by Grace, Viola
Tirra grumbled. “I am not an angel.” She ignored the possessive pronoun.
Torenne touched her cheek. “Yeah, you are.”
Harmik grinned. “The group has spoken. I believe you have been adopted, Tirra. You have already described me as being like your uncle.”
Torenne laughed. “That makes me the creepy aunt.”
Salat chuckled. “In that case, it makes me your cousin, and Khytten is your cousin’s mate.”
Khytten gave a happy and sleepy wave. “And occasional fuck buddy.”
Gorith murmured, “The occasions being when Salat is home.”
Salat leaned over to Khytten and kissed her. “That’s nineteen. Twenty-one if I count cursing in front of the littles.”
“I look forward to it. Now, run off and do what you do best.”
Salat sighed and got to his feet, kissed his mate one more time until her thighs slid together and she held him close, and then he left. She whispered, “If I have to go rescue your ass again, you are a dead man.”
She smiled and looked at their guests. “He says that you are to stay as long as you can to keep me out of trouble. And if you do go, hurry back.”
She nodded to Gorith. “So, are you coming to his brother’s wedding?”
He nodded. “My family has answered the invitation on my behalf, so I guess I am going.”
Torenne chuckled. “My family is going as well. It’s going to be quite the party.”
Tirra listened to them talk about Salat’s brother’s engagement as she walked around the patio. She felt strange. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it wasn’t something she had experienced before. She had a flash of normal if normal involved actives who could shoot a target without looking, use healing to pull someone’s bones out of their body, and Harmik’s force fields. When it came to Gorith, it was like a mean kid from school had turned into the hot guy she had seen in a restaurant or run into at work, which she had.
She found herself wandering past Tigel and the babies, and she paused to kiss each of the little ones on the forehead.
Tigel grinned, and she leaned in and gave him a kiss as well. He blinked in surprise. He chuckled. “Only my mom kisses me on my forehead.”
She smiled. “Would you like me to retract it? I have never reversed someone’s luck before, but I think I could manage it.”
Tigel laughed. “I will keep it. Thank you.”
She stroked the babies’ chubby cheeks. “They are so cute. They are going to be very fortunate when they grow up. With parents like Khytten and Salat, they are definitely going to be well-educated and fairly athletic.”
“And rich enough to defend their dreams and the ones they love. It helps.”
Tirra blinked. “Khytten is wealthy?”
“She gains funds from the dead-or-alive bounties on those she kills. That and the funds that she makes from remaining with Salat are going to make all of her offspring very wealthy.”
“Wait. She is still charging Salat?” The words came out louder than intended.
Khytten called out. “Yup. His insistence. That way, he gets to tell me what to do.”
Tirra smiled and wandered close to the gathering, taking a seat near Torenne. Gorith beckoned to her, and she smiled brightly and shook her head. “I am fine here, Gorith. So, all of your families know each other?”
Harmik nodded. “Yes. The families with the highest percentage of actives tend to congregate at events at the training schools, at the support groups and events held to help the families through the difficulty of having an active born amongst them. The team recruitments, the agent recruitments. Here, families do it all. I have a niece and a nephew that were in the same training units as Gorith and Salat.”
Khytten chuckled. “Once an Aksallan family gets a hold of you, they are part of you. Like being wrapped in a vine.”
Torenne kissed the back of Khytten’s hand. “She would know; she is stuck with two.”
“Strangling vines. Torenne’s mother has a schedule for after the triplets are born until Torenne’s eggs get pressed into service and I surrogate for her child.” Khytten sighed. “Salat is still apologizing for his error in judgment there.”
Tirra blinked. “What?”
Torenne chuckled. “Salat waited until she was blissed out and then asked her to get her body to ovulate a few extra eggs. She did, and now, she is three months along with triplets. Tigel is also an obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies.”
“I guess no one can get past the razorblade teeth.” Tirra nodded. “I can see where it might be disconcerting.”
Khytten chuckled. “Tigel thinks it is because he is blue and green and stripey.”
“Naw. That wouldn’t faze me a bit.” Tirra smiled, “But then I have seen most of the patron files. There is some seriously freaky stuff in there. Well, Khytten knows.”
Khytten laughed bright and loud. The babies squealed, and little fists shot into the air near Tigel. Apparently, if mommy was happy, the babies were happy.
The coms lit up in unison, and everyone was in on the call. Tirra looked at the display with Zera and Krizt. His horns barely fit on the screen.
“So, Miss Argent, it seems that you have suffered a massive mineral depletion. Are you sure your activation is complete? You seem to be suffering from delayed development.”
“I really hope that it’s complete, but I don’t feel like my body is building toward something anymore. Whatever it is has arrived.”
Gorith grinned, and his voice came through the com and from across the table. “She has a probability and a solid energy manifestation. The manifestation is stable, and her probability projection is under control. Her issues are strictly in her body recovering from the delayed development.”
She looked down and checked her top. Her boobs were a little small, but she had a thinner body type. She depended on expensive bras for cleavage. Delayed development could suck it.
Torenne chuckled and stroked Tirra’s cheek with her free hand. “He didn’t mean your cleavage. You are built like an amazon. Lithe and fit for battle.”
“Torenne, stop hitting on Tirra. It is distracting, and I don’t want to punch a lady.”
Torenne snorted. “Bring it, Kraken.”
Harmik cleared his throat. “As she is currently on a date with me, both of you can stow it.”
Zera chuckled. “Right, well, Dr. Krizt is willing to do a treatment on you and try to get some strength back into your bones.”
Dr. Krizt nodded. “We will do an assessment on what you need, and the following day you will start treatment. It will take a day to arrange the equipment, but I would like to see you here as soon as possible. Can you come today?”
Tirra bit her lip. “I will have to get my assistant to take over, but yeah. I can come today.”
Krizt cleared his throat. “Is there any possibility that you are pregnant?”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
The researcher sighed in relief. “Oh, good. That would complicate things.”
Khytten chuckled. “Tell me about it.”
Zera asked, “Did you want me to arrange transport?”
Gorith spoke up. “I can bring her back with me.”
Khytten grinned. “I will fly them back and be back here before the next feeding. I am assuming that your facility has a landing area on the roof?”
Krizt nodded. “It does. I can send you clearance.”
Khytten nodded. “Thank you. I will take care of my duties here and then deliver Tirra to the facility. Tirra, contact me when you are ready to come home.”
Tirra didn’t contradict her. The resort was a job, not a home.
They made arrangements to hand her over like a courier delivery, and Gorith looked like he just swallowed a thunderstorm.
Zera grinned. “I will come by to visit during your treatment.”
The call was concluded, and Torenne leaned over to touch Tirra. “You are slightly better but still not great.”
; “How not great?”
Torenne stroked her cheek. “If you were my patient, I wouldn’t let you out of bed.”
“Uh, this is probably just that attraction effect that was mentioned earlier. It should wear off when I am out of your sight.”
“I get the same thing from you that I get from Khytten.”
Tirra looked at her in confusion. “What’s that?”
“Acceptance. It is a heady thing.” Torenne held out her hand, and Tirra took it. “It is something that has been in short supply in my life until recently.”
Tirra leaned over and kissed her. “Mine, too. The scarring really hampered my social life.”
Torenne chuckled. “So, one thing at a time. You have finished your activation, and now, you just have to repair the damage that it did. I have had folks turn to liquid before I could get to them. You could have shattered into pieces if you had completed your activation without assistance. But, you got lucky and ended up here.”
“Yeah, I have particular twists of luck. They get me into the strangest situations.”
Khytten went to get the twins, and she fed them with one tucked under each arm on a supporting pillow.
Harmik took Tirra’s hand and urged her to walk with him. When they were away from the group, he said, “I just want to apologize again for the injury.”
“If it wasn’t you, it might have been Gorith. Or, hell, even Khytten. She has quite a grip. I was going to snap regardless. Unfortunately, you were holding me when I snapped. I am sorry that I beat you with my wings.”
He blinked. “Huh. I forgot about that. You broke my grip. Nothing breaks my grip.”
She smiled. “You keep a barrier between yourself and the world. It protects you physically, but no matter how thin it is, no one can properly touch you. You may want to go looking for another escort. I am pretty sure I know of at least two on the roster that could chip through that armour of yours. One of them, literally.”
“Really?” He scoffed lightly.
“Yes, really. Ask for Sixteen or Twenty-two. Take them out, have a nice time, and then if you like them, book them for sex. Both of them can take a lot of force if necessary. They can definitely withstand your strength.”
Harmik paused. “Really?”
“Really. I know you have enjoyed our little experiments, but you deserve to be happy, and a lot of happiness can be found in fully naked contact.”
He sighed. “I had hoped that you would be that person.”
“Physically, I am not a match. Socially, yes, but your body is not a match for mine. Hell, I don’t know how Gorith hasn’t snapped me in half.”
“He takes tremendous care with you.” He sighed. “Given your history, it is surprising that you let him that close.”
“I know. I don’t quite understand it myself, but we have always been bound together by... something.” She chuckled. “Maybe it is the same thing that causes energy wings to sprout out of my back and tentacles out of his. A frequency thing.”
Harmik nodded. “That sounds like a possibility. It would explain why you haven’t even thought of looking for a romantic partner. You haven’t been pining or wistful or anything. Just a cheerful young woman who knows she’s alone.”
“Yeah. That part did suck quite a bit.”
There was a sharp whistle from the patio, and a glance back showed that Khytten was changed and in a bodysuit. Apparently, the time to leave was now.
“Well, Harmik, that is my ride.” She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Still friends?”
He nodded. “Always. And you have a dance partner when needed. I will take Gorith back to the resort and see him on his way.”
“Make sure you don’t just strap him to the roof of the vehicle.”
They walked back to the patio, and Khytten took her hand. “Come on, angel. Let’s fly.”
Harmik chuckled. “I can’t believe you are a pilot.”
Torenne smiled. “Completely checked out on just about every vehicle you can imagine. Our little kitten is amazing.”
Khytten blew her a kiss and then linked arms with Tirra. “You are in safe hands, Tirra.”
Gorith stepped out to block them. He looked to Tirra and eased her away from Khytten. “You will contact me when you are finished treatment?”
Tirra nodded. “If I can. They might turn me into a water-breather at some point or give me gills. Who knows what the treatment entails?”
He framed her face with his hands and kissed her slowly until she was rising up on her toes to meet him. His tongue slowly slid along hers, and she felt the fluttering in her back that wanted to sprout the wings. She jerked back in surprise. “Are you calling it?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, but I am guessing that whatever is in me recognizes whatever is in you and vice versa. We will know when you are healed exactly what your full activation looks like.”
She nodded. “Right. When that happens.”
He cocked his head. “You don’t think you will achieve normality... for you.”
Tirra shrugged. “It hasn’t happened so far, so I can’t really guess that it ever will.”
He stroked her hair. “It is going to happen. You are lucky that way. It all happens when it is time. I can wait.”
Tirra nodded. “I am going to be out of commission for a while, so feel free to date any of your regulars to take the edge off. You haven’t exactly been getting any relief over the last couple of days.”
He smiled. “Watching you is enjoyment enough.”
She shivered. “That is... I have to go.”
“I look forward to your change in status, my angel.” He kissed her again.
Change in... ooh.
He kissed her carefully as if she was made of glass. When she sighed softly against his lips, he smiled and slowly backed away. “I had better stop before Khytten stuns me.”
Khytten’s voice was stern. “You were ten seconds away.”
Tigel took the sated babies into the house, Harmik headed for the drive, and Gorith kissed her hands in turn before joining her date.
Khytten linked arms with her again and led her past the vehicle parking and to the small aircraft that was waiting. “Wow. That is something. Is it yours?”
“Yes, it was a gift from Torenne.”
“That is... wow. Quite a gift.” She chuckled. “I got chocolate.”
Khytten grinned and did her pre-flight checks. “I work with a niche market. I am hella expensive. Plus, Torenne hadn’t been laid in ages. Okay, strap in.”
Tirra got into her standing seat and put the harness on. This was going to hurt.
Khytten checked her harness and kissed Tirra softly. “The flight will be less than an hour. I will have a canister ready to heal what I can when we land, and I am going to take very good care of you. Ready?”
Tirra blinked. “Ready.”
Khytten got into the pilot’s seat, and the engine revved, and they took off. It was as smooth as a still lake. There were no large movements, and the pressure that Tirra was dreading didn’t come.
Khytten chuckled. “This is going better than expected. We have gotten clearances and will be dropping you off in forty minutes. So, what do you think of Gorith?”
“He’s patient and persistent.”
“What about his size? Doesn’t that freak you out?”
“No. Why would it? It’s just what Gorith is.”
Khytten chuckled. “I see. Yeah, the activations are changing us in very basic ways, and he is one of those. You are another. I wouldn’t doubt if you ended up with hollow but flexible bones. It would fit the wings.”
She hadn’t thought of that. “That would fit the rest of the adaptation. I am going to have to lay in coloured contacts and lipstick. Just to hide a bit of the marks of activation.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t look like this last week, and folks are going to comment. It is going to freak out the staff at the resort for sure.”
Khytten blinked. “R
ight. That could totally be a thing. I didn’t interact with a lot of people. I just kind of came in, did my thing, and left.”
“The resort is pretty good about running itself, but some of the patrons need a little more privacy than others. And some need the gear we have in the bungalows.”
“What kind of gear?”
“Sex swings, whips, chains, spanking benches, the works.”
Khytten chuckled. “I need to persuade Salat to do a date night there.”
Tirra smiled. “You would be welcome, of course.”
Khytten asked, “When are you going to tell Gorith that you can’t contact him by contract?”
“Um, I am not. I can’t contact him to tell him, and if I had told him that before we left, we wouldn’t have left.”
“Ah. I know that feeling. That is the same reason I have to take you in and go straight home. If Torenne realizes that I am going to be alone for the flight home, I am going to start... and Salat has started bitching me out in my ear.” She chuckled.
“You have an internal com?”
“Yeah, the big dark perv had it installed after my first kidnapping. He had a feeling he was going to need it.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, he has. He also uses it to let me know if I curse or say anything inappropriate.”
“Oh. So he listens for that?”
“Um, yes. That is how the spanking thing took off, and unfortunately, I enjoy it far more than a sensible person would.” She laughed.
“Are you happy?”
Khytten covered one ear and glanced back at Tirra. She quickly pressed one finger to her lips and returned her palm to her ear. She started laughing.
“So, he’s both growling and counting in my ear right now. Yeah, I am happy. I have the little ones at home for now while we go through the foster-to-adopt portion of the documentation, I have three little ones started, and I passed my entrance exams for college. His family and Torenne’s have embraced me with astonishing enthusiasm, and I even have friends now just for the sake of being friends. Pretty fucking happy.”
She grinned.
Tirra smiled. “Got another smack for that one?”
“Yup. But he has to come home in one piece to deliver them. One large piece with all my favourite bits attached.” She was smiling as they cruised through airspace toward the capitol.