by Grace, Viola
Zaber flexed his wings in the confines of the machine. “So, what you are telling me is that the Athon government, my government is not going to accept any heir I can create with Shan.”
“It is early days yet, but they want you to take three concubines from good Athon families.”
Zaber’s wings flexed hard. He was furious. “No. I don’t fucking care what they want. I am not going to take a cringing maiden to my bed. I will not accept women kidnapped, and I will not accept that my touching them will render them unable to have normal families of their own.”
Thander looked at the flickering readout for how hard Zaber was pulling. “Ease up, buddy. You know they want a nice Athon baby to carry on the family line.”
“Tough. I don’t even carry the family name. Why would I care about a man who didn’t follow up with his lover after a week of cohabiting? He might have been a great warrior, but when it came to children, he was an ass.”
Thander shook his head. “Your father’s legacy is far less important than yours.”
“My legacy will be a child whose mother I chose and who chose me in return. I am not going to accept a line of women proffered by the higher-ups.” He extracted himself from the unit. “I want a family and what that entails. Respect and laughter and being there for each other.”
The rest of the men up at that hour were working hard on keeping their battle-ready bodies. Out of respect, they had given Zaber and Thander some privacy by lack of proximity.
“Why are you so hung up on that?” Thander asked.
“I had that when I was with my mother and her extended family.” Zaber rubbed his neck with a towel. “It was a feeling of calm and serenity with flashes of wild concern. I miss that.”
“So, you think Lady Shan has what you are looking for?”
Zaber closed his eyes and scrubbed his face. “I don’t know. I do know that she has the will and capacity to offer herself freely. That is not something that any other woman on Athon has ever had.”
Thander scowled. “But... she’s so tall!”
He grinned. “Which means we can easily couple standing up, bent over any number of positions that would normally be havoc on the lower back. I am not getting younger.”
Thander paused. “Multiple positions? Last night?”
“I am fairly sure one or two was this morning, but yes.” Zaber fitted himself into the next machine.
“She was able to have sex multiple times?” Thander was getting that clear.
“Yes. Each time was better than the one before it, but the frenzy had burned into a slow ride, so it felt more right with every connection.” He pulled down, and the machine started recording his straining.
“So, Kaduran women...”
“They aren’t afraid of going after what they want. I am exceedingly fortunate that Shan wanted me. I hope she continues to want me, but that is something we need to discuss.” He continued to exercise until he got an uneasy feeling in his gut.
“I have to go.”
Thander paused. “Why? If you are worried about your lady, we are in the highest security building on Athon.”
He ignored his friend and headed to the exterior access. When he flew up to his room, he found what he knew he would. His quarters were empty.
To his astonishment, there was a note written on the Athon military stationary.
Dear Zaber,
Last night was lovely, and I would like to try that again... soon.
I have wedding errands to run with Tya today and will be in contact shortly. Or, if you have time to kill, you are welcome to join us. Your men have Tya’s address, and I am sure they can find me again. Or you can. Just follow your instincts. Your crystal might be gone, but I walked in your mind, and you walked in mine.
Thank you again,
Shan
He looked at the page a few times before folding it up neatly. The smile on his face lasted throughout his shower and while he dressed in his uniform. She wanted to see him again.
Chapter Six
Tya’s father stared at her as she walked into the house. “Lady Shan. You are back!”
“I am.” Now was the point that she found out where she was staying. “Where is Tya?”
“She is in her room. She has been inconsolable since you were taken. She loves you very much.”
Shan asked calmly. “Do you have any objection to my remaining here? Should I seek other accommodation?”
He paused. “A woman of your nature is not normally invited into a family home.”
Shan gave him a bland look. “This has been my nature since you first met me. I am not Athon, and I do not hold to your traditions. My body demands full involvement, physical, emotional, social, and sexual. There are few enough people for me to engage in the sexual pursuit with, but there happens to be one on this world.”
Tya’s father changed colour a few times, and Shan held her hand up. “It’s fine. I will just head to my estate. I had them prepare it before I arrived. I am, however, insisting on carrying out my duties as witness for the bride. Are we understood?”
Her father blinked and bowed. “I regret that my upbringing makes this difficult.”
“It’s fine. I expected nothing less. I am simply delighted that the women taken last night were all returned in a timely manner.”
Tya came out, and her eyes were red. “You put yourself in their place, didn’t you?”
Shan smiled. “We had this discussion earlier. General Zaber is a charming man with a lovely manner. It is the government that is pushing for him to provide a genetic heir. They are snagging any women that match his profile. I just got into line first.”
Tya ran to her and hugged her. Smashed against her, she murmured, “Did you have fun?”
Shan laughed. “Of course, I did. I would have been back close to midnight if I found it uneventful.”
“Can we still go out today?”
“Sure. I just have to move my stuff to my place. Social mores are cramping my style.”
Tya sighed against her shoulder. “This sucks. I have Kaduran impulses in an Athon body.”
“How does your fiancé feel about that?”
She chuckled. “He is good with it as long as his family doesn’t find out.”
“His family has its own issues. Let me give you some ammunition while we go out and collect a few more of the gifts and order the food.”
Tya gave her a final squeeze. “Can I see your house?”
“Of course. We will drop my stuff off first, and then, we can attack the final bits and pieces, including your trousseau. Do you have a new place to live already?”
Tya smiled. “We will talk while we travel. Dad, can we use the vehicle?”
He blinked and frowned, obviously looking for a reason to say no. “Um, yes?”
Tya skipped over to him. “Then, I will forgive you for kicking Shan out. Now, let’s get you packed, and I will be in my robes. Today is going to be one bright steppingstone on the way to my future with Prolan.”
Shan looked at Tya’s father and nodded. “Let’s get me out of here.”
They got moving and were out of the house in twenty minutes. Tya was behind the wheel, dressed in her robes and grinning like a fool. “Well, it wasn’t what we expected to happen, but you did get kicked out.”
Shan chuckled. “When we discussed the possibility, I thought I was going to get kicked out because I said something suggestive to the in-laws.”
“Right, so what can I use against the Alloways?”
She explained about Prolan’s brother and his over-enthusiasm for his time in space.
Tya nodded. “I will keep that in mind.”
“I can give you the name of two of his coworkers and two of the pilots that he worked with if you ever need to spank them.”
“I am definitely going to keep that file.” Tya chuckled. “So, you said to go through the west gate. Where am I going from here?”
“Akura Forest.”
Tya sighed. “That is a lovely area. I wanted to have the wedding there, but there are no availabilities for the ceremony grounds.”
“Seriously? You wanted your wedding there?”
“Yeah. It is lovely, and they make sure to keep a constant round of flowers blooming so even brides a week apart have a different experience.”
“It takes a bit of planning, but it is fun when you get it right.”
They drove on for twenty minutes, and then, Shan said, “On the right. Pull up to the biometric scanner.”
She lowered the window and looked at the panel. A scanner swept over her, and the door opened for them to drive up.
Tya blinked. “This. This is your house?”
“No. This is the driveway.” She grinned.
Tya pulled up next to a sweeping stairway that led up to the main house. Shan stepped out of the vehicle and took her bags out of the back. She whistled and started up the steps, holding her robes up and out of the way. Tya stumbled until she got the hang of it.
The house opened to her biometrics, and the main doors swung open in greeting.
Her small staff of chef, maid, and butler were waiting, and they nodded respectfully as Shan entered the room.
“Lady Shan, it is good to see you again. We stand by to await your order.”
She smiled and handed off her bags. “When you return, I have a request to make of you all.”
The chef looked intrigued, the maid was nervous, and the butler put her bags aside, and then, they all mustered up.
“Cotic, Maka, and Isomber, this is my friend Tya. This weekend is her wedding, and I have just learned that she has dreamed of having the ceremony in Akura Forest. Since the ceremony grounds are busy, I thought I would offer my home, but it would depend on you. I will not burden you if you don’t think you can come up with a ceremony menu for about three hundred with a fifty-person high table.”
Cotic asked, “What is the budget?”
“Unlimited. You can all hire assistants and bring in whomever you wish as long as they pass the security protocols.”
Tya was staring. “You are kidding.”
“I am not. For flowers, I have an arbor and a tunnel of blooming wildflowers. I think that we can tour the grounds and find the right place for the event.”
Isomber asked, “What is the theme?”
Tya smiled. “Comfortable and elegant.”
“Excellent.” He nodded. “I will bring up some schemes for it in an hour or two.”
Tya looked dazed. “I can have my wedding here?”
“Yes. Parking will be an issue.”
Isomber straightened. “I will make arrangements to have them brought in with shuttles. Spillover parking from the park can be used for this event.”
“I will leave you to it. Budget is open. I will take Tya to the gardens, and we will look for the site for the ceremony.”
To Tya’s visible surprise, Shan took off her outer robe and handed it to Isomber. Tya did the same with a furrowed brow.
With her friend next to her, she walked through the house and out onto the back patio. She looked out and put her hand on the banister, leading Tya down.
“This... this is your house?”
“Yes. I bought it when I was fifteen, and it was built before I came to visit you three years later.” She smiled. “I have visited once or twice in the last ten years but not for long. Just for business and then I was off again.”
Tya’s eyes were wide, and she was looking around in shock. “This is amazing. Oh, Shan. Thank you for offering this as the place of my ceremony.”
“It’s fine. I am glad for folk to get use out of it. Various charitable organizations have use of the property throughout the year. There is a group of rejected that spend every summer here.”
Tya paused. “The rejected?”
“Yeah. You know. The children on Athon born out of a wedded pair.” Shan smiled. “I also set up scholarships for them to learn trades and even get them apprenticeships on starships if they want to leave Athon behind.” Shan smiled. “Just like my parents did for me.”
Her friend squealed and ran to the archway of flowers. “This is gorgeous.”
“Thank you. It took a lot of planning. I work on all the designs here before they are allowed to appear in front of those who are wedding.”
“Why?”
“Because this is my property, and I want things represented well.”
“Well, yes, but this is a national park.”
Shan smiled. “Who told you that? This entire forest is private property. It was bought by my aunt and gifted to me when I was an infant.”
Tya looked at her. “This is hundreds of kilometers square.”
“Yes, and very nice for wildlife and oxygen production.” Shan was about to explain about protecting the water table from the city, but she was distracted. There was a pressure on her mind, and she looked up in time to see a figure descending from the sky.
Her pulse hummed into overdrive, the urge to defend herself mixed with the recognition of the figure who was rapidly descending.
When he landed a few feet away from her, she walked up to him. “Hello, Zaber.”
She kissed him, and he held her tight, his fingertips digging in to hold her hips to his.
She wrapped her arms around him and ruffled the black feathers in his wings.
Her mouth felt swollen when he lifted his head, and he smiled. “Hello, Shan.”
Tya was standing nearby. “General Zaber. Good morning.”
He looked over at her but did not let go of Shan. “Good morning, Miss Tya.”
Shan looked at her friend and then back at Zaber. “I think I would like to invite you inside for some tea.”
He gave her a heavy-lidded look. “I don’t want tea. I want you.”
She scowled. “That is tough. This week is about Tya’s wedding, and I am not going to let you or any of the troops they are sending out to gather up women get in my way.”
Tya cleared her throat. “It is only a few more days, General. Shan is attached to you. I think if you ask, she will be more than willing to have you with us during our errands, and she will come to your bed at night.”
Shan chuckled. “She is not wrong, but I came here to see Tya to the altar, and that is where I shall see her.”
Zaber looked around. “Where are we?”
Tya smirked and covered her mouth with her hand. “Shan’s house, in the Akura Forest. How could you not know that?”
Shan smiled. “He tracked me.” She reached up and stroked the scar on his forehead. He closed his eyes with a smile while she caressed him. Shan pulled her hand down, and she smiled at him. “I will answer what I can over tea.”
She unwound his arms with a bit of effort, took his hand, and walked back toward the house. “Tya, if you want to look for the perfect spot for your ceremony, feel free.”
“Thanks. I will give you guys some time.”
Shan waved at her, and she hauled Zaber into the house where they could have a calm conversation with their clothes on.
Chapter Seven
“How can you have a house in the national forest?”
Isomber smiled, took her request for tea, and left them alone.
“It isn’t the national forest. I know that the government is advertising it as such, but it is privately owned.”
“By whom?”
“Me. I have the deed and all the clearances. This area was an empty wasteland when I was born, and my family planted the trees based on research into what had been here before the city was built.”
“This is the Akura Forest.”
“My first name is Akura. The forest is named after me.” She smiled. “In full declaration, my name is Akura Shan Dekker. It means the flower that blooms in battle.”
“In Ancient Kaduran?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “Apparently, I punched one of my grandpa
rents in the face on the day I was born. The eyes and hair spurred the rest of the name.”
She was using the most polite translation of her name. Flower of death didn’t sound as nice.
“My parents live on Kadura. My father accepted that they would only ever have the one child, so they taught me to survive in every situation they could come up with. I received gifts when I was born, inherited from every branch of my family, and own corporations on two dozen worlds.” She smiled slightly. “I am ready to start my family, to bear my heir, and if my partner remains with me, perhaps another.”
Zaber blinked and then slowly smiled.
Isomber silently placed a tray on a table nearby. He fixed Shan’s the way she liked it and handed it over.
She took the cup and saucer with a smile and a nod.
Zaber shook his head. “I will serve myself.”
Isomber nodded, and he left, his grey wings snugged tight to his back.
She sipped at the tea and continued. “I am a Zeffer Kaduran. My skin gives off toxins to varying degrees. The odds of me finding a mate are dwindling with every passing year.”
“How old are you?”
His question was bold.
She grinned. “Twenty-eight. Two years younger than Tya. My estimated fertility years span in the decades right now.”
“I am more intrigued by the fact that you are boldly inviting me to be your breeding partner.”
Shan shrugged and sipped her tea. “All we can do is try. If our bodies, our chemistry, and our genetics are compatible, then we might get lucky.”
“I am more than willing to keep trying. That was... memorable.”
She grinned. “I am definitely interested in a rematch. So, what do you need from me?”
“You. I simply need you.” He caressed her cheek.
“Very nice, but be practical. If I had my way, I would be astride you right now, but instead, I opted for tea.” She smiled. “It occupies both hands.”
“You have that kind of self-control?”
“I am on a mission to get Tya safely married. I like her fiancé and distrust his brother. Tomorrow, Tya is coming here for a day of pampering. The rest of the duties will now be distributed through my staff. So, my days are busy and my evenings are free. I can come to you, or you can come to me, but I will leave in the morning.” She sipped at her tea. “After the ceremony, I can remain with you all day, all night. Well, if necessary.”