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He frowned but stood up and held her until she had her balance. “Are you truly better?”
She sniffled and smiled brightly. “Of course.”
Effin looked worried. “I am going to call in a specialist. This is beyond what I can deal with here.”
Ysyr asked, “Fixer?”
Effin shook his head. “This will have to be a joint effort between Fixer and Reset and based on these scans, it will not be pleasant.”
Col asked wearily, “It has bonded to my nervous system as well as other systems, hasn’t it?”
Effin nodded. “You knew.”
“I suspected it. There would be no other way to restrict the power that a talent’s body generates naturally. It would have to become part of the body.” She ran her hand down the sleeve of her suit. “I tried to cut it off on my second day. The pain was intense and it bled as I did.”
Effin nodded. “When Reset has arrived, I will send word to the Citadel. For now, you have a clean bill of health and as soon as I run my checks on Ysyr, you can be on your way. Your body is fine, but the skin they grafted on will have to be removed if you are to gain your full power.”
She nodded and sat on the chair he held out for her. Ysyr stepped onto the same scanner she had just been tortured on and after six passes, he was set free with no ill effects.
She scowled at him and he smiled.
“Jealous.”
“Yes. It isn’t fair, but I suppose that it will be my destiny to make sure that you pay for this moment of inequality.” She grinned. “Thank you for your help, Effin. I look forward to meeting the two who will assess whether my freedom can ever be achieved.”
Effin straightened, “This is the Sector Guard, Colah Geering, your freedom is my guarantee, but it might not be pleasant.”
She twisted, “Being bound isn’t pleasant. One day of pain for a life of freedom is a fair trade.”
He grinned, “I like your attitude. I will make the request immediately.”
Ysyr wrapped an arm around her waist. “Thank you, Doctor. We are thankful for your help.”
Effin stifled a laugh and inclined his head. “Have a good day.”
They left medical and Col looked up at her companion, “What was that about?”
“Sorry, I am a little touchy when other men become too friendly with you. It will be moderated at another stage in our relationship.”
She blinked as they walked into the sunlight. “So, your mood is dependent on access to my body?”
He shrugged and she could swear that his skin darkened slightly. “Apparently.”
“How are we getting to the Citadel?”
Ysyr started to remove the long robe that concealed him. “Skimmers are traditional, but I prefer to run. If you carry my robes, I can carry you on my back.”
She blinked at the image. “If you can bundle up your own robes, I can fly there.”
He paused. “The Resicor told me you were restricted from flight.”
She laughed, “They don’t know everything. Some power will not be suppressed and I managed to gain a bit of skill with my own personal transport.”
He nodded. “I will stow the robes in my shuttle and race you to the Citadel.”
She sighed. “As you wish.”
She watched his body in the form-fitting suit and admired the flex and bunching of muscles as he walked to his ship. He returned in a few seconds and she drew in a surprised breath when his face elongated and fur sprouted. She faced a huge cat whose shoulder was almost even with her own.
He rubbed against her with his head. The black fur covering his body had the same reddish highlight as his normal hair.
When he finished scent marking her like a pet, she had had as a child, he whirled and bolted for the Citadel.
She grinned, “Cheater!”
With a push of her mind, she was up and a second later, she was on her way, the air of Morganti supporting and nourishing her as she increased her speed to catch her wayward instructor. He might like the chase, but she could definitely see the appeal in pursuit. She might just change things up a bit.
Chapter Eight
She tried to pace him at first, but the thrill of open flight when she had never been able to engage in it before intoxicated her. Col increased her speed until the world around her blurred.
The Citadel shot past beneath her and she sighed before turning back and flying into the courtyard to wait for her companion. A young woman in robes came up to her and smiled. “Can I help you, mistress?”
Col grinned, “No. I am just waiting for a friend. He is not as fast as he looks. Oh, there he is.”
The woman looked at the huge bulk of Ysyr and back to Col. “You beat him in a footrace?”
“I took air, he took ground. I win. If he hadn’t cheated, I would never have considered it a race, but as far as I know, you only cheat when you want to win and that makes this a race.”
“Wow. I have never seen anyone beat Master Ysyr before. You are either very brave or very confident.”
He shifted and walked toward her with a brisk stride.
Col laughed, “I am neither. I am his mate.”
The shocked eyes of the young woman were the last things Col saw before Ysyr bent her back over his arm and kissed her senseless.
As a first kiss went, it was a little on the violent side, but she wove her fingers into his hair and hung on as he learned her taste and she, his.
When he righted her, he looked a little flustered. “I apologize. That was a little sudden.”
She blinked and pressed her fingers to her swollen lips. “It is fine. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
He ignored the woman next to her and asked, “Was that your first kiss?”
She nodded.
His blush was intense and he leaned down to kiss her lightly with slow attention.
“I am sorry. I should not have pounced on you like that.” His words were spoken a centimetre away from her mouth.
“You owe me another one of those kisses, just like the last one. We can pretend we are starting over at a later time.” She reached up and caressed his cheek.
He grinned and a voice sounded next to them.
“That is very touching. May I have the pleasure of addressing Colah Geering?”
She turned her head and bumped into Ysyr when she backed up. She had never seen a Dhemon before, but it was rather unmistakable.
“I am Colah Geering.”
“Col, this is Turnari. He is the Administrator of the Citadel Base, Morganti.”
The Dhemon was looking at her with a distinctly amused look. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Geering.”
“Col, please.” She conquered her fear and extended her hand to the creature out of Resicor myth and legend.
He bowed over her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles before straightening. “I saw your arrival and had to come. I had no idea that the Resicor were such talented seamstresses.”
She twisted her lips. “They aren’t. This is a living suit grafted onto my body. I would ditch it in a minute and stand here naked if I could.”
There was a low growl from behind her and she reached behind her absently to pat Ysyr into silence. She missed his thigh by inches and jerked her hand back with crimson staining her cheeks. “Sorry about that.”
Turnari was stifling a laugh. “Come with me. We will check you in and set you up with an aptitude counsellor and assign you a room as well as get you into some novice robes.”
She yawned. “Good. I could use a little rest after the day I have had.”
Both men chuckled and she was shepherded inside, several of the Citadel personnel turned to watch her pass and she suspected that women wearing nothing but a partially concealing bodysuit were rarely accompanied by two of the highest-ranking members of the Citadel outpost.
She was taken to the clothing stop first and her glittering bodysuit was covered by a loose draping of a gauzy white that marked her as a novice of the Citadel.
“This
seems a little thin.” She lifted her sleeves.
Turnari smiled, “You are a flier. We didn’t want to weigh you down.”
“Sensible.” She smiled, “So, what does an aptitude counsellor do?”
“She will do a psychic probe and see what you would excel at.”
Col frowned, “But I can fly.”
“There are many tasks that can be enacted with the ability to fly. Some require additional training to carry out and if you have an aptitude for them, the training would begin immediately.”
She shrugged and looked to Ysyr. He had his head high and was walking proudly through the halls. He was very much the Master Instructor at that particular moment.
Col yawned again. She was sleepy. It had been a very long day.
“Can the testing wait until tomorrow?”
Ysyr put his arm around her waist. “It is better to have it done while you are tired. Your mind will be more open to her touch.”
“Fine, make it quick, I am crashing fast.” She yawned again.
Turnari looked from Ysyr to Col and back again, “So I am guessing that you…”
Col glared at him. “We what? If it has escaped you, any part of me that would be involved in that kind of procedure is currently fused to my suit.”
He winced. “Apologies. I forgot.”
Ysyr’s shoulders started to quiver and she realized that he was fighting a laugh. “I am glad that my mate’s body was not in your mind, Turnari. It might have caused a problem.”
The head administrator of the Citadel Morganti darkened slightly. His face shaded from crimson to dark burgundy.
He kept his mouth shut and when they were in front of an unlabelled door, he left them with a sense of relief.
“I haven’t seen him that embarrassed in all my time here.” Ysyr was still chortling.
“Well, he should keep his mind off my genitals.”
When the door opened, Ysyr was doubled over laughing and Colah was left to smile at the deep lavender woman who was looking at her. “May I help you, miss?”
Col inclined her head. “I have been sent here to get an assessment to my talent. Pardon him, he is having an emotional day.”
Col moved past Ysyr when the woman opened her door, and Col tried to close it on him, but he gripped the edge and wedged it open.
“Not polite, Col.” He murmured it quietly.
“Neither is your incessant cackling, Ysyr.” She grumbled.
“Master Ysyr, who is your fascinating companion?”
“Assessment officer, Haveera, this is the newest recruit to the Citadel, Colah Geering.”
Haveera raised her hand and smiled. “Don’t tell me anymore. The more I discover on my own, the more accurate my assessment will be. Please, have a seat, Colah.”
There were two chairs placed close together, so Col took the one on the left.
Haveera blinked and smiled. “Unusual choice.”
Col blushed, “You are left handed, so I assumed that you would want the other chair to keep your arm free.”
“Observant. Will you extend your hands to me?”
Col did as she was asked and Haveera took her hands, turning the palms upward and then back down again.
She announced, “You were a chef.”
“You are correct.” Col knew that her hands bore the marks of heat and blades. It was why she preferred the idea of desserts. There was far less chance of slicing one’s hand open while skinning a fruit than a fish.
Col felt a pressure on her mind. It was a gentle stroking touch, far more subtle than when Ysyr had pressed his mind to hers.
“Master Ysyr is not designed for this. I am.” Haveera’s voice came to her from a great distance.
In her mind, she saw herself flying and lifting others with her in an invisible net. She jerked, “I don’t have that ability.”
Haveera blinked to reset her mind back in her own skull. “You will. It will only be a matter of time and training. You have a destiny here with the Citadel, Colah. That much is certain.”
Ysyr came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Send the report to Turnari, Haveera. Col needs to have something to eat and then get some sleep.”
He was shepherding her out of the room when Haveera called his name.
The woman looked up and him and grinned, “She will be great, Master Ysyr. I hope you can keep up.”
Chapter Nine
Col woke in a huge bed with sunlight streaming across her form. She felt marginally better than she had when Ysyr had determined that she was too tired to be assigned her own quarters and he brought her to his.
A blinking light on a wall panel caught her attention. She wandered up to it and pressed the button underneath.
“Col, I am sorry that I had to leave you this morning, but I was needed in a meeting with Relay of the Sector Guard. The moment you heard this message, another novice was dispatched to come and take you on a tour of the facility. I will find you as soon as I am free.”
She looked around her and identified the lav, quickly washing her face and hands. Col brushed out her hair and twisted it into a loose braid, tying it with one of the strips of leather on the vanity.
A knock at the outer door stopped her primping.
A pleasant young man stood and smiled at her. “Hello, Colah. My name is Kalo. I am here to show you around the Citadel.”
She smiled. “Oh dear, our names really shouldn’t be spoken together, should they?”
He laughed. “Probably not. Master Instructor Ysyr had instructed me to show you around the base and keep my hands to myself. He was fairly insistent about the last bit.”
Colah shrugged into her novice robe and returned to the doorway. “Ready when you are.”
Kalo looked a little disappointed, but he showed her the classrooms, most of which were in use, the common areas, the kitchen and the exercise facilities.
“The equipment is designed for advanced strength and dexterity. Haveera suggested that you might want to start flying with weights.”
“Can I fly now? Anytime? Just up and go?”
Kalo looked at her. “Of course. You can take a bit of a lap now if you wish. I can wait.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She took a few skipping steps and then launched herself up and into the air.
Her robes flared and shifted around her, billowing as if underwater. She floated for a moment before starting to swirl around the edge of the wall, flying in laps that increased in speed until the trembling started in her limbs again. She was a few seconds away from a sonic boom when she heard a voice calling her name.
“Col, get down here!” Ysyr was standing in the centre of the exercise area and beckoning to her.
She slowed and approached him in narrowing circles. Finally, she hovered in front of him with her robes flaring and caressing her lazily. “Yes, Master Instructor Ysyr?”
He smiled and with a quick snap of his hand, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her into his arms. “Reset and Fixer are ready to remove your suit. Are you up for it?”
She laughed. “Ysyr, I definitely am.”
Resting against him, she felt a restless energy. She shifted quickly and snapped against him, bringing her legs up and pushing away. “Race you to the Guard base.”
She didn’t wait for him to agree. She went low, skimmed along the ground and then darted past a shocked Kalo as she whipped down the hall and out into the sunlight.
Citadel masters and novices jumped out of her path and when she heard a noise behind her, she looked and saw the huge black cat that she had shared a bed with the night before.
Ysyr put the speed on as he left the Citadel and she gained altitude to watch him run.
The muscles bunching and expanding as his paws dug into the ground were impressive to watch. She flew over him and switched from his left to his right side. His ears flicked as she paced him, but he kept running and when they reached the tarmac of the Guard base, she poured on the speed.
T
wo women were standing in an open hangar and they both perked up when she appeared.
Col skimmed along the ground and swooped up for a hovering stop before she allowed her feet to land on the ground.
Ysyr stopped behind her and he butted her in the back.
“I win, you lose, Ysyr. You know, we really need to start betting on that.”
One woman with navy hair smiled and the one with dark rainbow hair laughed out loud.
“Ladies, I am Colah Geering, Col, if you please.”
“Fixer.” The rainbow-haired woman inclined her head.
“Reset of Teklan base.” The navy woman was sober, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. “You have to take pity on poor Master Ysyr. He has been back and forth twice already today.”
Absently, Col reached out and stroked Ysyr’s ears as he moved to stand beside her.
The women stared at each other before Col said, “So, this is going to hurt?”
Reset winced. “I am afraid it will. Based on your scans, this is going to be similar to removing a piece of skin that covers your entire body.”
Fixer said quickly. “We will move piece by piece. I am going to be removing the technological aspects while Effin puts a graft into place and Reset heals you to help the new skin bond. We are going to start on your back.”
Col’s skin went clammy, but she nodded. “It’s a good thing I didn’t have breakfast, or it would be on your shoes right now.”
The other two women laughed and led the way into the workshop.
Col was scanned for a replacement suit and Fixer assured her that her fabrication machines would complete it before they were done with her in medical.
The moment that they stepped from the hall and into medical, an entire team went into action.
Intravenous drips were placed in all of her healers, attached to packs settled on their waists.
Fixer explained. “Our talents burn a lot of calories and so, to do a procedure this involved, we need to be able to keep going and that means that the medical team will keep us topped up with food and stimulants.”
Effin nodded, flexed his hands and twisted as if getting ready for a run. “Fixer crafted a special medical bed for you that is completely adjustable for your comfort and ours.”
