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  Mistress of chills, a true ice queen, she journeys to find a man who makes her burn and a world that needs some cooling off.

  Roxelena has inherited her family talent for cold. On Earth, it is useless, but there is a request for a woman with talent on a world she has never heard of.

  Marriage is a condition of her travel, so she agrees. She has yet to find a man who can withstand contact with her, so his unconditional agreement to her comes as a surprise.

  When she meets her husband for the first time and feels the heat of his body and his talent for fire, she understands why he doesn’t feel the cold. He craves her cooling as she wants his heat, and they exchange their talents gladly.

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  Lady

  Copyright © 2014 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-945-0

  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.

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  Lady

  Terran Times Second Wave

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  She dropped her tools inside her mudroom and rolled her shoulders. She kicked off her boots and scrubbed her hands before entering her home.

  Someone was already inside. She could feel the heat signatures in her living room.

  Julian was sitting and prodding at a fire. “Come in and sit down, Rox. This nice man is here to take you away from all this.”

  She scowled at her brother and smiled quickly at the newcomer to her home. “Welcome to my house.”

  “Thank you; your brother has been most hospitable. I am Recruiter Norz and I have an offer for you.” The small man’s silvery skin and huge black eyes marked him as one of the new arrivals on Earth. A Volunteer recruiter.

  Julian handed her a cup of coffee and gave her a serious look. “Sit. Listen. You need to hear what he has to say.”

  Roxelena took a seat and sipped at her coffee. It cooled rapidly in her hands but the first sips were nice.

  The recruiter shivered. “Is it always so cold in here?”

  Rox smiled. “Is it cold? I don’t feel it. I only keep enough heat on in the house to stop the taps from freezing. Even I like warm showers in the morning.”

  “So, it is true? You have a talent for cold?” The recruiter leaned forward eagerly.

  “If Julian said so, then it is true. Around here, no one even bats an eye. I fix their air conditioners and then come home to where I don’t have to watch my temperature all the time. What have you come here to discuss with me?”

  The recruiter leaned forward and put a flat tablet on the coffee table. He tapped it and a projection filled the air in the centre of the room. “This is Irudan, a planet in the Nyal Imperium. It is a world covered with gardens that range from research to ornamental. They have need of someone with your skills.”

  Rox blinked. “That doesn’t sound like a good idea. I can’t always control my effect on the environment.”

  Norz smiled. “That is where the Alliance comes in. We can fit you with a suit that regulates your body temperature and supplies to assist in your ability to not only project but focus your power.”

  “Why me and why Irudan? I thought I would just be a bit of a disaster around growing plants.” She smiled and held up her cup as Julian filled it. All of her carafes were thermal to allow the hot beverages a fighting chance. She drank quickly and smiled at the splash of heat that flickered in her for a moment.

  “Irudan is a world where new species of plants and fruits are being designed every day. They are under scrutiny and have a stringent policy about accepting newcomers. You meet the criteria we have been seeking.”

  She looked at him with narrowed eyes. “What criteria?”

  “You are female, attractive by general standards, talented and single. The Irudan do not allow strangers to enter their space. You would have to be bonded to a citizen in order to take this position.” Norz looked uncomfortable.

  Julian sat next to her and looked serious. “Consider it, Rox.”

  Roxelena looked to her brother and cocked her head. “Why, Jules? Why should I consider this?”

  Julian sighed and put his hand on her shoulder. “Because you hate being alone and the man selected as your match can actually withstand your ice. I have read his file; he is a solid match, and after all, Grandma and Grandpa both had an arranged marriage. You would be upholding a family tradition.”

  Rox snorted. “Marriage? He never said anything about…”

  Norz was looking intensely uncomfortable. “The bond I was referring to was being married to a citizen. He has volunteered to take you on as a bride. You would be the second Terran female placed on Irudan. The first is a horticulturist who is enjoying her life with her arranged husband. He is very pleased with the bond and states that she is adapting well to Irudan society.”

  His rushed speech was designed to convince her. She knew that kind of frantic exposition. It happened every time a man spoke to her after a first date. They always had a dozen distracting comments that hid the one she was looking for. They didn’t want to see her again.

  She was the epitome of an ice queen. Her blood refused to heat no matter how intense the cuddling got. Human men just couldn’t counteract her cool body temperature.

  “Can his body handle the cold?”

  Norz smiled. “I can safely say that, yes, yes, he can.”

  She looked around at the empty house that she had once dreamed of filling with children and a husband. Julian had his family and she wanted hers. If she had to head to the stars to find it, so be it.

  “Where do I sign?”

  Jules smiled and gave her shoulder a squeeze before he warmed his hand on his coffee cup. “Good. I will take care of your place.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Jules. You and the family can use it as a summer cabin or a second home. I want it to be lived in. I have always wanted a family here.” She wrapped her arms around her and smiled.

  Norz brought up a contract on the screen. “Read it and sign it. We can bring you to the space station today if you don’t mind.”

  “Jules, will you make my goodbyes?”

  “No need. Laura and the kids are on their way up right now. I am fairly sure that Decker already has a list of items he would like you to ship to him from outer space. I don’t know if you can, but humour him.”

  Rox smiled and flicked through the contract. She agreed to remain on Irudan for no less than three years and to act as a bride for the man who had applied for a Terran mate. She could do three years, and it wouldn’t do her any harm to get a grip on her talent.

  Living in Alaska was the best disguise her family had come up with when they had to flee Siberia. The talent for cold ran through all of them, but Roxelena was the first girl born to the family in five generatio
ns. She got the full blast of cold and wore it in her body each and every day.

  She read the earnings report and the benefit potential for the contract and signed her name with her finger, using her thumb as final proof of agreement. She handed the tablet back to Norz. “There you go. Where is your ship?”

  “Just around the mountainside on what your brother termed the goat track.”

  Rox nodded. “Right. Well, if you want to get out of here before they arrive, you had best leave now. There is a vehicle and four heat signatures coming toward us.”

  Jules smiled. “Is it them?”

  Rox chuckled. “Well two of the heat signatures are bouncing with incredible regularity, so I think Laura is playing their video while she drives.”

  Recruiter Norz clutched his tablet as if it was a holy relic. “I will get this filed and wait for you to finish your farewells to your family. They will receive a com unit so that you can keep in touch. I understand how important roots can be to your kind.”

  Rox inclined her head. “Thank you for your understanding. Now, unless you want to deal with my nephews and niece, I suggest you take the goat path. I will be with you in two hours.”

  He gave her a sharp bow and left the room, heading for the back door.

  Rox looked at her brother. “That explains how you two got in.”

  He grinned. “That and you never lock your door.”

  Rox smiled. “I am glad that you brought him here. I was getting a little frustrated.”

  “I know. I have seen your mounting irritation with the world around you and this is the fastest way to change that that I could think of.”

  She chuckled. “Is that just because four out of five of Laura’s friends that you set me up with are no longer talking to her?”

  “Yes, the one who does, talks about the one truly cold woman he ever met. It is narrowing down your options for a spouse.” Her brother smiled. “I have done most of your packing for you. You are allowed to take one duffel, so I filled it full of your favourite things.”

  She laughed. “You knew I was going to say yes?”

  He smiled sadly. “I know you have no other choice. You want a life and family and you can’t have them here. They have found a man that you have possibilities with, and he is willing to tie himself to you, sight unseen.”

  “It shows he is brave, I will give him that.” She laughed as the kids came through the door. She spent the next two hours dividing up her telescopes and remote control helicopters in a fair and equitable manner.

  Julian answered the questions about where Aunty Rox was going and Laura stood as far from Rox as she could, rubbing her arms at the chill.

  “Don’t worry, Laura. You can turn up the heat the moment I leave.”

  Laura blushed. “It isn’t personal. You know that.”

  Rox laughed. “I know it. You always shivered when I passed in high school. Your biology can’t burn enough calories to keep you warm when I am around. I don’t take it personally. You are a great mom and a great wife. I respect what you have done with my brother and I wish you nothing but the best.”

  Laura zipped up her coat and came toward Rox. “You are really going?”

  “I am. The fact that you had to put on a coat to come close to me is why. I have yet to meet a human who can stand close to me without three layers on. So, I will take my wares elsewhere and see what the universe has to offer.”

  Laura lunged forward and hugged her. No further words needed to be spoken. Julian watched while supervising his children, and he wiped a tear from his smiling face. He gave Rox a thumbs up, and it was all she needed. She had her family’s blessing, so she was on her way.

  Chapter Two

  Roxelena stood at her fitting and looked at the mirror. “You have to be kidding.”

  Weebr chuckled and kept working. “No, I am not kidding. Your body needs to warm itself, so it draws the heat from the world around you to keep you functioning. You don’t generate heat, you steal it. This suit may be minimal, but it will make it easier for your body to maintain a fixed temperature.”

  “I am in boots and a bikini made of straps.”

  “But how do you feel?”

  Roxelena wrinkled her nose and took in the ice blue of her costume against the silvery blonde of her hair. Her pale eyes matched the outfit, and she looked like the snow queen mixed with a warrior princess. She had to admit she felt good.

  “I feel warm.”

  He grinned. “The fabric is designed to help you pull heat and the minimal nature of the clothing will make it easier for you to move through crowds. Wait, I got that backward. You will be given a long robe that will cover you and assist you in social situations. The air will still flow, and it will help you remain at a socially acceptable temperature.”

  She scowled. “If my body doesn’t call heat from the world around me, what use will I be?”

  Weebr handed her a large trident. “That is where this comes in. It will focus your talent through these gems. They resonate with your mental frequency.”

  She looked at the trident and really wanted to play with it. “Can I take this for a test run?”

  “Certainly, but you will need the matching wrist and thigh cuffs. Combined with your headpiece, they will assist in your focus when you don’t have your weapon handy.”

  “I am seriously in charge of a trident as well as super cuffs. This even beats language day.” She stayed still as she was cuffed and banded to complete the outfit.

  She had gone from warrior to alien princess in a matter of minutes. “Oh. I like this. I wish my senior picture in the yearbook made me look half as good.”

  “Do you mind if I take an image?” Weebr was nearly vibrating with excitement.

  “Go ahead. I am heading to the range after this. I want to try out the focus.” She smiled.

  He ran the imager over her body, and she kept a heroic pose the entire time. When he was finished, he beamed. “Excellent. I am so delighted with how this is working out. Wear the suit through your classes and let me know how it performs.”

  “Will do. Thanks, Weebr. Talk to you later.”

  She hopped off the fitting podium with her weapon in hand and walked toward the range with as much confidence as her high heels allowed. She was getting used to working in heels, as the boots that went with her normal suit had some built in.

  At the firing range, she had the bots light a fire that flared into life for a few seconds. She aimed her trident at it and the target frosted over, killing the flame.

  Giggling, she triggered the target again, but this time, she extended her hand to the target and focussed the draw that normally came from her body toward that one point. Her body sucked the heat from the fire and it collapsed.

  She clapped her hands and headed to her next class with her trident in one hand.

  * * * *

  Devnin checked his mail, and he grinned. “About time.”

  Walking Darkness came up behind him and said, “What?”

  “My bride is leaving her moon in three days. They have sent images of her in training.” He opened the files and his jaw dropped. The first three showed a woman in a modest hairstyle with ivory hair twisted into a bun at the back of her head. Her eyes were ice blue and her skin chalk white. The fourth image was the one that surprised him. She was standing with her hand on one hip and a pronged spear in the other. Her skin was exposed in several locations and less than one third of her was covered by fabric.

  “Is she going to be fighting crime like that?” Skorin laughed.

  “I have no idea. Apparently, the design of this suit is supposed to help her control her talent. I don’t know how, but if she is willing to run around dressed like this, I am willing to defend her honour.” Devnin smiled.

  “I don’t have a problem with her attire.” Skorin grinned. “Rowen might.”

  Devnin looked at the woman’s file. “She’s a talent. She is being sent here not only as my b
ride, but also as a member of the Guardian detachment.”

  “What?”

  “Check your roster; they filed the transfer order this week. She is coming in five days and will be one of the Irudan Guardians.” Devnin leaned back and laughed.

  Skorin took off to check his mail, and Devnin took in the images of the woman he would be marrying in three days. If his mother was speaking to him, he would let her know, just so he would be able to hear her screaming in denial that a member of the Niil family was mating with an alien.

  There were many bonuses to taking a Terran bride. Irritating his family was merely one of them.

  * * * *

  Rox stood in the administrative offices of the Terran Moon Base, and she waited for the clerk to finish his work.

  He looked up with a jolt. “I am sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  She looked around and shifted in her new robe. It was more like slightly shaped poncho, but it was comfortable and kept her from cooling the room. It also was the same ice blue as her inner costume, which meant that her eyes and her robe were the same colour.

  “Roxelena Barinova. I am here to formalize matters?”

  “Oh, the wedding. Of course.” He smiled and got to his feet. The wall behind him opened and disgorged a box.

  He nodded and stood in front of her. “Do you, Roxelena Barinova, agree to become the bride of Devnin Niil?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you promise to uphold the honour of Irudan and place the lives of its people above your own?”

  “I do and I will.”

  “Will you gladly take on the position of Guardian of Irudan and work with the others to save their world on a daily basis?”

  She smiled. “I will.”

  “Do you swear this by your family, by your blood and by your world?” He gave her a serious look.