Page 4 of Starfall
He seemed to be taking it seriously, so she nodded, and he walked her through the back of the building, opened the door, and held it for her, boosting her into the vehicle. “Where are we going?”
“Lathom Street. Number twelve.”
“Nice area.” He helped her buckle up even though she didn’t need it, and then, he moved around and got behind the wheel. They were driving for a few minutes when he asked, “So, what will happen if I don’t get treatment?”
“That is best left for the alchemist to explain.” Emery was nervous.
“Is it dangerous?”
“It is embarrassing. There are options for you, and I can’t really offer anything to you. You have to be told your treatment options. I am not equipped to notify you of them.”
“But it was your bite.”
“To the magical communities at large, ogres are rabid dogs. I am trying to get you taken care of so that they don’t come for me.”
“I am a seasonal avatar. I will be fine.”
“Weeelllll, Nori will explain.”
He snorted. “I am very curious.”
“Yeah. Well. It goes beyond embarrassing.”
“Definitely curious.”
He drove and parked in the drive of the large home. A cheerful woman opened the door and waved at them, wiping her hands on a tea towel.
Emery got out of the vehicle and dropped to the ground, closing the door and walking toward the alchemist. Rowen walked behind her, and they were welcomed into the room that smelled of baked goods.
“Nori, you are looking well.”
Nori chuckled and kept walking, opening the pantry door and walking through it. “So are you and your friend. I expected he would be pale, shaking, and masturbating.”
“Uh, he’s made of stern stuff.”
The hall opened into the lab, and the insulated container was sitting on the wooden table.
Rowen said, “Why would I be jerking off?”
Nori smiled. “Emery’s venom is supposed to be used for mating purposes with another ogre. Frankly, she wasn’t supposed to be a female. Male ogres choose the sex of their offspring; female ogres choose who will father them. She bites her mate, and when she has sex with him, his sperm is carrying tracer rounds. She marks him as acceptable genetic material.”
Emery didn’t look at Rowen. “I told you it was embarrassing.”
Nori smiled. “Since Em isn’t making the introductions. I am Norianna, but everybody calls me Nori. Em and I were in the same foster home when we were younger, and when she had this issue during puberty, she knew I could lend a hand. You are?”
“Rowen. Avatar of Autumn.”
Nori stared. “Well, you both smell sweaty, so I am guessing at what the bite interrupted.”
Emery whipped her head up. “No. I wouldn’t. I was in a sauna, and I dozed off. I must have ogred out in my sleep and bit him in the chest.”
Rowen shrugged. “She isn’t wrong. She relaxed and pitched forward. The puncture occurred a moment later.”
Nori nodded. “She must not have closed and activated the venom, which means this will make you immune to her bite in the future.”
He frowned. “I don’t want that.”
Emery whipped her face toward him. “Don’t be stupid.”