Yup.” It was a fair guess that anything Toyo had told him was accurate.
“And he…”
“Yup. Blood exchange at a delicate moment.” She ate some of the beetles and smiled.
Jim scowled. “Uh, what are you eating?”
She looked at the bowl of de-legged roasted bugs and twisted her lips. “I am not going to tell you. It would freak you out more than the bond mate ritual.”
He leaned back and sighed. “Bebe, I love you and I am happy for you, but your life is weird.”
She grinned. “I know, isn’t it great? I actually have a life now.”
He laughed and Toyo smiled.
Drovin came in and whistled sharply.
Beryl sighed. “Sorry, Jim. Toyo has to go to work. I love you and I will talk soon. Promise.”
“Love you, too. Congrats on the baby, Bebe.” He winked and they shut their coms down together.
Toyo got to his feet and gave her a kiss. “I will be back as soon as I can.”
She relaxed, and the moment the Guardians were gone, she headed to the vid room to watch the slug documentary she had wanted to see for months.
She was more than halfway through the seven-hour miniseries on the Vaccuu slug when she heard a thump from outside and the base alarms went off.
She set her gashki down and stalked toward the sound. She heard something that sounded like mechanical footsteps, and she followed the noise of an intruder.
Beryl headed to the skimmer launch and found the invader in a mech suit and taking aim at the com towers.
She whistled to
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