Mage's Choice (Stand Alone Tales Book 15) Read online

  She had lost track of how many times they had come together in different mixes. Kel could use Nen’s body when his was too much for her, and her skin was humming with anticipation every minute that she was with him, waiting for the next touch.

  He sighed and stroked her back, curving his hand around her hip before caressing the back of her thigh. “We are down to the last six hours. Don’t worry, I have what I need.”

  She shivered when he lifted her leg and draped it over his hip, sliding into her. She arched back, her belly touched his, and he leaned in to kiss her softly and rocked his hips into her in a rolling thrust. He caught every gasp and murmuring cry as they moved together, and when she moaned long and loud against his lips, he caught it and stilled until her body stopped clutching him, and he started again.

  When he cuddled her against him, she was a raw, throbbing nerve, and her body shuddered at the slightest touch. She whispered hoarsely, “If you have what you need, why did you continue?”

  He kissed her softly. “Because you are here.”

  Nen came in with a tray, and he smiled. “You need to eat.”

  She tried to sit up, but she was limp. Kel helped her sit up and folded his wing into a backrest for her. “Oh, is it eating time again?”

  Nen glanced at Kel. “This is his recipe.”

  She nodded and washed her hands before she picked up something pretty and cute with a shaking hand. It looked a bit like a marshmallow, but it was flavoured like ham.

  Kel reached past her and picked one up, holding it to her lips. He brushed her hair away from her neck and pressed a kiss to it while she ate from his hand.

  She shivered at the bright tingle against her skin but ignored the surge of energy that came out of her. That was something she was used to by now. It didn’t even stick to emerging from her mouth or sex; magic was just pouring out of her skin.

  Kel licked the back of her neck again, and she felt a weird pressure against her spine. He sat up and continued to feed her with Nen’s help.

  It was a cozy little picnic, and she was exhausted. When she had taken the edge off her hunger, she asked, “So, what happens now?”

  Kel chuckled. “I go out and destroy the three asteroids, and then, we send you home.”

  She sighed. “Right. That. Okay.”

  She carefully bent her legs and wrapped her arms around them. She sighed and put her forehead down on her knees.

  Kel sighed. “I am sorry I have worn you out.”

  She mumbled, “Don’t worry, you didn’t do it alone.”

  Nen chuckled. “I would like to apologize, but I regret nothing.”

  She looked up from her knees and glared at Nen. “Thanks for that, warlock.”

  He grinned. “Well, I was a mage, but I suppose it is accurate now. I use a source that is readily available.”

  Kel chuckle, and Krys was so happy that she could give them a subject to bond over. Idiots.

  She reached out and took two more of the bits of food and stuffed them into her mouth. She glanced at Kel. “When do you have to go?”

  He kissed her and licked her lower lip. “When you get off my wing.”

  She blushed and slowly rolled forward until he was clear. He got to his feet and pulled her upright. She groaned as muscles and tendons protested, but she ended pressed up against him. He kissed her again. “I have truly enjoyed our meeting, Krys of Earth.”

  She frowned. “I am not going to see you when you return?”

  He chuckled. “You might, but I am not going to be in any condition to say my goodbyes. Nen will take care of you from here on out.”

  She nodded and slid her hands up his chest to grip his neck and pull him down for her goodbye kiss. She tangled tongues with him until she was breathing heavily and his hands were gripping her hips. “Right. Well. Think of me fondly.”

  Fire spilled out of his eyes, and he looked to Nen, who nodded. “I have her, protector.”

  Kel walked to the window, and he launched upward, becoming engulfed in white fire and transforming into a drake as he headed out into space.

  She walked to the edge of the huge casement and stared up as he flew off, wreathed in flames.

  Nen put his hands on her shoulders, and he walked her back to the bathing chamber. “If you are worried, he will be fine.”

  She chuckled. “I am not worried, I guess... I dunno. You get used to the reality you have to live. I have been living this for only a few days, but now that it stops, I will have to reset myself.”

  She stepped into the water, and he stepped in behind her, tugging her to the seats on the sides and then pulling her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and just sat there with her settled against him.

  “Kel, shouldn’t you be keeping your eye on what you are doing?”

  He chuckled and licked her ear. “How can you tell it is me?”

  “You cuddle more; Nen’s a toucher.” She leaned back, and he kissed her shoulder. “That was Nen.”

  The hand started moving, but she could still feel the difference. She turned in his arms and saw the telltale white-hot gaze. “I thought you were flying off.”

  “I am. I am fifteen minutes from my first attack point. I thought I would have some time to spend with you before you were sent home.”

  Nen was stroking his hands over her back, and that was surprisingly his own technique. She shivered and stared. “Are you both in there at the same time?”

  Kel nodded. “We are attempting to strike a balance.”

  “Why?”

  Nen’s eyes focused on her. “We have a plan.”

  “A plan?”

  “Yes. You are fascinating, and it is a pity that these are your last moments here.” He slid his hand under her hair and cupped her skull as he kissed her slowly.

  When he backed away, she asked, “That sounds like I am not going to make it out of here.”

  “You shall return to your own people. I promise. We just need to make sure that Kel does not require your assistance again before you go.”

  She nodded. “Right. So, fifteen minutes until he hits the first rock.”

  Nen inclined his head. “The rocks are half the size of this world. He has to shatter it precisely, or this planet will be torn to pieces. Then, he has to do it twice more.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder and exhaled slowly. Aside from a half-dozen breaks, this was the longest she had gone without someone having sex with her for a few days. It was a miracle that she wasn’t chafed, but the energy seemed to have taken care of her as it settled into her bloodstream.

  His hand on her hip was nice, and the warm water was relaxing. She dozed against him, and when he stood up and walked with her to the window, he conjured a telescope and directed it at the spot she needed to be watching. She peeked and saw the white-hot ball of fire that was Kel approaching the object. There was a stream of light, and the huge tumbling mass separated and took out the asteroids next to them in what she could only imagine as a seven-ten split.

  He blasted the asteroid on the left and then circled to do the same to the one on the right.

  Kel’s mannerisms took over. “That was easier than anticipated. You did very well, Krys.”

  She stood and looked at him. “You are very smug about something.”

  He chuckled. “I never have energy left over. This is a first. It means that I can pursue other hobbies instead of letting myself turn to stone in the chair.”

  “Um, like what?”

  He wrapped his arms around her as she stared at the falling star that the drake had become.

  “I don’t know. I thought I might travel.” He licked her ear, and she shivered.

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “What do you do in your home?”

  “Haven’t we been over this? I am an accountant. I work with numbers. I have worked with them for the last five years.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, you did mention that. What is
the name of the owner of your company?”

  “Mr. Danforth. Why? Are you going to write me a review?” She snickered.

  “No, I am just very interested in your life. I haven’t met a woman like you before, and I have been looking.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “It is a shame to let you get away.”

  She shivered, and this time, it was from the cold coming through the window. “Right, but that was the agreement. I give everything for three days, and then, I get sent home.”

  “You could be a princess here.” He whispered it in her ear.

  “And I could actually enjoy my days at home. I like it there. I know where I stand; I am good at my job.”

  “You don’t have a mate.”

  “So, it isn’t perfect, but here, I would trade everything else for a man or two, and that is not a healthy balance.”

  “Even if we could provide for you?”

  “Especially if you could. It would undermine everything I have worked for, everything that has gone into making me, me.” She sighed. “I was able to deal with this situation because I have to deal with shocks, mysteries, and surprises all day, every day. I have enjoyed many elements of our time together, but part of that is knowing that the time was finite. I didn’t have to consider altering my lifestyle to suit this situation because I knew that it wouldn’t continue. It was the first promise that I got, and I trusted that it would be upheld.”

  He nibbled at her ear. “It will be. I just had to make sure that this place was not suitable for you.”

  She looked at him. “I will miss you and think of you often.”

  He smiled, and his eyes glowed. “I am sure you will, now, dearest Krys, go home.”

  She was wrapped in energy, and her body was wrenched from his arms.

  Everything went black, and she was standing in her shower, her hands braced against the wall, and the water was tepid. She looked up into the spray, and tears started to fall. She was home.

  Chapter Five

  After recovering over the weekend, she was still a little delicate when she went into work on Monday. The stack of folders on her desk was the same as always, and she went to work running audits for a variety of companies.

  The bells that were tied on her wrists and ankles still didn’t make a sound, but she couldn’t take them off. It seemed she was going to be wearing the traces of her adventure for a very long time.

  A few of the accounting clerks came in with detailed breakdowns, and Krys went over them one at a time. Maven came in with an armload of files and muttered as she dropped them off, “Paperless society my ass.”

  Krys chuckled at the comment, and it helped her get back into her normal headspace. “The papercuts are all part of the job.”

  “Badges of honour.” Maven waved and headed back to her desk.

  Krys grinned and returned to her work. Numbers were simple. Numbers didn’t play games or make her laugh, and they certainly didn’t hold her or distract her.

  She paused when she left her office at the end of the day. This was her life, and she had to get used to finding the fun in it again.

  Four weeks after she returned home, she took a personal day. Going to the doctor wasn’t what she would normally do, but something wasn’t quite right.

  One hour after she left the medical office, she had more math to do. Forty weeks minus four weeks left thirty-six weeks until the average delivery date of the child she was carrying. If it survived the pregnancy. Even in a healthy woman, there was always the chance that her body was not going to keep whatever she had gotten from whichever one of them had gotten her pregnant.

  If Nen was the father, she could pass off the height and strength as genetics. If Kel was the father, that was going to require some explaining or home birth in the country somewhere. She would also need airspace.

  She sat in her car and pressed her forehead to the steering wheel. She had options. It was early days. She didn’t have to keep it. Krys sat up as she had that thought. Of course, she was going to keep it if she could. There were a lot of ifs, and she was really hoping that Nen’s body was the father.

  Krys headed home and cleared out all the alcohol from her place; it wasn’t much, but she needed to make sure that she did everything she could to do this right.

  She placed a grocery order to stock her shelves with high-fiber snacks, fruits, and vegetables and new canisters for her water system. She kept herself busy all day, and then, she went to her computer and created spending plans from medical to food to clothing that she would need during the pregnancy. If she could work the numbers, she could get a sense of control over a very out-of-control thing.

  She worked late into the night, but she thought she had covered all the bases. When she was finished, she sent it to her work mail so she could work on it during breaks. Krys drank a glass of water and went to bed, wondering if one cup of coffee per day was okay. The experts were conflicted about that matter. A new study cropped up every day. This was a confusing time to be alive, there was literally too much information and not enough time to sort it all.

  She slept, asking a thousand questions when she just wanted to know if the teleport that she had experienced was going to have an impact on her child. It wasn’t like she had someone she could ask.

  Krys was halfway through a bankruptcy audit when she got an email. Please report to the CEO’s office as soon as your schedule allows. Seventh floor.

  She looked again, and there was no reference to accounts or files, so she locked her computer and got to her feet. In all her years at the company, she had never been to the seventh floor. She had rarely gotten above the fifth floor. The sixth floor was full of boardrooms for meetings with clients. Krys’s job kicked in after the clients had been landed.

  She straightened her clothing and headed to the elevator. Once inside, she scanned her ID and pressed seven. It felt weird, but the elevator began to rise.

  Krys got out on the seventh floor, and there was a single reception desk facing her. A middle-aged woman was sitting there, and she smiled warmly when Krys approached.

  “Hi. Um, I have been summoned?” She held up her company ID, and the woman beamed.

  “Excellent. He has been pacing all morning. I am so glad you are here.” The woman smiled and said, “Please, come with me.”

  Krys smiled weakly. “I really don’t know why I am here.”

  “Because Mr. Danforth has requested your presence. I am sure he will explain why, but don’t worry about things, his bark is worse than his bite.”

  “Okay. Good to know. Have you worked for him long?”

  “Since he began the company. Ten years now.”

  “Do you enjoy it?”

  The woman smiled. “Of course, or I would find something else to do. What department are you in, dear? Clerical?”

  “Audits.”

  “Oh. Well then, you have a bit more spine than others. Here we are.” She knocked softly, and when there was an answer, she opened the door. “The young auditor that you have summoned is here.”

  When the secretary left the space, Krys stepped in and closed the door, walking to stand in front of the desk, which is where she finally raised her head to look at the CEO.

  Nen looked devastating in a suit, and Kel was banked behind his eyes. The discrete nameplate to one side of his desk said it all. Kelnen Danforth.

  He smiled a very familiar smile, and she swayed, the world going grey around her. He was up and around the desk in an instant, helping her into a chair and crouching next to her.

  “Krys, are you all right?” He stroked her cheek and neck.

  She blinked and stared at him. “You’re here.”

  She raised her hand, and the bells wiggled, but she didn’t hear anything.

  He grinned and lifted her wrist to his lips. “I was very glad that these stayed on. They let us know when our mate had arrived. It has been quite the wait, knowing that you were in our building but wouldn’t recognize
us.”

  The light press of his lips on her wrist caused a welling of emotion in her chest, and she didn’t deal with emotion well. Huge, fat tears tracked their way down her cheeks, and they wrapped their arms around her. She didn’t sob, she just sat there while her eyes wept.

  Kelnen leaned back and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “Happy or sad?”

  She blinked. “I think, happy?”

  He smiled. “I imagine you have questions?”

  She nodded slowly, but her mind was putting together the bits of facts she knew. “You started this company ten years ago.”

  They nodded. “We arrived twelve years ago and set about educating ourselves.”

  “And I didn’t see you in the last five years because...”

  “We were hiding from you. You hadn’t met us yet, so it would have been difficult for us to control ourselves and awkward for you. So, we waited. For Kel, twelve years is nothing.”

  “Why did you go so far back?”

  They grinned. “We wanted to make sure that you were doing well, and for that, we needed to employ you. You were right, you are very proficient with numbers. It has been a source of pride for us that you are so skilled.”

  Krys nodded.

  They smiled and lifted her hand. “When we heard this in the corridor,” he flicked the little bells, “we knew that you had met us, and we just waited for your work habits to return to normal before sending that email.”

  She blinked. “You can still hear this?”

  He nodded. “Of course. They were crafted from metal mined from my own shell.”

  “Shell?”

  “There are two types of drake, those that hatch from eggs laid while their female parent is in shifted form; they take decades or centuries to hatch and appear fully grown as I did, and those who are born into a human shape and mature from there.”

  She blinked. “Do those children favour the mother?”

  He smiled. “Usually, or they wouldn’t be born. Though there are complications for some mothers if the father isn’t there to take care of her.”