by Stone, Layla
Inside the apartment, he pulled her to the bathroom and gently stripped her down. He took off his own clothes and walked her into his small shower. He gently washed her and then rinsed her off.
After he’d toweled her dry, he pulled on a nightdress then tugged her to the bed. They lay there in silence as he stroked her back, her hair, and the sides of her face.
He didn’t say a word, and neither did she. She let his bare chest warm her back, and then she pulled his arms around her.
When she did that, he squeezed her once. There were things she should say, wanted to say, but again, nothing came out.
“I know what I said earlier. And I don’t know if now is the right time to say this, but if you still want me to go with you, I’ll go.”
After everything she’d done, he still wanted to be with her? In his arms, in his bed, was the only place she wanted to be. Leaning her head back, she said, “I can work from anywhere, even on a planet with a psychotic Demon.”
Shine’s arms squeezed her again. “We don’t have to talk about it now.”
“No, we don’t. Because I’m staying with you. You said this was forever, and you’d better have meant it.”
She felt his lips at her temple. “I meant it.”
32
Never Doubt
Shine didn’t deserve a compromise but was thankful that Nara had given it. This was the Numan he knew, and he was glad that she was back. He brushed his thumb over her temple and felt her lean into his touch. He wasn’t sure if now was a good time, but he needed to ask. “Who’s Veeda?”
Shine felt Nara’s body stiffen, and he worried that it was bad timing. Not that there was ever good timing for a conversation like this. Nara rolled to her back and then sat up, still holding her stomach. “I was wondering if you were going to bring that up.”
“You said you knew her.”
“She was made from my DNA, so we would have some similarities.”
Shine guessed at what she meant. “You’re twins?”
“No. Thank Seth. She’s an experiment that my mom created from my DNA. My insanely cold-hearted mother said that my siblings and I were flawed and tried to remake us so we’d be perfect. What she ended up with was a bunch of non-artistic, soulless Numans. My counterpart’s name was Veeda.”
Shine couldn’t imagine a mother doing that. He remembered Nara saying that she couldn’t imagine having a mother like he had, but he’d thought she’d just meant that her mom didn’t work as hard as his had or maybe that she hadn’t taken Nara on weekend trips. Not that her Numan mother had created another child because she’d thought that Nara was flawed.
Shine felt his mouth drop. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because if you look at it the Numan way, the only reason I’m alive is because my mother wanted to run an experiment. I may not be synthetically created, but I’m still…an experiment.”
“No, you’re not. You’re nothing like those people I saw today. You’re brilliant.”
“I know,” she said, leaning her head back, her eyes lowering. “Is there anything more you want to know, because I am about to fall asleep right now.”
“No, I’m good, I think you told me everything.”
She half-smiled. “The wedding’s back on, right?”
Shine kissed her lips and said, “It was never off. You’re my mate.”
“I love you, too, Shine.”
Those three words struck a chord. So deep, he knew that the last time they were said to him, they had been whispered on a voice message from his mother.
He didn’t know what his mother would have thought if she’d lived long enough to meet his future wife, but he wanted to think that she would have at least been happy that he’d settled down and decided to live for her and for himself instead of dwelling on his past.
The words came easier than he thought they would. “I love you, Nara.”
33
Unexpected Guest
Nara woke first. Shine was lying on his back, his deep breaths rumbling. Slipping off the bed, she tiptoed to the doorway and looked back at her…soon-to-be husband. He looked peaceful, and she looked forward to seeing it every day for the rest of her life.
But first…
She made her way to the Minky screen in the living room and ordered herself a new Minky pad. While she waited, she plucked a Nebula from the refrigerator and walked to the kitchen.
Looking around, she liked what she saw, but it wasn’t going to work for her.
Her ship was bigger than this. She would need more space and a lab of her own. Back to the Minky screen, she decided to look for a new home and a lab, somewhere close to Shine’s.
The pod arrived at the balcony. Shine was awake when she closed the balcony door. Fanning the black rectangle at him, she said, “Good morning.”
“Come here.” His tone and expression said that if she went, she wouldn’t be leaving the bed for a while.
Smiling, she said, “Soon. I just have a few things to do.”
“You have something to do here.” He pointed to himself.
“I’ll fit you into my schedule as soon as I buy us a new house and a lab. Oh, and check my messages, I’m sure I have several job requests.”
Shine sat up, his eyebrows furrowed. “You’re looking for a new house?”
She hoped that he wasn’t too attached to this apartment. “Is that a problem?”
He moved from the bed, snatched up his shorts, and pulled them on. When he was in front of her, he said, “Were you going to ask me if I liked the house before you bought it? Or were you just going to pick one out?”
“I haven’t even started looking. But I plan to. Is your little attitude your way of saying you want to pick one out together?” He was upset, she could tell, but this was what she did. She saw something she wanted, and she bought it.
“Then we’ll look together. There are some things I need to have.”
Thinking of the apartment before she’d worked her magic on it, she couldn’t imagine what he needed. “And what’s that?”
“It has to be in a safe place, and I will be putting in a security system.”
Oh. Well, that made sense, and she could agree to that. “Done.”
“Good, glad that’s settled.”
Behind her in the living room, the Minky screen pinged. She turned, followed by Shine as she opened the alert. The message was from the lobby. They had a visitor.
Touching the screen, she connected to the video and dropped her Minky pad. Two males stood on the other side of the camera. One was her brother, the other was a Cerebral.
“What’s a Cerebral doing in my lobby?” Shine asked.
Without answering, she granted them access and turned off the alert.
“You know them?”
Moving from the living room to the door, she said, “One of them.” And it had been over a hundred years since she’d last seen Ansel. She was starting to feel a little extra bump-bump in her chest.
“Which one?”
Feeling her blood pumping, she pulled open the door and waited. To Shine, she said, “One of them is my brother.”
“Your brother?” Shine touched her hand, getting her attention. Looking up, he looked concerned. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
She had no idea.
The elevator chimed, and she leaned out of the doorway to peer down the hall. Both her brother and the Cerebral, who had light grey skin, dark black hair, and penetrating blue eyes walked towards her. The Cerebral was an Outworlder, and very much not allowed in Federation space, but the rules might not apply on Lotus Adaamas, Nara had no idea.
Ansel kept his eyes on her, but he didn’t say a word.
She couldn’t wait any longer. “Ansel.”
“Alieena, you’re all grown up,” he said with a warm voice. Then he looked at Shine and said, “And you’re Shine. Her…almost husband.”
“Mate,” Shine corrected.
Both men now stood in front of th
e door. “How did you know I was…never mind, your Cerebral told you I was here.”
Ansel didn’t deny it. “He did.”
“Is he one of your slaves? Or experiments?” Shine asked, looking the Cerebral over. They were the same height and build.
“No, he’s my friend. Originally, I hadn’t planned to come to the planet, but when Sci caught glimpses of you in Denny’s mind, he contacted me. We have been waiting for you to wake up. I’d like to invite you to breakfast.”
Sliding her hand through her hair, Nara stepped back. “I don’t know if your friend will be welcome. It would be better to come in.”
Shine didn’t move back to offer them access. Ansel and the Cerebral didn’t seem to mind going around him, though. When they came in, Nara saw Ansel looking around. “This is very nice. You did this?”
Shine closed the door while she followed the guests inside. “It might be better if your friend speaks out loud. He’s being kind of rude.”
“I told him what Denny knew about you. That you helped the Flourgs, and that you were a designer by trade.” The Cerebral’s voice was normal, not creepy or magical like she’d imagined.
Holding out a hand, she gestured for them to take a seat. “I’ll order breakfast.” Turning to Shine, she said, “Can you order something?”
He leaned into her, cutting off the others’ view of her. Then he mouthed, “You okay?”
Lifting up, she kissed him quickly, hoping that was answer enough. Shine nodded and left the kitchen. Taking a seat for herself, she took a deep breath. “So, what have you been doing?”
Ansel looked at Sci. “He can show you if you let him, but he won’t touch your mind without your permission.”
“Absolutely not,” Shine yelled from the other room.
Nara had to smile at that. “How about you tell me?”
Ansel started his story with when he and a group of Federation survivors had found the Cerebral in a Luri ship. The story ended with them finding the Flourgs and delivering them to Karr.
Shine brought in the food and set a green Nebula energy drink in front of her. If he was closer, she would have kissed him, but when he sat next to her, she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”
Sci ate the food but Ansel only took a sip of his coffee before he said, “Sci told me that Karr used you to remove the homner string from the Flourgs. I’m proud of you. You did hundreds in less time than it took me to do one.”
Keeping her hand in Shine’s, she told her brother, “I used a powder polymer that was attracted to the homner. It ripped the flesh into ribbons, but they were unconscious, and we had these little healing things.”
“Medscopes. I created them,” Ansel said. Picking up the coffee, he took another sip. “Would you like some? I have many.”
“Yes,” Shine said, leaning forward and holding out his hand.
Ansel looked at Sci. Sci told Shine, “I’ll bring them from the sloop. They will be at your back balcony.”
Shine got up and walked towards the bedroom.
Ansel didn’t glance at his departure. He kept his brown eyes focused on her. “I’m sorry for what Karr put you through.”
Nara looked at the Cerebral. “Is that something you told him before?”
“Yes.”
Ansel then said, “Veeda is dead.”
“I heard. Was that you?”
“I didn’t kill her, she died of heart failure. She must have sustained some kind of exposure to something. She didn’t look like herself at the end,” Ansel said.
Shine was suddenly back beside her and placed four small devices on the table. “Thank you, these will come in handy.”
Peering at the male, she smiled. “You’re not using them as a safety plan. You need to work on real lab safety.”
“I’m taking one and giving two to Z. You can have the fourth.”
“How generous of you.”
Shine took her hand again on top of the table and looked at their guests. “While you were here checking out the Flourgs, did you happen to find out what Karr is doing?”
The Cerebral answered. “Yes, he is building an underground city hundreds of miles from the surface. The homner is to power the city.”
“What kind of city?” Nara asked.
“I didn’t connect with Karr’s mind, he’s in the underground city, and I can’t reach him there. But Denny has been down there. It’s a small village with some family housing. That’s where Karr kept the Flourgs. He used them to help finish the houses. There are no businesses, only houses, a hospital, a school, and a library.”
The table was quiet for a solid minute. Shine picked up her Nebula drink and took a sip for himself then put it back down in front of her. “That sounds…domestic. Karr is not a family kind of Demon.”
“I told you what Denny knows. I don’t know if Karr is the person you think you know.”
“I don’t think,” Shine argued.
The Cerebral tapped his head. “Everyone keeps something to themselves. Even you.”
Shine chuckled. “I thought you couldn’t get into my mind without my permission.”
“I can’t turn off my telepathy, but I can withhold sending you images,” he clarified. Instantly, Nara was curious about that. She drilled him on his abilities, his range of telepathy, and his telekinesis. The conversation went on a tangent and delved into discussions about Sci’s planet.
Nara listened with rapt interest. When he finished, she was smiling. “So, you and your brother are the only two on the planet that found each other and lived together?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re headed to the Outworlds to find him?”
“Yes.”
She breathed out. “That’s exciting! I hope you do.”
Sci told her, “I’m not going to stop until I find Chollar.”
To Ansel, Nara said, “And you’re helping him?”
Ansel had finished his coffee as Sci talked. He picked up a few items to eat, but not much. Pushing his plate away, he answered, “I’m one of many Federation crew members going to help find him.”
Sci stood up then, and Ansel followed. “We have to get back to the ship, there’s an issue.”
Nara and Shine stood up and walked them to the door. Before they left, Ansel asked, “I would like to keep in contact with you if that’s okay.”
“Quantum ID is under Nara. I go by that name now.”
“Nara. Okay. I’ll find you.”
“I’m the one with the tiara avatar.”
He nodded and smiled. “I’ll find you.”
She didn’t like how empty the goodbye felt, so she dropped Shine’s hand, reached out, and hugged her brother. Ansel’s arms wrapped around her just as fast and strong. Pulling her in, he leaned down. “I’m sorry I never found you. I’ve missed you.”
The words hit her, and she felt tears at the corners of her eyes. Whispering back, she said, “I thought Mom hurt you for letting me escape.”
“She did. But I recovered.” Ansel leaned back. “I really have to go now.”
Dropping her arms, she stood back. Shine grabbed her hand and pulled her into his side. Ansel waved from the elevator, but it didn’t feel right. It felt like there was a good chance she’d never see him again.
“Are you okay?”
Nara let Shine walk her back inside and close the door before she answered. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I expected, but that wasn’t it. It was like something was…gone from him. Do you think the Cerebral was doing something to him?”
“I honestly don’t know. Cerebrals are dangerous, that’s why they aren’t allowed in Federation space.”
Nara knew that, but she hoped she was just being paranoid. Resting her head on Shine’s chest, he wrapped his arms around her. Standing there, she should have felt silly for mourning her brother all over again, but with Shine, she didn’t feel the need to put on a show of strength.
“I wish I would have looked for him. He wouldn’t have been hard to fi
nd on the Federation lists.”
Rubbing her back, Shine said, “I wouldn’t have thought to look for a Numan in the Federation, don’t blame yourself.”
Something about that made her laugh. “I know, right? I mean, how many Numans escape their secret labs to work as a doctor in the Federation where no one would ever trust you but another Outworlder?”
She didn’t feel better, but she didn’t want to dwell on her brother and the lost time. Shine kissed her forehead and asked, “Are we still going to look at houses?”
“And labs.”
“You can use mine. I’m sure I can make room.”
Patting his chest, she laughed for real. “That’s a baby lab.”
Shine grabbed her face and pulled her in for a punishing kiss. “I’m about to show you what happens when you make fun of my lab.”
Epilogue
A Month Later
His kiss was demanding, claiming, and full of heat. Moving from her mouth, he ran his lips down her neck, paying attention to her favorite spots. All the ones that made her sex squeeze, trying to climax without him.
“Kissing later, I want you inside.”
“Not yet.”
He moved a hand under her dress, then pushed it up and over her chest as he lowered his mouth to her breast. Sucking and nibbling, she felt her channel flutter, wanting more. Arching her back, she needed more from him. So, he gave her more, sucking and nipping. He cupped her sex with his other hand and rubbed, giving it light stimulation. It just made her tingle more.
“Please, Shine. Please.”
“Not yet.”
Shine continued on his downward path, skipping her hips and going straight for her lower lips. Exposing them wide with his tongue, he licked from her opening to the top. It was warm and wet, and she loved how he slowly moved from the outside in.
She lifted her hips, wanting to cheat and get more friction. Shine grabbed her thighs and held her down, not letting her reach her own orgasm.