by Viola Grace
“Those displays are affected as well?” He looked alarmed.
“Yes. The number of lights here were insufficient for the additional count in the storage bay. That was the tip off by the way. The light bulbs for these displays should have been requisitioned before they were sent out to the public areas and they were not. That lead me to believe that the lights were involved and from there, it was easy to find the chemical component.” Finder was tired. She had done more talking in the last three days than she had in the previous three years.
Finder didn’t want to explain anything else. Her intuitive leaps were hard enough to handle on her own, let alone to explain it to strangers.
She just wanted to go home.
Chapter Eight
The return was anti-climactic. The emotional rush of solving the crime fizzled within her the moment that they were back on the shuttle. Roxy was deflated. That was it. Professor Ardual was being held until he could be sent to an Alliance trial, either on another planet or on a passing warship. In the mean time, the Sector Guard was returning to base.
Finder’s first job was done.
“Don’t chew your nails.” Esur’s voice reached through her gloom.
“I don’t chew them, I just hold them between my teeth.” She held up her un-gnawed fingers and wiggled them.
“What has you so down?” He sat next to her, nudging her into an upright position from her previous reclining pose.
“I just thought there would be more excitement. Less of a let down after this case was solved. It was just so fast.”
He snorted and put his arm around her. “Nice to know you like things slow.”
Her lips twisted into a smirk. “You won’t think so when I demand every moment of the six months I am allowed before we consummate anything. I will not be rushed in my personal life.”
“Will you share the house with me?”
“If you want me to.”
“Then I will use the next six months to try and move up your time table.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles.
“Good luck with that. What do you think of our first assignment?”
He paused and his hand stroked her arm absently. “I think that if you are to continue to live a long and healthy life, you will definitely need a permanent bodyguard. I hereby volunteer to throw myself between you and danger at any and every moment. On top of you if necessary.”
She leaned her head back against his shoulder and gave him a serious scowl. “Your dedication is admirable, but I don’t think that will be necessary.”
His grin was unrepentant. “I will be the judge of that. You are obviously unaware of the peril you can be in at any time. When on an assignment, you are the one solving the puzzle. It will be to the villain’s advantage to strike out at you. I am here to prevent that.”
“I am flattered.”
“You should be, I am not making this offer to just anyone.” Esur leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips.
The warmth flowed between them, tiny shocks of power that notched her interest higher with every second that they kept in contact. She shuddered, if it kept climbing, she would blow apart by the time that she let him into her bed.
She would let him in, but it was a matter of time. Her family was spotted with women who had rushed into marriage and family and it rarely turned out well. It wasn’t fear of commitment that held her back, it was fear that the fire between them would fade if they let it burn brightly.
“Enough you two. We have a full day’s flight ahead of us.” Brodin sounded grumpy. As if breaking up a makeup session was something he was getting tired of doing.
Blinking as she backed away from Esur, she did some mental math. “It took two days to get out here.”
“Different gravitational fields. We are not fighting the pull of the stars this time. We are using their energy to propel us.” Brodin gestured for her to join him at the controls. “You may as well start learning how to fly a shuttle. We do have some time to kill and I am tired of Esur kicking my butt at Mintag.”
Extricating herself from Esur’s embrace was not easy and she didn’t really want to leave him, but necking on the bench was not a very social way to spend the time. Flying through empty space wasn’t something she was going to enjoy, but it was a necessary skill, like using a fork. You just had to do it to get through the day.
Roxy settled herself in the co-pilot’s seat as Brodin started to go through all of the toggles one by one.
Esur stretched out to take a nap and their little crew continued their flight through the stars, back to home base.
Teklan base seemed so small as Roxy guided the shuttle in for a landing, but it rapidly grew larger as they approached at high speed.
“Okay, just ease up, fire the braking jets, that’s it. Keep your hands light and the steering easy. Slower, slower, back the jets up. Onto the landing pad. Easy, easy.”
His constant conversation was enough to make Roxy scream, but she kept her concentration on landing the craft and when they finally dropped firmly to the ground, she breathed easily.
“Wonderful, but next time, extend the landing gear.” Brodin laughed, wiped some sweat from his brow and slapped her on the shoulder.
She put her face in her hands and groaned.
“You did fairly well. Esur’s fingers only dug into the bulkhead half an inch. He was only nervous, not scared.”
Brodin helped her unbuckle her harness and lifted her bodily from the seat. Every muscle was locked with tension.
Several moments on the flight in, she was convinced that she would kill them all.
Esur’s low growl sped Brodin’s steps while the dragon removed his hands from the death grip he had on the bulkhead.
Brodin handed her over to Esur and walked to the hatch, opening the door and moving into the daylight.
“Sorry about the rough landing. Brodin seemed to take it well. Wait…” She peered out the open hatch that they were approaching. “Is he kissing the ground?”
A rolling chuckle was running through the Drai carrying her. Their leader was indeed on the tarmac in front of them, his lips to the surface.
She looked up at her companion, her mate. “Maybe you should learn to fly the shuttle.”
“My dear, I know how to fly just about anything. Brodin just wanted to give you something to do besides kiss me during the flight home. We had no idea that you would forget the gear when you brought us down.”
She balled up her fist and punched him in the chest. “Put me down, jerk! There is someone else here. Someone in a Guard uniform.”
The sleek lines of the ship were unmistakable. It was the Class One. Basically the flagship of the Sector Guard.
An Azon and a Terran were standing outside the shuttle, laughing and shaking Brodin’s hand. They all seemed happy to see one another.
With her feet on the ground and no need to straighten her suit, she and Esur joined them. He stretched his wings out and then snapped them back in.
“I do not like small shuttles.”
“No, I guess it was confining.”
Pilot, for her markings were obvious, smiled and extended her hands to Roxanne. “Roxanne, I am so glad that you have joined the Guard.”
“Helen. I didn’t really have a choice. I was simply told that it was the reason for my assignment here. I like my name though.” She smiled. It was nice to see another human up close and personal.
They went in for a hug and when they parted, both had a few small tears in their eyes.
“You may know my husband, Hyder. Formerly Commander, now most are simply calling him Match.” Helen angled her body, letting her husband lean forward to shake Roxy’s hand.
The contact was startling. Roxy met Hyder’s gaze and knew in an instant that he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at something only he could see. “Nice to meet you.”
“And you as well. This is Esur.”
“Pleased to meet you, Frost. We are happy to be making this vis
it. It should have been earlier, but there was an emergency at Station 13 that my lovely wife and I had to attend to.”
“Your presence is welcome here on Teklan.”
“I was worried about the match you two made, but I can see my fears were groundless.” Hyder and Esur were bonding on a strange level, similar to the one that he had shared with Brodin.
The dragon smiled, showing a lot of teeth. “They were indeed. Drai can find their own mates.”
“If we hadn’t sent Roxanne here, you may not have found her as easily.” He was looking as if Esur had insulted his very reason for living.
“Possibly, but I would have found her eventually.”
The men bickered back and forth, Brodin standing by in case he was needed to intervene.
Roxy looked to Helen, “Coffee?”
“You have some?”
“Close enough. Come on.”
Together, Pilot and Finder wandered away from the males who were still trying to prove who the best matchmaker was. Drai instincts or Match’s talent.
Roxy didn’t care as long as she got a veto vote. She had no intent to use it, but she wanted a say in her personal future, even if it was already written in the stars.
“So, I hear that you love your job here.” Helen was sipping at the coffee substitute with caution before she settled in with a slurp.
“I do. I really do. The busy nature of the base gives me plenty of items to track down and I like the people.” Roxy was enjoying one of the pastries that Sama had whipped up for her. There was a small plate of them on the table between them and the other patrons were looking at it with rueful glances. Roxy received special treatment from the support staff. She took care of their supplies, so they took care of her cravings.
“How are you getting along with Esur? He seems a good sort of guy.”
“He is. I just don’t want to rush anything. The women in my family are not known for their appropriate choices when it comes to love.”
Helen sighed and took her hand. “There is a lot to be said for waiting, but this is not Earth. When men who mate for life declare that you are their perfect match, believe them. If you feel anything toward him, give him a chance. He will make it worth your while.”
Helen’s pilot ports were still visible, but they had been faded into her skin somewhat. Roxy gave her a long look and noted that where the stressed and drawn features had previously been, Helen was now relaxed and glowing.
“You are really happy, aren’t you?”
“More than you could imagine. It isn’t always easy, especially when Hyder was running Morganti Base, but now we are spending time as a couple and there isn’t a day when I don’t feel blessed.”
“Blessed?”
“Luckier than hell? Hyder is a doctor as well as a matchmaker and he can be a busy fellow, but now that the burden of leadership is off his shoulders, he always makes time for me. We are even talking about starting a family. Not something that I had even considered before we left Earth. I was planning to be single with occasional affairs. You can’t always plan your future. Sometimes you have to let it just rush up and grab you.”
“Here, here.” Roxy raised her coffee cup and toasted the possibilities. What if she just jumped into bed with Esur? She wasn’t the kind of girl to fling herself at strange men, but he wasn’t a man by human standards. Flinging herself into the arms of a dragon was a pleasant thought. She knew that he would catch her.
That was part of the problem. He would do whatever she asked, but she didn’t want to ask. She wanted to be pursued, not taken for granted. It was a sticky situation.
Helen seemed to read her mind. “Now, I know that the Alliance is a little highhanded when it comes to just handing us over to the mates that they choose, but you knew coming out here that you would have to give in to their choice. He will court you, if you tell him to, and I know it would be nice if he pursued you. Maybe bought you a coffee at Starbucks or something. This isn’t Earth, we aren’t there anymore and I haven’t seen a dragon with pockets on his hide yet.”
“You may have a point. But even Drai regulations indicate that there should be a courtship.” She crossed her arms and frowned at Helen.
“What is the criteria?”
She ticked the list off on her fingers. “A formal meeting, attraction, knowing the spark of destiny is there, family agreement and approval of the male’s home.”
“What is he missing?”
Roxy thought about it. “The formal meeting and my approval of his home. I like it, but I hate the location.”
Helen was grinning. “So you agree the spark of destiny is there? Good start. The attraction I already knew about. You shocked poor Brodin by making out.”
“We were hardly making out. It was a simple kiss.”
“That lasted five minutes.”
That would explain the look on Brodin’s face when he broke them up. “Oh.”
“So, we need to arrange a formal gathering as well as some proper clothing for you.” Helen looked at her, considering something in her own mind. “I have it! It’s a fairly elegant design that can be altered to fit you in a few minutes. Of course, if Fixer was here, it would be easier, but Mala is still planet bound with her pregnancy. That little thing is exceptionally active, keeps her up to all hours of the night. She can hardly even design suits anymore.” Helen shook her head.
“I had heard she was pregnant, but didn’t know whether or not to believe it.”
“She’s pregnant all right. Shade is beside himself getting the addition ready for the new arrival.”
“That is wonderful, send her my best.”
“Well, as a member of the Sector Guard, you will probably have to go to her for a customisation of your uniform. Since you don’t have a physical talent, you will need more body armour as well as some emergency communication systems. Now, I saw that landing…were you drunk?”
Having to explain her crappy landing to a pilot was beyond embarrassing. “With my talent, I look at the big picture and put the pieces together. With flying, you have to be in the moment and I just am not quite wired for that.”
“It’s okay. Not all of us need to know how to fly.”
“Esur says he knows how. Come to think of it, he has a shuttle bay in his home. There is probably an old ship in there.”
“Good. We will get one of Vasu’s designs here. They are big enough for a Drai and are designed for wing comfort. That man knows his shuttlecraft.” Helen nibbled at one of the pastries, widened her eyes at the flavour and rapidly finished it so she could consume another.
“These things are amazing. They taste like cream puffs.”
Roxy had to smile at that. “They are…sort of. Sama loves new recipes and even makes a fabulous taco if you give her some advanced warning. She has to get a suitable taco shell in. That is trickier than it sounds.”
Helen laughed. “Have I ever told you about the ravenous Fixer and the tale of the missing roast beast?”
Smiling, Roxy helped herself to one of the pastries. “Please, enlighten me.”
The pilot pushed up her sleeves and leaned forward. “It was a dark and stormy night. Fixer’s morning sickness had just passed and she was eating everything not nailed down. Relay Wyt had arranged for a special dinner for some dignitaries and the staff had been preparing all day…”
The tales of other Guardsmen and their spouses spilled into the chamber and together, the women basked in the moment that was theirs. Two Terrans out on a strange world. They needed to take the time to enjoy the company of a shared history.
Chapter Nine
Roxy twitched the skirt and fidgeted. “I still can’t believe you did this.”
Hyder smiled and patted her arm. “Helen was very precise. You need the formal introduction to Esur and this base-wide celebration of completion of the Guard’s quarters is the perfect venue.”
“Brodin agreed?”
“Of course he did. He is as eager as I am to see you and Esur together as a co
uple.”
Music was playing, couples were dancing and the bulk of Esur’s home was now visible on the horizon. He had moved his home three days earlier and had been busy with Brodin ever since.
Tonight, they would see each other for the first time in days. Roxy had to admit how much her heart ached to see him. She missed him and he was still here on base. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if they were separated for a longer period.
Helen and Brodin were dancing, Hyder was on chaperone duty until Brodin could take his place. They were acting as her family at this event, even though the formal agreement for Esur to take her as wife was already signed by the Terran Representative as well as witnessed by three councillors.
Tonight was all for her.
She nibbled at some of the snacks and watched the dancers until the tingling in her spine told her that Esur was here. Esur Wallaz was his full name. She would become Roxanne Wallaz as soon as they filed the change.
That would wait.
He crossed the room, his white shirt flowing and his large wings out on either side of his body, displaying for her. He walked up and bowed to Hyder. “An introduction, please.”
“Esur Wallaz, this is Roxanne Nelson of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra. Member of the Sector Guard and Inventory Master.” Hyder bowed as he made the introduction.
“Roxanne Nelson, this is Esur Wallaz, late of the planet Drai, Third Flight Master of the Drai Elite, frost dragon, Lord of Teklan and member of the Sector Guard.”
Roxanne curtsied and Esur bowed. “Pleased to meet you, Esur.”
“You as well, Roxanne. May I have this dance?” He held his hand out to her, a sparkle in his ice blue eyes.
“Yes, thank you.” She placed her hand delicately in his and smiled at the sparks between them.
Together, they spun onto the dance floor and moved together as if they were partners for years instead of seconds. “So, you are a Flight Master?”
