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  “Please. I can’t match the patina, but I did match the metal, so weather should take care of it.” She knew she had done a good job, but she was still nervous. It was her first true job in her new career. It was a nerve-wracking moment. If this didn’t work, she was out of options.

  Ahken walked over to the sculpture with her, and now that it was complete, she could see the ship in the metal. Her tiny seam was nearly invisible.

  Ahken beamed. “Perfect! Thank you so much, Repair Specialist.”

  Nanette felt her shoulders relax. “Good. Is there anything else?”

  “No. We are having a musical performance tomorrow, so the immediate repair was urgent. Thank you and I will be filing a satisfied report on your behalf.”

  Nanette inclined her head and smiled. “Good day to you then. It was wonderful to be able to work in my element.”

  With nothing else to say, she returned to her vehicle and set the homing system to her one-person base. She idly looked for signs of Rand, but he must have left while she was working. He was nowhere to be found.

  * * * *

  “Wren, you know your own kind, right?” Rand cornered the caretaker in the kitchen and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

  Wren smiled and kept making the cookies. “I like to think so. Is it Beryl?”

  “No. I met the newest Terran today. The repair specialist hired to fix things that we break.”

  “I didn’t know there was one.”

  Rand sighed and leaned against the cool stone of the counter. “Well, there is and she doesn’t smell right.”

  Wren laughed at him. “What do you mean?”

  “She doesn’t smell like Beryl did before mating or like you and she did after it. She has no scent whatsoever and it is distressing.” He didn’t add that she had a body he wanted desperately to uncover, but if Loesh could sense something he couldn’t, he would be furious. He wanted that elegant creature for himself, even if she could lift him over her head. Her strength was a bit of a turn on. She didn’t look as strong as she was, and it had caught him by surprise when she had lifted that chunk of metal into position as if it was a piece of pastry with no substance.

  Wren paused. “I will look into it. Where is she living?”

  Rand shrugged. “I couldn’t find out. I came straight back after I met her so that I could ask you if you would know what caused the scent problem.”

  She gave him a sly look. “Would you like me to go and find out what her details are?”

  “Please. This lack of information is driving me to distraction.” He wrinkled his nose.

  Wren put the dough in the chiller and went to her office.

  Rand sat in the common area and tried to watch a vid while bursts of laughter came out of the office. When Wren returned, she was wiping tears from her eyes and grinning.

  Rand lifted his head. “Why were you laughing?”

  Wren waved her hand in the air. “I had a chat with our newcomer, Nanette. She is very witty and fairly direct.”

  He stood up. “You spoke to her?”

  “I did. She admires your colouration. She has an affinity for metallics.”

  “What about the other issue?”

  “Oh, her medical records indicated that her talent burns off all pheromones while she is working. It is a trained reaction. She is literally too hot to be picked up by your senses.”

  “Could Loesh pick up the scent?”

  Wren cackled at that. “With his enhanced senses, he wouldn’t be able to get within ten feet of her.”

  Rand asked another thing that was bugging him. “How can she have a talent when you and Bebe didn’t get yours until you were mated?”

  “She isn’t a latent talent; she is an active talent. Beryl and I can do things that Toyo and Drovin can’t and vice versa. It is the same talent with a different expression. I have seen you weld metal around here using your bioelectrics. Molecular stimulation seems to be the same talent in both cases.” Wren winked and returned to her baking.

  Rand nodded and tried to imagine running into Nanette again without resorting to an act of vandalism that might cost him his job.

  Chapter Three

  Two months on W’lyn and seventeen repairs to statues, fences, walls and ancient architecture meant that Nanette was now a common sight, and the administrators of most of the cities she visited knew her by name.

  The invitation to the Fire Festival caught her by surprise, and the gown that was included made tears come to her eyes. She missed feeling pretty.

  Dear Nanette,

  I am delighted to invite you to be an honoured guest and demonstrative performer at our annual Fire Festival. The celebration of fire, heat and the volcano that gives us our energy is a joyous event and we would like you to sculpt three items using molten metals while the orchestra performs.

  If duty interferes with this, we will completely understand, but if you agree to participate, we would make sure that you have an evening you will never forget.

  The gown has been designed to be heat resistant while conforming to the theme of red and orange for the women while the men wear blue and white. A mask has been included if you wish to remain anonymous.

  Should you be interested, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

  Administrator Leakat of Zoori Prefecture

  Nanette smiled and shook out the red strapless dress. The feel of it under her hands gave credence to the idea that the fabric would withstand the heat. She lifted it and held the hem in her palm while warming it to the common burn of a flame. The fabric heated, but it would be safe enough to wear if she was indeed performing in public.

  The mask felt strange against her face, but it gave her an oddly mysterious look. She couldn’t stop herself from grinning as she imagined moving through the grey population as one of the only pale moon shadows in the crowd.

  She had heard about the other Terrans, but since she was only called out after the Guardians had been there, she wasn’t able to ask about them. The other two humans were firmly in the custody of their husbands. It was not the ideal that Nanette had ever envisioned for herself, so she wasn’t that keen to meet the fascinating Rand again. He had been much too intent on her on that first assignment.

  Five minutes was all the time it took before she contacted the lovely and charming administrator. Leakat was delighted that she was willing to perform and explained how everything would work. The festival was in three days, and she could arrive under her own power or a vehicle would be sent for her.

  “I will fly myself, thank you. That way if I get a call, I can get myself to my next assignment without inconveniencing anyone.”

  Leakat inclined her head with her navy blue hair sliding over her shoulder with small gems winking in it. “Fair enough. This will be tremendous. The heads of all the local prefectures will be here and it will be a stellar celebration of our region. Your presence will serve to highlight the power of heat.”

  “Will you send me recordings of the music so I can work on a plan?”

  “Of course. I will forward them the moment this call is over. I look forward to seeing you.” Leakat inclined her head and disconnected the call.

  Nanette sat back and stroked the fabric of the gown again. It appeared that she had a party to go to.

  * * * *

  Beryl scowled at Drovin as he walked out in flowing dark blue trousers sashed by a wide swath of white fabric and nothing else. To her shock, the other Guardians followed suit.

  “What the hell are you wearing?”

  Drovin looked surprised. “Fire Festival clothing. Yours are in your closet.”

  She looked down at the bulge of her belly and up at him. “I am not just wearing trousers to this thing.”

  Wren smiled and handed her a snack bar with a glass of water. “The women wear wrap gowns in red and orange, the men where blue and white. The Fire Festival celebrates the first energy source on W’lyn. You just missed
it last year. It was a few months before you arrived.”

  Beryl made a face. “All the men will be walking around like that?”

  “More or less. Of course, the Guardians are far better specimens than most.” Wren chuckled when Toyo put his arm around her waist.

  “So, we are all invited to this thing? Who will man the base?”

  Drovin grinned. “We all have remote coms. If anything happens anywhere, we are on our way. We will take two skimmers just in case. I don’t want to leave you ladies without transport.”

  Beryl gave him a sceptical look. “Where are you keeping those coms? I don’t see anything above the waistline.”

  Toyo chuckled. “We have inner ear implants that we use when we must. They give us a headache, so we avoid them unless there is no other option.”

  She frowned and rubbed a hand over her belly. “Will it be safe?”

  Drovin put his arm around her. “Yes. It will be perfectly safe.”

  She stood for a moment and enjoyed the scent of her mate before she gave in. “Fine. Show me how to wear the damned costume.”

  Giving in gracefully was not her forte, but the rest of the crowd took her surrender for what it was, wholehearted enthusiasm. The Guardians and mates were going to a party.

  * * * *

  Nanette arrived early in full costume. She spoke with the organizers and was directed toward an entertainers’ tent where she could sit and relax with the musicians and additional performers.

  The folk there were friendly enough once they understood why she was there, and she had to answer dozens of questions in regard to her performance.

  Three days of practice would hopefully be enough.

  The sun had just been setting when she arrived, and as the orchestra left her to take their positions, she waited for the cue she had been given. The lack of electronic light would begin as the sun completed its descent. The Fire Festival celebrated power and energy gained from W’lyn. The first day was always a blackout with candles and torches to light the way.

  With no way to generate the standard light show that went with the orchestral performance, she was going to be the substitute.

  The torchbearer came to get her with a huge grin on his face. He was dressed in the standard wide trousers with the fabric sash. All the women were dressed like Nanette, and all the men were dressed in blue and white. Everyone wore shades of fire.

  Nanette touched her mask and straightened her shoulders. The air was cool, but she didn’t notice it, she was warming up as she passed through the edges of the crowd to the three vats of heated metal that were waiting for her.

  The scent of the first vat was familiar, and the area next to it had been prepared for her to use to cast a base.

  She stood on her mark, and she waited until the music began. The low, slow start to the music gave her time to pour bases for all three projects and the metal glowed in the darkness as it gave its heat to the surrounding air.

  She was back at the first vat, and to the audience’s surprise, she took a dipper of the metal out and drizzled it over her arm to cool it before setting it on the base. Piece after piece was set in place, and when the crowd caught on to the copy of the city that they were in, applause began.

  The music ran for ten minutes, and when the first composition ended, Nanette finished the city she had constructed and moved it to the final podium for display. It took some doing, but she managed it.

  The second piece was sweeter, slower. She poured a huge puddle on top of the base and stuck her hand into the liquid metal, pulling upward slowly to the rhythm of the music. When the tempo and mood shifted, bright strands flew around the cage, bringing the sculpture higher and higher until it was ten feet of music to Nanette’s eyes. She added wreathes of flowers and leaves.

  The second piece was moved while the orchestra set up for the next piece, and as she set it on the pedestal, applause broke out and washed over her.

  The final statue was crafted to music that was bright, stirring and powerful. She made it into a Guardian from head to toe, life sized.

  All of the unused metals from the other two projects went into this one. She built an image of the only Guardian that she had seen in person and the only one who haunted her dreams no matter how many times she saw them on the news vids.

  Rand came to being with his hair made of bronze, his copper eyes bright and the rest of his body in a silvery steel covered by a bronze and copper suit.

  Applause and hooting began when she formed the Guardian and his identity became apparent. He seemed to be a local favourite of some sort.

  As the music built to a crescendo, she added the effect of his golden hair blowing in the breeze and completed the sculpting with a flourish as the orchestra brought their song to a stupendous end.

  Nanette receded into the shadows and moved away from the glowing statue that was slowly cooling in the darkness. Applause roared again, and she shook out her hands as fireworks heralded the official start of the Fire Festival.

  She receded into the shadows and watched the surge of bodies onto the open space. Drums sounded, limbs began to move and the population began to dance.

  Nanette watched the amazing grace that all members of the W’lyn population seemed to share. They were born of two of the most legendary species that Terrans knew and here the elves and vampires had blended into something more extraordinary than she had ever imagined.

  “Nanette!”

  She turned to greet the owner of the familiar voice with a smile. “Hiya, Wren.”

  Another woman and the four men, who featured prominently on W’lyn news vids, followed Wren.

  Wren grinned. “Nanette, this is Beryl, also of Terra, her mate, Drovin, my mate, Toyo, and my brother-in-law, Loesh. You have already met Rand, I believe.”

  Nanette smiled and waved her hand toward the statue. “He was the only one I had seen in 3D and the organizer wanted a Guardian statue for the festivities.”

  Wren snickered. “He is very festive.”

  Beryl extended her hand, but Nanette put hers behind her back. “Sorry. I am still running a little hot. I don’t want to injure you or your occupant.”

  Beryl smiled. “I will settle for a bow then.”

  They bowed formally to each other and burst into giggles.

  Beryl’s husband inclined his head. “I am pleased to meet another one of my wife’s kind. Beryl, may we go dancing now?”

  Beryl smiled and the four men took off to join the throng.

  The three Terrans turned and watched as the rhythmic motions matched the beat in an eerily beautiful dance.

  Wren turned to Beryl, “Did you know they could dance like that?”

  Beryl laughed, “I know he moves well, but I have never seen him in action like that, and I promise him daily that I never look at the others.”

  Nanette tuned them out as she watched the weird combination of tribal and ancient court dances. Knees, elbows and heels pounded the ground while the dramatic clothing twirled gracefully on the turns.

  The metallic colours that were natural to Rand caught her gaze and held it over and over again as he danced with the others. He seemed oblivious to the women who put themselves in his path. He watched her, and she watched him as he danced until his skin glowed silver. He was made of all the metals that she loved, but when she touched him, she didn’t want him to melt.

  A hand appeared in front of her eyes and snapped its fingers. Wren grinned at her. “Did you want to get something to drink while they work up a sweat without us?”

  Since her mouth was dry, Nanette nodded and was whisked away to a table on a platform to observe the dancing. It was definitely a sight to enjoy.

  Chapter Four

  Bonding with the other Terrans was fun, even though they were married women, or the W’lyn equivalent. It was even easy to remember that they were human, because they did not have the height or the grace of the native species.

  The watered fr
uit juice was just what she needed after her performance. Wine was fun, but she needed to sit on her transport for her ride home.

  The music was endless. When one group surrendered the sound, another took it up in a constantly rotating round of band after band.

  When the Guardians ceased their gyrations, they joined them on the platform, sweat gleaming on their torsos.

  Nanette watched as Beryl and Wren immediately gravitated to their mates. It went beyond affection; they were literally drawn to get closer to their partner.

  Rand and Loesh smiled at her.

  Rand leaned forward, “You get used to it. It is only nauseating for the first few weeks. After that, you go a little numb when they cuddle up like that.”

  She snickered behind her hand. “Thank you for that. I was wondering why I was feeling motion sick.”

  He grinned and Loesh laughed out loud.

  They drank some of the juice that the servers brought over and the dancing below continued.

  “Don’t Terrans dance?” Rand quirked one gold eyebrow up.

  Nanette laughed and gestured to those below. “Not like that. We look like fish on the riverbank next to that.”

  There was a determined light in his eyes. “Would you like a lesson?”

  She looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you flirting?”

  “Yes. Is it working?”

  “Teach me to dance and you can ask me again.”

  He blinked with surprise and got to his feet, holding his hand out to her.

  She placed her palm against his and she had her own shock to deal with. He closed his fingers around hers with no flinch or hesitation.

  With easy strides, he walked with her to the edge of the crowd. He held her out at his side and said, “Follow me.”

  He stepped, she stepped, he tapped his heels, she tapped her heels. It went on and on until she found, to her surprise, that she was within the circle of dancers and she was keeping up.

  The heavier fabric of her gown didn’t flutter; it swayed as she shifted her weight, raised her arms in the air and twirled.