prenatal checkup—' Nohar sucked in a breath. 'Those damn idiots at the Clinic—do you know what Pakistani gene- techs had done with feline leukemia?'
Stephie shook her head. The color drained from her face.
Nohar went on. 'Those doctors didn't know either. They misdiagnosed a Jaguar, put him in with the other felines, including Orai.' Nohar's voice cracked a bit. He brought it under control. 'They could 've quarantined the Jaguar. But they don't give moreys private rooms. Every feline in the ward started dying. Then they knew. She was near to term. She died miscarrying two cubs—'
Nohar fell silent. There wasn't much left to say. He closed his eyes and tried to remember when he had told anyone that story in full. No one came to mind. Not even Manny, though Manny knew the story well enough.
The smell of smoky rose was suddenly very close, and Nohar felt a tiny naked hand on his cheek, brushing his whiskers. He opened his eyes and saw Stephie's face, close to his own. Her breath was warm on the skin of his nose. Her eyes were a liquid green, nothing like the eyes of a cat—visible whites, tiny round pupils.
Nohar had never realized how alien human eyes were.
Her lips parted in a whisper. 'Lord, how you must hate humans.'
Nohar shook his head. 'No, no hate. Not for people.'
The hand left and Stephie replaced the picture, in
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its groove and at its forty-five degree angle. She did it in one fluid motion, stretching across Nohar to replace the picture. Again Nohar found himself admiring her muscle tone and her economy of movement.
She sat down next to him on the bed. The springs barely noticed her weight.
Her nervousness was back. Just like at the table at the Arabica. She shook her head and looked up at him. Nohar wished once again that he was better at reading human expression.
'Nohar, would you tell me, who's Angel?'
Back to business. 'I told you, she's a lead. She saw the sniper—'
Stephie was shaking her head again. 'Not what I meant. I want to know who she is to you.'
Huh? Maybe not. 'What? Only met her yesterday— We sure as hell aren't lovers. If that's what you mean.'
Stephie turned a bright red. She clenched a fist that made her knuckles whiten. 'I'm sorry, forgive me. I didn't mean to offend—'
Nohar got a sensation he often got when talking with humans. There were two different conversations here. Stephie was, he felt, about to bolt off somewhere and cry. He didn't want to be responsible for that, even if he didn't understand what was going on. He placed his hands on her shoulder.
Nohar didn't know how to do this gracefully, so he just told her the truth. 'I wasn't offended. But the idea of having relations with that little twitch is ludicrous.'
Nohar could tell Stephie almost laughed. She was still flushed.
'Why ask?'
Nohar could sense a slight tensing of her muscles under his hand. 'Angel was bragging all the tune while you were unconscious. I just wondered, you're such different ... '
Ah. 'Different species? I'd admit, me and her, it would be unusual, but not unheard of.'
'Isn't that bestiality? Would it be possible?'
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'Some human taboos, like nudity, can't wash with moreys for practical reasons.'
Stephie was still looking up at him, and Nohar realized he'd only answered half the question. 'And, uh, some morey characteristics came out the other end of the labs remarkably similar. I think it might be linked to bipedal . . .'He trailed off.
Great, now he was getting embarrassed.
Stephie had a questioning look in her eyes. The flush was fading. 'Who do you have, Nohar?'
Nohar thought of Maria. 'No one, anymore.'
'You're lonely, aren't you?'
He would have objected, but he had trouble lying to people he felt something for. He nodded. 'You?'
They faced each other, on the bed. He was feeling her breath on his nose again. No longer warm, hot. Beads of perspiration were forming on her forehead. Her voice was a whisper. 'My nonexistent boyfriend.' She tried to laugh, but it died. 'No girlfriend either.'
' 'Why did you get so upset when I asked if you were a lesbian?''
'Too close to what I was feeling.'
They were very close now. He could feel her pulse under the hand that still rested on her shoulder. It was incredibly rapid, like her heart belonged to a kitten or a small bird. His heartbeat was racing to catch up with hers. Her sweat was beginning to lend a tang to the air that was alien to him, one he liked. What was going on had dawned on him gradually, and a small part of his mind was screaming at him, asking him what the hell he was doing. It wasn't the time for that question.
Her alien—human—eyes were staring deep into his own. 'You saved my life. Have you ever heard of Chinese obligation?'
Nohar had. 'I'm responsible for you now.'
She sucked in a shuddering breath, and her lips touched his. He had seen kisses in human videos—but
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a feline skull and lips didn't move the right way for it. Even so, he tried.
He let her small lips part his mouth and felt her amazingly smooth tongue
alight on his own, caress one of his canines, and withdraw, to be felt, briefly, under his nose. When her eyes opened, the nervousness was gone.
Nohar, what are you doing? He ignored the questioning voice because he needed her, human or not. He moved his hand up from her shoulder and undid the bonds that were keeping her hair in a ponytail. He nuzzled the top of her head, thankful not to smell any heavy chemicals, and began to groom her hair. The taste and texture of her human hair was different from Maria's fur. The ritual perhaps seemed as strange to Stephie as kisses did to Nohar.
When Nohar had cleaned her hair, he began to move to her ears and the back of her neck. He expected the taste and feel of naked skin to repulse, but it was quite the opposite. The sweet acidic taste of her sweat and the smooth surface of her walnut-colored skin was beginning to excite him.
The questioning voice shut up.
By the time he had reached her shoulders, he realized she did have fur, of a sort. Tiny, downy hairs were scattered over her arms and her back. Somewhere along the line, he didn't know where, her blouse had disappeared.
They both reclined on the bed as Nohar worked his way down her body. He groomed both her arms. Her skin broke into a burning flush under his tongue.
He cleaned the small puddle of perspiration that pooled between those odd human breasts. When he cleaned her breasts, she began to moan loudly. Nohar thought he was too rough, so he lightened the pressure. Stephie immediately responded by locking her hands in the fur on either side of his head and pulling his face back down.
He worked his way down her abdomen. She continued to urge him lower with her hands-
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Humans kept their hair in the strangest places.
When Nohar could no longer restrain himself he rolled over on his back, ignoring the pain in his hip, and pulled her on top of him. She drew him in and shuddered, arching her back.
Nohar added his voice to hers.
It took them a long time to expend each other.
Nohar awoke.
