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  She suddenly sobered. “I do.”

  He nodded his head with a jerk and opened the box. The band in the box had an elaborate design on it, and she reached out to touch it with shaking fingers.

  “Put the band on your wrist or arm. It will do the rest.”

  That sounded ominous, but she placed the band on her left forearm. The band slithered against her skin and completed itself, linking around until it was seamless and locked onto her from mid-forearm to wrist. It scooted under her wristband and flattened against her skin.

  An uncomfortable cold faded as soon as she felt it.

  “Lady Roxelena Barinova Niil, your ship will be ready at dawn. You leave for Irudan and are expected at the Guardian base there. Your call sign will be determined once you settle in.”

  “Call sign?”

  “Well, Lady Niil would be inappropriate. The Guardians of Irudan will determine your call sign once you arrive. Your skills will be the indicator and the key to your new name. Good luck, Lady. You are going to need it.”

  The rest of the formalities consisted of her signing the wedding contract and a blood sample being recorded to officially mark her entrance into the Nyal Imperium as a full citizen of Irudan by virtue of her marriage.

  She left the office a little dazed and with her right hand clasping the band on her forearm, memorizing the pattern under her fingers.

  It already felt like part of her, but the design was fascinating. She went to dinner and pulled her cloak down to hide the silver cuff. It wasn’t something she wanted to share with everyone on the day before she left them.

  When dinner and the hugging was done, she went to her room to pack. It took three minutes, and then, she settled in for a restless night of staring at the ceiling and imagining a world where you could be a citizen without having set foot on the soil, just by the possession of a bracelet.

  Her pilot wasn’t chatty, and because of the nature of her talent, she was asked to nap on the way. The unit was a simple one, she just had to lie down in a box and let her body seek all the heat it could. There wasn’t any heat in the capsule and her body began to shut down. Based on previous tests, she could remain in a self-induced cryo state for seven days before she shifted from sleep into coma. She was trusting her pilot to get her to Irudan in one piece.

  It was more trust than she had put in anyone other than Julian in years.

  Chapter Three

  Fire Fall stood in the field and controlled the flames. The high-oil-content plants turned out to be highly unstable and the researcher in the area didn’t realise that his sparking vehicle would ignite the oil with the exceptionally low flashpoint.

  He rose in the air above the field and lowered the flames until smoke curled around his legs and coloured the sky.

  “Fire Fall, there is a call for you at the shuttle landing.” Walking Darkness’s voice came through the com in his ear.

  “A call?”

  “A rather urgent call. A shuttle has landed with a new Irudan citizen in it, and it has frozen shut. I believe your bride has arrived.” Walking Darkness chortled.

  He looked around the field and made sure there were no more flares. “Now?”

  “There is a creeping frost covering the tarmac. If you wouldn’t mind going to thaw her out?”

  Fire Fall turned and used the remote on his cuff to summon his flier. The conveyance met him, and they were off, heading toward the base as fast as he could manage. The silver on his wrist shifted as if it knew something he didn’t know. It cooled his normally fevered skin and gave him the sensation of a hand stroking up his arm and across his chest with fingers that trailed so lightly, he looked down to check and see that there was nothing there.

  Unnerved by the sensation and the throb it created in his groin, he focussed on finding the spot of cold that contained his bride. The moment he reached the spaceport, he knew that it wouldn’t be a difficult search.

  A pool of frost five hundred metres wide surrounded the shuttle that he had sent to bring her to him. He brought his flier in and settled it just outside the creeping crystals on the tarmac. Fire Fall called heat and began to walk toward the shuttle with a keen sense of anticipation firing his blood.

  As he approached, the frost receded, but he felt the pull of the cool emanations in the vessel. He melted the ice that sealed the hatch and used the Guardian override code to open the door. The inside of the ship was cold, but there was no ice within. The lack of humidity stopped the crystals from forming.

  Fire Fall smiled, the sensation was almost comfortable. He radiated heat in waves and followed the feel of the sucking need as it took the heat and devoured it.

  The pod that was consuming the heat was sealed tight. He worked at the joint until it finally popped free. With a sigh, it creaked back, and he was left looking at the body of the woman in the images he had been sent.

  He removed his helmet and put it on the deck next to the capsule.

  Acting on instinct, he lifted one of her hands in his and pressed a kiss to the cool flesh. Heat surged from his body into hers, and her lids fluttered. She opened her ice-blue eyes and blinked slowly. “Are we there yet?”

  He grinned. “You have arrived, Lady Roxelena Barinova Niil. I am Fire Fall.”

  She smiled. “I am pleased to meet you. Can you help me out of here?”

  “It is my fondest wish.” He kissed her hand again and eased her out of the capsule. Once she was in his arms, he understood one thing. She was meant for him and he was not going to let her go.

  * * * *

  He had grey-silver skin and pale green eyes. His hair was a blend of leaf green and pine. He had the scent of warmth on him, and he held her tight against the armoured bodysuit he wore.

  “Fire Fall?”

  “Yes?” He smiled again, his eyes warming and darkening in colour.

  “You are taking me to the Guardians?”

  “I am.”

  “Can you let the pilot out of the cabin? He locked himself in there after I started to pull heat into my capsule.”

  “You were aware of that?”

  “Of course. I just sleep in there. If he hadn’t sealed my capsule, everything would have been fine. The moment I was stuck without a heat source of any kind, my body panicked and this was the result.”

  “You frost over?”

  “And take everything with me.” She tried not to burrow into him, but it was a battle. “I believe you should put me down now.”

  He sighed and slowly lowered her to a standing position. “Do you have bags?”

  She nodded and kicked at the connecting door to loosen the frost. It slid open with a shriek. Her bag and trident were waiting for her.

  Fire Fall knocked on the flight deck door, and he heated it until it opened. The pilot was curled in a ball and shivering, but he was still alive. He was muttering, “It got colder.”

  Rox shrugged and settled her bag diagonally over her torso.

  Fire Fall pressed a finger to his neck and spoke. “I need a medical team with hypothermia kits. The pilot has been affected by the chill.”

  He must have gotten a response, because he nodded sharply. With a small smile, he turned to her. “I believe we shall proceed to the base now. I have ordered a copy of the flight record to be sent to the base.”

  “Why?”

  “So that we can prove that your body was acting under a self-preservation reflex when your talent attacked your pilot.”

  She nodded. “This isn’t the smooth arrival I was counting on. I had really hoped to just open the pod and get out.”

  “Life tends to throw you out of balance. You simply have to learn to dance at an angle. Shall we go?”

  Rox smiled and lifted her trident. “Lead the way.”

  “What is that?” Fire Fall examined it as he passed her.

  “Every lady needs her accessories.” She winked and blinked when he winked back. She wasn’t playing with fire, but she was fairly
sure she was flirting with it.

  They left the ship, and he stepped astride a vehicle, which resembled a motorcycle with a ledge around the base and no wheels. “Get on behind me and hold on.”

  “What is it?”

  “A flier. No fancy names, just a description for what it does.” He fastened the helmet that he had retrieved from next to the capsule before they left the shuttle.

  “Will I need a helmet?”

  “Eventually. For this trip, hang onto me. I will keep you safe.”

  She straddled the flier and settled against him, holding her trident out with her left hand and clutching him with her right.

  “Are you settled?” His voice sounded odd coming through the featureless helmet.

  “I am. Whatever you are going to do, you can do it now.”

  He laughed and the flier lifted off the ground and kept going.

  She squeaked with alarm and hung on tight as they began to move forward with a shift of his thighs. Rox clutched at him and hoped that he knew what he was doing.

  It took an hour to fly to the base, and she spent most of it with her face pressed to the back of his suit. His shoulders were even with her forehead and wider than she was by at least a foot. His easy smile had taken away the impact of his body, but pressed against him, she was gaining insight very quickly.

  His body heat was incredible. The warmth she was taking from him caused her to relax as her body became comfortable for the first time in a very long time.

  She suddenly became nervous as to her husband and what he would think of her seeking out Fire Fall for temperature release.

  “We are landing now.”

  She nodded against the heavy muscle of his back and squeezed him tight.

  When she felt the small impact of the ground, she looked around. They were on a stone landing site with a few other vehicles sitting and waiting.

  Fire Fall tapped her hand. “Feel free to hang on, but I am getting to my feet so things could get awkward.”

  She unclenched her fingers and opened her hand, sliding it across his chest as she released him. Rox flexed her hand around her trident and used it for leverage to dismount from the seat.

  The gardens of Irudan were visible on all sides of the large complex that made up the Guardian base. It was pretty, delightfully coloured and the scents were alive and bright. Roxelena was intensely uncomfortable the moment that she started walking.

  Fire Fall was at her side as they walked toward three figures. “Roxelena, this is Skorin, known as Walking Darkness, Uadon, known as Rock Wall, and Pleska, known by her name and as the insect commander. Uadon and Pleska are mates, and Skorin’s mate is one of your kind. Rowen Nakkua. She is currently at her day job.”

  Rox whispered quickly. “What is your other name?”

  He whispered back, “Devnin Niil. I am your husband.”

  As the others approached, she whispered, “Oh. Pleased to meet you.”

  He chuckled as she greeted all of the Guardians, one by one.

  Skorin was admiring her hair. “It is so pale. If I hadn’t seen Rowen, I would have believed that all of your people were so colourless.”

  Rox made a face. “If you are saying I am washed out, I am sure that you are correct. I have been hearing that since my talent arrived.”

  Devnin came up beside her. “I believe I will see my bride settled before you start throwing insults, Skorin.”

  He backed away, and Rox saw shadows flickering around him. “You are correct. My apologies, Lady Niil.”

  She felt heat radiating from Devnin, and when she looked, he had removed his helmet and flame was crackling around his head. She was pressed against him, but she didn’t feel anything more than a pleasant warmth.

  Rox looked up at him, “I think I would like to put my bag down and have something to drink.”

  Devnin smiled at her. “Then that is what you shall have.”

  The interior of the base was very organic and that made Rox a little nervous.

  “Our rooms are on the far end of the halls and both are lined with insulators to keep our moods from injuring the base.”

  “Rooms?”

  “They adjoin for now and can be expanded into one set of larger quarters when you and I deepen our involvement.”

  She smiled. “That is a polite word for it.”

  “I will strive to be polite and treat you with honour.”

  Rox looked at his face and his earnest expression. “I will attempt to do that same, but I know I will fail from time to time.”

  He grinned. “At least you are honest.”

  “Some would call it cold.”

  “Cold can be altered. Treacherous behaviour cannot.”

  She nodded. That was her experience as well. Once someone acted against her, she never trusted them again.

  He opened a door and gestured for her to enter. “These are your quarters. The lav is to the left; it has not only water but also sonic and solar shower options. The bed hangings have been created in reds and ambers, but they can be changed to your preferences.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. I like hot colours. Everyone thinks that I should dress like an icicle, but when you feel it in your bones, you want to wear something else on your skin.”

  She lifted her bag off her back and settled the trident against foot of the four-poster bed.

  “What is the trident for?”

  “Focussing my talent. It is for projection. I have been getting pretty good at aiming searing cold.”

  Devnin lifted her left hand and raised it so he could see the band on her arm. “I don’t find you cold.”

  He pressed a kiss to her palm and heat spiralled through her. From her palm to her elbow, shoulder, breasts and belly, the stroking coil of warmth shifted to stroke her from the inside out.

  She licked her lips. “I really need something to drink.”

  He chuckled. “I will return in a moment. Change if you like. I need to get out of this armour.”

  She blinked and tried not to imagine him with nothing at all. Parts of her began generating heat, and there was nothing more to it than her own hormones. She had to cross star systems to find a man that could warm her blood. Funnily enough, she thought it was well worth the trip.

  Chapter Four

  When he returned, Devnin wore a sleeveless white shirt with a deep vee at the neckline, dark green fitted trousers and bare feet.

  “I wish I could match you for casual clothing.” She opened her robe and slid it from her shoulders.

  He stared at her, and she felt the increase of heat in the air. Her body acted to subdue it a second later.

  She looked him over, made note of the different musculature over a familiar bone structure and took in the band on his left forearm. “You have one, too?”

  “All couples wear the bands with their family names on them.”

  She looked at the design. “This is a name?”

  “It is a depiction of the Niil family crest.” He drew his finger across the filigree.

  “I see.” She stared at the design on her wrist. “What causes it to lock in place?”

  He looked pleased. “It locked?”

  She held it up and exposed her band. “It sealed in place.”

  “Each band is calibrated to the family member that seeks a mate. Both females and males have cuffs, and in an Irudan family, both wrists of a wedded couple are banded.”

  “I see. So, I am going to stand out.” She bit her lip.

  He looked at her in astonishment and then laughed out loud. “You are an alien who controls cold on a world covered in gardens. Yes, you will stand out but no one will judge you for it.”

  “Wonderful. I would change clothing, but I only have another set, which is similar to this one. It allows for a more passive absorption of ambient heat.”

  Devnin approached her, and she felt the air warm between them. “Is that what the crux of your power is?”

&
nbsp; “Apparently. The men in my family are cold inside, and they can find comfort in a wife, but I am the first woman in my family in five generations. The hungry nature of the cold was never set down in family diaries. There was nothing to help me tame it.”

  “I believe I can assist you with that.” He touched her cheek, and she fought the urge to lean into the warmth.

  She cleared her throat. “A drink of something first, perhaps?”

  Devnin winked. “Of course. This way. We will work on your wardrobe later.”

  She sighed and put her hand on the arm that he offered.

  They walked out of their rooms, down the hall and into the kitchen that overlooked the common room where the others were gathered.

  Skorin had a seat that allowed him to see the landing area where she and Devnin had arrived. It seemed he was waiting for someone.

  “Rowen is due back from work soon. When he isn’t on assignment, he worries that she will wreck her riot runner.”

  “Oh, that sounds like fun. What is a riot runner?”

  Devnin looked wary. “It is a personal conveyance. The flying around Irudan is strictly controlled. She had to get a personal license to make it to and from the Guardian base, no matter where she is working.”

  She smiled as she used the dispenser to get a cup of caf. “It sounds like you fear that I will make the same request.”

  “No. It seems that I know you will make the same request. You will not always be with me and you will need to fly yourself to and from assignments.”

  Rox scowled and sipped at her caf. He watched her as she gulped at the hot beverage. “Doesn’t that burn?”

  She snorted. “It cools the moment it touches my mouth. I haven’t had a hot meal since I was a child.”

  Pleska leaned back and frowned. “That sounds horrible.”

  Rox shrugged. “It makes you pick your meals carefully. Some foods do not adapt well to being served cold.”

  She served herself a second cup of caf and made her way into the common area. Devnin was right behind her, and he sat beside her on one of the couches. His calm broadcast of heat kept her temperature close to normal.