by Viola Grace
Isabella remembered to get her cup of morning tea while she worked on his appointments, and by the time she was at the bottom of the cup, she had the day lined up.
Representing humanity was weird, but it didn’t feel alien to her. Every human being represented humanity every day; it was just a choice to be pleasant or an asshat.
Whatever she thought personally, it was time to make this home for the clones of Imrahl. Whether they wanted it or not, she was making a world just for them.
Chapter Twelve
After a month as his assistant and occasional lover, Isabella walked into Iktabi’s office.
“Hey, Lekorh. How are you today?”
The Saya-Rrassic smiled and inclined his head. “I am well. You are in excellent form today.”
Isabella turned so he could see the dress that Kromil had made for her. “I feel it.”
Iktabi looked at her and sighed. “Are you just here for a fashion show, or is there a purpose to your visit?”
She grinned. “Lianne is fully recovered from the embryo extraction and is doing well. Bree is a little slower to recover, but as an accelerator, her baby took a lot out of her.”
Iktabi nodded, “And you are taking care of her.”
“Of course. There are regular visits by friends and now that Arix is close to home, she is recovering rapidly.”
“So, this is all good news. Anything else?”
“Yes, you got a data pack, so if you could sort it and give me what you don’t want to handle, I can work on getting more entertainers back without the danger of a balcony collapse.”
He nodded. “I will get on it as soon as I finish my business with Lekorh.”
She smiled and inclined her head. “All righty. You know where I am.”
* * * *
Lekorh looked to the vivacious and charming assistant to the overseer of the outpost. She had a spring in her step. “She is becoming receptive again.”
Iktabi scowled. “I know. Stars, do I know. The taunting of her scent is driving me mad.”
“So, any word from the Dorbin archives?”
“Not yet.”
Lekorh quirked his lips. “Check the data packet.”
Iktabi gave him a strange look but used his thumb and ocular scan to open the files. He sat back heavily. “How did you know?”
“It was worth a shot. Now, read it.” Lekorh could feel his trepidation, but there was nothing to gain by waiting.
Iktabi opened the file, paused and rose to his feet. “Good afternoon, Lekorh. You can see yourself out.”
Lekorh had only seen mating lust up close once, and it had nothing on the white-hot fire in Iktabi’s mind. He had just learned that he could have what he most desired, and he was going to take it before it got away.
Grinning, Lekorh got to his feet; his own request for a companion could be sent in writing. With so many active minds around him constantly, he was getting the mental equivalent of an acid burn. He needed someone to help take the edge off.
Ah well, there was always tomorrow.
* * * *
The expression on Iktabi’s face would have been terrifying if she hadn’t seen his lustful look before.
She didn’t have a chance to grab her tablet before he lunged for her and muttered the most seductive phrase. “I hope you aren’t wearing underwear.”
He picked her up and hauled her to the roof.
When they jumped, he held her against his chest with her legs free instead of being cradled.
He wasn’t talking, but she had an idea of what was going on. “Good news then?”
“You will accept me as your mate.”
She snorted. “That is already understood.”
He grinned and banked, heading for the open valley away from the new herds of skark and any farming areas.
Iktabi reached down and freed his cock from his trousers. He then hauled her skirts upward and arranged her while they flew and dipped through the sky.
His expression told her he was working on instinct, but when she had her legs wrapped around his hips and he was sliding into her, his body took over.
She held tight as he swooped and dove, letting gravity do the work, and his wings pulled them skyward in a dizzying rhythm.
He grunted, groaned and thrust with every rise and drop.
If it wasn’t for all of the earlier flights, she would have been screaming in panic. After a few minutes, she caught on to the rhythm and moved with it, driving for her own orgasm as he finally sought his.
When the rush of adrenalin and pleasure peaked, she screamed, letting the mountains carry the echo. Iktabi shoved deep and shouted as his cock throbbed inside her.
His instinct took over once again, and while his face relaxed, his wings pulled them high to keep them from smacking into the rock and grasses below.
She clutched at him and held tight to his chest, her face pressed to his shirt. They slowly began to glide downward, back to the city. Isabella blinked as he headed for the administration building.
“Really? You want to go back to work?”
He rubbed his cheek against her head. “There are matters to attend to.”
“Well, unless one of those is a shower, I am going to be spending the rest of my day smelling like we just had sex.”
“What is wrong with that?”
“Nothing, except we are meeting with the potential instructors for the new peacekeeper academy. They might be a little freaked out.”
He sighed. “I want you to smell like me.”
“I still will, just let me change clothing and have a quick shower so I don’t smell like we just did something unseemly in the boardroom.”
He sighed and changed their trajectory. He was still inside her, and the small shifts to correct their direction were sending ripples of excitement through her again.
When he landed, he hit harder than he ever had, driving his cock so deep that she winced in discomfort. How he managed to walk into their quarters while wearing her, she didn’t want to know.
He reached the bed and knelt, tipping her backward. Iktabi pushed her dress upward, stroking her belly and thighs before he leaned in for a kiss and started to thrust into her.
She grunted and released his shirt, clawing at the clasps until she could touch his skin.
Isabella closed her eyes and focused on the plunge and drag inside her, the rustling of clothing, harsh breathing and low moans. Every sensation added to her pleasure, and all the pleasure cascaded into critical mass that rocked her into a deafening shriek as she ran her nails down his impervious skin.
Her heartbeat slowed gradually, and she looked up and into Iktabi’s eyes.
“You are right. Coming home for a change of clothing is a definite good idea.”
“Funny man. Off. I still need to shower, if I can even walk.”
“I will help you shower. I think I could probably use a freshening up myself.”
She laughed. His hair was windblown, his shirt was stained with sweat and hanging off him. His trousers were covered with stains from being pressed against her. Yeah, he needed a change of clothes.
She giggled. “Thank you for honouring my request, mate.”
A light came on behind his eyes as he realized what she had said. “I like the sound of that.”
“Get used to it.”
He grinned and hauled her to her feet, carrying her to the bathing room where he did assist her with her shower. He left no inch unwashed.
They were back at work within the hour.
Isabella looked up as the ladies left the lift. “Lianne, Bree. What are you doing here?”
Lianne grinned. “We are coming to kidnap you for lunch, Bella.”
“Uh, I don’t know that it is possible.”
Lianne stormed into Iktabi’s office, and she could be heard to make her demands. “We want to take Bella out for lunch, and I won’t hear anything about it from you, sir.”
Iktabi’s voice was calm. “Was there any particular reason?”
“Of course. It’s her birthday. Everybody needs to go out on their birthday.”
Isabella thought about it and realized that Lianne was right. It was definitely her birthday. “Well, hell. I completely spaced on that.”
Bree grinned. She was still a little pale, but she was looking well. “It has been that kind of year.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, Arix is chasing me around trying to get me to rest, so of course, I don’t want to. This provided me with a delightful excuse to get out of the house and make a run for it.”
“How is life in the breeder’s compound?”
“Secure. Boring. But giving the ladies lessons on what the Rrassic are actually like in bed has been very amusing, as you know.”
“I wish they confined it to bed.” Isabella quirked her lips.
Iktabi and Lianne emerged from his office. “Isabella, you are clear to reach any part of the city. Happy birthday.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Overseer.”
She rose from her desk and put her purse on over her shoulder. She walked up to Iktabi, and he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.
Bree chuckled and Lianne was standing with a rueful expression on her face.
Lianne snorted. “About time you engaged in a PDA.”
“You just weren’t looking at the right time.” She gave Iktabi another kiss and walked to the lift by an effort of will.
Lianne and Bree were with her, and she focused on them as they took the lift to the main floor. She exhaled in relief after escaping from the metal box.
“Are you all right, Bella?”
“I am fine. I just haven’t taken the lift or ground transport since I got this job.”
Bree snickered. “Right. You fly everywhere.”
“Well, I get carried.”
Lianne laughed, and they got in the ground transport that had been reserved for the day.
It took some effort, but Isabella relaxed as the luncheon went on.
“So, Bella, what is the deal with those bands? Are they rank marks? I mean, I know Iktabi has some.”
Isabella looked at Lianne. “They are restraint cuffs. Virtual chains. I was locked in them rather than spending my life in a confined space. Iktabi sets them and that is as far as I can get from him. Any further and I feel it.”
Bree blinked. “You are in restraints? Why?”
Lianne coughed. “Because she was helping some receptive ladies avoid being classified as breeders from day one, and she changed our files.”
Bree whistled. “Ohhhhh.”
Isabella looked at the silver bands. “It isn’t that bad. The metal sort of grafts itself to your skin. They even have built-in defense mechanisms.”
“Really?” Lianne examined them closely. “How do they work?”
“When the peacekeeper academy opens up, I am sure that they will be covered in one of the classes. For now, trust me. They work. We tested them.”
Lianne perked up. “When is that?”
“The facility is in final stages, so I expect another month will see it up and running. I think Itkabi’s goal is to have a series of female peacekeepers to act as emissaries to other worlds.”
Bree blinked. “Why?”
“Showing off. We are pretty tough stuff in comparison to some of the species they have met.” She sipped at the blue wine that she had ordered with lunch. It was appropriate for the season.
“What else can you tell us?” Lianne leaned forward.
“Not a lot. I can tell you about what is going on here. I can tell you how the skark are doing, but I can’t work much further beyond that.”
Bree nodded. “I understand. Protocol is protocol.”
Lianne grumbled but nodded. “Right. Of course. We don’t want to get you in trouble. So, what do you wish for for your birthday?”
Isabella thought about it for several seconds, and then, she smiled. “I think I want a day off. That would be it. I have been on duty since that day I saw you in Iktabi’s office, Lianne.”
“Oh, wow. You are definitely entitled to a day off.”
She raised her wrist and tapped the silver. “I can’t. Where he goes, I go. At this point, I will kill for a day in bed watching vids.”
They all laughed and continued with their extended lunch.
Two hours after they had first left the admin building, she returned to her desk with the feeling that she had completed a ritual she hadn’t known she was missing. Of course, her actual birthday was the day she crept out of the tank, but that was something left between her and the setup team. Well, and Iktabi, but he wouldn’t think of it.
The overseer called her, and she got to her feet, heading into his office.
“Hello, Iktabi. What can I do for you?”
“Did you enjoy your lunch?”
“I did. It was fun. Am I back on a short leash?”
“No, not yet.” He smiled and tapped a flat section of his desk. “I bought this for your decanting day, but as your people wouldn’t understand the significance, I will give it to you early.”
A slim black box rose from the desk, and he lifted it, getting to his feet and walking toward her. “Here. Happy Birthday, Isabella.”
She smiled and took the box, opening it carefully. A glowing necklace of flat silver links was nestled in the bottom of the box.
“Oh, it is lovely.” She took the chain out and set the box down.
“May I help you?”
She smiled and nodded, turning her back and handing him the clasps. The metal settled against her and molded to her just as the wrist bands did.
She turned to him. “How does it look?”
“It looks lovely and will disguise the purpose of the cuffs. They look like a matched set.” He pulled her to him, draped his arms around her and rested his hands on her backside.
“It is amazing what counts as a matched set. Who knew that we would be considered a match?” She giggled.
“I did, from the moment I met you, I knew that I wanted you to be my mate. Yes, I had to wait, but the flight was worth it.”
“Huh, you got a present for my birthday.” She wrinkled her nose at him.
“And you have received a chain in return.”
“It is a lovely chain.” She chuckled.
“I promise you another gift on decanting day. It will just be between you and I, and I think you will enjoy it.” He was smiling at her in a tempting manner.
“I already do enjoy the thought that you have prepared something for me. Anything else is extra.” She smiled. “Now, shall we work on plans for the peacekeeper academy? The construction is nearly done, and we need to bring in the equipment.”
He sighed. “Why do you have to be so practical?”
“Because you needed a break. Now, get your butt into your chair and bring up the schematic. We have a society to work on.”
He kissed her quickly and then released her to follow her instructions. Bossing around the overseer had been the work of weeks, but she finally had her alien lover trained to obey. Next week, she would work on his fascination with her fashions. One thing at a time.
Author’s Note
Sorry for the wait. Brain is still recovering. Three books left in this series. Will get them all done in 2017.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
About the Author
Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.
An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.
Viola Grace, Overseer's Chain
