by Viola Grace
“It is lovely.”
“You will get more than one day off every eight weeks here.”
Her lips quirked as she focussed on the view. “You don’t say.”
He moved behind her and placed one hand beside hers on the railing. “I do say. In fact, if the world is quiet, your time is your own.”
“Really?”
“Really. For example, right now, all is quiet, and I believe that the last time I had you in my arms, we were about to kiss.”
She kept herself facing away from him, but the heat and scent of him were surrounding her and doing more to seduce her than any blatant foreplay would have. “I think I need a tour of the facility.”
“I am still waiting for that kiss, then I will give you the tour.”
“Fine. One more question before we get distracted. You can fly?”
“I can levitate short distances.” His hands turned her in his embrace. Lance stroked her cheek and pressed a kiss to her skin.
Lera lifted her face to his and let her lids slowly close as he brushed his lips over her cheeks, eyes, chin and finally her lips. The deliberate stroke of his lips against hers caused her to inhale on a ragged breath.
She took his breath into her lungs and went up on her toes as he brushed his lips over hers again. Lera slid her hands up his chest and cupped his jaw, pulling his mouth to hers fully to hurry the moment of contact.
His hands clenched on her waist, and he lifted her against him, a low growl emanated from deep in his chest, and his mouth was suddenly less teasing and more seductive.
Lera held on as his tongue slid along hers, his teeth pressed against her lips and his jaw moved against hers in ferocious repetition. She moaned lightly and let the pheromones filling the air bring her arousal higher.
A sharp whistle parted them. Lera blinked up at Lance in a daze, and he stared down at her with a possessive gleam in his eyes as well as a ferocity that she hadn’t seen before. Suddenly, his arms didn’t seem like the safest place to be.
Coma whistled again. “Lance, Liaison, it is time for dinner.”
Shivering, Lera pushed away from Lance. “We are summoned.”
“This isn’t over, Lera. We are meant for each other.”
She nodded and looked over his shoulder. “I know. I have known longer than you have.”
He gave her a shocked look, and she was relieved. The aroused focus was a little hard to face close up. “Explain.”
“Over dinner. It is kind of a fun story.” She patted his arm and smiled brilliantly at him. It worked. The next moment, they were back in her bedroom and walking down the stairs.
He gave her the quick and dirty tour on the way to the dining room with his arm around her waist.
Lera just knew that now that he had her in his grasp, he wasn’t going to let her go. In that moment, she was almost convinced she was in the hands of a villain and not one of the good guys.
Chapter Six
They were seated and platters of food were being passed around when Lance reminded her of her tease. “How long have you known?”
She nibbled at her salad and smiled. “Four months or so.”
Coma blinked. “Really? You didn’t let any of it slip.”
“I didn’t think it was reality. I thought it was simply a pretty picture of a fantasy that the artist had linked to in my mind.”
Lance frowned. “You know Charm’s wife?”
“She is one of my people. After a few of ours ran afoul of Janial, she took an interest in finding all of the Terrans in the Nyal Imperium and seeing if she could foresee their romantic destinies. I got to be one of her projects. The picture is quite pretty, but I wasn’t sure that it would happen until the other day.”
Lance looked at her as if she had betrayed him. “You knew, and yet, you kept yourself from me?”
Shatter was rapt with the goings on, and Coma was making inroads through her meal.
“Of course. The timing was never right, and I didn’t own that dress until a few days ago.”
He scowled. “Dress, what dress? The image that Rhoda sent to me didn’t have any clothing on it. Don’t get me wrong, it is a lovely portrait, and I look forward to seeing it in person, but we definitely were not dressed in that picture.”
“Oh my. I guess Rhoda did a second portrait. She didn’t tell me about it.”
“You were in communication with her recently?”
Lera squirmed in her chair. “Sort of. I called her the day after the restaurant. By the way, you guys owe Hormik for skipping out on the cheque.”
Coma sat up and addressed Lera. “Well, Lera, as our new liaison, you are here to run interference for us with the local Peacekeepers in the area we have landed in. We need to gain their cooperation, and you have been promoted to captain in an effort to give you rank over those you will be dealing with. We can go as high as general but that was thought to be overkill at the outset.”
Lera nodded. “Right. Captain Douglas. Got it.”
“Captain Lera has a more friendly tone.” Shatter smiled.
“In that case, it would be General Lera or no one would follow orders. The Peacekeepers do not give respect easily, and a captain who went by their familiar name would not be considered serious.”
Shatter frowned. “Captain Douglas it is, until we can get the promotion to general put through.”
Coma chuckled. “You are correct. You need to command respect, and you need to be approachable. I believe that can be combined with a call sign that harkens to your previous occupation. Didn’t you introduce yourself to the transport pilot as Frisk?”
“I did. It was my riot sign. After a crowd was subdued, I would be called in to remove anything sharp or deadly.”
Coma nodded her head. “Excellent. In true liaison fashion, you will wear two names. Captain Douglas and Frisk. Now, we need to address your clothing. Your regular uniform is not suitable.”
Lera frowned and nibbled at her food. “Why?”
“You are a Peacekeeper of Jennila, but if and when we get transferred to another world, you will come with us and deal with the local law enforcement there. You have to look the part, not to mention, you need far more body armour.”
Lera shrugged and had to admit that she had a point. “All the Peacekeepers on Jennila need more body armour. I am not the exception.”
Lance sighed, “But you will be facing situations that even the Peacekeepers won’t go near. You need the extra help and extra training.”
Shatter nodded. “They are correct. You are coming with us to natural disasters, you will help with evacuations and even stand beside us during incursions. You need as much protection as we can give you.”
“So, how and where will this magical protection arrive?” She drummed her fingers against the table next to her plate.
“Charm and his wife are coming here for a visit. He will help you with your armour and your wardrobe.” Coma smiled.
“My wardrobe? What is wrong with my clothing?”
Lance coughed and looked to Shatter.
Shatter looked out the window.
Coma sighed. “You don’t have anything appropriate to the amount of vid time you will be pulling when you are representing us in the cities and negotiating for cooperation.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What am I here for, precisely?”
Coma grimaced. “You are here to ensure the cooperation of local governments and administration. You are not only going to speak to the Peacekeepers for us, but also the mayors, governors and presidents of the countries we are entering to offer aid. It has been a bit of a trial for us to have to lose one of the Guardians to keep the governing body calm while we did what we had to. That will now fall to you.”
Lera groaned and put her head in her hands. “Why did I just get a sudden headache?”
Lance reached over and started to rub her shoulders with a slow massaging rhythm. “It will be fine, Lera. You will see. We will be there to coach you until you get the hang of it.”
“After that, you will be on your own, on our behalf.” Shatter’s tone was helpful.
“Oh. I can’t wait.” She leaned into Lance’s hands as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
He tugged and turned her so that her back was fully facing him, and he went after the knots in her muscles with focus. “How is it you can even move?”
“I used to go to a massage therapist every few weeks, but I have been short on time. If I had gone on my last day off, you wouldn’t have even seen me.” She chuckled and groaned as he found a particularly stubborn knot.
When she squinted her eyes open, she saw Shatter watching her with an amused twist to his lips. Coma was busy eating her dessert.
“Why are you smiling, Shatter?”
“Oh, a few days ago, you didn’t want him near you, and now, he has covered a quarter of your body in a public space and you aren’t even trying to avoid him. I find the female mind fascinating.”
She scowled at Shatter. “Have you ever been in pain?”
“Of course.”
“Have you ever been relieved when someone saw your pain and offered you assistance?”
His features twisted into an embarrassed cast. “I apologize. Pain is not a matter for mockery.”
Lance’s voice was calm. “No, it is not, but she wasn’t in pain. She was merely tense. I just don’t want to stop.”
Lera wrinkled her nose and sighed. “He’s right. I should see if I can find my way around and check my mail.”
She tried to stand up, but Lance held her in her chair. “I am not done yet.”
Lera’s butt thudded back into her seat. “Mm. Okay.”
There was no arguing with him, so she sat as he knuckled her muscles loose until she was slumped over and limp.
Coma and Shatter were talking quietly when she asked, “So, when does Charm get here?”
Coma looked at her with surprise. “I thought you fell asleep.”
“Nope. I can’t sleep sitting up.”
“Well, they are on their way right now, so the day after tomorrow is my guess.” Coma smiled. “Go to bed. Get some sleep. Spend time trying to keep Lance out of your room. We will see you in the morning. You have five days before you are on official duty.”
Lera was shocked. “Really? I get time off?”
“Of course. You need to learn how things are arranged before we head out with you as a team member. That will take a few days. Lance and Shatter will be in charge of your physical training, but sleep in tomorrow if you can. You will be hitting the ground soon enough.” Coma waved her off.
“Thank you, Lance. I think it is time for bed.” She pushed herself to her feet and felt the blessed relief from the tension that had plagued her.
She turned, and he was right there, a black and white figure with a supporting arm around her waist before she could say another word.
His gentle coaxing ushered her along the halls, and she had to ask, “So, who is doing the dishes?”
“Charm made some bots that are used for housekeeping. It is handy, as we are frequently called to duty during meals.”
She nodded. “I thought it was Charm’s brother that made the clothing.”
He laughed. “It usually is, but he doesn’t have the clearances for this facility, so he explained the procedure to Charm. Since he is mostly doing overlays, it should be fine.”
She chortled. “He is bringing stuff that his brother made, isn’t he?”
Lance sighed. “He is. He is just making a few alterations while he is here.”
“Heh. Well, I will look forward to seeing Rhoda then. She seems nice via com chats.”
“You have never met?”
“Nope. When we left earth, we were on different shuttles. She went into psychic artist training, and I went into Enforcer training.”
“This is our medical space. It has most standard equipment and some specialized for precise species.” He continued the tour.
“I thought I was supposed to go to bed.”
“You are, but no one says we can’t take the long way around.”
He grinned, and she felt her heart flip in her chest. Despite his ferocious demeanour when she had first seen him, his actual treatment of her was caring and comforting when he wasn’t heating her senses to a fiery frenzy.
The tour of the base took close to an hour, and she was swaying with fatigue by the time they were standing in front of her door. She yawned behind her hand and opened her door. “Thank you for the tour, Lance.”
He moved to kiss her, but she yawned again, swaying alarmingly. “Sorry.”
He frowned. “Coma must have done something.”
She shrugged. “I haven’t been getting much sleep for the last few days. I will see you in the morning.”
He kissed the back of her hand and her cheek before letting her retreat into her quarters.
She closed the door and leaned against it, exhaling sharply. “Well, that was a helluva night.”
She headed up to her bed and peeled off her suit, grabbing her silk gown and slipping it over her head. A quick visit to the lav and a brushing of her hair and she was ready for bed.
Her silk gown was one of a dozen that she had brought from earth and one of only six survivors. She embraced the comfort of the familiar fabric and settled against the sheets and pillows, sliding into slumber. Tomorrow had to be less surprising, because she didn’t know how much more she could take.
Chapter Seven
Waking before dawn was going to be a hard habit to break. Lera got out of bed, took a shower, changed into a comfortable tunic and trouser set and then she headed for the kitchen.
Her memory for interior layouts was excellent, and it helped her find her way back to the source of all snacks. She hummed to herself as she made a batch of pancakes, put it under the warmer and then prepared some berry syrup.
By the time she finished the syrup and turned around, she had an audience. Apparently, for breakfast, shirts were optional. Coma was wearing a loose top, but her cleavage was easily visible in the open neck of her sleepwear.
“Oops. Did I wake you?” She was embarrassed. She had made enough pancakes for six, but she wasn’t sure if all the Guardians ate them.
Coma came forward, her dark purple hair tousled. “What is that smell?”
“Pancakes. Um, a sort of flat breakfast cake eaten hot with a syrup.”
Shatter stumbled past her, and he brought a pack of sausage out, putting it in the heater.
The bots already had a table set, so there was nothing left for her but to shepherd the Guardians to their seats and put a pot of caf in front of them.
Lance wasn’t speaking, but he poured caf for everyone and handed the cups around.
“So, how early is it?”
Coma smiled. “We would be getting up anyway in an hour or so. The smell grabbed us and hauled us out of bed.”
Lance grunted. “Do you always rise so early?”
“My shift would start in an hour. I had better be up and ready to work.” She put the sausage patties down and slid the first pancake stack on the table.
She sat and noticed that they were watching her for the clues. She took two pancakes and set them on her plate, poured syrup over them and hoisted a sausage patty onto her plate.
With quick motions, she took a wedge of pancake, speared the sausage and ate it.
The others immediately followed her example and soon exclamations of surprise rang out.
Lance was rapidly waking up. “I had no idea you could cook.”
“You didn’t ask. In my home, it was cook for yourself or go hungry.” She quickly got up and retrieved the rest of the pancakes.
“Why?”
“My mother worked, and we had no one else to cook for us, so we learned.” Lera smiled. “It made for some interesting food combinations and prepared my stomach for life in the stars.”
Her three companions laughed. She grinned. Anyone who had been to
more than three worlds with differing species knew what a gut bomb felt like.
“So, what is your impression of a sampling of Terran food? Almost every culture on earth has a version of this item for breakfast or a light snack.”
The plates were empty, the platters were empty and the Guardians were looking at her hopefully.
Coma cleared her throat. “How long would it take for you to make more?”
Lera chuckled. “A few minutes. How many do you want?”
Shatter cleared his throat. “The same again?”
She nodded and paused next to Lance. She kissed the corner of his mouth, licking at the syrup that was standing out in purple on his skin. “Morning, Lance.”
He tried to get up to follow her, but Coma hissed at him. Apparently, no fooling around until breakfast had been served.
Lera mixed, flipped and served another eighteen pancakes, keeping them all under the heater until another batch of syrup had been created. The sugar and berries bubbled away, and when the bubbles were large enough, she pulled it off the heat and poured it into the jug. She set the jug in ice for a moment to stop the molten death that she had created, and when she was sure no one would be injured, she set the fresh stacks on the table.
Forks stabbed and pancakes flew. She snuck one more onto her plate and grabbed the syrup while the others were fighting for the last one.
With easy movements, she finished her breakfast and cleared her place. The bots chittered at her for interfering, but she slid the plate and cutlery onto the counter.
The feeding frenzy was almost over, but she slipped her hand forward and filled her cup of caf. “I am going to go for a walk outside. Can I get up onto the outer wall somehow?”
Coma sat back and sighed happily. “To the right there is a staircase. Thank you for this. You are a better cook than my mother.”
Lera inclined her head and took her caf out to watch the dawn. The stairs were indeed on the right, and she climbed them to watch the light come over the horizon.
“Were you always a morning person?” Lance spoke from behind her.
She turned, and his pale skin was glowing in the dimness. “No. It took a few alerts to get me into the habit of rising early.”
