Kniam: A Terraneu Novel by Stormy McKnight

that again." Kniam's voice was a sensual
drawl against her neck, moving to her ear...across her check.
    "Uhhhh...kissing,
it's called kissing." She made one huge effort and pulled back from Kniams
touch. "We need to talk please Kniam. I am attracted to you. I would love
nothing more than to ignore my uncertainties...but we need to get some things
settled." She had her hands against his chest, holding him back. He let
her, with his strength he could force his will on her, but he didn't. Taking a
step back he sighed.
    "Very
well my little Amber, we can talk about anything you want." With that he
sat on one of the chaise loungers, gesturing towards the other. Amber sat, and
thought about what she wanted to say first.
    "I
am ok with the fact that I can't go back to Earth. I am also ok with the fact
that I use the sunlight as energy, and don't need to eat again. You are going
to have to tell me what is safe to eat if I have a break down and want to
try." She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting, "Don't ask
me why...humans eat when we don’t need to. It's a mental thing. I don't know if
the changes the medical unit made will include my desire to eat. That is
something I can figure out as I go."
    She
sat forward, her stormy blue-green eyes locked on him, "What you suggested
with your choices was an insult to me, on every level."
    Kniam
sat forward as well and grabbed her hand, gently rubbing his fingers against
her knuckles. "It was not meant as an insult. I knew you would not take
the first choice. That is why it was offered."
    She
gaped at him and tilted her head to the side in question, "Then why did
you include it as a choice? Why only really give me the choice of being passed
around from man to man?" she was getting wound up again.
    "Maybe
the wording was wrong Amber. Nobody expects you to sleep around with all of the men in the community, having offspring with all of them. You would be
able to choose your partner, or partners. You could find a partner you are
compatible with, and have offspring with that person or persons. I remember in
our talk at the medical unit that you said some Earth women have one partner,
then for whatever reason want a different one."
    He
grabbed both her hands and brought them to his face. "When I volunteered
to be your first partner...I was hoping that because of the connection we seem
to have you would find me acceptable."
    "Hold
on." Amber leaned forward, "You just said when you volunteered, like
it was something you wanted to do...but back at the meeting, you said
"sacrifice"...?"
    Kniam
interrupted, “Please put yourself in my position. I am supposed to allow for
voting, council meetings, and community input before making any decision. Then
after talking with you, I just knew that I wanted to be your partner. How could
I have handled it differently?”
      Amber got lost in thought for a minute. If
she were to reverse their positions, she was the leader of an all male
population, then a female suddenly drops out of the sky what would she do? If
his men all wanted a chance to be the person she choose as a mate, a huge rift
could form in their social order. There had to be a massive conflict going on
for him, and his people right now, and it centered on her. "I can't even
begin to guess at the trouble I have brought to your people...you couldn’t have
done any differently I guess."
    Kniam
interrupted her, "You did not bring the trouble here Amber. The
difficulties we face have been something we brought on ourselves. Would you
blame yourself for the decisions the leaders on your world made a thousand
years ago? Two thousand?" He pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand.
"You are the answer to the problem, not the problem itself." He
released her hand, she instantly missed his touch, and stretched back on the
chaise to get more comfortable. Amber did the same since to be leaning toward him
would look foolish. "We did some analysis of the possibility of bringing
more women here to