by Viola Grace
She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t realize his tea was so concentrated.”
He chuckled. “He has always had trouble sleeping, but now, the tea is more habit than anything else. You tire him right out.”
She turned bright pink.
He held her chair for her and smiled at Corianne. “Be right back.”
They got to watch the whirlwind in the kitchen as he made up a batch of fruit salad that Arcady was able to start on, a stack of pancakes took shape, and then more fruit cascading over. A carafe of coffee and one of water were set in front of her. Corianne stole some strawberries but didn’t eat anything.
Arcady mumbled around a mouthful of berries. “You’re not hungry?”
“No, I never am after I have had you. I don’t need to eat for hours and hours. It is refreshing and lets me concentrate on my work.” She smiled. “It is very satisfying. You are very satisfying.”
Arcady blushed and kept eating.
She was still a little peckish when she finished the last bite on her plate, and the plate was whisked away, and a smokie dog was set on her plate. Klauz grinned. “You have eclectic taste, but this is a tip for the staff.”
She blinked, looked at the sausage in the bun, and then the mostly male waitstaff. “Oh. Got it.”
Corianne was chuckling until Arcady took the first careful bite. Her mouth opened. “Right. Well, that is...”
She glanced at the waitstaff and kitchen staff, who watched Arcady deep throat the sausage and only leave the last half inch before she withdrew it and took a bite. There was a low groan and laughter. Arcady smiled, and Klauz inclined his head.
Corianne blinked. “Why a smokie?”
“The first is she needs protein with her breakfast, and she didn’t feel like eggs today; the other is that we took a vote, and it was this or an ice cream cone, and she didn’t need ice cream this morning.”
Arcady finished nipping and licking her smokie, and she wiped her hands off on the napkin. She looked at Klauz. “Do you need me to deep throat an aubergine or anything?”
His eyes were wide. “No, but there is some fresh corn coming in later.” He grinned and winked.
“Good. I always gag a little, and I didn’t want to waste breakfast. Thank you. Put it on Krizt’s tab?”
He bowed. “Of course, or he could take it off mine.”
“However you arrange it, thanks. Some days I can barely manage to eat toaster waffles. This helps.”
“Well, you feeding my brother has been a relief. He isn’t gaunt, drawn, or nearly as irritable. His temper has faded to nothing. It is a refreshing change.”
Corianne chuckled. “It isn’t the feeding; it is touching.”
“I think it is having a person who is at his side by day and night.”
Arcady smiled. “Except today because I am pulling a sickie. Wait. I didn’t check, but were you watching me play with the smokie, or was it both of you?”
Klauz smiled. “If you ask him tonight, watch his eyes. It might surprise you; it might not.”
Corianne snorted. “No surprises here. He was watching. His groan echoed through the link.”
“Well, that is going to make his meeting with the lab working on the enhanced slugs rather awkward. I think that was a lovely start to the day. Thank you.”
Klauz hugged her and said, “You are the closest thing to a sister-in-law that I am going to get. I need to take care of you.”
Corianne chuckled. “What about me?”
“You are more like a brother-in-law or Krizt’s buddy. I haven’t run into many quads, so I am unsure of the situation.”
“It will be worse if we go quint.”
Klauz smiled. “You are collecting another?”
“Not on purpose, but as a stopgap measure. She has a need.”
Corianne perked up. “Is it who I think it is?”
“Probably.”
Corianne looked so very happy. She was getting a strong playmate as well.
“I am going to issue the invitation; whether she takes us up on it or not is up to her.”
They thanked Klauz again and headed out for a walk and to shop.
Corianne smiled. “Where did you want to go today?”
“The mall. I want to buy some jewellery and then something small and stupid. Like fudge.”
“Why the jewellery?”
She smiled. “If I can find the right length of earrings, they will brush against my neck or shoulders all day, against the healing bites. That will speed up my engine if you catch my drift.”
“Let’s go.”
They laughed and headed for the mall, arm in arm.
Chapter Twenty
With a half-dozen bags on her arms, she smiled as she saw a familiar face. “Fi—Vallu! Hey!”
Vallu was with a young girl, and she smiled brightly if a little nervously. “Hey, Arcady. How are you doing?”
The girl looked like a soft echo of Vallu with some different aspects.
“Good. How is retirement treating you?”
“Excellent. This is my niece, Lii. Lii, this is Arcady. She is someone that used to work where I worked.”
The little girl with the small bag nodded. “Pleased to meet you. This was your night job, right, Aunty?”
Vallu smiled and took a deep breath. “Yes.”
Arcady smiled, and Vallu stepped forward and hugged her. “I miss this. The contact was really nice.”
Arcady blinked at what she felt. “I can imagine. How long has it been since you retired?”
“Oh, four months or so.”
“Well, you are looking well. Glowing.”
“You are still working at Z-Tech? I saw you in the news. The attack was horrible.”
Arcady shuddered. “Yeah, you could say that. It was not my favourite day, but the recovery was awkward, and there had to be some measures taken to reinforce me after the break.”
“So, Dr. Krizt to the rescue?”
Arcady blinked before she realized that Vallu just meant the medical stuff. “Oh, yeah. He did a great job on me. I am back to normal. You may be seeing me around in ads and stuff. I have also volunteered to be a biotech model. I am getting some wings in a few weeks.”
Corianne wandered up from her visit to the ladies’ room.
Vallu nodded. “Well, keep in touch, and I am going to go and undo the dental visit that Lii just had before I give her back to my brother and she goes back to school.”
Arcady squeezed her hand, and the two left. Corianne stopped next to her. “You are flirting when I am not around?”
“No, dearest. I flirt when you are around. No, that was an old friend from BDC. She was number Five.”
The woman and child had disappeared into the crowd. Corianne turned to look. “Five? I had heard she looked nearly completely human.”
“Most of the time. I think she will definitely be looking different in the future.”
They linked arms again and returned to their shopping. Corianne asked, “Why is that?”
“She’s pregnant, and I think that was her last act with the BDC. So, now I just wonder if she retired or was fired.”
“Now I am intrigued. Wait. I am getting a message from Tycho to meet us at Krizt’s. He and Ryma had a bad day.”
Arcady’s caretaking instincts kicked into being, and she nodded. “Home it is, then.”
Corianne got details of what Ryma’s situation was and what her preferences were. A quick rifle through her wardrobe, gentle curling of her hair, and Corianne had done the job that the BDC machines normally did.
When the ship arrived and hovered over the roof, Tycho landed heavily, and Ryma was tossed down to him. She was shaking in his grasp, and he carried her into the building. Krizt had given him all the codes.
He carried his teammate into the living room, where Corianne and Arcady were waiting. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Arcady. He swallowed.
“I am not an empress, but I think the princess outfit is rather sweet.” Nearly transpar
ent silks flirted with the eye, her hair was long and soft, and everything about her was precisely designed to make folks want to touch and caress.
Ryma opened her eyes. “Holy fuck.”
Arcady gracefully knelt and lifted her head before tilting it to one side and then exposing the back of her neck. There was a thud and a scramble from Tycho’s grip, and Ryma was suddenly snuffling at her neck, armpits, belly, and groin.
Ryma was in heat.
Arcady gasped and moaned as Ryma started to lick at her. Corianne approached as well. “May I help?”
Ryma looked at her, blinked as if it was helping to clear her vision, and then nodded with a smile. “Yes, Cori. Show me how she likes it.”
Tycho sat back, but there was a dark tension in his expression. Arcady looked at him and nodded slightly. He smiled. He would wait.
Three hours, two changes of location, and an emergency pizza delivery when Arcady was getting dizzy, and Ryma was finally asleep and cuddling Corianne.
Arcady eased away from them and went to find Tycho asleep in one of the huge, deep chairs. She touched his thigh lightly, and he opened his arms to her, cuddling her close. His nose wrinkled, and he looked down at her. “Holy shit! Did she do that?”
She didn’t need to look to see her exposed skin covered in bites. “They both did, but Ryma is relaxed, the sex toys are all out of charge, and my skin is healing. So... win-win?”
“Does it hurt?”
“I ache all over. I feel like I was run over by a cartoon marsupial with very big teeth.”
“I am sorry, but the last time she was like this, we had to lock her up for a week. I thought you might help her work through it.”
She sighed. “Oh, I fucking did. At least she and Corianne are equally matched. They are all cute and wrapped around each other.”
“And who is taking care of you?” Tycho stroked her hair, pulling out a piece of pepperoni. “What the hell?”
“Oh, that’s mine.” She snatched it and shoved it in her mouth.
He looked at her, bemused. “I was going to kiss you, but now...”
She chuckled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I know, my urge for snack food knows no bounds. It’s a sickness rivalled only by my coffee addiction.”
He snickered and lifted her head with his fingers. “Well, maybe I can look past your choice eating habits.”
She smiled and kissed him. First, it was lips, then it was hands, and then she was rocking on him and over him slowly, carefully. She gave him what he needed and got what she needed in return.
It was so strange for Tycho to treat her like fragile glass. She cried against his neck when it was over.
He murmured, “That bad?”
She laughed. “That good. It is hard to be ravaged and protected at the same time. You managed it. Consider the tears as applause.”
“Then, I will take the applause and hope you are up for an encore.” He pressed his lips to her temple.
She laughed and sighed contentedly. “Bad day?”
“The worst. We arrived just in time to avenge rather than protect, and it takes a toll.”
She stroked his neck and chest. “I am sorry you have to see that, do that.”
“It’s the job. All the team members accept it.”
“That’s fine. It doesn’t mean that you forget it happens.” She touched him. “I respect the stress and emotion. I want to be here when you need to deal with it.”
“Well, you are moving to Aksalla.”
She sighed. “Apparently. My life here has taken a strange turn. I have nothing left but work, and work is moving with me.”
“What else would you have?”
She shrugged. “This is a strange conversation to have when we are like this.”
He shifted his hips against her. “Like this? I am perfectly comfortable.”
She squirmed a little and rocked against him. He gripped her hips. “Now, what else do you want in life?”
“Friends? A hobby that isn’t this.”
He chuckled. “This is a hobby?”
“Well...”
“A calling perhaps?”
Arcady sighed. “Doesn’t that give it more dignity than it has?”
He paused. “Do you think that being with us lacks dignity, bunny?”
She looked at him. “Do you think it has any? I surrender, I play, and I am a toy that will be forgotten.”
He frowned. “You just took a sudden dip in mood and temperature. Are you all right?”
She frowned. “I am fine.” She pushed away from him, off him.
He caught her wrist and looked at her. “Pupil’s dilated. Pulse is sluggish. How many times did Ryma bite you?”
The world was getting fuzzy. “Fifteen, sixteen. I lost count. It burned and felt funny.”
She drooped, and his arms came around her.
She heard him shouting from a thousand miles away. “Zera. Anti-venin. Now. Eight times a fatal dose. I can’t take her to hospital. She won’t make it. Can you get it here fast?”
She heard a female’s voice murmuring.
“Right. I will slow her down.”
He took her to the tub, and she flinched as cool water began to creep up. She didn’t like it. She fought the hands that held her in the water, and she started cussing him out.
“Arcady, you have been poisoned. I don’t think Ryma did it on purpose, but she bit you hard enough to trigger venom discharge.”
She mumbled, “She told me that she was going to sting me until Corianne could taste her through me. So, she bit me a lot.”
He cursed. “Filter feeding? Fuck. She knows better.”
She was shaking, and her eyes caught flickers of the room around her. Suddenly, there was a growl, and the room was blue. She smiled. “Hey, sweetie. You look mad.”
The low growl as he held her made her relax. “Hey, baby. What are you doing home so early?”
He lifted her from the cold water, and he murmured, “Sorry.”
She wanted to ask him why, but he bit down on her neck, and his tongue swirled against her skin.
She gritted her teeth as he drank, and soon, he pressed his forearm to her lips. She groaned and then caught on. She bit him, and the circuit was complete.
She didn’t know how long they were locked like that, but it felt like days one moment and seconds the next.
Her head cleared suddenly, and she lifted her head.
Krizt was still beasted out. “More.”
She bit his forearm again and drank through her needle-sharp teeth.
When he finally lifted his head, he licked the wounds, and she felt them healing. She continued to drink, and then, finally, she had had more than enough.
He held her close. “That was not the way I wanted to see you when I got home.”
Corianne was standing in the large bathroom and twisting nervously. When Arcady looked at her, she ran up and hugged her. “Oh, bunny. I never thought that would happen.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t know Ryma was venomous. She isn’t my patron, so I can’t access her files.”
“She said she was cleared for you.” Corianne frowned. “She said you were on her escort list.”
“No. I took her on because you and Tycho have ties to her. I don’t know what she does or how she does it, but she is not coming near me again.” Her voice was hoarse.
Tycho came in, and he slumped with relief at her position with Krizt. “Oh, thank the stars. Ryma is being questioned by Zera and Torun as to what the actual fuck she thought she was doing.”
Krizt growled low, and it wasn’t a comforting noise.
Corianne came toward her and knelt in front of her. “I had no idea she would do that to you. She said she had complete control with her venom.”
Corianne took one of her hands and kissed her palm. Arcady felt wet heat on her skin and looked to see Corianne crying. “Hey, hey, it is okay. I am fine.”
Krizt muttered, “Not fine. Delicate.”
Arca
dy snorted. “Fine. Normalish.”
Corianne looked at her. “I can find my own dates. You don’t need to be the go-between again.”
Tycho nodded. “She’s not coming near you again. She can make an apology, but she isn’t allowed to try and touch you again. She’s also banned from booking any escorts with the BDC for the next four months. She can find her own ways and means to personal relief. She abused the procedure and abused you. If I hadn’t been here, you would have gone into a coma, and seizures would have started. Dead within two hours.”
Krizt was still larger than he should be. “Tycho called help. I scared traffic.”
“Oh, that is what you were doing. You healed me.” She leaned against Krizt and sighed. “And you wrecked your suit.”
He snorted. “More suits. You can help me shop.”
“I don’t know anything about men’s suits.”
As they talked, he got smaller until he was back to his normal size.
He kissed her temple. “Clever girl. He loves it when you fight a suggestion. It makes him want to convince you, and for that, he needs me.”
Tycho looked at her. “Are you okay?”
“Weirded out. It hit so gradually. If I hadn’t literally been around you, you wouldn’t have noticed me going.”
Tycho sighed and looked to Krizt. “Can I hold her?”
Krizt nodded, and Tycho picked her up, pressing his cheek to hers. “Temperature normal, pulse normal, you are tired but recovered.”
She touched her stomach. “I wonder where the blood went.”
Krizt snorted. “Absorbed into your veins.”
“How?”
He shrugged. “It’s what I do. Part of the healing process. Any part of me can convey healing.”
“There is irony in that.”
His tail emerged and stroked her hair behind her ear. “Don’t I know it. Built to heal, designed to terrify. If there is a supreme being, I want to kick its ass.”
She smiled and stroked his tail, and it wrapped around her hand. “I have never been terrified.”
Corianne stroked her cheek. “I didn’t know she would do that to you.”
“I was the gateway to you, so she just engaged with me like she would with any other escort, but I wasn’t one of hers, and it went wrong.” She chuckled and leaned into the touch. “You didn’t do anything wrong but try and start a relationship. There was one catastrophic choice here, and it was mine. When she wasn’t on my list, I should have known that we weren’t suited. I should have checked with management. There were a thousand things that I should have done, and I didn’t do them because I wanted everybody to be happy.” She snorted. “Next time, I disappoint people.”