by Viola Grace
“Clever kitten.”
She smiled and tossed one of the sound grenades, covering her ears, listening to the reverberation through Salat’s ears. She grinned and started jogging. There had been clues in that echo, and she was hunting her mate. She was going to catch him and save herself the indignity of what they were planning. She had no problem with the idea in general; it was being double-teamed that was the issue. So to speak, oh boy.
Chapter Twenty
Time was ticking by, and she had narrowed down the building he was in down to one. She was grimy, slimy, and wished that she had brought a change of clothes to the range. She really wasn’t thinking.
She whistled and heard her tone in his ear. He was nearby. There was only a slight lag.
She went into the main floor of the building, firing wide sprays from the doorway, then she sprinted up the stairs and treated the second floor the same way. She had to drop one of her weapons, but when she got to the third floor, there was no lag to the sound, and she saw a chair move. She fired while rolling a sound grenade toward him, and when it went off, she was nearly blinded by pain. She shot him with two stun blasts and then collapsed on the ground.
“Ow. Ow. Ow. Fucking ow.” Her head was ringing, and the dark shadow of her mate shook his head and slowly stood up. She tried to get up, but her balance was everywhere.
He took her weapons and picked her up. “You caught me, kitten. Fair and square. Now, we need Torenne to help the ringing in our ears.”
He sighed, kissed her forehead, and ran out of the building and to the exit.
“Tor, she has a ton of reverb.”
Torenne came over and touched Khytten’s head, nodded, and the burn of the healing started. Khytten clutched at Salat but only grabbed his body armour. She exhaled slowly and drooped when Torenne stepped back.
“Lean down, Salat.”
Torenne did a check. “You are fine. On the vid, she rolled it away from you but put herself in the blast.”
“Aw, you didn’t want to hurt me?”
“You are too pretty. Didn’t want to mess that up.” She chuckled. “I am fine. Just grubby and dizzy. Forgot to bring a change of clothing.”
Torenne smiled. “I have you covered. I will get the bag from the car, so we can all head out to the lake and take a look at the house before Salat has to go off on assignment tomorrow.”
Khytten nodded. “Of course, he does.”
She turned her head toward Salat and nuzzled his neck. “You could have gotten away.”
“What if we call it a draw?”
“Or we can both win. I can get a few things off my list, and you can get two sizes off yours.”
His eyes brightened. “You don’t say.”
“I do. I play fair.”
“In that case, I will embrace compromise. Show me your list.”
“Based on when I finally stunned you, you get to strike five items off the list.” She smiled and brought up her display.
He blinked and scowled. “Not coming here alone. Not hanging out with the peacekeepers while they go drinking. No, you can’t drive my vehicle yet. We are not naming any of the children taco no matter how much you crave it. You can’t take live weapons downtown and wait until someone insults your breasts. I can’t believe that was even in there.” He sighed. “The rest is yours. Spa day, visit with Zera, option to adopt up to four children after ours are in the world is fine, and picking one outfit of your own per week is fine, but leaving the house with it has to be run by Torenne or my mother or sisters.”
She laughed. “Don’t you trust my taste?”
“In lovers, absolutely, in fashion... no.”
She punched him, which is when she noticed that they had an audience for their entire conversation.
She slowly turned her head, and there were a dozen nervous peacekeepers. She tapped him and whispered, “Put me down.”
He shook his head. “Nope. What can I do for you?”
The peacekeepers looked at each other, and one thrust a marker and a t-shirt from the range toward him. “Will you sign this, Ikan Salat?”
“Hah. Now you have to put me down.”
He snorted and draped the shirt over her head and breasts, using them as a desk to sign the shirt.
“Charming.”
He laughed and took the shirt off her head. “You didn’t see the front.”
The happy recipient grinned. “It’s a lovely piece of artwork.”
Drawn in all their comic book glory were the Demon Cat and his kitten, back to back, weapons up. She wore a bunch of weaponry that made Khytten raise her brows. “How much of that is in the works?”
He grinned. “I knew you would be all about the weapons. Most of it.”
The peacekeeper with broad shoulders and a shy smile said, “Would you sign it, too, Miss Kitten?”
She shrugged and plastered the shirt over Salat’s body armour while she signed.
She capped the marker and handed the shirt back. “There you go.”
A line formed, and Salat chuckled. “It seems that you are causing a bit of a sensation. More of these tees are selling than any of the other stuff at the range.”
“Put me down, you big goof.”
“Nope, but we can sit at one of the tables.”
He moved to one of the tables, and they sat and signed shirts, took photos with folks, and Torenne killed herself laughing. The laughter stopped when an image of a woman in a lab coat who was a dead ringer for Torenne was set in front of her with a marker. “Salat, you sicko, when did you do this?”
“While Khytten was in the coma. I needed to distract myself.” Salat finished his pile, but there was a huge stack in front of Khytten.
She slogged through the signatures and grimaced. “So, I was out due to a miscalculation, and you were drawing?”
“Yeah, I could bring the tablet to your bedside and keep you company. I drew half a comic while I waited and a lot of poster-style images.”
Torenne finished signing another shirt, and she said, “And a lot of profiles and quite a few pinups of you. I know I want a few of those. He used some of my lingerie designs for them.”
Khytten covered her eyes. “I am surrounded by affectionate perverts.”
Salat shrugged. “Activation hits when we are teens. Our inclinations are locked in at that point.”
“Okay, because this is pretty weird... oh wait. It was biochemical. Right.”
Salat sighed. “I always liked top-heavy ladies. My early designs will prove it.”
She blushed and finished the signings.
“Seriously. You have always been his type, Khytten. He just didn’t know you existed. Until recently, that is.”
The crowd was standing around, grinning and chatting. Torenne took the opportunity to hustle her to the ladies’ room, and she got changed there.
“Oh. My. God. You are banned from picking outfits after a day at the range.” She looked at herself in the mirror, and with the soft fall of ruffles that cascaded down in layers, she looked like a pile of cuddly whipped cream. The only thing that salvaged it was the wide sash at the waist and the soft grey colour.
Torenne cuddled up to her. “It makes you look so soft.” The erection was definitely interested in finding something soft to burrow in. “I hope that conception occurs so that I can go back to being inside you with a clear conscience.”
“Conscience?”
“Yeah, my seminal fluid is a sterilizing agent. I don’t want to do anything to interfere with conception.”
“Oh, hence the interest in going elsewhere.”
Torenne patted Khytten’s backside and smiled. “Indeed. That way, I can still writhe around inside you without worrying.”
“That sounds... not unpleasant.”
“I will do my best.”
She laughed. “I suppose that we should leave the ladies’ room.”
“Yeah. Salat is staring at the door, trying to giv
e me a hint.”
Torenne grabbed the bag with the suit, and they headed into the main space where Liika was writing something down.
Salat wrapped his arms around Khytten. “You look so cute. Like a toy.” The silky ruffles didn’t repel his hands at all as he sought her curves beneath the fluttering fabric.
Torenne chuckled. “We are going to have to get you some jewellery at one point or another.”
She lifted her wrists and showed her bracelets. “I have these.”
“I was thinking pretty, not functional. That dress would be lovely with some smoky pearls.”
“I am good without the fancy stuff. Salat, get that look off your face.”
He smiled. “We still have to get to the lake today, so we should go.”
She nodded; Torenne grabbed her around the waist and ushered her toward the door. They went past the arriving peacekeepers, who were commenting on them as she was wedged through the crowd and toward Salat’s vehicle. Torenne pinned her against the door and kissed her until Salat came out and parted them.
“There will be time for that at the lake. Get in the car.”
They were tucked into the vehicle and off to the highway. An hour later, they pulled into a gated drive and cruised up toward the house. Salat was smiling as he headed up the drive.
“So, is there like a pool house or something for me?”
He snorted. “There is a pool house, guest house, and a number of other places with beds, but the main house is where our family is going to be running around.”
“So, do all Aksalla families have huge homes?”
“Multigenerational homes are the norm.” Torenne smiled. “It makes finding friends easier when all homes have a pile of kids in them. We became friends because our parents operated on a team before Salmet became prefect. We grew up in town a few blocks from each other, and we both liked comics and drawing. We argued, we wrestled, and practice fighting, and then, we activated, and our plans and schemes went to heck.”
Salat stopped by the main doors, and a staff member came out to open the door to the vehicle and helped out Torenne before he opened Khytten’s door. “Welcome to your home, Miss.”
She looked at him and blinked. “Hello. What is your name?”
“Kaiden Melker. I am in charge of the household.”
“How would you like to be addressed?”
He smiled. “Call me Melker, please, Miss. How would you like to be addressed?”
“Khytten.”
“Excellent, Miss Khytten. Mr. Salat, good to see you again. Dr. Torenne, a pleasure as always.”
Salat put his hand on Khytten’s back. “My parents have contacted you?”
Melker nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. This is about to become a family home, so it is going to get messy, noisy, and wild. Khytten also has a physically manifesting activation, so that might take some getting used to. Are you up for it?”
“I have been briefed, and I am confident I can adapt. I look forward to the challenge.”
“Khytten is also difficult to keep an eye on, so your skills as a decorated peacekeeper will come in handy.”
Melker nodded. “A tour then?”
“We will start with the grounds and work our way into the house.”
“Very good, Mr. Salat. I will have refreshments waiting when you return.”
“Thank you, Melker. She will also need to meet the staff, and we will have to explain about her activation and what it entails for the comings and goings here.”
“And the aircraft pad is going to be used, as well as the cycle garage.” Torenne smiled. “There will be a textile setup running in the exterior office, and children will be coming and going from the household on a fairly constant basis. Those who can’t deal with sticky fingers everywhere will be given glowing recommendations and allowed to seek other situations.”
Melker blinked. “You are offering a lot of warnings about children. How many are we talking, and shall we prep the spare rooms for an influx?”
Khytten smiled. “You are taking this very well. I gather that children don’t frighten you?”
Melker grinned. “I have two myself, so no. We will adapt. Most of my crew I can speak for without hesitation. There are one or two that might need that recommendation, but we are ready to go into action. How long do we have?”
“We will let you know. I have a suggestion for my partner that I think she might go for.”
Melker chuckled. “Do you often make suggestions to her?”
Khytten whipped around and covered the mouth that opened to respond. “Too often.”
Salat smiled, and his eyes danced. He pulled her hand from his mouth and kissed her, bending her back until she thought she would fall, but he had his arms around her.
Torenne’s voice came to her while her head swam. “Oh, and a lot of that. Tons of that. She’s our partner, and that might also raise some brows.”
Melker nodded. “Understood. The staff will be briefed, and I will await further orders.”
Salat lifted his head and grinned. “Come on, I want to show you the clubhouse.”
She was led through the house with her lips still tingling and Torenne chuckling behind her.
The place was huge. It wasn’t a house; it was a manor, a mansion. “How old is this place?”
“It is fifteen years old. It was built by me for my family. They all thought it meant holidays at the lake, but I wanted a quiet place to eventually have my kids around me.”
“So, you always wanted to be a dad.”
“Yeah. I have a lot to teach and more to learn from them. I have seen what being a physical active can do, I know what being a mental active can do, and I can help them deal with not looking like everyone else if it happens.”
They walked through the huge house and out the back, onto the stone deck and across the lush grass. Pathways were to the left and right, but Khytten pulled Salat to a halt so she could take off her deadly shoes.
He chuckled. “I forget how short you are.”
“The heels make a difference.” She hooked the straps in her fingers and took his hand again. “Okay, haul away.”
He crouched. “Hop on.”
“What?”
“Hop on.”
She walked over to him and climbed up, putting her arms around his neck as he stood and held her legs. Torenne grabbed the shoes. “Don’t want you to lose your grip.”
When the shoes were gone and her arms were looped around his neck, Salat let out a sound she hadn’t heard before, a strange chuffing noise, and he sprinted across the lawn, into the woods, and through areas that barely had pathways.
When he used his claws to pull them up into the trees, she tried not to choke him. They were soon at the top of a heavy and old tree, on a thick and sturdy branch. “I want to suggest something to you, Khytten.”
She blinked at the seriousness of his tone. “What?”
“Consider becoming a foster parent. Or adoptive parent. There are four babies at the hospital right now who have no parents. No chance of a home, no proper chance of a life. You can give them a solid start.”
She chuckled. “You are really playing up the maternal angle of my activation.”
“You have both aspects. Your violence isn’t random or casual. You only act in calm or to have fun. You are an ideal mama bear. Or an angry kitten. The childcare would still come, and you can take your courses, but consider it. You can do a lot of good just by doing what your activation pinned on you.”
“You got me up a tree to tell me that?” She whispered in his ear.
“Partially. Over there is where the BD Corp is building their resort. It is the border between Aksalla and our neighbours. A few more months, and I might have met you there.”
She chuckled. “Not fucking likely. I don’t have enough broad appeal for that. I would have been brought out for the occasional guy with specific inclinations and possibly met yo
u if you were in town. Maybe.”
His hand stroked her thigh. “We would have met. There is no way on this world that we wouldn’t have met.”
She kissed the back of his neck and licked it. “Sorry I bit you before.”
“I deserved it. I also deserved a solid punch to the groin.”
“Uh, I am not going to indulge in that particular offer. Especially not until you get us down to the ground.”
He laughed. “So, what do you think of your domain?”
“What?”
“It is all yours until you want to leave it.”
“What is?”
“Everything you can see. The only way the BD Corp was able to gain the land on the lake was the border. The lake itself belongs to us, and we lease access to them. Those funds belong to the estate, which pays for upkeep and maintenance on the manor.”
“Aha. So, it is a manor. I did wonder.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. It is also called the lake house by family. They will now have to call ahead so that you can be braced for their arrival.”
She squirmed up so she could kiss his cheek. “Sounds good. I am going to have to figure out how to register as an adult student, work out a course load, that kind of thing.”
“You still want to be a counsellor?”
She chuckled. “If I work with infants and have foster kids, it would be better for me that I be able to deal with what they are experiencing. Some kind of training might not be amiss.”
“You will have to go to counselling as well. I hear that is part of it.”
“Who did you hear that from?”
“Noring. He’s an admissions counsellor at the university.”
“Of course, he is.” She chuckled. “Is that where he met Leodai?”
“Yeah. She was doing a speaking engagement, and he met her at the cocktail party afterward.”
“She was speaking?”
“Sure. She is a corporate representative and was doing some recruiting on campus for their research arm.”
“Wow. Cute meeting. When I end up pregnant, we are going to have to work on our introduction story.”
He turned his head. “What? We can’t tell them that I was in desperate need of a woman who I could touch, one that would touch me in return? Someone who could accept me for who I was and let me do the same in exchange?”