by Smith, S. E.
Her stomach fluttered as she stepped into a military lobby, suddenly worried that maybe Kedron couldn’t make it, or had changed his mind. Exchanging dozens of messages and a couple of expensive realtime vid calls wasn’t the same as seeing him in person.
Relief flooded her when she saw him striding purposefully toward her. His relaxed, confident smile made her grin like a fool, but she didn’t care. He wore civilian clothes, but he still looked like a hero to her.
He waved his arm wide. “Welcome to Suck Flux, RSI.”
She laughed. “I’m very glad to be here.” She stepped in a little closer. “Would it be all right if I hugged you?”
He opened his arms. She wrapped him in a tight, fierce embrace, then let him go, or she’d never stop. She’d been dreaming of that and more for four months, eight days, and sixteen hours. Not that she had been counting or anything.
He looked at the gravcart behind her. “Where’s the rest of your stuff? I brought the biggest flitter in the transportation pool, just in case.”
She shrugged. “That’s it. I’ll tell you about it tonight. We’re still on for dinner?”
“Yeah, about that. All the good restaurants are booked, so I hope you don’t mind eating at my place.” He pointed toward an exit. “This way.”
He offered to take her backpack, and she let him, even though the gravcart had room.
“You have a place?”
“Yeah, the base is short on command-level housing. I pointed out the policy that said base leadership shouldn’t be clustered together, and volunteered for off-base quarters.” The twinkle in his eye belied his serious expression.
She smiled. “It wouldn’t happen to be a brand new policy, would it?”
He laughed, a sound she loved to hear. “No, it’s an old policy, just not used very often.”
* * *
His place turned out to be an isolated, ranch-style house that backed up to a marshy eco-preserve. He’d chosen it because he’d kept the cats.
Her reunion with them was every bit as joyous as she’d imagined. Even reserved Novo was all over her, sending love and jumbled thoughts, and purring loud enough for the neighbors, if they’d had any. Boz tried to nuzzle inside her shirt, like he was a kitten, rather than a stealthy, lethal weapon of war.
Kedron took off his boots and put them on the dry mat by the front door. “I couldn’t find a boarding facility I trusted, so I rented a tiny apartment for them until I got approved for off-base housing.” He twitched a smile as he brushed cat fur off his pant leg. “My coworkers assumed I was overnighting with a lover who has pets.”
Ferra laughed. “You should have heard Calderosh complain about cat fur in Argint d’Apa’s air ducts.”
He sat cross-legged on the floor with her. “Dinner will be takeout from the base mess hall, but it’s good.” He pointed toward the front of the house, where the big military flitter sat waiting outside. “Why so little stuff?” He looked down at his splayed hand on his thigh. “Not staying?”
She pushed Boz aside so she could slide closer to Kedron. She slipped her hand into his. “I’m staying.” She waited until he met her gaze. “I really like you a lot, so I want to take the time to do this right. You’re worth waiting for.”
He squeezed her hand. “I like you a lot, too. You and the cats are a good influence on me. You remind me not to withdraw into my shell.”
“To answer your question, I don’t have much stuff because I’m starting a new life.” She explained what her brother had done.
With the love from the cats thrumming in her mind—and holding hands with the man she was falling for so fast she felt like she’d jumped off a cliff—she finally realized her brother had never loved her the way she’d loved him. Move on, Barray.
“I don’t ever want to be a target like that again, so I liquidated all the accounts my brother couldn’t find and left the financial industry for good. I’m keeping my new identity and starting a new career.”
He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “In what?”
“Veterinary medicine. I’m studying for a basic vet med certification now and plan to sign on with a local clinic to get hands-on experience.” She hoped to find someone who could help her learn to use her minder talent, too. She didn’t want to keep it secret from Kedron, but first, she needed to find out whether he’d have to report it if she told him.
“I’ll ask around for recommendations, if you’d like.” He smiled. “It’s a good excuse to talk to people, instead of just issuing orders.”
“Yes, please. I’d like to stay near the base.” She looked around in the open living space, where the decor leaned heavily toward climbable sculpture and high padded shelves. “Can the cats stay here while I look for someplace to live?”
Kedron took in a deep breath and let it out quickly. “I’d kind of hoped you’d want to stay here. I haven’t taken you on the tour yet, but the house is divided for two. There’s a separate kitchen and—”
“Yes.” She couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “I’ll take it. I don’t care how much you want in rent. I’ll take it.”
“I don’t need the money. I need you.” His vulnerable, serious look melted her heart.
“Could I kiss you?” she asked. “If it’s too soon, just say—”
“Yes,” he said.
He shared with her the sweetest kiss she’d ever had, with the promise of a bright future.
Novo crawled into her lap and settled in. You should mate with him. He is warm at night.
Ferra smiled. Working on it.
— — —
Also by Carol Van Natta
Space Opera:
Last Ship off Polaris-G (Central Galactic Concordence Novella)
Overload Flux (Central Galactic Concordance Book 1)
Minder Rising (Central Galactic Concordance Book 2)
Zero Flux (Central Galactic Concordance Book 2.5)
Pico’s Crush (Central Galactic Concordance Book 3)
Pet Trade (Central Galactic Concordance Novella)
Jumper’s Hope (Central Galactic Concordance Book 4)
Spark Transform (Central Galactic Concordance Book 5)
Paranormal Romance:
Shifter Mate Magic (Ice Age Shifters Book 1)
Shift of Destiny (Ice Age Shifters Book 2)
Heart of a Dire Wolf (Ice Age Shifters Book 3)
Dire Wolf Wanted (Ice Age Shifters Book 4)
In Graves Below (Magic, New Mexico)
Hooray for Holopticon
About Carol Van Natta
USA TODAY bestselling author Carol Van Natta writes science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance. She is the author of the multi-award winning Central Galactic Concordance space opera, adventure, and romance series that starts with Overload Flux and Minder Rising, and includes Pet Trade from Pets in Space 2. She is also the author of the acclaimed Ice Age Shifters paranormal romance series that starts with Shifter Mate Magic and Shift of Destiny. She shares her Fort Collins, CO home with the resident mad scientist and various cats, the latter of whom take credit for the idea of winged, camouflaged, and altogether superior cats.
Website
Hunter of the Tide
HIS SOLICE AND HIS HOPE
Randall Laster crossed Halora to hunt the kraken, sea monsters that weren’t supposed to be real. Betrayed by men he trusted, he was left to die. Instead, he finds himself living with the beings once meant to be his prey. Randall struggles to find his place amongst the kraken and to find a purpose to the new course his life has taken. Hope comes in two unexpected forms: an injured, amphibious sea creature in need of care, and Rhea, a strong-willed kraken who’s made no secret of her interest in him. Can he reconcile the tensions between humans and kraken and look beyond their differences so that he can claim Rhea as his own, or will old prejudices and hostilities tear them apart forever?
1
361 Years After Landing
Rhea swam ahead of the search party, pulling Melaina along be
side her. Her fingers flexed on the youngling’s wrist, and it took all her willpower to keep from squeezing tighter. Embarrassment and anger blazed at the surface, but those emotions weren’t what had her hearts pounding in a hollow chest, those weren’t what made her throat feel tight and her limbs tremble. Fear and helplessness dominated Rhea.
I might have lost her.
This wasn’t the first time Melaina had disappeared, or the second or third. Rhea was fast losing numbers to count her daughter’s expeditions. It didn’t seem to matter how often or vehemently Rhea explained to the child the many dangers of the sea — Melaina wouldn’t be deterred. How many times could they go through this before it ended in tragedy?
Rhea turned her head to look at her daughter.
Melaina struggled to keep up with the pace set by her mother and was being dragged more than she was swimming. She held a sealed container against her chest with her free arm, undoubtedly holding some new treasure the girl had found — a pretty rock, or a shell, or a broken chunk of coral. Besides Melaina’s gray eyes, the youngling shared her mother’s looks — the same gray skin, the same delicate facial features, even a similar build, all presented in miniature — but seemed to have nothing of Rhea’s temperament.
Though he was not Melaina’s sire, the girl was much more like Jax, whose restless nature had earned him the name the Wanderer.
For a moment, Melaina met Rhea’s eyes, and then looked away with discouragement and shame in her expression.
Rhea’s chest constricted with guilt. Melaina was heeding some inner calling, a voice Rhea couldn’t hear, an urge beyond her understanding, but it was too dangerous to allow the youngling to follow that call.
Rhea looked to her other side, where Dracchus swam nearby. He was the largest of the kraken, the strongest, and he’d been the one to lead the search for Melaina — this time, and many times before.
Noticing her attention, he turned his head toward her.
She signed with her free hand and altered her color to emphasize her sincerity.
Thank you.
Dracchus’s brow creased. Females did not give thanks; it was for the males to protect and provide, especially with so few females, and why would any thanks be given to a male for merely fulfilling his duty? Appreciation could be shown in other ways when warranted. Ways that had the potential — however small — to produce younglings.
But Rhea’s relief at having her daughter safe outweighed all of that, and Dracchus’s willingness to search without hesitation or complaint, despite having done so countless times, meant more than Rhea could adequately express.
Finally, Dracchus dipped his head in acknowledgment and looked forward.
Rhea let her gaze linger, sweeping it over his broad shoulders and muscular arms, past his narrow hips, and along the length of his thick tentacles. Dracchus would make an excellent mate. Once, she might have considered pursuing him.
But now…now there was another who’d caught her interest.
Rhea blew through her siphons, expelling those thoughts as the Facility came into view. The main building’s exterior lights illuminated only a small portion of its manmade walls, leaving the rest of the structure nothing more than a shadow amidst the gloom. The other buildings, connected to the first by tunnels, were dark smudges to either side.
The other kraken broke their loose formation, swimming toward their dens in the other buildings. Only Dracchus remained. He went to the keypad beside the door and entered the sequence all kraken were taught as younglings. The light over the door shifted from red to green, and the door slid open.
Rhea tugged Melaina into the pressurization chamber. And Dracchus followed.
Dracchus followed them inside, closing the door behind him. The water drained.
The transition from water to air was always slightly disorienting for Rhea. Her body grew heavier, felt bulkier, and her siphons gaped uselessly until her lungs expanded with their first breath. The sensation of floating always lingered for a time afterward, which only heightened how sluggish her limbs felt outside of water.
The light above the interior door went green.
“Pressurization normalized,” said the computer’s disembodied voice.
“Mother—” Melaina began.
“How many times must I tell you never to leave?” Rhea growled, spinning to face her daughter. Melaina flinched back. “Did you learn nothing when you were nearly killed by the razorback? When Macy nearly died to save you?” Rhea’s tentacles writhed.
Melaina ducked her head, lips turned down into a frown. Her small shoulders sagged. The human, Macy, was Jax’s mate, the female who finally eased his restlessness. Her arrival had thrown the kraken’s world into a state of change, and the devotion she and Jax showed to one another had forced Rhea to confront her own loneliness, her own desires for lasting companionship. Rhea had come to consider Macy a friend, and Melaina was extremely fond of the human.
Rhea’s stomach twisted. Had she fallen so low as to use Melaina’s adoration of Macy to guilt the youngling into compliance? It hurt to see her child look so small, so defeated, but Melaina’s safety was more important than anything else. Younglings were precious among the kraken because they were so rare, and females rarer still.
But she is my daughter.
“There could be hunters out there, searching for kraken to capture,” Rhea said, softening her voice. “What would happen if they found you? You cannot keep doing this, Melaina.”
“There are many dangers in the sea,” Dracchus added, “and if we do not know where you are, we cannot protect you.”
Somehow, Melaina shrank further at the male’s gentle admonishment.
Dracchus pressed the button on the wall and the interior door opened. They exited the chamber, entering a long corridor. “I will tell the others that the youngling is safe.”
Once Dracchus had turned down another hallway, Rhea turned to her daughter, who stood beside her with head bowed.
Sighing, Rhea lowered herself, easing her tentacles and curling them up at her sides. She brushed the backs of her fingers over Melaina’s cheek. “What did you find?”
Melaina raised her head, face lighting up. She placed her container on the floor. Before she could open the lid, something thumped inside, scooting the whole thing a hand span over the floor.
Rhea tensed. “What was that?”
“I’ll show you,” Melaina said, removing the lid.
Rhea leaned over to look inside.
A small, scaled creature stared back at her with large, dark eyes. Its paddle-like tail swished restlessly in the water filling the container, and the whiskers protruding from its snout twitched. The creature lay on the bottom with its rear legs folded beneath it, displaying puncture wounds on its hindquarters — likely the bite of a predator. Lifting a front leg, the creature extended its paw toward Rhea, stretching the webbing between its toes.
“A prixxir?” Rhea asked, looking back to Melaina. “It is a youngling.”
“He’s hurt,” Melaina said. “I couldn’t just leave it.”
Melaina reached for the creature, but Rhea caught her wrist before her fingers entered the container.
“It might bite, Melaina.”
Before the youngling could reply, voices from farther down the hall drew Rhea’s attention away. A group of females rounded a corner and approached.
“Melaina!” Thana, at the front of the group, hurried over with relief in her eyes. “Dracchus just told us you were back. I am so glad to see you safe.”
Another female, Aja, lowered herself beside Melaina. The prixxir moved suddenly, splashing water onto the floor, and Aja flinched back.
“What is that?” she demanded, eyes wide.
“A prixxir,” Melaina said. “He’s hurt.”
Thana leaned forward to look into the container. “And what are you doing with it, little one?”
“I want to help it.”
Rhea lowered her brow and tilted her head. “But you do not know how to c
are for the creature.”
Melaina looked down at the prixxir, crestfallen. “I could try.”
Pounding footsteps echoed along the corridor. Rhea turned toward the sound as Randall ran into the corridor from one of the intersecting halls. He skidded to an abrupt halt beneath the stares of the gathered females.
Rhea trailed her gaze over him. His cheeks and jaw were covered with a light growth of hair, and the hair atop his head was tousled. The dark blue material of his jumpsuit clung to his muscular form, hinting at the body beneath. Heat suffused her, and she gritted her teeth against a sudden wave of desire. She’d seen him without coverings when he was first brought to the Facility, and that only made her long to see him bare again. It took considerable effort to keep her skin from changing color when all she wanted to do was signal her interest to mate with him.
His bright blue eyes met hers.
He stood with his arms spread slightly to the sides, undoubtedly to make it clear that he wasn’t reaching for the holstered gun on his belt. Several kraken had voiced their discomfort with Randall carrying such weaponry, but Dracchus had insisted Randall be equipped to defend himself should the need arise.
Aja spun to face Randall and growled. “What do you want, human?”
Randall lifted his hands and displayed open palms. He didn’t move any closer, leaving several body lengths between himself and the females. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I heard they found Melaina, and just wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“As you can see, she’s fine. Be gone.”
“Enough,” Rhea snapped, glaring at Aja.
Aja twisted to narrow her eyes at Rhea. “You are defending this human? Do you side with them?”
“There are no sides here,” Randall said. “We’re all just living, right? I’m not—”