Recruiting Measures (Terran Reset Book 2) Read online

  Chapter Fourteen

  One year and three recruits later, a blindfolded Kyna was being led to the super-secret project that had been hidden by a bank of clouds. There was some kind of addition, and she was walking down the lane with Daku making sure her eyes were covered.

  “How have you been able to hide this thing for so long?” she mumbled.

  “You have been travelling a lot this year, dear heart. This surprise is for you.”

  He finally stopped and untied the sash around her eyes. “This is for you.”

  She blinked as the light caught her gaze, and she looked at the huge building that appeared larger than the main building at the retreat.

  “Ageka designed it and had the builders sneaked in while you were on recruitments. The talents at the retreat helped where they could, and now, it is finally finished. Just in time for your birthday.”

  She smiled. “Is it my birthday?”

  “Tomorrow. It coincides with the festival.”

  She looked at the building and walked up to it, removing her shoes on the outer deck before stepping inside. The smell of oil and beeswax was intense and made her drowsy. She looked to Daku. “Did you want to give me a tour?”

  He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “This way. Ageka had specific instructions for the kitchens.”

  They passed the common or meal room where they could meet and visit with friends or just relax for an afternoon.

  The kitchens were enough to make her heart thud in her chest. “Oh, my. She actually listened.”

  “Ageka always listened, but she has often confused your confidence for physical prowess. Once she realized that you were a small, weak Terran with a big heart and an open mind, she made better decisions regarding you.”

  Kyna smiled and opened and closed drawers happily. The countertops were polished stone, and the dishes that were on the wall had been made by the guardians as projects.

  “You recognize the pots.”

  “I do. Emric was so proud of those. He enjoyed having a skill that didn’t depend on him firing lasers out of his ears or whatever the hell he did. He was a good potter.”

  “He has kept it up. It drives his dispatcher nuts.” He chuckled.

  She nodded and smiled. “Where is our room?”

  He grinned and picked her up again. “I have been assured that this is under traditions of Terra.”

  He carried her up the steps to the second floor, and he walked to the part of the house that overlooked the ponds and walkways at the retreat. She smiled and looked up at the mountain view. “This place is amazing.”

  He carried her inside and showed her their chambers. The front room was for her to get dressed and changed in. The bed platform was in the room behind it.

  “Handy. Wait, is that a study?” She reached for it, and he walked into the study where her doll from the last festival was in pride of place. She grinned.

  He walked past some of the family spaces and guest spaces. “Well, I am glad to see that Ageka put in a baby’s room adjacent to ours.” She murmured.

  He smiled. “We won’t need that for ages.”

  She nodded. “You are right. Not for six months at least.”

  He froze in place and asked, “What?”

  “We won’t need the baby’s room for six months.” She smiled and traced a word on his chest. “Baby.”

  His eyes were wide, and his arms started to shake. “I thought you were not fertile.”

  “That was temporary, and since then, I have been playing roulette with you.” She looked at him and was slightly alarmed. “Put me down. You look like you are in shock.”

  He didn’t set her down. His brow was furrowed.

  “I know we didn’t discuss it.” She stroked his neck. “Do you want me to get out of your way for a while?”

  He blinked and focused on her. “No. I have just been thinking about how happy you have made me, so adding more to that was overwhelming. I will get used to the idea.”

  She nodded and smiled. “Good. Because if all goes well, we will be parents just after your birthday this year.”

  He looked at her tight sash and asked, “Is that okay?”

  “Yes. The baby is below my navel, not my ribs. Not yet. I hear that they grow a bit.” She smiled. “I think the healers can find you a pamphlet or something.”

  He growled and squeezed her. “You think this is funny.”

  “Hilarious.” She sighed and started drawing words on him. Handsome. Funny. Sexy. Aroused. Foreplay.

  He shivered, and his eyes got heavy-lidded. He walked back to their bedroom, and he removed her sash and pulled her robe off her shoulders. He kissed and bit at her skin as he pulled the hem of the layers up, and he slid his fingers into her. “You are very persuasive.”

  She smiled, and he turned her head and kissed her. He moved his fingers aside when he found her ready, and he rustled his own clothing for a moment and then slid into her. She grunted and held the woodwork as he drove into her, kissing her softly and thrusting hard into her as she shuddered from the impact.

  He slammed into her, and she braced herself as she made the soft sounds that he enjoyed. She heard her voice giving the clues that she was close, and the moment that she began to flex and twitch around him, he groaned and held himself inside her, his fingers gripping her hips.

  He remained inside her and pressed a kiss to her neck. “That was a good way to start our time in the house.”

  She chuckled. “I think I scratched up the woodwork.”

  “That’s a compliment, and you have now marked this home as your own.”

  She sighed and undulated her hips against him. “Yeah, I am not the only one marking things.”

  He started to slowly slide inside her. “Not marking, just reacquainting. Are you done travelling for a while?”

  “For three months or so. Yes.”

  “I will come along on your next journey. The Rai get funny about pregnancy.”

  “Yeah, I can see that.” She snorted and shuddered as he angled his hips to stroke her deep inside. Her moan was low, and she went up on her toes as he moved within her.

  “We do have about fifty people waiting to come in and see the house.”

  She groaned. “Don’t care. Keep doing that.”

  He murmured against her neck. “It is amazing what happens to your social obligations when I am with you.”

  “Fuck them, please don’t stop.” She sobbed softly, and he moved into her slowly, and finally, the teasing was too much, and she cried out as her knees gave way. He caught her on his lap, and he jerked against her, shuddering with a groan.

  When he raised his head from her shoulder, he chuckled, and she whispered, “I am going to need help to get up.”

  He grinned. “You are going to need tidying up.”

  He wasn’t wrong. He lifted her to her feet, steadied her, and then got up. He slid a panel aside and smiled. “Your private bathing area, Lady Kyna.”

  The pool was huge. Two showers were neatly arranged. Everything was set for a couple. She smiled and sighed. “Larada is going to kill me.”

  “No, she isn’t. The quarters she and Erkan have here are twice the size of the ones at the retreat. They and their little one have agreed to move over here. Ageka is ticked, but Erkan will still work the pastries and the kitchen at the retreat.”

  As he spoke, he untied the strings that held her robes together. It was nice. Usually, he snapped them, and they had to be replaced.

  He bathed her carefully with a lot of soft caresses to her lower stomach area. She quickly blinked away the happy tears.

  When they were both clean and tidy once again, he brought them into the changing area, and he slid a wall open, pulling drawer after drawer out. It was a wardrobe, Rai style. All flat folded.

  He picked a robe for her and then the underlayers, setting them all on a small table with the breast band and hip wrap at the top.
He dressed her and then himself in matching outfits, down to the socks. She chuckled. “What now?”

  “Now we meet the guests that have been waiting.”

  She blushed. “How long have they been waiting?”

  “About half an hour. I have perimeter sensors.” He smiled and moved in close. “Don’t worry. No one heard your cries but me.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why do I think that that isn’t true?”

  He smiled. “Trust me. Of course, after the household is staffed, you might need to hire for selective deafness.”

  She straightened his collar. “How do I look?”

  He smoothed a hair from her face and turned her around. “All lines are straight, and Larada’s binding of your hair is astounding.”

  “She has a lot of practice.”

  He extended his hand and smiled. “Come on. Lady Amethyst is throwing you a housewarming, but you have to invite her in.”

  She fought her grin as she slid her hand into his. They walked through their new home and opened the doors wide, inviting the amused and waiting guests into their home.

  After an hour of being a hostess, she needed a break and went for a walk in the garden and over the pond. The bright green flash caught her eye, and she smiled. “Spectre. He brought you over.”

  The fish flipped and flicked its tail. She scurried back into the house and grabbed a container of fish food. She ran back to the pond and walked over the bridge. She stood and threw a piece of the feed that they had arranged, and Spectre caught it, flipping out of the water.

  She giggled and cast a handful across the water. A few other fish came to nibble, but Spectre caught each piece that it wanted by rearing up from below and flipping through the water.

  “So, I guess this is your new house, too, huh? Let me know if you need any furniture. I will see what I can do.” She smiled and cascaded another handful of food for the fishies. She washed her hand at the edge of the pond and smiled. Her first-date prize had grown to a foot long in a year, and he had no signs of stopping. It was rather like her relationship. It kept getting better and having more surprises.

  “You went to play with the fish?” He leaned against the doorway.

  She grinned. “It is their party, too.”

  She walked back inside, put the food where it belonged, and went to wash her hands again.

  He wrapped his arms around her. “How long until we can announce the incoming arrival?”

  “Give it a week. Let’s just focus on settling in.”

  He chuckled. “I have two gifts from the guardians. May I show you?”

  She looked at him suspiciously. “Sure.”

  He grinned and led her out of the house and to a small studio. There were two easels there, and they were both covered.

  “Now, the guardians have a tradition started by Charm’s mate Destiny. She paints portraits of guardians with their mates. Years before the two meet. I have had this portrait for over a decade.” He flipped the fabric from the first image, and it was Daku with his head turned sideways, looking at a woman who was peeking over his shoulder, her golden fingers clutched at his robe, and her acid green eyes and blood-red hair were the only other identifiable marks.

  She blinked. “You got that years ago?”

  “Yes. I was unsure as to the accuracy of the portrait as no Rai have that eye colour, to my knowledge. When I was retiring, she sent me this, just in case I was completely thick.”

  She blinked as he flipped the fabric out of the way, and she saw a picture of herself standing in one of the light summer robes that one would wear around their own home, black with flowers. Her hair was in a simple set of braids at the scalp, and the rest of it flowed loose. She looked like she had been standing with her hands on her hips and was called. She was turning toward the speaker.

  “Wow. That is... me.”

  He nodded. “Yes. To say I was surprised to meet you was an understatement. I waited for any signs that you had known Rhoda or her daughters before this, and when you made no mention or inuendo, I checked your file. You had no contact with anyone. Everything goes through Ageka.”

  “Yeah, that is right.” She put herself in that pose and looked at him over her shoulder. “I look like I am supporting my back.”

  His eyes gleamed. “Maybe. It is a summer robe, and you will be very pregnant this summer.”

  She chuckled. “Possibly. I don’t have a robe like that. All of the stuff Ageka orders for me covers my legs completely.”

  Daku wrapped his arms around her from behind and folded his hands over her belly. “I am very glad that I didn’t throw out the portraits. I will have to send Rhoda a thank you note.”

  “It is appropriate for you to do so when you get a gift.”

  “Ah. Gifts. They are waiting for you. They have brought presents.”

  She elbowed him lightly. “You could have said that earlier.”

  He smiled. “I didn’t want to. You and I have hardly connected at all during the last year. Having us both under the same roof is a luxury.”

  Kyna sighed. “Hopefully, we can spend more time together. At least I have Larada to help me find my feet in the mornings when I get huge.”

  He squeezed her once, and then, he returned to the main house and the party that was going on. Food was being brought in from the retreat, guardians and townsfolk were arriving with good wishes for the new house.

  A friend of Daku’s came in with the six other guardians staying at the retreat. He bowed and handed Kyna an ornate box. “It has been sent by the queen of Possitt II. She is congratulating you on your reset and delighted that it was Daku and not me that you chose.” Dreon of the Nyal Imperium smiled.

  She took the box, and it opened at the touch of her hand. There was a letter written in English on top of a very familiar fabric.

  Dear Kyna,

  So, since I ended up as the last one in and out before you, I think I should congratulate you on your choice. Daku once said that he hoped one day to find a woman who looked at him the way I look at my husband. Based on reports coming through the guardians, I think he has.

  I am enclosing com codes in case you want a vid chat any time soon.

  Oh, and I know that the robe is more Asian spa than anything else, but it will still be comfortable. The seamstresses here don’t like to make alien garb. You can imagine my amusement when I heard that.

  I wish you joy and luck in your new home with your new start. I would love to hear your story one day.

  Your friend in reset,

  Amber Huffner Hredon, Queen of Possitt II

  She pulled the heavy silk out and noted the fine detail on the floral embroidery. She looked at Daku and smiled. It was the robe from the portrait.

  He chuckled, and Dreon looked between them. He smiled slowly and nodded as if something had just settled in his thoughts.

  She held a finger in front of her lips, and he smiled. The rest of the gifts were all for the household. She was sitting and having tea when Dreon sat at the table with her while Daku was sharing plans for expanding the gardens already.

  “So, you are one of the resets.” He smiled.

  “I am.”

  “Daku knows the details?”

  She nodded. “He does. Truth was important. He has seen all of my file information and several vids. It doesn’t bother him.”

  “My mother is Terran. She was pushing for this project to go through, and she is a woman who can make things happen.”

  “Is she a talent?”

  He grinned. “No, she is the mother to a handful of guardians. She knows where we are at all times.”

  “You are at the retreat?”

  “I am. Things have been... stressful. Fatalities on my last assignment. I need some time to regain my composure.”

  “Don’t worry about composure. Regain your heart. It broke. Watching people die is hard, whether innocent or evil. You wouldn’t be a guardian if you didn’t want to
protect life.”

  He blinked quickly and then smiled. “So, on that matter, you are currently a two for one?”

  “Yeah, your mother is Terran, all right. Yes. But we are keeping it quiet for now. It will make itself known eventually.”

  He inclined his head. “Congratulations on the new addition.”

  Daku came over and knelt next to her, wrapping her in his arms. “What are you talking about?”

  “The housewarming and the arrival of new things. He is very perceptive.”

  Daku nodded. “It is annoying.”

  Dreon laughed, and they talked with Kyna tucked between them. She had to admit, it felt like a pretty safe place to be.

  The spring burned into summer, and when summer was burning hot, the recruiter’s son slid into the world in the middle of a summer storm.

  Dakyl was a healthy weight, had a dark shock of hair but had his mother’s eyes. The baby blue was fading to acid green.

  * * * *

  Daku held his wife as she slept, while Lady Ageka sat with their baby in her arms and read the book that Lydeli had sent.

  “Once, a very long time ago, there were the yokai, and they had a world all their own, but they made a doorway to a world called Terra. They visited and were sometimes kind and sometimes cruel, but they loved their Terrans.

  “Now, there was another race that also loved the Terrans, but some of their people decided that the Terrans were distracting their friends and making it hard to keep studying the universe. They wanted to destroy the Terrans, and they set about stamping them into nothing, sending floods and fire to kill them. Scrubbing them from the surface of their own world.”

  She sighed and looked at the baby. “Wasn’t that just horrible? Yes, it was. Now let’s see what happened next.”

  “The people of Admar repented. They were brought before high courts and were punished with being shattered. They were sent to thousands of worlds and were doomed to become nothing more than a few words in history.”

  She smiled. “Now, we get to the yokai. They saw what had happened to the Admaryn and asked some of them to come to their colony world. Rai. They introduced them to their colony, and the Admaryn were shocked to find it a mix of yokai and Terrans getting stronger with every generation. They joined the colony, married, and gave their blood to the people of Rai, getting stronger with every generation.