Astral (4 page)

He was incredibly patient as he fed her and by the time she was finished, her energy level was through the roof.

“What was in that soup?” She could feel power flowing through her.

“A little of Arci’s power in a chicken-flavoured base.” He laughed at her expression.

She looked down at her suit, expecting to see her standard uniform colour and laughed out loud at the nude colouration.

“Arci had it designed so that you could wear clothing appropriate to your station, whatever that means.”

A bright giggle started in her belly and spilled out of her throat.

He had a quizzical smile on his face, but the pleasure in his eyes was genuine.

“So, where can I get these clothes?”

“Some were delivered with the suit. All are designed to withstand radiation and a variety of hostile environments.”

She tilted her chair to ease her rise to her feet. As she thought about rising, she floated up out of her chair.

“Holy crap!” She dropped with a thud back onto her chair. Looking at Zakkar in shock, she had to ask, “What the hell was that?”

His lips twitched in amusement. “You were flying or hovering. Gravity will have little pull on you if you don’t wish it to.”

“Why don’t I feel Arci in my head?” She checked her mind over and over.

“He thought it would
skeeve
you out. He got that word from your mind.”

She tried to get out of the chair again and managed to stand on her own two feet.

Fish was happily frolicking around her head, his colours brilliant and his attitude perky. He seemed quite chipper and that gave her a bit of relaxation that she had desperately craved.

Arci had been rummaging around in her thoughts. It was less upsetting than it should have been.

“Where are the clothes?”

He smiled. “Right here.”

The box was sitting on one of her prep tables. She took the few steps and opened the box, gasping at the contents. “Wow. These are…wow.”

She slipped the gown on over the skin-matching bodysuit and smiled as the red fabric flattered her body and flowed to the floor. A cloak went over one arm and buckled over the opposite shoulder, the bare arm had a gold and red band while a thick, matching ribbon for her neck completed the ensemble.

She twirled happily, noting the slit on her skirt that exposed her left thigh became invisible when she was holding still. “What do you think?”

“It is lovely. Now, you have nine messages waiting for you at your com unit.” Zakkar wrapped an arm around her waist and with gentle force, he steered her out of the pod and into the station.

Fish kept her company, frolicking in front of them and leading them to her quarters where the com light was indeed blinking incessantly. She sat in front of the com and authorized the messages to play.

The first was from Refaol. “Dina, the council is meeting on the request for your person. I just wanted you to know that it will be decided today.”

The second was the follow-up. “Dina, they decided against your petition for freedom. I am sorry, but you are being given to the avatar of Arci.”

The third through sixth messages were from the Alliance Council letting her know that the petition filed by Arci for a mate for his avatar had been accepted and she was to surrender herself to Zakkar’s custody when he appeared at the station. At that point, she would no longer be in the employ of the Alliance but under Arci’s purview.

Messages seven through nine were frantic calls from Refoal.

“I think I should call him back.”

Zakkar chuckled. “That seems like a good idea. I didn’t want to upset him by letting him know I was already here.”

She laughed and dialled Refoal’s location. It took five minutes, but it was picked up by a very stressed-out Ontex.

“Dina, thank the stars! Where have you been and why are you glowing?”

She looked at her hands and noted the muted glow. “Transformation into an avatar, Refoal. I know about the declaration and am at peace with it. I also met with the star and negotiated a few demands of my own.”

“You did? How?” Refoal looked deflated. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

She chuckled. “Well, Arci kind of snuck up on me, but he was very determined and quite convincing. I agreed to give Zakkar a chance and he has been nothing but pleasant and a good companion. Also, an excellent caretaker.”

“Caretaker?”

“I needed some time to adjust to the changes Arci was making in my system. Zakkar kept an eye on me.” She caught a glance at herself in the reflection of the screen. “And apparently braided my hair into a coronet.”

“You are fine with all of this?”

“I am. I am sorry to have made a fuss, but this isn’t the kind of thing I could have guessed at.” She smiled at her oldest friend in the Alliance. “Be happy for me, Refoal. At least I will be doing something new and different.”

“You will have a star lodged in your mind.”

“And I have met him and he is charming and polite.” She was getting a little irritated. “I will pack up my things and leave this station.”

“Accepted. Keep in touch, if he will let you.” Refoal disconnected with a sharp jab to the console and Dina was left blinking in surprise at the space where her friend and dispatcher used to be.

She turned to Zakkar, “Do you have a shuttle?”

He grinned. “Not exactly. This will be fun.”

Chapter Six

In space, no one can hear you scream, which Dina personally thought was a good thing, because she was cursing a blue streak as Zakkar flew them through the star system to the jump ship.

She had never been in the blackness of space without a ship before and while her body registered the cold, it didn’t touch her flesh, merely her senses. They passed asteroids, planets and she waved at a shuttlecraft as they approached the jump ship.

The ship opened a door for them and they flew into one of the shuttle bays. Within, there was no atmosphere, so they simply hung onto the edge of the ship while it started to move. The thrum of the ship’s engines ran through her feet and rattled Dina’s teeth.

Mentally communicating with Zakkar was an option, but she wanted to experience everything that the changes in her body could offer. Silence seemed the best way to do it.

He had propelled them through space, tiny objects in the vastness, at a speed that rivalled most commercial shuttles. A star’s power was gravity and radiation based, so, as long as there were objects nearby to push away from, speed could be increased almost indefinitely.

Dina could hardly believe it. In a week, she had gone from a minor specialized mediator to bride of an avatar. It was peculiar, but her life had suddenly gone out of control and she was actually getting used to it. If she really thought about it, she was kind of liking it.

The bizarre feeling of jumping without a ship made her clutch at Zakkar for support. The moment that they came out of the jump, a door opened and he flew them out, using his legs to gain momentum.

Arci was suddenly a warm presence in her mind and Dina knew that they were in his system.

Zakkar flew them to one of the planets nearest the sun, carefully switching his grip on her so that he was cradling her as he landed them on the surface.

“Welcome to Dakri, your new home.”

Arci blazed in the sky and the surface was completely barren. The only relief to the flat surface was the house that was conspicuously placed on the flat plane they stood on.

“Wow. It is really…flat.”

He laughed. “There are plenty of worlds in this system where you can have a second home built, but this one is the closest to Arci and inhospitable to other races, so there is no demand for it.”

Dina looked around her. “Can I try flying here?”

Zakkar threw her up into the air for an answer.

Dina kicked her legs and squealed but thought about floating and her descent halted.

“This is so cool.” She tried to move forward and ended up hanging with her head down, but a little flailing and she was upright again and moving toward the house.

Zakkar followed her at a distance, ready to help her if she needed it, but allowed her to wobble along under her own steam. She had a fairly good grasp of keeping herself moving in the right direction, but every now and again, she listed to one side.

By the time she wobbled to the ground in front of the only building on the planet, she felt pretty proud of herself. “I did it!”

He laughed and gave her a hug. “You did.”

She returned the hug and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the hard physique under her cheek. He seemed made of stars, rocks and heat.

When he ceased the hug and wrapped his arm around her waist, part of her howled in complaint. He had made her cum once with just the touch of his hand on her arm and she was desperate to see if he could do it again.

As the door to her new home opened under his touch, she braced herself for whatever overtly masculine decorating he had engaged in.

Chapter Seven

As they stepped into the dim interior, Dina gasped in pleased surprise. Cool colours made up for the hot exterior. A humidity that belied the environment outside filled the air and plants lined the walls.

Dina stared at the bot that cruised past doing maintenance on the vegetation.

“This is amazing. It is so welcoming and comfortable.” She walked out of the circle of Zakkar’s arm and toured the entry area before she wandered into the living space. Blue-grey stone lined the floor and the walls and more plants provided oxygen to the interior.

“I am glad that you like it. Arci had to employ nine different designers to complete this last year. Drilling the well was important and something that the star had not considered.”

She listened and clued in to what he had said. “This was renovated just for me?”

“Of course. Arci would stop at nothing to make you comfortable. Having his avatars happy is a major concern for him.”

“When did he tap his first avatar?”

“Ten thousand years ago. Merwil was a good man, but he wanted a life of his own. He asked Arci to free him and lived a short and happy life on Valoi.”

She sat experimentally on a couch. “So, all of his avatars have been from Valoi?”

“He prefers Valoi, but he has used several other races for short-term vessels.” Zakkar chuckled. “The Valoi just lasted longer and were easier to adapt to his purposes.”

He sat next to her on the couch. She reached out and took his hand.

“I am sorry that your race faded and left the universe, Zakkar.”

He quirked a smile. “I have come to terms with it and I find myself dwelling more on the future than the past at this precise moment.”

He leaned forward to kiss her and she responded with heat and enthusiasm. Her skin felt as if sparks were shooting out of every nerve ending and instead of pain, a warm pleasure was blooming across her flesh.

He backed away so that there was an inch between their lips. “I think you need to finish your tour.”

She blinked rapidly, the glow of her skin reflected in the darkness of his. “Where should I start?”

The husky tone of her voice made him swallow heavily, but when he opened his silvery eyes, threads of red trailed through them in lazy vortexes. “I think you should check out the bedroom, yes, I am certain that that is the place to start.”

She fought her smile. “It sounds like a good idea. Which way?”

He stood and took her hand in his, drawing her gently from the couch, down a hall and up some stairs. She gasped again as the entire upper floor was exposed to her. It was a wide-open space that ran the entire width of the house and skylights let the daylight stream into the space. In the centre of the space was a bed and on either side were two wardrobes.

Curious, she went to one of the wardrobes and saw a selection of clothes for Zakkar made of the same material as her bodysuit. Tucking her lip between her teeth, she walked around Zakkar and around the bed to the other side to open the second wardrobe. Three more nude bodysuits were hanging in place as well as four gowns similar to the one she was wearing.

“What is the style of gown I am wearing?” She could hear him moving behind her and was unsurprised when his words were whispered near her shoulder.

“It is a Valoi formal gown.”

“Hmm. I like it, but I don’t know if it suits me.” She turned to face him and ran her fingers along her neckline and smiled at him.

The glow in his eyes intensified and he followed her fingers to the buckle of her cloak. With a light flick of his fingers, the buckle that fastened her half cloak opened and a gentle caress of his fingertips slid the fabric off her shoulder. “I think it suits you very well.”

She kept her gaze locked with his as his fingers found the clasps that she had struggled with and soon, she was standing in a bodysuit and a puddle of red, glossy fabric.

“It suits the floor, too.” Zakkar’s tone was earnest and amused at the same time.

She held her breath when he parted her suit and opened the seal in the centre. The nude fabric skimmed down her shoulders and when he knelt in front of her to peel the suit over her hips, she swayed as his hands touched her skin.

Whatever Arci had done to her system had made her very sensitive to Zakkar’s touch. Sparks were spontaneously arcing across her skin and a bone-deep shimmy was starting in her belly.

“Step out, Dina.”

Swallowing to clear her suddenly dry mouth, she took a step toward him and ended up with his face pressed between her breasts. The kiss that he laid onto her skin was a butterfly touch, but it sent energy sizzling along her limbs.

Dina looped her arms around his head and threaded her fingers through the midnight blue of his hair. She tugged his head back and pressed her lips to his forehead. The same energy that flowed into her when he touched her crept across his skin when she touched him. She blinked as she started to realize the new facet to her power. She couldn’t just fly and didn’t need to breathe in space, she could give Zakkar the same pleasure that he gave to her.

This was going to be far more fun than she thought.

Smiling with her newfound power, she feathered kisses over his brows and down his nose. She rubbed her lips lightly against his, not a kiss, but simple contact. When he angled his jaw upward to firm the kiss and his tongue came out to play, her knees buckled and it was his arms around her thighs that kept her upright.