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  A woman with a green thumb is married by proxy to a noble who has a secret life commanding shadows. Gardener versus Guardian.

  Rowen went along with her niece to apply for the Volunteer project, and when she is asked to participate, she has to decide if the stars are for her. When they offer her an entire world full of gardens, she is hooked. There is only one problem, no alien can work on the surface of Irudan; they must be married to a local to work there.

  Skorin Nakkua wants to get his family to stop asking him to get married, so when a marriage of convenience is requested by the Alliance, he agrees. His wife will live on Irudan and take on his social responsibilities with the community, leaving him free to focus on his life as Walking Darkness, the head of the Irudan Guardian Base.

  He had never expected their paths to cross while he was on duty, but the new Lady Nakkua is far more than he imagined and the convenience of their marriage begins to chafe.

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  Knotted

  Copyright © 2014 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-930-6

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  Knotted

  Terran Times Second Wave

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Rowen Hathaway sat in the waiting room with her niece and the three friends she had come with. The Volunteer Centre was busy, but with the applications filled out, Lori and her friends were smiling at the prospect of a life in the stars.

  Watching the twenty-year-olds and their excitement at the possibilities that lay within the stars, Rowen felt far older than her twenty-five years.

  A voice called out, “R. Hathaway?”

  Lori stood and smiled, “You mean L.”

  The man shook his head. “Rowen Hathaway.”

  Rowen stood with surprise and put down the pamphlet on what made a good candidate for transport to the stars. She smiled at Lori. “I am sure they will call you next.”

  Lori looked perturbed for five seconds before she grinned and gave a thumbs up. “Go get them, Aunty!”

  Rowen grinned at her niece. Nothing perturbed Lori for long. It was both endearing and annoying in turn.

  With her shoulders back, she headed into the rear offices of the Volunteer Centre.

  They passed several doors before the man with her turned a corner and pressed a keypad before ushering her inside. “I apologize for the delay. It took a while to get this testing ground together.”

  She walked in and covered her mouth with her hand. Laughter spilled out anyway. Every sick potted plant in the building had been crowded onto a desk.

  “What do you expect me to do?”

  “Whatever you can do. No one here will judge or threaten you. If you can do what your application hints at, you will be welcomed into the project.”

  She rubbed the back of her neck. “I really just came along for Lori.”

  “Your sister?”

  “Niece. I was an afterthought and she arrived when I was five.” She was babbling but her eyes were on the plants. She needed to touch them, to heal them.

  He inclined his head. “Take as long as you like. Someone will come when you are finished.”

  She ignored him and walked toward the desk. “Hello, my lovelies.”

  She touched the leaves and watched them flare and fill out again. Rowen was never happier than when she was working with plants, and the plants delighted in her company.

  Hathaway Horticulture was a family concern that had flourished in the last fifteen years. It had done well before, but now, its reputation for plants was unparalleled for fifteen counties. Folks drove half a day to get their bedding plants in the spring, and while Rowen didn’t care for the people, she loved the young shoots and seeing them go to good homes.

  She caressed the plants one by one until they all glowed with health. Smiling, she continued to stroke them carefully, making them stronger.

  “You are quite skilled at that.”

  She continued her work. “It is a calling more than a skill. I have minimal interest in people. The plants, however, are always attention getting.”

  “I would prefer it if you looked at me.”

  “And I would prefer to be back at the greenhouse, but I drove into the city for this meeting or, rather, for my niece to have this meeting.”

  “She is being interviewed as well. She has amazing people skills and resilience.”

  Rowen turned and blinked slightly. The man in front of her was shorter than she was by several inches and had taut skin with a silvery finish. His eyes were wide and black on black, his exposed teeth had dagger-like edges.

  “Hello, I am Rowen Hathaway.”

  “Recruiter Norz, at your service.” He bowed and extended his hand.

  She shook his hand carefully.

  “Miss Hathaway, I would like to offer you a position in the stars.”

  She cocked her head. “Not interested.”

  Rowen walked to the door, but when she touched the doorframe, she heard, “We have a position for you in the largest garden in occupied space.”

  Smiling, she turned and looked at him, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the door. “I am listening.”

  He sucked in a breath and laid out the scheme of things.

  One hour later, she waited for a grinning Lori and she nodded in support while her niece bubbled over with enthusiasm for her upcoming training. The other young ladies were excited by meeting actual aliens. Rowen simply kept her mouth shut and drove.

  Lori had her date of departure and Rowen had hers as well. It was a conundrum. Should she tell her niece about the deal she had struck or should she spring it on her later? She decided that honesty was the best policy, even if Lori became irritated at sharing the joy. The irritation wouldn’t last long, it never did.

  It was difficult for her sister, but within the month, Rowen and Lori were packed, and Lori’s shock had turned to enthusiasm when Rowen had explained that they were not only going to different worlds but different societal structures. The only thing they were sharing was the shuttle to the moon base.

  “Are you excited, Aunty?” Lori was nearly vibrating with energy as they walked through security with their bio scans letting them pass.

  “I am. It will be weird, but I have been shown images of the gardens, and I can hardly wait until I get my hands into that soil.” She rubbed her hands together.

  “I can hardly wait to work with the Citadel and get the training they offered for channeling my mood.” Lori hugged herself.

  They walked forward with half a dozen more trainees and filed into a shuttle. The adventure was about to begin.

  Rowen’s training at the moon base was short. A few days of
combat training and weapons management and she was slated for her position on Irudan, far off in the Nyal Imperium but known for its gardens and sought for herbal remedies to just about everything. There was only one catch, Rowen needed to be legally married to accept the position. It was a detail she hadn’t shared with her family.

  At dinner with Lori, she stated, “I am leaving tomorrow.”

  Lori paused, “That soon?”

  “I don’t need the same training you do. The more I can do my thing, the stronger I get, and I have already put all the plants here into the pink of health.” She put on a pompous look and placed her hand on her breastbone. “My work here is done.”

  Lori reached out and put a hand on the table, palm up. Rowen covered it with her own. A wave of worry and hope twisted up her arm.

  She smiled. “You need to work on that, Lori. Your worry came through with the hope.”

  “I will work on it, Aunty. Will you be in touch?”

  “As well as I can be. I will be on Irudan, so when you are at the Citadel for your finals, give me a call.”

  Lori leaned back. “How did you know I was going for final polishing at the Citadel?”

  Rowen tapped her palm. “I told you, you gave me more than you thought with that touch.”

  “So, you just get to slide into a gardening position on Irudan?”

  Rowen rubbed the back of her neck. “Not quite just. They have strict immigration guidelines, and I have to be married to work alone for some reason. I need to be wed to an Irudan citizen. The Imperium has found someone willing to give up his freedom on paper. I am going to the administration offices after dinner to get my wedding band.”

  Lori stared. “What?”

  “Proxy wedding. I agree and I get a band on my wrist. He agrees and he gets a band on his wrist. We get on with our lives. Easy peezy.”

  “I am coming with you.”

  “Fine. I suppose you can be my bride’s maid.”

  Lori was quiet for the rest of the meal, but when it came time to go to administration, she said, “I will catch up.”

  Rowen sighed and she got to her feet, putting their trays in the cleaning slot.

  Alone, she headed to the administration office, and to her surprise, Lori met her there with a bouquet of flowers from the oxygen farm. “Every bride needs flowers. Even a proxy one.”

  Rowen batted tears from her eyes and smiled as she took the bouquet from her niece. “Thank you, Lori.”

  Administration Specialist Twonai smiled, and it reached all six of his eyes. “Welcome, Rowen. The flowers are lovely. Do you offer your life and honour to the grace of Irudan? Do you promise to work to make it flourish and bring honour to the name of your husband, Skorin Nakkua?”

  “I do.”

  “Then, with the knot of the Nakkua family, I hereby bind you to Irudan and its population.” He gently took her left wrist and tied it with a silvery band that solidified and began to writhe against her skin.

  She watched, and the simple silver tie stretched and twisted until she was wearing a three-inch band made of knots that she could never unravel.

  “Lady Nakkua, your ship awaits.” He smiled. “If you are not ready in half an hour, a guard will be sent to fetch you and bring you to your new home. He has made the arrangements needed for you to begin work immediately so there should be no delay.”

  “I thought I was to leave tomorrow.”

  “You were told you would leave after the ceremony. That moment has come.” His smile was gentle. “It is all right. We will take care of her from here.”

  Rowen sighed and turned to Lori. “I guess this is goodbye for now.”

  “Bon voyage, Aunty.”

  Lori took the flowers but handed one back. “Take this with you and press it into that book you keep. It is exceptional and should be remembered on this day. It was a good day, and Mom would flip if she knew that you got a guy without even meeting him.”

  “Lori, it is a marriage in name only. He has no interest in me, nor I in him. I am sure our paths won’t ever cross. It is a big planet after all.”

  “I don’t think so, Aunty. You have a way of drawing people to you, even though you aren’t interested in them. Don’t underestimate the man you just tied yourself to.” Lori smiled.

  “How did you get so wise all of a sudden?”

  Lori wrinkled her nose. “Training with a Minder. They give you a different way of seeing the world.”

  Twonai cleared his throat. “Twenty-five minutes, Lady Nakkua.”

  Rowen sighed. “Which launch bay am I heading toward?”

  “Bay five.”

  “Fine, Lori, would you walk me there?”

  Lori linked arms with her. “Of course, Aunty. I will carry your flowers, so it is the last thing you see before leaving.”

  Rowen thanked Twonai and walked down the hall while he registered her union with a man she hadn’t met. “Lori, I want your face to be the last thing I see on the moon base. The flowers are dead; you are alive. I will have you be my last sight from Terra.”

  Twenty minutes later, with a bag full of horticultural books, a data pad with Nyal plants, and a few spare grey uniforms, Rowen hugged her niece goodbye and stepped onto the shuttle with the pansy from the bouquet pressed in the pages of a book.

  It was time to view the largest garden in the known worlds.

  Chapter Two

  Irudan was green. Its defining characteristic was the cover on its surface. There were lakes and oceans and rivers, but the world itself was green with only a few cities to mar the expanse.

  “Lady Nakkua, are you comfortable for landing?” The taller of the two guards smiled politely.

  “I am. All strapped in and ready. Thank you.” They had refused to give their names, and she hadn’t pressed them. They were servants of the Nakkua family and they had travelled to retrieve his proxy wife. They had no interest in her beyond following their instructions.

  She had gathered that her status was an annoyance by the subtle comments the guards had given her. They had wanted a proper wife for Lord Nakkua and this arrangement was not approved of.

  Rowen wasn’t good with people, but she knew hostility when it was directed at her. This was one of those times.

  They landed precisely on a tarmac, and others were waiting to greet her. The guards handed her her bag and brought her out into the strange new world that smelled blissfully green.

  The two prominent figures carried the colours of a Russian olive tree. Grey-silver skin, pale silvery green hair and paler eyes.

  “Hello, I am Head Gardener Liahnarika Gez and this is my husband, Gardener Ilo Gez. Welcome to Irudan, Lady Nakkua. Would you mind?” She gestured to Rowen’s wrist.

  Rowen extended her wrist and showed the bracelet. One of the quiet folk from behind the head gardener emerged and took an imprint of the band.

  The head gardener smiled. “That is how we register aliens on our soil. Since you have to be married to a citizen to work here, we confirm that there is no one else with this pattern registered to it. It only takes moments.”

  The person checking the registry smiled. “All is good. The registration is confirmed as viable.”

  Rowen slumped in relief. She had had a momentary flicker that her invisible husband would denounce her and she would be expelled from the world.

  Ilo chuckled. “Now that that is out of the way, come with us. Quarters and clothing have been arranged for you. We don’t use uniforms, but we do tend to favour a practical manner of dressing.”

  Liahnarika smiled. “We understand that you are a plant healer. We have a greenhouse full of sick plants in this area alone. Do you do diagnostics as well?”

  “Sometimes I can feel what is wrong. Sometimes it is just the standards of light, water and mineral content.”

  Liahnarika looked at her sideways. “Would you be able to offer a demonstration before you settle in, or are you tired?”

  “I am tir
ed, but I also need to touch something living. If you wouldn’t mind, I would prefer the demonstration.” She had slept on the shuttle, but it had been difficult to relax with the cold attitude of the guards around her.

  The couple smiled brightly and the cut of their sleeves seemed designed to show off the pattern of silver on their left wrists. The pattern did match, so she was in the presence of a mated pair.

  Rowen didn’t even feel her band anymore. In the two days it had taken to get there, she had forgotten that it was there until she saw it.

  “It is just the aliens that require a spouse to work here?”

  Ilo shrugged. “We deal with dangerous and amazing plants. Someone has to be accountable if one goes wrong.”

  That opened another thousand questions, but their path was taking them to a tube system that zipped along under the surface.

  “Most transport is done by underground tube. Irudan is geologically stable for the most part, so they can take you around the globe in hours without disturbing the surface.” Ilo grinned. “We are very proud of our infrastructure, and we take pains to protect it and the plant compounds that are our greatest export.”

  “How?”

  Liahnarika smiled, “We have the planetary shielding, but we also have a Guardian outpost. They aren’t called upon often, but when they are, they arrive with force.”

  Rowen nodded wisely before she had to give up and admit she didn’t know what the woman was talking about. “What is a Guardian?”

  * * * *

  “Your wife has touched down, Lord Nakkua.”

  Skorin Nakkua looked up from the financial reports for the base, and he scowled at the face in the com unit. “Good. I hope she will be happy here. Do you have the fuel usage reports from last month?”

  Devnin grinned and sent him the file. “You are not even curious about her?”