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  “I didn’t save them. They had plenty of air.”

  “And no way out. We have no equipment that could have gotten through that black stone in time. It would have taken weeks and that was time that they did not have.”

  “Black stone?”

  “The hardest substance here on W’lyn. Cutting through it takes ages. It was why our ancestors chose the place for their first dwellings. There were already tunnels and caverns inside it, cut by ancients that were long gone.”

  She looked around and shuddered at the devastation. “And to think that it almost all ended today.”

  He laughed. “This area is known for its seismic activity. The environment we get to live in is thought to be a fair trade for the danger.”

  Nanette shivered and looked at those who were trying to salvage what they could. “It doesn’t look like a fair trade to me.”

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed lightly against her skin. “Right now, it doesn’t seem that way to me either.”

  Chapter Six

  Nanette knew she was going to end up naked when she crept into the rubble to rescue a survivor.

  The moment that the wrap snagged, she heated the fabric to weaken the weld. Nude and vulnerable, she eased through the stone caverns to find the survivor. She was shocked to find two.

  The grime-smeared grey faces looked at her with shock. The male blinked in surprise. “Who are you?”

  Nanette looked down and confirmed that she was hidden in shadow and stone. “I am the repair specialist, and I will be rescuing you today. Can she move?”

  The woman moaned and her skin was a strange chalky colour.

  “I think she has internal bleeding, but there is nothing on the outside. She has ceased speaking.”

  Nanette frowned and nodded. “Right. We are going to have to lift you up. Stay here and I will make a hole for more retrieval personnel.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Something stupid.”

  Nanette focussed on fire and worked her way up through the stone, one handhold at a time. They had plenty of air; they just couldn’t get out. She ignored her modesty and bored her way upward by climbing and heating her body to melt all stone in her path while recycling the heat back through her limbs after taking it from the melted stone.

  Twenty minutes passed as she worked upward until she broke out into daylight. Rand was the first one to see her, and he sprinted up the collapsed building with a rope draped over his shoulder. Other rescuers followed, several stared at her with definite interest and a little bit of fear.

  She crossed her arms and nodded to the hole. “There are two of them down there. He suspects that his female companion has internal bleeding. She has ceased responding to his conversation, so I can’t say what her condition is.”

  The rescuers nodded and looked down the hole.

  “I made hand holds on the tunnel, but I really need to go cool off now.”

  Rand nodded and he anchored the rope. “Go and find your clothing, Nanette.”

  She laughed and headed down the hill, getting less and less covered in flame as she approached the initial hole.

  Her gown was only ten feet inside the forty that she had crawled. It was an easy in and easy out.

  She could hear the rescue efforts and the soothing tones of the rescuers as they spoke with the survivors and worked to get them up and out. Nanette had tried to make the hole as large as she could without burning anyone, but it had taken a lot out of her. She was exhausted and there was still more to do.

  A skimmer set down in the nearest clear space, and to Nanette’s surprise, Beryl and Wren emerged.

  Nanette wrapped the dress back in place and used the welding trick to seal it against her body.

  She walked over to the other Terrans and smiled. “Hello, ladies.”

  Beryl caught her as she pitched forward. “It looks like someone needs a nap.”

  Wren sighed and took Nanette in her arms, lifting her and settling her in the skimmer, whipping out a scanner and running checks before Nanette could even focus.

  “You are exhausted, dehydrated and you need to eat. Your biological energy is haywire and your hormones are exceptionally active.” Wren was muttering her diagnosis as she went.

  “That sounds delightful, but there is still a lot to do.”

  Wren leaned back and gave her a calculating look. She reached over, grabbed a bag and handed over what looked like an oatmeal bar and a bottle of water.

  “Eat and drink. When you have recharged a little, I will let you go out to work at saving people again.”

  Beryl nodded. “I will be right back. I have to stop some looting.”

  Wren looked conflicted.

  Nanette waved her off. “I won’t go anywhere until I eat and drink. Promise.”

  The other woman took off after Beryl, and Nanette ate the bar she had been handed. It tasted like candy-coated peanuts. The water washed it down, and she felt much better when she finished them both.

  She was about to exit the skimmer when she noticed a small gathering of children near it. “Hello.”

  One of the little girls came up and smiled. “Miss, we have a question.”

  Blinking in surprise, she nodded to the rainbow of hair on the half-dozen children with grey skin. “Please ask it.”

  “Why was Rand carrying you?”

  Nanette crouched down. “I accidentally burned off my shoes. That is why. He didn’t want me to hurt my feet.”

  The girls whispered, looked at the bare footprints that were noticeable in the dirt near the skimmer and one ran off.

  “Please wait with us, miss. You need shoes.”

  She looked at the small, earnest faces and cocked her head. “Why are you concerned about my feet?”

  Their little spokesperson smiled with her chin high. “Because if Guardian Rand wants to protect you, we want to protect you. You will have shoes, miss.”

  It took a few minutes, but when the girl returned, she was holding a pair of soft boots in her arms.

  The little spokesperson smiled. “Meena is an excellent judge of size, miss.”

  The girl with the boots who looked to be around eleven years old extended the soft leather. “These should fit, miss.”

  With no choice, Nanette leaned against the edge of the skimmer and pulled the boots on. The fit was perfect.

  “It was an excellent choice, Meena. They are very comfortable. Thank you. Who do I pay?”

  Meena’s skin darkened. “No one, miss. My parents said I could take them to give to Guardian Rand’s mate.”

  “I am not exactly—”

  Meena held up her hand. “I know you are not yet, miss, but I know when things fit. You and he fit, miss.”

  There was a certainty in her young eyes that Nanette wished she had had at that age. “I will trust your judgement, Meena. Thank you.”

  She smiled and thanked the rest of the short gathering, and then, she had a thought. “Do any of you know where I could be of assistance?”

  The minute spokesgirl smiled. “Come with us, miss. The people are all taken care of, but the animals might need your help.”

  Three hours of fixing the fences at what was a W’lyn zoo, but was actually simply a border between the woods and the city, was surprisingly fun. The girls ran down the line and found the next weak point while the young Kivikia called the animals and put them back on their side of the border.

  Each girl had to notify their parents of where they were, and once all parents were fine with their exercise, they had trooped out to the edge of the city and begun the extensive repairs to the warped and twisted fences. Nanette could do this task in her sleep.

  Three miles of fence were fixed, and the city was safe from some of the larger predators that would otherwise risk their own lives on a hunt.

  “Enough for today, Nanette. We are going to regroup at the base. All citizens are safe and the majority of services
are restored.” Rand spoke from behind her.

  She turned with a smile and introduced the young ladies. “Ladies, this is Guardian Rand. Rand, this is the ersatz repair squad. They are excellent at finding weak points in metal work.”

  He bowed to the half-dozen girls staring at him with huge, fascinated eyes. “Ladies, the city of Hurano owes you a debt.”

  Loffa, the spokesperson, stepped forward. “You owe us nothing. We will be citizens and citizens help their community.”

  Rand smiled. “Yes, they do. Your parents must be very proud.”

  Loffa grinned. “They are.”

  Nanette giggled and wiped her now-cool hands on the wrap. “I think Rand has a good idea. Tomorrow is more work, and if I am able, I will return to assist with the repairs again.”

  She stumbled a little as she walked, and she heard Meena pipe up, “Guardian Rand, miss is very tired. You should carry her so that she doesn’t injure herself.”

  Nanette turned in shock to stare at the little girl, but Meena was looking smug and Rand already had her in his arms.

  He muttered against her hair, “I know a good idea when I hear one.”

  He was warm, his heart beat slowly and she was so very tired. With her head against his shoulder, she passed out.

  Waking in his arms was a pleasant surprise. She turned to face him and nuzzled his cheek with her own. “Is this your idea of flirting?”

  “Dragging a woman to bed when she is already unconscious is a little heavy handed, even for me. Wren said you would sleep better in contact with me, so here we are.”

  Nanette realized that she was, indeed, in full contact with him. There was nothing between them and nothing over them. His body was her heat source, and she was plastered to it.

  He kissed her softly, and her eyes widened as she leaned back. “Did you brush my teeth?”

  “No, Wren did. She also scrubbed off the grime on you left by the welding you were doing. She is an excellent caretaker.”

  She sat up and looked around. “Where am I?”

  “You are at the Guardian Base, in my quarters.”

  She was trying to look anywhere but at him. His skin was a shade of dark pewter, and the flaring head of his cock was a shade similar to the copper of his eyes. Aside from the intense musculature of his torso and the throbbing head of his erection, she really had nowhere else to look. The compulsion to stare was overwhelming.

  He trailed his fingers down her back. “You made a strong impression on those young girls yesterday.”

  “They are easily impressed when someone is carried around by a Guardian.”

  “Not really. That one that urged me to carry you, she sees things.”

  “She sees a good fit. That is what she told me. You and I are a good fit.”

  She noted the tiny scars on his body, nicks and cuts from battles and what appeared to be flying bits of glass or metal. She had more scars than he did, but that wasn’t something that she wanted to dwell on.

  His cock didn’t look like it would fit, but it did look like it would feel hot moving inside her and the temptation was great to see how hot he really was.

  She shivered.

  “Are you cold?” He frowned with concern and sat up, reaching for a folded blanket at the end of the bed.

  Her nipples were tight, her sex clenched and she could smell her own heat. It wasn’t a good sign. “No, not cold. I think I should get going; thank you for your hospitality.”

  She turned, but he grabbed her arm before she could roll away.

  “What is wrong? Don’t you want me?” There was uncertainty in his voice.

  She blinked in shock. “No, it isn’t that. I just saw how the other women were looking at you and I am sure that you have more suitable options. I would never trap you in a situation where you felt you had to do the honourable thing.”

  He chuckled and lifted her chin on two fingers. “I think many things when you are around and none of them are honourable, but I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were the one for me, and I think you felt something beyond the tangling of our talents.”

  Nanette blushed. “I will be frank and say that yes, there was something between us, but it was just chemical.”

  “W’lyn chemistry doesn’t wear off, Nanette. I want you, and only you, for the rest of my life.” He caressed her cheek and his fingers trailed to her neck.

  She blinked back tears. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because my body flares and my soul sings every time I catch your scent. I am both tense and elated, and I want to feel it over and over again but know that I can act on what I feel.”

  She swallowed and leaned forward. “Then, I am going to have to take this on faith.”

  Chapter Seven

  She kissed him, and it was clumsy, awkward and tense for a moment until she relaxed and he put his arm around her, pulling her close.

  Nanette had sought out sex at every opportunity, but every night was the first and last with a man. She was literally too hot to handle if she lost control and there was nothing like an orgasm to break her focus.

  If she was going to have a one-night stand with a Guardian, she was glad it was daylight. Anything different was good.

  Rand’s eyes hypnotized her as he pressed her gently to the bed. The molten copper of his gaze and the gold fall of his hair spoke to her appreciation of metals. She loved looking at him.

  They didn’t speak. He kissed her gently and then with more passion, using his teeth to nip at her lips until she tasted her own blood and something darker. Energy crackled around them, proving that his control was only for show. His body was excited and his energy was seeking hers without the bother of foreplay.

  She felt the heat of her own talent surge along the pathways of his energy. The room flickered with eerie light as the biological energies met and mingled, pulling them together.

  Nanette arched her back as his kiss trailed down her neck. When he nipped at her skin, she pressed her hands against his shoulders, but his fingers linked with hers and pressed them next to her hips on the bed. He continued down her body until he reached her navel and flicked it with his tongue. She arched sharply upward and she could feel the smile on his lips as they skated along her belly.

  She twisted restlessly against him until he moved up her body and she felt him pressing into her. She opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them until she wanted to see his face. Nanette nearly shut her eyes again when she saw the extended canines and the flames in his eyes, but she met his gaze and used it as a point of focus to keep the fire inside her from consuming them both.

  Nanette arched upward as he thrust forward, and her body wrapped around his as if it was a slick, snug glove. Her senses rioted as she was feeling his thrust from her body and his. Energy wrapped them in heat and power, pushing and pulling at them in a hard rhythm.

  She felt heat fill her lungs as the tension built until she hoarsely screamed her release into the bright morning light.

  He released her hands and pressed his palm against her belly, working downward to stroke her clit as he continued to thrust. The sparks of energy between his fingers zipped into the small bud of flesh and her arousal swiftly began to rise to meet his current level of excitement.

  His hips rocked slowly in a deep roll that stroked every inch of her channel and sent her senses spinning. Her mouth watered, and she felt her lips move back in a grimace as her gums felt the slide of teeth that were not supposed to be hers.

  As they moved against each other with increasing ferocity, she felt the urge to bite swell in her. She didn’t fight the impulse. She surged upward, gripped the back of his neck and pulled him close enough to sink her teeth into the join of neck and shoulder.

  She groaned as his blood filled her mouth, and her jaw flexed in reaction when he returned the bite. The burn of the bite mixed with the fire of the energy exchange, and when the power was swirling equally between them, the
power they were bringing blew the windows wide open and set the bed on fire.

  Nanette released him from her jaws and slumped back against the bedding, taking the heat of the fire into her with an absent thought.

  Rand collapsed on her with a groan, and he licked at the bite wounds he had left. She used all of her physical strength to return the favour before dropping back to the bed.

  Her heart pounded and continued to beat like a drum as whatever his talent was ripped through her limbs. She bucked upward, pushing hard as pain and pleasure mixed in her body.

  He stiffened and clutched at her, rolling until she was on top of him and his body was so hot under hers.

  He whispered, “How do you pull it in?”

  She understood what he was asking. “You don’t. You wear it under your skin. A shell between your body and mind. The fire lives there. What do I do with the power?”

  “Out of your body in a barrier just beyond your skin. You move the shell when you touch folk and wear it like armour when you need it.” He narrowed his eyes and the fire that was burning him pulled into position, and he was still warm but no longer hot.

  She sat up and looked at the power crackling along her skin. She went against her own long practice and pushed the power out and up, away from her body. It ceased to snap and twist on her hands and arms as it lost contact with her. Nanette could still feel it though, and she pulled it back to her for a moment before settling it around her again. Electricity around her, fire inside her and an alien under her. This was not something she could put on her resume back home.

  She was surprised into giggling, and Rand opened his eyes in surprise. “Is this a time for laughter?”

  Nanette pressed her hand over her lips, and she laughed again. “I think this is the perfect time for laughter.”

  He ran his hands through her hair and smiled, “Bright sunlight and joy. You are right, this is perfect.”

  A knock at the door interrupted their kiss.

  She lifted her lips from his. “Perhaps slightly less than perfect after all.”