by K. Aten
“Holy sheddech!”
“Son of a sint!”
Castellan wasn’t sure which of the guardians muttered the expletives but they were appropriate.
Lt. Madlin raised a dark eyebrow. “Nothing but a railer can top that speed. Impressive!”
Suddenly nervous about sharing a cycle with the woman who had dominated her dreams of late, Cmdr. Tosh remounted the machine. She wanted to get back to the Connate’s residence as soon as possible to shorten the amount of time they’d be in close contact. “If there’s nothing else, Lieutenants, we should be on our way.” She looked at Lt. Savon as Olivienne mounted the cycle behind her and she was glad of the tinted face shield that hid her flushed features from the rest of the team. “Give me a heads up when the team is on their way back. The residence unit can cover until you arrive.”
“Yes, ser!” All the guardians in the unit saluted her and Olivienne before Tosh swiftly accelerated out of the lot. The royal estate was not far away, but Tosh wanted to avoid the busy high traffic roads so she opted for the longer route along the speedway. The speedway was a limited access road that circled around Tesseron before branching north in the direction of the dirigible station that was located on the south side of the channel between Instrucia Island and Endara.
Because the Academy, with its officer and standard schools, was located on the large island, the six hundred mahl stretch between the dirigible station and Tesseron was highly traveled. Dirigibles were the only way to safely cross the channel that ran between Endara and the massive island. Boats were too much of a target for the Atlanteens and their creatures of the deep. Speedways actually ran parallel to the railer line all the way around both continents, as well as quite a few locations that didn’t have railer service. It made it significantly easier to transport goods and people, though the railers were certainly faster. Not everyone had a prototype cycle.
As soon as they hit the open speedway, Tosh’s heart soared with freedom. She increased the speed of her cycle. She felt a faint matching response from Olivienne’s mind as well just before the Connate spoke to her via telepathy. “I wish we didn’t have to go back right away. I’ve been cooped up in that temple room for daes!”
Tosh was already well aware of the tingling that had started as soon as Olivienne slid behind her on the cycle and she knew she was going to regret the words as soon as she said them. But her heart and mind were too free not to agree with the woman gripping her from behind. “Care to take a detour?”
Olivienne’s response was immediate. “Yes, where?”
Tosh didn’t respond. Instead she accelerated onto an exit ramp that led them from the city speedway to the one that would take them north. She watched as the gauge crept up on the speed dial. There were few motos and haulers on the speedway but none were in the far left lane reserved for official use. As they passed one hundred mahls per oor, she contemplated slowing down when a voice echoed through her head.
“Faster...”
Castellan couldn’t turn her head to look at the Connate because that would have been a sure way to kill them both. But she responded anyway. “Are you sure?”
“Commander, you should know me well enough by now. But in case you haven’t been paying attention, I like my cycles the same way I like my sex. Fast the first time and a slow cruise the second.” She paused to let her words sink in and then added one last bit. “As long as you’re prepared to bring me home, I have no problems with your speed.”
Olivienne’s words within her mind caused things to tighten dangerously while she was in control of such a powerful machine. Since the moment they had met, the violet-eyed woman behind her continued to push and Tosh found herself fast losing the will to resist. And being in such close proximity to the infuriating sovereign was certainly not helping keep her libido in check. Rather than answer the Connate’s obvious innuendo, she sent back two simple words. “Hold on!” Then with savage twist of the throttle they shot forward at an exponential rate. It was the fastest Tosh had ever gone when in control of a vectura herself. It was exhilarating on a lot of levels, some of which were solely due to the woman clutching her from behind.
Castellan glanced down as the gauge hit its max speed then she leveled it off and maintained a smooth one-fifty. Things were going along well until they came up to a spate of traffic fifty mahls outside the city. One moto decided to move into the official lane, a crime punishable by loss of driving privilege if the driver was not authorized. Olivienne’s enhanced awareness kicked in and she telepathically warned Tosh before they’d even come up to that section of speedway. That combined with Castellan’s high intuition rating and her telekinesis meant that instead of a fatal crash between moto and cycle, she lifted them safely into the air. It was a feat she had no idea she could accomplish at such a speed.
Rather than try to bring them down to a stop she let off the throttle completely then with extreme focus brought them slowly back to the road. Their momentum kept them speeding along until Castellan could twist the throttle and speed them back up again. She breathed a sigh of relief at the same time Olivienne’s voice broke through her racing thoughts. “That was amazing!”
Tosh shook her head resignedly as she brought the cycle back down to appropriate speed and moved to exit the moto-way. When they were safely off the road, she braked to a stop and just sat there before she flipped up her face shield and turned to look over her shoulder at the sovereign she had endangered. “It was beyond foolish of me, and I apologize.”
The thrill of the maneuver still pounded in both women’s veins and Olivienne decided she was tired of playing Castellan’s game. She flipped her own visor up and looked at the officer. “Get off the cycle, Commander Tosh!”
Shocked pale blue eyes widened at Olivienne’s tone. “Connate Dracore?”
Olivienne gave her a shove from behind. “Off, now!”
Thoroughly confused, Tosh complied with her demands and removed her helmet. Olivienne was right behind her in dismounting from the cycle. Tosh tried again. “Connate Dracore, did I say something wrong?”
Olivienne removed her own helmet and set it on the seat then rounded on the officer. With the first two fingers of her right hand she poked Castellan in the chest with each word, to emphasize her point. “Stop pretending like you don’t feel anything! Stop acting like you don’t feel the rush the same as me!”
The near death experience and Olivienne’s words and proximity only made Tosh’s heart race more. As emotion and sexual tension reached their breaking point, Olivienne grabbed Castellan’s pristine black shirt and pulled the woman to her. Lips met in an explosive rush and Tosh dropped her helmet to grip Olivienne’s head and pull them even closer. Neither was sure who moaned into the kiss but they eventually pulled back at the same time. They stood at the side of the speedway exit ramp with heads pressed together, panting like they had run a mahl, and Tosh gave in to the uncertainty that plagued her. “I don’t know what to do here.”
Olivienne pulled back and looked into Castellan’s icy blue eyes. “Stop pretending like this passion between us doesn’t exist.”
Regret flashed across the officer’s face. “I can’t! This is my career, worse yet, this is your life! How do I ignore that, ignore my sworn duty?”
The Connate stepped away from her, regretting instantly the loss of contact between them. “I don’t know. But know this, Castellan Tosh, you haunt my dreams.”
Tosh bent down to pick up her helmet from the ground. She put it on and walked back to the cycle before meeting Olivienne’s heated gaze. “You haunt mine as well. We must get back or they will worry.” Before Olivienne could answer, the commander’s voteo crackled to life with the alert tone. She took it from her belt and answered. “Tosh here.”
Lt. Savon’s voice came over the small speaker. “Commander, we’ve returned to the residence. Are you held up somewhere?”
Tosh sighed and met Olivienne’s steady gaze. “No, Lieutenant, just on a joy ride. We shall return shortly.” By the
time she had clipped the communication device back to her belt, Olivienne had donned her own helmet. “Olivienne...we must return.”
The Connate nodded in understanding but threw out a warning to Castellan anyway. “We’re not finished here.”
Castellan sighed again as the pulse continue to pound through her body in time with her beating heart. The ride back would not be nearly as fun for either of them in their current state. “No. No we’re not.”
Chapter Thirteen
THE RETURN TRIP to the residence was silent. There were no mental urgings of faster, though after the kiss they shared those exact words rolled through both their heads. While Castellan navigated the cycle within safe limits, she still drove as quickly as possible. She wanted to deliver Olivienne back to her home so she could leave and put some space between them. It was impossible to think with the sovereign molded so tight behind her, with Olivienne’s hands circling her waist and grasping at the pressed fabric of her uniform shirt.
Despite the wind and the enclosed helmet on her head, Tosh swore she could still smell Olivienne’s scent. It was woodsy and sweet with a vague hint of well-worn leather. The memories would not turn her loose from their time together and she feared the distraction of it all. She feared failing her duty should there be another assassination attempt. But there was a heat between them that Tosh could no longer ignore.
Olivienne was having similar difficulties. As she gripped the officer from behind, memories flashed through her head of their time on the railer, when she had Tosh pressed face first into the soft coverlets. She had the tightly controlled woman’s wrists pinned as she kissed her way down the center of Castellan’s nude back. The skin below her tongue tasted salty with slicked sweat and the air was perfumed by their mutual arousal as Olivienne moved even lower.
They played for oors, wearing each other out, only to begin anew each time. The sovereign discovered that she loved holding Castellan down, reveled in the control of so simple a thing. And as much as the strong woman squirmed, she never once tried to break free of Olivienne’s hold. Her patience was rewarded again and again. Of course Castellan held her immobile as well, only she used a more creative application of her telekinesis to do it.
Olivienne’s carnal memories were interrupted when they pulled into the vectura building on the sovereign estate. She sighed before they could even dismount from the cycle. “So much for our talk.”
“What?” Castellan looked back at the Connate with confusion.
Olivienne got off the cycle and removed her helmet before pointing out the window where they could see two guardians standing at the front entrance of her residence. “Since Captain Torrin, the head of my mother’s Shield unit, is standing at my front door, obviously my mother is inside.”
One part of Tosh was relieved because she didn’t want to discuss what was growing between her and Olivienne. But the other part was terrified because the Queen’s prescience and empathy channels were legendary. The reigning sovereign was sure to know what was going on between her and the Connate and she resolved herself to firm up her mental wall as soon as she entered the door. Then she realized she didn’t need to go in at all. “Well as lovely as your family meeting sounds, this is where I let you off. I still have some vellumwork to take care of back at—” She stopped when she felt pressure inside her head and knew immediately who it was. She let the mental voice come through.
“Please come inside with my daughter, Commander Tosh. I wish to speak with you and Olivienne together.”
In that moment the profanity she muttered under her breath seemed completely legitimate. “Bollux!”
Olivienne had heard the directive also since the Queen had spoken to both of them at the same time. She snickered at Castellan’s sour face and answered. “We’ll be right there, maman.” Once their helmets had been removed and stowed, Olivienne stepped close to Tosh, until the fronts of their bodies were nearly touching.
Castellan’s eyes widened in surprise and her furtive whisper came out as a hiss. “What are you doing?” She cast a glance through the window at the guardians that were standing thirty yords away. “We cannot do this!”
The Connate pushed. “We can. I can feel exactly what you want, Castellan. Do not try to pretend it’s not the same thing as me.”
Tosh sucked in a great breath and felt dizzy with Olivienne’s scent and nearness, but Olivienne’s mother, the Queen, was inside waiting. “Are you suddenly empathic now? While that may be your mother’s channel, it is certainly not yours!”
“No, I’m not an empath.” Olivienne reached up to delicately trace Tosh’s neck causing the muscle to twitch. “I can see the way your pulse jumps in time with your heartbeat, and it races each instance I come near. I can look into those pale eyes of yours and watch as they grow dark the longer they look into mine. I know arousal, Commander Tosh, I know passion. You feel exactly as I in this and it terrifies the soldier in you to break the rules.”
“You know nothing about me!”
Olivienne’s hand had made its way up to the back of Castellan’s head and when the officer’s defiant words spilled from her lips, the Connate pulled her down into a fierce kiss. There was no resistance from Tosh, no hesitance at all as their tongues tasted every ince of each other. When Olivienne finally pulled away with a hammering heart and shortened breaths, she smiled at her Commander. “Don’t I?” With that she spun and walked away, toward the residence and her waiting mother.
Castellan waited a meen before following the Connate inside. She spent the time straightening her uniform and getting her own breathing under control. The officer walked up the steps muttering to herself. “She is a vixen and will surely be the death of me.”
Spc. Qent and Spc. Dozier came out the front door as she walked up the steps. Qent heard her muttering but not the actual words. “Ser? Is there something you need?”
She paused before opening the door. “Perhaps a new head, Specialist Qent. I fear mine is not screwed on right.” His eyes widened and she waved her hand through the air nonchalantly. “I’m only jesting...mostly.” The last word was said beneath her breath as she walked inside. Her long strides took her just past the foyer before she was halted by the Queen’s voice.
“Ah, Commander Tosh! So good to see you again. Please, come have a seat with us.” The Queen was seated on a divan in Olivienne’s main room and she gestured to her daughter, who stood off to the side. “’Vienne, won’t you be a love and fix us all some scotch.”
Castellan raised her hand to stop Olivienne. “Thank you but...” Her words trailed off when the full weight of the Queen’s violet gaze met her own. She quickly changed her mind and made her own way to the sideboard where the liquor was kept. “Thank you, but I can pour for all of us. Neat for both of you?” Both sovereigns nodded and Olivienne moved to sit next to her mother.
Once drinks were handed around and Tosh took a seat on a nearby chair, Olivienne broke the silence. “Are you here to check on my progress, maman?” She pulled off the satchel she had re-slung over her shoulders when Castellan put the spare helmet away. The Connate set the leather satchel on the tile floor between her booted feet then unlocked and opened the heavy flap. In less than a meen, she had the translations placed in a pile on the low table, oldest document down to the newest one. Though newest was a relative term since the sheets they were translating were still ones from nearly one hundred rotos past. “We’ve only been translating, this is the first chance I’ve had to look at what the vellums actually say. I will not lie...I’m excited to piece together this new facet of the Divine Mystery.”
Olivara smiled at her daughter. “I suspect our Commander here is just as interested in the story.” Both sovereigns looked at Tosh.
“Indeed I am, my Queen.”
The Queen waved a hand through the air. “Please, just Olivara here. What I have to say will take us beyond the bounds of formality.”
Olivienne looked down at the stack of vellum and back up at her mother. “You’re not
here for an update on the mystery, are you maman?”
“No, I am not. I’ve had a vision...”
Tosh startled out of sheer panic at the Queen’s words, certain that she was going to say something about the interactions between her daughter and Castellan. A bit of the scotch slopped onto her hand and the other two women looked at her in surprise. As she sucked the liquor from her thumb, Olivara smirked knowingly. Tosh’s face flushed at the Queen’s smile. She was saved when Olivienne spoke up. “Does this vision have anything to do with the Divine Mystery and our work here?”
The Queen took a slow drink of her scotch and contemplated her words. “In a way...but it is more to do with Commander Tosh.”
Pale blue eyes widened and Castellan took another large gulp of her drink. “Come again?”
Olivienne sighed and set her glass down before turning to look at her mother fully. “I suppose you’re here to warn me off from having relations with Castellan. Surely your prescience has told you nothing about me or my future.”
“Of course it hasn’t!” Olivara scoffed lightly. It was well known that even the Psierians with the most powerful prescient and precognitive abilities could not predict for themselves or those that they were emotionally linked with. That was why the Queen didn’t know in advance about her daughter’s assassination attempt, a fact that still plagued her. The Queen turned her purple gaze toward Tosh. “No, my vision was about Commander Tosh.”
Castellan swallowed thickly but Olivienne was the one who spoke. “And? What about her?”
“She will die.”
“Sheddech!”
Olivienne stood abruptly and stared first at Tosh, then back at her mother. “Maman, what do you mean she will die? When? How?”
Olivara held up a hand. “That is the tricky part. I’ve had two visions, one where Commander Tosh is alone and she dies. The other is where the two of you are together and, while you are each in grave danger, you both live.”
