Defiance Read online

  His high cheekbones turned slightly pink. “Please do not address me by my title. Zhomos is fine, Zhom is encouraged.”

  “Zhom? Okay, well you are willing to call me Teeny, so I will bow to your preferences.” She chuckled. “Good morning, Zhom.”

  He inclined his head, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. “Did you sleep well?”

  She ran a hand through her hair and thought about her answer. She had dreamed of running her body over a fur, arousing herself to a fever pitch before the fur rolled over her and shifted into her current companion. “Yes, I slept fine.”

  “I suppose getting sleep where you can is an occupational hazard.”

  She sipped at her caf and smiled. “Pretty much. Just like waking up with the sun is a habit I can’t shake. Too many times I have had to run during early light with my charge in tow.”

  “Would you miss the thrill of collecting your targets when you retire?” He calmly turned and placed his order with the server.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think part of me would, but I would hope that retirement wouldn’t strike until I had something in place to take over my time.”

  Zhom nodded. “I can see that. You seem to be enjoying the feel of the Gakkada environment. The glow to your cheeks suits you.”

  She chuckled. “I think it is just a few regular meals. I don’t normally eat unless I am in between moments of deadly danger.”

  “That must be awkward for you.”

  She shrugged. “It is one of the things you get used to. It comes with the sleepless nights and preparing to be attacked all the time.”

  He cocked his head. “As bad as that?”

  “Yup. Not all are willing to part with what they have found. Many are rather intent on keeping their new acquisitions.”

  “You are referring to the lost children you have sought?”

  “Yup. Some races, like yours, are collectors’ items.” Teeny didn’t mention that her own race was counted as exotic right now. With only two thousand Terrans in the Alliance, they were considered highly collectible.

  “We are not a race, as such. We are an amalgamation of species that functions in a manner similar to the Oefric.” He grinned, “With some marked differences when it comes to our mating habits.”

  Her meal arrived, and she clapped her hands in anticipation.

  Zhomos was staring in surprise. “You certainly don’t start the day light, do you?”

  “Life is too short to pass up a good meal. I have decided that I will have a little bit of everything I enjoy anytime it passes my path. It is the way I have made peace with the universe.”

  He nodded. “I see. It is a very healthy attitude to take on given the instability of your situation on any given day.”

  “It is the only way I cling to sanity. May I begin?” She gestured to her meal.

  “Of course. Never wait on my account.”

  There was a double entendre in there somewhere, but she wasn’t inclined to go looking for it when a blessedly familiar taste entered her mouth with the first bite. Speech was left for later as she worked her way through all of her favourite flavours. His food arrived, but she ignored his singular plate in favour of her own collection.

  With nothing but the clink of metal on plates, they ate in silence, finishing at the same time. Teeny sighed happily and reached for her caf, pouring another cup.

  The server came back and asked, “How was it?”

  Teeny sighed again. “Lovely. I probably won’t manage it again during my stay, but it was just lovely.”

  The woman grinned and efficiently cleared the plates, taking away the proof of her food orgy.

  Zhomos was staring at her like she had grown another head. “I had not thought that a little thing like you would be able to put away all of that.”

  Teeny smiled, “In my job, it is necessary to appear to be weaker than I am.”

  It was a training adage, body of steel wrapped in the softest silk. She had to work to keep a layer of curves on her form, but it paid off when she was looked at as nothing more than a feeble pet. Under her curves, she had enough muscle to carry twice her own body weight for a considerable distance.

  “I am beginning to understand that. Are you ready for a tour of the local area?”

  She blinked. “Oh, I thought I had some time to shop and lay in some more appropriate clothing. I tend to buy and discard disguises during my journeys, so I don’t keep many clothes.”

  “We can attend to that now if you wish. The shops are fully stocked for the incoming waves of ladies. What are you looking for?”

  She drained her caf and a glass of water. “Something comfortable, similar to what the employees are wearing. I have no need for the frivolous stuff. One more evening gown will suit me for my stay.”

  He looked vaguely disappointed, but he rallied. “The shops here will not have the proper array of clothing for you. We will go shopping in the local village, and then, I will show you Gakkada or at least as much of it as you are authorized to see.”

  She smirked, “Shall we leave then?” She got to her feet, and he followed.

  Outside the front of the main building a small flying cycle was parked. She scowled and stated, “You have to be kidding.”

  He slipped astride it and gestured for her to climb on the back. “I am not kidding. With the heavy forestation, the best way to see what you need to see is by flying above it all.”

  Being plastered against him was far beyond what she had been prepared for. With a groan of surrender, she settled behind him and placed her hands warily on his waist. It was like gripping a steel column.

  He shifted, and the cycle started up with a short jump forward. She yelped and wrapped her arms fully around him, holding tight as they skinned through the resort on a cushion of air.

  They were approaching the tree line and a secondary motor kicked in, elevating them with a short burst above the trees.

  Teeny had her eyes screwed tightly closed, but as the wind shifted and their elevation settled, she carefully opened them.

  The coastline curved beneath them, a layer of black that curved between the trees and water. Volcanic rock must have contributed the sand over thousands or millions of years.

  He flew them along the coast, north of the resort. The trees shifted from oak to other species. Woods that had more of a tropical feel than the ancient hardwood surrounding the resort. It confirmed her suspicion that it was some kind of a ritual zone. It had the feel of it in every inch of the space.

  Her cheek was pressed against the fabric of his shirt, and she fought the urge to rub her skin against him. He was very warm, and the wind was cutting through her clothing with alarming ease.

  She cuddled up against him, deciding that if he mentioned it later, she would go into full denial of her actions.

  They were miles away from the resort when he began to reduce their altitude and line up with a break in the trees.

  As they dropped, she felt a distinct increase in temperature that made her huddling against Zhomos rather unnecessary. She sighed and sat up straight, resuming her grip on his ribs in a more decorous manner as they skimmed into the village that bore the stamp of high tech mingled with the most basic of structures.

  Heads turned toward them as they slipped along the main street. Teeny looked around and noted one thing that she hadn’t considered before. The Gakkada were looking for new genes, and there was not one redhead in the bunch. “Oh dear.”

  Chapter Five

  Zhomos stopped outside a shop that had ladies’ clothing in the display and an elegantly scripted sign declaring it Akathika’s.

  He waited for her to dismount the bike and then did the same. “Come along, my cousin is very good at what she does.”

  Teeny blinked. “What does she do?”

  “She is a seamstress of some renown. Come along. I believe she just opened her doors.”

  The lock clicked audibly as they approached, and a woman with the same dark hair and eyes as her
host smiled at them. “Zhom! Why are you here?”

  “I am bringing you a customer, Akath. This is Christiena Montague.”

  “The one who brought Thaka home?”

  “The very same. She is here on vacation and wishes to wear some more comfortable clothing than is available at the resort. Can you assist her?”

  The woman flapped her hands at him. “Of course I can. You go and file some paperwork or something. Come back in two hours.”

  Zhom inclined his head. “We are going to Norcroft Beach, so take that into account.”

  Akath nodded. “I get it. Swimwear. Now shoo. I need to run my questions past your companion to find out what she is after.”

  In a moment, Teeny was staring up at the larger woman with a pugnacious expression on her face, and she didn’t care what the woman thought. “Greetings of the day to you.”

  The woman paused for a moment and then grinned. “And to you. Call me Akath and come inside. If you stay out too much longer, every unattached male in the village will come sniffing around.”

  Teeny stepped into the shop and admired the brightly coloured displays. “It is a very nice shop.”

  “Thank you, Miss Montague.”

  “Please, call me Teeny.”

  Akath’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “Teeny, then, what did you have in mind?”

  “I am looking for tunics and trousers in light-weight materials. I like being comfortable most of the time.”

  Akath looked her up and down. “They don’t really suit you. They make you look like a child.”

  Teeny looked down and shrugged. “It is a bonus in my occupation to seem small and harmless.”

  “Fine. I will set you up with some sets of clothing, but will you let me pick the cut and the colour?”

  Teeny stared at the woman and saw an eagerness to do the best job possible in her eyes. “I agree. You pick the colours and the cut.”

  The light of challenge came to Akath’s eyes, and she bustled Teeny to the back of the shop and had her stripped to the skin in under a minute.

  Gakkada underwear was comfortable if very miniscule. The clothing that Akath picked out for her was a light silk that was swiftly pinned and tucked into an hourglass shape. Deep purple, vibrant green and dark burgundy were the colours chosen by the seamstress. Akath was an expert at altering existing clothing to fit but even her skills were tested when it came to the swimwear.

  The suit that Teeny finally wore consisted of two long panels of fabric that covered her breasts turning into one as they passed through her thighs and covered her butt before wrapping low around her hips again. Akath was sweating by the time she finished that piece of work, and Teeny was impressed.

  She twisted from side to side, and the suit stayed in place. “Is this traditional as swimwear?”

  Akath chuckled. “For children, yes. A woman swimming alone with a male she is interested in would forego clothing.”

  “I am…I mean…I didn’t…Wow. Is it that obvious?”

  Akath chuckled. “It is for one of us. Pheromones are coming off you in waves. You are a walking invitation to any of our males. I am amazed that one has not tried to take you already.”

  Teeny blushed. “There have been some comments and a bit of interest, but most of the people I have run into have been mated males.”

  “Lucky for you. The hunt may be tradition, but there are no rules on Gakkada about capturing their mates.”

  Teeny sighed. “What exactly is the hunt?”

  “Well, in the old days, captured women would be pampered and massaged, dressed and coifed and then gathered in the grove. As the moons rose, the unmated men would charge out and find a mate whose scent called to them. The women would invariably run, hence the term hunt.”

  “So, the current version…”

  “The women still run. They can’t help themselves. In case you wonder, we run too when the men shift and come after us. The excitement adds a memorable flavour to the event.” Akath winked at her.

  “Here, I thought that locking my door would keep all the men out, that they would respect my boundaries.” She was scowling and her hands turned to fists.

  “They might. They might not. A woman who isn’t willing to take part in the events is rather rare at the resort.”

  “Well, meet one. I don’t care what my body is saying, my mouth is saying no.” She fought the urge to stamp her foot.

  “Very well. We will see how that turns out. Zhomos has never brought a woman from the resort to the village before. That alone will generate interest in you.”

  Teeny groaned and took the new clothing that Akath held out. She changed quickly and had to admit that the dark gown suited her far more than her baggy clothing.

  Akath nipped and tucked the gown along the seams until it was flawless then peeled her out of it. “And that will conclude your vacation wardrobe. Put on the purple for your trip. I think I have a leather vest that we can lace into place for warmth.”

  The vest in question was a rich brown that worked well with the dark purple. It also had the added effect of pulling everything in and outlining her curves.

  Akath ran the gown through her sewing machine and smiled at the changes as they were fixed in place. “There is a pot of tea on the table behind the counter. Help yourself.”

  Teeny smiled politely but inwardly cringed. She enjoyed tea, but the Gakkadan version was rather pungent for her taste. She much preferred the caf that was served at the resort.

  With a polite smile, she poured a cup of tea for herself. “May I pour you a cup?”

  “Please. Thank you. I will be done here in a moment.”

  Teeny poured a second cup and brought it to the seamstress. “Zhomos is your cousin?”

  “Yes, our fathers are brothers. We grew up together.”

  “Is he always so intense?”

  Akath tilted her head, picking up her cup and walking to stand next to Teeny. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean every time he looks at me, I can see that he is watching every move that I make. It is rather unnerving.”

  Akath chuckled. “I can tell you that he does not look at other women that way. Whatever happened to impress you upon his senses, he doesn’t seem inclined to ignore his impulses.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Teeny wasn’t sure.

  “If you are the same woman who rescued Thakasis, then it is a very good thing.”

  “I didn’t rescue her. I extracted her. There is a difference.” She grimaced as she finished her tea, and she returned the cup to the counter next to the set.

  “What is the difference?” Akath raised her eyebrows.

  “I didn’t help her escape. I simply opened all the doors and took her with me. If I had orchestrated an escape, more of those kept would have made it to freedom.”

  That part of her job still bothered her. She had to stop the retrieval at the person she was assigned to. Her methods of transport were always arranged for two and only two.

  She paced restlessly for a moment.

  Akath cocked her head. “You are not what you seem to be at first glance, are you?”

  Teeny shrugged. “It depends on what you think you are seeing.”

  The seamstress chuckled. “Apparently, my eyes are not giving me accurate information.”

  Zhomos came in and inclined his head. “Cousin, where is my visitor?”

  Teeny moved out of the shadows and tried not to blush as his gaze ran over her with almost tactile appreciation. “I am here, Zhomos. Where to next?”

  Akath made them wait while she retrieved the swimsuit and wrapped it in a length of fabric. “Have fun. I will have the rest of the clothing packed up for your trip home, or should I just send it to the resort?”

  Zhomos nodded. “Directly to the resort, please, Akath. Thank you for your help. You know where to send the bill.”

  Teeny froze. “Akath, I will pay for the clothing.”

  Akath grinned. “Are you sure?”

  �
��What methods of payment do you take?”

  “Oh, I will take Alliance credits. Don’t worry about that.” Akath rubbed her hands together with glee.

  Teeny used her seventeen-digit access code and paid for the clothing while Zhomos scowled at her. She chuckled at him. “Don’t worry, Zhomos. You are technically paying for this. Some of this currency was for retrieving Thaka.”

  A smile flirted around the corner of his mouth. “Then proceed, and I will keep my feelings on this matter to myself.”

  Akath and Teeny snorted in unison before bursting into synchronized laughter. Teeny was sure that she had not heard the last of it, and they had the rest of the day for Zhomos to rake her over the coals.

  She was looking forward to defying him at every moment possible, and she had a month to get it right.

  Chapter Six

  She started out with her hands in the same position they had had on the initial flight.

  Zhomos looked back at her and smiled. “Hold tight.”

  He throttled forward, and she was forced to abandon her prim attempt at balance for flattening herself to his spine with her arms tight around him. Teeny counted herself lucky that the engine was silent and didn’t have the rumble of a motorcycle back home. The vibrations were notoriously bad for a lady’s self-control.

  She sighed and watched as they skimmed above the shoreline. They approached a rocky break, and he dropped them down to rest on the far side of it.

  “Welcome to Norcroft Beach.” He turned off the cycle and dismounted.

  She followed him, watching as he opened the storage area of the cycle, and she took the swimsuit as he handed it to her. A large basket came out next, as well as two large towels.

  “You can change into your suit. I won’t peek.” He smiled and winked as he walked down the beach, choosing a site in the shade before he began to shuck his own clothing.

  Teeny blinked as he stripped to the skin and walked casually to the water. He waded in until he was knee deep, and then, he dove forward, a tail flipping where his legs used to be.

  “Well, he’s a man of his word. He isn’t peeking.”