by Viola Grace
She didn’t care if it was literal or a euphemism. She wanted to work up a sweat.
Chapter Eight
Wrapped in Khed’s cloak, she sat in front of him on the flier. His hands were stroking her under the cloak, and she shivered. “That is not a recommended activity for folks on a flier. I am pretty sure I read about it in a manual somewhere.”
He chuckled. “I wrote the manual for this model. I know I didn’t put anything in there that would have an effect on this.” This was his fingers delving under her rounded belly and between her thighs.
She gripped his wrist and mewled in protest; his other hand slid into the scooped neckline of her top and cupped her breast. She gasped and leaned her head back against his shoulder. He nibbled at her neck as he played her body like an instrument until she screamed over the water and the seabirds scattered.
She was panting and sweating when he pulled his hand out of her clothing, and she blushed furiously as he licked his fingers clean.
He smiled and shrugged. “You taste good. It would be a terrible waste to discard it.”
She shivered. “It is still odd.”
He chuckled. “Knotheans are weird.”
He vibrated with happiness as they approached the city. To her surprise, they landed on top of the research hospital.
“What are we doing here?”
Khed grinned. “We are only going to be here for an hour before we leave to get ready for the event.”
He took his cloak off her and folded it into the storage area of the flier. Once she was ready, they headed to the roof access and into the lift. He set it for the twentieth floor and kept his arm around her.
They walked through the halls, and the medical professionals stared at them as they made their way toward their destination.
He eased her through a doorway, and they were blasted with light. She jumped and Khed held onto her. “Sterilisation protocol.”
When the light shut off, there was a blast of gas with something in it, and she stepped through into a room with soft light and a med bed.
The figure in the bed was sitting up and reading a tablet; she looked up and saw the visitors. “Dekora!”
Dekora took steps forward and was next to the bed. “Sephal? You look good.”
Her friend rolled up on her knees and threw her arms around her. The hug was awkward, but it had been so long since Sephal was able to do more than wheeze that Dekora was still in shock.
Sephal leaned back and said, “Hey, why are you crying?”
“It’s just... you look so healthy and awake and...” She sniffled.
Khed was at her side, and he stroked her back and kissed her forehead. “Hey, it’s okay. She’s alive and only has another week of genetic repair to go.”
Sephal smiled and cocked her head. “So, we really made it to Gryphal?”
“We did.”
“How?”
Dekora sighed. “It took some doing, but I got us here, and your treatment has been paid for.”
Sephal paused. “What did you do, Dekora?” She looked at Khed. “You seem to have a good grip on her. Did you pay for that privilege?”
Dekora backed away. “You think that I would have sex for money?”
Sephal must have seen something in her expression. “No, of course not. You are the poster girl for choice, but how... it must have cost millions.”
Dekora pulled the panel of her shirt aside. “I am a surrogate. There was no direct deposit. I am a carrier with a legacy contract.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Khed spoke softly. “It means that she is carrying the child of one of the heroes of this world. My child. I would appreciate if you didn’t upset her.”
Dekora mumbled, “Khed Amur, this is Sephal Hiyar. Sephal was my roommate in university. Khed is the legacy recipient and my lover.”
“How long have we been here?”
“A few weeks. It is a long discussion for another day.” Dekora smiled. “Are you happy? Do you feel good?”
Sephal smiled. “I feel better than I did before the accident. Thank you for bringing me here. I have already been looking into naturalizing here. Gryphal looks great.”
Dekora’s eyes watered. “Oh, you have had the offer?”
“Yeah. Dr. Ock is great. He had everything prepared for me. He’s a great doctor.”
Dekora nodded. “He is. He does great work.”
She leaned against Khed and fought to keep herself cheerful when Sephal revealed all of the opportunities that Ock had laid out for her.
Khed kissed her head. “We have to leave now. You can communicate via coms.”
She nodded. “Right. I am so glad you are recovering, Sephal. It is such a relief to see you up and around.”
Sephal leaned back. “Feel free to visit again. I am here all week.”
Dekora squeezed her friend’s hand, and then, she hugged Khed. “Thanks for this.”
“No trouble. Happy birthday.” He kissed her.
Sephal squawked. “It’s your birthday?”
They spent a few minutes soothing her, and then, they had to leave.
The lift was filled with her relieved sobs, and Khed rubbed her back until they were on the roof. He bundled her up again, and they flew across the city. This time, the building was smaller, but there was someone waiting for them on the roof.
He set the flier down, and a woman came forward, her long black hair tied back. “You must be Dekora Mills. Please, come with me.”
Khed said, “Wait.”
He handed the woman a bundle, and she looked at him and nodded. “I will take care of her.”
Dekora tried to take his cloak off, but he kept it on her. “Wear it this evening, please.”
She shrugged. “See you soon?”
His wink was inscrutable.
The woman led her down into the building and to a large apartment on the upper floor. “Come with me, Dekora.”
She followed and was soon in an actual bath with someone scrubbing her hair. “Um, what is going on?”
“A little pampering before this evening.” The woman massaged her shoulders. “Have you known Khed Amur long?”
“No. Just a few weeks.”
“Your belly would beg to differ.”
Dekora snorted. “That is Dr. Ock’s doing. Well, not that way, I mean, I was badly burned, and he used some repair machines and some kind of serum. So, the baby is advancing rapidly. It should be out in about a month.”
“That would explain it. That man can do amazing and terrible things.”
The baby kicked, and Dekora sighed. “Do you want to feel it moving? It is an active little thing.”
Why she was offering this touch to a stranger was beyond her. She hadn’t even offered it to Sephal. The woman leaned in and put her hand on Dekora’s belly, laughing softly as the fluttering could be felt.
“It is strong and healthy.”
“That is what the daily scans tell us.”
The woman combed her hair until it was smooth, and then, she held a towel out. Apparently, bath time was over.
She was dried, and the woman helped her rub lotion on her skin. When she was all dry and smooth, she was given her bundle of clothing. She giggled as she put on the top with the inch of collar, and sleeveless, button-down shirt that stopped at her ribs. Her skirt was gauzy and purple with a black and gold waistband, her top was black and gold with purple embroidery.
“That is a bold look.” The woman was amused.
“Well, it meets with all points of the contract. It is clearly impossible for anyone to guess that it is anything other than Khed Amur’s baby.”
She picked up the cloak and set it on the edge of her shoulders. She flicked her hair out and smiled. “How do I look?”
The woman smiled. “Like you belong to Khed Amur.”
Dekora blushed, but it had been what she was going for.
A knock at the door made the woman halt, and she took Dekora’s hand. “Head high.”
They walked to the door, and a man with dark hair and eyes that was terribly familiar stood there. He nodded. “We are ready.”
Looking between the two of them, she was fairly sure that she knew who they were. Khed’s features were a mix of both of them.
The room that they walked into had huge open windows. Khed was speaking to some men wearing official garb, medals, and all.
The conversation that they were having came to a halt when the first man saw her. Khed turned around, and his gaze was hot. His formal wear was serious and subdued. Black and gold with a thin ribbon of purple running along the edge of it. The tunic was belted, and his trousers were tight and tucked into boots. His hair had been combed and was in a thick tail down his back.
He walked toward her, and she met him in the middle. He smiled. “I like the outfit.”
“Perfect for all protocols.”
The people in the room were expecting something. He sighed. “Right. Come with me.”
They walked over to a desk where another man was sitting. He smiled kindly. “You look lovely, child.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
He turned the contract toward her. “Sign it.”
She looked at the page. It was blank. “What?”
“If you trust Khed, sign it.”
Dekora looked at Khed’s serious expression, and she pressed her middle finger to the pad and signed the contract. It went against everything she normally did, but something felt different today.
Khed took the page, and signed it as well.
One by one, the witnesses came up and signed the contract. Eight people signed it in total.
Khed touched her chin, and he kissed her. “Thank you for that.”
She smiled. “It is turning into a weirdly fun day.”
“I am glad. Now, we are going to have dinner with my parents and grandfather, and then, we are going to the gallery opening across the street.” He stroked her cheek.
She smiled. “I thought they were your parents. Your mom has a very soothing scent.”
He grinned and turned to make the introductions.
Letha Amur was his mother, and she was overjoyed at both Dekora’s pregnancy and attitude. Darmot Amur was his father, and he was sober and serious. Both of his parents were legal minds who had come into their skills late in life. They were very forthcoming with the details. It was Khed’s contract as a hero that had let them complete their educations.
The man who had held the contract for her was Timeruk Alsok. He was the Knothean that had caused the need for her.
“You seem a little stronger than the average Knothean lady, or I might be mis-remembering.” Timeruk smiled at her.
“I am not conventional in most senses of the word. Being able to pull myself out of a crevice isn’t just handy, it is essential in several of the jobs I have worked.”
The rest of the men were retired heroes. They were the pride of Gryphal. They talked with Khed while she spoke with his grandfather.
Timeruk steered her toward the window. “So, why did you come here?”
She caught his meaning. “To save a friend. She is doing well now, nearly healed. She has been offered a place here.”
He smiled. “She is going to take it?”
“Yes. She loves the possibilities of Gryphal.”
“You don’t?”
She shrugged. “My limitations have been pointed out to me. Because of the caregiver visa that I came in on, my hands are tied. I can’t use the skills I have been trained for, so I am stuck using brute force. That wears on a body.”
He nodded. “It does. I was shocked when they used the serum on my grandson after his accident. Dr. Ock made sure that his parents were not allowed to retrieve him, and his treatment continued until the enhancement to his body had fully manifested.”
“He is a very talented bastard.”
The grandfather laughed. “Yes, he is.”
Khed returned to her, and he kissed her hand. “Are you enjoying the company?”
“I am. I thought your family had passed.”
He shrugged. “We try not to appear together too often. It makes things unsafe for my parents. Today is an exception. This is a show of solidarity.”
She nodded. “Okay. I don’t know why it is needed, but I am with you.”
“Thank you. That means more than I can say right now. Shall we go for dinner?”
She grinned. “If someone else is cooking, you know I am in.”
He took her hand, and they and the rest of the group headed down to the private room of the restaurant that was on the main floor.
It was a really good restaurant.
Chapter Nine
When they left dinner, they had a plan. First, the grandfather would go to part the crowds, then the Amurs would walk through, finally, Khed and Dekora would make their entrance. The retired heroes would walk behind them. It would make an impression.
Dekora held Khed’s hand, and when his parents had crossed the road and passed through the crowd of onlookers there to view those arriving to the gallery opening, they took their steps forward.
She wasn’t used to hundreds of eyes looking her over, but once the whisper started through the crowd, all she could hear was, Khed’s carrier. She kept a pleasant smile on her face and didn’t hide her belly, though the instinct was strong.
When Khed lifted her hand to his lips as they walked, a shocked gasp ran through the crowd.
They paused at the top of the stairs, turned to the crowd, and then, Khed kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and bending her back in a completely submissive posture.
The hovering cameras got a good look at them, and when he set her on her feet, she fought the urge to smack him. When they entered the gallery, she said sweetly, “We didn’t discuss that.”
He chuckled. “I wanted to not leave any ambiguity to our relationship.”
“Well, why don’t we just head across the street and fuck on the sidewalk. That would rub out a lot of doubters.” She snorted.
“You are perverse when you are angry.”
“Thank you. That is one I hadn’t heard before.”
He kept hold of her hand and led her into the gallery, meeting with the owner who now had an understanding glint in her eye. The exhibited works were wonderful. Natural subjects, people, architecture, and of course, the heroes.
The heroes were about half of the subject matter for the artists. Horro was especially loved by the brush. It seemed a lot of artists of both sexes imagined him naked. Having already seen him naked, Dekora could confirm that they weren’t far off.
There were so many exhibits that it was only when Dekora saw a group around one of the images that she had to see it. She froze in place at the image of her being rescued by Khed the first time. “Damn. I looked crispy.”
“You did. I didn’t realise that you were female until the hospital when they cut you out of your suit. Then, it was amply obvious.”
She glanced down at her cleavage and smirked.
“It was the curve of your hip actually; I have always loved the curve of your hips.” He slid his hand down to her waist.
Dekora blushed. He did tend to kiss and run his tongue along the curve before he turned her to her back and greeted the bump.
“Glad you like it now. In a few weeks, it will be a thing of the past.” She smiled and leaned her head against him.
He chuckled.
She stared at the image of her being carried from the flier and into the hospital, draped over his arms, blood and scorched flesh in plain view. The image description was Rescued Firebreaker. It seemed that the person who took the image had no idea who she would eventually be.
They walked through the rest of the exhibits, and she looked at the view of the water and the rocks.
“Levell painted this. He’s really very good.”
She smiled. “The view was familiar. I would have thought it was Yeleki’s work, though.”
His lips curled. “You would
be right.”
She elbowed him and found the armoured plate in his clothing. “Ow.”
He stood behind her and rubbed her elbow. “Better?”
She grinned. “Yes. Thank you.”
They spent a few hours at the gallery, occasionally bumping into his parents or grandparent. He dealt with fans, dignitaries, and governmental controllers who were all intensely curious about Dekora and her cargo.
Only two people reached out to touch her belly, and the baby moved for neither of them. Khed had immediately dissuaded the two councilwomen, but Dekora was still agitated for an hour.
Letha came to say her goodnights before she and her husband left. Her kiss to Dekora’s cheek was warm, and the pleasure in her eyes was unmistakable. “I am very happy that you came here.”
Dekora blinked and she smiled. “I don’t regret it, but it has been odd.”
Khed was speaking with his father, and they hugged quickly. His father was where the rich gold of his skin tone came from. It was very obvious when they were standing side by side.
“He is pleased as well. Don’t let him ever tell you differently. You have opened the door to my seeing my son again. Thank you.” Letha hugged her again.
“Um, I haven’t done anything.”
Letha didn’t say anything, just took her husband’s arm and left the gallery.
Khed was soon back at her side. “So, who do you consider to be the best artist here?”
“The best artist? Hmm.”
She looked around, and she saw an image of Horro standing in front of a crystal cliff. “I think this one is my favourite. It has the best perspective, and there is emotion on Horro’s face. This was after something bad, right?”
Khed nodded. “He had just joined the team and had his first fatality. Levell’s monitor caught the moment, and he turned it into a painting.”
“Wow. It’s lovely.” She smiled. “He is very good.”
“It was what he wanted to do before he got the serum. He has art in his blood.”
“I am pretty sure that I have no artistic skill. I am in awe.”
He grinned and kept his arm around her waist. “Have you had a nice evening?”
“I have. Thank you. Thank you for taking me to Sephal.”
