9781631055577NiKohsChosenMichaelsNC (10 page)

NiKoh
grimaced, seating himself in one of the chairs which faced the desk. “Here I
hoped I was masking it well. But then, we have always been close. When you and
BaRok were at the Academy, I thin
k you spent more
time at our house than your own.”

RiKar
chuckled as he took his seat. “ReNei says the same thing. What’s on your mind?”

“This.”
NiKoh pulled the photo from his pocket and placed it in front of the elder. “We
are keeping close watch on JeWa
l and DuKah, since
they have not returned to Xaxa yet. Our observations revealed SaLie was
spending time with them. The Bond Test which was given to BaRok and TriSha has
apparently backfired.”

RiKar
frowned. “It was my understanding she was repulsed by JeW
al’s true nature and that was why her Joining was null and
void.” He glanced down and turned powder blue with shock. “This is true? Oh
dear gods…does ReNei know?”

“I
don’t know. I’ve called a family meeting and informed Mother I would bring you.
She will l
et me know when the family is assembled.”
NiKoh swallowed. “SaLie claims JeWal and DuKah are recruiting entertainment
acts, restaurant owners, and merchants to relocate to the space station, and
come to think of it, I have not seen my sister except when in
her bed or sitting down. You don’t suppose Mother knows
and is helping her?”

“Your
mother is an amazing woman.” RiKar shook his head and handed back the photo.
“Deceiving her family though? I doubt it.”

“I’m
curious to know which of those deviants planted
his
seed. Surely SaLie was scanned when she arrived? It would have taken care of
anything, unless she—” The idea was too incredulous to voice.

“If
she announced she wanted to conceive.” RiKar’s tone was gentle. “There was
nothing the scan would do.”

“But
why?” NiKoh stood up, agitated. He pushed his hands
through his purple hair, causing strands to fall loose from the thong tied at
his nape.

“The
only thing you can do is ask her and hope she tells you the truth.”

“I
know.” NiKoh freed his hair, then scrape
d it back and
secured it again. “You’ll clear your calendar then?”

RiKar
stood and clasped his hand. “I will come at once.”

“Thank
you.” NiKoh turned to go. “I don’t think KiRah needs to be called. She is too
young—”

The
elder frowned. “
Kirachi
is mature e
nough
to handle this. She will soon be Mistress of her own dwelling, so she is old
enough to be included.”

NiKoh
blew out his breath. “I bow to your judgment. Blessings.” He left the office
and returned to the atrium, then made a quick detour to the conser
vatory.

WuKai
greeted him, her gloves smudged with dirt.

“Greetings.
I understand a special section has been set aside?” NiKoh drew a shaky breath.
He saw BeSai’s work everywhere.

“Right
over there. It’s good to see you here again.”

NiKoh
acknowledged her, then walked on slightly wobbly legs toward the corner where
OkVei’s tree stood. A trellis in the shape of a rose held a cluster of dusty
rose petals surrounded by magenta and blue flowers. In the center was the
hybrid NiKoh recogniz
ed as one of BeSai’s creations.
Scattered around the trellis and linking the tree were BeSai’s favorite plants.
A bench stood across from the arrangement with BeSai’s name on it, with
Emeritus
Botanist
carved underneath it.

NiKoh’s
eyes grew moist. He trac
ed BeSai’s name, then turned
back to the trellis.

“I
knew she loved that color of roses the best, along with those two varieties.”
WuKai’s gentle voice sounded behind him.

He
nodded and wiped his eyes before turning to face her. “I like it. You honor her
m
emory well.”

WuKai
bowed her head. “The last month, I listened to her knowledge and tried to
imitate her skill. ZaLen has even intervened and the Financial Center has
agreed to a small conservatory. I have selected a particular student from the
Academy,
who shows promise, to help me design it.
Ultimately, she will take it over. BeSai’s dream will live on.”

NiKoh’s
throat clogged with emotion. “Thank you. That means so much to me.” He whirled
around and allowed the tears to course down his face.
Maybe
some
beauty can come from your tragedy, BeSai. Others
have picked up your trowel and are making your dream a reality. Oh my love…I
hope you are watching over them and smiling!
Scrubbing his eyes with his palms, he
turned, but WuKai had moved away. He sat down
on the
bench for a few moments. He told BeSai about OkVei, and how their son was doing
them proud.
You should see him. He is growing up
into a fine young man. He has your spirit, encouraging others to follow their
dreams.
Unbidden,
GiNae came to mind.
What
is it
with me, that I am drawn to spirited women? BeSai was determined to start a
conservatory in the Council of Elders, and to humor her, RiKar persuaded the
rest of the council. GiNae is determined to rescue every animal on the planet,
large or small, a
nd I’ve even allowed one in the
house. What have I done?
Standing, he traced BeSai’s name once
more before departing. He teleported to his mother’s Dwelling and knocked on
the door.

One
of the servants admitted him. NiKoh found ReNei chatting with BaRok’s
holographic image.

“…hold
on, here’s your brother.” ReNei stood and greeted NiKoh with a kiss. “BaRok was
telling me he’s learning to drive something called a car.” Her face twisted.
“Apparently Earthlings are dependent on vehicles in order to get around.
But they haven’t even colonized their moon yet.” She seated
herself on the sofa once more.

“Greetings,
brother.” NiKoh took the seat beside his mother. “How is TriSha?”

“Fine.
I think my efforts to be more human are scaring her to death.” BaRok smiled. “I
think I can be there shortly. It is easier to explain
my absence from the café than it is TriSha’s.” BaRok’s mate was co-owner of a
successful downtown café on Earth. “What is so urgent?”

NiKoh
struggled to mask his thoughts. “A matter has come up, and I p
refer to reveal everything at once, rather than in bits and
pieces.”

BaRok
sighed. “I’ll be there soon. Blessings.”

“Blessings.”
ReNei switched off the holographic imager. “I told SaLie she is expected to
join us. She was not happy, but she will do the rig
ht
thing.”

“I
hope you’re right. Will KiRah and DaTil be joining us?”

“Only
KiRah. Until DaTil is a formal member of the family, this is to only be kept
between us.” ReNei stood and moved toward the kitchen. “I will inform Cook to
prepare enough food for e
veryone. Go on back to work,
NiKoh. I will let you know when everyone arrives.”

“Thank
you, Mother. Blessings
.”
NiKoh teleported back to his home
office.

*
* * *

“GiNae,
the NNPA delegation will be arriving shortly.” RaKel leaned against the door to
the
barn.

GiNae
wiped her brow and leaned the pitchfork against the boards of the stall. “XaDie
has been doing much better under our care, but his feces is still disgusting.”

“I
know. I don’t know if this is a trait of the Northern Panneis or if there is
still
something we’re missing.” RaKel looked out
toward the pasture. “We’ve exercised him, put him on a special diet, and I even
treated him with antibiotics. None of my research has turned up anything of
this nature. He looks healthier, but the other panneis a
void him.”

GiNae
wrinkled her nose. “You would too if your digestive system was on overload.”
She picked up the pitchfork again and settled the fresh straw in the stall. “I
even moved him over here closer to the door, hoping the fresh air would help
the sm
ell. Thankfully, whatever is wrong with him
hasn’t spread to SpaKles or the others.”

“That
is good to know. Maybe ZuFroh can shed some light on it.”

GiNae
gasped. “He’ll be here too?”

“It’s
his
pannei
, so yes.” RaKel turned to go. “I’d be very surprised if
he wasn’t going to attend this meeting.”

“I
suppose he does care about him on some level.” GiNae exited the stall and
leaned the pitchfork against the slats.

“Oh
no. He only wants the NNPA to reimburse him. Mark my words, he’ll blame
everything on the for
mer owner. Finish the stalls,
then come on in and take a break
.”
RaKel moved off in the direction of the
office.

Picking
up her pitchfork, GiNae attacked SpaKles’ stall, removing the soiled bedding
and replacing it with fresh. Once that had been done, she
put away the long instrument and wheeled the soiled bedding
out to dump it on the pile before joining her friend and employer in the cool
office.

“It’s
nearly time to call CuJei, to pick up the manure pile.” GiNae dropped into a
chair. “I think it is almos
t reaching my waist, and
is getting hard to contain.”

RaKel
nodded. “I agree. How are things going? You’ve seemed preoccupied today.”

GiNae
felt a rush of heat to her face.
Do I dare say
anything? I can’t tell my mother, so I might as well seek advice from a friend.
“Can
we keep this confidential? I…think I’m finally entering Maturity.”

“Oh.”
RaKel smiled and sat back in her chair. “Anything you say will not go beyond
this of
fice. I imagine changes are happening, which
seem a little scary?”

Her
breath expelled in a rush.
She does understand!
“I’ve been having…dreams. And the worst
part is, this person is completely unacceptable to me! What happens if I don’t
feel the same way?
”

“Slow
down.” RaKel leaned forward. “Dreams involving your Chosen always come with an
‘ick’ factor, especially in the beginning.”

“No,
no.” GiNae felt tears prick the back of her eyeballs. “I’m almost twenty years
old, RaKel, and the man I’ve—” She swallo
wed hard.
“He’s old enough to be my father.” Twisting her shirt in her hands, GiNae used
it to wipe her eyes. There. She’d said it.

“GiNae,
has he said anything to you in person?” RaKel’s tone was neutral.

She
looked up. “No. Of course not. We haven’t spo
ken of
anything yet. It’s all been in dreams.”
Do
I dare tell her?
“He
has indicated he’s patient, and will not force me to do anything. But his
kisses—in the dreams—are very pleasant.”

“So
it’s only involved kissing?”

GiNae
squirmed. “It, uh, went a bit f
urther last night, but
that was before I realized who he was. His age is so much older…why can’t my
Chosen be someone closer to my own age?” Her voice dropped to a whisper as
tears fell faster. “I took charge of my life, RaKel, by refusing my placement at
the Academy. Is this my punishment? To be shackled to
a man who will tell me what to do the rest of my life?” She covered her face
with her hands and sobbed.

“Oh,
honey.” GiNae heard movement, then RaKel’s arms were around her. “It doesn’t
work like that.
You certainly aren’t being punished
for choosing to follow your dream. This is something entirely different.”

“Then
what?” Sniffing, she turned to look at her friend. “What happens if we are
Bonded and I’m miserable? I don’t want to give up the animals. Th
e idea of having children makes me want to vomit, much less
having to care for an old man.”