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  He cleared his throat and stepped away from her. “Not as long as that. I believe that I should get my workout in and leave you to settle in your new quarters.”

  “Fine. While you work out, I am going to abuse your bathtub. That thing is huge.” She smiled and batted her lashes.

  He drew back as if confused. She laughed and moved past him toward her room. If he was going to strip down to work out, she was going to get out of dodge. It wouldn’t be good for her self-control to see him sweating with his wings all exposed and gleaming.

  She grabbed her robe and toiletries and headed for the bath. It was large enough for Iktabi, so she could probably do laps. All she knew was that her old quarters only had a shower built in, so she was going to make the most of this change in state. A bath it would be.

  Every bone in her body was loose and relaxed an hour later when she hauled herself back to her room. The scent of masculine sweat hung in the air, and she wrinkled her nose. This was going to get old fast.

  A gust of wind got her attention, and she walked to the door to the balcony, standing and staring at the skyline fading from crimson to deep blue.

  A jolt of surprise ran through her when she noticed the gleam of silver against the dark sky. How could he be all the way out there and her cuffs didn’t even register it?

  She leaned out to look down and the pull of her cuffs kicked in. “Son of a bitch.”

  She was under house arrest, and the building held her fast.

  Chapter Six

  Isabella jerked awake at the slightest sound throughout the night. The bed was comfortable, but her mind was shrieking that she wasn’t in her own home.

  Memories swarmed in on her, just as they had in the first days out of the tank. She relived her entire life when she closed her eyes, right up until the moment she was taken.

  Her imprint had been incomplete. It had not had time to settle into her pathways and become worn as it would in normal humans. The cloned mind was bright, and it wore her human memories like a shell. They hadn’t sunk in.

  Isabella got up at dawn and showered. The night had left her drenched in sweat.

  Wearing her towel, she walked back toward her room when Iktabi emerged from his.

  “Ah, I thought you had showered last night.”

  She made a face. “I did. I had a rough night’s sleep, and since I have work to do, a shower is an effective way to wake the senses.”

  Iktabi looked like he was struggling not to stare at her. She looked down and blushed at the exposed limbs covered by the towel that stopped at the top of her thighs. “Sorry about that. I will be dressed shortly.”

  “Do not clothe yourself on my account.” He smiled. “I will get breakfast started.”

  She nodded and headed to her room. Since he had picked on her clothing, she chose a delightfully bland long black tunic with black leggings. The outfit’s only redeeming feature was that it covered everything from the neck down.

  A braid down the centre of her back kept it all contained, and she was ready for breakfast.

  The scent of coffee pulled her out of her bedroom, and she found that the few minutes that she had been gone, Iktabi had prepared enough food for an army.

  She sat across from him at the table and dove in to the food in front of her. She recognized most of it, but the protein slabs were reminiscent of ham, and she wasn’t going to let them pass her by.

  When she sipped at the cup he put down for her, she groaned. “That is real coffee.”

  “It is. I had it sent for last night. I thought it might make you feel more at home.”

  She sipped again and sighed. “Thank you. It was a morning ritual that I missed more than I let myself admit.”

  He settled in across from her and asked, “What caused your restless night?”

  “Memories of my previous life.”

  “What? Can you explain?”

  “Anytime I am disrupted, I live my entire life from birth to the abduction by the Rrassic, just as if everything was happening immediately. There is no blurring of time. I feel every adolescent bit of angst, every tension before a test and every moment of teenage insecurity.”

  Iktabi stared at her with his dark eyes. “Sounds awkward.”

  “You have no idea. The original Isabella had a focus, and it wasn’t on anyone around her. She was after stability. She found it.”

  He frowned and sipped at his coffee. “You speak about her as if she wasn’t you.”

  Isabella sat back and drummed her fingers on the table. “She isn’t. She has a body, a life, friends and a focus back on Earth. I am a copy designed to use her genes and her mind to fill a purpose here on Imrahl. I am still settling into that reality.”

  He sighed. “It was only to mature you as quickly as possible.”

  “I know. I read the reports.”

  She finished her meal and cleared the dishes. The amount of food she had put away was impressive, one-quarter of what he had managed. It should last her most of the day.

  Isabella checked her data pad and nodded. “You have an appointment in half an hour. We had better get moving.”

  He got to his feet and turned toward one of the balcony doors. “Come here.”

  She blinked. “Why?”

  “Because walking is not something I enjoy. When I travel, you will be with me and we will fly.”

  Isabella swallowed nervously. “Can you even carry a passenger?”

  He looked offended. “Of course I can. The Dorbin-Rrassic were initially designed for aerial attacks and long-range investigations. I can carry four of you if I need to.”

  She clutched her tablet against her chest and slowly walked toward him. When she was within his reach, he swung her up into his arms and held her against his chest.

  Her heart was pounding in her ears. He walked calmly outside, and his wings stretched out. A moment later, they were falling, and she scrunched her eyes closed and hid her face against his chest. She could feel the wind rushing and smelled the scent that had to be pure Iktabi. Even after a shower, he smelled wonderful.

  “You can open your eyes, Isabella. We are at the building.”

  She opened her eyes and peeked up at him. His smug amusement was all over his face.

  “If we are here, you can put me down now.”

  He sighed and slowly lowered her legs but kept her body pinned against his. He folded his wings in and gradually let her go.

  She could feel his gaze on her as she walked toward the roof entrance.

  “Isabella, when did you last get an assessment done?”

  “Two months ago, why do you ask?”

  “Your scent is... interesting.”

  “Interesting?” She glanced back at him as she walked down the stairs to his office floor.

  The office door unlatched at their approach, and she opened it and held the door for him, waiting for her answer.

  “What do you mean, interesting?”

  “Precisely what I stated. Your scent is interesting. It makes me want to remain close to you.” He quirked his lips.

  She blushed and scowled, waving him off to his desk. “Right. Whatever. Your appointment with the harvest board is in a few minutes. Should I get some refreshments ready?”

  He frowned. “It will not be necessary unless we run over an hour.”

  She nodded. “Right, so I man the desk?”

  “No, you will be with us in case there are any situations that you can shed some light on.”

  “Oh. Right.” She checked the tablet and asked, “How many representatives are coming in?”

  “Six. When they are here, we will be heading to the boardroom.”

  “Okay. Shall I contact you when they arrive?”

  He chuckled. “If you feel you must. I will hear them.” He turned and swept into his office.

  She made herself a cup of tea and felt the tug of the limits of her current chain. It seemed that she was set to twenty metres. Sh
e laughed silently. It was enough space to reach nearly everything on the office floor, including the bathroom.

  She was halfway through her tea when the masculine voices approached via the lift.

  The six Sthik-Rrassic came out, and Iktabi emerged from his office to greet them.

  Isabella grabbed her tablet and led the way to the boardroom. Seven hulking Rrassic followed her.

  She waited for Iktabi to take his seat, and one of the Sthik held a chair out for her.

  “Thank you.” She smiled and settled in.

  He inclined his head and sat around the table with the rest of his buddies.

  What followed for the next two hours was a holographic projection of the fields and an analysis of estimated yield per crop.

  Isabella made notes on estimates, took detailed information on staffing numbers, as well as the requirements for qualified workers.

  Isabella checked the storage records and looked at Iktabi. He glanced at her and smiled slightly. “Yes, Isabella?”

  “Can the simulators be fitted for humans and programmed for the farm equipment?”

  The Sthik looked at each other, and one grinned. “We can definitely get a program up and running. Are there candidates?”

  “Four are coming up in the next set of arrivals, but if I can see the sleeper files, I can probably get you what you need.” She smiled brightly at Iktabi.

  He frowned and slid his hands along the table, bringing up a virtual screen. He tapped away. “You can have ten sleepers. Pick their profiles, and they will be brought to the front of the line.”

  She nodded and started search criteria for folks who had a history of skill at video games, a love of detail and an enjoyment of hot climates. Experience with farming wasn’t necessary. It was easier to keep the excitement if it was new.

  “I have them. I will forward you the file, Overlord.”

  He raised his brows, and the Sthik representatives looked at each other in surprise. “So quickly?”

  “The most successful farm workers all have the same traits. I did a search for those traits using human corollaries that will match the tasks, and if you move those folks to the front of the line, you should have what you need.”

  Isabella knew that she was being tested, but she remained calm with her face impassive.

  Iktabi looked at the names she had selected, and he sent the profiles to the projection. “What is it about Mila Newcastle that makes her suitable for farm work?”

  Isabella explained Mila’s love of the outdoors, video games and her fascination with paint-by-number projects.

  One of the Sthik asked, “What does that have to do with it?”

  “She stays focused on her immediate task and is content to take a detailed look at things. She will line up her doable tasks and go through them in a methodical manner.” She flicked to the next file and explained the next woman’s suitability as well.

  She continued to define the reasons for her choices until Iktabi raised his hand. “Enough.”

  She sat back in her chair.

  The rest of the meeting was concluded, and the Sthik smiled and nodded at her as they left. As the one adult branch of the Rrassic, the Sthik were the best option to work with the humans. They didn’t have an eye toward mating with them, so it was safe for the women to be around them. Single-sexed scaled persons were definitely an interesting branch of the Rrassic species.

  She stood next to Iktabi as the farm representatives left the building. “That was interesting.”

  “Are you sure of your choices?”

  “I am very sure. I always enjoyed the personnel part of my occupation.” She smiled slightly.

  “I am moving those that you selected into activation. Would you like to see the facility?”

  She stared at him. “You don’t know that I was the first one out?”

  “I believe I saw that in your file. How was your integration briefing?”

  “I didn’t have one. I climbed out of my own tank weeks early. I am missing all of my identifying scars. It was how I knew that something was definitely wrong with me.”

  He scowled. “There is nothing wrong with you.”

  She chortled. “I have lost my past and then learned that it wasn’t mine after all. My existence is complicated by the fact that I can’t share what I know with my own kind. I can’t anchor myself anywhere. I am wrong. There is no place for me.”

  “You have bizarrely good humour about your situation.”

  Isabella shrugged. “It is my existence, and I am starting over. I need to find hobbies, make friends and socialize. Each step is something new, and as long as I can pursue the new, I can focus on becoming something else. I can be a different Isabella Thems, sharing only the name and genes with my donor.”

  “You knew Lianne in your previous life.”

  “No, my donor knew hers. I haven’t mixed and mingled with my own kind for fear of telling someone what we are. They don’t need to know.”

  He exhaled and pressed a hand to her back. “You have done well with your concealment.”

  She shrugged. “As long as I have work to distract me, I will be fine.”

  They left the hall near the lift, and he was headed toward his office when he paused. “You need a new wardrobe.”

  She blinked. “This one is just fine. Bland but fine.”

  “You need clothing that expresses more about you. You are a very complicated woman. Your clothing should reflect that.”

  Isabella chuckled. “I have made my living blending in and simply being where I am needed. Complicated clothing isn’t really up my alley.”

  “Well, in that case, as my assistant, I require you to appear a little more vibrant. You are an example of the intelligence and skills of your species. You need to dress as such.”

  “Wait, like an ambassador?”

  “Precisely. We will be meeting with other species, representatives from other worlds. You must represent humanity to the best of your ability.”

  She scowled. “That isn’t fair.”

  “Life is not fair, and if you are finally claiming one for your own, you should embrace the inequalities that everyone faces.”

  She moved her fingers across the tablet.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for a shop which makes work clothing for humans that also imports alien fabrics.”

  “I know of one. Shall we have lunch and then go shopping?”

  She stared at him. “Are you serious? You want to shop with me?”

  He lifted her free hand and tapped her wrist. “It is the only way you are going.”

  Isabella grimaced and then looked into her boss’s eyes. “Right. Where did you want to get lunch?”

  His grin was positively evil. “Just a small place. Only the locals go there.”

  She was about to answer that everyone was a local because as far as she could tell, Imrahl had never been occupied before, but she nodded briskly. “Great. Let’s go.”

  He gallantly offered her his arm, and she took it, turning toward the stairs without his mentioning it. One day at his side and she was already adapting to his routine.

  She stowed her inward assessment that she was pathetic and focused on meeting his stride. Lunch was on the agenda.

  Chapter Seven

  The quiet place appeared to be inhabited by every Luthin, Regiz and Zjin on Imrahl. She knew the instant that they sat that she was up for display next to the only Dorbin on the planet.

  She knew enough about the Rrassic foods to pick something she was willing to eat. The huge bowl of noodles and stew would be just the thing to get her through the rest of the day.

  “You have made a confident choice.” Iktabi smiled. He placed his own order and sat back on the narrow-backed chair that the proprietor had brought out the moment that he was spotted.

  “Thanks. I work on learning as much as I can. I mean, the language was something that was given to me without
my thinking about it, but the cultural differences were something I wanted to figure out.”

  “Who taught you?”

  She chuckled and wrapped her hands around her teacup. “The Nool that found me took me under his wing, so to speak.”

  “Really? Tell me about those first days. Your file doesn’t cover the details.”

  Isabella stared at him. “Why do you want to know?”

  “The few times we met to discuss the details of the needs of humans were brief. I want to know more about you and the way you think.”

  “Oh. Right. What do you want to know?” She sat back as the server brought their orders.

  While she had a bowl that would take her nearly an hour to finish, he had a Rrassic-sized serving. Three bowls of different contents and an anticipatory grin on his lips marked the moment for her.

  She chuckled and started in with the eating prongs, paused and added hot sauce. “So, where do you want me to start?”

  “At the beginning. You obviously had the imprint of Isabella, but what were your first thoughts?”

  She slurped and munched for a moment before she said, “I am drowning. That is what I thought. I thought I was drowning and I would never see the sun again. I felt the inside of the tube and beat my fists against it. When I couldn’t get it to crack, I looked around and saw the upper grating. I sank down and then pulled myself upward with all my strength. It wasn’t graceful, but it worked.”

  He frowned. “There were no alarms?”

  “Nope. It was silent. From what I was told later, they weren’t expecting anyone to be awake for weeks. I was an early riser.”

  “Who found you?”

  She paused. “A Nool technician. He was friendly and helpful. He gave me the access to the files that I needed to keep from going insane, and he took the heat when it was determined that I was rifling through things way above my clearance.”

  “When did you know about what the humans are?”

  She wrinkled her nose and waved a piece of sliced meat in the air. “About two hours after I decanted myself. Puking up that liquid for the first day gave me all kinds of time to think.”