by Celia Kyle
Brukr sighed. “She becomes more and more,” he grimaced, “interesting by the turning.” He shook his head. “Why Taulan allows Liquid Knot to continue modifying the ship’s code, I do not know.”
Hannah grinned. “I don’t think it’s a matter of ‘allowing’ Liquid to do anything.” The hacker couldn’t be stopped when she was determined, and when it came to Penelope… Liquid was determined. “Now go see Taulan. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Brukr’s attention flicked between her eyes and mouth, finally settling his gaze on her lips. “Ivoth has stated he kisses his mate before he departs. It is a human custom. Is it a custom we shall…”?
“Go. If we start kissing, we won’t stop.”
He grinned. “I would not mind.”
“War Master Taulan would object to being ignored.” Penelope. Again.
And those words were enough to encourage Hannah to move away from him. If they stayed close, continued touching, desire would win, and Brukr would end up in trouble with Taulan.
“I’ll see you later.”
He grunted and stomped to the door, only pausing long enough to press his thumb on the identipad. The moment it opened, he disappeared through the portal and the panel slid back into place—leaving Hannah alone… with Penelope.
She tilted her head back. “Hey, Penelope?”
“Hey, Hannah?” The Preor might get annoyed with Penelope’s programming, but she found the tones, the way the computer spoke, comforting—like a friend rather than a bunch of wires and data banks.
“I need to go to the senchamber.”
“You did not inform Brukr of your intent.”
“Does that matter?”
“It would annoy your mate greatly if you were not present upon his return.”
She smiled. “Oh, I’m sure, but I’ll be back before he’s done for the day. Will you help me?”
“Liquid has programmed me to enjoy the annoyance of Preor males. There is also an entire library of sarcasm and a volume describing degrees of untruths. You did not state you would not leave. You merely stated you would be waiting.” Hannah could practically hear the ship smiling… even if it didn’t have lips. “If you will step out of your quarters and turn right, lights will form along the passage and direct you to your destination.”
“You’re awesome.”
“Yes.” No hesitation in the computer’s voice, just a cocky certainty.
Chuckling, she did as Penelope ordered, stepping out and turning right. She followed the dim lighting, the dots of pale yellow that drew her further and further along the path. She turned right again, then left, each twist and turn taking her away from her quarters and toward… her future, in a way.
To a place that would reveal the true Hannah Carr—the one hiding behind gen mods.
After what seemed like hours, the lights ceased drawing her forward, stopping to surround a single door at the end of a passage. The glow traveled along the arch, pulsing once before fading away.
“Do you have a preferred location, Hannah?” The ship’s volume remained low, almost a whisper, like she was a friend standing beside Hannah while they made a break for it.
“I…”
“Many warriors and their mates visit areas that hold great meaning—joy—for them.”
She snorted and shook her head. “I don’t have anywhere like that.”
“There is a program displaying Warrior Brukr’s quarters in the emperor’s aerie.”
“Emperor’s…” She knew he was “favored” by the emperor—whatever that meant—but had no idea he lived in the male’s aerie. “Load that program, please.”
She might as well get used to her new home.
“Confirmed.” The door slid aside with a soft whoosh, revealing an opulent space that seemed like such a stark contrast to the male she knew.
Brukr seemed like such a simple male, one who found happiness in the small things, and yet this space… The walls were stark white and highly polished, the floors equally shined. Every soft surface was covered with what could only be xina. Even the flowing curtains that led to a high balcony were made of the fabric.
Hannah padded around the space, trailing her fingers over the shined furniture and caressing the xina drapes. She stepped onto the balcony and her breath caught. The aerie rose high into the clouds of Preor, the air cool and winds gentle. In the distance, she spied dragons gliding through the sky—smaller dragonlets in a small group as they trailed after a larger male.
No railing stood between her and the edge of the terrace, a sheer drop that would mean certain death if she was on the planet and not within a senchamber. That thought reminded her of why she’d come to the place. It brought her back to the task at hand.
She put distance between her and the steep drop before calling on the ship once more. “Hey, Penelope?”
“Hey, Hannah?”
She smiled with the hesitation in Penelope’s tone. Even if she was a computer, she was fun to talk to—her responses a reminder of humans in her new world filled with the Preor.
“Can you access medical’s records and extrapolate my appearance if I’d never had gen mods?” She’d assumed it was possible, but…
“You wish to see your natural self?”
No. “Yes.”
“Acknowledged.”
Quiet reigned while Penelope worked. At least, Hannah assumed the ship worked to grant her request.
While it remained quiet and calm, she let her attention drift to the skies once more. She kept her gaze on the warriors flying through the air, on the dragonlets who flapped their small wings in an attempt to keep up with the others. They were large in their dragon form, but she wondered how young they were when on two feet. Teens? Toddlers? Babies?
She rubbed her lower stomach, imagining carrying Brukr’s child. She’d met the War Master and Mistress’s dragonlets, little Lorrasyh and Shanas. Shanas—the boy—had wings and could shift and breathe fire like his sire. As for Lorra… Well, she wasn’t supposed to have been born with wings or fire. It wasn’t in a female Preor’s nature. Except, no one realized how great the differences were between Preor and human genetics. Which was why Lorra had no problem spitting a ball of fire at her brother when he annoyed her.
If Hannah had a Preor mate, they could have children—little dragonlets like Lorra and Shanas. No, not simply a Preor mate—a Preor destined mate. Hannah had Brukr, but without that biological connection, they couldn’t have children—dragonlets.
She’d never experience the joy of holding her own baby. Then again, there were plenty of human orphans that needed a loving home. Would Brukr be willing to—
Penelope interrupted her thoughts. “Program complete. Projection ready. Please acknowledge.”
It was now or… sometime later. She wouldn’t have her Pol Mutation cured before she had a look at her real self.
“Dis…” She cleared her throat and pushed her trepidation aside. This had to be done. She couldn’t move on until… Until she knew who she was. Or rather, who she could be. “Display, please.”
Chapter Twenty
Hannah’s voice seemed hollow even to her own ears, the words coming from a distance instead of her own mouth. Her heartbeat thundered, flashes of light pulsing in time with the thump of her heart. Her gut clenched and stomach churned as anxiety took over—as her emotions snatched control from her mind. They held her immobile as Penelope went to work.
The ship constructed the projection piece by piece, layer by layer. It began at her—its—feet. She couldn’t think of the hologram as her. Not yet. Not ever if she didn’t go through with the procedure.
Thin slice after thin slice were placed in a colorful stack, as if she was a puzzle to be completed. Feet first, toes that were an exact match to Hannah’s, including the little bend on her right pinky toe. She’d broken it more than once, stubbing it on a chair when she was young.
When she still lived at home with her mother and father. Before her father had…
; Right.
Ankles, then calves, scars that matched hers easing into view. So far, the new her was just like the old her—Hannah of the present.
In truth, the changes didn’t truly come into view until they got to her hips. The old, true Hannah’s hips were slightly wider, more rounded. Her waist, too. As if the gen mods had purposefully made her thinner and narrower with a longer torso. And then her ribcage as well as the size of her breasts. Like the doctors decided her body was too wide and her breasts too big. Maybe it was just the way she saw herself. Maybe it was in her head or something odd with Penelope’s projection.
The changes in her face, though… Those weren’t in her imagination.
“This is her?” she whispered, but Penelope heard her.
“This is you with the gen mods removed, as requested.”
Hannah stepped closer, staring at the changed version of herself. The projection’s eyes were open though unseeing, focused on a spot in the distance. Eyes that were more hazel with an extra hint of green.
Then there was her hair. Hannah’s was a neutral brown, not bland, but nothing special. Whereas this version of her… The brown transformed to shades of red, a deepness—richness—that reminded her of the sun’s orange rays.
She stepped even nearer to the hologram, stopping just short of touching the figure.
Hannah had freckles. Freckles. Small dots of pale brown on the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks. Just the lightest sprinkling on her pale skin—very pale skin. The natural, light tan was gone and in its place—milky white flesh.
It wasn’t just her coloring either. The shape of her nose changed, the tilt of her eyes, the fullness of her lips. She stroked her mouth, unable to believe the drastic difference between her and this other her.
Had the gen mods done so much over the years? She… she didn’t know this person.
She paced around the hologram, wondering what else was different about this version of her-but-not-her. Her ass was more round. Even the curve of her spine different, but she supposed that made sense. With all the other changes to her shape…
Hannah moved around to face the projection once more. “This is what I’ll look like, Penelope?” She leaned in even more, attention on the shell of her ear. She’d been changed there as well. “When Whelon does his thing?”
“If by thing, you mean cure your Pol Mutation, then yes. This is your appearance once Healing Master Whelon does his thing.”
“Will it hurt, do you think?” It somehow seemed easier to talk to a faceless computer than the healers.
“It is probable.” Penelope’s tone and volume matched hers.
“I wonder…”
“Shaa freem?” Brukr’s voice reached her and Hannah winced and then turned a glare to the sky.
“You could have warned me,” she grumbled.
“You did not request a warning.”
“Well, obviously if I’m sneaking out I’d like to know before I’m caught,” she mumbled.
“Understood,” Penelope whispered back just before Brukr strode onto the balcony.
“You stated you would not leave.” He flung the accusation the moment he spied her.
“No, I said I’d be there when you got back.”
“You were not.” He narrowed his eyes and continued heading toward her. Not just heading toward her, but stomping in her direction. “I returned, and you—”
A single strong arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her against him. A split-second later his mouth covered hers, his tongue insistent and silently demanding entrance. Hannah opened for him, welcoming him into her as she leaned into his embrace. His every touch melted her, stole all hint of control, and turned her into putty in his hands.
She moaned against his mouth, savoring his taste, his touch, and then whimpered when he lifted his head.
“You were not there,” he whispered. “I…” He swallowed hard, the sound audible in the senchamber’s silence. “I feared you had been taken.”
“Penelope knew where I was.”
“But I did not,” he grumbled.
He’d worried about her. He… cared about her? No. It was too much to hope. Desire wasn’t caring.
“I’m right here. I just needed…” She sighed. “I needed to see who I’d be if I… If I decide to have my Pol Mutation cured.” She tilted her head toward the hologram. “That’ll be me.”
Brukr shrugged.
She quirked an eyebrow. “You didn’t even look.”
“Your appearance does not matter. It does not change the fact that you are mine, and I will not let you go.” He lowered his head again, mouth easing closer, and she leaned away.
“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? You’ll be mated to a stranger if I go through with this.”
“When. And you could never be a stranger. You are my mate.” Simple words for such a complex situation.
“No.” She shook her head. “Look at the changes. My hair? My eyes? My shape?” She waved at the hologram and still he didn’t divert his attention. “Look at me.”
Brukr grinned. “I am looking at you. I would like to look at more of you, but back in our quarters. Not…” he glanced at their surroundings, “not in this place.”
“These are your quarters at the emperor’s aerie. You don’t like them?” She glanced around. “I thought…”
“This aerie is not my preferred home. It is merely where I lay my head when the emperor summons me. I call Ohmia home. Watching the sun set from my aerie is the most beautiful sight on all of Preor.” He grinned. “Until you arrive. Then I shall have a new favorite view.”
“Which version of me, though?”
That had him frowning. “There is only one you—unless Earth cloned you when they assured the Preor that cloning ceased prior to the Ujal’s arrival.”
“I…” She shook her head. “There’s only one me as far as I know, but I mean, will it be this version,” she waved at herself, “or that one?” She gestured at the hologram.
Brukr’s attention gradually shifted from her to the projection, his stare intent while his eyes moved over the display. “You are you. You are the same.”
She snorted and shook her head. “That hair? Those eyes? My nose?” She lifted her eyebrows. “You think that person and I are the same?” Hannah pulled free of his embrace and stood beside the altered version of her. “Look at my body. None of it’s the same. I’m a completely different person.”
“No, you are Hannah joi Brukr Carr.”
“But…”
“Shaa freem…” He murmured that endearment, and even if it wasn’t the one shared by mates—even if it wasn’t shaa kouva—it melted her heart. It touched something deep inside her, and that part of her soul resonated with something very, very close to love. “My fierce warrior. Do you always fight?” Brukr cupped her cheeks and held her steady, not letting her drop her gaze. He wasn’t going to let her hide from him. “You do not have to fight me. You have won. You are mine. I am yours. I could be blinded and I would still be your mate. I did not claim you for your face or your body. I claimed you for your heart.”
She snorted, not ready to believe him just yet. “You claimed me because you’re a kid who didn’t want to lose your toy.”
“I used the situation to my advantage. From the moment we met, I knew you would be mine.”
“Even without the Knowing?” she countered.
“Yes.” No hesitation. No stutter that made her wonder if he was lying.
“And you don’t care if I look like this? If my entire appearance changes?”
“No.” He shook his head. Still no doubt. “I mate your heart, not your body.”
“What happens when you meet your destined mate? I get tossed aside?” That was one of her greatest fears. Not one of. It was the greatest fear.
“We will live away from other females. My only purpose is to keep you at my side and ensure your happiness. Nothing else matters.” He lowered his head and kissed her. Slowly, with a heat that stoked t
he fires of her need but didn’t send her craving for him roaring to a fever pitch. And when he pulled away, he spoke against her lips. “I will not let you go. Ever.”
“Even if…”
“Ever, Hannah joi Brukr. Ever.” His intent, heavy stare assured her he spoke the truth. There was no getting away from him. “Tell me you will allow Whelon to cure you.”
“I won’t be me.”
“You will be a better version of you. You will be your true self.”
Quiet settled over them, something stretching between them in the silence, as if invisible forces embraced their bodies and pushed them toward one another. An unseen rope that tightened and secured their bodies together.
“Tell me you will allow Whelon to heal you.”
Hannah closed her eyes, imagining a life without Brukr. A life that would end when Pol Mutation had finished ravaging her body. The mutation would destroy her from the inside out, tearing her apart with the poisonous changes.
It would steal any future she could have with this fierce alien warrior, and she realized… she wanted forever with him. Right or wrong, whatever the future held, she wanted forever.
“I’ll let Whelon heal me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Relief overwhelmed Brukr for a moment, the feeling immediately followed by joy. His mate would receive treatment. She would no longer be plagued by Pol Mutation—a genetic anomaly that would someday end her life.
“Thank you, shaa freem,” he murmured and could not resist tasting her lips once more. Just a sampling of her flavors. At least, that was what he told himself as he lowered his head. But once he absorbed her taste, his dragon’s need surged. It urged him to claim Hannah, to tie her to them before another dared approach her. If she was willing to mate Brukr without the Knowing, she was susceptible to being lured away by another warrior.
Unacceptable.
He would end their kiss, and then…
Hannah lapped at his mouth, her plump lips and teasing tongue pushing him beyond what weak control remained. No, he would remain strong—he would. But then she stroked his arms, smooth palms skating over his shoulders and finally slipping around his neck. She pulled him down, urging him closer, and he could do nothing but comply. He wanted—needed—more.
