by Celia Kyle
“Yes,” Dawn said firmly. “There is a male in here somewhere. I can sense him. They need bees to pollinate. They don’t do it via airborne spores.”
“There was so much information in that statement I didn’t understand.” Grace laughed. “So long as you know what you’re doing, Dawn. That’s all that matters. Just tell us what to do.”
“I think I can get used to that.” Dawn smiled, sniffing one of the plant’s flowers.
“This turning the soil isn’t so bad,” Grace said, trickling some through her fingers. “I’m glad there are no bugs.”
“There will be soon.” Dawn shot Grace a hard look. “I’m going to talk to my parents today and get some soil prep. It’s tons of caterpillars, worms, beetles and about a hundred other creepy crawlies mixed in with year-old compost and degenerated manure.”
“I don’t think I want to understand what you just said.” Grace wrinkled her nose, which made Dawn laugh.
“This soil is way too clean. The room is doing much better now, even after just a few hours. It won’t fully recover though if we can’t replace the micro system.”
Grace shook her head in amazement. “Could you do all this before? When you were injured, I mean.”
Dawn nodded as she smoothed the final mounds of dirt around the plant’s base. “It would have taken me a few days. I would have known as I entered the room what was wrong but figuring out how to fix it would have taken time.” She shrugged. “It was like waiting for my mind to catch up every day.”
“We’re lucky to have you, Dawn.”
She smiled. “I’m lucky to be here.” She stood up, brushing sweaty hair from her forehead. “I think I’ll go and find Vende. We should get an early start tomorrow.”
“I agree,” Grace said. “I better hunt down my mate, too.”
“Would you like a teleport, Dawn?” Penelope cut in.
“No, not at all.” Dawn smiled toward the ceiling, the closest thing she could do to looking Penelope in the eye. “I like to walk.”
She set off confidently into the halls, knowing she was most likely going to get lost but ready to enjoy the adventure.
Chapter Twenty
The contentment Vende experienced as he walked away from his duties to find his mate dissipated quickly. He’d had Penelope transport him to the garden, only to find that Dawn wasn’t there. He was about to run into the forest when Penelope spoke up.
“She’s not in there, Vende. She just left.”
“You couldn’t have told me that before I came here?” His old irritation rose in him like a grumpy old friend.
“She just left, okay? I asked to teleport her, and she said no. I was teleporting you at that exact time.”
Vende paused a moment to think that through. “You were talking to both of us at once?”
“Sometimes I talk to ten people at once while also holding us on course and monitoring vital systems. I’m an AI, not a wobbly physical brain.”
Vende sighed, trying to keep hold of his newly found calm. “Where is she, Penelope?”
The AI went quiet for a moment. Vende waited. “Ah… I don’t know.”
“Excuse me?” Vende literally couldn’t believe his ears.
“She left here. She took the left passage. She said she wanted to walk… Where the fuck is she?”
The disembodied voice wound down and Vende knew she was checking every security camera in the ship. He left the garden, taking the left passage. The way was deserted, this hallway only leading to storage areas. This path around the ship’s outer edges and eventually doubled back toward the kitchens. It was a damn long walk.
“Anything, Penelope?”
“There aren’t many cameras down here. I can’t detect her heat signature.” Penelope actually sounded a little flustered.
“Is she even on the ship?” Vende was getting frantic.
“Probably,” Penelope answered sheepishly. “I mean, I didn’t teleport her anywhere.”
“Fuck!”
Even though Vende was finally using human slang instinctively, this was not the time to point it out. It was amazing how much the Knowing gave him, as if part of Dawn’s mind had moved in with his. He focused on that sensation, hoping to connect with her.
“She hasn’t been through the docks, Vende. I’m sure of that. She has to be on the ship.”
Vende nodded, feeling the warm, bright presence of his mate in his heart. “She’s here,” he said confidently, “and she’s okay. I’m just not sure where she is.”
“Thanks, Vende,” Penelope said dryly. “I think I figured out that part.”
Vende took deep breaths, calming himself. He stretched his wings and let them fall down against his back, feeling the tension ease in his lower back. When he resumed his trek down the hall, he was far more relaxed.
“How can you lose a person?” Vende muttered. “Isn’t that one of your most important jobs?”
“Yes. But back before I came along, it would have been your job,” she shot back. “Go on, go to engineering and take a look over the equipment for yourself. It would take you days to go through bio data, to look at every video frame, to analyze heat signatures—”
“Okay, okay,” he muttered. “I understand.”
“I really don’t think you do, Vende. Before I came along you only scratched the surface of this ship. You improved upon it or repaired it a piece at a time, thinking of it as a large system that worked as one toward a purpose. Much of it was hidden from you. I am in every single one of those hidden places as well as in the main system.”
Vende sighed. “Not the best time for a lecture.”
“I’m just explaining my boundaries.”
“You are a machine, Penelope, so I hesitate to ask this. But are you upset you lost Dawn?”
Vende knew he would never have been able to ask this question a few days ago. He had truly accepted Penelope as a sentient being. She may not have the five—or more—physical senses as a biological life form, but she had senses that were unique to her. That was a kind of mindfulness, and it suggested Penelope was far more than simply a computer running lines of code.
Penelope said nothing. Instead of feeling adversarial toward her, he actually felt bad. Penelope was distressed at losing Dawn.
Vende broke into a jog, the anxiety in him starting to reach panic level. “Have you tried hailing her on the intercom?”
“I’ll do it now,” Penelope answered. Her voice echoed through the speakers around the ship, looking for Dawn and anyone who might have seen her while requesting that Dawn go to the nearest common area to report.
“Penelope,” Vende muttered.
“What now?”
“Dawn won’t have a clue where the nearest common room is.”
“Fuck.”
“Indeed.” Vende jogged around the corner, seeing nothing but the pale, smooth walls and empty hallways. No one was around. Why would they be? It was a storage facility, and no one needed to go there regularly.
“I’ve got a heat signature, Vende!” Penelope cried. “Ahead, around the next bend at the crossway.”
Vende jogged a bit faster, his heart pounding. As he rounded the corner, he was surprised by his own anxiety. He knew if his dragon didn’t see her soon, it would tear a hole in the side of the ship. When she came into view, beaming and waving, he crossed the space in seconds, opening his arms. She jumped eagerly into them, pressing their bodies together as she kissed him.
Vende held her tightly, trying to control himself. He had been so frantic he wouldn’t find her and now she was in his arms, breasts pushed against his chest, warm belly pressing against his own, delicate fingers at the back of his neck…
He bent his head and took a deep breath, not ready for the warm scent of her that filled his nostrils. The dragon in him growled, full of desire but calmed by the heat of her and by knowing she was safe.
She kissed him again and Vende struggled to maintain his light hold on her hips. He wanted to ravish her, right there and th
en. He had not claimed her physically, even though the Knowing bound them. His dragon would not be still until their scents were permanently mingled by exchanging fluids.
The cruder description of that flooded Vende’s brain and made his knees weak. His mind was full of sweaty skin and hot bodies writhing against each other. He let Dawn go and took a few steps back.
“Good man, Vende,” Penelope congratulated him.
“Shut up.” He sighed, his hands twitching as he fought for control. Dawn watched him, her face falling a little.
“I’m so sorry I’m not ready, Vende.” She appeared so sad that he couldn’t stand it, but he also couldn’t stand to touch her again.
Instead he knelt, extending his wings behind him. “I am at your service, my lady. Never forget that and never apologize. Your happiness is mine and I will endure anything to ensure your safety.”
“Okay.” She sighed. Vende knew she still felt badly, but he just couldn’t touch her. The casual way she explored his body drove him completely mad, more than if she had been experienced and caressed him with purpose.
“Forget about that for a while then.” Dawn smiled, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m starving.”
Vende suddenly remembered his surprise, which had been forgotten in the excitement. He breathed a sigh of relief that they had a distraction planned, at least for the next few hours.
“I’ve asked Penelope to organize a special dinner for you.” Vende lowered his head, staying on his knees. “I hope it meets your expectations.”
“Vende, get up, please. I’m not a queen.”
Vende rose, touching her lightly on the cheek but not trusting himself further. “You are my queen.”
“You make me feel like a queen,” she whispered. Vende’s dragon could be content with that for now. If his mate felt like the most important woman in the world, his work was well done.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dawn found the stroll back to Vende’s quarters slightly awkward. She kept reaching out for his hand and then sneaking it back to her side, scared to touch him.
Having her brain suddenly expanded by the Knowing didn’t wash away a lifetime of celibacy. She was no fool when it came to looking after her body or keeping it healthy. She had heard of sex and had seen the odd scene in a movie, but she never had any urge to understand it further.
She had seen other girls go on dates, but her parents had forbidden her to start a relationship, even if it was a casual one. She was asked out a few times in school but had found it easy to decline the invitations. She never had enough imagination to think about what she was missing.
Her reluctance to find out more about sex was rooted deeply in her mother’s reaction to Dawn dating. She remembered how her mom’s face had twisted when she tried to explain about boys. They would tell you things that weren’t true just to get “into your pants” and then they would never talk to you again. Dawn found this horrifying.
For most of her life the thought of anyone’s hands on her filled her with disgust. Leaving school was a relief in that sense. Even though she had hoped to go on for further studies, leaving the stress of social situations was welcome. Though she couldn’t ignore relationships forever, even if she had been determined to try.
She peered at Vende’s profile as they headed toward his rooms, admiring the dramatic features of his face and his stormy dark hair. She found him very beautiful and decided she could look at him for the rest of her life and never get bored. She loved looking at him but the sensations that grew inside her frightened her.
The internal heat she had begun to discover made her weak. When she was affected by it, she wanted to tear her clothes off and ravish Vende with her mouth and hands, even if she had no idea where to start. She knew if she were to appear that receptive, Vende would more than likely take her, and that caused a frantic stirring deep between her legs. The thought of him possessing her was too frightening. Her body had belonged to her alone for such a very long time and her aversion to being used still remained, even though she knew Vende would never abandon her once they’d made love.
She wondered if she could ask to explore him, just a piece at a time. If she could run her hands over his body and become familiar with it, she might be more likely to let him explore her own. Would touching and kissing be too much? Would it be cruel to Vende to ask him to control himself? She knew so little about men and sex that she truly had no idea.
They reached Vende’s quarters and he took her proudly to the table. She was enchanted by his slightly bashful smile and his obvious desire to please her.
“What have we here?” She took her seat at the table.
“Penelope called it ‘scaloppini,’ I believe.”
Dawn cocked her head, waiting for Penelope to reply. She didn’t.
“Oh, I have asked her to step out for a while,” Vende explained. “She can be quite reasonable when it comes to alone time. Depending on her mood, of course.”
“Okay.” Dawn looked over her plate with interest. “I’ve never had this before. Let’s try some.” She hesitantly brought a forkful of thick sauce to her mouth.
When she started chewing, her throat closed, and she barely managed to get the mouthful into a napkin instead of spitting it across the room.
“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically. “I guess I just don’t like seafood.”
“See food?” he asked, looking at his bowl.
“These come from the ocean, the sea. That’s why it’s called seafood.”
“Oh, seafood! I understand. I have a few other plates. I ordered four ‘courses,’ which Penelope said was usual for a dinner party.”
“I hope there’s no more seafood.” Dawn grinned.
Vende removed the scaloppini and brought over two big plates of steak and fries. Dawn grabbed her fork and dug in.
“This is the stuff!” she said enthusiastically. “Back on our farm, where I lived when I was growing up, we used to slaughter the cows onsite and make fries from fresh potatoes.” She sighed with pleasure as she took a bite of the food.
“My cousins manage the place now while my family attends the shop and greenhouse,” she explained between mouthfuls. “We should visit sometime.”
“Assuredly. You must show me how to slay this beast. It is delicious.”
Dawn giggled. “I didn’t do it myself, silly. My father or brothers would do that part. Cows are pretty quiet animals. Hunting them isn’t a challenge.”
“Fascinating.” Vende examined each mouthful before eating it.
“You can make lots of things out of cows. It’s really simple, but I absolutely love Bolognese sauce. I can teach you to make it.”
“Obtaining the materials will be my next task.” Vende nodded. “I will go to any lengths required to find them.”
“It’s okay, Vende.” Dawn giggled. “Any market will have it.”
“Is there anything else you like?”
“There’s this brand of ice cream that has hazelnut pieces. That stuff will keep me happy for decades.”
“It shall be done,” Vende said, finishing his steak. “I must obtain more slices of this ‘cow’ meat. It is delicious as well as full of protein. The dragon in me is most pleased.”
Dawn looked away, not really wanting to talk about Vende’s dragon. She wanted to see it and discover it, but she knew if it came out, there would be a raw power she might not be able to handle.
Vende brought over another couple of plates, one with biscuits and cheese and the other with chocolate cake. Dawn enjoyed both, and Vende approved of the cheese but fell head over heels for cake.
“Well.” Dawn sighed. “Thank you for a lovely dinner, Vende. I’m still all filthy from working in the garden. Do you mind if I head straight for the bath?”
“Of course. Use the facilities as if they are your own. These are your quarters, too.”
“You don’t mind cleaning up after dinner?”
“Not at all.”
Dawn headed for the bathr
oom, turning on the hot water to fill the huge tub. She took off the blue robe Lana had given her when her own clothes were incinerated and went through a pile of clothes that had been left across an armchair for her. She was amazed by the efficiency of the ship. That anything she needed to make herself comfortable had been provided in such a short time.
Mostly nude except for a towel wrapped loosely around her, Dawn didn’t pay much attention to her nakedness. She had been shy her whole life, this being tied into all of her repression. Even though she wasn’t ready to have sex with Vende, she didn’t feel self-conscious at all, and she didn’t know enough about men to understand this might be painful for him.
She knew he watched her closely and she didn’t mind, confident with her body for the first time. If Vende loved her body so much he couldn’t stop looking at it, surely, he would take good care of her. She wanted to trust him, to just fall into his embrace and let him worship her. Only the tiniest threads of her conditioning prevented her from letting go.
After her bath she found a clean robe and headed over to Vende where he sat on the bed. She was feeling very relaxed now, though her muscles were still tired from the long day. She couldn’t get enough of the way Vende looked at her.
She had never been appreciated like this before. Her heart seemed to grow as she realized she was the most important person in the world to Vende, and it wasn’t because she was a mess he had to clean up. It was because he adored her, all of her. No matter what she did or how she changed, he would always love her, just for being herself.
It was almost too great of a gift to comprehend.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The sight of her getting out of the bath captivated Vende. He couldn’t focus on her all at once. His eyes were drawn to the curve of her legs, the soft bounce of her breasts. Her short hair was ruffled by the towel, making a glittering halo around her head. When she turned to look at him, her soft blue eyes drew him in as they had since he first looked into them.
She slipped a green nightgown over her shoulders, the dark color setting off her pale skin dramatically. The very slender straps caressed her shoulders, and for some reason, Vende found this more fascinating than when they were bare.