by Viola Grace
“I used to think that was normal until I engaged in research. Then, I did some research on it, and now, I have been able to use it for medical study.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Yeah, have your shower, and I will meet you in the kitchen to make you breakfast.”
Arcady stared at him as he sat and stretched. “You cook?”
“Klauz and I learned together. He made a career out of cooking, and I went to chemistry and biology.”
“He’s really good at it.” She found her robe again and slipped it over her shoulders but left it open.
She tossed him the soft and silky wrap that he had been wearing. He held it and followed her. He paused as they walked past his room. “Did you want to use my shower?”
She shook her head. “I am good with the guestroom. See you in twenty.”
He chuckled and let her get away.
She got the call she had been waiting for while she was lathering up her hair. “Audio only. Accept.”
“Morning, Arcady.”
“Morning, Thomas.” She rinsed her hair and leaned back under the spray.
“Arcady, it’s the end of the month.”
She thought about that. “Is it?”
“Yeah, and the shelter needs money for rent.”
“You stole thirty thousand dollars in the last few weeks, Thomas. You even got a bank officer to commit a felony on your behalf.”
“I...”
“Yeah. My boss has reported it. I have gotten a new account, and you can’t charm your way into the pants of this particular officer.” She rinsed her hair again and applied some conditioner with a purple tint.
“The shelter needs that money.”
“The shelter needs a managing officer who isn’t taking all the money and running with it. Don’t worry. I am ordering an audit. You are managing a private shelter with public funding, so expect to be gone over thoroughly.”
“You... you can’t do that. You are my sister! I am the only one who stood by you.”
“Yeah, I know. I just couldn’t stop making money and letting you take it, could I? Do you want a tip for the local races?”
“Yes. Please. The last one. I promise.”
“Oh... wait. I lost my precog abilities when I was hit on the skull and my brain started bleeding out of my ears. All I had was my savings. You took it and pissed it away. Congratulations, Thomas. You found the last straw. The tipping point or the camel’s back. Take your pick. You did it. The shelter will no longer help you launder money, and I am coming after you for what you stole. I have to start over again after a traumatic head injury. I am fucking done with you.”
He gasped. “You didn’t say anything about that when we spoke before.”
“I was in front of my god-damned boss! The precog thing isn’t in my file, and if you out me, I am going to let Mom and Dad know about your own activity. Wouldn’t that be fun? To have them know that their precious boy is a faulty calculator and a convincer? It never comes out right, does it?”
She rinsed out the conditioner and left the shower.
“Where are you? I need to talk to you.”
“No fucking way. I have things to do today, and listening to you whine for pity in front of an audience isn’t one of them.” She smiled. “I would not try it, by the way. If you start whining, I will not put myself between you and the truth anymore. I will ask you questions you can’t imagine and turn the queries on you. I am done, Thomas. You dug yourself into the fucking hole... get yourself out of it.”
He said, “But, Arky!”
“My name is Arcady. I only have one name. Use all of it.” She towelled her hair and disconnected the call.
She wrapped herself in a towel and went to find clothing suitable for shopping in high-end stores and talking to peacekeepers. She snorted and decided to use a version of her work clothes.
* * * *
Krizt snorted as he listened to the call through his security system. Precog. That explained so very much about her.
He notified the peacekeepers that the brother needed the audit and received an acknowledgement from the lead of the investigation from that night.
He finished his paperwork and walked into the kitchen to work on breakfast when she came in, her hair in a thick braid down her back and tied with a strand of her hair.
Krizt looked at her. “Why are you dressed for the lab?”
She looked down. “Because I am going in for makeup, and wearing jeans and sneakers doesn’t get you out of the store as fast as looking like you have money and a job.” Arcady shrugged. “Same with the peacekeepers.”
“Why is makeup important?” He cocked his head. He genuinely thought that she looked gorgeous.
“It gives social cues and acts as a mask for daily wear. I can hide a blush, a rough night, or a nip to the lip with the right products.” She laughed at him, and she must have seen what was going on in his mind. “Corianne is a biter. My mouth is the part of me exposed to the patrons.” She shrugged. “When I am dressed.”
He sighed and shook his head. “It will be interesting to see how I react when you are back on the books at BDC.”
“Oh, because of the other patrons.”
He nodded. “Yes. Because of them.” The monster that lurked under his skin wanted to keep her in the apartment.
She laughed. “When I was with them, I thought of you at least once every five minutes.”
“Even the ladies?”
“Even the ladies.” She walked up to him, pressed herself against him, and the jolt of energy that he felt at the pressure took the air out of his lungs.
He narrowed his eyes. “Any particular reason?”
“You have very graceful hands.”
He snorted and laughed. Graceful was not something that sprang to mind when he thought of himself. He thought of himself as competent, but when Arcady was around, he was aroused and unfocused. If she hadn’t been helping him, he wouldn’t get anything done. She was cause and cure all in one.
* * * *
She smiled and backed away from him when he hadn’t taken the bait. He got that way. His brain was on something else.
“I am going to go find my coffee cup. Oh, wait. I can’t.”
He nodded to the sink. “The bots retrieved it. It’s there.”
She looked, and the cup was sparkling clean next to the sink. “Okay, where is my coffee stuff hiding?”
He guided her to the tea cupboard, where her coffee was sitting next to his tea.
“Aw, they look so cute together.”
He snorted. “Your filter is here, and we can pick up a proper pour-over kettle for you when we are out.”
She took down her accessories and prepped the drip filter with coffee, setting the ground coffee back up on the shelf.
She set the drip filter over the coffee cup and turned on the hot water, lifting the grounds to get them wet before the drip filled up, and she turned off the water. Her focus was on the slowly sinking level of grounds, and she ignored whatever he was doing in favour of watching her cup of coffee being born.
“Why do you like coffee so much?”
She smiled. “After I went through the program, it was determined that my activity was only good for what I am using it for. Assisting people. So, I studied and got office certifications, learned how to work with data and troubleshoot most minor computer stuff.”
She completed her coffee and went looking for cream and sugar.
Krizt got them out for her and asked, “Do you have family other than Thomas?”
She nodded. “Yeah, they are members of Humans First. Or they were. Thomas was the one that stuck with me after I was sent for training.”
“To drain money from you.”
She wrinkled her nose and turned to watch him as he assembled omelettes for them.
“Well, yah. I didn’t mind for a while, but then, it was obvious that it wasn’t blood that kept him near me. It was money. Actives make a lot of money in the right occupat
ions.”
“I am aware.” He chuckled.
“Well, I took lab-procedure courses and did some part-time work at the hospitals in the area. Drew blood. Spun samples.”
“But that isn’t what brought in the funds he needed.”
She gave him a piercing look. “So, your whole place is rigged with surveillance?”
“Pretty much.”
“I don’t use the precog thing much. My daily activities are just using a trickle of it, so I know what is needed for those around me.” She looked at him warily. Precognition involved biological trackers and government oversight. She didn’t want to be watched, and she didn’t want to be stuck in an office writing down predictions for the rest of her life.
“How far can you see?”
“Do you have to report it?”
“No. You are an active who has had biological alteration. You are no longer a reliable source for any forecasts.” He smiled and slid one of the omelettes onto a plate. “And of course, with your brain damage, there is no predicting how things will take shape.”
“Okay, so you are definitely watching or, at least, listening. Yeah, I wanted to hammer him with it and make him think that the well had dried up. I had been keeping him afloat with tips to the race track for a few... well, over a decade.”
“So, he steals your money and then coaxes you into committing a felony?”
“Oh. Right. Precog laws.” She slurped at her coffee. “I had forgotten about those.”
“Do you think he would turn you in?”
“Only if he didn’t want all the criminal consortiums on his doorstep wanting his kneecaps.” She chuckled. “His life wouldn’t be worth much at that point, and he does value his own life and safety over everything.”
He carried two plates over to a dining table, and she clicked over in her heels. He held her chair out for her, and when she sat, she laughed. “You really did take cooking classes.”
There was a small starburst of chives dotted over the yellow fluffy mass.
He had set the table at some point. She lifted her fork. “May I?”
“It isn’t modern art. Eat. We have places to go before I haul you back here and attempt to have my way with you again.” He grinned, and the light gleamed off his silver horns.
“Attempt?”
“I was too rushed and could have injured you. I nearly did.” He smiled. “The last thing I want is the boss calling off the scheduled activities.”
She blushed. “Why are you calling me that?”
“I thought it would be cute to let you know when I am feeling like having you take advantage of me.”
She gave him a look before she ate the most heavenly omelette she had ever had served to her by a usually grumpy biological research scientist with horns. It ranked pretty high on her list of favourite foods, actually.
She mumbled. “Well, as long as I have your authorization to take advantage of you, I shall use my powers carefully so as not to reduce your productivity.”
He smiled slowly. “You think you can manage that?”
She shrugged. “I am very good at scheduling your time.”
He laughed, and they finished breakfast. They had a lot of things to do before she could test her ability to manage his time.
Chapter Ten
Krizt drove them to the address that Corianne had given her. The staff at the boutique smiled eagerly at her when they saw Krizt, and their smiles faltered when she said, “He’s just my ride.”
The associate who had spoken to her first smiled, and it didn’t look forced. “So, miss, what can I help you find today?”
“Well, my colouration recently changed, and a friend mentioned that you had products that would suit me. So, here I am.”
“Ah. I can definitely help with that. May I have the name of your friend?”
“Corianne.”
The room fell completely silent. The other three staff members went pale and flushed at the same time.
“Oh, you must be Arcady. Come this way. She gave us a general description, but she didn’t get your eye colour right.”
Arcady smiled. “She has very little interest in my eyes.”
Krizt walked up to her and kissed her on her cheek. “Call me when you are finished with your cosmetic rampage.”
She turned and reached for him, but he was gone, and the ladies had her in their clutches. The makeover was about to commence.
The ladies had dozens of questions about her association with Corianne, but Arcady kept the answers all very general. They had met through friends. Corianne knew she was not exclusive. All the questions revolved around Corianne’s knowledge about Krizt.
“I was having lunch with Krizt yesterday when Corianne came by, and we all chatted.”
That seemed to be what they were waiting for. They turned their minds and tiny brushes toward finding colours that suited her new pigment, and Arcady was no longer worried about their choices.
She was completely unsurprised when Corianne entered the boutique wearing a suit that cost more than Arcady made in half a year at both jobs.
Arcady smiled and held out her hand. Corianne took her hand and kissed it, bringing it to her lips and turning it to kiss her palm.
“You look very bright and cheerful today, with a slight lack of sleep. He’s that good?” Corianne raised her bright brows.
“What he lacks in skills he makes up for in stamina. But he isn’t lacking in either.”
Corianne moved in close, and she inhaled and then froze. “He’s a biter?”
Arcady blushed as Corianne’s teeth were very visible at that moment. “He is.”
“You don’t mind it?”
“I don’t.”
“Why isn’t it on your file?” Her murmur was against Arcady’s ear.
“New practice. Didn’t have a record of it before. It will be going in the update,” she murmured.
There was a happy squeal that came from Corianne. She nuzzled at Arcady’s neck, and her teeth grazed the skin, and the casual touch on her breasts let Corianne know how much she liked the touch of sharp, hungry teeth.
She whispered, “Corianne.”
Her patron turned to her and lifted her head, her gaze red and eager.
“Not here. Not now, and not with an audience.” She kept her tone stern.
The staff of the boutique sighed with disappointment.
Corianne smiled. “They haven’t gotten to the lipstick yet.”
Before Arcady could decipher that cryptic statement, Corianne kissed her, going from a press of lips to a deep taste. Arcady touched her face softly as they continued kissing, and soon, Corianne sighed and lifted her head. “You taste amazing, Arcady.” She smiled. “With a hint of coffee.”
“I drink it by the truckload, so I don’t doubt it.”
“So, if I bite you, I might be up all night.” She smiled slyly.
“Good lord. You’ll wear me out.”
Corianne chuckled and pressed her forehead to Arcady’s. “I look forward to the opportunity to try. Hurry up and recover. Call me if you need anything at all.”
They kissed softly, and then, Corianne left after stating that Arcady was to have whatever she wanted.
The staff looked after Corianne worshipfully, and the makeup artist turned back to Arcady. The brush strokes were light and impactful, leaving precise amounts of pigment on her cheeks and eyes. Her lips were coloured with a stain, and her skin tone had been matched with a custom mix of powders.
The mirror showed that her eyes looked huge and her lips looked slightly flushed. They had captured the look of started arousal. “Well done, ladies. You included the eye colour for the evening look as well?”
They nodded. “So, you are really familiar with Corianne?” One of the other staff members asked.
“I am fairly familiar with her. What would you like to know?”
“What kind of treats does she like? We try to have some on hand for our special clients?”
Arcady nodded.
“Dark chocolate with raspberry powder and chilies from Argos Chocolatier. She likes expensive things.” She blushed at a memory. “Serve it to her on a small piece of black lace. It will... remind her of something.”
Holding the floral arrangement above her head, her body was covered by flower petals and chocolate. Corianne looked at her and bent her head to take the small morsels of chocolate between her lips and flicked them with her tongue over the course of two hours. The chocolate had melted, and so had Arcady by the time she was done.
She shivered. “That is my advice.”
Her artist smiled. “A shared event?”
“A planned event. She is very innovative.” Arcady got the box inside the tissue inside the bag and bowed slightly to the women. “Thank you for your assistance. You are sending that photo to Corianne?”
The artist grinned and nodded. “Just as she ordered.”
Corianne was going to have to hide that image from Zera’s online bots. She would have to be quick. Even the images from the night of the attack didn’t show her face. The escorts’ faces were removed from digital servers around the world the moment they started showing up. The only exception appeared to be the drawn artwork that Salat was creating as he doted on his kitten, and now the angel was rising in Aksalla.
Arcady exited the boutique with her bag, and Krizt walked up to her and offered his arm.
“Arcady, you look stunning and a bit aroused.”
She chuckled. “Thank you, and that is what a bit of precise colour can do for a lady.”
He pressed a kiss to her neck and paused. “Corianne was here.”
“Yes. The boutique alerted her, and she came to check up on me and make out with me a little.”
He snorted and touched her lips. “She kissed you here?”
“Yeah, she did.”
He kissed her lightly.
“And here?” He caressed her neck.
“We are drifting from public greeting into foreplay, Krizt.”