“Well, she muttered about Christmas a lot. She mentioned chocolate, but we already know what that is because they’ve tried to make it. Then she said something about a forest and trees.” Lynx glanced at Shiloh. “What were her exact words?”
“Christmas tree,” Ry said at the same time as Nanu.
“Explain,” Shiloh said.
“I know what it is,” Ellard said. “It’s a tree with special decorations. Some people have color-coordinated trees with sparkling lights but Camryn’s family have collected decorations over the years and each holds a special memory. Do I have that right?” he asked Ry.
Leeam stepped closer. With a casual gesture of his arm, he formed a comfortable chair and sank against the blood-red cushions with a happy wriggle. He gestured again and a small floating table appeared, hovering within reach so that Leeam could reach for his glass of sparkling green cajuice. “Tell me more,” he said, the glacier-blue pupils of his white eyes expanding. A sure sign of his curiosity.
Ry made a rapid calculation of the dates on Earth and nodded. “It’s almost Christmastime on Earth. That’s where we were this time last rotation.”
Nanu’s beads clacked along with his nod. “That’s probably why Jannike is dreaming of Christmas and trees.”
“Could we get one here?” Ellard asked. “I think Gweneth would like that.”
“We could cut one of the green trees from the forest. There are some similar species to the spruce and pine the Earthlings use.” Ry considered. “The last time we had a picnic and visited Kelvin, he was making noises about visiting the city to see some of the things we talked about. If you could make a place on the market square where he could set down root, maybe he would like to be a living Christmas tree. It might help him be less lonely if he interacted with the people.”
“How would that work?” Lynx asked.
“I’ve seen Kelvin sprout leaves and branches at will. If Kelvin agrees, you could hang decorations on him or better yet, if you showed everyone how to make decorations and what they were, you could hang them on Kelvin. He might get a kick out of that,” Ry said.
“Why would you kick him?” Shiloh demanded. “That’s not the way to pay him for a favor. He’s a rare tremin. He should be treated with respect.”
Ellard cackled and Ry stared at the change in his face. He beamed with his entire body, sharing the emotion freely until Ry felt a smile curving his own lips. Gweneth had done this for Ellard, helping him to stand straight with pride.
Lynx stood at his mate’s side, brows drawn together. “Why are you laughing?”
“Kicking used in that way means he’ll enjoy the experience,” Ry said. “I miss him and would like to see more of him. He could see the babies and he might decide to leave the forest instead of keeping himself isolated.”
“What else do you do during this Christmas?” Leeam asked.
“I have depictions on my personal tablet—the one I purchased on Earth and modified,” Nanu said. “Should I get it?”
Leeam stood. “Where is it? I’ll get it for you.”
“It’s on the float table in the food prep area of my suite,” Nanu said.
Leeam blinked from sight before Nanu could add more instructions. He shimmered back into sight secs later and handed the tablet to Nanu. “Show me,” he ordered. “I want to see this Christmas.”
“Does Jannike have depictions?” Lynx asked.
Shiloh seemed to space out for a couple of secs, then blinked. “She did show us some while we were on the Indy. We were more interested in the mating dance.”
“Priorities,” Lynx said with a comical waggle of his brows.
Ry shook his head in a sorrowful manner. “That’s not very dignified for a king.”
Lynx barked out a laugh and gave him the finger.
Ry found himself grinning. Some signs were universal.
“These are the depictions,” Nanu said. “They’ll move through on a slide show. Say the word ‘cease’ if you want to stop on a single frame.”
The men crowded around as the first depiction filled the screen. “It was a group photo of them at Marcus’s house after Marcus and Amme had married. They stood in front of the rose garden, all dressed in their summer finery and broad grins on each of their faces. Ry could still recall the sweet scent of the roses and the contentment that had flowed through him when he and Camryn had said their vows and married in the Earth way.
“Cease,” he said.
“Who is this?” Lynx asked.
Ry pointed at the various faces. “This is Max, Camryn’s twin brother, and his wife, Ellen. The small boy is Luke, their son. This is Amme, Gweneth’s former cyborg companion, and her Earth husband, Marcus. The small girl is their daughter, Autumn.”
“And the girl with the weird-colored hair?” Leeam asked. “It looks as if she can’t make up her mind and choose a color. Maybe I could try that shade.” He closed his eyes and a rainbow of colors formed in his straight hair.
“That is Olivia, Marcus’s sister and Gweneth’s friend,” Ellard said, scarcely blinking at the physical change in Leeam. “I’ve talked to her via interplanetary com.”
“What’s next?” Shiloh demanded, and Ry suppressed humor. They were fascinated by this slice of Jannike’s life before they’d become her mates.
Nanu got the slide show moving again.
“Cease,” Ellard said. “What are those strange animals and why are you standing so close? They look a bit like malpacks. Don’t they bite?”
“They’re alpacas. Marcus breeds them,” Nanu said. “Next depiction.”
“Cease,” Lynx said. “What is that water and why are you all half-dressed? It’s too big for a lake.”
“That is the sea. It was hot weather when we visited and the locals go to the beach to swim,” Nanu said. “Earth has many large bodies of water. It’s different from the planets in this sector. You have lakes. Earth has seas and oceans.”
“The clothing?” Lynx prompted.
“That is the correct attire to wear at the beach,” Ry added.
Shiloh opened his mouth and shut it again.
Nanu glanced at their faces. “Any more questions?” When no one answered, he set the show in motion again.
Ry took a sip of his drink.
“Cease,” Shiloh said. “Who is the big fat dude in the red suit?”
A laugh exploded from Ry along with a spray of liquid.
“Phrull it, Coppersmith.” Lynx swiped at the damp reeb spots on his plain black tunic and trews. “That’s no way to treat your king.”
“Sorry. You make me laugh when you come out with Earth expressions,” Ry said.
“The fat dude is Santa Claus,” Nanu explained. “He gives out presents. The Earth children write a list and if they’re good, they might get some of the presents on their list.”
Questions came quick and fast after that with the depictions ceasing at each frame. They explained barbecues and Christmas parades, mistletoe and Christmas food. Then Ry attempted to tell them about the cold Christmases in the northern hemisphere and the hot Christmases in the southern hemisphere.
“No more,” he said finally. “My head hurts. I need another drink.”
Leeam waved his hand and a drink hovered in front of Ry.
“Thanks.” Ry clasped the tube in his hand and toasted Leeam.
“What about the Christmas tree?” Leeam asked. “Do you have a depiction of those?”
Nanu flicked through a couple of frames without anyone calling “cease”. “Ah, this is a Christmas tree. This is the one we had at Marcus’s house.”
The sight of the green pine tree festooned with baubles and lights brought another rush of happy memories for Ry. “I wish we could visit and show you everything. We had a great time.”
“Here are some of the different trees,” Nanu said, a native of the planet Indra and a man with a warrant on his head—should he ever decide to return. “I took depictions of as many different ones as I could find. Marcus’s tree w
as best though. I liked the smell of it since it reminded me of home.”
“The smell reminded me of my childhood too,” Ry said. “My sisters and foster parents.”
“Are there more depictions of food and other things?” Leeam asked. “Can I make a copy of your tablet so I can look on my own?”
“Sure,” Nanu said. “Most of the depictions are of our visit to New Zealand. I wish we could manage the journey, but it’s too far away.”
Leeam held the tablet in his right hand and gestured with his left. A second tablet formed as Ry watched the Incorporeal male. So much power and ability. Luckily, the Incorporeal people seemed to like them and had become friends. They’d make formidable enemies.
Leeam bowed at Nanu and handed him back the original tablet. “I need to see Sheera.” And with that, he vanished.
“He needs a puff of smoke or something, for dramatic effect,” Shiloh said. “It would help me tell my mind I wasn’t seeing things.”
“I hear you,” Nanu declared. “Their powers are freaky cool but disturbing too.”
“The smoke would give away their presence to enemies,” Ellard said. “An unscrupulous person, a greedy person gets to thinking that possessing an Incorporeal would make their lives easy. They could force a captured Incorporeal to conjure whatever they wanted. Those people who kidnapped Leeam and Sheera—well, let’s just say they didn’t care about their welfare.”
Silence greeted his comment because he spoke nothing but the truth and a reminder of the responsibility they’d taken on in allowing Sheera and Leeam to live on Viros.
Ry decided to use the opportunity to ask Lynx if he knew of a task he and his crew could undertake. Anything to fill his time and to give Camryn a break from his hovering. He knew he was pushing her, even without reading her mind. Not that he could read her thoughts these days. They were blocking each other, keeping their intimate thoughts to themselves.
Phrull.
“Something wrong?” Ellard asked.
“No. Not really. I wondered if there were any more jobs for me and my crew.”
“You don’t like standing around and scratching your arse?” Shiloh asked.
“Hell, no. We’ve always worked. Hauled freight. Sought contracts.”
“Avoided pirates and bounty hunters, according to Jannike,” Lynx said.
“We must’ve been on a different ship when that happened,” Nanu said before Ry could comment.
Ry grinned. “I think you two took a similar career path to us, so don’t try to make us sound like criminals.”
Without warning, Leeam popped into sight, accompanied this time by Sheera. An air of suppressed excitement practically vibrated through them.
“We need to speak with my uncle,” Leeam said.
Sheera bounced on the balls of her feet. “It’s really important.”
“Something wrong?” Ry asked. “Something we can help with?”
“No.” Leeam said with a quick glance at Sheera.
She wrinkled her nose at him before turning back to Ry. “It’s something only Niran can help with. We’re going to our private place to communicate. It might take some time.”
“Let us know if we can help with anything,” Ellard said.
“Thanks,” Leeam replied, and secs later both blinked from sight.
“That was weird,” Lynx commented. “I hope it’s nothing serious.”
Ry stared at the spot where the couple had stood only secs ago. “They seemed excited more than anything. Any ideas, Ellard?”
The big man shook his head and dragged a ghostly right arm through his ruffled black hair, the arm a gift of appreciation from the Incorporeal people and maintained by Leeam and Sheera with their special conjuring talents. “I have my suspicions.”
“And?” his brother demanded.
Ellard made a zipping motion across his lips, and Ry guffawed at the expressions on Lynx’s and Shiloh’s faces. The shock and the surprise at the action from the man who used to be so serious. Gweneth’s work, Ry knew.
“I order you to tell me,” Shiloh said. “I have an in with the king.”
“Don’t want to know about your sex life.” Ellard held both hands up—his good one and the ghostly one, a replacement for the one he’d lost during the war with the House of Cawdor. “I have my own.”
“He’s changed,” Shiloh grumbled. “Order him to spill. You’re the king.”
Lynx made a scoffing sound. “What do you want me to do? Send him to the dungeon?”
“Yes,” Shiloh said, frowning at his brother.
“Won’t talk,” Ellard informed them. “Leeam and Sheera will tell you if they want to.”
Ry sighed, because Lynx hadn’t answered his question. He opened his mouth to repeat his query then shut it again. His feline surged beneath his skin, twitchy at the short absence from Camryn. “I’m going to check on the twins.”
Nanu frowned. “I thought you’d hired one of the young maids to babysit.”
“We did.”
“The feline girl will contact both you and Camryn if she needs aid. I heard the long list of orders you gave the poor girl,” Nanu said. “Besides, Mogens is working in his suite right next door. You know he’ll sense if there is anything wrong.”
“I suggest we go out the back for some sword play,” Lynx said. “I waited until now because, knowing Jannike, she’d want to take part. She…” He shot Shiloh a quick look.
“Jannike has become clumsy. The weight of the baby throws her off, and we don’t wish her to injure herself. She is precious to us.”
“You have trees out the back,” Nanu said. “Why don’t we check them out and see if any of them are suitable for a Christmas tree? Surprise the ladies. Score some points.”
Nanu was right. He didn’t need to check on the twins. Camryn required space and a slice of independence. His seesaw behavior would drive a wedge between them—if he hadn’t managed the job already.
* * * * *
The scent of nature and the outdoors rode on the breeze as the men tromped outdoors via a rear entrance to the castle. The two guards on the exit nodded, their gazes alert and interested.
The idea of a Christmas tree brought a sense of excitement, a sense of accomplishment since he knew Camryn would enjoy the tree. Lynx and Shiloh would score points too, if they could find a suitable tree. The decorations—no. Camryn and the others would enjoy taking care of them. Besides, it would keep them busy indoors.
Safe.
A shudder went through Ry. Damn, he had to get a grip on his emotions, his feline, before he destroyed their relationship. Camryn was protected here at the castle. Under Ellard’s tutelage, the well-trained guards ran a watchful and efficient security plan. Camryn was capable, as were the other women of his crew, even if two of them waddled due to pregnancy.
“You and Nanu are the experts. Which trees will work?” Lynx asked as they walked deeper into the manicured gardens.
Ry turned slowly, checking out the trees in the vicinity. “Maybe one of those.” He pointed at a stand of straight trees over to their right.
“No,” Nanu protested, the clack of his hair braids reinforcing his objections. “Remember the hassle we had loading the trees we picked. We want one about your height. Not much bigger or else we’ll never get it inside the castle with our tempers intact.”
Ry gave a rueful grin as he recalled Marcus’s colorful curses. “Point taken.”
“We can always call some guards to help us get a tree inside,” Lynx said. “A king perk.”
“Those king perks come in handy.” Nanu strode toward the trees Ry had indicated. “I need to get me some.”
Ry stopped before a tall, well-proportioned tree that had the correct stature and appearance. The color wasn’t bad either since the short, hairlike leaves were predominantly green with a hint of red or white on the underside. “This one looks good, although we might need the help of the guards to maneuver it inside.”
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly!�
�� Nanu yodeled. “We need tools. A saw or an ax.”
“What’s he talking about?” Lynx asked Shiloh.
“Some of Ry’s crew are strange,” Shiloh said with a sorrowful shake of head. “I can’t understand them half the time.”
Ry let the teasing insults blow over him, not biting as they expected him to. “A friendly warning. Don’t say that in front of Jannike.”
“Hell no,” Lynx said. “Do we look stupid?”
“I’ll get some tools to cut down the tree,” Ellard said and trotted off with Nanu.
Leeam and Sheera popped into sight without warning.
“Fuck a duck,” Ry said, choosing a curse from Camryn’s repertoire. “We’ve got to get some bells for you guys.”
Chapter 3
Camryn and Ry’s castle suite, Viros.
Camryn savored the warmth emanating from Ry’s big, muscular body. She cast out her feline senses. Early still. The twins weren’t awake yet or she’d know about it. Maybe she should check.
“Stay,” Ry rumbled. “Azura and Sevile will let us know once they wake.”
She lifted her head to study his expression then slowly shifted her weight until her naked body pressed against his. A burst of air hissed past his lips when their lower bodies brushed. He had an erection. She could use this quiet time to good effect.
“Do you like the tree?”
“Ry, I love the tree. We all do. It was such a great surprise.”
“I know you miss your brother and your home. I know it’s not easy being away, especially at Christmas.”
Camryn traced her fingers across his broad chest, gloried at the tremor of muscles beneath her touch. Ry was a big pussycat at heart. She needed to remember that when he did something she didn’t agree with. “It’s true I miss Max and home, but you’re my family now. You and the twins, Jannike, Gweneth, Kaya and Nanu. Mogens. Wherever you are, that’s home too.”
He held still, his gaze unblinking as it bored into hers. “I love you, Camryn.”
Everything inside her softened and she lifted her hands to cup his face. His green eyes were serious, his handsome features sober, and her heart twisted. Why wouldn’t he make love with her? Properly, instead of this heavy petting stuff.
Festive & Seduced Page 3