3. Ell-rom

3

ELL-ROM

A sking the medic about his fangs was going to be so embarrassing, but Jasmine had left him no choice.

"Um, it's about my fangs," Ell-rom said. "Jasmine said that you can explain what they are for."

Bridget's lips twitched, but she stifled the smile and retained her professional demeanor. "Ah, yes. I can certainly help with that. What do you know about your physiology?"

"I know I'm half Kra-ell and half god, and I know the Kra-ell drink blood, but I don't. The idea of consuming blood repulses me. I don't know whether my fangs are just a remnant of my Kra-ell genetics that is not needed or do they serve some other function." He cleared his throat. "I've noticed that they elongate in response to certain stimuli."

"In that respect, you take after the part of you that is half god. Your fangs aren't for feeding; they're for... well, let's call it sharing."

"Sharing?" Ell-rom echoed.

Bridget nodded. "Both Kra-ell and gods have glands that produce venom. The Kra-ell use it mainly to immobilize their prey and to heal its wounds once they are done drinking its blood. The venom actually makes it a pleasurable experience for the prey. This ability is much stronger in gods, naturally or genetically enhanced, but only the male gods have fangs. The females do not."

That didn't seem fair, but the Mother of All Life knew what she was doing, so there was probably a good reason for that.

"In what way is the gods' venom different?" he asked.

"To start with, their venom is much more potent than the Kra-ell's," Bridget said. "In a fight, it can incapacitate an opponent or even stop his heart, which is one of the few ways to kill a god or an immortal. Aggression triggers the production of this dangerous type of venom. The production of the other type, which is used to pleasure sexual partners, is triggered by arousal. Your fangs will elongate in response to either trigger, but the composition of the venom will depend on the situation."

That explained why his fangs had elongated when he kissed Jasmine.

"Is it dangerous?" he asked, suddenly worried. "Could I hurt Jasmine?"

Bridget shook her head. "Not with the venom. Your body knows what type to produce for her benefit, which is not limited to enhancing her pleasure. She will feel stronger, healthier, and more energetic. If she has an ailment bothering her, your venom will help cure it or at least alleviate its symptoms. So, you shouldn't worry. But as you get physically stronger, you will need to be mindful of your superior strength and of her human fragility. Also, her sexual stamina cannot match yours. While you will be able to perform consecutively without rest, she will tire long before you are satisfied, but you will need to follow her lead in this."

Bridget had delivered the explanation in her usual dry and factual tone, but the effect of her words on Ell-rom was instinctive and visceral. All that talk about climaxing and satisfaction was making him respond most embarrassingly, and he crossed his legs under the blanket to hide the evidence.

"Does that answer your question?" the medic asked.

All he could do was nod.

"Very good." Bridget moved to stand close to where he did not want her to be. "Let's check your mobility. Can you sit up for me?"

He was happy to comply and further hide the evidence of his arousal. Pushing himself into a sitting position took less effort than it had taken earlier that day.

As Bridget guided him through a series of simple exercises, testing his range of motion and strength, his arousal subsided to a level where he was no longer embarrassed. Then, his mind just had to wander back to the kiss, and he had to force himself to think about his past before the situation became awkward again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Bridget didn't look up from her tablet, her fingers flying over the screen.

"I was told that I was a priest in training and that the Kra-ell's consecrated clergy are supposed to be celibate."

She lifted her head from the tablet and leveled her gaze at him. "That's what Jade told us, but I don't know much about it."

"I know, but all I'm asking for is your opinion. Do you think I should ignore the past I can't remember and follow my feelings for Jasmine instead?"

Bridget hesitated. "I can't comment on your religion or your individual beliefs. All I can say is that from a medical standpoint, your connection with Jasmine has been beneficial to your recovery."

"I understand your reluctance to opine about something not in your field of expertise, but I don't have anyone else I can talk to."

Bridget sighed. "This is something that you'll have to decide for yourself, but in my opinion, I think life is too short—or in your case, too long—to deny yourself happiness based on a past you can't remember."

Relief washed over Ell-rom. "That is what I thought, but since I lacked any meaningful reference, I didn't know whether I was just telling myself what I wanted to hear or whether it was the right thing to do. Thank you for easing my mind."

The medic nodded, patting his shoulder. "Any time. Now, let's get you up and walking a bit before Jasmine gets back with the soup."

With Bridget's assistance, Ell-rom swung his legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up, his legs trembling slightly under his weight. Still, he remained upright and took a step forward, then another.

"Excellent." Bridget held on to his arm with surprising strength for such a petite female. "You're making good progress."

As they made a slow circuit around the small room, Ell-rom's thoughts once again drifted back to his conversation with Jasmine and what she had said about immortals' ability to read minds. He was particularly concerned about her suspicion that one of the gods had used venom to heal her during their mountain trek. He didn't have a problem with them doing that, even if it required some level of arousal, but he had a big problem with them doing so without Jasmine's consent.

"Hold on," he said, pausing to catch his breath. "I need a little rest."

"Of course." Bridget helped him to lean against the bed. "If you are tired, we can stop and continue tomorrow."

"No, I just need a few seconds to rest, and then I can continue."

"No problem."

"I have another question."

She smiled. "Ask away."

"Is it true that immortals can read human minds?"

The medic's expression tightened. "It's not mind reading exactly. We can't read thoughts. But we can read impressions; when they are very recent, that's as good as reading thoughts. It's like seeing a movie of what has just happened in that person's life. Why do you ask?"

"It's another thing that Jasmine mentioned to me. I don't know if I have the ability, and if I do, when it's okay to use it. I don't think it's acceptable to invade someone's mind without their permission."

Bridget smiled approvingly. "You are right. We have strict rules about it. It's only allowed to hide our existence from humans, which is an existential risk for us, and to save lives. Sometimes special permission can be given by our judge if she's presented with a compelling argument for it."

"How is compliance enforced?" He pushed away from the bed, and the medic helped him take a few more steps around the room.

Bridget sighed. "As you can imagine, it's impossible to enforce. We drill this into our children's heads and hope it sticks."

That was what he had suspected, and there wasn't much else that could be done about it.

"Is there any way to know if someone has invaded your mind?"

Bridget helped him back to the bed before answering. "Not really, but you don't need to worry about it. I doubt anyone other than the gods can invade your mind, probably not even them."

"I see." Ell-rom settled back against his pillows. "Are the gods bound by the same rules as the immortals?"

Bridget's hesitation was answer enough. "The gods operate under their own code, but from what I have seen of them so far, they are honorable people. I don't think they would violate the privacy of anyone's mind unless it was absolutely necessary for security reasons or to save someone's life."