by Grace, Viola
She wound her fingers through his tie and pulled him down to her. “There won’t be a hint of your fancy suits left on you.”
Their kiss was slow and hot before Torenne said innocently, “Your dinner is getting cold, and you still need mineral supplements, Tirra.”
She sighed and let his tie go with a slow unwrapping. “Right.”
“Have to keep your strength up.” He chuckled.
She grinned, and they tucked into the dinner.
His father spoke slowly, and he asked, “Tirra, have you known Gorith long? You seem very comfortable with him.”
She did some math and said, “Off and on for about a decade.”
“Fourteen years.” Gorith corrected.
“Oh, right. You verified my activity. Okay, so fourteen years. He and I came into direct contact ten years ago, lost touch three years later, and reconnected a few weeks ago.”
Gorith nodded. “Correct.”
Yet smiled. “What were you doing when you first met?”
She ate some spinach, swallowed. “I was being held prisoner by an international crime family using my activity to further their business while Gorith was undercover. I had been handed over to cover my family’s debts.”
She sipped her wine.
Yet blinked. “You met him there?”
“Yup.”
“So, you have seen him...” The trail off involved some wiggling fingers.
“Oh, yeah. I have seen, felt, touched, been groped by, and been comforted by the...” more wiggling fingers.
His mother whispered, “Aren’t you nervous about it?”
Gorith rolled his eyes and drank from his water glass; he edged his wine toward her.
She chuckled. “Maora, you have not seen what shoots out of my back, so I can’t really throw stones just because he has some useful appendages, as long as they don’t stray where they are not supposed to.”
His mother stared. “You have a physical activation?”
“I have a projection activation and an analytical activation.”
Torenne grinned. “And she can make a recipe for an orgasm while at dim sum. One dumpling and wham!”
Jennela blinked. “How does that work?”
“It is an analysis of body chemistry and hormone levels combined with light foreplay.”
Torenne sighed and leaned back. “It’s heaven.”
Khytten chuckled. “It was extremely satisfying and very long-lasting.”
Halko and Riko looked at each other and then at Gorith accusingly. Riko asked, “You participated in this?”
He took a bite of his steak and grinned. “Tirra taught me how to do it.”
She finished her food. “Analytics. Not just for accounting anymore.”
Maora laughed. “You are kidding, right?”
Gorith grinned and shook his head. “Not kidding. The right blend of chemical components can be used as a digestible aphrodisiac with a nearly instant effect.”
Tirra sat back as her plate was removed. Salmet was looking at her. “What is involved in the foreplay?”
“Just a kiss to start the process. A primer charge, so to speak.”
The prefect looked at her and then beckoned her over. Tirra walked over and listened to the request for what was required. Tirra wrinkled her nose and said, “Kiss me.”
Salmet kissed her, and Tirra smiled as Riko’s eyes went wide. She focused and analyzed where this was going. When Salmet broke the kiss, Tirra realized that she had just been making out with the mother of the groom. “Oh, dear. Anyone have a pen?”
Zyroth, the bride’s brother, got up and handed her a pen and a piece of paper. She verified that the paper was blank, and she wrote out a quick recipe and handed it to the prefect.
“There. That is your recipe today. It might change tomorrow or the day after, but right now, that would have caused a response.”
She turned and walked to Zyroth and handed him the pen. His escort was next to him, grinning. “Hey, Tirra.”
Tirra greeted her and then said to Zyroth, “Thank you for the loan of the pen.”
“Ah, it was a rental. If you are giving kisses, I believe that I would take one in fair payment.”
She glanced to Gorith, he nodded, and she kissed Zyroth, his charcoal skin warm and his white eyes closed slightly as she kissed him. There was no one behind her, so she opened her wings, causing gasps in the room at large.
Zyroth smiled against her lips, and his tongue stroked along hers. She tried to back away, but he kept an arm wrapped around her hips. She gave him a dose of luck and lifted her head. “I believe that is fair compensation.”
He grinned. “I agree.”
She looked at his arm. “You might want to let go of me.”
“No, I don’t want to, but Gorith is going to reach out and grab you, so back to your seat.”
She dismissed her wings and walked back to her seat.
Maora blinked. “So... you are the angel that I have been hearing about.”
She shrugged. “I have no idea what you have or have not heard, ma’am.”
Yet winced.
Maora opened and closed her mouth at the cool answer.
Gorith pinched the bridge of his nose, and he winced. “This isn’t going to go well.”
Tirra patted his arm. “Don’t worry. I am sure you are going to find the woman that you are in love with one day, and you are going to be able to stop pining for her.”
Maora blinked, and she looked upset.
Yet took her hand. “You stepped it in, dearest.”
Tirra asked Gorith, “So, what do you want me to do with the jewellery? It obviously belongs to your family.”
He touched her cheek. “She has got the point. You don’t need to give it up.”
“I want to. This was my first time on an actual date on purpose. My first time at a wedding. My first time meeting my lover’s family.” She exhaled. “And my first time being told to get bent, and the first time I was knocked out and abducted in this form. I really don’t want any memories from tonight.” She chuckled. “An ocean of acceptance... but one drop that wasn’t.”
Khytten got out of her seat next to Salmet, and she came over and sat in Tirra’s lap. They sat with their heads together, not kissing, just holding each other. Khytten sat with her and held her until the wave of sadness had passed.
She kissed Khytten’s cheek. “Thank you. I needed a hug.”
“I know. I could see it. I am going to be an amazing mom.” Khytten grinned. She got up, and Tirra smacked her on the ass. Khytten looked back, “Don’t tease.”
“Payment for the comfort.”
Khytten grinned and returned to her seat across the table.
The dessert course arrived, and Tirra hummed as she dug into her dinner. She found herself being lifted and settled on Gorith’s lap. She had her spoon in her mouth when she looked at him. “This isn’t in keeping with your dignity.” She mumbled it around the spoon.
He grinned. “I keep telling you that you are far more concerned with that than I am.”
She went to her dessert. “Ice cream?”
He smiled. “Chocolate.”
She dug around in her ice cream and got him the chocolate. He opened his mouth, and she fed him, spoon by spoon.
He chuckled, and when she diverted the spoon to herself, he pinched her chin and kissed her. “Mine.”
He swiped the chocolate from her mouth, and she narrowed her eyes. When he raised his head, she said, “Mean.”
He grinned.
The desserts were completed, and she sat with him, his arms around her, and he chatted with Riko while she rested. She had had a very trying day.
When the music started, everyone turned to watch Emmer and Wellia for their first dance. They moved gracefully around the dance floor, her gown swooping and dipping as they moved.
Their first dance song was over, and they invited the wedding party to dance with them. Salat looked terrifying next to the maid of honour, who moved
with him around the floor, but when it was announced that they could dance with their own partners, he let go of her and met Khytten halfway. The dance was markedly different when he was with his kitten.
She leaned on Gorith and sighed. “They are so good together.”
Torenne chuckled. “You should see them without clothing.”
Remembering the statue at the resort, she grinned. “I have.”
Torenne laughed. “Right, I forgot about that.”
The song ended, and they invited everyone to join them on the dance floor, and Gorith got to his feet with her in his arms. “We are up.”
She tried to remember how to dance as he held her in his arms, but she looked at him and focused as their feet moved to the music.
He sighed. “I am sorry for my mother.”
“She was just reinforcing every thought I have had in my head since I walked out of the lake to see you there.”
“I was just looking for management to do my scan of you and register you with the Aksallan government.” He swayed with her. “And then I saw those eyes.”
She chuckled. “And now those eyes are gone.”
“They are still in there; they have just changed colour. Now it is quicksilver glaring at me when you are irritated.”
She grinned. “I like having a safe person to get irritated at. Thank you for that.”
“My pleasure.” He spun her and then thudded her back against him. “And there it is.”
She laughed. “It was Harmik’s toes that enabled this dancing. You should send him a fruit basket.”
“I can do better than that. He’s here.”
“Oh, good. I was afraid that after what happened, he would be dodging me. He is an excellent friend.”
He nodded. “He is. Now, do you think you will ever forgive my mother?”
“If she asks me to forgive her, I might.” She smiled. “She made the point to take me aside and say that stuff. She has to try and take it back. That involves apologizing.”
“You are quite correct. So, who is next on your dance card?”
“One of the triad, I presume. If they don’t snag me, I guess I am yours.” She smiled. “If not, I can go off and seek out the photographer.”
His eyes brightened. “I think I might join you. I really want a picture with you and me and our active displays.”
She laughed. “Then, what are we waiting for?”
They disappeared from the dance floor and found the photographer. He made sure his partner was making the rounds and taking photos of couples and single guests, and then, he gestured for them to follow him back to the roof.
She took Gorith’s hands and held them as they looked into each other’s eyes. The photographer took the first images without their extras, and then, he asked her to unfurl her wings, so she did, and Gorith released his tentacles, and they took a series of couple photos.
The photographer was excited, and when Salat, Khytten, and Torenne arrived, he took triad photos then a group photo with them. Then the ladies, then the ladies playing together, and Tirra and Salat in a pose that the photographer suggested and she agreed to.
She perched on Salat’s shoulder, and he stood scowling while her wings were highlighted against the full moon. She saw the digital image after the shot, and she giggled.
Salat looked at it and laughed then they looked at the other photos and snickered. The wedding had been salvaged with the help of a few friends.
Chapter Twenty-Two
After dancing her three promised dances, Tirra stood aside and had a glass of wine in her hand as she stood in a corner and watched the party.
Maora walked up to her and stood near her for a moment. “I apologize. I am sorry for what I said, what I thought.”
“What did you think?”
“That you were one of those tarts that he has been wasting his money on.”
Tirra smiled. “But... I am. I work for BDC, and I have gone on a date with Gorith with a mask on, just like those two women who were here this evening.”
“But... you know about his...”
“Yes. I have seen him tear a man in half with them. It was not tidy.”
She winced and said, “He doesn’t talk about those days, except to talk about the young woman he was in love with.”
“Only a small part of that woman still exists. A lot of fear and memories that I try and shake. Gorith was acting the part of a bad man, but he didn’t hurt me, even when ordered to. He did make me flinch when I saw him, so that had to be dealt with.”
“You are that young woman? Really?”
“Yes. An active was holding my growth stunted because he liked his women to look like little girls. As soon as I was away from him and got enough food and some light healing, I started to grow. Seven years later.”
Maora asked, “Have you thought about having kids?”
“In the abstract, no. With Gorith, I have thought about it, but it would cost me my job.”
“He can support you, dear.”
“I don’t want to be supported. I have fought hard to stand on my feet. Losing that would be difficult. I have done executive training for Z-Tech and BDC for so long, I don’t know anything else.”
Maora paused. “You are a trainer?”
“Sure. I am an analyst. I research it, make a manual or program, and then teach others.”
“But you are in a lifestyle revolving around sex?”
“Sure. Though, the sex is new for me. Gorith was my first intimate date, and that only happened after a bit of fuss.”
“Wait. What? I have been hearing all about you kissing folks at the wedding all day, of either sex. You obviously aren’t fussy.”
“That is how I use my first activation. That is how I always used it. A kiss for luck. I convey positive probability. So, kissing is what I do. Gorith knows about everybody I have kissed, and he is fine with most of them. Erodo was the only surprise, and that was something I did for the job.” She shrugged. “I told Gorith about it the next time we spoke.”
“So, no secrets between you two.”
“Nope.” She sipped at her wine. “So, where can I send the jewellery? He has told me nothing about your business, and I don’t want to impose. I can purchase items if he wants me to wear something, but I haven’t gotten any presents to date, and I am not comfortable with the idea now.”
“Wait. What do you mean no presents?”
“No family, few friends. I get performance bonuses at work, but I earn those. So, I actually have no one to give me anything, and I am used to that. I have had enough items to adapt to lately. This is one step too far.” She flicked the vambrace.
“But, you can’t return it. It would hurt Gorith’s feelings.”
Tirra smiled. “He will recover from it, I am sure. I have a line of people playing dress-up with me lately. These are just costume pieces I have no use for.”
Maora narrowed her eyes. “What would induce you to keep them?”
“Feathers in the filigree. Right now, they are pretty but very impersonal. The feathers were a surprise, but they are rapidly becoming part of me. I like feathers.”
Maora grinned. “I can fix that here and now. May I?”
* * * *
Gorith stood with his father and smiled. “It seems that Mother finally asked the right question.”
Yet smiled. “You knew she wouldn’t be happy with them?”
“I know she is good at keeping away from other’s possessions. It didn’t look like her, aside from the custom fit, so it wasn’t hers. This is Mother making sure that it is only for Tirra.”
His mother pressed both her hands over Tirra’s arm and focused for a minute. When she was done, she lifted her hands, and Tirra beamed, doing that little nod that said she was saying thank you.
“Are you confident that she will accept your proposal?”
“Absolutely not, but I am willing to do it again and again and again.” He smiled. “She is definitely worth the repetition.”
&nb
sp; “But you know she will choose you?”
“Eventually. We can afford the time. I have only been courting her for just over a week.” As his mother finished the motif on the collar, he could make out the design from thirty feet away. Feathers.
She met his gaze from across the room as his mother knelt to work on the greaves. She smiled. Five minutes later and she was smiling at the design, and she hugged his mother. The surprise in her expression changed to wonder as she realized how soft and smooth Tirra was. His mother’s arms went around her, and a soft smile crossed her lips. Gorith sighed in relief. She got it. His mother was beginning to understand.
“I have not seen that expression on Maora’s face since you were a baby.”
Gorith nodded. “I suspected as much. Tirra is usually incredibly strong, but she has weak points, and they run deep.”
“What are those weak points?”
“They all revolved around letting folks just accept her for her. She gifts the luck because it is what people want and how she buys herself a safe space. The physical affection that she gets is what she considers payment.”
His father blinked. “So, she can actually give luck.”
“With a kiss.”
“Huh. A lucky daughter-in-law with wings.”
“Yes, but don’t call her that to her face until I have managed to gain her agreement. Also, there is the matter of the contract that she is under as an escort.”
“How does that work for you? She seems very popular.”
He chuckled. “She is not after sex. Well, not with others. She can always find something to satisfy the clients without intercourse.” He snorted. “She can satisfy me with a hug or a smile.”
“I noticed that you feel more confident around her.”
Gorith looked at his father. “How can you tell?”
“You haven’t had your tendrils out at a social gathering in years unless there was a brawl.”
“There is something about having the affection of a good woman that makes me look at myself a little differently. She has seen me at my worst, and because of her, I am trying to be my best.”
“How long do you think you can keep that up?” Yet looked at him soberly.
He smiled slowly as he watched Tirra laugh and giggle with his mother. Less than three hours from enemies to friends. “The rest of our lives. I have already been waiting seven years. What are eight decades more?”