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  She laughed and nudged him with her arm. “Flatterer.”

  “I am quite serious. I have craved your company since the moment that you landed and Niiko feels the same. Tomorrow at dawn, we will join together and from that moment, you will no longer be alone.” He continued to eat.

  “Dawn?”

  “In two hours.”

  She froze. “That soon?”

  “There is no reason to wait. Once you and I are joined, it will take a few days for Niiko to make his way into your body and mind.”

  “Three days.” She smiled.

  “Niiko told you?”

  “He did, in a dream. He told me of the previous Avatars and their lives in his service.” She put her plate down and rubbed her hands together. “He spoke of your grandmother and her desire for a normal life. What do you remember of her?”

  He put his plate aside. “Grandmother Ukani was a strong woman, but she had lived far beyond a normal lifespan and it showed. She delighted in her children and grandchildren, but she would occasionally sit and stare out at the landscape as if listening to something only she could hear. When I was tortured, she gathered the Avatar and came to my aid.

  “My body was almost dead when they found where I was being kept and my grandmother quickly addressed Niiko through Parkalo. It took the Planet less than five minutes to get the Avatar to agree and when he gave over the soul of Niiko to me, my grandmother also surrendered what was left in her body, aging centuries in a few minutes. I healed and she died, but I know that she did not regret her actions. Niiko replays the conversation they had every time I have any doubt as to my worthiness.”

  “So, you know that this was what she wanted for you. That must be an immense comfort.” She thought about her own grandmother’s last words back on Earth. When the reproduction portion of the contract was exposed to the public, her Grandma Henderson had called her a whore and told her to go. It was not a pleasant memory.

  “It is. I still have a fairly large family descended from Ukani, but they have homes in the outer lands and it takes a bit of effort to get there.” He shrugged.

  With his food gone, he hopped off the table. He turned and faced her, her perch on the counter putting her at a level slightly higher than his. Without a word, he pressed a kiss to her lips and she tilted her head to make their joining complete.

  Her blood sang in her veins as the kiss deepened and when he slid his hands under her hair to cup her skull, she let him control where, when and how intense the kiss was to be.

  Maksuan tasted sweet, tangy and unique. When he slowly broke the kiss, she looked at him blankly. Her lips throbbed slightly, both above and below.

  “Time for bed, Silari. I will walk you back to your rooms.”

  She let him help her off the counter and together, they walked back to her rooms where the wide-open windows allowed her a wonderful view of night on Niiko.

  Her fingers pressed against her lips and she held herself still while she watched the night fade. Dawn was going to be a bit of a journey for her, but Niiko and Maksuan would be waiting when it was over.

  She always did do better with a target.

  Chapter Eight

  Standing in a pale pink kimono with a crowd of people watching her sign the writ that acknowledged Niiko’s, and therefore Maksuan’s, claim on her was slightly surreal. He had signed what amounted to a property agreement with the Alliance to maintain her health, both mental and physical, as well as settling a swath of land in her name for any of her heirs to claim at her eventual demise.

  She named her family back four generations to confirm that the person who eventually would be able to claim her property would indeed be a relation.

  The Representative of Niiko smiled and held his hands out, palms up. “Avatar Maksuan and Agent Silari, please take my hands.”

  Silari smiled as the elderly Yeruan took her hands in one of his and she stared up into Maksuan’s eyes.

  He was wearing an outfit in stiff contrasts of silken fabric held in razor-edged folds. The colours Maksuan was wearing were his family’s colours, rich dark blue with a silvery pattern embroidered to run along the hem and blaze across the back.

  She had not been able to figure out what it was, but she was sure that she would be able to at a later date. She wasn’t going to be leaving Niiko any time soon.

  “A bonding is always a matter not to be entered into lightly. In the case of an Avatar and his bride, it is a bond created and honed over centuries.

  “Maksuan Nikan, do you take this woman to cherish, to hold, to comfort and to stand beside as partner as long as you both shall live?”

  Maksuan’s face was serious as he looked into her eyes. “I do and I will.”

  At the representative’s nod, Maksuan took her right hand in his.

  “Silari Henderson, do you take this man to cherish and to hold, to comfort and to stand beside as partner as long as you both shall live?”

  She ran through something her father had always said and he had gotten the reference from a movie. It was fine to love someone, but if you genuinely liked him or her, you were off to a much better start. She liked Maksuan and there was no hesitation in her mind.

  “I do and I will.”

  The rep guided her left hand to Maksuan’s and they stood in front of witnesses while their crossed hands were bound together with a silk ribbon bearing the Nikan family crest.

  “Your lives will be bound as your souls join. This ribbon symbolizes the bond that you have forged today.” The rep looked up and smiled. “Usually, we would ask Niiko to bless this union, but today, he is part of it.

  “Niiko, will you guard and protect this couple as they walk the path that you have laid out for them? Will you guide them, protect them and make them the best that they can be in your service and in ours?”

  Maksuan’s eyes glowed and Niiko paused to look over the crowd. “With this day, this moment, this bond, I bring to this world a new Avatar who will help those who hesitate to ask for help amongst the population. I will guard Silari and keep her safe, I will give Maksuan whatever I can to help him guide and guard his new mate. To this I do pledge myself, my power and my Avatars.”

  Niiko leaned forward and kissed her, a spark of power jumped from his lips to hers at the light touch and she shivered slightly as the warmth spread from her lips to cascade in waves through her body.

  As Niiko straightened, Maksuan took control of his body and nodded to the official.

  “And so, with the blessing of the Planet conferred, I pronounced Maksuan and Silari Nikan bonded mates, for as long as they both shall live.”

  The crowd bowed low before breaking into applause and laughter.

  Silari tried not to groan. For the next three hours, her hands would be bound to Maksuan’s so that the people of Niiko would have to feed them. It was a wedding ritual that showed how dependent folk were on those around them.

  There were even special arrangements for toilet breaks.

  Silari looked to Maksuan and they carefully turned to one side and stepped from the podium, walking to the reception hall with measured steps.

  “Has the power begun to burn yet?” Maksuan’s low tone was a soft whisper in her ear.

  “No, not yet. It just feels warm so far, like walking outside on a hot day.” She stumbled slightly and he stabilized her with their bound hands.

  “Well, you have just proved one portion of the binding. Walking side by side with support is always easier than alone.” He smiled and his fingers kept a snug grip on hers, tight but not uncomfortable.

  “I think I should take you everywhere I go. I have more than a dozen memories of stumbling ass over teakettle down back alleys. Even if folks try and kill me here, it will still be safer than life as an agent.” She smiled.

  Soon they moved into a sitting position in the chairs arranged for them by the representative and the dignitaries that were assembled.

  “What exactly were your duties as an agent?”

  She grinned.
“I was sent to apprehend criminals and return them to their home worlds, their prison facilities or anywhere else the Alliance wanted them sent.”

  “I thought hunters did that.”

  “Hunters look for people. Agents know where they are and simply go to pick them up. The apprehension can get a little violent, but agents are good at what they do.”

  “That was how you came to get those scars?”

  “Yes. I was after a Raider who was living as bold as you please in the middle of an Ontex colony. I went after him and he ran, but then he came back to get me and you know the rest.”

  They didn’t have a chance to continue their discussion, food and drink started arriving and their community fed them and gave them beverages for the next three hours.

  The women helped her eat and drink. It was a long ritual and the moment that the ribbon was undone, she massaged her hands, noting that Maksuan was doing the same.

  The representative smiled. “Enjoy the next eight days. After that, you will be asked to resume your duties.”

  Maksuan grinned. “We will.”

  He got to his feet and addressed the gathered crowd. “Thank you all for coming to witness our bonding. Please enjoy the food, drink and music. Our bride has some acclimating to do and it is best done in private.”

  There was a wave of polite laughter as he took Silari’s hand and they walked out of their reception to the skimmer.

  “Is this traditional, leaving the reception like this?” Silari enjoyed the warmth of Maksuan’s body next to hers.

  “No, but you are about to start your change, so it is best that we get home for the privacy.”

  To her surprise, instead of the large residence that she thought of as his home, he directed them into the mountains, toward the waterfall and its secret cavern.

  “We are returning to the cavern behind the waterfall.” It wasn’t a question.

  He grinned. “You are right. I have all the supplies that we need for the week and I am quite a good cook.”

  In a flash, Niiko took over. “This will not be a pleasant process for you. Your body is not quite as compatible with my energies as the Yeruan are.”

  She winced at the thought of pain to come, but in her heart, she knew that Niiko would make it as easy as possible for her.

  Silari sat with her hands in her lap, watching her new world pass by.

  The first spike of pain came as she was leaving the skimmer to walk to the waterfall. It was so sharp that she stumbled and would have fallen if Maksuan had not caught her.

  Her breathing helped her calm herself, but when she stood upright, she knew that the next searing burn was not far behind. “I think I had better move quickly.”

  He nodded and lifted her off her feet, carrying her on the invisible ledge that allowed them to pass behind the waterfall. Her body twisted in his grip as he passed through the dark interior into the glowing cavern beyond.

  Through gritted teeth, she smiled. “It is bigger than I thought.”

  There was a bedroom, a small kitchen and a partition that she imagined must lead to the lav.

  “It is. Niiko has already etched your face into his memory. This is his heart and we will stay here once or twice a year to renew our bond with him.”

  Maksuan put her on the bed and the pain wracked her anew.

  “Wait here, I will be right in with the supplies. Niiko will keep you company while I am gone.”

  She didn’t know what to make of that until a golden form came out of the wall and walked toward her. It had no one particular set of features but rather had a constantly shifting face.

  “Niiko?”

  The creature smiled and sat at the edge of the bed, running his hands down her body slowly. The twisting agony turned into an irritating prickle as it spread across her skin instead of burning from the inside out.

  She bared her teeth and controlled her pain with measured breathing, but she knew that this was about to be the suckiest honeymoon on record.

  Chapter Nine

  After two days of physical torture, the pain suddenly stopped.

  Silari looked over at Maksuan with a smile. “It’s over.”

  Relief was a mild word for his expression. Even the energy form of Niiko visibly relaxed.

  “Can I have a bath now?”

  Maksuan lifted her from the bed, a sheet the only thing around her. “Shower first, then a hot soak.”

  She chuckled weakly and held on. Maksuan had not left her side for the entire ordeal. He had held her every moment when he was not bathing the sweat from her body or wrapping her against the drafts.

  Her shame over the marks on her body had disappeared three hours into the change. He had removed her wedding clothes to keep them safe and wrapped her in the first of many sheets. She had fought the wrap, then shuddered with cold in turns.

  When he had started to sponge the sweat from her, she had fought him, at first. But the bliss she felt at being reasonably clean for a few minutes outweighed her embarrassment.

  Now, he carried her into the bathing room and sat her on a chair while he removed the wrap around his hips. Naked, he lifted her again and stood her up under the warm spray of the shower.

  “Thank you, Maksuan. I don’t think I would have made it through this without you.”

  He stroked her hair, untangling it with his fingers before applying soap and lathering her up. With care and patience, he washed her from head to toe. When she was clean, he set her back on the chair and took care of his own cleansing.

  The moment that he was done, he lifted her again and carried her to the huge hot spring that provided them not only with water for bathing, but other fissures could be used to cook meals.

  As he lowered her in to sit on the ledge carved out by Avatars past, she groaned.

  “What is it? Do you still hurt?”

  She chuckled and reached up to kiss his hand. “No. It feels good. My muscles are sore from being tense for so long.”

  He slid in and settled next to her before moving her so that she was sitting between his thighs. “Lean back and relax. I remember the stiffness from the pain, but it was a shorter duration for me. I was almost dead already, so he was healing and burning his own pathways at the same time.”

  She grunted as he started a massage on her neck that moved on to her shoulders and down her arms. Silari dozed off while he worked on her, but it was a peaceful sleep and not the fitful writhing of the last two days.

  His touch on her soothed her into dreams of walking the world of Niiko, her scars glowing to light the way.

  Snug in her bed with Maksuan around her, Silari opened her eyes to see Niiko smiling down at her. The glowing figure brushed her hair with his hand and she felt pleasure at his touch instead of the burning pain.

  Maksuan stirred behind her and his hands moved from around her waist and between her breasts to cupping her breast and sliding between her thighs.

  Silari leaned her head back against his shoulder and placed her own hands on top of his, encouraging him to stroke, squeeze and explore.

  He trailed his lips along her shoulder while his other hand parted her sex and slid two fingers inside.

  Maksuan started a rhythm that started slow and then when she arched into his touch and parted her thighs, he worked her with more intensity.

  The soft, wet noises of her sex made her blush, but when he turned her and moved over her, sliding his cock against her wet, swollen folds, it became a worry of the past.

  She didn’t get a good look at his member, but as he pushed into her, she realized that he was very wide and long enough to bottom out with just a few thrusts.

  Silari was adapting to the feel of him inside her when Niiko moved behind Maksuan and fell through him, resting within her body.

  Her channel moved, shifted and Maksuan slid forward until he was completely inside.

  Niiko remained inside them both as Maksuan began to thrust, rocking at first and then a heady pounding that had Silari crying out with each c
ontact.

  When her orgasm rushed over her, Niiko sent a flaring burn through her and Maksuan’s eyes widened, turning bright green for a moment as his body bucked into her over and over.

  He rested, his weight on his forearms on either side of her torso, his head against her neck.

  They were both breathing heavily and with weak arms, Silari raised her hands and wrapped them around him.

  Three minds were coasting in the afterglow and Silari still wasn’t sure that she would ever get used to having Niiko inside her every day.

  Casual nudity had never been something Silari had considered as an option for a lifestyle, but it seemed appropriate when the clothing that she had access to involved so many tiny details and so much precision.

  She was looking at the detailed embossing of Maksuan’s ascension to the post of Avatar. “What were your original plans for your future?”

  Maksuan was wearing a short wrap around his hips and he looked at her in surprise. “I think I wanted to get married, have a family and work in the family greenhouse. It has always been a source of regret that I was unable to continue with the plants as Avatar.”

  “Why?”

  “Why couldn’t I work with plants? It is unseemly. It does not suit the station of the Avatar.”

  “Why not simply have it as a hobby? A form of stress release.”

  He paused while scrambling some eggs, quickly moving the pan off the heat. “It has not been done before.”

  “Oh, honey, I plan on doing plenty of things that have not been done by an Avatar before. It doesn’t make them wrong, just different.”

  He grinned and Niiko nodded in encouragement. “Well, apparently you are the excuse that Niiko has been waiting for.”

  Silari snickered, “That or Niiko considers me an option for stress release.”

  It was true—every time Maksuan and Silari got together, Niiko was there. His favourite position was when she was on her side, Maksuan was thrusting into her from behind and he was caressing her from the front. To be caressed by nothing less than the soul of the planet was an honour, but the electric prickles were still a turn on.