Going Cold Read online

  “No. That kind of thing makes me gassy.”

  He chuckled. “Fair enough. Eat and drink, and then, we will depart.”

  The king looked over at them, and she saw the tilt of his head from the corner of her eye. “Are you two...”

  She looked at Valat. “He’s allowed to touch me; I am allowed to touch him. No one else has made that offer... yet.”

  Valat paused and cleared his throat. “It is an accurate statement, as far as it goes.”

  The king chuckled. “I see. You are going to be an interesting person to watch, Dame Hesker.”

  She paused while stuffing her face. “Don’t look too close. You won’t like what you find.”

  He blinked, and she turned her head to look at him. He turned his head. “I am understanding a bit more now. Commander Valat, please take good care of her.”

  Valat turned to him. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  In the next ten minutes, Dame Avedis had come in with bags of clothing and shoes. The young woman had agreed to accompany their merry band on their shuttle, and Hesker was a little dizzy but a lot more stable than she had been.

  She thanked the king for his hospitality, thanked Raanan and Ceres for the use of their son—which she realized might have sounded like something else—and gotten to know Idress on their way to the shuttle.

  Their trip skyward made her fight to keep hold of her lunch, but she managed to keep it in while sitting in the medical office where Valat unravelled the braid over her wound with the utmost care, and he slowly breathed over it.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Exhaling on the earlier stitches. They will be solid flesh by morning. For now, my lady, you need some rest. I will wake you on the hour to check for concussion.”

  She grumbled. “I hate that part of head injuries.”

  “You will have to tell me about your past battles.”

  She shook her head and met his gaze. “No, I really won’t have to. They are best left in the past.”

  Hesker got up and went over to the med bed with the monitors and alarms.

  He eased her monitoring headpiece from her and nodded. “This will be serviced and ready for your next landing in thirty-six hours.”

  “Oh. Hooray. When can I change into something without so many seams?”

  He smiled. “Soon. I will bring you something. Now rest.”

  She wasn’t happy about it, but she was so tired. She settled in, and he pulled a sheet over her, stroking her head before he dimmed the lights. Her body did the rest of the work and pulled her under.

  Every hour on the hour, he woke her up and checked on her pupil dilation, her blood pressure, and the healing of her scalp.

  When she woke up on her own, she sat up, and there was no Valat in sight. She delicately touched her scalp and sat up a little straighter. There was a thin line but no scab.

  She smiled and got to her feet. She felt steady and hungry. She didn’t know where Valat was, but she was going to go find food.

  Chapter Six

  Hesker followed her instincts and located a room where there were a dispenser and trays. She was alone, but she figured she could manage this.

  There was a scanner, and she stuck her wrist under it.

  A light touched her skin, and it showed her some options. She poked one image that looked good. She grabbed the tray and shuffled to one of the tables with her back against the wall.

  The food was weird, but it was pink to her senses, and that usually meant edible with a light side effect, like the fizzy sensation of overripe fruit.

  She finished her meal, and her head started spinning in a fun way.

  She got up, put her tray where trays were supposed to go, and walked toward the exit. She had to find out where she lived.

  Her clothing was itchy, so she took it off. Her skin was hot, and she just wanted a shower to relax in.

  A crewman came toward her. His eyes got wide, and she said, “Do you know where my room is?”

  He turned his head and ran the other way.

  She frowned and smacked her hand into the wall. It thudded and made a funny sound. She did it again, and the boom echoed in the ship.

  A shadow appeared in front of her, and Valat walked out. He sighed. “Dame Hesker, where are your clothes.”

  She walked up and poked at his chest. “They. Were. Itchy. I. Was. Hot.”

  He moved on the last poke, and she lost her balance. He picked her up and said, “You need a shower, some caf, and a nap.”

  “How can I nap after caffeine?”

  “Since you ate one of the meals from the dispenser and your physiology has changed, you are hammered, dear envoy.”

  She looked at him and then giggled. “A deer envoy. With antlers and everything.”

  He sighed. “You are intoxicated. Let’s put you back in your cage.”

  She pouted. “Can’t we go on a tour of the ship? I mean, we are already in the hallway? You can just keep going.”

  He chuckled. “I am going to remember that. But, for now, we are going to take your hair down, get you a shower, and some proper sleep.”

  That sounded good. “Okay.”

  He carried her through the halls and then took her into her quarters and sat her at the dressing table. He took out the pins, combs and unravelled her braids. Her hair was managed efficiently, and her head was nodding when he finished. He lifted her by her arms and eased her into the shower. He activated the sonic, and she raised her arms and spun around while he waited. When it was done, she walked out and headed for her bed. She thudded into bed, and he chuckled. “I should not have taken so long. I apologize.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “Attending to an important matter. Sleep, Hesker. Your head is going to be tender when you wake.”

  “Fine.”

  “Where did you leave your clothing?”

  “Between here and the food room.” She pulled the blanket up over her nose and peeped at him. Valat got up and got out three outfits for their next landing, organized her dressing table and hair clips. She made a face. The Kaluth colony was next, and she was going to be fancy. She didn’t like the thought of fancy.

  * * * *

  Valat looked back at his charge, and she was passed out with one leg flung out of the blanket, and if he listened, he could hear a light snort every few seconds or so. She let out a big snort and rolled over, threatening the coverage of her blanket.

  He finished prepping for her next stop and went to find her discarded clothing.

  Kirlus Adonai-Avedis came toward him and stopped on the other side of her clothing. “Is this what you were looking for?”

  Valat chuckled. “Yes. She was slightly inebriated after the dispenser gave her some Kadar rations. She’s hammered, and when she gets drunk, she strips. Just in case it comes up at a later time.”

  He picked up the clothing and looked at his teammate. “So, how are you dealing with your position as captain, Thinker?”

  “Fine. How are you dealing with your mate being homicidal?”

  Valat chuckled. “She doesn’t know yet that she is my mate, but I am dealing with it. You might get a status update from King Kirkan’s court.”

  Thinker winced. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing that I didn’t get authorization for.” Valat smiled.

  “Right. What do you think your mate will say when she sees you?”

  Valat chuckled. “She has already seen me. She sees me out of the corner of her eye.”

  “And she hasn’t run screaming? You are lucky.”

  Valat snorted. “How are you doing with Hesker’s rescue?”

  “Can a woman be timid and bossy at the same time? She is driving Krin and Yish crazy.”

  “What about you?” Valat inhaled, sighed, and then inhaled again. The perfume from Hesker’s skin was still in her clothing.

  “Me? I have nothing to do with Idress.”

  “
You might want to. I am just saying. Ah, her shoes are behind you. Allow me.”

  Valat stepped behind his friend and reached up with his extended height. He pulled the shoes out from the corner of the ceiling against a fixture and off the edge of one of the terminals.

  The captain asked him, “How did they get up there?”

  “She is stronger than she looks. Getting drunk also makes her itchy, and then, the clothing flies. Just something you should be aware of as we are going to be with you for the next five years.”

  “She is exceedingly strong and occasionally naked. Got it. When are you going to tell her?”

  Valat shrugged. “When she comes to me. No sense in hurrying things. She won’t be in heat for years. We have time.”

  Thinker grinned. “Are you scared?”

  Valat laughed. “Definitely, but I am also very heartened that she is willing to defend herself. There is nothing that frustrates me more than a capable person who will not take action.”

  “Do you think she would have killed him?”

  Valat laughed. “Of course. She was only worried about crashing the skimmer. She does not yet know how to fly one.”

  “Are you going to teach her?”

  “Fuck no. Not for quite a while. She is going to be stuck with a driver. She needs to not run around on her own quite yet.”

  Thinker grinned. “I never thought I would see the day when you would be afraid of a woman.”

  Valat smiled slyly. “I am not afraid of her; I am terrified for the local population of wherever she is. I agreed to be bound by the imperial court. She is not bound to anything beyond her work as an envoy. Once that is done, she is free and clear.”

  “So you really want to have her bound to you before that happens.”

  Valat chuckled. “You could say that. Unlike my mate, I will be going into rut in the next three months.”

  “In space? You are going to become... you... in space?”

  “Summoned Death will not be trying to bed her. Harikoth Valat will. I hope that I will have more success than my guardian designation.”

  “But you get a little... big.” Thinker waved a hand at his body.

  “I thought that teammates were supposed to mock each other’s size.” He grinned. “I know I have mocked you a time or two.”

  Thinker tapped Valat’s mind with his own out of impulse, and then, he winced. “Sorry. It is a reflex.”

  “Keep your reflexes to yourself, or there will be another trip to the counsellor for you. By the way, have you told your parents that you are a guardian yet?”

  He winced. “No. There never seems to be the right time.”

  “Next time you see them, make the time.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it is easier if they know what you are doing. You have met my parents. You know that it is easier if they understand why you go away.” Valat sighed and then lifted the clothing so that he caught her scent again.

  “Uh, that is a little disturbing.”

  “Why?”

  “All I can smell is blood and some kind of rose?” Thinker frowned.

  Valat nodded. “That is Hesker’s scent. When she prepares to fight, the scent of blood takes over.”

  “So, let’s just be clear, you are in favour of that?”

  “Oh, yes. We will have a hunt during our stay at Kaluth. That should help her focus a little.”

  “You are going to let her hunt?”

  “She needs to. We may not hunt, but she needs to ride. She has to find an adrenaline trigger that isn’t killing sentients or anything else.”

  “Right. Is this standard training?”

  “No, my parents taught me to kill from an early age, but I would like Hesker to find some other joys in life.” He shrugged. “I didn’t learn the same until I left home. It took a few years before I did anything else but kill, so I want better for her.”

  Thinker nodded and smiled. “She is certainly interesting. You will be busy.”

  He grinned. “I know. It will be a pleasant distraction between assignments.”

  “How many requests are there out on her so far?”

  “Three, though one is about to be retracted. There is no point as the earl is now deceased.” He smiled grimly. “He is no longer concerned with his gambling debts and selling captured women.”

  “But, you got a warrant.”

  Valat smiled coldly. “Of course. I am a guardian. I play by the rules.”

  “And you are trying to make sure that Hesker does as well.”

  “Correct.”

  “In that case, enjoy the care and feeding of your envoy psychopath.”

  Valat chuckled. “Thank you. I will.”

  He returned to Hesker’s quarters, and she had fought the bedding, and it had lost. He put her clothing down and then returned to her, easing the blanket back into full coverage.

  He smiled and smoothed her hair from her forehead. So much icy rage and will to use it in such a delicate package. She was adorable, deadly, and needed his help. He was just the man to offer it. Well, he was now. Ten years ago, he might have been one of the assassins trying to carry out the job. It was a good thing that he had run into a group of guardians who had taken him in to face a life sentence instead of a death sentence. Not that either option was a worry. When you lived with death as long as he had, neither option was intimidating.

  He looked at his sleeping mate. She would grow into the power that she had been given, but the training needed to begin before it manifested.

  His parents were waiting to meet her, and they had been warned that she was unaware of his full nature. They had agreed to abide by his wishes, but he knew that sometimes instinct overrode their sensible natures.

  Family was rough, but when one member was a shapeshifter and the other was an avatar, things became complicated.

  Hesker sneezed, and he smiled and pulled the blanket up around her shoulders again.

  She would find part of herself during her time on Kaluth, and he hoped that she liked it. She was bound to his people for the rest of her existence, and there were not a lot of options for her.

  If she managed to meet his parents and survive the experience, he would be able to relax a little. He was looking forward to relaxing. He had never really tried it before.

  Chapter Seven

  Hesker’s head was not happy. She had no idea what had happened, but she vaguely remembered being hungry and then itchy, and then, everything else got blurry.

  She sat up and caught the blanket that was the only thing she was wearing. She got up and looked at herself in the mirror, and someone had taken her hair down.

  She used the lav and did a full gel cleanse in the shower before turning on the sonic and shattering it. The small particles were sucked away, and she felt like she had been lightly peeled.

  The small dispenser in her rooms had water, and she drank cup after cup. She had finished hydrating and walked over to the clothing laid out, getting a dress with a severe side slit on before she went in search of her underwear collection. There was far too much air movement going on.

  She got a pair of panties on a moment before there was a soft knock on her door that reverberated. She did a check that everything was covered, and she called out. “Come in.”

  Valat walked in carrying a tray, and he paused. “That one will work.”

  She blinked, and his voice echoed in her head. “Ow.”

  His smile was kind. “You have a hangover.”

  “What?”

  “You used the scanner on the dispenser, and your genetic code is a little muddled. It gave you food unsuited for your biology.” His tone was low. “We have two hours to get you ready for our landing. Your hairstyle will take just over an hour. Ready? I brought you some food that should help with the hangover.”

  She nodded. “Did I get the dress on the right way?”

  “You did. If you will allow me?”

  H
esker stood still as he set the tray down and stood in front of her, smoothing the sides and giving a few sharp tugs. “There. Perfect. There is a jacket that goes with it. We will put that on after your hair is done.”

  She nodded and took the tray of small items and something hot and steaming in a mug. There was a small table near the dressing table, and she set it down and took the mug. “I haven’t brushed my hair yet.”

  “That’s fine. I enjoy it.”

  He got the brushes and pulled out the gems he was going to put in her hair, and she had a moment of doubt. “Is this dress okay? That looks like a lot of hardware.”

  “It is very appropriate. The mark on your thigh is visible, and that is going to indicate your affiliation from a distance.”

  He leaned past her and grabbed a brush, starting at the back and working it through until her hair was white and shining.

  She ate the bits off the tray and was feeling remarkably better in about ten minutes. “What was that stuff?”

  “Didn’t you test it?”

  She shrugged. “No. You handed it to me.”

  He sighed. “Even if I hand you something, scan it. Especially when you are on Kaluth. My family has a peculiar sense of whimsy.”

  “Whimsy?”

  “You will understand when you arrive.”

  She had a thought. “Am I going through the first few worlds to get the hang of this or to ask your parents to let you come out and play?”

  He paused and looked at her in the mirror. “There could be an element of both.”

  She smiled. “Thank you for whatever was on the tray.”

  “You are welcome.” He grinned. “Now hold still. This takes a bit of effort.”

  She smiled and sat, humming softly as he sectioned her hair, braided, wrapped, and wove it into a hairstyle that weighed an extra two pounds with the chains, pearls, and gems that covered her.

  “How is the injury from yesterday?

  “It has healed. The fissure has sealed.”

  “Thank you. Usually, I feel a head injury for weeks.” She smiled. “Now, what kind of makeup should I apply?”

  “Dramatic eyes and minimal everything else.”