by Viola Grace
This time, she could name it.
Chapter Nineteen
Torenne picked her outfit, they got her sorted, and when Salat was ready, they headed downstairs for family breakfast. The drone was on the way to the hospital with the flash-frozen milk.
Family breakfast was, thankfully, a buffet. Khytten loaded her plate as she walked down the row, and when Salat steered her toward the table, she ended up between him and Torenne.
Torenne sighed. “Is there any fruit in there at all?”
Khytten went looking and forked up a strawberry. “Got one!”
Torenne snorted and got up from the table, brought back some fruit salad, and set the bowl down in front of Khytten. “I want you to eat that before you get up from the table.”
Khytten wrinkled her nose. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Salat snickered.
Torenne smacked him on the arm over Khytten’s head. “Quiet you.”
Khytten had to ask. “Have you two always been like this? Like before the activation?”
Salat nodded. “She was always the big sister, even when she wasn’t. She took care of people.”
Torenne smiled. “He was always a big brother and stomping bullies.”
Khytten chuckled and kept eating. “I think of neither of you as brother or sister, just FYI.”
They said together, “Good.”
She laughed and looked to see that her plate was empty. She sighed and reached for the fruit. Juice, more coffee, and a lot of water were all placed in front of her, and eventually, she sat back. “Right. Enough. Done.”
Torenne cuddled against her and slid a hand up her thigh. “Good.”
The family was still at the table having morning conversations, and when Khytten turned toward Torenne for a kiss, Torenne’s family got quiet before they started talking with excited tones.
The laughter echoed in Khytten’s thoughts as Torenne pulled her into her lap. Khytten leaned down and kissed her other partner in this endeavour, and she felt the hand creep up her thigh. Their kiss got deeper and more intense, but that was when a tiny voice split the silence.
Torenne grinned. “Salat’s niece is cock-blocking me.”
“I don’t have to go to her.”
“Go. I like watching you. Your face gets all soft.”
Leodai had the wailing baby, and she looked embarrassed. “Khytten, could you?”
“Oh, sure.” She reached for the tiny buttons and undid ten of them before she could part the dress enough to pull out her right side. Delia attached hard, and Khytten winced. She looked at Salat’s interested expression. “Since that grip seems to come from your side of the family, I am going to have to lay in a lot of that cream that you got me way back when.”
“Before you exploded?”
“Yup. Back then.”
Leodai blinked. “You exploded?”
“Yeah. I was supposed to die. The idea was that I died before I paired up with Salat. Some pre-cog somewhere got an idea in their head that he and I together would be a bad idea, and I have no idea why, so the Mentor sent some henchmen out, they blew a hole in my apartment, and I woke up cuffed in a cell.”
Torenne snorted. “She had so many internal injuries it wasn’t even funny.”
Salat snorted. “Tell them what happened next.”
“Uh, the creepy guy with me went for my boobs, and I beat him to death with the manacles, unlocked myself, and tried to escape down the hall. A constrictor caught me, and Salat was there when I woke up. Sort of.”
“And she recognized me right off.” He smiled. “Sort of.”
She stroked Delia’s cheek. “Yup. Nothing smells like Salat.”
She looked up and saw his sister’s stricken expression. “Don’t worry. If you had been feeding her every day from your own body, she would still call to me. That is my activation. I can’t do anything about it; you can’t do anything about it. If I am in the room until she is weaned, she will call for me. She smells me, hears me. I am not mom. I am food. That’s it. She isn’t holding me; her little fists are waving. She is here for food and nothing else. It is like having a steak place next to a tapas place. One will be fun, but one will get you a lot of protein fast. She is in a hurry. Her body is getting larger by the day. I am the most efficient use of her precious time. That is my interpretation, but she just knows she gets full faster for longer from me.”
Leodai smiled. “Thanks for that. I was getting a complex.”
“No problem. We all do what we do best. I hear you are an interior decorator.”
“I am.”
Salat smiled. “She will need help decorating the lake house.”
Leodai grinned. “I can definitely help you there. Do you have a budget?”
“You tell me what you need, and I will find the money.”
Salmet snorted. “The family will pay to have it renovated.”
Torenne laughed. “You are going to need to make the adjoining bedroom into a nursery. Salat impaired her judgment last night, and she released three eggs.” Torenne smiled. “Now, we wait to see if the cat’s little cats can swim.”
Leodai grinned. “With that in mind, not a problem. Have you seen it yet?”
“Uh, no.”
Leodai swatted Salat. “Are you going to show her?”
He shrugged. “I thought we would move there later today. She’s a little overwhelmed by so much family.”
Delia finished, and Khytten put her over a shoulder and rubbed the little back until the bubble settled.
She handed the baby back, and Leodai took her while Khytten tucked herself back in and buttoned up. “So many tiny buttons.”
Torenne grinned. “Sorry, not sorry. So, as soon as you are at the beginning of your next trimester, I will go in for my own gathering and get it over with. Then, whenever my family wants another one, they can just go and ask you.”
She snorted. “Nice. Classy. Just pin it on me.”
“Oh, I will. It is your body, your choice. Remember that. No matter what Salat and I want, it doesn’t matter. Your choices, your comfort take priority.”
Salat frowned. “Of course, they do. Khytten and I discussed how many kids I want; I just thought it would be better to have it over with in two pregnancies.”
Torenne sighed. “You should have asked. That makes it more dangerous. Faster but more dangerous.”
“You can help.”
“I am not an obstetrics healer. I can keep Khytten alive and healthy, and hopefully, she can do the rest, but I might not be there all day, every day.”
Khytten sighed and got up and headed out of the dining room.
* * * *
Salmet watched Salat’s partner get up and leave. Her boy and his best friend got up and ran out after her.
Salmet walked to the window and watched them in the gardens. Khytten shrugged off their hands and walked toward the maze. When Salat grabbed her, the little lady in the dress kicked out at him and knocked him on his ass, twisting his arm behind his back and whispering in his ear. Torenne extended her hands, and Khytten snarled, gnashing her teeth. Salmet asked the room at large, “Who has noticed that Khytten has fangs?”
The kitten just bit the back of her son’s neck, and Salmet winced. Salat’s hands relaxed in surrender.
Salmet whispered, “They are fine. They will hash it out.”
Riko murmured, “Doesn’t he have an assignment starting tomorrow?”
“Yeah, he does, but this has to be hashed out first. She is restarting her life, again.” Salmet had cried in her husband’s arms as he outlined what she had gone through and that she had a child out there somewhere, with none of the standard tracking mechanisms available. “I want to find her. Not for Khytten now, but for Khytten in the future.”
“Are you sure that is a good idea?”
“No. Absolutely not. Will you help me?”
“No. Absolutely not. When do we start?”
Salmet had tu
rned to him and started something else. Subtle inquiries were already being made under the guise of a full workup on Khytten. It was natural for her to want to know everything about the mother of her grandchildren, but she hoped that no one else would notice. Once a pre-cog got a hold of an idea, it spread on the mentalist level. Someone else would comfort Khytten, and Salat, Torenne, and Khytten would be the ones to face it. At their core, they were what was going to matter.
* * * *
Torenne held Khytten back from Salat while healing the tears in his neck with one hand. “Easy, kitten.”
Salat winced and nodded. “I apologize. I should have asked you directly instead of taking advantage of your distraction.”
She snarled. “Fucking right you should have.”
Torenne finished healing Salat and then stroked Khytten’s hair, cuddling her against her.
Khytten looked at Salat as he stood awkwardly. She reached out and took his hand. “This was a my-choice moment, moron. You just kicked the eggs down the hill.”
“Sorry.” He squeezed her hand. “I got overly excited at the possibilities and the thought of you with my babies. Then, I thought that three would be faster and well... you can guess.”
“Yeah. Let’s hope they don’t all take, but I also know I don’t have that kind of luck. Add another caregiver to the interview list.”
“Why?”
“Because if I am feeding two, what is the other one doing? Who is holding it, keeping it calm, getting a bottle for it?”
He paused and said, “Would you care to negotiate for staff and amenities?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“A live range?”
She blinked. “Against who?”
“Me. For every minute I elude you in the range, you get one item removed from a list.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you get if you can avoid me?”
He pulled her away from Torenne, and he leaned down to whisper his demands in her ear. Her eyes went wide. “None of that until after the pregnancy.”
He grinned. “But you would consider it.”
“Did you even ask Torenne?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
She punched him hard in the ribs, and he grunted. “You can ask her about a threesome but not me? I will be freaking hosting one.”
Torenne smiled. “You could stop conception from happening.”
“No. It was in the discussions last night. No blocking the conception once the contract starts. With the failure rate for active pregnancies, there isn’t any time to waste.” She groaned. “It is the logistics of multiples that is killing me.”
“We will manage it if they all survive.” Torenne smiled. “The families will pitch in.”
She blinked. It was a strange concept for her. “Oh. Right. I thought it was just us.”
Salat’s hug was crushing. To her surprise, she felt Torenne hug her from the back.
They stood there until she sighed and wiggled. “I think we have had our together moment for now. Can we go to the live range so I can shoot you?”
“Yes, love. We can.”
Torenne chuckled. “I will get the clothes and packs.”
Khytten smiled. “It’s all here?”
“Your wardrobe is here. Do you want to wear the leather the whole time?”
Salat inhaled sharply.
“Sure.” She gave Salat an evil look. “What are you looking pained for. You designed it.”
“Yeah, but I never considered the ramifications of you wearing it in public.”
“What are those ramifications?”
“That I want you to be wearing it in private.”
She laughed and continued into the house. Ten minutes later, she was dressed, armed, and had a ranking of empty canisters around her waist.
Torenne laughed. “Let’s go show you off to the families. They might understand a little better.”
She chuckled and looked at Salat as he finished armouring up. “You think this is a better explanation?”
“It definitely works for me.”
They headed down the steps. When they saw the remaining family members still talking around the table, there was a wave of understanding.
Salmet chuckled. “It makes much more sense seeing you like that, Khytten. I didn’t have a chance to properly take you in when we took off on the rescue. You wear it well.”
“Thanks. Salat designed this one. Torenne designs most of the dresses.” The sisters and sisters-in-law looked shocked.
Salmet smiled. “Where are you off to?”
Salat grinned. “Relationship negotiations. She gets to hunt me for what she wants, and if I manage to avoid her, I get what I want.”
Khytten smiled. “Either way, I get to try and shoot him, so I will work through some things.”
Torenne’s father spoke to her for a moment, and then, there was a startled look at Khytten and a groaning laugh.
The cat was out of the bag.
They got into Salat’s vehicle and headed out to the range while Khytten made her wish list.
“So, Torenne, this was partially your doing.” Khytten chuckled.
“I offered a few suggestions.” Torenne examined her nails.
“So, you want the threesome?”
Torenne nodded. “Being with my two partners without having to deal with Salat’s dick. Yeah, sounds good to me.”
She groaned and covered her face. “That is not something I anticipated.”
Torenne chuckled. “Did it sneak up on you from behind?”
“Oh, you are so getting slapped at some point.”
Torenne cackled from the back seat.
Salat grinned. “Seeing my best friend naked got old really quick way back when.”
“And I have always been interested in women... obviously.”
Salat paused. “What is your preference, kitten?”
“Oh, sexual preference?”
“Yes.” They said it both like there was money on it.
“Oh, just someone who lets me cum first. The thought of going all out and not given anything for me is really depressing.” She shrugged.
“So, no preference in gender or sex?”
She chuckled. “No. That is the first thing they teach us in training. The body just contains the intellect, and it is that you are there to entertain. Sex is the means to do so, but companionship is just nice as well. Some of the patrons just need to cuddle.”
Salat nodded. “That was my original intent myself. Your invitation was irresistible and rather shocking.”
She smiled. “I had no idea what I was asking for or that this was going to be the result. I thought I would just get a date every two months or so and be able to use the money to go back to school or maybe get a larger apartment.”
“Well, you now have larger quarters and can go back to school. And you have a second patron.”
She turned her head, and Torenne shrugged. “I kept my application active and the recommendations I had from a patron in good standing. Before you wonder, no, it wasn’t Salat.”
Salat snorted. “I have only been an occasional user and have been waiting for a specific kind of woman.”
Khytten put her hand up. “That would be me.”
They chuckled as a group, and Salat took them around the city to the live range.
Once parked, they walked inside, and the room went silent. Salat put an arm around Khytten’s waist. “I believe we have a reservation?”
Liika’s eyes brightened, and she grinned. “Ikir Khytten, welcome back! Ikan Salat, it is good to see you again.”
Salat smiled. “Good to see you as well, Liika. So, the reservation?”
“You have the second range in five minutes. The group is just leaving it.”
“Good. It is a private challenge, and we do not require additional participants.”
Khytten grinned. “I get to hunt him.”
The g
roup standing nearby laughed. Liika ignored them. “Do you require additional armaments?”
Khytten looked to Salat. “Are you going invisible?”
He nodded. “Of course, or it wouldn’t be any fun, now would it?”
“Right. I need some spray blasts and loud stuff.”
Salat widened his eyes. “Clever girl.”
“Dude, I am saving my own ass here. I will do what it takes.” She said it for theatrics, but he burst out laughing. She winked and nudged him then turned back to Torenne. “A kiss for luck?”
Torenne grinned. “You realize I am hoping for my luck here.”
She nodded, and the kiss was as hot as she could get it. Torenne plastered herself to Khytten, and when they parted, Torenne was panting and blinking. “You are cruel.”
Khytten smiled and went to get the broad shot weapons and two shock grenades that she hooked on her belt.
Salat had gone invisible as he murmured in her ear, “Kiss for luck?”
She waited for him to touch her, but she felt a touch between her thighs, and she tried to keep a straight face as he slid two fingers into her, parted her, and rubbed the hood of her clit. When she felt the hot breath against her skin, she gritted her teeth. “I am so going to zap you for that.”
His slow, long licks continued until the alarm rang that indicated the range was clear. He stood, became visible, and licked his lips slowly. “See you in a few minutes or longer.”
She huffed and swiftly verified that he had closed her suit when he was done teasing. Her heat was now going to warn him when she was in the vicinity. Fuck.
She grabbed some weapons he wasn’t expecting, and they waited for him to be released into the urban decay. He paused, kissed her hand, and entered the range. “See you in forty minutes, kitten.”
She snorted and watched his back disappear before he took off running.
Khytten waited for her entrance to be green-lit and walked onto the range. She used the override she had figured out and turned on the internal com.