Heart Search

by Robin D. Owens

  The cupboard door buzzed ominously just under her physical hearing. She leapt across the room. The door exploded out.

  Camellia dived for the floor, but no splinters hit her. After a few gasping breaths, she tilted her head so an eye was above her protective arm. Pieces of the wooden door were slowly drifting to the floor. Objects on the shelves rocked but did not fall.

  Nothing in the room was harmed.

  She caught her breath. Of course. Feam Kelp would not have wanted anything in the room to be harmed. If a person—

  What happened! both Mica and Brazos screeched mentally.

  Camellia amended her thought. If a being, person or Fam, had tried to physically open the door, or was close, within about sixty centimeters, the blast would have been fatal. But she’d survived.

  Two cat bodies hopped on her heavily. Mica ran along her legs and over her butt to sit beside Camellia’s head, touch noses, and lick her face.

  Brazos, heavier, bounded along her until he sat in front of the corner cupboard staring up at it and curling his tongue in that extra sense cats had. Thing at top smells very strongly of Laev. He turned an approving gaze on Camellia, still stretched out on the floor. You found it! Then the cat squinted his eyes at her. Glanced around and seemed to notice the shards of the door. Messy about it.

  Mica glared at Brazos. My FamWoman is wonderful.

  With a grunt, Camellia levered herself up. The door fragments hadn’t harmed her, but she’d felt a concussion of Flair and would have bruises from her dive.

  Mica yowled, staring at the hologram of Nivea as the Queen of the May. What is SHE doing here? Don’t like, don’t like, no!

  Brazos was at the altar, nosing the jewelry. This smells of Laev, too, but mostly of bad-smell woman and scary madman.

  “Nivea and Feam, right,” Camellia said, shaking out her limbs and saying a small spell to clean grimy smudges off her clothes. Tilting her head, she extended her senses to see if anyone in the area was interested in what had just happened. She felt only a few people, went to the window, pushed aside the drape, and looked out and saw no one. “It would have been a long time before this place was found.”

  No reason for Laev to see these rooms.

  This place is BAD, Brazos said, and the cats trotted away. Then shredding noises came from the direction of the bedroom. Linens and the bedsponge.

  Camellia found an old-fashioned scrybowl and called T’Hawthorn Residence. It confirmed that the Hawthorns owned the building and was outraged that Nivea and Feam had been using the place as a clandestine assignation hideaway. Camellia insisted on handling the refurbishing of the place herself, and won her first argument with the entity.

  She translocated the jewelry to the T’Hawthorn Residence cache and was informed that Laev had purchased it for Nivea. The Residence ended the scry by informing her that Laev was concerned she wasn’t there.

  She’d delayed as much as she could. Now she had to face the HeartGift. She walked slowly to the cupboard and looked up at the top shelf, just within reach.

  Swallowing hard, she just stared at the sculpture. She had no idea Laev was so talented from the small cat he’d done as a youngster and the image of the Lord he’d given her. Irritation flushed through her. The man must have a studio, and had he shown it to her? No, in that way he hadn’t revealed all of his secrets, either.

  Time for them to get over their problems. They were both mature adults. So they’d been hurt. Everyone in the world had been hurt. That was the past, and before them was the unlimited future. She would take that first step, but she’d make sure that he was with her. She felt a little weak, the future before them was so grand and dizzying.

  The first step, though, was to take his HeartGift to him. The last time she’d glimpsed it had been at the Salvage Ball years ago. She reached up and lifted it down with both hands. Despite the spellshield on it, sizzles of lust ignited within her. She put that aside to concentrate on the beauty of the statue. The Lady and Lord had arms around each other’s waists and were stepping forward as if about to tread a dance pattern. In his free hand, the Lord carried panpipes. The arm of the Lady that was not clasping the Lord was flung out as if in joy, there were tiny cymbals on each of her fingers. Her filmy-appearing skirt whirled around her. The Lord was bare-chested and dressed in tight trous. He gazed down at his consort and partner with tenderness and love. The Lady’s expression was mischievous, but her arm was tight around his waist and they would have to step together to the measures of the music or fall.

  Camellia had been out of step with Laev from her thirteenth year. Now was the time to remedy it. She’d give him the statue, and hope . . . that she and he would step forward into the future together. And if they stumbled, they would depend on each other.

  She could do that now.

  Recalling that there were lovely padded boxes sold at Darjeeling’s HouseHeart, she translocated one and put the sculpture inside. A perfect gift for Laev.

  A septhour later she walked into T’Hawthorn Residence with Mica and Brazos.

  The glider ride had given her time to fret about offering the gift to Laev. She didn’t think that he would reject her, not after all the care he’d taken with her . . . but they hadn’t made love, not even had telepathic sex, since her injury.

  But she didn’t know for sure whether he’d spurn her. Her nerves felt like ants crawling over her skin.

  Brazos and Mica left to have a snack and tell Black Pierre all about their adventure. Camellia climbed the steps to the wing that held the Master- and MistrysSuite, then pushed through the heavy security doors.

  The door of the MasterSuite opened and she heard male voices. Just like when she’d first met him when this whole thing started. A frisson of Flair twined up and down her spine.

  She knew Laev’s voice now, so well, the other man she didn’t recognize.

  Then Laev was coming toward her, as he always came toward her.

  So was a man who appeared slightly younger than he, shorter and leaner, with serious eyes but a quick and charming smile. Camellia noted that though the man was dressed as a noble, he didn’t seem to have FirstFamily features and she felt less wary of him.

  As they walked through a shaft of sunlight slanting in from windows, she stopped, speechless, as Laev strode toward her. Somehow, when she hadn’t noticed, he’d come into his own. No one looking at him would believe he’d ever been less than a self-assured, never-suffering FirstFamilies noble. His aura was one of supreme confidence.

  Laev’s smile was only a twitch of the lips. “You’ve returned. I wish you wouldn’t do too much.” He kissed her gently on the mouth.

  “I’m not doing too much.” She tried to keep her tones even. “I’m not doing much at all.”

  Laev’s brows rose and he gestured to the man walking with him. “Antenn, my lady, Camellia D’Darjeeling. Camellia, my friend, Antenn Moss-Blackthorn. He’s been helping me with the design of the new MasterSuite and MistrysSuite.” Another smile from Laev. “You don’t have to make any decisions right now, dearest.”

  She didn’t look at Laev. It was true she’d been skittish about planning what would become her suite. But that was over. “Greetyou,” she said politely to Antenn.

  Antenn bowed. “Greetyou.”

  Laev shifted, seemed to notice the box she carried for the first time. “What’s that?”

  “A gift for you.”

  His eyes widened. He took a long pace back. A line of red edged his cheekbones. “I don’t think we—you—I don’t think—”

  She turned to stare at Antenn. “Can you consult with Laev some other time?”

  He grinned. “Oh, yeah. I’ll be happy to go away.” He showed her a large record sphere. “I’ll just take this down to your ResidenceDen, Laev.”

  “Lock and shield the doors behind you,” she said.

  Antenn clapped Laev on the shoulder, nodded at her, and was out of the doors in two seconds.

  “Now, Laev.”

  He raised his hand
s, but his pupil-dilated stare was on the box. “You found my HeartGift.”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” He was beginning to pant. He didn’t seem to notice that he’d run his fingers down the front tab of his shirt, opening it.

  The bond between them was wide and his lust began to affect her. Heat pooled inside, her thighs loosened, she was flushing, too, as her body began to ready itself for him. Need, craving, slid into her blood.

  She wanted his arms around her, his weight atop her. Wanted their breaths and heartbeats and emotions to mingle. Their bodies to rub together, to plunge together, to soar together.

  Laev wasn’t backing away now, appeared to be stuck to the floor, was watching her every move, and she realized she’d opened her tunic, too. She only wore a breastband beneath.

  What had he said? Oh, he was afraid he’d hurt her.

  “You could never hurt me,” she replied, her tongue thick. Her mouth, too, needed his taste.

  She walked toward him, holding out the gift.

  “Bigger’n you,” he rasped.

  “Mmmm.” She shivered with anticipation.

  He groaned.

  She panted, then the hint of an idea surfaced in her mind. The HeartGift! She was holding it, and it was working on them. That was good.

  But she had to give it to him, had to appreciate his talent—his sculpting Flair—with him. Had to tell him how beautiful the statue was.

  She fumbled for the box opening, pulled up the latch. The box fell away and she was left holding the sculpture. But she didn’t look at it, was more focused on Laev, the man who’d made it, than the lovely piece. He’d begun to perspire and there was a sheen on his firm chest. She knew what he’d taste like if she kissed him there, licked him there, and she swallowed. Yes, she needed that.

  There was a half-round table against the wall. Blindly she set the HeartGift on the table and walked up to Laev, skimmed her fingers up his chest. She kissed his beaded nipple, and he groaned, “Camellia!”

  His control broke and he spun her against the wall. He ripped off her trous and pantlettes and plunged into her.

  She screamed with the pleasure of it.

  Then their bodies moved together and ecstasy surged from him to her, through her and back to him. Flair sparked around them, enfolding them. Infusing them.

  Before her mind’s eye, Camellia saw the coiled, pulsing golden cable of the HeartBond.

  She didn’t know which of them touched it, sent it to the other. Both. At the same time. Maybe.

  The HeartBond wrapped around them, merging them, and their emotions, their love blew open all the connections between them.

  Love.

  Even more fabulous than the quaking orgasm that rocked them and whirled them together through galaxies.

  When she came to her senses again, her mouth was against Laev’s neck and the taste of him sank into her very bones, never to be forgotten. Always to be cherished.

  Her hands were on his damp back, and she stroked him. He shuddered again, pushed, and aftershocks went through her, her legs tightened around his lean hips. Thought vanished again.

  A few minutes later she became aware that their ragged breathing sounded loud in the empty corridor. Their hearts beat together. The wall was hard behind her.

  She’d never had such sex. Never had such loving. It had been hot and fast and violent. She thought she got a couple more bruises. Wonderful.

  “Fabulous,” she whispered.

  “Gimme minute,” Laev said. Then his hands went to her rump, he angled away from the wall. “Bed. Need bed. Def’nitely bed!”

  “Privacy shields!” She frowned in concentration as she set them around the entire floor, especially the doors.

  By the time she was done, they were in bed. Under the linens even, with Laev on his back and her on her side, her head against his chest.

  His heart still raced in the same time as her own.

  He breathed heavily a few times, then said, “That wasn’t the way I’d planned on initiating the HeartBond.”

  She laughed. “It worked. And I thought I’d init-initiated the Bond.”

  “We’re together now. It’s done.”

  “That’s right.” She propped herself up to look at him. “Do you think I regret being HeartBound to you? I don’t.” She swallowed, got enough spit in her mouth and courage to say the words. “I love you, Laev Hawthorn.”

  His smile was the best she’d ever seen from him. “I love you, Camellia Darjeeling Hawthorn.”

  She chuckled and subsided back onto his chest.

  Let Us IN! The cats yowled together, mentally and physically.

  Laev drew the covers over them. A wave of his hand and she saw a flash of her clothes zooming into the cleanser.

  “Are you ready for them?” his voice rumbled under her ear.

  She heaved a sigh, but smiled. “If we must.”

  “I think so.” The cat screeching had become near unbearable.

  “All right.”

  Laev dropped the shields and suddenly there were cats flying through the room, as if they’d been battering the shield physically and with Flair. He lifted a hand and caught Brazos. Camellia used her Flair to snatch Mica close.

  “Eeeeee!” Mica panted as she set her claws into the comforter.

  Brazos was wheezing as if he couldn’t catch his breath, tail whipping.

  “I expect you two to respect all privacy shields when they are in place,” Laev said.

  Neither of the cats said anything.

  “Or there will be consequences,” Laev continued. He raised his brows at Camellia.

  She cleared her throat. “Your own private spaces will be downsized. Closets are excellent for cats—”

  I promise to respect the privacy shields! Mica said, giving in first.

  “Collars might also be affected,” Laev said.

  I promise to respect privacy shields, Brazos rumbled mentally along with a purr, smiling ingratiatingly.

  Mica purred, too. I have My FamWoman and My Brazos.

  I have My FamMan and My Mica, Brazos agreed.

  “I have my Brazos and my beloved HeartMate Camellia.” Laev’s arm tightened around her.

  Camellia laughed, rubbed her cheek against Laev’s chest, and completed the round. “I have my Mica and my beloved HeartMate Laev.” She drew in a breath. “And we have the Family and the Residence. We all belong to each other.”

  “Yes.” Laev kissed her.

  Click here for more books by this author

  Titles by Robin D. Owens

  HEARTMATE

  HEART THIEF

  HEART DUEL

  HEART CHOICE

  HEART QUEST

  HEART DANCE

  HEART FATE

  HEART CHANGE

  HEART JOURNEY

  HEART SEARCH

  Anthologies

  WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

  (with Sherrilyn Kenyon and Rebecca York)