“We need hosts for our eggs. Live hosts.”
A delicate new alliance between Ea Nir’s people and the humans hinges on one thing: survival.
The Nepenthe will shelter and provide for these bipeds while both races seek a new home world. The humans, in return, will host Nepenthe eggs for their incubation period.
In theory.
The surviving humans huddle aboard the Nepenthe starvessel. Unanswered questions paralyze their capable hosts:
A clutch is how many eggs at once?
What does that mean, ‘locked in?’ To where?
Did she just say ‘venom??’
From among the fears of many, steps the curiosity of one.
Brave, reckless, or both, Alyss wants to be the first.
His first.
__
Host dives right back into the We Are Nepenthe universe with a shapeshifting alien doctor, a discovery-hungry human geneticist, and a marathon ovipositing spree. And tentacles. All of them.
But don’t worry—this is for Science.
A one-click read for adventurous explorers only.
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Excerpt from Host
“You’re telling me you don’t know how your kind attract mates?”
Even if the humans couldn’t share thoughts, the red tint creeping back onto this one’s face told him she’d caught the light note of teasing in his question.
“There are so many ways. So many games people play, Ea Nir.” The slight space between her knees made him want to move closer, but he held himself still. “Yes, humans do change our appearance. Externally. There are ways to arrange hair or paint our faces. There are choices made about styles of garments. Which parts of the body those garments reveal. But there’s a world beyond all that. People … display their talents. Display their possessions, to prove they’re capable of acquiring, of providing for a … a mate. For children—offspring. I’m—I’m telling you, I’m not the person to talk to about all this.”
A subtle hum surrounded the woman. Was it his questions? His proximity? Something had her unsettled and near a tipping point, possibly where a flight instinct would take over. Ea Nir’s hearts beat quick triplets to stand in such an aura. If Alyss panicked or bolted, it would all be over. He would chase her. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself. He would catch her and—
Stop.
But a very small part of him could not stop. Some part of Ea Nir had remained dormant until now, but it had come awake. Perhaps at the real prospect of finding a host, or at the heat and low-level prey responses emanating from this woman—either way, there would be no forcing this part of himself back to sleep. And whatever may have been appropriate, rational behavior from a medipract couldn’t entirely overcome the new thing that stirred in Ea Nir.
The end of an arm rose to curl around one of her ankles. He played in riptides, here.
“So you choose which parts of the body to reveal when you want to signal a partner.”
The bob of her head was almost imperceptible. A relay of his suckers wrapped the arm a bit higher.
“And what does it signal when all parts of the body are revealed?”
