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joining. Far less frequent.”
    “They like sex?”
    “It isn’t something they get to experience in their physical lives, so they do enjoy the change.” He nuzzled her temple.
    She sighed and inhaled. She could smell musk, herbs and sweat. It seemed that the plants also got their freak on. “Did they get what they needed from me?”
    He chuckled, “The question is, did you get what you needed from them?”
    She raised her head. She felt stronger, more energized, but she didn’t know what he meant.
    “Go look in the mirror.”
    She slid off him with some difficulty and waddled over to the mirror on the door of the wardrobe. Her skin was glowing with bright beads of green down the exterior of her arms and legs. A rose pattern in rich green was appearing beneath the skin of her belly.
    “It is a good thing my mother can’t see this. She disapproved of tattoos.”
    “It isn’t a tattoo. It is in your genetic code. It was added during your tanking to indicate your species to all of Yalki.”
    She blinked and narrowed her eyes. “You say that like they are going to be seeing me naked.”
    “Not naked, no. But many of the formal clothing you will wear are designed to show off that pattern.”
    She snorted. “Do you have a pattern?”
    He grinned. “Did you see one?”
    “No.”
    He leaned in and whispered, “Then, you were not looking hard enough.”
    She jerked back so fast, she cracked her head against his chin. He winced and jerked backward.
    “Oops. Sorry. What is the deal with these marks?” She ran her hand down her arms.
    “They signify your bond with the forest. You can use them to tailor your clothing and absorb sunlight as an energy source.”
    “Seriously?”
    “Of course. You are part Terran, part Freyalki and part forest now. You should be able to manipulate living plants and animals if you choose to.” He rubbed at his chin.
    She was going to comment, but a sensation between her thighs caused her to pause and walk into the lav. She looked around and found the triggers to the shower. Honour could feel her skin sighing in delight at the deluge of water.
    Her inner thighs were abraded, and there was heat coming off her sex. She cleaned up as quickly as she could and then wrapped herself in the soft towel and twisted her hair into a cable.
    “Is my seed so offensive to you?” Acuar was leaning in the doorway, watching her.
    She snorted. “Do you normally run around with it coursing down your thigh?”
    He ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose not.”
    “Well, it gets a little uncomfortable when I can feel it and others can smell it.” Honour smiled, turned, and patted his cheek. “If we had been in bed, I would have slept and dealt with it in the morning, but you wanted me up and around, so here we are.”
    She sat at the dressing table and found the brush. She worked from the bottom up, combing her ridiculously long hair until it hung in a shining wave again. “This is stupid. Is there a scissor around here?”
    “It wouldn’t do any good. It will grow to that length again in a matter of hours. All the brides have had hair down to their ankles. It is the design of the forest and the reason that the maid was so eager to be your groomer. She will have plenty to work with, and her skills will be on display daily.”
    “I see. I am to be a billboard.” Honour started to weave her hair into a thick braid from the waist down.
    “I do not know what that is.”
    “Bragging. Advertising for her.”
    “Possibly, or it is simply possible that a display of dexterity will win her a mate. Many men would be interested in a woman with that kind of delicate touch.”
    She laughed. “Poor, Acuar. You are out of luck there. All I can do is tell you which plants to use to stop a cold or keep someone from getting heartburn.”
    “Or, keep you awake.”
    She blushed and tied her braid off with a few strands of hair wrapping tightly around it. “Or that.”
    He stood behind her and placed his hands