by Viola Grace
She sat at the table, and Tohba got her something that passed for coffee and a hot breakfast. “First, what time is it?”
Tber sat across from her. “Four in the morning. Dawn is coming.”
She nodded. “Etska has made it official and filed a claim to me.”
The guys’ shoulders slumped.
“However, I am purchasing a few things for you guys from the new bond I am now in. My old bond is cleared, so I have funds to spend now.” She looked at Tohba. “Your wife and child will be brought over, and you will receive a chunk of contract land and a home.” She looked at the other two. “You two will share a large parcel of land with two homes on it since you spend so much time together but might occasionally find a lady who finds you charming.”
Her team thudded into their chairs.
“Oh, and all bonds paid if there are any outstanding.”
Tohba shook his head. “You shouldn’t spend all your credits on us.”
“Oh, you have no idea how expensive I am. I am not going to be broke after that.” She grimaced.
Hivr frowned. “If you are his now, why are you here?”
She snorted. “Because Administrator Kel didn’t really pay attention to the brief. My guess is that he was supposed to collect me after I woke up, but he didn’t bring clothing or shoes or take me to the overseer’s quarters. He brought me to the last recorded residence.”
Tohba winced. “Is he going to be in trouble?”
“No, but he might sweat a little.” She chuckled and worked at her breakfast. “Damn, I was hungry.”
Tohba chuckled. “I could tell. Your eyes looked hollow.”
She smiled. “Thanks. Glad you were paying attention.”
Hivr looked at her and cocked his head. “Is your scar faded? It is less noticeable.”
She touched it, and the raised ridges had flattened somewhat. “They pulled the venom from my system. It had been most prevalent in my scar, so yeah, I guess that is what is going on.”
Tohba chuckled. “It looks good. Even fatigued, you look better. Less grey. Grey looks amazing on me but not on you.”
Tber looked at her and smiled. “So, how was the volcano?”
She regaled them with the tale of her narrow escape and her flight along the coast. She paused. “Damn, they are going to bill me for the rider and the sensor.”
The group laughed, and they sat around while morning came, discussing close calls on their missions and the days that they had raked in bonuses. The day that Athena had bitten into a saponification plant was particularly one that elicited laughter. Her tendency to chew the plants to determine the makeup of them was one that had had her rinsing her mouth for hours. She still shuddered at the memory of trying to talk and blowing bubbles.
They laughed, and then, the guys got ready to get to work.
She smiled. “I am going to take in the market. I don’t have much time on my own left, and I want to enjoy it.”
Tber looked at her with a surprisingly sombre expression. “I am sorry that you didn’t get a chance to follow your path.”
She reached out and patted his hand. “It’s okay. My path just took a detour.”
Hivr asked, “Do you think you will return to your path?”
She looked at them and smiled. “I think I will have to make a new destination. It’s fine. I can manage it.”
They left the bunkhouse, and they headed for the warehouse while she went to raid the dawn market. There was a lot of really good fruit on Hyrnan, and the market was the only place to get it.
She waved at a few of the vendors and got some fruit and a hot juice, taking her loot to one of the tables set up at the far end of the market. She sat and looked at the slice of the colony that she could see. Vehicles were starting up. Foraging teams were heading out, and the farming units were trundling down the reinforced pathways.
She sipped at the hot juice and worked her thumb under the rind of the red fruit that she and her team had brought in during their first week together. It was sectioned like an orange, but the colour was almost purple. The flavour was somewhere in a cross between a blueberry and strawberry.
Athena sighed and was unsurprised to hear the heavy beat of wings behind her.
“This is not how I was hoping to spend my morning, Athena Fox.”
She shrugged. “I had been planning to be out with my team, so we are both disappointed, my lord.”
He joined her on the bench at the table, and she offered him a piece of the fruit. He leaned his head forward and took it with his teeth, his lips grazing her fingertips.
He nodded. “One of the new fruits. It’s good.”
She ate another slice and sighed. “Nothing is quite the same as the first time.”
He chuckled. “We will see.”
She choked, and he rubbed her back. She hadn’t been put in her place in a while. That did it.
Chapter Four
She finished with the fruit and was going to wipe her hand on her coverall when he grabbed her wrist and brought her hand to his mouth. He licked at her skin carefully. It was like he was analyzing each digit for a different flavour.
The stroking of his tongue against her held her attention. When he had disposed of all traces of the juice, he released her with a smile. It turned into a grin when it took her a supreme effort to focus on the world around her again. She dragged in a deep breath and carefully got up to dispose of the cup she had been drinking from. It went to the composting station, and Etska followed her.
“Are you ready to go?”
She frowned. “I was just getting the hang of this place.”
“Well, it is a good thing that I have no intention of leaving it for a century then. I like to remain on the surface of the newly worked worlds. I leave travel to others.”
Athena was startled. “We are staying here? On Hyrnan?”
He grinned. “I am, so are you.”
“Oh. Okay.” She frowned. “So, what happens next?”
“I take you to my home, you are properly outfitted according to your station, and then, we will go about the day-to-day details of the colony in the office. We will take meetings and do what I do every day when I am on the surface. We will shape this world.” With the last words, he wrapped his arms around her, and his wings started beating. He bent his knees, and they launched skyward as he lazily flew over the colony with his prize.
Athena braced herself. She was going to be shown off a lot. The Hmrain sought bonded companions out of more than lust. They consumed the extra sexual energy that specific women gave off. Athena happened to be one of those women. One of four suitable humans out of about a million so far. Lucky me.
She wasn’t sulking, but she was practical about it. This was what happened when she chose survival first and asked questions later. Who was she kidding? She hadn’t asked any questions.
When he flew them past the colony, she was surprised, but as they passed through a privacy screen, she saw the expansive structure with manicured gardens surrounding it. It looked like a movie star mansion with wide balconies on every level—landing and takeoff areas.
“This isn’t on the colony schematics.”
He chuckled as his wings flapped for a soft landing. A staff member of the same species as Tber and Hivr came out. “Overseer, I see you have your new acquisition. Shall I send her for processing?”
“Tolr, this is Athena Fox, my registered companion. You are to address her as my lady and treat her with the deference you show me. Are we clear?”
She was set on her feet, but Etska kept his hands on her shoulders. She kept her face neutral. “You may call me Theena if that is easier.”
Tolr blinked and nodded. “Yes, my lady.”
The green man scowled slightly, and she knew that he had been the highest-ranking member of the household until that moment. Ouch.
“She will need a proper wardrobe. Her current garb is functional but not particularly attrac
tive.”
“I will arrange it, my lord.” Tolr nodded.
“Good. Is there anything on the schedule?”
“You are due at the research lab this afternoon to go over the new results, but that is all.”
Etska’s fingers curled on her shoulders. “Good. It will allow me to get acquainted with the newest member of this household.”
Tolr took the dismissal for what it was. “I will keep you apprised if I can find a seamstress.”
Athena said, “I can design something in the extruder if I have to.”
Tolr looked appalled. “I will find someone.” He bowed and left.
Athena sighed. “He isn’t a fan of mine.”
“He has been head of the household for years, on three different worlds, including this one.” He slid his hands off her shoulders and stepped to the side, offering his palm. “I will give you a tour of our quarters, and if you have energy after that, we will tour my home on Hyrnan.”
She shivered and put her hand in his. “Yes, my lord.”
She could feel his smile rather than see it. He walked them into the building, and the drop in light wasn’t as dramatic as she thought it would be. The walls of the upper floor were made of windows.
“So, Athena, this is where you will sleep, here is a beverage station, a snack station, I do ask that we spend major meals together. I authorize you to disturb me whenever you are hungry or have other needs.”
Athena blinked at that reference. “Oh. Um. Right.”
“You are aware of what I need you for?”
She blushed and looked out the window, not at the bed. “Something regarding sex.”
“In a roundabout way. I will consume your pleasure. It creates a brainwave that my people are designed to use as a source of energy, and it increases our intellect and strength. To find a true companion is the goal of every Hmrain. We were designed that way.”
She swallowed. “Oh. Wait, designed?” She turned her head and looked at him.
He grinned. “You do not think there is a natural species like this? We are strong, fast, intelligent, immortal, and we all fly. We are immune to poisons and are very good at shepherding societies along.”
“Immortal? How many companions do you go through?”
He sighed and kissed her. “Enough of this for the day. I wish to increase contact.”
She squeaked in surprise as he bent to press his lips to hers, but the taste of him slowly blurred the surprise into anticipation. They were standing in the centre of the room, he was looming over her, and he had just told her he was built instead of born. She should be freaking out, but leaning up toward him and pressing her hand to his chest seemed a better idea.
His lips curved as he pressed his hand over hers. His tongue thrust into her mouth, and she paused and then reciprocated. There was something strange passing between them. His free hand moved down her back and pressed her hips toward him until she was straddling his thigh. The seam of her coveralls wasn’t built for resistance; it was built to remain intact no matter the stressor. He stressed the seam of her coveralls by pressing her rhythmically against his thigh.
At first, she was surprised by the move she associated with heavy petting, but his wide hand on her back kept her rubbing against him, and the last year and a half of abstinence hit the wall. Her body jerked, and she gasped in surprise as she shivered against him, her lower body throbbing as he continued to rock her in rhythm. She moaned into his mouth, and he eased the pressure on her back, holding her to him, but it was her limp body that was creating the contact.
He licked softly at her mouth and then raised his head. He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. “A delightful start.”
Delightful was not how she would have phrased it. The difference in their bodies was greater than she had imagined. He should have been complaining about the crick in his neck or lifted her onto something taller, but instead, he had leaned over until he should have been dizzy, at the very least, but he seemed incredibly cheerful about something.
He held her close as she eased off him; the irritation left by the seam of her coveralls was definitely annoying. She was still catching her breath when he brushed his lips across her forehead. “That felt wonderful, Athena.”
She shuddered and tried to remove her hand from his chest. He wasn’t letting it move. “Um, glad you enjoyed it, my lord.”
He smiled. “It seems that you were given the etiquette classes that are required of your station.”
“All administration candidates are given basic etiquette. Whether we choose to use those lessons is our business.” She shrugged.
“So, if I ask you to address me by name?”
She couldn’t meet his direct gaze. “Not until we are better acquainted.”
She was going to try and break his grip by stepping away, but an aftershock pulsed through her. Athena’s knees wobbled, and he chuckled.
“It is good to know that your body continues on. Some species lose arousal immediately.”
Athena sighed. “We can maintain it for a very long time, both pre and post, but it varies from person to person.”
Etska chuckled. “Good to know. I look forward to determining your tolerances.”
She shivered. His heart still had the same slow and steady beat as it had had the moment she touched him. “May I please have my hand back, my lord?”
He looked down as if surprised that he still had custody. “I like your touch.”
Athena blinked at the genuine emotion in his face. She had nothing to say. She was out of her depth. Athena was stuck in a situation that she had been desperately trying to avoid. Where she was going from here was not under her control. She didn’t have a plan, and that unsettled her more than being at Etska’s disposal. She needed a plan.
She leaned away and got her hand back. “How does it work now? My bond, I mean.”
He nodded, the white cascade of his hair flowed over his shoulder. “It is a fair question. You are bonded to my planet, and therefore, I was able to negotiate your bond with the overseer of the colony.” He smiled. “It was a tough negotiation, but after a few minutes, he gave in and agreed to surrender you in return for an additional five thousand of your species to be brought here, trained, and housed.”
Athena blinked. “Five thousand?”
He chuckled. “He started bartering at fifteen. Is five thousand not enough? We don’t have the facilities for more set up yet. The housing for those five thousand is within our current manufacturing technology and supply capability, so that is what we agreed upon.”
She smiled. “You negotiated with yourself?”
“I did. I was very tough but fair. Your contract is your cooperation in return for the funds and the starting population for Hyrnan coming from your shattered world.”
Athena’s mind whirled. She bowed and covered her abdomen with her arms. “Thank you, my lord.”
He lifted her head. “You don’t bow to me. Ever. And please address me as Etska.”
She blinked. “I can’t do that. Yet.”
He grinned. “So, there is hope. Now, we shall have a proper breakfast.”
Athena was wary. “I have already had one and the fruit and the juice.”
He chuckled. “And you were without food for nearly forty-eight hours. The process to remove the K’liir venom was incredibly harsh. You need to replenish your lost energy.”
Hunger was gnawing at her. “How do you know that?”
“I am tuning to you. Now, let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the gardens. The cook will prepare us something.”
She blinked. “You don’t use dispensers?”
“Not unless I am travelling. Fresh food is better, and the local wildlife is settling in rather well.” He took her by the hand and led her out of the bedroom and into the hall.
“You are already eating the local fauna?”
He chuckled. “There
are also farmed animals that are in the colony agricultural centre. They are eaten periodically to make sure that the local flora isn’t creating toxins in their systems.”
The halls of the house were wide, double the width of his wings. They walked through the halls, down a wide staircase, and out toward an open portico that led into the wide expanse of the stone patio and gardens.
“How long has this been here?”
He shrugged. “It was constructed seventy years ago. I make sure that aside from worker quarters, my home is the first item to be created on any of my worlds.”
She nodded. “That seems appropriate. I had no idea that this was here, though. I had no idea that you were here. I thought you came and went.”
“Not until a world has been functioning for a century.”
“So, you will be here long after I am gone.”
He chuckled. “Sort of, but it will vary on our bond over time. Hmrain who find compatible companions can extend a courtesy via formal ritual. It will extend your life by centuries.”
She stumbled, and he caught her. She ignored what he just said and asked, “What do you do if you don’t find compatible companions?”
“We make do with suitable females and frequently switch so that we don’t drain them dry. They aren’t compatible with our personal energies, and they suffer from the strain. If one of my people tries to use an unsuitable lover, the lover bears the strain and will collapse under it.”
That sent a chill down her spine. “By that, you mean death.”
He nodded. “Usually. They are informed at the beginning of their service. An improper match will burn out within a decade.”
“So, compatible could mean centuries, and incompatible is death after a decade?” She wanted to make sure she had it right.
“Death within a decade. The signs usually begin to show after the first three years.”
There was a comfortable-looking backless couch, a table, and a chair sitting out on the stone.
He sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap. “Now, we wait.”
He flexed his wings out behind him, and soon, there was another green male coming toward them. “Athena, this is Melr, Melr, this is Lady Athena.”