by Rena Marks
Robyn didn’t push him away. Instead she let him stay there and hold her while Ava tilted her head forward.
“You’re good. Get out of here, you two. And feed her. She’s gone a whole day and a half without eating.”
They stopped by mess hall to pick up food and took it home. Ava swiped her finger across the doorlock since Covet was carrying the box of food.
“Where’s Baby?” Ava asked, her eyes sweeping around the room.
Covet set their breakfast out at the table, two place settings. “I hope you don’t mind. Blaze and Reson have her for a few hours. Yesterday you and I were supposed to make love during the daylight hours.”
“In your purple skin,” Ava said. “I’m sorry I missed that.”
“You didn’t. I’m never morphing to that human’s body again.”
She ran her hand up his bicep. “I love you.”
“Let’s keep up your strength for later,” he said, a smile curving his lips.
Ava ate quickly, and was only able to eat half the meal. She pushed it away. “I’m going to go shower, brush my teeth, and get ready for you.”
“I’m going to clean up in here and join you.”
He took much less time than she did. By the time she was done in the bathroom—even drying her hair—he was curled in their bed.
Purple perfection. She stood at the side of the bed, admiring the view of his body. His skin darkened to the shade of eggplant as he blushed under her perusal.
“Like what you see?”
“Do you really doubt it, sexy?”
In his lower chest, a swatch of blue skin swirled with red. It was pretty—and when it combined, it gave the rest of his body the purple hue that she loved so much. She had a feeling that the center was also what controlled his shapeshifting abilities.
“I don’t know why you thought Tom was prettier than you.”
“Because he was human.”
“He was the monster. Never you, Covet.”
She crawled onto the bed. Leaning forward to meet her, he brushed his lips over hers gently. The merest press of his mouth against hers before he broke away. He didn’t go far though, pausing to nuzzle her nose with his. The lover-like movement melted her heart and she tilted her head up, chasing his lips.
The little invitation was all he needed. With a groan in the back of his throat, he claimed her lips again. Harder this time. They were warm and firm, demanding as he moved in, parting her thighs to kneel between them.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist to pull her closer, against his broad chest. Her hands collided with the broad expanse of his shoulders and stopped. Good grief, he was enormous like this, in his real form. She spread her fingers to explore at the same time he brushed his tongue against her upper lip, as if asking her to let him in.
Parting her lips, she caught her breath as he surged forward and up at the same time, thrusting his tongue in to explore her mouth. He gathered her closer, pulling her into his embrace. Her knees ended up either side of his parted thighs, her weight supported by his arm as she sat in his lap where he lounged back against the pillows. All it would take was for her to wriggle forward, or for him to pull her closer so that their hips were flush. But he didn’t, and neither did she as he slowly slid his tongue against hers. Stroking and teasing her. The hand at the nape of her neck moved up to tangle in her hair. He groaned, as if he’d missed the softness against his rougher skin. He slid his fingers through the soft strands over and again. He broke the kiss to feather his lips over hers, to nuzzle her nose with his again, before claiming her mouth, deeper and harder this time.
Closing the gap between their bodies suddenly, he settled her fully against him. She gasped as she felt the thick bar of his cock pressed right between her thighs. He was...holy crap...huge all over. She’d felt him during the night, of course. But to have the visual alongside was simply incredible.
A large hand on the back of her hips held her in place as he took control of the kiss, ravishing her mouth with an expertise and finesse that stole her ability to think and breathe.
“Covet,” she moaned.
He flipped them over so she was on her back, continuing the kiss as if he couldn’t stop. Her fingers curled into his shoulders, nails biting deeply and he growled, breaking the kiss to lean his forehead against hers.
“Going this fast, I’m going to end up taking you rough. Like an animal.”
“I think that’s a little sexy.” She pulled back to stare at him. “Don’t hold back.”
His breath hitched. He was watching her again, but this time his expression wasn’t guarded or masked as it always had been before. Instead, she saw need and utter longing etched deeply into his eyes, his glorious, magnificent, other eyes. The eyes that marked him as non-human. He looked at her heatedly, like she was the only thing in his world, like she was the only thing he’d ever wanted or needed. And that even though she was right there in front of him, he couldn’t quite believe she was. That she was his to worship.
“Covet,” she whispered, holding his gaze. “You’ve been through so much. Figuring out how to completely shift in a short span of time, risking yourself to go to the outside world alone, rescuing me, being a father to our baby girl...and on top of all that, still trying to please me? I love you more than anything in the world. You know what I want most of all?”
“What?” His voice was nothing more than a husky rasp. She knew at that second he’d give her anything.
“I want you to take what you need.” She draped one of her thighs over his hip, lining his cock up to her sex. His breath caught in his throat. She wriggled enough to get her other leg over his opposite hip, clamping her legs around his ass and tugging him in. She lifted her hips and in one fell swoop, slid his cock into her pussy.
“Ava,” he bit out.
“For once,” she whispered. “Satisfy Covet first. And the rest will take care of itself.”
He captured her lips with his and slowly began to pull out. He set a slow, driving rhythm, a methodical dance, giving her his entire soul with each grind of his pelvis.
Need ratcheted up between them, the desire burning out of control. It magnified until Ava could hold out no longer. Waves of spiraling pleasure broke out over her body as she came with a cry.
His body shuddered as he emptied himself in her, collapsing for a moment. His chest pressed to hers and she could have swore she felt every one of his hearts beating.
“I thought you wanted me to come first?” He nibbled the edge of her lips, unable to control the grin on his.
“I told you the rest would take care of itself. I never said I could hold out.”
Her grin was impish as they started over.
THE MAIN HALL WAS SET up with chairs when she and Covet arrived, Baby in his arms. Reson had dropped her off and dressed her up in a onesie that said “My Uncle Is Sexy.” The back of the shirt listed his call number. It was paired with a pink tutu. He’d even tried to comb her hair into some semblance of style, however, it was beginning to stick up with its usual lack of grace.
“Is that advertisement?” Covet had gritted. “Is my daughter a walking billboard?”
“I have to go work. Lorelei said she’d attend the meeting and take notes. Therefore, yes, your daughter is a walking billboard.”
“You’re a slow wit.” Covet rolled his eyes. “Lorelei knows we’re telepathic. She doesn’t have to take notes. She wants you to come to her and be thankful that she did something for you.”
A shit-eating grin rolled over Reson’s face. “Damn. I better head straight to her quarters when I get off my shift.”
“Shower first.”
As soon as he left, Covet muttered to Ava. “That has got to be the slowest moving relationship in history. He’s an idiot.”
She’d laughed as she greeted Baby with a kiss and they headed to the main hall where others were already gathered.
Up near the front of the room sat Beast and Sunny, Kaden in Beast’s arms, where the infant w
as close enough to watch Robyn and Steele speak at the podium. Off to the side stood Dr. Amanda and Renegade. Across the room, Ava recognized Heather, another human woman mated to two Xeno Sapiens. Each of the men carried their own offspring, twins born to the trio. Nanna Elsa was Heather’s actual grandmother. She sat with the trio.
Robyn spoke. “Attention, please, everyone. I’ll start at the beginning, though many of you know bits and pieces of the tale. Bear with us so everyone is brought up to speed.
“A lot of you are aware of Ava’s kidnapping last month. Covet retrieved his mate and while we know the group of six kidnappers had a contract to steal a Xeno Sapien for the Crested Ute representatives, they failed. He killed all six and a team was dispatched to destroy all evidence while he returned with Ava. He made the decision to bring her back through the gates after disabling the memory altering chip. Many of you have met with her since her reintroduction and are aware that she had no memories of her time here with us.
“That has been changed. Ava’s memories have returned.”
There was clapping around the room. Robyn waited until it died before she spoke again. “In addition, while Ava was unconscious at the beginning of her kidnapping, she overheard a conversation with the kidnappers that her chip recorded. It revealed who was the one responsible for the break-in. This person knew exactly when we notified the government of our upgrades to the main gate and knew all of our security would be focused on that area. He knew the East gate would be a lesser priority, and figured the group could snatch the guard to sell to Crested Ute. What he didn’t count on was our upgraded office enclosure sealing the guard in, because I forgot to apply for a permit for the security measure. Thankfully, when we built the wall around Xenia, the inner security office fell within the realm of the city, so we’re able to skate by on charges for not obtaining a permit. While the guard—our own Eclipse—was sealed in the room, the criminals didn’t want to give up that easily. They wandered into Xenia and came across Ava walking with Baby. They intended to snatch Baby, but Ava wouldn’t let that happen. She flung the stroller away and allowed herself to be captured, even while knowing the implant would activate upon leaving the gate.
“Here is where it gets interesting. During her collapse, the implant took over her brain function. It recorded everything that happened during her unconsciousness frame of time. In order to protect her privacy, we’re not revealing everything except for one key aspect, which will also be revealed to the public.
“The person who ordered the kidnapping was our very own Mayor Walker of Earth-Ground.”
Quite a few people sucked in their breaths.
“As you also know, Mayor Walker hasn’t done anything for the humans camped outside our gates, those who protect it from further breach by protecting us with their own bodies. It has been up to us to house them, clothe them, and feed them. The world needs to know this. The world needs to know of his corruption and affiliation with the Crested Ute officials. The Global Government has been searching for the missing on the Floating Cities, however, we know now that they’ve been hiding underground. Within the crime areas of Earth-Ground. A location where we built our own city.
“A team will be dispatched to Vivien Saturday’s house immediately. She’s Ava’s mother, and will be relocated to Xenia for her protection. We’ve evaluated that Ava’s grandparents, Joseph and Marjorie Trask, will have the choice of moving here or not. It’s determined that Theta Eight is secure enough to keep them safe.
“The restitution we would like to gain from the Global Government is to own the areas that Mayor Walker reigned over. These areas are wasted farmland, destroyed by the Great Terran Wars, that surround our city and neighboring towns further out. These lands will create a border for our city and we will be able to redevelop the land, building housing for the homeless citizens who protect us. We will train them to grow food from scratch again, much as we do here. In the meantime, we will provide synthesizers to stretch our own naturally grown produce and meat to feed many. The food will be adequate for nutrition if it is only processed once in the synthesizer. In any case, it is more nutritious than what many citizens are already used to.
“We are about to recreate Earth-Ground, just as we transformed Xenia. The existence of Xeno Sapiens has signified change for humans. It’s taught us humanity, a trait we’ve lost with all our increased technology. It’s a rare trait that is coming back, and it’s all due to you. The family gathered in this room. Our children are safe and protected within the walls of Xenia, and Xenia will be safe and protected within the zones of our new border. The secret of our children has been let out as a rumor and it’s okay. We will allow those protecting us to know the truth now and we will allow the love to grow until all hatred is stamped out. Those of us with children will have the option of recording a vidcam introducing our little ones to the outside. We’ll play them on the newsfeeds to verify the rumors and keep the gossip from growing larger. The homeless will be seen as heroes instead of nut-jobs.”
The clapping was a bit more wary now, but it was understandable. The idea of Xeno Sapien children would no longer be a rumor.
“Are you okay with this?” Ava asked Covet.
He pressed a kiss to their baby daughter’s forehead. “Yes. I want Baby to know her grandparents. We haven’t been able to tell them of her, because they head back to Theta Eight after their visits. Everyone here has gone over the possibilities of telling versus not telling during the last six months. We’ve voted countless times. In the end, the decision comes down to the three families with young. Steele and Robyn, Heather, Jett, and Brax, and us.”
Ava whispered to her daughter. “Your nai nai is going to love you, Baby. And you’ll also have a grammy and grampy.”
Covet’s arm came around her shoulders as she settled her head onto him, Baby clasping her finger.
“I love you both so much.”
He squeezed her shoulders.
When the meeting broke up, they were flagged to Robyn’s office. She looked at them with a huge smile on her face. “What’s your decision?”
“We’re doing it,” Covet said.
“Good. Heather’s feeding one of the twins and we can record Kaden at any point in time, so we’ll take you three first,” Robyn said.
Ava and Covet took the chairs and Baby switched over to her lap.
Robyn angled the camera and spoke into the microphone. “This is Ava Saturday-Trask and her mate, Covet Xeno Sapien. This is their daughter, Baby.”
Covet smiled, holding back teeth. No one wanted to scare humans more than necessary. “Baby was named after your classic movie, Dirty Dancing. It is a favorite of her great-grandparents’ and we honor them with the name. Now that we can be open with the world, our first priority is to introduce her to her grandmother and great-grandparents.”
The camera switched to Ava. “I’ve never been so happy in my life. I love Covet and my precious daughter. I was kidnapped a month ago and injured in a way to cause amnesia—to where I forgot my mate and my own child. But no amount of evil and hatred can keep love and hope away. This little girl is concentrated love poured into a tiny purple body.”
She felt Covet kiss the top of her head and then Baby clapped. “Ma!”
Ava puckered for her kiss and Baby brought her chubby hands up to cup her cheeks before pressing her mouth to her mother’s. After the kiss, Robyn turned the camera away, tears in her eyes.
“Goddess, that was so perfect. I couldn’t have planned it better.”
“Let’s go put our daughter down for a nap,” Covet whispered. She turned her head up for his kiss before they left the office for their shared apartments.
Life was perfect.
Epilogue
EVERLY:
“Here, honey, take a drink. It’s important to stay hydrated.”
Everly held the metal cup up to Adam’s mouth. His bottom lip trembled, looking pink against the pale skin of his face. His golden freckles popped starkly against his clammy skin and
the white-blond hair at his hairline circled his small face like a halo.
“Thanks, Everly.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. Now let’s get you tucked back in bed.”
“Can’t I stay out here for just a little while longer?”
More than likely, the fresh air would do him good. He was fine in the lounge chair. So far, the sun was being kept off their section of camp because of the huge, stone wall barrier. His fair skin wouldn’t be able to take much of the sun otherwise.
“Okay, a bit more,” she said, ruffling his crop of messy hair. “I have to go see to the other kids.”
The poor tyke was kept separate from the other children. They didn’t want everyone in the encampment to get sick. But it made for an interesting day as she had to head back and forth between his tent and where the rest of the children played.
“Let me see where your lunch is!” The snarl came from a man standing near the oldest of the children. He moved toward the small electrical box that drew energy from the electromagnetic wall.
“Hey! Get away from the food source.” Everly hurried to where the children clustered together, afraid of the much larger man who glared down at them.
His head whipped to her. “Who the hell are you?”
“It’s none of your business. Get the hell away from our food stores or I’ll scream bloody murder.”
“We’re grown-ass men risking our lives to keep you all safe. What are you doing back here? ‘Protecting the food stores.’” He mimicked her voice.
She was calm when she spoke to the frightened children. “I want the rest of you to run back to Adam.”
“But he’s gonna take our lunch,” Savannah whispered. The seven year-old had stayed with Everly all night while her parents worked patrol together. They were sleeping as much as possible during the day. Savannah had been present as Everly taught them to preserve a small portion of their dinner so they may have the snack for lunch during story time. Normally only two meals were provided each day, and that was amazing considering how many people had taken camp outside the walls of Xenia.
