Her bodyguards could not help but be happy for her.
* * *
Ilrica yawned and scratched the small of her back as she entered her room. Without even turning the lights on, she knew something was amiss. A small decorative box sat on her desk that hadn’t been there before. She activated her crystronics and searched the camera feeds, but could find no evidence of forced entry, or anyone having entered. Just to be extra cautious, she froze time, then approached the box, which had been hand-carved with her name on it. Carefully she flipped it open, bending time a littler farther so she would have time to outrun a trap.
Her face was shocked, but her eyes were happy. A beautiful ring sat inside. That is when her nose caught a familiar scent and she realized that someone was standing behind her in the world of gray.
“That was very well done,” she praised without turning around. “You masked your presence so completely. I don’t think anyone has ever been able to sneak up on me like that before.”
“Just a little trick Nikki taught me,” Gerald teased, his breath tickling the back of her neck.
“Like bending time?” she added, holding up the ring to admire it. “So, what should I do with this?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Oh, really?” she asked knowingly, glancing back at him.
Gerald nodded and stepped in even closer. She could feel the heat of him on her back. Her hearts were pounding inside her chest, hoping he meant what she though he did.
Gerald nodded. “It’s something Accalia taught me during the peace talks. She said that no huntress could ever be fully happy with an alpha that couldn’t best her, and I want you to be happy.”
Ilrica hooded her eyelids. “You do realize, that if you initiate a courtship ritual, I am honor-bound to give it everything I have? I can’t hold back.”
She tried to play it cool, but the fur standing up on her neck and shoulders betrayed how excited she was.
When Gerald initiated the ritual by leaning forward and nibbling on her ear, she nearly squealed with elation.
Ilrica roared and spun around with glowing claws, leaving a shimmering trail in the air, aimed at his neck, but Gerald disappeared as she reached him.
He reappeared behind her, playfully pushing her forward and off balance. She used the momentum to tumble, aiming a scissor kick at his midsection, but he effortlessly blocked it, a blue grid of energy appearing before his hand and absorbing the blow.
As she rolled to her feet, gravity flipped itself, but Gerald remained rooted in place. She fell upwards towards the ceiling, pushing off with both feet and sailing towards him with claws at the ready.
Gerald didn’t even bother to get out of the way.
Faster than lightning, she swung at his head, but he caught her wrist, a blue grid covering his hand. She swung with her other hand, but he caught that wrist, too. Yelling, she brought up her feet and tried to simultaneously pull herself free and kick him in the throat, but he spun her around, forcing her feet to the ground.
Now before him with arms crossed, she struggled with all her might, but her strength was as nothing before him. As she grunted and groaned, she hit him with a rush of necass, trying to force him to his knees, but he remained on his feet.
Slowly he lowered her crossed arms, enveloping her in an embrace from behind with his strong muscular limbs, still holding her wrists. She hit him again, with every bit of necass she could summon. The stone beneath them pitted and shattered under the pressure, but he held her tightly, surrounded by a blue grid, unwavering, unaffected. She was completely dominated, and it thrilled her to her very core. Everywhere in this world of gray the air was filled with the scent of cinnamon as her body instinctively molded itself into his and submitted. Slowly Gerald tilted his head over from behind, and her chin came up obediently to meet his lips.
“Oh my, oh my, oh my,” she panted.
Gerald’s kiss took her beath away. Her chest rose and fell, nearly hyperventaliating as their lips exchanged the most light and delicate touch. Despite his enormous strength, he was as gentle with her as the petals of a flower. She barely even noticed as he took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. She only knew that she belonged to him, and that she had never been happier.
Now completely his, he released her and she spun around. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her tail wrapped around his legs. She pulled him close and kissed him passionately with all her heart, their heads dancing in unison. He wrapped his strong hands around her taut little waist, and in her mind she howled with joy.
Her world of gray melted away into a world of vibrant colors. A world that she finally belonged in, with him.
* * *
Gerald wiped the sweat from his brow as he ran the sandpaper over the surface of the wood one final time. “There, that should do it.”
“Wow, it’s amazing,” Zurra praised, clapping her hands. The bench he had carved had their names on it. The left side for her, and the right side for him. Little swirls and curly-q’s decorated its surface. It was more special to her than anything he could have bought for her.
“But how did you manage to make this with your bad luck?”
Gerald looked over at the shoulder-high pile of destroyed benches and broken tools behind a nearby tree. “Wasn’t easy.”
Zurra grabbed his hand. “Let’s try it out.”
Gerald resisted. “But I haven’t polished it yet.”
“Who cares? Let’s sit.”
Gerald smiled. He loved how spontaneous she was. People talk all the time about savoring the moment, but she truly understood it. She had to, after all she had been through.
Gerald relented, and they sat down together, watching the sun set over the tips of the distant snowy mountains. It didn’t feel like the inside of Ragnarok, it felt like home.
They sat in complete and comfortable silence, yet they shared more with each other and learned more about one another than most people do in years. Zurra leaned up against him, running one hand over his broad muscular chest. He placed his strong arm over her shoulder, and tickeled the small of her back. Closing her pink eyes, she found herself in a state of utter bliss. She became so relaxed she forgot to maintain her form, and melted against him. When she realized what had happened, she sat up embarrassed, her face and shoulder squished and deformed.
“Oh, sorry,” she said self-consciously, molding herself back into the proper shape, but Gerald stopped her.
“No, it’s okay, Zuri. You don’t have to pretend when you’re around me.”
She looked at him vulnerably as he stroked her cheek. When he leaned forward to give her a little kiss, she nearly pulled away from him, mortified to be touched while her face was all smushed, but she managed to hold her ground as his lips touched hers. Then, ever so gently, he put his hand underneath her legs and began folding her up. He folded her arms in as well, and then her head. Trustingly, she allowed him to roll her up into a pink ball, then he picked her up and set her down on his chest.
“This is who I love,” Gerald said, hugging her delicately. “This is you.”
Zurra shivered with emotion and wrapped her form around his chest, letting his heatbeat pulse through her gelatinous form.
“Thank you, Geri” she whispered, and in her heart she knew that she was finally home.
* * *
The puppy sat on her lap, sleeping, and Trahzi grabbed a piece of fudge and put it in her mouth, entranced with the romance novel she was reading in the window before her, steam rising up from her shoulders.
“This one is particularly steamy.” She unlocked a private window entitled, “things to try with Gerald,” and copied some of the text over.
There was a knock at the door, startling her a little bit. She quickly closed the windows and set the puppy down in her bassinette, barely managing to make it to the door before it chimed a second time.
The door slid open and Gerald was standing there, hiding something behind his back.
“Gerald,” s
he said, her face lighting up in a beautiful smile. Just looking at him made her heart flutter.
“I have a present for you,” he said, presenting the package to her.
Trahzi’s eyes went wide with excitement. “This is wonderful,” she gushed.
“You haven’t even opened it yet.”
“I know. Not knowing what is about to happen is surprisingly bracing. I love this sensation of anticipation. It’s quite intoxicating.”
Gerald smiled in that way that made her spine shiver, and she tore into the wrapping, being careful to apply only enough pressure to remove the paper without damaging the contents inside. Given how excited she was, it was no easy task.
Beneath the first layer of wrapping paper she encountered a second layer.
“Is this a joke?” she asked, looking up in confusion.
“A little,” he snickered.
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, and there was a flash of fire, the exposed wrapping paper dissapearing. Beneath it was another layer of wrapping paper.
Trahzi rolled her eyes as Gerald laughed to himself. She removed the new layer, then another, then another.
“Is there something in the center of this, or is it nothing more than wrapping paper?” she asked, growing impatient.
“Just one more,” he promised.
She pulled off the final layer, and found a hand-bound scrapbook within. The front cover had a drawing of the two of them.
“Did you make this?” she asked, running her fingers over the surface.”
“I did.”
“When did you find the time?”
“You’d be amazed at how much you can get done if you don’t sleep. Go on, open it.”
She flipped open the cover and found a drawing of their classroom back on Central. Trahzi was sitting in the corner as Gerald sat down next to her.
“This is us,” she gushed.
“Yes it is.”
Trahzi flipped through the pages and read the text, growing ever more excited. “This is our story.”
Gerald nodded. “I know how fond you’ve become of those romance novels, so I thought I’d make one for you.”
Trahzi giggled happily as she flipped through the pages. Their fight with the vlukkia, their walks to school together, her game of Kuboi, him handing Puppy Trahzi to her for the first time, their time in the yacht, the happy moments, the sad moments, they were all here. There was even a page showing him handing the gift to her.
But then the story went on. It showed them together at the crystal waterfalls of Deni, the floating gardens of Truale. It showed them working together in a garden; it showed them hiking the broken arches of southern Utah together. There was even a page that showed her holding an adorable little newborn baby in her arms.
“These are... things that haven’t happened yet?” she asked, looking them over.
Gerald nodded. “You told me once that you don’t have a future anymore. But you do. It is the future we will make together. A book that we will write ourselves.”
She placed her hand over her heart, looking like she might cry. “Thank you.”
She flipped a few more pages. “These pages are blank.”
Gerald stepped in closer and took her hand. “I know. These are the pages for you to fill. This is a love story we’ll write together.”
Tears formed in her beautiful eyes. “This is wonderful.”
Instinctively she closed her eyes and he took her in his arms and kissed her. Her heart overflowed with joy and the flames of her feelings rose up around them, but did him no harm. Her hair floated up around her as if she were underwater. They rose up off the floor in a pillar of passionate fire, slowly spinning in the air. She felt stronger than the very foundations of the planet. She felt more vast than the expanse of the universe. She felt complete, whole, pure, as defenseless as a newborn, but as safe as the mountains. She let go of every fear, released every apprehension, let dissolve every expectation, and simply allowed herself to fall completely, devotedly, and repletely in love.
She could feel her heart changing. It would forevermore be the half of a whole. One side of a locket with him as the other half. She didn’t resist; she allowed the change to wash over her, encouraged it even, and rejoiced at the beauty of love.
Gerald pulled his head back to catch his breath, and she could see that he felt the same way about her. She laughed in joy. She was no longer a Trahzi, she was now a beautiful woman in the arms of the man she loved. Her radiant femininity burned within her and around her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, grabbing his face and kissing him anew. His body relaxed and their hearts again swirled into one.
With one hand, she reached behind her and opened the private window she had been using, and hit delete.
* * *
The wedding was the event of the year. Dignitaries from every world gathered together at the Royal Palace. The decorations were beyond extravagant, the food beyond incredible. Gerald had never seen so much wealth and pomp gathered together into a single place. He got so caught up in admiring the grandeur of it all, he kept forgetting that it was all for him.
Perpendicular to the main hall was the bridal hall, where the girls and their attendants awaited the signal for the ceremony to begin. Even though it was technically a political marriage, it was clear that all the girls were treating it very much as a romantic marriage. Their dresses were elegant, tasteful and beautiful. Each custom tailored by the finest artisans in the Alliance. They stood there, holding their bouquets, their makeup flawless, jewelry immaculate. They were positively radiant, strikingly beautiful. The kind of beauty that a woman can have only when she is incandescently in love.
“This is so exciting,” Zurra gushed, trying not to ruffle her poofy white dress as she bounced up and down.
Cha’Rolette beamed in her elegant gown. Yes. It has been a long road coming here. Who would have thought it? I remember how I yelled at him the first time I met him. I was quite a different person then.
“I wasn’t even an individual then,” Trahzi recalled. “I nearly killed him on the spot.”
Lyssandra blushed deeply. “As did I. But something about him made me stop. My heart was beating so fast, I felt like I would pass out. It’s the same way I feel now.” Normally she was such a warrior, it was surprising to everyone to see her being so unconditionally feminine.
“I had always loved him. I never expected him to love me in return. But, he does, and it makes me want to sing for joy.”
Ilrica tugged at her collar uncomfortably.
“Stop fidgeting,” Kalia warned. “You’ll warp the fabric.”
Ilrica nearly lost her balance.
“I see that Faolan has never worn heels before,” Zurra teased.
Ilrica looked over at her in irritation. “Zurra, how do you even see? You don’t have a retina. You don’t have an optic nerve.”
Does it really matter?
“Each of my cells can see,” Zurra boasted.
Kalia nodded. “Interesting.”
Ilrica twisted her bouquet, trying to find a position that didn’t get snagged in her fur. She reached her hand out, waving it behind Zurra’s head. “So, like when I put my hand behind you like this, you can see it?”
“Yes, now shh.”
They all stood there for a moment in silence, waiting for the signal that all the guests were seated.
Ilrica leaned over. “So, does that mean you can see out of anywhere? Like, even your own butt?”
Zurra dropped her bouquet and covered her backside with her hands, aghast.
“Faolan, stop it,” Lyssandra ordered.
Of all the nerve!
“Remember where we are,” Kalia bade.
“Sorry, sorry,” Ilrica said, handing Zurra her bouquet back. “Sorry... I can’t help it. Formal events make me nervous. I tease people when I’m nervous.”
They all tried to calm and collect themselves. The attendants rolled out their bridal trains beh
ind them as they waited.
“Sure is taking them a long time,” Trahzi grumbled.
There are over two hundred thousand guests in the main hall alone, of course it’s going to take a while.
Trahzi sighed. “I hate waiting.”
Ilrica poked her foot out, sticking it beneath the hem of Zurra’s dress.
“So, can you see my toes there?”
“QUIT IT!”
In the main hall, Gerald stood proudly in his white tuxedo, doing his best to greet the guests. The Emperor was by his side, along with the other fathers, dignitaries, and a whole slew of other people whose jobs and names Gerald couldn’t even begin to pronounce.
At his feet were Cadbury, wearing a little white hat, and puppy Trahzi, with a white bow around her neck.
A pause in the guest line gave Gerald and the Emperor a little bit of a breather.
“You know,” the Emperor whispered, leaning in. “It just occurred to me that I may have made a mistake.”
“It’s a little late for that now, wouldn’t you say?”
The Emperor chuckled. “Well said. But it occurs to me that I have inadvertently created something of a problem. After the wedding, your household will represent what is certainly the greatest concentration of wealth, political authority, and if you factor in Nikki, raw firepower in the galaxy. If you ever had a mind to turn on us...”
“You know I won’t,” Gerald assured.
The Emperor searched in his eyes. “I believe you,” he smiled.
* * *
The girls stood there, looking up at the monitors.
“After today, everything changes,” Kalia mused.
Trahzi nodded. “Yes, I plan on engaging in sexual congress with my husband as often as possible.”
Trahzi! Cha’Rolette gasped.
Kalia blushed brightly.
“Have I said something wrong?” Trahzi asked.
You don’t say things like that!
“Why? Are you not also planning on...?”
Even if I was, I wouldn’t tell you about it. It’s just not something you say out loud.
Trahzi was confused. “But... it’s true.”
Yes, but it’s not polite to say.
Kharmic Rebound Page 85
