Wrapped in Fire Read online

  She cocked her head. “That was pretty good.”

  “Thank you. I am protective of my son, and he had spent the majority of his life simply being our son and the acting overseer when his grandfather retired. To see him as a man is difficult. To see him with a companion from an alien world who is claiming pregnancy after less than a week... It was a shock.”

  “You think you are in shock? He has gained five percent more muscle mass on his back and neck this week.”

  Kormer smiled. “You notice these things?”

  “I am memorizing his body as he is memorizing and landmarking mine.”

  “Landmarking?”

  She chuckled. “Never mind.”

  He saw the dots on her skin. “Ah. Understood. Your skin shows markings well.”

  “Yeah, I heard that last night.” She walked out of the restroom and swayed a little. Kormer helped her balance.

  He led her to the main entryway, where there were couches. He sat down with her. “Now, I hear you have an issue with food.”

  She chuckled and nodded. “You can say that.”

  “Please, explain the problem to me.”

  She sat and gave him a concise rundown of her issues. “Most refer to it as ration lock.”

  He nodded but frowned. “I think you have not been getting the right supplements in your rations. Mineral imbalance can cause nausea, and a dietary supplement can help you. Is there anything you have a strong reaction to? It might give us a chance to determine your basic biological reactions.”

  She grimaced. “Fine, but if this ever shows up on the table while you are here, I will use my new claws to draw designs on your wings.”

  He blinked. “Understood.”

  “Jinarth fruit. It blisters my mouth.”

  “Ah, that is helpful. I will do some research and see if I can find something to help. I, also, will try not to stress you at mealtimes.”

  She chuckled. “That is rough. When I was in the camp before the extraction, I had to find a spot to eat what food was provided with my back against the wall. The food was often moldy, of dubious origin, and a desirable commodity. I have learned not to eat while protecting my food, but it is difficult.”

  “And when you see food you are unfamiliar with, your body reacts as if it is rotten.”

  She rubbed her neck. “Yeah, but I don’t want to insult people by saying that.”

  “Don’t worry about them. Worry about you.”

  She nodded and then winced as she felt a twinge.

  “What is it? You went whiter.”

  She chuckled. “Nothing. I just felt a twinge, and either I am not pregnant, or I am.”

  Dorra looked into the shadows. “Are you still worried, Hreon?”

  He stepped out of the darkness, surprising his father. “I am still worried. Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “A little tired. I think I could just use a day in bed.”

  He smiled. “You shall have it. I will be back after the council session.”

  She got up and hugged him. He kissed her forehead and would have kissed her lips, but she put her hand over his mouth. “I just vomited. I am going to save you that and just leave you with this.”

  She kissed the side of his neck, and he sighed. She stepped back and bowed. “Go and be overseer, and then, come home and keep your parents entertained.”

  Kormer growled. “He does not need to entertain us.”

  She chuckled. “Right. Well, I have the morning off, so I am going back to bed.”

  Kormer nodded. “Probably for the best if the embryo locked in.”

  Hreon paused. “Locked in?”

  Dorra waved him on. “Either the twinge was the embryo locking in, or it was my period starting. I am not sure. I wish I came with a manual or some status lighting.”

  He stroked her hair. “Are you sure you don’t wish to come with me? I promise no one will wake you.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t want to be a distraction.”

  She stroked his cheek. “Go. Oversee people. Do your thing. I am going to get some rest.”

  She headed up the stairs and walked to his room. She passed out in the sheets the moment she rested her head.

  A tickling at her nose made her swipe at her face, and another tickle had her swatting at the sensation.

  Hreon put the feather down and stroked her cheek. “Hey, sweetling. Did you get enough rest?”

  She tried to sit up, but she was pinned down. “I feel a bit better. Why?”

  He chuckled. “Ymara has dinner ready, and since you haven’t kept anything down today, I thought it would be nice if you ate something.”

  She sat up, and the sheet fell away from her. “I think that I need a bit more sleep before I go eat. Just a few more hours, and I will be fine. Promise.”

  He sighed. “All right. Sleep.”

  She smiled and dropped back to the pillow.

  It was dark when she got up, and she was alone. There was a covered tray on the table set on the balcony that faced the open crater of the volcano. In the distance, she saw a figure wreathed in fire flying in lazy circles.

  Dorra sat and ate three meat pies and a light salad. She left the fruit alone. She liked sharing dessert.

  She sipped at her water and stood up to watch Hreon flying. She smiled. It was wonderful to watch. Hrothan had told her that the timing of her arrival had been perfect. She had been receptive; he had been in rut. Hrothan had genuinely just wanted to pay P’cha. Their little shopping trip had been informative.

  She shivered in the night air and realized that she had wandered out completely naked. She laughed at herself, turned, and was about to head inside when she felt heat at her back. Warm arms wrapped around her. “You are awake.”

  She leaned into him. “I am. I feel better. I had dinner and everything. I saved you the fruit.”

  He kissed her shoulder. “Did you now? Would you like to go for a flight?”

  “I am naked.”

  He let out a happy sound. “Yes, you are.”

  She smiled. “What time is it?”

  “After midnight.”

  “It should be fine. Do you think you can lift me?”

  He whispered. “I will never let you go.”

  She yelped as he lifted her, his wings fired up, and he took off, broad strokes of his wings propelling them to the far edge of the crater. They returned to the residence, and he set her on her feet before grabbing the tray.

  Eating fruit while he was deep inside her was tricky, but she enjoyed the experimentation. She was facing him on his thighs, and her hands were locked behind his neck at his instruction, and he fed her piece after piece of sliced fruit.

  His cock was moving inside her, and the kisses were taunting and stirring at the same time. She shivered as the pulse in her own body got faster, and when it took over and she moaned, her sex wrapped around him in soft contractions. He groaned and bit her shoulder.

  She felt her new fangs ache, and she slowly leaned forward and sank them through his skin. He shuddered again, and his hips and cock jerked again. She tasted his blood and blinked as her body didn’t react with repulsion. She pulled her teeth free and pressed her mouth to the punctures. Swirling her tongue around, she collected the small drops of blood she had coaxed out of him, and somewhere deep inside her, something clicked.

  She lifted her head, and his eyes were shining. “So, that is what my great grandmother had done.”

  She blushed. “Mrara is a fan of body mods. They don’t fold down like yours do.”

  He lifted the edge of her lip. “Look at that. Very cute.”

  “They come down when I am... when we... never mind.” She muttered.

  Hreon chuckled. “Oh, I want details of what triggers them.”

  His erection started to move inside her.

  “That will definitely do it.” She shivered.

  He grinned and kissed her, exploring her new fangs with his
tongue. He was careful, but her pulse picked up, and so did her drive to nibble at him again. It was the start of a very educational night.

  She decided then that she didn’t care if her voice carried, which was probably a good thing as the door to the balcony was wide open. It wasn’t going to be the first or last time that she serenaded the night.

  When he finally dropped to her side and curled her against him, she idly wondered what Hellaz sounded like when they fucked. If she could find an entertainment unit, she would probably look for porn. Every species had porn.

  Epilogue

  Dorra got up, put on a robe, and went down for breakfast. Ymara smiled and provided her with her huge pile of greens and noodles. She made a show of looking around, and then, she slipped a tart out of her sleeve, and Dorra tucked it against her as she plowed through the medically mandated meal of the day.

  She was about to take a bite of the tart when she heard the deep voice rumble, “What is that?”

  She took a bite, chewed, and stuffed the tart into her mouth before the hand could snatch her treat from her. She shot Hrothan two fingers and slowed her chewing so she could enjoy the tart.

  Hrothan muttered. “You shouldn’t be eating those.”

  She cleared her mouth. “I know, but I am carrying the weight of my entire head and neck between my ribs and pubic bone. I am physically miserable, and Hreon isn’t even here to take it out on.”

  “The berries just have a propensity to start early labour. I am amazed that Ymara made them for you.”

  She chuckled. “I ordered her to. I am already past my standard gestation time, and if this kid gets much bigger, it isn’t going to come out without some major medical intervention.”

  “Don’t you want to wait for Hreon to return from the symposium?”

  “Yes, but I also weigh a ton. I am barefoot because I can’t find my feet, and I cry all the time. I want this over!” She burst into tears, and in frustration, she slammed her hands on the table until she heard the wood crack.

  Hrothan nodded warily. “Itil can help you with your shoes.”

  “Itil hates feet.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes on her napkin. “I now understand the human phrase barefoot and pregnant. The male left the house and didn’t help the woman with her footwear.”

  She drank her water and levered herself to her feet. She hauled herself up the steps and went to do the only thing that calmed her down; she headed to the bathing pool for a swim.

  It was only about sixteen feet long, but it took some of the weight off her, and she could use her arms to pull her through the water. Hreon had been gone for two weeks. Two weeks of having every alien in the sector demonstrating new energy systems and agricultural breakthroughs.

  She paused in her swimming, and Sagar was crouched next to the pool with a towel. “Come on, Dorra. I have it on good authority that you need to remind Hreon about your condition.”

  “Why, is he fucking skinny women?”

  Sagar blinked and shook his head. “No. He is plowing through work as quickly as he can, but without you there, he has no actual reason to leave.”

  She nodded and slowly moved up the steps until she could sit and swivel herself out of the water. Sagar wrapped her in the towel, and he marched her into the bedroom where three of the salon staff were waiting for her. “What is going on?”

  “While we are reminding him of what is waiting for him, we are driving home that he has a bonded companion who is strong enough to make him fly. You also set me on the path to my own companion, so I thank you for that.”

  She was powdered, plucked, her hair braided, wrapped, and studded with gems.

  Sagar smiled. “You never wear jewellery. You should. Consider it a baby gift.”

  The dress was layers of black and grey chiffon. The slippers had metallic threads, and her makeup was the Hellaz bridal mask.

  “So, why the mask?”

  Sagar smiled. “We are making an impression.”

  He took her hand and helped her to her feet. Ymara and Liador high-fived in relief, and Itil looked at her covered toes with a grin. Itil’s feet were webbed, and separated toes freaked her out.

  Sagar and Hrothan helped her out, but Ymara handed her a bag. “Just in case.”

  She looked and saw the berries, chuckling. “That is plan B.”

  Sagar got behind the controls of the skimmer, and Hrothan held her hand as they left the overseer’s retreat. That was the thing; this small volcanic area was entirely for the use of the overseer. Vendors competed to send staff there to serve him. The pay was extremely lucrative.

  The trip to the capitol was the work of an hour, and Dorra asked Hrothan, “Why are you in on this?”

  “Oh, I just want to see his face.” Hrothan chuckled.

  Sagar grinned. “This will be interesting.”

  She sighed and muttered, “Taking a woman who feels like a tanker container out into a public venue is not really a stellar idea.”

  Hrothan held her hand. “It will be fine.”

  She was a little startled as they started to descend near the exposition grounds. “We aren’t going to the regular docks?”

  Sagar grinned. “The bottom of this skimmer has the overseer’s pattern on it. They are going to get out of the way.”

  They settled, and Hrothan helped her up and put his hand out to steady her. Sagar straightened his shoulders, fluffed out his cape, and escorted her through the facility, getting security to back off.

  They walked past the displays and the vast number of aliens who were speaking among themselves.

  A few of the alien groups bowed low to them as they passed. She chuckled and murmured to Hrothan. “See? They remember you.”

  “They worship a pregnant deity. Seriously. Jinaku, the perpetually pregnant stone.”

  Dorra shuddered. “That sounds like a fate worse than anything I can think of right now.”

  Sagar walked along and spoke into a small com. He turned right and headed toward a large conference space. It was arranged as a theatre, and Hrothan helped her slowly down the stairs. The speaker on the stage paused when she got two-thirds of the way down. He smiled. “Does anyone have a hugely pregnant mate?”

  Hreon shot to his feet and turned to look up at her. He walked to her and kissed her deeply, his arms wrapping around her, one caressing her stomach. The occupant was silent today. He frowned. “Is something wrong? It normally kicks.”

  “I am ready to meet my child, but everyone around me wants you to be there, since... well... you were there when it started.” She smiled and wiped the lipstick away with her thumb.

  He murmured, “And every day since.”

  “Until the expo. So, can I borrow you for a few hours, pop this out, and then, you can get back to learning about upgrading storage cells?”

  The speaker looked at her. “You are familiar with energy storage?”

  She shrugged. “Sure, Hreon shut off all the porn channels, so all I was left with was documentaries, so I have watched all that are available. With Hreon here... oops... Master Hreon here, I had nothing else to do.”

  The occupants of the hall laughed.

  The man looked at her and cocked his head. “Would you look at my report to see what you think?”

  “Yup. Sure. Tomorrow. Maybe the day after.” The squeezing that had started while she was getting her makeover was getting intense.

  Hreon frowned. “What is it?”

  Hrothan muttered. “Something ahead of schedule. Hreon, take her to the summer garden. I will be with you in a moment.”

  Hreon picked her up, and Sagar left the room at a run. Hrothan was a moment behind him.

  Hreon’s wings came out, and he flew up the steps and then went high when they were in the exhibition space.

  “Do you know what is going on?” He murmured.

  “Nope. I thought Drew was with you.”

  “He was until ten minutes ago, then he excused himself to d
o something while chuckling. I think we are the butt of the joke.”

  They exited through one of the ventilation windows, and a slow and leisurely descent had them meeting the others in the summer garden. There was a wall made of woven trees, and that is where the familiar faces were gathering. Sagar’s human—Drew—was standing next to a nervous-looking Hellaz with a data pad clutched in his hand.

  Hreon landed, and Hrothan took her, easing her onto her feet as Sagar tossed Hreon his formal long vest. Hrothan had a matching vest over Dorra’s shoulders in a moment.

  Hreon smiled. “Surprise.”

  He took her hand and kissed the back of her hand.

  The official was a registrar, and he held out the document with shaking hands. “The mate contract, Mistress Dorra.”

  She looked it over and frowned. “Hmrain do intimate bondservant contracts, not mate contracts.”

  Hreon shrugged. “We are doing everything else awkwardly; why not this. You were my mate before you were under contract, you were pregnant before anything was formalized, and you gave me wings where I was wingless. So, now give me a mate in record as well as fact.”

  She felt the squeeze again and exhaled. “Sure. Fine. Let’s do this.”

  She signed and left her thumbprint and ocular scan. He did the same, and he chuckled. “You didn’t read it.”

  “I am distracted right now.” She looked at him. “Can they take me home now? I really want to be home.”

  He kissed her, and his hand was on her belly when he felt the squeeze. “Oh, it is that time, huh?”

  She nodded and leaned against him. “Yup.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and massaged her back while he kissed her. “Hold on, we will get you comfortable. Just stay relaxed.”

  She nodded. “You’ve got me. Things will be fine. We will be fine.”

  He nodded and held her carefully. “We are headed back to the retreat.”

  He launched skyward, leaving their companions to explain the departure. She focused on relaxing as he took her home.