AHealingCaress (7 page)
“No time for a shower. You can bathe on the ship.” He winced as she crinkled her nose at the feel and scent of their previous night’s activities.
She gave him a narrow-eyed look and pulled on her suit and boots. They moved silently down the hall and met Polai and Miriil.
Without a sound, Tracker led them past guards and down back halls until they were on the tarmac. A shout from behind them caused them to break into a run and Polai shifted into his battle shape on the way.
A shadow next to their shuttle separated from the darkness. Margor came forward and pointed at Bren. “She will be mine.”
They stopped. He was blocking the shuttle and his fangs were extended.
Tracker lunged forward and delivered a few well-placed hits to Margor. The man crumpled with a groan. “Mine. She is and will always be mine.”
He opened the shuttle and waved them into it, moving the groaning body of Margor to a safe distance so they could launch.
Bren got Miriil settled and Polai was in next to her. They held hands tightly as the hatch sealed and Tracker took his seat.
“Is Margor a safe distance?” Bren couldn’t help but ask.
“He might get a little scorched, but he should be fine.” Tracker did the fastest pre-flight checks that Bren had ever seen and in under a minute, they were starting to move.
The ship lifted off without any more interference, but there were guards of the Yeven clan swarming all over the tarmac.
Tracker muttered, “Hang on. This could get ugly,” before he accelerated and pulled them away from the surface.
The moment that they were out of the atmosphere, Tracker was on the line to Might. “We have a situation. We have in our possession an imperial princess married to a Raxos botanist. The Clan leader of the Yeven is going to stop at nothing to get his daughter back. Suggested course of action?”
“Echo says come home. We will deal with it on the Guard base. She can see the future better if she can touch the couple in question.”
“Understood. We are coming home.”
Tracker engaged the jump drive and they experienced the moment of disorientation when they were in two places at the same time.
When they cleared the jump, Bren was shaking. “I think I will hit the shower. How long until Teklan?”
“Two hours. We are already in the system.”
She nodded, passed the new couple who only had eyes for each other and made her way to the lav. Bren removed her suit and set it for a cleaning cycle, then stepped into the gel shower.
The gel coursed out and she slathered it over her body before it solidified and the sonic pulse shattered it into dust. Clean and a little wobbly from the nocturnal activities, she brushed her hair and reclaimed her suit.
Dressed again, she decided that she would be able to face Tracker again. The things that she had encouraged him to do still flickered in her mind’s eye.
She had been thoroughly debauched and had loved every moment of it, but in the light of day, she was unsure that her behaviour was appropriate for a woman of her species or any species for that matter.
Nervous and slightly embarrassed, she returned to her position in the seat next to Tracker. He reached out and took her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it the same way he had on the trip out. Just like that, she realized that while everything had changed, nothing had changed.
“Are we in danger of pursuit?”
He shook his head. “Warshos does not have smaller jump craft. Their larger craft was all grounded for the celebration. We won’t see them for two days or more.”
She sighed. “Good. The last few days have been a little too exciting for my taste.”
“What about last night?” His grin was sly.
She leaned back and smiled at him. “
That
was just right.”
It was amazing how a place that she had only spent a few hours at already felt like home. The very sight of Teklan base made her breathe easily.
“It feels like home already, doesn’t it?”
She smiled. “More than any place I have ever been and do you know why?”
He gave her a quizzical look as he brought them down for the landing. “Why?”
Brenawyn winked and jerked her head at the couple making out behind them. “I will tell you later.”
Tracker glanced back at Polai and Miriil. She was sitting on his lap and his arms were curled protectively around her.
Her mate and partner nodded at her as he turned back to the tarmac. “I will make sure of that.”
The moment that they landed, Polai and Miriil were taken into the base by Might and Echo in Time. As Might informed them when they landed, their job was officially done.
Tracker stretched. “Come on, it is time for the less-than-fun segment of our routine. Now that we are back, we have to get a full diagnostic done.”
He wrapped an arm around her and they walked into the base. “Even though we were gone for less than a week?”
“Yes. If any parasites or injuries occurred, treatment sooner rather than later is the best course of action.”
She nodded. “I have run into a ton of parasites during my time with animals and I would have to agree with that policy.”
A column of fog passed them in the hall. She smiled, “Good day, Mist.”
The column paused, bowed and continued on his way.
Gray was tidying her hair in a mirror when they came in and it wasn’t too much of a stretch for Bren to realize that Mist had used a lot of his cohesion energy with his mate.
“Back from your first assignment, Bren?” Gray cleared her throat and touched her lips with two fingers.
“I am. Do you want me or Tracker in the scanner first?”
“If you wouldn’t mind doing the scans? That would be great.” Gray smiled brightly and tried not to look like a woman who had just had a quickie in her office.
Chuckling, Bren put Tracker in the scanner and set it for a complete workup.
As she read the records, there were some small changes in his brain chemistry but nothing physical.
“You are all clear. My turn.”
She stepped into the scanner and set it for a complete rundown. The computer chirped and beeped as it ran her scan. The moment that it was done running the waves over her, she stepped free and took a look at the reports.
She blinked in shock at the data when compared to her earlier scans. “Well, I may not have a reference species, but I know what kind of parasite this is.” She wanted nothing more than to sit down, but since there was no chair nearby, she simply fainted.
Patrig must have taken her home, because that is where she woke up.
“Tell me why this is home.” His low tone rumbled through her.
He was sitting next to her on his bed. She was wearing a light, gauzy gown that was almost transparent, but the pale blue matched her eyes.
“What?”
“You said you would tell me why this was home. I think now is a good time for that.”
She caressed his jaw, “This is where you are. Wherever you are is home.”
“Good. I have requisitioned the addition to our home and the baby’s room will be under construction soon.”
Bren felt suddenly shy. “You aren’t mad? I mean it was just the one night.”
Patrig grinned. “I am not mad. If I wanted to prevent a pregnancy, I would have used precautions. I didn’t and I am delighted that you are going to have our child.”
She blushed. “I just wish I knew more about my species. Why this happened so soon. I have been around enough folks trying to get pregnant to know that it rarely happens on the first try.”
“Gray has gotten some Trinial records. The elders are eager to speak with you on a conference call. They are surprised that you have managed to develop a talent. It isn’t a common thing for Trinials. But we do know that your folk are stimulated ovulators. Your body simply took over.”
She blinked. “I can check into Trinial physiology?”
She was halfway out of bed before he stopped her. “It can wait until tomorrow. You need some rest.”
She sighed and settled back on the pillows. “You have just told me that I can access information I have wanted my entire life and I have to stay in bed? Mean.”
He chuckled and handed her a data pad. “Here you go. Gray uploaded all of it and the Trinial said they will provide a limited family history for you after they meet you in the conference.”
She chortled happily and lunged at him, tackling Patrig to the bed in a heated kiss.
He blinked up at her in surprise. “What is that for?”
“For not giving me what I want but always giving me what I need.”
He laughed and let her press tiny kisses across his jaw line and down his neck. When he reached up to press his lips to hers in a wild tangle of emotions and need, she carefully put the data pad on the storage bench at the end of the bed. This was going to get a little aerobic and she didn’t want to hurt the connection to her people.
Patrig held her in his arms and rolled with her until they were lying face to face. “Wherever you are is my home and if I ever have to travel without you, I will try to get back to you as quickly as I can. You are my life and you will always be foremost in my thoughts.”
She smiled and stroked his silvery cheek. “That is all I need to hear, but I will need to hear it a lot if you are going anywhere without me.”
He pressed his hand between her breasts. “You are my heart and I am in yours. I will never go anywhere without you.”
Brenawyn smiled and opened his uniform with deft fingers. “Just in case the scan was a false positive, let’s make sure.”
Patrig let her undress him and when he moved over her, his body told her exactly how fond he was of her idea.
Her family history could wait, her species could wait, Patrig was with her now and she gave all of her attention to him. Time enough for everything that didn’t really matter, tomorrow.
Author’s Note
Thanks for reading book 3 of the Tales of the Citadel. I will be bringing Brenawyn and Tracker back in a subsequent book, but even I don’t know when.
In the next book,
Fighting Sanity
, we get to learn a bit about going crazy and welcoming clarity when it comes. Not all talents enjoy their status. For some, it is a burden and for others, a crime that needs punishing.
I look forward to writing it.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
http://www.devinedestinies.com
About the Author
Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.
Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.
