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  The wildness of nature aroused Nya once again, but this time, Hyfor was not an observer.

  Chapter Seven

  Nya quickly worked at Hyfor's shirt, pulling tabs and hauling until his skin was bared to her touch.

  "I am guessing that the rules are broken for the day?"

  She didn't reply, but he took the hint when her hands worked at the clasp to his trousers. He pushed her hands away and took over.

  Nya stood back and watched each inch of skin exposed by her companion. His wings spread for balance as he removed his boots and then peeled his trousers from his legs, exposing an impressive amount of muscle in addition to an erection that almost looked as hard as the crystals around them.

  He stood and let her look her fill, spreading his wings to frame his naked body without any trace of self-consciousness. She walked around him, touching, stroking and when she untethered his hair, she sighed in satisfaction. The last piece of a missing sensual puzzle.

  "You are lovely."

  "Oh, my dear, I know I am not."

  She smiled up at him and stroked his cheek. "As with the other sites, sometimes you need to take things as the whole and not in pieces. A beautiful face is simply a face, a strong limb is simply an appendage, but when you take in the whole…" She ran her hands down his neck, across his chest and over to his biceps. "You can find beauty in the most unlikely places if you know how to look."

  Nya didn't get another word in, his kiss stole her breath and his hands woke every nerve ending they touched. She sighed as the fabric was peeled from her with gentle touches and her boots were removed with amazing dexterity.

  When they were on even footing, his hands took on a more deliberate purpose, tugging her hair back to tilt her head to his and roaming over her to arouse and tease.

  She shivered and moaned, sighed and twisted in his grip, the light drag of his claws against her nipples threatened pain but delivered pleasure. When he knelt before her and used his tongue on her skin, sucking at her breasts, nipping at her ribs and laving her belly with slow strokes, she keened in desperation. Her body was rioting and she wanted him inside her.

  He laid her down and lifted her up on his palms, his huge hands cupping her buttocks and spreading her thighs as he moved her into a position where his mouth could press into the wet heat he had created.

  The slide of his tongue widened her eyes as it undulated inside her. The internal thrust and twist of his appendage within her ratcheted her arousal into a high keening wail that shook the dome above them.

  He withdrew from her as her body slumped into his hands. In a moment, he had flipped her to her hands and knees and the warmth of his body was approaching her from behind. He moved her hair to one side and nuzzled her neck while his cock pressed against her, nudging her with heated insistence.

  Her own moisture was making small sounds as he pressed into her and retreated, progressing further each time. She bit her lip and moaned with every surge, rocking in time to his short thrusts.

  Antonya's eyes widened as he continued to advance long past the point at which he should have bottomed out. Her lust fought with her confusion and a thought that wasn't hers entered her mind.

  You were altered. This was one of the alterations.

  She didn't have enough concentration to focus on those thoughts. She rocked back and let the building tension rise within her once again.

  Lost to the rise in sensations, she stared at her own reflection in the polished crystal floor. Hyfor's face loomed behind hers and she saw the exposed fangs an instant before he bit into her shoulder. Pain blended with the other riotous sensations she was experiencing and when he reached between her thighs to stroke her clit with rapid circles, she threw herself back against him and screeched her release.

  I am not normally this vocal.

  I like it.

  The almost purr in his tone was unmistakeable and his deafening roar as his own orgasm struck was an overwhelming confirmation that they would definitely need some privacy in their relationship. Her neighbours were never going to be able to sleep through this.

  The heated spurt of his seed inside her was a feeling unlike a human lover's. The blaze spread through her system until her body was humming with more energy than she had had before they first started coupling.

  He remained arched against her, thrust deeply inside her for minutes before he finally relaxed on top of her. He lazily licked the wounds on her shoulder and slow and heady music filled her mind.

  She arched slowly against him, enjoying the pressure of his abdomen against her back. Every place that they were in contact felt more alive and in this one instance, she couldn't imagine her body going back to its dormant state.

  When Hyfor pulled out of her, she mewled in protest but settled when he curled her against him. He was still erect but didn't show any signs of wanting to try for a second round. He pressed soft kisses against her forehead and down her nose, across her lips. They were tiny little kisses, each fluttering along before the last completely faded.

  Together, they lay under the crystal canopy and listened to the rain.

  The sticky feel of drying semen finally got Nya to ask, "Which way to a pool big enough to bathe in?"

  He groaned and sat up. "It is on the right and five minutes away. May I join you?"

  She sat up with him and smiled, "Of course."

  He helped her to her feet and didn't even laugh at her bowlegged first steps. With his arm around her waist, they made their way to the room that he had mentioned and when she noticed that the water was gently steaming, no power on Arcros would have stopped her from walking into it.

  She groaned as the minute welts and bites were tingled back to life by the water before it started to sooth them.

  Hyfor's entrance into the pool raised the level of the water, but he groaned in appreciation of the heat as well. He held out his hand and she took it, floating over to be seated on his lap.

  She leaned her head against his chest and simply relaxed, letting the water sooth everything chapped, irritated or chafed. "This is a lovely way to spend a day off, but I do work with the Evian and they are in the city."

  "I will fly you in for appointments."

  "That won't work. I don't want to feel trapped. I will need another way of getting to work."

  He sighed, causing the water to ripple around them. "I will work on a means for you to transport yourself. I am sure that Berenghetti will have an option for you. A skimmer or some such."

  "We will also need a place in the city in case I can't get back here in bad weather."

  He tilted her head up and smiled down at her. "So, you approve?"

  She snuggled against him. "I do. It is a lovely spot. Now, all we need is a proper bedroom and some furniture."

  "I think we can do better than that. This is the support structure. I will set to work on crafting a proper home in the centre of the crystals." He sounded as if he looked forward to the project, but Nya didn't care. She was too engrossed in the feeling of being surrounded by a male who was completely devoted to her comfort.

  It was a strange feeling and one she didn't think she wanted to get used to, but for today, this one day, it was perfect.

  Chapter Eight

  Nya was flown back to the city in the arms of a very satisfied Draikyn. How he managed to move his wings after their afternoon of enthusiastic interacting, she couldn't know, but if the rest of his species had his stamina, she was going to put an ad into the Terran Times newsletter. Yes, it would be bragging, but in this one instance, it would be well deserved.

  He did a slow flight around the city as if he was showing her off. Evian's on the ground looked up and pointed, from the smallest child to oldest elder. Stop showing off.

  I can't help it. I am very happy to have you in my arms. I want all of Arcros to know it.

  She grimaced. With the gossipy nature of Berenghetti, I am fairly sure that they already do know it. She does love to chat.

  Arcros was very lucky i
n his avatar. She and he get along famously.

  He was flying in a slow arc that would end at her home. How is it that the planets have genders?

  It isn't known. They simply do. Some have hazarded a guess that it is the nature of the planet. Mineral-heavy planets are male, flora flourishing planets are female. It doesn't always hold true, but it is a fairly steady rule of thumb.

  Really?

  Yes. Most of the sentient planets I have dealt with have been masculine.

  Do you communicate directly with them, as you are now doing with me?

  Sort of. It is more of a data transfer. No emotional biases are along for the ride.

  Do you think I can now speak to the planet by using my mind?

  He frowned. I don't think so. Not directly. If you used me as a conduit, you might be able to work through me and into the planet.

  She thought about it. Okay, I can see how that would work. I would borrow your ability and speak through you, like a com unit.

  Not a flattering comparison but fairly accurate.

  She kept her smile turned toward his chest as he landed, but she could tell he could feel it through their link. The grass of her front yard was bent from his dragon form. Furrows were ploughed in the ground where he had obviously stretched before coming in to make her breakfast.

  Back on the ground, she could speak again without gasping for air. "I can see that having you as an overnight guest will be hell on my landscaping."

  He grinned. "You could always invite me to stay the night."

  "With the amount of noise that we created, I am not sure that it would be a good idea."

  His grin ratcheted up a notch. "We could be quiet."

  She laughed at the image of them both trying to keep their mouths shut while fucking their brains out. "I really doubt that."

  He sighed, "Then I had best get to work on our home as quickly as I can."

  "Come inside and have some tea and we will discuss our plan of attack. Now that you have worked through most of your checklist, it is time for me to try to figure out what I want."

  A flicker of doubt that wasn't hers ran through her thoughts. "Not that kind of want, Hyfor. I want you. I am just not sure if that is all that I want out of life on Arcros. I like being a mediator. I really liked performing the wedding ceremony. I have no idea if that will happen again, but if it does, I want to be available to the folk here."

  They walked into her house and she prepared a pot of tea.

  Hyfor dwarfed her counter, but he still seemed to fit in the small space. "So, I am thinking that I will have to share your waking hours."

  "I would say that I am thinking of something along those lines as well. I need an external focus and until or if I have a family, work will have to fill that void."

  He nodded. "I will add a place near the city on the construction schedule then."

  "You would really build me a home near the city just to help my work?"

  "Certainly. You could meet your clients and engage in the mediations in your own office. They would come to you."

  "You seem very sure of that fact."

  He grinned and shrugged. "I can be fairly sure of it. Now that the Evian have come to Arcros, I am needed to keep the gems accessible. Arcros and I have already come to an agreement."

  She flicked some tea from her cup at him. "You think you are so smart, having all of this figured out already."

  He lifted her hand to his lips, teasing her knuckles with his tongue, withdrawing when she gasped. "With a woman like you, I need any advantage I can get."

  She gave him a look that was part irritation and part heated smoulder while reclaiming her hand to sip at her tea. There were layers to this man and she had all the time in the worlds to find each one of them.

  Nya was looking forward to the search.

  Just cuddling was the surprising way that they spent their first night together. When Nya had questioned it, he told her that their first true night would be spent in their own home of his crafting.

  A little frustrated, she had asked him. "So, what was this afternoon?"

  "Christening the site in the vernacular of your people."

  "How could you be familiar of the vernacular of my people? You have been asleep for many, many years."

  He sighed and cuddled her against him. "It is a tale for another time, but you will hear it. I once met a Terran from this time and she tumbled back through time to start the sleeper program. She chose the shifters who would rest on dozens of worlds and matched us one by one. She was a good woman and she loved a good Draikyn, much to our government's disgust."

  Her interest went wild. "Who was she?"

  "I will tell you another time. In this time, she has not left yet and I do not wish to alter her going back. If I would, it would destroy any chance of meeting you and that is a possibility I could not face." He nuzzled her neck and kept her tightly against him.

  They had slept together, chests rising and falling in rhythm with Nya's mind racing through dreamscapes, trying to find a woman in Hyfor's memory. A Terran woman with a familiar face.

  She didn't find the Terran, but Hyfor was there wherever she turned. She dreamed of him.

  Her com unit was overloaded the next morning with invitations from every one of the prime Evian families. Each elder invited her to tea, for lunch, for a private mediation consult at their homes. It was enough to start a fit of giggles that got Hyfor's attention away from cooking breakfast.

  "What is it?"

  "Every one of the major families here on Arcros has invited me to their homes. Apparently, one day with a Draikyn has transformed me into the social hit of the season." She fixed her gauntlets and smoothed the fabric nervously.

  "Are you willing to go? You do not have to." He returned his attention back to slicing the fruit in her cooler.

  "I don't know. Since I want to continue my work as mediator, it would be a good idea for me to mix with more of the Elders." She paced, her robes fluttering.

  "Do you always wear those robes?"

  "Yes. They are the standard robes of my job. Why?" She looked down at them and twisted from side to side, trying to see what he saw.

  "They are lacking a certain style. Are you allowed accessories?" He crooked one dark eyebrow at her.

  "Of course. I just don't have anything. My clothing from Terra was destroyed in a flood on Xraxos, as were all of my keepsakes. I only have the clothes of my station and my day-off gear."

  The sparseness of her life was something she was at peace with. When you were moved from assignment to assignment, you didn't collect more than you could comfortably carry.

  He shook his head. "That will never do. I will speak with Arcros. This will be rectified as soon as possible."

  She held up both hands. "Don't make too many changes in my life at one time. I am still reeling at all of the invitations I just got."

  He set the plate on the counter and gave her a speaking glance. "You really need a dining room table."

  "I haven't needed one."

  "Until now, but now there will be two here for diner as well as whomever you choose to invite. From what I recall, Berenghetti will invite herself."

  She sat and picked at the food. "Yes, she will. This is her world. These people are here at her invitation, including myself. It isn't like I can say no."

  He scowled. "You can and you will. The Nyal had rules of etiquette when she was among them. There is no excuse for her breaking into your home."

  She laughed and sipped at her juice. "You did it."

  He raised a taloned finger. "But, I had an excuse. I had to make you breakfast. It was a different thing entirely than coming in here to get you drunk."

  She gasped. "How did you know about that?"

  "I have dreamed about you, it linked my thoughts to yours sporadically. When you were giddy and then queasy, it wasn't too hard to pick out the cause."

  She blushed and blinked, sipping at her juice, nibbling at fruit until it was gone. He did the dis
hes and she got to her feet. "What are you up to today?"

  He inclined his head. "I will be contacting Arcros and working on the city home."

  She blinked. "That is quick."

  "There is no time to lose. The sooner you have a home befitting you, the happier I will be."

  She went up on her tip toes and kissed him. "I don't need a place befitting me. I simply need enough room for those wings of yours in bed. Don't think that I didn't notice you wiggling for space last night."

  He chuckled. "Just a little more room and I will be fine. And I didn't wiggle. I shifted."

  She laughed. "Fine, now I am going to work and you can shift yourself wherever you would like to go."

  "Would you care for a lift?"

  Nya laughed. "No. For today, I need to keep my feet on the ground. I will see you later. I finish work at sunset."

  With a surprisingly cheerful disposition, she set off on the way to work and smiled the entire way.

  The smile lasted until she saw the crowd of Evian at her office door. "Ladies and gentlemen, my assistant will seat you and those whose business can wait are asked to make an appointment for later in the week."

  Shaking her head at the vagaries of popularity, she entered her office and prepared to face the day.

  Chapter Nine

  "And, of course, we didn't know that it was a nesting site when we settled here. We were years, centuries into the dig before Berenghetti realized what was going on and had to frantically make a deal with the Monolith."

  Elder Ben Ordu was taking Nya on a tour of the dig site that was to have been her home.

  "I doubt it was difficult to strike the deal with Hyfor. He seems to be a most reasonable man."

  The elder stopped in his tracks. "He swore that he would tear our city to the ground and raze the mines to nothing if his wishes were not upheld."

  Antonya stifled a grin. "I am aware of it."

  "To think, the horror that would have been unleashed, all due to a misunderstanding."

  Nya and the elder had made it to the overlook for the initial site. That they had ever thought the graceful citadel was made by nature showed the sheer stupidity of the Evian scouting parties. Even in its depleted state, she could see the majesty that had once filled the cavern.