Knowing Read online

She didn’t have a chance to ask about what precisely was degrading, he gently lifted her to her feet, and they left the podium and the relieved councillors behind.

  Lyneer walked in front of them, deflecting the people who tried to approach her. She tried to ask Rothaway what was going on, but his face bore a frightening intensity that told her to hold questions until later.

  He seemed to have grown by a few inches and his hair was fluffed out she could swear that she saw his ears twitch as they passed other males. The Wilders that they approached took one look at him and flattened themselves to the walls to get out of his way.

  She scrambled in her mind for the information as to what was going on, but there was nothing specific to Wilders in the information Meevin had surrendered. There was nothing coming from Rothaway right now either. This was an emotional matter and she couldn’t hack through to the logic of it.

  Silently she let Lyneer lead them through the halls until they entered a huge garden in the centre of the ship.

  There was an attendant to one side and Lyneer moved to speak with her quietly. She nodded and handed him a triangle that had a slight glow.

  Lyneer held the triangle out and walked down a barely visible path, the object brightened and continued to increase in luminosity as they progressed.

  The green man paused next to a stone obelisk and pressed the triangle into the rock.

  Rothaway tugged her past the stone and Lyneer smiled in encouragement. “It will be fine, Signy. No harm will come to you.”

  With that alarming statement, a barrier sprang up between them crackling with energy. Lyneer waved at her and kept his smile in place as she was hauled along.

  Now that privacy was assured, she was irritated. “What the hell is going on, Rothaway?”

  He looked down at her and she flinched back, the whites of his eyes were crimson and fangs were showing at the edge of his lips. “I will explain when we get there.”

  “Holy heck. What is that about?” She tried to dig her heels in but he gave her arm a yank and she stumbled forward.

  She should have been feeling fear, but nothing that he had done was violent and it seemed that his situation was understood by those who had seen him in the halls. It was something they were familiar with so it obviously occurred enough to be recognized.

  Green and lavender grass and flowers were all around them, filling the air with a heady perfume that gave her a heavy feeling in her limbs.

  She stumbled as he kept forging forward and he turned swiftly to lift her in his arms. “It is the flowers. They will relax you and keep me calm.”

  His words were rumbling out of his chest and she bit her lip as the vibrations ran right through her to pool in her lower abdomen and between her thighs.

  She breathed in deep for self-control and more of the floral scent ran into her bloodstream.

  He stopped in front of a rocky altar that had the hilt of a knife sticking out of it.

  He set her on her feet and stood in front of her, his teeth were shorter and he looked less wild.

  “Signy, five years ago you started this when you kissed me. My people have a strict no contact policy when it comes to the opposite sex for just this reason.”

  “What is going on?”

  He dragged in a deep breath and held her hands. “When you kissed me I was in a susceptible state and I keyed to your genetic code. Only you were able to be my match from that day forward.”

  “What?” Her voice came out on a husky whisper.

  “I was with an all-male crew because we needed all ships in the air and I was entering a receptive phase. If I had been trapped with a female of the Nine, I may have fought for her with my crew and that would not have been a good thing. As it was, when you touched me I knew that I was doomed and despite the effect of your kiss I was elated at the same time.”

  She blinked up at him. “I don’t understand.”

  “Wilders hunt their mates by scent and opportunity. If we don’t find a mate before we reach a critical age, we go into the rut and seek our mate with aggressive fixation.” He paused to inhale. “I was lucky enough to have a powerful female find me instead of running from me.”

  She blinked. “Me?”

  “Indeed. Now, to end the rut we need to engage in one of two events. One, is to have sex right here.”

  Her mouth opened in shock.

  He chuckled, his fangs flashing.

  “The second option is to share blood. That will pause the effects for a few days and allow us to get to know each other.”

  “Option B.”

  He laughed. “Remove the knife from the stone. Females don’t have the fangs so we have built in the assistance to make things easier.”

  “Seriously? I have to take a knife to you?”

  He held out his hand. “Wrist to wrist.”

  She tugged the knife out of the stone and wondered if it would make her queen of the ancient land of England. With a giggle, she held the knife awkwardly and raised it toward him. “What now?”

  He pressed the knife against his wrist and wrapped his hand around hers, pulling it sharply until his blood welled.

  She gasped and jerked her hand back but his grip was tight. He raised her wrist to his lips, the blood trailing down the blade still in her fist. She winced at the flare of pain as he bit into her, but the moment he broke her skin he released her wrist and moved it to press against his own open wound.

  Her mind opened wide as his blood seeped into her arm and hers moved into his. Her hand maintained the grip on the dagger as she took all of his knowledge into her including his emotions and the personal details of his life.

  Ziggy’s breath came out of her on a moan, and her knees buckled. She took them both to the ground and she collapsed under the burn of pain mixed with the knowledge of a lifetime that was not hers.

  She leaned forward and he mimicked her, their foreheads leaning together, their breath mingling as they completed the bonding that he needed to still the fire in his veins.

  In less than one day she had gone from being Ziggy, to being Signy Alora Rothaway Vaddos, and it was quite the alteration.

  Chapter Eight

  “Why don’t you use your last names?”

  He raised his head slowly and focussed on her. Rothaway’s eyes were no longer crimson. “They are clan names and we only use them for formal occasions and documents. How do you know about the other name?”

  She winced. Busted. “Your knowledge came to me in your blood.”

  Rothaway looked at where their wrists were still pressed together. “I did not receive that effect.”

  She blinked. “Do you think it could have something to do with my potential?”

  “What precisely did you gain?”

  She touched his knee with her free hand. “You have a scar here from when you were ten, climbed a tree and got attacked by another shifter in a feline form.”

  Her eyes widened as she realized that he actually could change his shape. “You can really shift your form?”

  He raised one eyebrow. “You would like a demonstration now?”

  She blinked. The bonding was a sacred moment on the mother ship. They were in a bonding grove and Lyneer was acting as their guardian, keeping others away while they were vulnerable. “I suppose not.”

  Rothaway laughed and lifted her bleeding wrist to his lips, licking the wounds closed. He did the same to his own wrist a moment later and then helped her to her feet.

  She still had the dagger in her hand. “What do I do with this?”

  He smiled, “Place it back in the stone.”

  Shrugging she walked back to the rock and slid the dagger home. It immediately sank into the edifice and disappeared. “Where did it go?”

  “It is being filed for proof of our bonding. My blood and your DNA on the handle is proof of our union.”

  She smirked. “Or that I stabbed you and left you for dead.”

  “In that case it is doubtful that you would have put the dagger back into th
e stone.” He grinned, at ease.

  “Why did it come on you so suddenly? The rut is supposed to take weeks to reach its peak.”

  “I stopped my suppressing medications when we found the ship. I wanted to make sure that I was ready for you the moment that we met again.”

  She followed her impulse and hugged him. “How did you know I didn’t die on that ship?”

  “Because a woman who could face down an entire ship of Tokkel with nothing more than bare feet and attitude, would not die in a simple ship crash.”

  She blushed as his arms came around her and rubbed her back slowly but pressed her tightly against him. He was still interested in her and the ridge of his sex against her belly was both hot an insistent.

  Ziggy pulled slightly away and he let her go. “What is next?”

  “A kiss to finish what the first kiss started, and then we share a meal.”

  His eyes gleamed as he looked at her.

  She held still and then went up on her toes to meet him halfway. Her mouth tingled as it made contact with his and she shivered at the static charge that flowed from his lips to hers.

  Her heart started a heavy pounding in her chest that increased as the kiss intensified. Ziggy felt a cascade of heat rolling into her body and it spread throughout her limbs. She reached up and held Rothaway’s mouth to hers as her reflexes took over and she sought a taste of him.

  He pulled her away from him and his eyes widened in surprise when he looked at her. “Signy, does your species go into heat?”

  She blinked rapidly and tried to press against him. When he thwarted her, she snarled.

  He shook her lightly. “Signy, how often does your species go into heat?”

  She dragged in a soothing breath of the flowers. “We don’t specifically go into heat, but we ovulate every twenty eight days.”

  “Then we had better get to lunch and I will explain the ritual in which we just engaged in more detail.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and he escorted her back down the path that had taken them into the bonding area.

  Lyneer was waiting for them and he smiled in relief as they approached. “Congratulations. I was getting worried.”

  “No need to worry, Lyneer. We managed it without much difficulty.”

  Ziggy still felt weird. Her body was hot, pulses were pounding in all the wrong places and the skin of her inner thighs was hyper sensitive.

  Lyneer took one long look at her and nodded. “Do you wish to have the customary luncheon, or privacy?”

  Rothaway looked down at her and frowned. “Both. No sense tempting fate.”

  “Can I contact my parents?” She needed to distract herself from the hormonal surge she was having and thinking about her parents was definitely effective.

  “Of course. With you here as the representative of the Gaians they will be able to visit you whenever you wish.” Rothaway kept his arm around her.

  Lyneer lifted a small com unit to his ear and began speaking in the tradition of assistants across the universe.

  Rothaway kept a supportive arm around her and they walked slowly through the garden and out into the halls. A quick pod ride later and they were in the VIP area.

  “We are going to my quarters. I believe that they will afford us more privacy than the restaurant normally used for these purposes.”

  She didn’t care, she simply wanted to be alone with him and discovering the details of his physiology. Ziggy had images of Wilder anatomy in her mind, but she wanted to learn the real thing in touch and taste.

  Lyneer escorted them the entire way, speaking urgently on his com in a language that she couldn’t understand. That little fact freaked her out.

  “Why can’t I understand what he is saying?”

  “He is speaking to a member of his clan. There are sub languages of the Nine that you may not have absorbed yet.”

  She liked that he mentioned an oblique future where she would be picking up more knowledge. It made it feel less like a bizarre dream and more like a glowing reality.

  Ziggy had gotten married to a male she had met once after she savaged his mind and took what she wanted from him. In a weird way she had made an honest man of him.

  Chapter Nine

  His private quarters were huge. There was a kitchen, a breakfast bar, dining room, living area and a huge bedroom. Ziggy assumed that the lav was off one of the hallways, but she didn’t need one so she didn’t ask.

  Rothaway walked into the kitchen, withdrew a bottle that contained a substance that resembled wine. He gathered two glasses and set them on the table, pouring each glass half full.

  He sat across from her and raised his glass. She lifted hers in reflex. “To Signy, my bond mate and companion.”

  She didn’t drink but after he had sipped she spoke up, “My friends all call me Ziggy.”

  “Ziggy?”

  “Yes. The consonant contrast in my name makes it hard for some people to pronounce. Ziggy is easier.”

  She paused and realized that she needed to return the toast. “To Rothaway, my bond mate and companion.”

  She sipped carefully and realized that it was indeed wine in an almost black liquid form. Crossberry wine was supposed to act as an aphrodisiac, but she didn’t need one. Her blood was singing in her veins and the song was his name.

  When Lyneer knocked on the door, he entered carefully as if unsure of what he would see. Relief and disappointment warred in his features as he allowed a stream of newcomers into Rothaway’s chamber.

  They set the table and placed nine different dishes on the surface, each covered with a dome. As silently as they arrived, they left.

  Lyneer bowed low and smiled at them. “Congratulations on your bond.”

  Ziggy was curious and she tried to look at the dishes, but Rothaway cleared his throat. “I will describe each dish to you. There are nine dishes to honour the Nine, and all of the dishes are from the Wilder tradition.”

  Ziggy waited and watched as he described the four meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, one starch and one dessert.

  Her arousal was increasing with every minute and she devoured the food with good appetite. The meat was almost raw but that did not bother her as it would normally.

  By the time the meal was over her skin was on fire and she was done with waiting.

  Ziggy lunged across the table and tackled Rothaway where he sat, the dishes went flying. She pressed her lips to his, whimpering wildly as her blood pulsed in all of her erogenous zones.

  Her hands pulled at his formal tunic and when she was rewarded with warm hard skin she sighed in relief.

  “Not here. Hold on.” Rothaway held her tight and rolled to his feet, taking her with him as he walked to the bedroom.

  She pressed kisses to his neck and chin as he walked, her skirt rucked up around her thighs.

  “You are going to have to explain to me what is going on, Rothaway.” She interspersed each word with a kiss to the cords of his neck and a nibble on his earlobe.

  “Not now. I will tell you later.”

  She nipped his ear with her teeth. “Now, Rothaway. I don’t normally straddle men I have just met, let alone have my hips grinding against them.”

  “You inherited my rut. It shouldn’t have moved this fast, but your system is a little faster than that of one of the Nine.” His voice was muffled against the hollow of her throat as he began a string of kisses that worked to the edge of her gown.

  She blanked out conscious thought and let her body lead her actions, peeling his tunic from him completely and then working at her own gown while she kicked her shoes off.

  Her back pressed against the cool silk of his sheets and with a few short tugs her dress was gone and he was removing his boots and trousers as quickly as possible.

  When he joined her on the bed she lunged and threw him off balance, bringing him to his back and straddling him. She roamed her hands over him, learning the textures of him, and then she followed her hands with her mouth.

  His body was t
aut and arched under her, giving her only a moment before he flipped her to her back and joined their bodies.

  She was ready for him but it was still a snug fit as he worked into her completely. Together, they rocked and surged in unison until their bodies peaked and they clung to each other as they shook and moaned.

  Ziggy’s mind cleared the moment that her heartbeat returned to normal. She reached up and slapped his arm. “You couldn’t have warned me about that?”

  He blinked and started to laugh. She could feel him still inside her and the laughter dislodged him.

  Rothaway rolled to one side and curled her against him, stroking her spine over and over. “I could barely remember how to speak earlier. Explaining that our blood bonding might send you into heat was a little beyond my comprehension.”

  She snorted and rubbed one of the scars on his chest. “I still can’t believe that you are a shape shifter.”

  He gave her a long look and seconds later, a huge feline of undetermined species was lying next to her in bed. It had Rothaway’s eyes and colouring, so she reached out to touch it and slowly stroked the spotted fur.

  The noise he made was a low rhythmic rumble as she stroked him. She rubbed the spot between his eyes and carefully caressed his ears. The noise he was making made her drowsy and she soon snuggled against him and dozed off.

  Ziggy woke with a jolt, the masculine arms holding her tight scared the crap out of her. It took her thirty seconds to remember where she was and who was with her, but once she did, it didn’t relax her any.

  “I want to see my parents and I need to have my friends brought up here for visits. Tiera will be wondering what the hell happened to me and I honestly can’t sum it up over a com link.”

  He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “You can have anyone you wish here for a visit. Do the Gaians have any particular formal wear you will need as representative of your species?”

  She thought about it and decided not to lie. “Nothing formal. We wear dresses or military uniforms. I am not in the military, so nothing fancy.”

  He pressed a string of kisses along her shoulders. “Good. I have ideas of how to dress you and I think that the Wilder fashions will look very good on you.”