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what would be expected of me, but somehow, I never thought that sex would actually happen.”
    He snorted and led her through the gardens to a narrow track that had been created along the periphery of the property.
    “Didn’t you engage in recreational sex where you were?”
    She wrinkled her nose. “Not as often as it was offered. The feeling of connection wasn’t there, so there wasn’t any point of seeking out someone for an orgasm that I could manage on my own.”
    He nodded. “It makes a certain sense. The effort of connection sometimes dulls the experience.”
    “Exactly.” She smiled.
    “So, if you had time to get used to someone, the effort would have been accomplished and you would be able to relax with your partner.”
    Blinking, she considered that. “Right.”
    “So, all the small gestures that I make, the touches, the kisses. They are all to assure you that I am not going anywhere and that I will be here when you want me.”
    “Once I am assured, what will the kisses be for?”
    He winked at her. “To make sure that you want me.”
    She laughed. “And so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
    “Or circular logic.”
    “Lovely.” She shook her head. “What is this?”
    “It is a running track. Alveck said your cardio needs work.”
    “I am glad he was so thorough. Why didn’t he tell me?”
    “Medical reports go to the Familiar so we can act on them. Since you just cycled, you have a few weeks to work on increasing your fitness.”
    “Can I start now?”
    “Certainly.”
    Mila stepped away from him and looked at the track. She may as well start with a light jog and see if she could keep her meal down. She felt good, but it was up to a bit of jostling to determine if that was the case.
    She started at an easy jog, increasing her speed until she was comfortable with the pace. The pace that she was moving at was impressive by her standards, but her standards were not that high.
    The shoes that were built into her leggings did a pretty good job of cushioning her feet.
    As she ran, her hands tingled, and she had the urge to try and climb the slick wall. She balled her hands into fists, but the urge to climb was still there. She watched the wall for any signs of handholds, but there wasn’t anything.
    After an hour or so of running around the compound, she slowed and headed for the house. On the wide stone patio, Hrakin was standing near a number of rocks in a knee-high pile.
    “What are those for?”
    He held out wide strips of fabric. “Hold out your hands.”
    She extended her left hand, and he wrapped it carefully, allowing her fingers free movement. He took the other strip and wrapped it around her right hand.
    “Now, pick up the rocks and follow whatever your reflexes want to do.”
    “What do you think is going to happen?”
    “I think you are going to shatter those stones.” He smiled.
    She reached down and picked up two similarly shaped stones.
    The moment she settled them in her palms, her hands contracted and the rocks shattered.
    “What the hell?”
    Hrakin checked her hands and then nodded. “Do it again.”
    She crushed another two stones and another and another. A growing pile of gravel was accumulating around her feet.
    When she held the stones and her body didn’t urge her to crush them, she sighed with relief. “I think I am done.”
    He checked her hands again and unwrapped them. They were red and a little sensitive but not damaged.
    Her time in the tank had renewed her skin so all of her callouses and scars were a thing of the past. Her hands were soft for the first time she could remember, and this was precisely the time she didn’t want them to be.
    “So, that is what the strangler thing is about, huh?”
    He nodded. “Abnormal strength exhibited in the extremities. There have even been some records of a warrior using his feet for that purpose.”
    Mila look down and wiggled her toes. She could pick up pens with them, so perhaps she could do a little more.