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  Pleska leaned forward. “Is it true that you froze a chunk of the tarmac?”

  Rox sipped at her rapidly cooling drink. “Probably. I was in a sealed capsule at the time.”

  “Your talent worked through it?”

  “Because of it. On the moon base, I found that I have been working against my talent my entire life. Instead of trying to insulate my body to preserve what little heat I had, I needed to expose as much of my skin as possible so that I could absorb heat from passive sources like the sun and the ground beneath me. Even rocks that have been heated in daylight give off warmth for a while. The tighter I seal myself, the more aggressive the cold becomes.”

  “Do you feel up to a demonstration?” Uadon asked calmly.

  Rox grinned and flicked her cup upward, sending her caf toward the ceiling. She pulled the heat out of it on the way up and caught the icicle with her hand. “Ta-da.”

  Skorin, Uadon and Pleska applauded, and she bit the ice and started to crunch her caf.

  Devnin whispered in her ear. “Put it back in the cup.”

  She placed the icicle back in the cup and it melted and steamed in a moment. She smiled brightly. No one had ever heated anything up for her before. “Thank you.”

  Having a hot cup of caf in her hand made her blush. She sipped it and looked at him shyly. “Thank you again.”

  She smiled and settled back on the couch, cradling the cup that did not seem to cool. It was such a small thing but it meant so much.

  A low whine announced a new arrival. Skorin’s shoulders shifted with relief as the small, encapsulated vehicle came to rest on the tarmac.

  The woman who opened the dome and stepped out was very obviously human. Skorin rose to his feet and headed outside to meet his wife.

  Uadon lifted Pleska’s hand to his lips. “He goes out to meet her every day. Our dear leader is not suited to sit at home and wait, so I think it makes him a little less carefree on our assignments. If he comes home with an injury, she gives him hell. We have the benefit of going out together and going home together. It is a joy that I am certain you and Devnin will share.”

  Pleska leaned forward conspiratorially. “It isn’t that great some days, but that is when I go for a walk or offer to take Rowen shopping. If I offer to take Devnin or Skorin shopping, you will know I have had a really bad day.”

  Uadon rolled his eyes and sighed.

  Skorin returned with one arm around his wife and made the introductions. “Lady Rowen Nakkua, this is Lady Roxelena Niil, the newest Guardian of Irudan.”

  Rox got to her feet and Rowen came toward her for a hug. She was wearing a smart and glittering bodysuit with a series of gardening tools on a belt around her waist. Her golden skin and long brown hair was a giveaway that Rowen wasn’t local.

  Using the training she had worked so hard to master, Rox didn’t take Rowen’s body heat for her own during the hug.

  “Welcome to the base. Are you really Terran?” Rowen looked her over from head to toe.

  “I am. I am just a little paler than the average human. The eyes went when the talent came in.” She smiled. “How long have you been here?”

  “Four months. I am just getting my nerve up to get my Nakkua tattoo done. I was hoping that it might be a good time this weekend, but it seems Devnin will be busy.” Rowen gave him a knowing look.

  Devnin held up his hands. “Despite my marriage, nothing of my behaviour within the base has changed. I will still put the ink on you. It has been waiting a week.”

  Rox sighed. “What kind of tattoos are we talking about?”

  Devnin turned his back to her and pulled his shirt up. The elaborate twists and turns that marked the silver on her wrist were picked out in black ink on his entire back. She reached out and touched the marks, pulling her hand back when he shivered.

  “Sorry.”

  He turned, and she blinked when she realised that the cool of her touch was not the problem, it was the touch itself that was the issue. Apparently, contact had the capability of spiralling rapidly out of control.

  He slowly lowered his shirt and tucked it back into place.

  Rox didn’t know where to look. Four other pairs of eyes were staring at her and everything was silent.

  Rowen finally spoke, “So, who is making dinner today?”

  Skorin raised his hand.

  She elbowed him. “Then, you had better get to it.”

  Rox enjoyed the distraction and the group turned to watch as Skorin entered the kitchen and tendrils of darkness lifted from around him, moving objects and retrieving ingredients.

  Devnin spoke softly, “We could use the food dispenser and we do when we have an assignment or come home exhausted, but when there is quiet, we take turns cooking.”

  She chuckled. “I have never been good with cooking. I can’t keep the heat on.”

  “Then, you will have to find some other means of executing your turn.”

  “I might need your help when it comes to that.”

  “I will stand by to assist you.” He winked again and rubbed her arm through her robe.

  Skorin’s efforts were fascinating to watch. When a chime shimmered through the room, everyone’s head went up.

  Devnin headed to the com room that he had pointed out to her earlier, and he smiled when he returned. “Roxelena, you are with me. We have to take care of another fire, and I believe your assistance will speed the ratification immediately.”

  She got to her feet and removed her cloak. “Ready when you are.”

  He paused and swallowed heavily. “Right. I will be back as soon as I can wedge myself into my suit.”

  Everyone in the room laughed, but Rowen was staring. “That is quite the outfit.”

  “The less I wear, the less cold those around me feel. It might be hard to deal with at first, but this is what I am stuck with. Oh. Right. The trident.”

  She darted to her quarters and grabbed the trident while tossing her robe to the bed. She checked the mirror and admired the thigh-high boots, her miniscule bikini bottom with the side coverings that almost made it to the top of said boots.

  Small, decorative panels were on the bottom of her supportive breast wrap, and strips of the thermal fabric ran horizontally to cover what had to be covered. Her shoulders were wrapped in a collar that extended on both sides to cover her upper arms.

  With the trident in her hand, she was definitely an impressive and nearly naked figure. When she activated the trident, those around had better bundle up.

  Chapter Five

  Fitted with an ear and collar com, she hung onto Fire Fall and listened to her first mission briefing.

  “The research station we are going to is working on an experimental high-yield, oil-heavy grain. It is far too combustible to be near a flame or spark, but their vehicle is lacking in regular maintenance. It sparked this morning before I was called to the spaceport. Apparently, it just did it again.”

  She held on with her left hand this time, her right was working on the trident to find the correct grip.

  “Do you want to try or should I draw off the flames first?”

  Rox blinked. “I suppose I can give it a whirl.”

  She regretted those words when she saw the five acres of flames spreading rapidly. He put them down nearby and dismounted as she did.

  Rox walked toward the flames and the spines of her trident separated and started to spin. She extended her arm and pulled in the heat.

  The sheer expanse of the flames fought her, but when she opened her mind and let the cold have its way, the fire dimmed and flickered, going out in a spreading wave.

  The whirring of her weapon of focus slowed as she brought the field down to just above freezing.

  Her wristbands and the links around her boots helped her to absorb the heat in a more efficient manner than her body could normally manage. When the fire was deprived of its ignition source, it simply died.

  “Well done, Roxele
na.”

  “Rox, please.” She wrinkled her nose.

  “That won’t do. Lady, then.” He removed his helmet and turned her to face him. “Could you bear being called Lady?”

  She looked into his eyes, and there was heat flaring there. She leaned up and kissed him, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck.

  Heat flowed between them, and her normally cool abdomen warmed and she felt her blood running through her veins.

  He parted his lips and fed the ice inside her. A light nearby broke the kiss.

  Rox moved out of his embrace and lowered her trident.

  “It is just the local press, Lady. They always enjoy an image of the new Guardians.” He put his left arm around her waist and held her against him.

  She thought he was being protective, but when she felt the erection, she realised it was for his own sense of decorum.

  The light approached, and an interviewer with a vid camera and a crew came toward her.

  “Fire Fall! Is this the new Guardian who had the spaceport in a riot?”

  He snorted, “There was hardly a riot, Dionic. Her transport was mishandled and things got a little carried away.”

  The elegant woman sneered, “I hear that her pilot is still in the infirmary.”

  Fire Fall snorted. “It served him right. He had his directions, and he chose to act for his own comfort instead of that of his cargo. The recording indicates he sealed her in against instructions.”

  Rox bit her lip. She hadn’t realised that the pilot was that unwell.

  “What is your name, Guardian?”

  She frowned and then shrugged. “Lady.”

  She heard the cough at her side.

  Fire Fall agreed. “Her designation is Lady.”

  “Lady, why is your clothing so minimal?”

  Smiling, Rox extended her trident and summoned the humidity in the plants to form a tower of ice on which a globe sat.

  “I am naturally cold, so I am wearing as little as possible to keep myself warm.”

  The vid recorder swung from her structure back to her.

  Dionic suddenly seemed to realise something. “Fire Fall, congratulations on your marriage.”

  Rox returned her trident to the upright position.

  “Thank you. It is a relief not to wear the helmet at all times.”

  “How does your family feel about your wedding one of the new aliens?”

  Rox realised that she was in the middle of a conversation that had nothing to do with her.

  “I do not know, nor do I truly concern myself with their opinion. I serve Irudan, Lady serves Irudan, and as fire and ice, we are an excellent match.” He threaded his left hand through Rox’s and lifted it to his lips. He burst into flame and her body absorbed it.

  Dionic flinched back. “Right. That is enough. We have what we need.”

  Her vid handler turned off the light and the flames of Fire Fall were all that was visible.

  “Make sure you keep to the facts, Dionic. You skate a little too close to scandal.”

  She paused and nodded before she turned around to walk with her crewmember in the direction they had come from.

  Rox turned and asked. “Where are they going?”

  “Underground transport. Irudan’s public transport system is completely underground with the exception of the licenses issued to a few, including the Guardians.”

  “Right. Well, this has been an eventful first day.” She smiled and looked up at him. “Shall we return to the base?”

  “I believe so. Skorin should have finished dinner by now, we will be lucky if there is anything left over.” He waved toward the flier. “After you.”

  She settled on the rear seat and wrapped her arm around him when he settled. He used the com on his suit and reported their completion of the mission.

  Rox plastered her thighs against his and pressed her breasts against his back as they lifted off. She idly ran the fingers of her left hand over his abdomen, counting the ridges as the muscles tightened and then moving up and starting again.

  He was vibrating with tension when they landed at the base. She scampered off the flier before he could turn and berate her for her teasing. “I am rather peckish, how about you?”

  He snarled and lunged for her. She blasted him with cold but he kept coming.

  She squealed then mumbled and pounded her hands against his chest while he kissed her ravenously.

  Heat poured into her, and she gave up her pretense of disagreeing with the consequences of over an hour’s worth of teasing. Her touch hadn’t chilled him; in fact, it had fired him up. It was a first for her.

  Skorin cleared his throat. “We have kept plates warm for you, if you don’t mind.”

  Devnin raised his head and snarled at Skorin. “Do I interrupt you when you are with Rowen?”

  Rowen piped up. “Twice last week.”

  Rox pulled back and pressed her fingers to her lips. “I think a little distraction might be in order. I haven’t eaten since I was on the moon base, so I am overdue.”

  That snapped him into motion. “He didn’t feed you on the ship?”

  “He didn’t have to. I went into cold sleep, well my version of cold sleep. I don’t need to eat when I have gone dormant.” She let herself be bustled into the base and settled in the dining room.

  Rowen carefully removed the trident and said, “I will put it in your room.”

  “Thanks.” Rox sat with her hands folded in her lap.

  When Rowen returned, she slid a tablet in front of her. “You made the news. You are really impressive in action.”

  Rox didn’t reply; she activated the tablet and selected the Irudan nightly news. “Holy crap!”

  Before they had turned on the light, the fire had illuminated the area and Rox had glowed in the darkness as she quelled the flames.

  Her hair glowed white around her and floated up and out in a halo as she called on the heat to leave the plant life.

  She watched Fire Fall behind her, with his arms crossed over his chest and feet spread apart. He was ready for action, but it was not necessary, she cooled the flames and left the remainder of the plants resting quietly.

  Her light faded and the spotlight flicked on and approached the couple in the heated clinch.

  The rest of the interview she remembered vividly.

  Devnin slid a plate in front of her and held his hand over it for a moment. “If it cools, I will heat it again.”

  She nodded and started eating, drinking from the cup of water that Rowen brought to her. Without her asking for it, Devnin warmed her food three times during the meal.

  Having a hot meal inside her gave her a peculiar satisfaction. She remembered the first time her meal went cold and the confusion it had engendered. Her parents had just died within months of each other and it was her first birthday without a cake or candles.

  Julian had no clue what to do with an eight year old. Her aunt and uncle were beginning to deal with having the two Barinova children with them and her birthday had slipped their minds. They had hidden the emergence of her chill with sweaters and increased heat in the house. The doctors could not determine the abnormally low body temperature, and she had simply gotten used to it.

  School was tedious and friends were sparse. Dating was even worse. Being an ice queen in high school was even worse when there was actual ice involved.

  She finished her meal and brought the empty plate into the kitchen. Rox put her dish in the washer and the odd eating prongs went in the cutlery section.

  She returned to the table and sat to watch the final observations of Dionic.

  “With this new and very different Guardian in our midst, are we safer or at the whim of a lady who is cold to the bone. I hope Fire Fall’s family is pleased with the match, because our man of fire has found his lady of ice. This is Dionic Niil, signing off.”

  Rox opened her mouth, and Devnin closed it with a gentle finger.r />
  “Dionic is my sister. My family is not happy with my talent and even less impressed with my choice of occupation.”

  Rox grappled with that for a moment. “It does explain her fascination with my clothing choice.”

  She covered her mouth for a yawn. “You would think that after sleeping for days I would be better rested.”

  “You did extinguish five acres of flame. That has to make you a little sleepy.”

  She chuckled. “Probably. Is there something else I need to do tonight?”

  Devnin smiled. “No. Make yourself comfortable in your quarters, and if you need anything, I am just next door.”

  She got to her feet, kissed him on the cheek and made her way to her rooms. The door didn’t lock but that wasn’t an issue, she could freeze it shut if she had to.

  Rox engaged in the laborious process of removing her clothing and then she crawled onto the bed. Her trident was nearby and she moved it so it would be next to her while she slept.

  It had been a very eventful first day. She could hardly wait to see what the next would bring.

  Chapter Six

  Rox woke with ice in her veins. She went to the shower and set it for solar, absorbing as much heat as it would give her. It wasn’t enough.

  She bit her lip at the options and left the lav, heading for the connecting door before she could change her mind.

  Rox swung the door open as quietly as she could and looked for Devnin in the predawn dimness.

  She caught the gleam of his shoulder on the bed and moved toward him, her body reaching out to capture the heat coming from his skin.

  Rox whispered, “Devnin?”

  He grunted and rolled over.

  “Devnin.” She reached out and stroked his cheek.

  He reached up and caught her wrist. “Lady, is something wrong?”

  She smiled and laughed helplessly. “I am cold.”

  He rolled to one side and invited her into his bed. She hesitated for a moment and then gave in to temptation. Rox lay next to him and let her body pull heat from his.

  He rested his hand on her hip and eased her into full contact with him.