by Lori Foster
“I know this.” She studied him. “Why does the truth upset you so much?”
“Because you’re making assumptions. We haven’t known each other long enough for you to … hell, I don’t know. Hold me in such esteem?” He felt like an idiot, but he didn’t want to accuse her of hero worship. Somehow he didn’t think that’d go over real big with a woman as independent as her.
“It feels like I’ve known you forever.” She pulled him down for another kiss, and each touch of her lush mouth nudged him further away from tiredness and closer to full-blown lust again. “Each day, in a dozen different ways, your character is revealed to me.”
“Yeah, and as I recall, my character has put you in a snit more than a few times.”
She went all serious on him again. “I’ve thought about that, and concluded that it was my own insecurities that caused resentment. I like being in control of all things, but under my control, my colony has been endangered. I have to accept that I need your help, and that your help might include your leadership over mine.”
Mallet brought his face closer to hers. “No.”
“Yes.” She smoothed a hand over his rumpled hair, then held his face. Her thumbs stroked his jaw. “Being in a union requires that both people give a little. It requires adjustment. I will do my best to adjust in the ways that you need me to.”
Mallet didn’t like the sound of that at all. Guilt that he’d pretty much forced her into the union added a nasty edge to his irritation.
He was happy. Hell, he was in love with her.
But she gave no indication of feeling the same. From what she’d said, she only suffered him for the sake of her colony.
And for the sex.
Just looking at her now, how she stretched so sinuously, she loved the sex, and truth be told, that made him feel about a hundred feet tall.
But he wanted more. He wanted her to love him, too, damn it, not just what he gave her in the sack.
“What if I disappoint you, Kayli? I’m a fighter with skill, but still just a man. What if I can’t make a difference? What if the intruders attack and it doesn’t go well?”
She pushed him to his back and sat up to look at him. All of him. With her gaze on his lap, she whispered, “You’re doing all that you can do, more than I ever hoped for. You’ve already made an amazing difference, in so many ways. If we fight and lose, it won’t be your fault. It will be mine.”
She ended that statement by wrapping her hand around his cock.
“Kayli …” He wanted to say more, wanted to explain that she took on too much responsibility for a woman so young, a woman going up against men. But she squeezed him, and all he could manage was a groan.
“Oh look, Michael,” she said with enthusiasm. “I think you are ready again.” Golden gaze warm and anxious, she sank down to his chest, whispering huskily, “That’s good, because I am ready, too.”
CHAPTER 21
AFTER Mallet stepped into pants and Kayli pulled on a loose shirt, they headed to the dining room for sustenance. Even with the clean lines of the utilitarian furnishings he saw, her house still looked far more cozy and comfortable than her spaceship.
Unlike that cold metal vessel, her home had color.
Not bright crayon color, but subtle, warm colors of the earth. The windows were without shades or curtains, but darkened for privacy into a matte deep tan hue.
The floors in the hallways lit up as they walked. Like a cross within the home, the hallways all led to a single focal point: an enormous tree growing out of the center of Kayli’s living room. The tree had a smooth trunk and waxy leaves, and grew all the way to the top of a high ceiling.
Mallet stopped and stared in amazement. “You have a tree in here.”
As if such a thing wasn’t at all unusual, Kayli shrugged. “I don’t get to see much nature when I’m on the vessel. I miss it.” She trailed her hand along a low, twisting branch. “It won’t grow any taller than its confines, and it gives off a woodsy scent that I enjoy.”
Mallet sniffed, and grinned. “Smells a little like my favorite cologne.” Thinking of men and their grooming habits led his thoughts along a different path. “It’s unusually quiet here. You don’t have any AMAs milling around?”
“No. I’m not home often enough to need assistance.”
Home. Yeah, that’s what made this different from her spaceship. Even without a lot of personal clutter or knick-knacks, the place felt like home, like a specific design that reflected Kayli’s personality. “What about for cleaning up?”
“That is unnecessary. The house maintains itself.”
Of course it did. Shaking his head, Mallet looked around at the soft, modular furniture, a flowing water feature in the wall that also fed into a narrow groove to nourish the tree, delicate wind chimes hanging from multiple floor stands, and some pretty funky lighting effects.
The walls in this room were made of thick glass that could either be clear or frosted for privacy. With a touch, Kayli frosted them.
Before they headed for food, Kayli took Mallet on a quick tour. At the end of each of the hallways were separate areas, including the bedrooms and bath, a media and telecommuting center, a professional workout and training area, and the dining and cooking areas.
As he walked, each of Mallet’s footsteps glowed on the strange floor. Depending on the area, the muted hues changed shades. The hallways had the brightest illumination, the bedroom the dimmest.
He learned more just by watching Kayli as she moved modifiable walls to adjust the sizes of each room. The walls slid in and out of place as easily as a closet door would.
In her dining room, the floor was slate-like tile that she said came from the mountains beyond, traded from a different colony. Like most of Kayli’s house, it was sparsely appointed, holding only pod-like chairs and an oval, frosted-glass table that adjusted at a touch.
Instead of hanging pictures as adornment, large blocks of artistic color themes bisected the creamy beige walls.
“Cool artwork.”
“Thank you.” She glanced at him with an impish expression usually foreign to her character. “Do you remember the mood rings of your time?”
“I’ve seen them.”
“Watch.” With a touch of her finger, the colors in the nearest collage changed.
“No way. Mood art?”
“The panels are built into the wall. Sometimes they pick up my feelings just through my nearness.”
“Huh.” Tonight her mood was soft and mellow, swirls of butter yellow, pale melon, and softest blue. Uncertain what that might indicate, Mallet nodded at the color collage nearest her. “Does that mean you’re happy?”
“It means I’m content.”
Not quite what he wanted to hear, but he supposed that would have to be good enough for now.
“I’d like more light in here.” Just that easily, the ceiling opened up to allow in the last rays of the fading sun. “Are you very hungry?”
Mallet turned a circle, taking it all in, making note of her preferences. “I’m not starving, if that’s what you mean. Whatever is easiest is fine.” Hell, this was sort of her honeymoon, though there was too much going on in the colony for her to take any real time off.
“It’s all easy. I was thinking about some ripe fruit, and perhaps some cheese and crackers?”
Standing there in nothing more than a shirt, her long shapely legs bare, her hair tousled, she looked more than adorable. Mallet didn’t care what they ate. He just wanted to make sure that she did because after they finished, he’d probably keep her up most of the night. “If that sounds good to you, it works for me.”
She turned away to speak into a microchip in the wall.
The meal came up out of the center of Kayli’s dining table along with a chilled, green-tinted drink. Kayli gestured for him to sit, and after he did, he pulled her onto his lap.
Knowing her bottom was bare teased him, but for the moment, he felt sated enough to just enjoy the closeness of cuddling he
r.
She reached for a glass and handed him one before settling back against his chest.
Mallet sniffed the liquid. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“No.” She put her nose to his throat and breathed in. “Such is forbidden.”
“Should have figured.” He tried the drink, liked it, and drank about half before starting on the food. He alternately took bites for himself and fed her.
If he had his way, he’d always take care of her, but he had a feeling this was a one-shot deal, an aberration brought on by the discovery of her sensual nature. She wouldn’t see this as a routine, more as a celebration of their union.
“This is decadent,” she said, agreeing with his thoughts. “But tonight, I don’t care. I’m enjoying it too much.”
“Me, too.” While he had her in an agreeable mood, Mallet asked, “Do you think we could live here, now that we’re in a union?”
As if the question surprised her, she hesitated, and then sat up on his lap. “Did you want to live here?”
He wanted a real life with her, with her in the role of wife instead of soldier. It wasn’t likely to happen, and he felt like a bastard for trying to change her, but he needed to know she’d be safe.
Being in a home, as a couple, was a start. “I like it here. It’s cozier than your spaceship.”
“My vessel is not meant to be cozy.”
No, it was meant to facilitate her role as Claviger. “Can you handle your duties from here as easily as you do the spaceship?”
“Yes. If I needed to be aboard, Hauk could transport me in a second.”
“Transport us,” he corrected. She wasn’t going anywhere, definitely not into danger, without him. Now that they were in a union, he had certain rights—and he’d damn well exercise them.
Kayli chewed it over before looking around the dining room as if just seeing it. “We could live here, if that’s what you want.”
“I do.” He kissed her for being so agreeable. “Know what else I’d like?”
“Sex?”
She did have a one-track mind. Mallet laughed. “Always, but for right now, let’s finish eating and then take a late flight on your aircycle. What do you think?”
Kayli let out a sigh. “I could show you the clouds and, when the sun goes down, the stars. I haven’t ridden high at night in a very long time. It will be better if we take the Sky Slider, though. It has an autopilot feature so that we can … entertain ourselves instead of steer.”
The future looked bright, with Kayli in his life. Mallet hugged her, and said, “Let’s do it.”
VALDER stewed in silence. From a distance, he saw his good friend Toller walking with his new woman, Nayana. In such a short time, they had fallen very much in love. Toller was nearly as big as Valder, and had been twice as wild, most especially with women. But he’d taken one look at Nayana and his expression had warned away the other men in their hunting party.
He had claimed her the same night they brought her home, and the next day they had cemented their relationship for all time.
Valder envied them. Instead of love, his heart overflowed with resentment and discontent.
While he lingered in the shade of a building to watch his friend on his stroll, children ran up to him with squeals of excitement.
Valder scuffled with them for a few moments, laughing at their antics, pretending to let them tackle him to the ground. They crawled all over him, trying to tickle him, smothering him with their enthusiasm. The boys grabbed his limbs, practicing their fighting moves, while the girls harassed the boys for their exuberance.
There were twice the number of boys than girls, but in his colony they were all rowdy and filled with life, regardless of their gender. The young ones grew up happy and free, the males protecting the females, and the females nurturing the males.
Valder enjoyed them all. A lot. But he had no young ones of his own, no offspring to carry on his name, his heritage.
He should have taken a woman as his own, procreating with her to give his colony a dozen beautiful little children. But somehow, after Raemay, the thought of commitment didn’t settle right.
Most of the children ran to the strange one, Lydina, when they saw her approaching. She almost always had something to show them—a butterfly, a flower, sweet treats, or magic tricks. In her expressionless way, she entertained them.
Valder considered returning her to her own colony. If doing so wouldn’t make him look weak to his opponents, he would have already. That Lydina remained distant and uninterested in engaging the men or befriending the women led him to believe she would never be happy here.
It was intolerable for him to add sadness to any woman’s life. Well, except for Raemay Raine. He wanted her to feel the same sadness, to be as bereft as he was.
Toller and Nayana walked up to him, Toller frowning in anger, Nayana in confusion.
Straightening from his relaxed posture, Valder asked, “What is it?”
“She has something to explain,” Toller said, pressing Nayana forward with a hand at the small of her back.
She dug in her heels and spun around to face him. “And why should I when you won’t tell me why it matters?” Nayana shot right back.
She was a spunky one, Valder thought, perfect for Toller’s dominating personality. It amused Valder that the only people Toller had ever deferred to him was himself, and Nayana.
Because his friend turned red in the face, Valder asked, “Is there something I should know?”
When Nayana didn’t answer, Toller snarled, then said, “The new one, Lydina, is an AFA.”
Ice ran down Valder’s spine. His eyes narrowed and his body tensed. “What say you?”
Toller nudged Nayana again. She hesitated, but when Valder turned his burning attention on her, she pinched her mouth. “I do not know why it matters so much, but yes, I did ask about that one”—she pointed to Lydina—“because she is an AFA, and she looks just like one we have back at our colony.”
“This is now your colony,” Toller pointed out.
“Yes, of course.” It was her turn to roll her eyes. “But I meant the colony from which you took me.”
“She is an android?” Valder asked, disbelieving such could be true.
Nayana pulled back in real surprise. “You truly did not know?”
Feeling like a total fool, Valder said nothing. He didn’t want to frighten Toller’s woman with his reaction to such a deception.
Toller said to her, “You are sure of this?”
“Yes. The one who looks just like her belongs to Kayli, Raemay’s oldest daughter.”
Valder took that disclosure with an equal measure of shock. “Oldest daughter? But I understood that to be Idola.”
“Idola is second oldest. Mesha is the youngest.”
Raemay had three daughters? In one big step, Valder closed the space separating him from Nayana. “Idola is not oldest, and yet she will inherit? How can that be?”
Toller pulled Nayana to his side, offering protection that was not needed, but served to comfort her in the face of Valder’s rage.
She cleared her throat. “I am not sure why you need to know this—”
Toller squeezed her, and spoke with quiet assurance. “No games, woman. This is not a matter to drag out.”
She scowled at both men. “Only because I know you will not harm any of the women of my colony …” She hesitated, and asked, “Correct?”
Rigid enough to snap, Valder nodded.
Toller, irritated by such a remark, snorted. “You should not even need to ask.” Then, in a lower voice, he said, “Have I not treated you quite well?”
She gave a sly smile. “Yes you have.”
In no mood for their bliss, Valder growled, regaining her attention.
“As the second eldest daughter, Idola is the name carrier because Kayli is a soldier and therefore cannot inherit.”
Raemay’s daughter, a soldier. Valder held his fists so tight, his knuckles ached. He might have en
countered her during their scrimmages and not even known it. If the women didn’t wear those useless helmets, he might have recognized features similar to Raemay’s.
Unaware of his thoughts, Nayana continued. “That is, Kayli could not have inherited before. But much has changed since the outsider came.”
“How so?” Raemay had duped him, was probably even now laughing at his gullibility in believing an AFA to be a flesh-and-blood woman.
If he were as ruthless as he wanted to be, he would not have suffered guilt over Lydina’s assumed unhappiness. God, how it galled, knowing that he’d worried for the emotional damage done to a fabricated being incapable of real emotion.
If he were a coward who raped women, he would have known immediately that she was an android.
He’d wanted Raemay to believe such vile things about him. And why not? She had not believed the truth of his nature, had not cared that he was loyal and honorable and that he loved her … “Answer me, woman.”
His barked order made Nayana jump. Toller narrowed his eyes over the slight, but after a whisper into Nayana’s ear, she nodded and relaxed again.
“Before the outsider, no soldier could ever form a union. The career path was believed too risky to involve family.”
“By your Arbiter’s order?”
“Yes. But he changed that by joining Kayli in union. Now …” Nayana shrugged. “It may be possible that Kayli will inherit after all. She is already Claviger, even though she has been claimed by Michael.”
“Michael?”
“The big one,” Toller clarified. “The stranger.”
So it was probably his plan to dupe Valder. The man had come in and accomplished much, accomplished what none other had managed since Raemay left him: to make a fool of Valder Wildoon.
As the silence stretched on, a plan formed in Valder’s mind. He could strike a single blow, and cause much devastation.
By taking Kayli Raine.
She was Raemay’s rightful heir, her oldest child. Raemay would be destroyed to lose her.
Kayli was in union with the outsider, a placeholder for him within the colony. Without her, he’d be nothing to them.
And as Claviger, her colony needed her more than they needed Raemay, the Arbiter. All of the people relied on her for leadership against attacks.
