Guarding Forever Read online

  “Perhaps not.” Thanloss smiled down at her.

  He held her tight against him and twirled her around. “Are you ready to try this in public?”

  “You promise not to drop me?” She twisted her lips with indecision.

  “I promise.” He grinned.

  She released his hand, and he slowly stepped away from her. Once again, he offered her his arm, and he escorted her back to the party.

  The music was louder, the dance floor was thick with dancers, but General Thanloss held her politely and steered her through the confusion.

  The motion of his body moving against hers became the focus of the dance. She waited for the next brush of heat against her and held her breath when it came.

  They danced for hours, until the crowd dwindled and it was time to go.

  He stepped away from her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You look exhausted. You should go.”

  She smiled. “Thank you for a very enjoyable evening. I wish you luck and joy for the future. You and your people are helping us usher in a golden age.”

  Ohra went up on her toes and took her first proper kiss in front of all those remaining at the celebration.

  She collected her clutch from the table and waved farewell to the bemused general.

  At the front gate, she looked around and lifted her private com. She called for a car, but it would be forty-five minutes before it could arrive. She was going to have to wait in the evening air.

  She explained her loitering to the guards nearby and took up a watching position outside the main pathway so she could watch the Edinar and the politicians picked up by car after car.

  The low stone wall let her kick her feet as she watched, and it was only when she felt a gaze on her that she turned her head to look up at General Thanloss on the decking above her. With a smooth move, he leapt over the railing and landed on the stone in front of her. “I thought you had left.”

  “I am waiting for my car.”

  He blinked. “Didn’t they make arrangements for you?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I am aware of. I got an invitation and was told to show up. That was all. At least with most people gone, I won’t have to hike down the hill.”

  He raised his hand and a sleek black vehicle pulled up. “Cancel your car. I will take you home.”

  She pinked in embarrassment. “It is fine. It will all be fine.”

  “Yes, it will, now cancel that car.” He offered her his arm.

  She lifted her com, and against her better judgement, she cancelled the car.

  Ohra hopped off the stone wall and wrapped her fingers around the arm he held out to her. He walked her to his car and settled her in before closing the door.

  Thanloss slid in on the opposite side and closed the door. “Where are we taking you?”

  “Three-seventy-eight Dohl Street.”

  He relayed the order to the driver who merely raised a brow at the address.

  Ohra sank back into the plush cushions. “It isn’t the best area of town, but it is cheap, and it means I can continue my education beyond what the monitor fee gained me.”

  “There is no reason to explain. I was raised in a poor area, and it shaped me into what I consider to be good and proper. I try to judge people by their actions and not their income bracket.” He patted her hand.

  “How have you judged me?”

  The words hung between them, and he reached out to touch her jaw with two fingers, turning her head so that her gaze me this. “I do not have the right to judge you. I see you. Every inch of your soul glows brighter than the stars above us.”

  His eyes said that he was speaking the truth. When he leaned in to kiss her, she returned the kiss with an enthusiasm and skill she didn’t know she had.

  He pulled her into his lap and slid a hand into her hair, kissing her wildly while they drove into her neighbourhood.

  The driver cleared his throat. “Excuse me, but we are here.”

  Ohra jerked back and fought her skirts as she tried to get out of the car.

  General Thanloss held her and whispered, “Calm down. We did nothing more than kiss.”

  She blinked frantically and bit her lip. “I really think I should go now.”

  He sighed and opened his door, walking around to open the door on the sidewalk side of the vehicle. He extended his hand, and she used it to help her get out and untangle the twist she had made of her skirts. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. I will see you to your door.”

  She shook her head. “That is not necessary. I am on the top floor and there is no lift. You have had a long night as well. At least I get to pass out when I finish my climb.”

  He scowled and looked around, seeing the shabby nature of their location. “Why are you here?”

  “It is inexpensive and the transit takes me to my classes with only an hour’s transfer time.” She tried to move past him, but he shifted to block her.

  “May I call on you again?”

  Ohra looked up at his sincere features. “Why would you want to?”

  While he stood shocked, she slipped around him and scuttled through the doors of her apartment and up the stairs.

  * * * *

  Forin watched her run from him, her pale blue skirts fluttering as she moved. The way she had moved when she didn’t want to speak to him anymore confirmed it. She was his monitor.

  He returned to the car and said, “Home, Niric.”

  “Yes, General.”

  Their insistence on referring to him by his rank even though he had no army or air force to follow him never failed to amuse.

  Ohra Ianic was his monitor. He could remember the feel of a woman in his arms; her kiss was sweet and had the same curiosity that his instincts remembered. Instinct had driven him and several of the other Edinar to seek out their monitors.

  Whether the Horalthians knew it or not, they had managed to match most of the Edinar with members of their species that were mentally compatible, and in many cases, they were physically compatible as well. Those were the monitors that the ball had been meant for, to bring them out where they could be seen and recognized again.

  Niric drove him back toward the observatory and the house that had been constructed on the bright side of the mountain.

  When they arrived, Forin nodded to his driver and headed inside. He had research to do. Ohra didn’t seem the type to come running just because he crooked his finger. He needed to learn what he could about her life.

  Two hours later, he rubbed his face and forehead. It was amazing that Ohra had made it to adulthood with her mind intact.

  Born and abandoned, she had been raised in a series of public homes, which had noted her health and very little else. She had gone through so many hands as a child; it was no wonder that she had no interest in affection. She didn’t know what it was.

  Her studies were indeed progressing rapidly. She had qualified and done a twenty-eight day practicum as a medic in a hospital. Now, she was specialising in the skills required to work on the awakening project. She had even filed a treatment design that included a rotation of monitors to keep them from experiencing physical breakdown.

  Apparently, there were those amongst the monitor trainees who could be used for short terms, but they could go on frequent rotation with almost no time in between.

  Forin scowled. How was he to make an excuse to see her when there was no logical reason to?

  This was going to require strategy.

  * * * *

  Ohra walked back to her apartment with her weekly shopping. She had a full night of studies ahead of her, and she needed the supplies.

  A long black vehicle was parked at the curb near her apartment. General Thanloss emerged and inclined his head. “May I help you with those parcels?”

  Seeing the sense of it, she extended her load to him. “Thank you. Are you sure you are up for this?”

  Thanloss nodded. “I am. My last year has been spent regaining full use of my body.”
r />   She led the way up the stairs, trying not to think about making full use of his body. The memory of him pressed against her while they danced had made itself known at inopportune moments for the last ten days.

  Ohra trotted up the stairs, and when she arrived on her floor, a little winded, she had to admit that he was in good shape. He was right behind her with her forty pounds of food and beverages.

  She walked down the hall and opened her small apartment. Blushing with embarrassment, she flattened herself against the wall so he could get past her.

  Her rooms were tidy, and she didn’t have to worry about any dishes left out. Her home was just far smaller than she had wished. He seemed to take up all the available air in the room.

  He set her groceries on the counter and began to unbag them.

  “What are you doing, General?”

  “I have unpacked food before, Ms. Ianic.”

  “Call me Ohra.”

  “Then you must call me Forin.”

  Her heart thudded in her chest at the mention of his name. “Forin?”

  “That is my name.”

  “I had a dream about a man named Forin.”

  He pulled out a pack of apples and set them aside. “Was it a good dream?”

  She scowled at the memory. “I was playing chess and getting my butt kicked.”

  Forin laughed. “I recall you putting up quite a fight in my dream.”

  She blinked. “You had the same dream?”

  “There is one way to find out. Let’s play chess.” His expression was a cheerful grin of challenge.

  She bit her lip. “I don’t have one. A chessboard, I mean.”

  “I do. Would you accompany me to my home?”

  She swallowed, “Like a date?”

  “Precisely like a date. We can put your food away and be on our way in moments.”

  She looked to her desk. “I have to study.”

  “You are ahead of your class and you can bring your study gear with you. My home is in the mountains and our chess game could run long, so you should pack an overnight bag.”

  “For a first date?”

  “It is rather unorthodox, I know, but I would really like you to see my home.”

  Ohra put the perishables in the cooler and the boxes in the cupboard. She eyed the prefab snacks with a hungry eye and put them away.

  “Fine; five minutes and we can go.”

  She went to her room and packed a small bag with overnight necessities. In the living room, she packed up her tablets and her study hologram unit.

  “Ready to go.”

  He took her bag from her and bent to give her a quick kiss. “Good.”

  She was staring after him, her lips tingling, when she realised he was leaving without her. “Hey!”

  His laughter floated up from the hall, and she scurried after him.

  The house in the mountains was big, and she couldn’t believe that it had been built in under a year.

  “How did they manage all this?”

  “One of your presidents had it made centuries ago. I commandeered it and had it refurbished.”

  If a president had made it, it had been centuries.

  The driver stopped in front of a huge door. It was a really impressive door. Ohra focused on it as she left the car and walked toward it with a sense of familiarity.

  It was impossible to say why she thought she knew the place, but as Forin escorted her inside, the familiarity became more and more certain.

  He carried her bag and led her to a guestroom on the second floor. He set her bag down on the chest at the foot of the bed and offered her his arm.

  “I thought we might have a meal before we begin the chess match.”

  “That would be nice.” After a full day of school and then running errands, she was exhausted and ready for some food.

  The staircase led them back down to the main floor, and the scent of food wafted throughout the house.

  A woman in a starched gown was bustling about with platters of food. “I am putting them in the study as you ordered, General.”

  “Thank you, Jinloa.”

  “Is this your young miss?”

  Forin paused for the introductions. “Ohra Ianic, this is Jinloa Hekuar. Jinloa is my housekeeper, and she wrangles the cleaning bots.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Jinloa.”

  “And you as well, Miss Ianic.”

  “Call me Ohra.”

  With the sweetest smile and a wink, Jinloa said, “No.”

  Forin laughed.

  Ohra looked at him with consternation.

  “Don’t worry, Ohra. She won’t call me by name either.”

  They entered the drawing room and a wide table was set with a variety of dishes. Jinloa set the last platter in place. The foods on the table were dazzling in their scope, and she felt something familiar inside her.

  When she looked around and saw the wooden panels on the walls, she took a seat at the dining table with a thud. She closed her eyes and images began to flash in her thoughts. Days with Forin across six months of time.

  When she got to the kissing that had taken so much of their time, her cheeks caught fire.

  She heard his wry voice, “And there it is.”

  He knelt beside her. “I was hoping that this would remind you. I had them construct the interior to match my memory. Jinloa offered to make everything in my memory from my favourite restaurant.”

  She laughed, “It was the pasta dish that started the memory, the chessboard kept it flowing and the wood panels finished me off.”

  Ohra put her hands on either side of his face, and she kissed him with a well-practiced mind and inexperienced lips.

  He smiled against her mouth and wrapped his arms around her. When she broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to her chest and sighed happily.

  “To think that I had to cross centuries frozen and deadly in order to find the woman for me.”

  She kissed the top of his head. “Who died twice in the process.”

  He laughed and lifted his head to kiss her again. “And who came back for me.”

  “I did. But, this food is driving me mad. Can we eat before we pledge eternal love?”

  He laughed again and kissed her quickly before he stood up. “I can’t pass up a chance at that pledge with you fainting before it happens.”

  Forin sat next to her and explained what many of the dishes were. Some were familiar, some were not and all were very tasty.

  They made a dent in most of the food, and Ohra could not remember her belly being so full.

  When they were done, Forin suggested a walk outside. It took a little bit of leverage to get out of the chair, but she managed to stand beside him without looking like she was out of breath.

  The rest of his home was just as lovely as the study, and under the arching double staircase were two large doors.

  He opened the doors with a flourish. “You are going to enjoy this. The weather is perfect.”

  A wide stone patio stretched into the distance, marked at the far edge by a low balcony rail. Above them, the stars gleamed and twinkled.

  “Come this way.” He tugged her along and to the railing.

  She stood and was amazed at the vista stretching beneath her. The river was clouding over with fog and it was coiling toward them.

  “It is just like in your mind.” She smiled, and he came up behind her, wrapping his arms tight around her.

  “It is, though we are both wearing quite a bit more clothing.” He whispered it into her ear.

  “Not really. This body suit comes off pretty easily.” She watched the stars and felt the cool caress of the fog as it roiled up and coated the balcony.

  “Is that an invitation, my dearest heart? Love of my mind, partner to my soul.” He rocked her slightly as they watched the moonrise and cast its light over them.

  “Flatterer.”

  “Nothing but truth. I can sense it in others as much as I did in my mind. That is the reason that the Edinar ar
e being put into your government’s service. We can see what your people cannot.”

  She turned in his arms. “What do you see when you look at me, Forin?”

  He looked down at her, and there was wonder in his face. “I see forever, Ohra. Everything and forever.”

  She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Good enough for me.”

  * * * *

  Across the valley, two other monitors were dealing with meeting the men they had linked with in a months-long procedure…but those are other stories.

  Author’s Note

  The next two stories will be told in Huntsman and Virtual Snow. Wherein our intrepid monitors venture into the minds of more wild and wicked Edinar.

  Hope to see you there.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

  http://www.violagrace.com

  About the Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.

  Table of Contents

  Guarding Forever

  Author’s Note

  About the Author