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  “Nope. I have wed according to my family’s demands, and now, they can shut up because it is done. They just said I had to get married, not live or sleep with the female.”

  The second in command sighed. “There is more to life than defending the weak. You can have a life and still do your duty to your world. Many Guardians do.”

  “Since when did you become such a nag, Devnin?”

  “Since I am curious to see the female you knotted yourself to. Tell me you aren’t curious.”

  “She has just arrived. She hasn’t settled in and the formal gatherings she will be required to attend will be soon enough to meet her. Oh, I don’t think they mentioned that to her. Well, she will learn soon enough. The Gezs will sort her out.”

  Devnin laughed. “You didn’t tell her that she will have to attend a minimum of three events a month?”

  Skorin shrugged. “I haven’t spoken to her, so no. She gets to be here in the gardens and she will pay a price for it.”

  “That seems a little cold.”

  Skorin looked at his second in command. “This isn’t a job for people who can’t keep their personal and private lives separate, Devnin. You need to remember that.”

  Devnin sobered. “You need to remember that there is more to life than duty, Skorin.”

  Skorin stabbed at the com unit and shut it off. His mother had been furious when he announced his formal union via proxy, but it was done. The woman was on Irudan and that was the end of it. He hoped she enjoyed her career in the gardens.

  * * * *

  Rowen was almost humming with excitement as she walked into the greenhouse filled with alien plants. The Gezs led her to an enclosed space.

  Ilo said. “This is where we put the sick ones.”

  “Where do you want me to start?” Her hands curled and uncurled eagerly.

  Liahnarika smiled. “The plant down at the end is toxic, but the sap has restorative properties to some alkaline species. Can you work with it?”

  Rowen set her bag down and walked to the shining sapphire shrub with hinds of emerald. She stroked her hands over the surface, not quite touching the plant. The leaves rustled and Rowen caught onto the difficulty the plant was having. “The pot is too big.”

  Liahnarika stared. “What?”

  “For it to grow the way it is designed to, it needs a smaller pot. This is a mountain plant that likes tight roots. I can revive it for now, but it needs to be downsized into a pot with at least a ten-inch decrease in diameter. It doesn’t like much soil at all. The toxic nature comes from the struggle to rise through the stone.”

  Ilo was grinning. “I believe that you have passed the test. Restore the plant to health and the transplant will be scheduled for tomorrow, Gardener Rowen Nakkua.”

  Rowen touched the plant and it plumped out, resuming an even sapphire sheen. She rubbed her hands on her bodysuit. “I am not affected by plant-based toxins. Never have been.”

  Liahnarika looked grudgingly impressed. “We will show you to your quarters in the manor. First meal will be served at dawn, second at noon and third at dusk. You can always get your own meal from the dispensers.”

  They were walking back through the greenhouse and Rowen looked around longingly.

  “Where will I be working?”

  Ilo looked at her. “We will begin you here for a few weeks and then consideration to putting you out in the great gardens will be given. Many of the trees are old and they can suffer illness that needs to be addressed in days. If a situation of that nature occurs, you will be sent for immediately.”

  Rowen nodded. “Understood. Thank you both for your time.”

  Liahnarika smiled. “The Nakkua family are good friends and we are aware of your situation. You might not be thanking us when you have to attend the first formal function as Lady Nakkua.”

  Rowen chuckled. “No one here knows me, I am hardly likely to be invited anywhere.”

  Ilo rolled his eyes. “You do not understand Irudan society. You belong to the family, so when they accept, you have accepted. I am guessing that Skorin married you to satisfy his family’s urge to have him representing them. You will be his proxy whether you like it or not. He is a very clever man.”

  Rowen felt nerves rise where joy had just been. She had been conned, and if she ever met her husband, she was going to kick his ass.

  Chapter Three

  The first week was spent going to and from the greenhouse. Rowen met with other gardeners and discussed the needs of the plants as well as the seasons that they would be facing once they were back in their proper place in the gardens.

  Every time she realised that she was working in a plant hospital, she smiled. She spent her days grinning.

  She was encouraging a pallet of new arrivals to steady after a soil imbalance when she heard Liah all her name.

  “Rowen? I have someone here who wants to meet you.”

  Liah and her friend were in the maze of plants, but Rowen stood and wiped her hands on a towel as she wandered toward the calmly chatting voices.

  Formality between her and the Gezs was gone after her first four days at the greenhouse. They were no longer able to just supply the local area of the gardens, but also plants from across the continents. She had gained them more funding and social standing for their greenhouse. She was now Rowen and they were Liah and Ilo. It made things easier.

  She came around the corner and an older Irudan woman with eyes like a hawk’s fixated on her.

  “Rowen, this is Akadeel. Akadeel, this is Rowen.” Liah looked nervous.

  Akadeel looked her over from head to toe. “Turn around, child.”

  Rowen slowly turned, and when she faced Akadeel again, the woman smiled.

  “You are biddable, that is good. I was worried that my son had picked a half-wit or a riot waiting to happen, but you are very presentable for an alien.”

  Rowen frowned and then caught on with a sinking feeling. “Akadeel Nakkua.”

  The woman extended her left hand and Rowen took it, placing her hand under it as was appropriate for meeting a social superior.

  Her mother-in-law smiled. “Rowen Nakkua. Your work here is done for the day. We have a benefit this weekend and I know that you are not suitably attired. You require clothing and I need to learn more about you. This needs to be as seamless as possible for the family’s sake.”

  Liah looked nervously at the matriarch before she asked Rowen, “How far did you get?”

  “They are ready for transport, I was just chatting with them to give them a boost for the journey. They can go.”

  Liah smiled. “You are a wonder.”

  Rowen smiled. “I am doing what I love.”

  Akadeel cleared her throat. “With me. Now.”

  Rowen followed her and tossed the cloth onto a workbench as she passed. It seemed that she was going shopping.

  She cleared her throat. “I can’t actually afford anything, madam.”

  “You are a Nakkua now with all that entails. I will see that your accounts are set up and you have funds for whatever you wish to pursue.” Akadeel slowed her stride when they exited the greenhouse.

  They paced together for a moment before Akadeel asked, “Do you always get so dirty at work?”

  Rowen chuckled. “Only if I am doing it right. Should I change before we go, perhaps grab a quick shower?”

  “No. We will take care of that at the salon. They are waiting for you and a quick solar shower should do wonders. My pilot is waiting.”

  Rowen was suddenly nervous. “Pilot?”

  “Indeed. We can’t get what I want here in town. The salon is two prefectures over. They are opening exclusively for us.” Akadeel smiled with a definite tilt to her chin.

  Akadeel liked throwing money around and liked being exclusive even more.

  Rowen rubbed her neck. “I am not sure if you know about the situation, but I am not trying to insinuate myself into your family.”

 
; “I am aware of it. My son thought it would be an amusing out to wed an alien by proxy and carry on with his own affairs. I am not amused, but you are not objectionable and are bringing our research department a lot of fanfare in the community. Without meaning to, my son chose well. That amuses me.”

  “I have only been here a week.”

  “And yet, the ill plants are being returned to the soil and leaving room for more needy vegetation. You know your stuff.”

  The pilot was indeed waiting outside the manor house. The vehicle was tall enough to get into comfortably and to sit upright.

  “In case you haven’t ridden in one, that is a skimmer. Timor is my pilot and he will take us where we need to go.” Akadeel was beginning to brim with energy.

  Rowen had been reading up on talents and psychic energy, and if she wasn’t mistaken, Akadeel had a talent and it seemed to be directed at shopping; either that or shopping was an intimate act for her and Rowen was just along for a very uncomfortable ride.

  Timor nodded to them. “Countess Nakkua, Lady Nakkua.”

  Rowen smiled and bobbed her head.

  She sat next to Countess Akadeel and took up a prim pose. A moment later, they were in the air and zipping through pathways and switchbacks on a cushion of air.

  “Do you often travel like this?” Rowen felt it necessary to break the tension. The world was moving past too fast for her to orient herself.

  “Above-ground permits are only issued to certain few. Why have one if you are not going to use it?”

  That seemed to sum it up. There were first class tubes down below that could be used for a modest fee, but if her mother-in-law wanted to use her permit, then they would use it.

  Rowen was already familiarizing herself with the means to travel. Eventually, she thought, she would save enough to take a holiday in the grand gardens spotted all over the world.

  Irudan held thousands of possibilities for her and she was only just beginning to recognize them.

  Chapter Four

  The shopping had gone off without a hitch and the clothing was being delivered the day before the party. Rowen wasn’t comfortable with Akadeel, but they had reached an understanding…she thought.

  Rowen finished her work for the day, logged the plants that were clear for returning to their point of origin and headed home. Akadeel had the next day filled with trips to a groomer, but for tonight Rowen could be grubby and drink a glass of wine in front of the vid screen while she went through boxes.

  Her apron had pinged just after lunch, and she had checked her small message server. Her new clothing had arrived.

  She walked to the manor house and headed up the stairs to her rooms. There was something exciting about opening the clothing that she had only the faintest memory of. Rowen had tried on dozens of outfits, and Akadeel had approved fourteen for this season with matching shoes and underpinnings.

  Rowen desperately wanted to frolic in the clothing, but she needed a shower first.

  After the speediest shower she could manage, she put on a loose robe and opened the first box. Her hair was swinging in the way, but she flicked it over her shoulders before she opened the pressed cardboard box. Smiling, she lifted the gown out of its transport and she held it up to her chest. For a girl who never went to prom, this many formal gowns were dizzying.

  One by one, she waltzed the gowns into her wardrobe until her ensembles were all accounted for and all that was left was a strange crate that was not made of the recyclable cardboard of the others.

  A note on the box was rather cryptic. Open to see your destiny.

  With curiosity rampant, she flicked at the latches until she could remove the outer plate. “Oh my.”

  She heaved the portrait out and couldn’t stop looking at it. It was both attractive and creepy. Rowen set the portrait at the foot of her bed, climbed onto the sheets and stared at it.

  A man with the skin tone of an Irudan was embracing a woman who was obviously Rowen. She reached out and traced the heavy tattoos that marked his back and shoulders, the narrow waist and ended at the upper curve of his buttocks.

  The lines were similar to a vine and she knew that pattern. She shifted forward and the light caught the wedding band on her arm. She jerked back. “Holy crap.”

  According to the portrait, that muscled body belonged to her husband, or at least one of his relatives.

  Asking men to display their backs was probably not going to be an easy thing to do.

  She stared at the picture and her pulse sped up. The Rowen in the image had her leg draped over the man’s hips. His face wasn’t visible but hers was, and Rowen was positive that she had never seen that particular expression in a mirror. Her eyes were half closed, lids heavy, and when she analyzed the tension of his buttocks, she blinked rapidly. The couple in the image were having sex. It explained the swollen and parted lips that she was pressing to the side of his shoulder.

  Rowen shivered and shifted her shoulders so that the fabric of her robe wasn’t touching her nipples. They had suddenly become tight and ached. She stared at the image until her entire body throbbed. She flipped a sheet over the image and set it against the wall.

  She breathed slowly until she was calm and went to the dispenser for the glass of wine she had promised herself. Without dinner, it burned through her veins and gave her the sleep that was preferable to staring at the portrait.

  Why want a man who didn’t want her?

  She winced as the groomer went after every speck of dirt under her nails. The soaking, oiling and scrubbing had still left traces of her work on her body. The groomer was out to get every last bit.

  Akadeel was nearby and watching with a narrow supervisory gaze. Rowen waited while her toenails were painted a delicate pink and her nails tinted a dark rose. Her hair was already up in a slick twist and time was ticking onward.

  Her makeup was applied by expert hands after six hours of supervised preening and plucking plus a surprise waxing job that had caused her to switch from Nyal Common into plain old English cuss words.

  Under the expert hands, she was tucked and dressed until Akadeel nodded her approval.

  “Come with me, daughter. As the hosts, we need to be there when the guests arrive.”

  Rowen inhaled against the constriction of her gown. “You didn’t mention that I am expected to host it.”

  Akadeel patted her hand. “I know, dearling. I did not want you to run.”

  They arrived at the hall via skimmer and Rowen stuck close to Akadeel and did as she said.

  A tall man was waiting for them inside, and he smiled. “Worth the wait, darling.”

  He walked up to Akadeel and kissed her soundly. She squawked and slapped his shoulder until he righted her.

  She quickly checked her lipstick in a nearby mirror and left Rowen with the man.

  “Hello, daughter. I felt we should meet before the event began, as my son will not be at your side. I am Drimal Nakkua and you are married to my son, Skorin.” He bent over her hand and kissed it warmly. There was nothing creepy about it, just a love for everything around him.

  He had an open heart and it glowed brightly through his olive green eyes.

  “Rowen…uh, Nakkua?”

  “With more conviction next time. You are Lady Nakkua and you are hosting this event to meet our pocket of society here. For this season, you will be able to confine your social activities to our little pocket of green, but next season, you will be asked to travel far and wide for the family to attend anything that Akadeel does not wish to.”

  “So, I am not only Skorin’s whipping boy but Akadeel’s as well? What fun.” She wrinkled her nose.

  “You have a sense of humour. I do think we will get along fine.”

  Akadeel returned from fussing with her makeup and sighed as she took her husband’s arm. “Don’t do that again. I don’t want to look a fright.”

  “You could never do that, love, and you are my countess, you are mine
as I am yours. Remember that.” There was a playful hint of steel in his tone and Akadeel deflated a little.

  Rowen tried not to smirk at the bully of the afternoon turning into a charming lamb. She was going to have to face the wolves, so having a lamb on her side wasn’t going to help much.

  Chapter Five

  The ballroom was filled with those who wanted to meet the new Lady Nakkua. Rowen smiled, shook hands and chatted with the gardeners in the mix.

  She kept her smile fixed and her conversation light. Describing her home became second nature, and trying to quantify her skills was her polite chitchat of the moment. If they asked, she told them, but aside from that, she tried to keep to herself.

  After the ball dwindled and Akadeel whispered that she had been a complete success, Rowen headed out onto the wide paved deck and down into the garden of the manor.

  She wandered between the hedges and trees, caressing them lightly as she walked. She smiled as she got in touch with the reason she was here. The medical gardens were already scrambling to get her in.

  Rowen looked back toward the lights of the ballroom and sighed. Tomorrow, she could play with plants again. Tonight, she had to return to the social setting she had dropped herself into.

  * * * *

  Skorin used the satellite link to zoom in on the woman in the gardens. Her features showed resignation and he knew that look. He saw it in the mirror all the time.

  It wasn’t until she raised her left hand to check her hair and her cuff gleamed that he realised who he was looking at. He had found his wife, and he hadn’t really been looking for her.

  He sat back and sighed when she returned to the ballroom. “This is not good.”

  His body hummed with awareness. Just seeing her had increased his heart rate and begun a slow rise in his cock. It must have had something to do with possession. She was his in the eyes of the law, and he was a tremendous fan of upholding the law.

  He scowled and shut down the satellite feeds. He had seen her walk the garden, and even through the telescopes, he could see that they had flourished at her touch. It made him wonder what else would spring to life when she touched it.