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  He chuckled. “I will keep an eye on you. There are treatments to administer that range from breathing therapy to pressure points. My father demonstrated on my mother when she was pregnant with my brother.”

  “Where is your father?”

  He smoothed his hand over her arm. “At the Imperial court. One member of our family is always posted there and he is the ranking member; my mother has no use for nobles in the capitol. She prefers to be the highest-ranking noble in the vicinity.”

  Anna was relieved. She had been afraid that she was treading on dangerous ground.

  “So, your name is actually Dey-lal?” She laughed when she felt him press his head against hers.

  “Mother again. Well, she must like you. She rarely gets this chatty with women that Reverb is caught with.”

  “She warmed up the moment the scan said pregnant.” Anna sighed and relaxed against him, letting their heartbeats lull her into sleep.

  Dey-lal woke her the next morning and coaxed her into the shower.

  They had shared a meal the night before and several very pleasurable hours spent without the frenzy of her heat driving them.

  It was nice to have him soaping her back. She returned the favour and winced over the marks she had dug into his skin. “Sorry about that.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I am not. I enjoyed every moment of it.”

  She chuckled and carefully cleaned the scratches and gouges she had left behind.

  When they were both dry and her skin was tingling from his caresses, they made their way into the bedroom where a gown was draped on the foot of the bed.

  Ballet slippers were set next to them on the freshly folded sheets.

  He chuckled. “It looks like Mother is eager to get started.”

  The dress was a simple sheath with tiny straps. It was pink with tiny sparkles.

  When she had her dress on, she turned to Dey-lal. “Is this appropriate for day wear?”

  He grinned. “It is fine. Put on the shoes, and I am sure my mother will love to show you the rest of the base or, as we call it, the family home.”

  “This is your house?”

  “My parents’ house. Hemcorl has been in our family for centuries.”

  “You own the planet?”

  He shrugged. “It is the way of the Nyal. Centuries ago, my family conquered this world by simply moving here. There were few, if any, sentient beings living here. The Co-orth accepted the Nyal colony, and now, they run a retreat in the far north. It is their natural environment.”

  She had an image of the Co-orth as tall pale-silver creatures with hair that looked like spider silk. It caught the air and spun away from their bodies as they moved.

  “Wow, those info flashes that your mother provided me are working.”

  He grinned. “Good. You are going to need them. Maksoon is a trading hub. We get goods from all over the sector and beyond.”

  “I hope I have the stamina.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her cheek. “You definitely do.”

  She wanted to continue what he seemed to be easing into, but Yem-lal cleared her throat from the doorway. “Anna, you are officially mine for the rest of the day. Dey-lal, give her her money.”

  Dey-lal sighed and crossed to the desk. He picked up a small, flat strip of metal and walked back to Anna. With a small slap, he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist, and it sealed into a solid band.

  She looked at it. “It is the same tech that locks the mating mask.”

  He grinned. “That download is really working. Yes, it is the same connection. I can pull it off when you get home.”

  She laughed. “Of course, it would be keyed to you.”

  “I have to maintain the upper hand when I can.”

  With that, he ran his hand over her back and patted her butt. She grabbed the shoes and hopped into them before joining Yem-lal for her magical adventure.

  Shopping on an alien world. How bad could it be?

  Chapter Six

  Yem-lal was well known around the shopping districts. The proprietors fell over themselves to help her and, by extension, Anna.

  Shoes were first. Basic undergarments followed and that took them to noon.

  Yem-lal knew the best places to go for a meal, and she took Anna in, introducing her as the new Lady Aricor.

  The servers swept them straight past the crowds and to a high table where they could see and be seen.

  Yem-lal smiled at her and sat close enough to project an aura of welcome toward Anna. “So, darling. How does your hair get that lovely colour?”

  “I have it bleached out with the colour added. It is labour intensive, but I like the result.”

  “We have nanites for that. They can be embedded in your scalp, and you can change to whatever colour you wish in a matter of minutes.”

  “That sounds invasive.”

  Yem-lal shook her head. “It is a quick trip to the groomer. Nothing more.”

  Anna smiled. “I will definitely consider it. It is not dangerous to the... uhh...” she glanced downward.

  “Oh, no. They are on a programming lock for the hair follicles they are applied to. They don’t roam.”

  Yem-lal ordered a meal for them from the ridiculously attentive wait staff, and while they waited, there was a disturbance at the front of the restaurant.

  Her mother-in-law sighed and drummed her elegant fingernails on the table. “I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. While they use the call signs as Guardians, everyone here grew up with them, so the Guardians socialize freely. In fact, my dear boy is coming this way with his entourage.”

  Dey-lal made his way past the fluttering host, and from this angle, Anna was struck again with how different their physical sizes were. She was shocked he had fit.

  The host had squeezed past Dey-lal and the three men behind him, and with Yem-lal’s permission, he touched the side of the table that they were sitting at, and Anna felt herself sliding back and further away from the steps that had gotten her onto the platform.

  Dey-lal scooted in next to her, a man who definitely resembled him sat next to Yem-lal, and two complete strangers were grinning at her.

  Yem-lal made the introductions with a wry smile. “Well, Anna, you already know your husband; this is my other son, Karo-lal.”

  Karo grinned and inclined his head. “Pleased to meet you, sister.”

  Anna’s mind filled in the blanks. “Pleased to meet you, brother.”

  The other two were snickering like teens.

  Yem-lal propped her head on her chin. “Those are the other two. Crios-nan and Alber-vel.”

  The men nodded their heads in turn.

  Crios-nan chuckled. “It is good to see you close up. I was afraid that Dey-lal would never let you out of the tower.”

  Alber-vel grinned. “We had to try and spy from a distance. It is a good thing you are vocal. We could tell things were going fine.”

  She covered her eyes. She hadn’t thought of that.

  Dey-lal took her hand and pulled it away from her eyes, bringing it to his lips. “Don’t be embarrassed. I will kick his ass later for bringing that up.”

  Karo-lal kicked Alber-vel. “She is from a repressed culture, idiot. Her first day out of the pod, she had to take a mate. Show some respect.”

  Alber-vel lowered his head. “I am sorry. You just look like you could have grown up in the city.”

  Anna squeezed Dey-lal’s hand. “It is fine. Culture shock is the least of my problems.”

  The waiter returned, and Yem-lal ordered an expanded meal for the six of them.

  Tea was brought, and Dey-lal whispered, “How is your shopping going?”

  “I have everything except clothing.”

  “What about jewellery?”

  She chuckled. “I don’t think that is a prime concern. Currently, I have a bunch of shoes and nothing to wear them with.”

  He laughed. “She will make sure that you are outfitted by the time you return
to the base. You will at least have enough clothing for another shopping trip tomorrow. It is her favourite pastime, and you are the only other woman at the base.”

  Anna closed her eyes. “Of course.”

  He kissed her hand again. “You will fit right in. Don’t worry.”

  The tea and appetizers arrived, and at Yem-lal’s urging, she jumped right in to make sure that she got a serving at all.

  It was like being seated at a holiday table. It was obvious that the Guardians enjoyed the elaborate treats at the shop. Each item was a tiny sculpture of form, function and taste, and it was admired before it disappeared behind sharp, white teeth.

  Every course was greeted with applause that made heads turn and faces smile in the restaurant. The Guardians didn’t have brunch quietly.

  In a room full of strangers, she was asked about her family’s breeding history. The faces were so blandly curious that she found herself answering, and instead of shock, she saw pity and understanding.

  Alber-vel nodded. “If you don’t know what is going on, a Nyal female in heat can be an object of obsession. I am amazed that suicide wasn’t used to end your line.”

  Anna smiled. “My social grouping is one of the least likely to end our own lives.”

  Dey-lal smiled. “And your father was the one who carried the genes?”

  “He was. His mother was so relieved to have a son. She was happy for three decades until I came along and gave me a few tips when I was growing up. She passed on a few years ago.”

  She picked up a tart filled with fruit and cheese and nibbled carefully before she bit it in half. Her grandma would have loved this. The feeling of being normal just by walking out her own door wasn’t something her grandma had ever experienced.

  Sure, the men around her could shake walls, send out sonic waves and do other stuff that had been hard to make out on the video, but they seemed nice enough.

  The wait staff came by every few minutes to remove empty platters and replace them with full ones. When Anna noted that it was always different servers, she guessed that they were trying to get the Hemcorl equivalent of an autograph.

  Yem-lal leaned over. “The boys don’t come into town for lunch that often. The locals get excited to spot them. You have already been featured on about thirty-two different vids. Everyone has observed and recorded.”

  Dey-lal chuckled. “If she says thirty-two, it is dead on. She has a knack for numbers and spatial orientation.”

  Anna swallowed. “I didn’t know I was being watched.”

  Dey-lal kissed her hand again, a gesture that she was getting used to. “You will always be watched as Lady Aricor. From the moment you leave the base, you will be exposed.”

  She sighed. “So, better to stay at home?”

  “No, simply get used to being seen and recognised by strangers.”

  She turned and stared at him. “That feels a little weird.”

  “That is life as Nyal nobility. Mother will teach you what you need to know when you become lady of the manor.”

  “In this case, the manor means the planet.”

  He shrugged. “The inhabited portions, yes. The Avatar is occasionally interested in starting a new species.”

  “So, you have control over the world...”

  “Until the Avatar decides otherwise. She is generally up for negotiations.”

  Anna smiled slightly. “So, the planet is actually running its mind around town in a people suit?”

  Yem-lal cleared her throat. “I prefer to describe it as occupying citizens with a grasp of current events around the sector.”

  Anna jerked as she turned to face her mother-in-law and Yem-lal’s brown eyes were glowing with purple swirls.

  Dey-lal chuckled. “My parents have been the Avatar since just after Karo-lal was born. They are connected no matter the distance between them. It is unusual for a planet to choose a couple, but they would not be separated.”

  Anna looked to her brother-in-law, and he grinned.

  “It isn’t a bad situation to have your parents controlling the world under your feet. It enabled us to activate a Guardian base with minimal paperwork.”

  Yem-lal smiled. “It made sense and has reaped many benefits, including putting Dey-lal in the path of a suitable mate.”

  Anna looked around the table and whispered, “I am just normal and boring. I am definitely feeling out of my depth here.”

  Yem-lal blinked and shivered. “Hemcorl apologizes. It was not appropriate to speak about this here.”

  Anna sat with her hands folded in her lap, the treats lost on her. “It’s fine. I just forgot where I was for a moment.”

  Dey-lal stroked her cheek until she turned to face him. He kissed her sweetly in front of everyone at the table and the restaurant. “You are trying too hard to fit in. I want you just as you are. Powers or no.”

  She looked into his eyes, and she reached inside for a bit of the strength that her grandma had always told her about. “Right. It is my first week. I can do this.”

  “There you go. Now, try the blue one. It is—” He and the other Guardians got to their feet and left the restaurant without taking leave.

  Anna looked to Yem-lal. “Well, that was weird.”

  Her mother-in-law inhabited by a planet’s consciousness laughed. “That is life with a Guardian. You had better get used to interrupted meals, dearest.”

  Anna sighed and tried the blue snack on the platter. “This is pretty good.”

  Yem-lal grinned, and they continued their meal, finally leaving to resume their shopping. It was time to build her wardrobe.

  Chapter Seven

  Exploring the base was an interesting pastime. Yem-lal showed her around and grinned when Anna commented on the bots.

  “Why wear your knuckles to the bone when you can have a bot take over and do it for you? So, dear daughter, what would you like to study?”

  “Study?”

  “Study, hobbies, what do you want to do with all your spare time?” Yem-lal smiled.

  “I thought I was supposed to shadow you most of the time.”

  “It is fine here when I am attending to family business, but when I am out in the world, there are few chances to accompany if I am not shopping.”

  Anna laughed. “I think I can fill my days for the first few weeks.”

  “What did you do at home?”

  “I worked in an investment bank and dealt with other people’s money.” She bit her lip.

  Yem-lal grinned. “I do seem to recall that you have a large amount of cash to play with. Why don’t you do your research and begin investing? I can help you set the accounts up, but the choices are yours.”

  “You mean I can invest my own money? Anywhere?” Anna’s brain started spinning with the possibilities. There was an entire new world out there and so much to work on.

  “I would pace yourself, but yes. It is yours to do with as you please.” Yem-lal smiled. “I see that the concept interests you.”

  Anna smiled and fought the urge to clap her hands. “It truly does. When can we get started?”

  Yem-lal put an arm around her shoulders. “Let me show you the office I had set up for you, and then, we can meet the boys for dinner.”

  “Are they back?” Anna looked around at the landing area normally filled with the riot runners. It was empty.

  “Not yet. They will be home in an hour. I have notified the bots to make a special dinner for your first group meal.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Hemcorl knows, and so I know, and across the stars, my husband knows. We are one entity and bound to this world. It is a situation I have become accustomed to.”

  “I can’t imagine it.”

  “Fortunately, you won’t have to. However, there may come a day when the mantle is passed to your child.”

  The handful of cells seemed a little young to have a career as an Avatar ahead of it. “Isn’t it a little early to be planning to have Hemcorl hijack the baby?”


  Yem-lal showed her inside an administration building. “I just wanted you to be aware that when my husband and I choose to relinquish our status, another member of our line will be chosen, and if it isn’t Dey-lal, it will probably be his child.”

  Anna scowled. “Will the child have any say in the matter?”

  “Of course.” Yem-lal chuckled. “Hemcorl would never take an unwilling host.”

  They were walking slowly across a wide catwalk that led to an office with Anna’s name scribed on the door.

  “How did he choose you?”

  Yem-lal smiled softly. “After my delivery of Karo-lal, my body began to fail. Hemcorl needed a new Avatar, but I would not leave my husband, so the old Avatar, Hreman-tol, made us both an offer. We took in Hemcorl, and we could live together, my body repaired. The agreement indicated that I could only be replaced by one of my own bloodline.”

  “Why?” Anna felt like a demented toddler with all the questions in her head.

  “Because Hreman-tol was one of the original colonists and my ancestor. We are uniquely suited to being Hemcorl’s Avatars. Our minds and his energy are on the same frequency.”

  “Is it a definite masculine?”

  “Yes, and no. It isn’t masculine in a physical sense, but when you bind to a world, they take on the mirror of your soul. My husband used to be the voice in my head; now, he and Hemcorl keep each other company, so he is male to me.”

  That made a certain amount of sense. The Avatar could assign the gender of the world. They would know what they were sensing, after all.

  “Well, dearest, this is your office. You have full access to the knowledge bases of the Nyal Imperium. Your access code is your name, Anna Aricor. You can change it if you wish.”

  Anna walked around the desk and took a seat.

  Yem-lal wandered around and gestured to the walls. “Do you like it?”

  “It is lovely. So, I just start looking for investment opportunities?”

  “Certainly. Find something that interests you and research it. I read your files. Your money will not be squandered. You have goals in mind, so use your bride price to achieve them.”