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  He would pay good money to watch a droplet of water snake down her neck and continue on until it highlighted her nipple once again. He wondered how much she would charge and would he survive the asking?

  Chapter Three

  “What do you mean I have to go up for auction?”

  Jemyalli looked at her innocently. “Didn’t I mention that all the kiosks are offering one of their objects for bid? Because your stuff is only done for commission, you will have to go up there as a representation.”

  Rhoda groaned and grabbed for a glass of water, gulping it down before she realized that it wasn’t water. “Damn.”

  “Wasn’t water, huh?” Jem looked sympathetic and then brightened. “Hey, it will help your nerves.”

  “Zip it, Jem. When do I have to do this?”

  The lights in the kiosks flickered on and off.

  “Why…right now? Come on. Let’s fix your hair, get that smudge off your face and it will be over before you know it. Come on, just one portrait.”

  Tipsy from the slug of alcohol on an empty stomach, she tottered along and let Jem fix her to her satisfaction.

  The crowd was gathering in the ballroom, so Jemyalli quickly ushered her into the back, whispering to the announcer. He nodded and gave Rhoda an encouraging smile.

  Rhoda stood, her hands clenched together and her head spinning. She listened to the introduction of the auction as the announcer fired the purchasers up. He leaned over and beckoned to her.

  “And now, at a special request from the centre, I have the artist who will sketch your destiny. She is offering one portrait painted in the privacy of your home or her studio. Though she is lovely, you are only purchasing her skills as an artist. May I start the bidding at two hundred credits?”

  Rhoda stood and looked blindly out into the crowd and watched hands lift in the air as the purchase price for her time climbed. When a low and familiar voice said, “Twenty thousand credits.” The room erupted into applause.

  “I do not think we can accept any more bids. Twenty thousand credits to Prince Drehl of Sawko. Please enjoy the rest of the auction.”

  Prince Drehl stepped forward and extended his hand. Rhoda took it, and he helped her down the steps of the stage.

  She inclined her head. “Thank you for your generosity, Prince Drehl.”

  “Thank you for your discretion.” He pressed a kiss to her hand. “So, do you prefer to paint in your home or shall you come to my domicile?”

  She smiled. “My home has the lighting set for optimum results. I only need you there for the initial sketch. Have you decided on a topic?”

  He blinked. “You don’t simply draw the true loves of those sitting?”

  They were out of the crowd and in the hall, heading to the clerk that would take his payment.

  “No. I draw what they want to see. It is not my idea to draw their mates. That is just what most single beings are fixated on. A couple might want to see if they were going to have children and boys or girls. That I could do as well. Or occupations. The only thing I won’t draw is death.”

  “You can draw death?”

  “Yes, but it takes part of me with it as I draw. It is painful.” She grimaced. “What time would you prefer?”

  He cocked his head. “It is fairly fluid. My schedule is unpredictable, as you probably saw.”

  She swallowed. She had indeed seen. She had smudged his alter ego as much for his sake as she had rubbed out her image for her own sake. “I think you have certain calls on your time. Well, in my schedule, tomorrow, I am taking a tour to the caverns to show folks how to draw crystals. Any time after noon is fine. I spend most days at home. I am sure that the society can get you my number.”

  He smiled and his low voice asked, “I can find your number, but what is your name?”

  She blushed scarlet. “I am sorry, Your Highness. I am Rhoda Evergreen of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra.”

  “Rhoda. Interesting name.”

  She chuckled. “It is when you say it.” The words came out without her willing them to, and she blushed.

  He smiled. “A pity that the sketch was smudged. I would have enjoyed seeing my destiny.”

  She shrugged. “It can probably be recovered in the portrait unless you had another subject in mind.”

  “Oh, I think the woman I will spend the rest of my life with is the perfect subject matter.” Prince Drehl smiled.

  “Well, you have my name. Call me when you are ready for your portrait, Your Highness.”

  He raised one of her hands to his lips. “I will, Rhoda.”

  She slowly removed her hand from his and curtseyed briefly before she left. She recovered her wrap from the coat check and waited for the valet to flag down a transport for her.

  She shivered as she waited in the cool night air and wished with all her might that she were somewhere else.

  The transport finally pulled up, and she took her seat, double-checking that she had her pay chip with her. She stopped the driver before he took off. “I am sorry. I can’t find my pay chip.”

  He gave her a look in the mirror and smiled, a low, slow smile. “We can work something out.”

  Rhoda got out of the transport and waited until he left before she started walking. It would take her over an hour to get home and her feet would never forgive her, but wherever her payment chip was, it was not in her clutch.

  * * * *

  Drehl was watching Rhoda walk away from the centre, and he frowned as he realized she must live in the city.

  Ura, the Selna, cuddled against his side. “Stupid woman. Doesn’t even guard her purse. She deserves to walk.”

  Idly, Drehl stroked her arm, “What?”

  “While she was sketching you, I looked around in her purse, and all she had to offer was this tiny, little pay chip.” Ura fished it out of her cleavage and waved it at him.

  His face pulled into a frown. “You stole from her?”

  “This tiny amount is hardly stealing. Have you seen this crowd? This isn’t even a tip for the groomers for them.” Ura tucked the chip back into her cleavage.

  Drehl watched Rhoda walk up the hill, shivering and wrapped in a light, gauzy piece of fabric. “I believe, Ura, that you should get out of my sight and never bother to darken my door again.”

  He turned and reached into her cleavage, pulling the chip out. “This, I will return to her, and I do not ever wish to see you again. Are we clear?”

  Ura whined. “But it was just some fun…”

  “You are a parasite, looking for someone to attach to and destroying anything in your path. Consider yourself discarded by your host.” He walked away from her and headed to the front entrance. His car met him at the door, and he stepped inside, directing it up the hill in the direction that Rhoda had been trudging.

  When he saw her again, he sighed in relief. He pulled up ahead of her and got out. “Miss Evergreen, please allow me to offer you a ride. My companion found herself in possession of your pay chip, and I have it now to return to you.”

  Rhoda’s lips were blue, her hands were white. “Great. I will take the ride, and the chip. And your friend can go to hell.”

  “I have already banned her from my properties, and she will have to find another to leech off of.”

  Her teeth were literally chattering as she took the hand he extended to her to help her into his vehicle.

  He snapped the door into place and walked around, settling in the driver’s seat and turning on the heat. “You lose body heat quickly.”

  “Yes.” She huddled in on herself and shivered. She looked like a small animal he had once fished out of a stream.

  He sighed and engaged the engine.

  “Where are we going?”

  She rattled off the address, and he programmed it into the transport. Seconds later, he lifted her into his lap and rubbed her arms while murmuring in a low tone.

  Her shivers ceased, and she looked up at him in amazement. “How did you do that?”

  He
quirked a smile at her. “All part of my charm.”

  Chapter Four

  Rhoda woke up and quickly grabbed a shower before heading off to meet her art class. She only got to teach once a month, but it was worth the extra effort.

  Prince Drehl had simply dropped her off at her home after he had made sure that she was warm. She now had her pay chip back, and her shoes hadn’t been completely trashed.

  Rhoda grabbed a breakfast bar, two bottles of water, a flashlight, her sketch kit and started to hike down the hill. The morning was glorious, and at the base of the hill was her little group, all assembled and ready.

  She smiled and explained the day’s task, to sketch crystals in their natural environment. The guide to the caverns took them inside, and after half an hour of walking, they settled in the interior of a giant geode with lights flaring up from the floor, to try and capture light fractured by stone.

  Everything was going fine until there was a rumble from the tunnel by which they had entered and everything went dark.

  * * * *

  Charm stood outside the cavern with his team and watched Under bury the villain up to his neck.

  The man had thought to blackmail the families of those inside but that was not going to happen today.

  Hawk tilted her head. “Do you hear that?”

  A rhythmic thudding was coming from a few hundred metres away. Charm nodded, and when he made eye contact with Under, his captain jerked his head in agreement.

  Charm and Hawk followed the sound, and at chest height, a hole opened in the rock face large enough for a citizen to slip out. One pair of feet at a time emerged, as those trapped inside slithered out.

  Wealthy art students appeared out of the rock, and all Charm and Hawk had to do were catch them as they emerged.

  Hawk grinned. “Someone did our work for us.”

  One of the escapees sat against the rock face and smiled. “We have a very determined instructor.”

  Charm straightened. “Is her name Rhoda?”

  The student nodded. “It is. Do you know her?”

  He chuckled, though they couldn’t see his grin through his mask. “I have met her. She is a very determined woman.”

  Hawk looked over at him with surprise on her lips. “You have? You just got here this week.”

  He shrugged. “I get around.”

  A dozen students dropped to the ground, and the guide to the caverns followed. He was shaking and pale, but he stepped aside to allow the final escapee to wriggle her way out of the hole.

  Charm watched with interest as Rhoda’s legs appeared, the skirt she was wearing rucked up against her thighs and stopped just short of being lewd. Once her legs were out, the skirt draped back into a more concealing formation, and Charm sighed in disappointment. He gripped her hips and heard her yelp as he pulled her out of the hole and into his arms.

  Light seemed to blind her for a moment, and she pushed at his armour, trying to get free. The inputs on his suit registered blood, and he set her down, catching her hands in his. “What happened?”

  “The crystal was sharp enough to cut rock, but it also cut right through my jacket.” Rhoda Evergreen was trembling, and her eyes displayed her shock.

  Charm sighed and wished he could kiss that trembling lower lip. Instead, he cupped her hands in his and murmured softly, coaxing her skin to heal itself.

  Hawk mentioned, “Her arm as well, Charm.”

  He turned her forearm and winced at the foot-long gouge into her soft flesh. “Damn.”

  Rhoda whimpered as he pressed the skin together with his fingers before he cast his spell again.

  When she was healed, she slumped against him for a moment before backing away to lean against the stone. “What happened?”

  He tilted his head. “You don’t know?”

  “There was a cave in, and we were stuck, so I grabbed the nearest crystal and went to work on the softest part of the wall I could find.” She clenched her hands.

  Charm nodded, and his respect for this little alien went up another notch. She had been in charge, and she had made sure that her people got out in one piece. “How did you know that the surface was so close?”

  “I have been in those caverns before. They are constantly repairing the cracks that let daylight in. It had to be fairly close.” She shivered and looked at her grime-stained clothing.

  “Well, there was a plot to hold your students for ransom. We took care of the criminal, and you took care of the escape. Thank you, citizen.” He inclined his head.

  She laughed. “I am not a citizen. I am a legal alien. But you are welcome.”

  Hawk came over and made the introductions. “I am Hawk, and I believe that you already know Charm.”

  Charm watched as Rhoda blinked rapidly. “Yes, we have met, but I didn’t get his name.”

  Under came forward and looked at the smudged rescuer, smiling with satisfaction. “Well done, you two.”

  One of the students perked up at that. “Oh, this wasn’t the work of a Guardian. Our art teacher broke us out.”

  Under smiled. “He should be commended.”

  “She.”

  “What?”

  “Our art instructor is a female. She is the one standing in front of Charm.” The Duchess of Cahniata smiled.

  Charm watched Under take in the small woman with the white hair and peculiar eyes. “Thank you, citizen.”

  Charm stifled a smile as Rhoda took a breath to correct Under but then thought better of it. “Thank you for being here when we got out. I am not sure what would have happened if he had come face to face with his victims.”

  He watched as she stood and extended her arm for the hand Under held out to her.

  Charm frowned. “Are you injured beyond the cuts?”

  She winced and turned to face the featureless mask that he wore. “No. Well, some falling rocks hit me. I am sure that a quick check in a medical facility will set me right. Oh look, there are the emergency responders now.”

  Under released her hand, and Charm took both her hands in his. This would involve more contact than he normally engaged in with a free woman, but Charm whispered and his power trickled along his limbs, into her palms and throughout her body, fixing every anomaly he found.

  She had cracked bones, internal bleeding and quite a bit of bruising. Charm’s lips tightened as he continued to control the nanites that he was sending through her system.

  Her eyes widened, her pupils dilated and she collapsed in his arms as he completed the healing.

  Hawk asked, “What did you do?”

  “I stopped her pain. She was far more injured than she appeared. She would not have made it into the city for treatment.” He lifted her in his arms. “I will take her to her home if that is all right, Under?”

  Under cocked his head. “You know her?”

  “We have met while I was out of uniform. I will see her settled and comfortable before returning to the base. If you need anything of me, contact me.” The suit answered his demands, and it lifted off, sending him through the sky and toward the home and studio of the slight woman in his arms.

  It seemed that while destiny was in the wings, fate was determined to throw them together, and looking down at the small bundle of curves he carried, he had no objection.

  Chapter Five

  The lack of aches and pains was the first thing Rhoda noticed. The second thing was the huge armoured figure standing next to her wardrobe going through her evening wear.

  “Excuse me, Charm. What are you doing?” She sat up and was relieved to see that she was wearing the same grubby clothing she had crawled out of the cave in.

  “I was taking an inventory of your possessions. Despite the outward appearance of affluence, you have little to no funds and are living one shopping day away from disaster. I have heard of your portraits on every portion of this world. Where is your money going?”

  She blinked at his very direct question. “You asked me a straight question, so here is the straight a
nswer. Bribes.”

  “What?”

  “I am a legal alien here as long as the government decides that I am. There have been a few that have needed persuading to allow me to remain on Yacaro. Jemyalli deals with that and tells me how much they are demanding. I only live on the fine edge of what I can afford to and save the rest so I can stay.”

  He cocked the featureless faceplate. “How does that explain the very expensive gowns? The one you were wearing at the gala cost more than most folks make in a month.”

  “They are gifts from patrons that I have done portraits for, usually men. They are familiar with my situation, so they don’t send me anything that can be misconstrued for currency. I also get food and wine frequently.”

  “So this is common knowledge? That you have to bribe the government to stay here, I mean.”

  She nodded and got out of bed. “Of course. Apparently, it is standard protocol for those born outside Nyal space.”

  Rhoda carefully moved past him and closed the closet doors. “I am fine now. Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

  He inclined his head, and she saw her own pale features reflected in his faceplate. “I do indeed. I merely wanted to make sure that you were not suffering a side effect of my healing. Not all species respond favourably to it.”

  She frowned and shifted her body. “I feel fine. Better than normal actually. All the aches and pains are gone. How did you do that?”

  She heard him laugh behind the mask. “It is part of my charm. Now, have a good afternoon and stay away from tunnels.”

  Without another word, he walked out of her home, and he lifted off, flying north before his silhouette flickered and disappeared. Charm had left the building.

  She rubbed her hair and locked her doors. It wouldn’t do much good against one of the Guardians, but it would make her feel dramatically better while she took a shower. At least she would hear it when the wood and glass were forced.

  She looked at her face in the mirror and stuck her tongue out like she always did. No matter what she was wearing, she always reminded herself that she was the woman from Terra who had never fit in, even in her own home. Reminding herself of who she was was an important ritual. Delving into the destinies of others cut her out of her own life in sections and left very little of Rhoda behind if she didn’t put herself in her place.