by Viola Grace
He departed, and Arcady knotted her fingers in her lap.
Krizt said, “Come closer, Arcady.”
She looked at him, and his fangs were showing more than was normal for him. “I dunno...”
He leaned to one side and hauled her against him.
She whispered, “You were supposed to say I don’t bite.”
“But I do. You have seen me do it. You know I do it. It gets your blood hot when I do it.” He murmured it against her ear, and her body took in his heat, the rush of air against her ear, the pounding of her heart, and the sudden ache between her thighs. He wrapped an arm around her, and his fingers were under her breast.
She suddenly diverted. “Do you just have brothers or some sisters?”
“We are two sets of twins. Two brothers. Two sisters.” He sighed. “Our sisters are married to another set of twins in Hyreno.”
“Oh. Water breathers.”
“Correct. Yven and Yvell are researchers for the energy program in Hyreno. They got into studying power when they were young and met their husbands at a symposium for hydro-thermal containment.”
“And Hyreno has a one hundred percent active population policy. So, they actually dismiss children who don’t develop an activation.”
“Incorrect. They transport the teens to a creche on land and give them the best education possible. Even the ones who develop a non-aquatic activation have to leave. It is too dangerous.”
She paused. “Wait. That is some of your research. You are looking into body mods that will allow water breathing for those not born to it as a contained alteration.”
He chuckled, and his hand moved to her waist. “Correct. I am trying to figure out where I would put gills on you if you were amenable.”
“I barely know how to swim.”
“I will show you the project, and you can judge again.”
Klauz came back and raised his brows at their proximity. “That was fast. I guess he is tired of holding back. Here, Arcady. This will give you enough strength to get through the rest of what I have planned.”
“Wait. What do you mean holding back?”
Klauz grinned. “His emotions regarding you are... tense... to say the least. We are lightly linked, but I can tell that much.”
“Zip it, Klauz,” Krizt murmured. “I am beginning to regret bringing her here.”
“Aw, come on, Krizt. I am just having fun with you.”
Krizt looked at him seriously. “Since when was fun part of my repertoire?”
Arcady cleared her throat. “I don’t know. You have your moments. What is this?”
“Strawberry-orange sorbet. You are a little vitamin deficient.” He winked and left them.
She glanced at Krizt and said, “Thank goodness, I thought he was going to watch me eat.”
Krizt silently pointed to his right eye. It had changed colour. She sighed and broke the quenelle in half and then covered her mouth as she fought brain freeze. Krizt turned her head, and to her shock, he kissed her, the warmth of his tongue pressing against the roof of her mouth. The pain went away.
She pressed her hand to his shoulder, and he withdrew and sat back. Her body was humming in surprise and interest. She blushed as she looked away. He had a really long and strong tongue.
She took a much smaller second spoonful and sighed. She murmured, “Thanks for the rescue. I hate brain freeze.”
He chuckled. “I know. It hit you once at work, and you were irritated for hours.”
She blinked and thought back. “That was in my first week when Stonaric brought in slushies.”
“Correct.”
“Ah. So you have been paying attention for a while.”
“Well, I don’t have your talent for anticipation, so I have to make do with direct observation.” He sighed. “Once I knew how much you disliked it, I researched the sensation, and warming the roof of your mouth was the fastest remedy.”
She finished the small item, and she did feel a little brighter after it. Her body took it in quickly. The waitress came by with a smile for Krizt and a confused look at Arcady. She asked Krizt, “Will you want your usual, Doctor?”
Arcady clued in rapidly. “Yes, he will.”
The waitress blinked. “I will get her.”
Krizt sighed. “You don’t need to watch me eat.”
“Yeah, I kinda do if I eventually want to be under your teeth.” She leaned up against him, her elbow on his shoulder and her breasts against his chest. She kissed him and nipped him lightly with her extended canines. “Because you will be under mine.”
He shuddered and turned his head as a middle-aged woman arrived, and Arcady recognized her. “Hey, Molly. Is this your regular gig?”
Molly smiled. “Yeah, when the doc needs it, I do takeout.”
Krizt moved to the edge of the table nearest Molly, and she extended her arm to him. He bit down carefully and drank. Arcady watched his neck flex as he swallowed, and she slid her thighs together slightly while he drank. Three minutes later, he had what he needed, lifted his head, and Molly nodded as her body closed the wounds.
Arcady waited for him to return to her, and when he did, she startled him by straddling his lap and pressing him into the back of the booth. She kissed him, and he was surprised, but when she started rocking against him as the kiss went on, he slid a hand under her skirt and pressed his fingers against the wet surface of her panties. She gasped silently and shook as his digits slipped inside the lace and moved rapidly over her clit, occasionally dipping inside her.
She tried to move off him before she came, but he wrapped an arm around her hips and held her against him. Her moan turned into a squeak while his tongue dueled with hers. He withdrew just in time to avoid the snap of her teeth. Her groan was stifled against his jacket, and her channel gripped his fingers tight.
The person clearing their throat behind them was a distraction from her pleasurable daze.
She didn’t look, but Krizt did.
“Doctor, the chef says while he really appreciated the sentiment, don’t do that again while he is handling a knife.”
She blushed and murmured, “Does he watch all the time?”
“I believe it is a bit of revenge for some past exploits.” He chuckled. “I have done the same to him and been surprised by the results.”
He pulled his fingers out from under her skirt, and he sucked the digits slowly. She blushed. Other patrons had done the same, and it always heated her face. She tried to remove herself from his lap, but he kept his arm around her hips. “Um, I am sorry for the impulse that brought me here, but your brother is about to come around that corner.”
“He’s cum in many places but rarely around corners.” Krizt chuckled.
Klauz arrived with her next course, and he looked at her ruefully. “You seemed like such a nice girl. Jumping on him like that with no warning. One would think you had some kind of sexual interest in my brother.”
She tried to get down from Krizt, but he held her fast. She settled for turning her torso toward Klauz. “Yes, one would think. Well, you were right. I certainly felt better after the quenelle.”
He explained the next course, which was some microgreens and risotto.
She poked Krizt in the shoulder. “If you will insist, either hold the plate or turn so I can use a fork.”
He sighed, lifted her, and turned her around so that she was facing the table. “Better?”
“It is disturbing how easy that is for you.”
Klauz blinked and nodded. “Just keep any interactions out of my eyeline.”
Krizt looked at him. “You could just try not to pry. I don’t want to lock you out, but I will.”
“Oh. It’s like that.”
“It is.”
She mumbled around a mouthful of risotto. “It might be. This is really nice.”
Klauz blinked and laughed. “Thank you. Your next course is underway.”
She held a hand in front of her mouth. “How many are there?”
&nb
sp; “As many as you need.”
She blinked and swallowed as he left. “Yikes.”
Krizt leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, “Why, yikes?”
“You have seen me in action when I had food that I liked in front of me, and this food is really good.”
“He will keep the portions small. He likes people to hang around.”
“So, why are the actives in the booths and the humans in the centre of the room?”
“Ah, that was one of Klauz’s brainstorms. The actives here all have a physical manifestation, and the humans pay exorbitant prices to eat dinner and look at them.”
“How exorbitant are we talking? I haven’t worked in a few weeks.”
“You have been on sick leave with pay. Don’t worry about it.” He pressed a kiss to her temple.
She turned to him. “You are very affectionate.”
“We are not at work, and I have you on my lap. I am feeling very affectionate.” His hand moved slowly up to her left breast.
She squeaked. “That is not all you are feeling.”
He was right-handed. She knew that he was good with his hands; it just felt weird to have his dexterity used on her.
“My brother is an excellent chef. It would be a shame to mess with his planned menu.”
She turned around and stared at him. “Don’t you give me that serious face. You are having fun.”
His lips quirked. “How can you tell?”
She felt something. “Wait, is that your tail?”
He covered his mouth with one hand to stifle his grin. “If I say no, are you going to make a run for it?”
She looked at him, looked down, and then she bolted. She got three steps before a blue cable caught her around the waist and pulled her back against him. She touched the cable, and it was warm and smooth. The heat was distracting.
“Um, just looking for the ladies’ room.”
He muttered against her ear, “You have been in a tank for days. There is nothing in your system to process.”
“Uh, I am pretty sure that my tissues managed to absorb a lot of fluid. It has to go somewhere.” Speaking frankly with him was the only way to get through to him. “Where the hell did that thing come from, by the way?”
“I can show you later.”
It loosened and slithered off her.
“If you like, the restrooms are to the left along the wall.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Consider yourself on break and be back in less than ten minutes.” He was stern. “You are still recovering, and I don’t want you out of my sight.”
Arcady made a face at him and flounced off to the restroom. If it was her only option, she was going to take it.
She headed into the restroom and found a private cubicle. She attended to the necessary, and after she washed her hands, she sat on the couch and made a call.
Her brother’s face came up, and he looked surprised. “Hello?”
She blinked and then remembered her change in pigmentation. “Hiya, Thomas. Just wanted to let you know that I am still alive and doing fine, more or less.”
“Arcady? Where are you, sis?”
“I am still under observation to make sure that my recovery isn’t deceptive. I don’t want to push things until I know that I am not going to keel over.” Her smile faltered. “You don’t look happy to see me.”
“Oh, of course, I am. There was just such a fuss when you were attacked. I haven’t considered what would happen when you resumed your daily life.”
She paused. “You aren’t happy to see me.”
“No, Arky, it isn’t that. The doctors just said that you were dying. I contacted the contractor and started some renovations here when the lawyer told me you had made me your sole heir.”
Arcady paused. “Oh. The money. You are after the insurance money, and now that I am alive, you can’t have it. Right. I will call you when I have figured out what to do with it.”
She had a suspicion and checked her accounts. “You cleaned out my bank. You asshole.”
“We needed the money, Arky. You know that.”
“I have been working my ass off to get you that money. You just waited until I was out, and you took it. Nice. Did you even bother to send me flowers while I was in my coma?”
The shamed expression on his features was all the answer she needed. “Right. I am going to talk to my bank and explain that as they had no death certificate and my company insurance covered my stay in hospital, you willfully engaged in fraud and theft.”
His eyes went wide. “Now, Arky, be reasonable.”
She shut him down and disconnected the call. She was fuming. She got up and paced, then contacted her bank. After five minutes, she managed to get them to put a freeze on her accounts until she could get a peacekeeper writ to confirm that she was Arcady. The change in appearance was going to be a pain in the ass.
Chapter Six
It should have surprised her that Krizt was waiting outside the ladies’ room, but the hug was a genuine shock. “I am sorry that you found out that way.”
She blinked. “You knew?”
“Your bank pressed for us to issue a death certificate. We refused, as you were very much alive, but the news covered the brutality of the scene, and it was easy for him to pretend to be too grief-stricken to manage the paperwork. Someone helpful gave him everything.”
“He was always good at convincing people he needed money.” She was numb. She could get more money, but she was going to have to change all of her identifying numbers, or he would steal her money over and over. She was going to need a different bank.
“Zera has put a hold on your payroll. As soon as you open a new account, the transfer will go through. HR is just waiting for your account information. Z-Tech did not commiserate with him, nor did the BDC, but that money was already in your account.”
She sighed and wished she could cry, but the dry fury was all she had. She breathed in deep and changed her focus. She focused on what he wanted. It would stop her from wanting to wreck the shelter and everything her brother had created on her back.
Krizt held her until she had a grip on herself. She patted his chest, and he leaned back, looking down at her. “You don’t want to cry?”
She shook her head. “Not in public. He has done stuff like this before, just never so thoroughly.”
“Come on, Arcady. We can make arrangements in between courses.”
Arcady nodded. “Yes. That would be nice.”
They returned to the table that overlooked the city, and she had never felt smaller. Krizt contacted Zera, and they discussed what was going to be done. Zera paused and made another call. “Corianne, can you set up a bio-locked account over the com?”
Corianne looked familiar, and Arcady recognized her from the walk into the restaurant. She was in one of the booths.
They went through what was necessary, and Corianne got the framework going; her hot pink skin and crimson hair were unmistakable. The icy white eyes just completed the look.
“Right. Now, I need to taste Arcady to complete the account. I will be back at the office in an hour.”
Arcady leaned in and said, “If I just walk across the restaurant, would that work as well?”
Corianne smiled. “You are here?”
“I—we are.”
Krizt said, “The private booth.”
“I will be there in a moment.”
Corianne appeared in under a minute, and she whistled at the view of the city. “Nice. I have never eaten with this view.”
Krizt nodded. “Speaking of, you need to taste Arcady?”
“Sure, do you want it to be blood or saliva? Either will work.”
She wanted Krizt to be the first bite, so she said, “Saliva?”
Corianne leaned toward her and kissed her, delving deep far more rapidly than Arcady would have considered appropriate. Arcady whimpered as the other woman held her head and continued the kiss until Arcady kissed her back. She had t
o focus, and when she cupped Corianne’s face with her hands, the kiss was over, and she knew she had just met one of her patrons.
Corianne smiled. “Your hair is different, but you taste the same.”
Krizt asked, “You two know each other?”
Arcady bit her lip, and the white eyes narrowed. “Do we?”
“Researcher Krizt, if you don’t want to be bothered taking care of her, I am more than willing to put her up for a few days, weeks, months, years.”
Arcady blushed and dropped her gaze. “I believe that my accommodations have been arranged, Patron.”
Krizt nodded. “They have indeed. She has also not been medically cleared for a return to work at BDC as yet.”
“Pity. I like the new look, and were your eyes always that colour?”
She shook her head slowly. “No, they were not.”
Corianne leaned in and stroked her cheek. “So pretty.” She kissed her slowly. “Here is to a speedy return to duty. Your accounts are set up, and the confirmation lock is in place. I have registered you.”
Arcady smiled. “So, I have access to my paycheque again?”
Corianne nodded. “Of course, you do. Just give me five minutes for final authorizations, and you will be good to go.”
Klauz came around with the next course and saw Corianne leaning toward Arcady. “Don’t you have one of those escorts at your beck and call? Go bug her.”
Corianne purred, “I am bugging her, but she is not yet cleared for a return to her previous activities. So, I will wait, and now, I know where to find you, Arcady.”
Arcady looked at her and shook her head. “Don’t be creepy, Corianne. Now I know who you are as well, and your position is bound by far more regulations and strictures than mine is. Plus, I am capable of giving you the bitchy girlfriend experience.” She smiled.
“Ah. Point taken. Thank you for the short, sharp shock.” Corianne nodded but squeezed her hand as she winked. “I await news of your return to action.”
“Um. Thank you.” She smiled with her cheeks pink.
“Anyway, your new accounts will be up and running, and it is a one-way setup. No one can withdraw without providing all of your biologicals, though your com and register can make all the charges you like.”