Date: June 6, 2440 Time: 10:05 AM CST
Matt collapsed face down on his desk the moment the kids left the room.
“I’m fine,” he mumbled, voice muffled by wood grain. “I just need food. And coffee. And maybe someone to explain which one of you played vampire while I was sleeping.”
He pushed up his sleeve to reveal a small bandage just below his elbow.
“I was prepared for this,” Angelina said, ever the planner. “There are candy bars in the top drawer. And yes, we took blood. Floyd handled the work himself.”
Matt fished out a Cherry Mash, unwrapped it, and spoke around a mouthful. “People saw us walking through the house together, right? Playing grab ass in the hallway, too?”
“They did,” Angelina confirmed. “And before you ask: yes, your blood work showed cannabinoids. Which confused us.”
“I need to understand what happened,” Matt said, turning toward L’Tani. “I’m not angry. Honestly, what I remember was… well, fun. But it’s all a little fuzzy.”
“You don’t remember?” L’tani asked, visibly wounded.
“Not clearly,” he said. “I remember the part where everything felt slow and deep—like sinking into cool water under moonlight with a shot of something dangerous in my veins,” he looked at his audience again and decided not to reveal things he did remember like a long slow lick from her collar bone to the tip of her ear, him getting his hand stuck in the back of her pants, them breaking the chair and possibly the lamp too. He certainly wasn’t going to mention going down on her.
Angelina narrowed her eyes. “That’s an oddly specific kind of fuzzy.”
Matt just shrugged and bit into his sandwich. “Poetic license. Helps me process. Now what about the pot?”
L’Tani looked between them, confused. “I’m unfamiliar with these terms or that chemical compound.”
“Did you smoke anything with anyone yesterday?” Angelina asked her directly.
“Midday, I tried something with Julia and Priya,” L’Tani said. “She told me it causes a mild euphoria and helps with anxiety. I was curious. It wore off quickly—left me starving, honestly. She thought it might help me relax.”
“Well, it definitely did that, and apparently, it lingered longer than expected, or Julia’s got a strain I need to get my hands on. Did you take anything else?”
“Just some wine with dinner. But we already know alcohol is less potent for V’ren physiology.”
“There might’ve been an interaction between the two,” Matt suggested, raising a hand as someone knocked at the door. “Enter.”
Mall rolled in a cart of food. “I was asked to bring you this.”
“Perfect timing. Thank you, Mall,” Matt said. He grabbed the last two Cherry Mashes and handed them to her. “Try these. They’re my favorite. If you like them, I’ll get more for you.”
She started to say something, but he gave her a gentle swat on the backside with the folder in his hand. “Go on, scram—before I pass out and drool on your shoes.”
“I don’t know how you can stand those,” Angelina muttered, realizing she would have to send someone to St Joe to pick them up from the candy company very soon.
“At least you waited until she left to say that,” Matt said, opening containers and tearing into sandwiches. He handed one to L’Tani. “Here, try this—Japanese-style egg salad. It’s weirdly addictive.”
He waved at the others. “Come on. I can’t eat all of this myself.”
Several sandwiches and two thousand calories later, Matt downed a long swig of Dr Pepper and finally exhaled.
“Let’s talk,” he said calmly, turning to L’Tani. “You came to me upset and wanting to talk. Did you come with any intent to seduce me?”
She hesitated. “T’Mari told me you hadn’t responded to her attempts—chemically, I mean. I was… curious. I didn’t mean for it to go as far as it did. I felt so alone and wanted to see if you were compatible. We had so much fun together, I needed to know. When you put your hand on mine, just to comfort me, something happened. I ma so sorry.”
“Your pheromones can transfer through skin contact?” Matt asked.
“Not usually,” she said. “Only with significant contact.”
Matt thought about that long, slow lick along her throat—and his hand getting stuck down the back of her pants. Both seemed like significant contact events.
Then he heard Angelina clear her throat.
“Sorry, lost in thought. Where’s the potato salad?”
“You were no doubt freshly showered and raw. No barrier,” Angelina trailed off, realizing there had been no condoms either, and decided that could be worried about later. Floyd said skin oils offer humans some protection, but in the right conditions—showers, heat, direct contact—it’s possible. He also mentioned that your pheromone’s transdermal action might have huge medical potential for pain therapy. But that’s a conversation for another time.”
Matt nodded. “So we’ve established V’ren can pass cannabis-induced pheromones through skin-to-skin contact. And we’ve established that physical contact can trigger instinctual responses in V’ren women. Because you, L’Tani, went from sad and scared to vixen, mode pretty damn fast.”
L’Tani looked away, ashamed. “I felt out of control. It wasn’t just the drug—it was instinct. You were kind, comforting, and… attractive. I was overwhelmed. I behaved like a child.”
“Enough of that,” Matt said sharply to her, and she turned further away from his gaze. “Look at me and hear me clearly, L’tani T’all. You will not shame yourself over this. However, this happened, whatever anyone else thinks about what happened. Know this. You shared something special, beautiful, and passionate with me. No matter the fallout, I am glad to have been there for you when you needed me. Do you understand?”
“I will try,” she said in a weak little girl voice, that she could not make sound more confident. “I will try,” she said, finally finding the strength as she looked into those green eyes and felt a flicker of hope that he really meant those things.
“Never be ashamed to need something that makes you feel whole. Too many times in this life, we deny ourselves the chance to feel exactly what we need to feel, because we worry about what others will think of us. If I can teach one thing in this life, it will be to admit what you need to yourself and feel no shame or guilt in asking for help.”
Angelina nodded in total agreement and wished he would use that same logic on himself. It would make her job so much easier. “Your mother made a similar comparison to being very much an inexperienced girl emotionally. She said you acted like a panty-flashing twelve-year-old desperate for attention, my words not hers.”
“And I was…?” Matt asked, knowing she only ever used that term when she felt bad about leading him on at that age, doing just that.
“You were you,” Angelina replied simply. “Compassionate. Warm. Stable. That’s what triggered her. Puberty hits V’ren girls hard. One day they’re sweet, the next, they’re bouncing between lust and rage for a few weeks, then it is over.”
“That was me,” L’Tani admitted. “A few weeks ago. I came into this change later than most, but not unusually so.”
“I was early,” T’Mari said quietly. “Not quite twelve Earth years. There will be fallout from this, and I don’t know how to help you, L’Tani.”
L’Tani looked down. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Matt spoke before anyone else could. “You’re going to stay right here while I head out to handle my business in Columbia. While I’m gone, you’re going to write the most brilliant academic paper ever submitted to the University of Missouri Medical Conference on the topic of V’ren Hormonal Challenges in Cross-Species Interactions.”
“I wasn’t aware of such a conference,” Angelina said, annoyed.
“Neither was I, until five minutes ago. It will be the end of next month,” Matt said, biting into a fourth corned beef sandwich.
