by Grace, Viola
Tirra nodded. “So, is Tigel going to get help?”
“Of course. We are going to be running a three-to-one childcare situation. So, by the time your little person arrives, the second nanny will already be here.”
“Uh-huh. I think this needs to be a roundtable discussion. Torenne needs to weigh in, too; she’s going to be hearing a lot of crying.”
Torenne chuckled. “I am good with everything. I have a place down the road for seeing my patients and another near the capitol for when I get a call there. If things get too tense for me, I can just go patch up some criminals or team members. I can also do house calls.”
Khytten smiled. “I can fly her in and out.”
“Oh. Right. Your aircraft.” Tirra ran her hand down Khytten’s body and put her hand over the belly. Nearly five months along, Tirra felt a strange fluttering under her palm. She kept her face calm.
Khytten’s eyes went wide. “Tirra, they moved! Did you feel it?”
She nodded slowly. “I did.”
Torenne sat straight and looked at them. “No way. Can I feel?”
The other hand pressed against the belly, and there was nothing. Torenne’s expression fell. “They aren’t moving.”
Tirra lifted her hand and touched Torenne’s chin, luring her in for a kiss. She gave Torenne luck, and based on her delighted expression, she was picking up on the small flutters.
Khytten grinned.
They were in a weird giggling triad when Salat came out, and he walked over to kiss Khytten. “They are moving?”
Khytten nodded. “It is like I have an aquarium in there.”
Torenne moved back, and Salat’s hand covered Khytten’s entire bump. He paused and frowned.
Khytten smiled. “Kiss Tirra.”
He raised his brows, his shaggy hair loose now that the wedding was over, and he looked to her. “Tirra?”
She touched his face and led him in while his hand rested over the belly. At the lightest touch of luck, he jerked back and stared down. “I can feel them!”
Tirra wanted to step away from such an intimate moment, but Khytten was still on her lap, and with Salat crouching there, there was nowhere to go.
She watched the couple as they smiled at each other and kissed slowly. There was no option; they were inches away.
When Salat lifted his partner off Tirra, she sighed and smiled as they walked away.
Torenne chuckled and asked, “How are you doing, physically?”
“Fine. A little dizzy now and then as my body slowly rewires itself.” She nodded. “Well, I had better get going.”
Torenne hugged her. “Stay for a bit. It looks like you need a hug.”
She laughed. “For the first time in my life, physical contact is never in short supply for long. How are you doing?”
Torenne grinned. “I am living with my two best friends, and I get all the physical and emotional affection I can handle, so things are pretty damned good. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could be here as well to help Khytten with her studies?”
Tirra tightened her grip. “That is sneaky. You know I like helping her with her studies.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“It is going to have to be a group discussion. I don’t want Salat to think we are trying to crowd him, and I have no idea what Gorith would say. We are just getting used to each other ourselves.”
“Sure, I leave you for a few hours, and I find you in the arms of a hot doctor.” Gorith’s voice came from behind her.
She tried to let go of Torenne, but her grip was like iron. “Hello, Gorith. Are you here for the family chat?”
“I am. Salat got me dismissed for the day. It was just paperwork today anyway.”
She relaxed into Torenne’s embrace and was a little surprised when Torenne kissed her. The kiss was gentle and sweet and just what she needed.
She had begun to move along with the healer’s touches when Gorith’s tentacles pulled them apart, and he turned her to him, sitting and pulling her into his lap to continue the slow chaste kiss.
They were still slowly kissing when Salat and Khytten returned, and the light laughter reached Tirra’s ears. She smiled slightly and continued to kiss Gorith. It was nice to just have a moment without stress or sex or soothing. Just a simple kiss.
Salat and Khytten sat together with Torenne sitting next to them, and they waited until Tirra and Gorith had what they needed.
Gorith nodded. “If Tirra has no objections, I wouldn’t mind having a room somewhere on your property. She’s usually in the office or the resort, so we wouldn’t be on top of you.”
Khytten smiled at Tirra. “There is a mental image I am hanging onto.”
Tirra snorted. “Flirt.”
Gorith nodded. “What’s the price?”
“Tirra helps me with my studies and provides luck to help get me to term with the babies.”
Gorith blinked, and Tirra nodded. “Of course. We don’t need to negotiate for that, but I can do that by visiting you twice a week.”
Khytten smiled. “But it will be so much nicer if you can be here in case I need you.”
She nodded. “Will it give you peace of mind?”
“It will. And Tigel is willing to start looking for a nanny as the children get older. He will deal with the infants, and as they age out of his care, he will keep an eye on them.”
Tigel was bringing the twins over, and Khytten opened her dress. Salat pulled her onto his lap, he put his hands out, and he held the babies, one in each hand as they snuffled, latched on, and started to grab some lunch.
Khytten laughed. “I have him practicing. If he is here, he is taking part.”
Salat smiled. “I rather enjoy being part of this.”
Tirra asked, “What are they getting today?”
“Strong immune systems, good lungs, strong hearts, and fast reflexes.”
Tirra blinked. “Oh, that is going to bite you in the ass.”
“What?”
“Toddlers with fast reflexes are going to require a faster nanny. Just keep that in mind.”
Tigel’s eyes widened, and he nodded. “There is a point. I know three speedsters who are available. One of them is actually good with kids.”
Khytten grinned. “I knew your analytics would come in handy. So, Gorith, what are you assigned to for now?”
“I am interviewing agents and team members to try and figure out if they have any secondary active manifestations.”
Salat nodded. “There are some surprising secondaries that folks don’t even know they have.”
“Oh, like my accuracy?” Khytten smiled.
“And your strength. The lactation is just so show-stopping that everything else faded by comparison.”
Tirra shrugged and fluffed her wings out. “I don’t know anything about secondaries. Must be a rare thing.”
They all chucked and started to talk about the moving situation, the allowed number and clearance requirement of guests, and if they needed a home of their own, a folly of a castle nature could be built on the grounds nearest the resort.
Tirra asked, “A castle?”
Khytten shrugged. “It might be fun to let the guests use it for certain fantasies, kinda like a theme hotel but for bondage and chasing the play. It can also be used for parties. We can just set it on the resort side of the boundaries. Don’t you have a stoneworker?”
“Yeah, we do, but for a project like that, we would need to get all kinds of permissions to get her here, as well as suspend the death sentence she is carrying.”
Khytten turned to Salat. “You had better get your mother doing the paperwork.”
He grinned. “Some of my sisters can take on that role first. Don’t use the rocket launcher when a pistol could do.”
Tirra blinked. “So, you are going to try and build a castle using an active? You are going to need a survey of the area, photographs, and, of course, some architectural drawings.” She started ticking things off. “If they send her, she will have an observ
er to keep track of her for long-range assignments. I would need to arrange quarters for them that didn’t interfere with the patrons and escorts.”
She started analyzing the levels of detail she would need to get into. “If all designs can be acquired in the next six weeks and the permissions from Uradda can be acquired, she can begin in six months at the earliest. If we can get some of our own heavy lifters to help get the stone in place, we can speed up the build and reduce the stress on the sculptor.”
Khytten grinned. “So, if we can get permission, you are in?”
Tirra nodded. “I am in. I will get the design team to create the architectural drawing, and I just need to know where the site is and how large it should be. How many rooms, estimated guests, size of the kitchen, restrooms, then structural integrity of the playrooms with—mmff.”
Gorith covered her mouth and said, “We get it. Write it down, angel. Just because you can keep all the information in your head doesn’t mean everyone else can.”
She grinned and licked his palm. His eyes got heavy-lidded, and she spelled his name with the tip of her tongue. When he lifted his hand, he smiled. “The h is tricky, huh?”
“It is crossing the t that causes the issue. The G is the most fun.” She grinned.
Salat nodded. “So, you are in?”
She nodded. “I am in. One of the escorts is an architect. She can definitely manage this.”
Torenne smiled. “I will create a costume wardrobe for it.”
They chuckled and spent the rest of the afternoon with Tigel watching one baby and Tirra holding the other while personnel requirements were gone through, transport had to be arranged, and food supplies calculated. Salat and Khytten would be taking the castle for a test drive as they would have their extended family by then.
Tirra looked down at Ciro and idly wondered if she was going to have a boy or a girl. She glanced at Torenne or possibly both.
Her conversations with Zera had shown that she had more friends than she thought. She had a small framework of support that went beyond Gorith and his family.
Salat lifted his head from chatting with Khytten, “Oh, Tirra, I saw the ad for the jewellery store today. You look amazing. Why did you use the escort mask?”
She shrugged. “I thought if it was the only thing I was wearing that it wouldn’t be too bad a thing. You do know that the whole thing was underwritten by the BDC, right?”
Salat chuckled. “I guessed as much. Were you body painted?”
“Yeah. Pale gold. For contrast.”
“Good camera work. It was like you were almost going to be naked, and then, we were looking at something innocuous. Still hot, though.”
She blushed, and Gorith kissed her neck. Khytten pulled it up on her display and projected it. It was disconcerting to see herself slowly rotating, wearing nothing but a mask, body paint, and half a million dollars in jewellery. The wings covered just enough to be intriguing. At the end, she clipped on a long strip of fabric that covered her breasts and fell straight to her ankles, and then, she flew skyward. The drones that had tracked her watched her fly toward the sun.
Khytten stared. “Wow. I thought the pictures from the wedding were hot. That was stunning.”
“I think I am going to regret that, but Yet and Maora were so happy with the result.”
Salat watched it again. “Is that a belly chain?”
“Yup. Flat links.”
Torenne brought up the ad and exhaled. “Excuse me, I have to go jerk off now.”
Khytten raised her hand, but Torenne was already on her way out.
Tirra asked, “Why did she leave?”
Gorith murmured, “Because I am here. Torenne requires a level of trust that is difficult to achieve with casual contact.”
“Oh. Got it. So, maybe with time, I can give her a hand.”
Khytten grinned. “I think she would love that. If you need to practice, Salat could volunteer.”
Gorith and Salat both jolted, and Tirra snickered. “Pimping out your partner isn’t socially acceptable.”
“Oh, right. I think they could benefit from escort practice. What was the point of all those exercises?”
“Oh, increase empathy and decrease inhibitions.” Tirra smiled.
Khytten cuddled up against Salat. “It worked.”
They were all smiling when Torenne returned, and Tirra got up and hugged her. Torenne kissed her, groaned, and turned around and went back the way she had come.
Tirra looked over there. “Oh, dear. I guess we had better go.”
Gorith grinned. “Or Torenne will never be able to see the preview of the next ad.”
Tirra groaned. “I am wearing more.”
Salat, “Clothing?”
“Chains and body paint.”
“Yeah, best you go, or we will never see her again.”
Tirra went and kissed Khytten and Salat goodbye, walked inside and found Torenne with a bit of luck. “We are heading out now. Just didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”
She walked up and kissed Torenne, sliding a hand up her skirt and slowly stroking her erection until it bucked in her fingers. Torenne hissed and groaned. “Why did you do that?”
“Because you needed it.”
“I didn’t think you were my type.”
“Khytten is a direct comparison that is hard to match, but I think we are complementary.”
Torenne sighed. “Where have you two been all my life?”
“Well, I was hiding in bureaucracy, and Khytten was just trying to get along.” She hugged the healer. “Sometimes, you just have to keep your eyes open and take what comes.”
Torenne chuckled. “Thanks for coming in to say goodbye.”
“I am just lucky that I found you. This is one big house.”
Gorith was waiting outside the room, and he put his arm around her waist to lead her out to their vehicles. “I will meet you at the resort.”
“See you at home, love you.”
He snagged her with his tentacles and pulled her to him with a thud. “You what?”
“Um, love you? I thought it would be obvious. I mean, I didn’t punch you the first, second, or third time you slid a tentacle up my ass. That is either love of serious personal restraint.”
He looked at her in shock. “When did you know?”
“Seven years ago, when you peeled that guy in the main hall while I was escaping. When you tore the other guy in two, I knew.”
“I didn’t scare you?” His voice was thick.
“Terrified me but not the way you think. I knew that if I went to you at that moment, I would hand myself over, body and soul. That was terrifying. So, I went out and became myself. I knew where you were. Well, since you registered at BDC. I kept an eye on you, made sure that your dates went smoothly, and did all the weird perverse caretaking that I could for you.”
“Why?”
“Love. You could have hurt me, they were urging you to hurt me, but you didn’t. Over and over again, you gave me that damned dry orgasm until I started getting wet when I saw you. That made it worse. When I saw you again, it was like getting punched in the gut, and you didn’t know who I was. There was relief and disappointment all at once.”
“As soon as I saw your eyes, I knew who you were; I just wasn’t expecting to see you in this body.” He smiled. “I want you no matter what skin you are in. I love you, too, Tirra.”
She grinned. “Good. I would hate to be having a baby with someone who only wanted me for my wings.”
“The wings are hot, but it’s your fascination for my ties that keeps me enthralled. That was an enjoyable discovery. I also love that quirky grin when you are planning something naughty. There it is.”
She grabbed his tie. “Get in your car. Meet you in twenty.”
“What, not going to race me?”
“Not with cargo onboard. Safe drive, plenty of leisurely viewing at the countryside.” She grinned.
He whispered in her ear as to why she should hur
ry. Her knees collapsed as she took in part of his plan for that evening to celebrate their plan and their verbal devotion.
She stepped back, her wings came out, and she said, “I will let them know I will pick my car up tomorrow.”
She flew off, and Gorith decided the same, his tentacles propelled him up, and he galloped through the woods toward the resort.
* * * *
Salat smiled as their guests departed. “Now, if they lived here, he could be inside her by now.”
Khytten chuckled. “There is a time for everything. Now is not that time. So, Dad, what do you think about the little guppies?”
“I think they will be lucky to have you as a mother.”
Khytten looked at the figure of Tirra fading in the distance. “They will be lucky, but I think it is going to take a village. Good thing, we have a solid setup.”
“You are correct, kitten. By the way, Emmer and Wellia are pregnant. My mom is nearly passing out for bliss.”
Khytten laughed. “I guess it was a lucky wedding night after all.”
He laughed, and they went inside to plan some manoeuvres. Precision was everything, and as the triplets showed, both parents had skills with accuracy.
Author’s Note
In the next book, we are heading back to the capitol.
I am enjoying this series. It will run its course in a few more instalments, but writing actual novels has been entertaining for me.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
About the Author
Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/ paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.
An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.
In real life, she is now engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.