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  Aciel defended her son, “He wasn’t attacking her.”

  Billie grinned. “No, he was going to haul me back to his house for the night, and he knew that it wouldn’t make you very happy. I simply acted to keep everyone on a quiet and respectable keel.”

  The women within earshot laughed and applauded lightly.

  They took a seat on folding chairs and watched the men resume their exercise. It seemed that when Billie calmed down, so did Arcros.

  She enjoyed talking with the ladies. After they finished discussing her defense techniques, they spoke about the clothing that she had ordered. And in an hour, the men were exhausted and back in their daily forms.

  As they approached, Aciel smiled, “Your turn to do the dishes.”

  Coros nodded and walked toward the interior of the house. His sons followed with the exception of Arcros.

  Billie smiled as Arcros crooked his finger at her, his lips twisted in a smirk. “That was a charming display of technique, Billie.”

  “Thank you, Arcros.” She gave him a bow, and the instant that she straightened, she was in his arms.

  Images of her pale skin under his hands filled her thoughts. He kissed her as he filled her head with memories of his body on hers, inside hers.

  When he raised his head, she was trembling and her body ached restlessly. Her lips throbbed from his kiss, and he seemed satisfied with whatever he saw in her eyes.

  “It was unorthodox but a good call. My mother would not forgive me if I ruined her plans.”

  “It is the same all over the universe. The ceremony is for the parents, the children simply want to be with the one they have chosen.”

  “Now that she has agreed to you, there is nothing to hold her back. Once we are together, there will be nothing to hold me back, and if you think you can dodge me again, you are woefully mistaken.” He reached out and slapped her ass before joining the others inside.

  With his threat ringing in her ears, she turned back to see Etien and Gwen standing and talking quietly to Aciel.

  “Are you leaving?” Billie was sorry to see her go.

  Gwen was apologetic. “We have to. Another few days and I won’t be able to jump safely. I want to get home in the next year.”

  Billie hugged the other Terran. “Take care and enjoy your trip.”

  When the ladies parted, Etien bowed low over her hand and pressed a light kiss to her skin. “Arcros will make a good spouse. He has a sense of humour and has lived away from home. Those are both key aspects as far as Gwen is concerned. She would not have given her blessing if it wasn’t a good match.”

  She grinned, “Thank you. It means a lot that you get good reviews from your wife.”

  He smiled, “You have no idea.” With a lascivious wink, he wrapped an arm around Gwen’s waist, and they went inside the house to make their goodbyes.

  Aciel came up next to Billie and smiled, “I think we should get you tucked away before my son plans any more mischief.”

  Billie made her good evenings to the aunts and cousins’ wives that had attended before Aciel whisked her up the back stairs and into a bedroom that was familiar to Billie on a basic level.

  “You put me in his room?”

  Aciel grinned, “Yes. Two nights of frustration won’t kill you, and it will make the bonding ceremony much more entertaining.”

  With that last shot, her upcoming mother-in-law closed the door, leaving Billie surrounded by the scent of Arcros soaked into the very wood of the bed.

  Her duffel was waiting at the foot of the bed, and she took comfort in her own scent, keeping her hormones from stampeding. With effort, she opened the window and looked out at a beautiful sight.

  The three moons of Chysan were rising, and her window gave her an ideal view of the hills with the huge orbs between them. In the distance, fliers passed between her and the moons, making her smile.

  She asked them if they liked the evening, but there was no reply. After airing out the room a little, she changed into a light shift and settled down to read from her data pad. It was a romance set in the ancient city of Mir. Hopelessly romantic, once Billie got into it, she couldn’t put it down.

  Images filled her mind of the house and the night sky. They did not have the tone of Arcros’s thoughts, so she got out of his bed and walked to the window. Her eyes went wide at the sight of a flier in the garden, hovering slowly near the window.

  An image of her on its back struck her, and her body moved automatically, perching in the window frame before she leapt out to land on the soft, warm back.

  The flier took off the moment she had a grip, and the enormous wings stroked calmly through the skies.

  She had seen images like this back on Earth, but there, the creatures were underwater and giving divers rides. Billie hung on for dear life, eventually comfortable enough with the slow pace of the flier to look up and around her.

  A rainbow of the creatures, some small, some large, surrounded Billie and several were obviously babies. Their flapping was faster, less rhythmic, and when they grew tired, they found their parent and hitched a ride, much as she was doing.

  When Billie looked back, the Oefric settlement was far away, and she sent her unease to the creature she was riding.

  The translation was that they needed her. They needed her hands, and they were taking her to where she was needed, whether she was interested or not.

  Billie was being kidnapped by fluffy and airborne devilfish, her lips quirked as part of her panicked, but the rest of her geared up for whatever challenge was on the other end of the flight.

  Chapter Ten

  The reason for the fliers needing hands was obvious once she was in their aerie. A hugely pregnant female was stuck in labour. Images of a little one coming out easily tail first were prevalent.

  Billie shivered in the cool evening air. She touched the large female and communicated what she was about to do.

  Carefully, remembering everything she had ever read about animals and breech births, she stroked her way down the labouring female and lifted her tail.

  A wing protruded slightly out of a wide opening. Billie saw the muscles contract, and she flattened herself as the tail whipped through the air where her head had been.

  She wiggled close to the emerging flier, sliding her hands along the opening and inside. Billie kept thinking to herself, It’s like working on a car.

  When she had a good idea of the width and position of the baby, she turned and braced her bare feet on the mother’s body, hauling away when the contraction hit.

  The mother lifted away from her, and Billie grinned at the worried male that was supporting his mate’s tail. She grunted and pulled carefully, easing the little one from her mother.

  When the baby was free, a surge of fluid emerged, dousing Billie and making her grimace.

  The small flier flapped around and worked toward its mother’s head. The mother sent Billie an image of her climbing back on another flier, returning to the village.

  Billie didn’t argue. She wanted a shower in the worst way.

  The male stayed with his mate and watched his little one to make sure it didn’t flap off their rocky outcropping.

  The collected inhabitants of the aerie gathered, and a huge flier offered its back to her. She jumped on and watched as close to a thousand of the creatures escorted her back to the village.

  When they got close enough, she heard an alarm sound. The Oefric were not used to swarms of fliers covering their small town, and this definitely qualified as a swarm.

  Billie gave the flier she was riding a mental image of the Dlenner home, hanging on as it banked over the town before beating its huge wings lazily to take her back where she had started.

  It let her off in the yard, its huge bulk hovering with a slow grace that took her breath away. Covered in goo, she walked back toward the house, facing the entire Dlenner contingent. She held up a hand. “I promise to tell you in the morning. For now, I need a shower.”

  She sprin
ted up the stairs, grabbed some clothing from her duffel and walked to the bathroom, smiling at the Dlenners lining the halls.

  “In the morning, people. The fliers have gone home now.” With the door of the bathing room closed and locked, Billie washed herself and then her shift. The liquid stained the fabric with gradations of muted rainbows. She checked her hair, and it was still its normal blonde.

  Sighing, she slipped into loose trousers and a tunic. With her hair wrapped in a towel, she pattered back down the now-empty hall.

  The bedroom was welcome, and she closed the window with a sense of relief. One adventure per night was enough.

  “I am glad you feel that way. My mother was out of her mind when you jumped on a flier and took off.” Arcros was behind her, and she turned slowly to watch his scowl.

  “I am sorry she saw it. I had hoped to be back before anyone missed me.”

  He came to her and removed the towel on her hair, tugging the strands straight with his fingers. “Are you all right?”

  “I helped bring a new life into the world in a manner I didn’t think possible, so yes, pretty good.” She grinned and hugged him, burying her head against his chest.

  “Did you call them?”

  “No. They came for me.”

  “Why?”

  “They needed hands. A female was in labour, but the baby was backward. Now that they have one of my kind that can understand them, they intend to make use of me when they need to. Tonight, they needed me, or rather, my hands.” She yawned into his chest and sagged slightly against him.

  His hands rubbed her back slowly, up and down.

  She leaned back and blinked, “I am fairly sure that I need a nap.”

  He laughed and helped her to the bed, tucked her in and curled against her, the covers between them. “Sleep. I might not be with you when you wake, but I will not be far.”

  She settled in and let his presence and the scent of him lull her into dreams that warmed her soul.

  Breakfast was a peculiar affair. Her in-laws were staring at her as if she had grown another head.

  “I am a communicator. That is it. The fliers just needed some help from a pair of hands. Nothing fancy. I just reached in and pulled, then they brought me home.”

  She forked up some of the cured meat on offer and put it on her bread. Billie took a big bite to reduce the chances of her being asked another question.

  Arcros’s brothers were fascinated, his father was impressed, but his mother seemed queasy.

  “Is something wrong, Aciel?”

  She blinked, “For years we have been trying to get close to the fliers. They are aggressive when we get near their nesting site, and they simply invite you in. It is unbelievable.”

  Billie grimaced, “Not completely unbelievable. I did come home covered in flier goo if you will recall.”

  Aciel’s face went from grim to elated in an instant. “You truly think of this as home?”

  “Home is where Arcros is, or where his family is in this case. I knew the day that I left that the Earth was barred from me, so this is the day that I pick a new family, a new home.” She winked, “The fliers have made me welcome, but I do not consider the aerie home.”

  The men laughed, and Aciel brushed a tear from her eye. “A daughter at last, I only had to wait fifty years.”

  Billie got up and gave Aciel a hug. She seemed to need it. “So, what is on the agenda today?”

  “Final fittings and meeting the women’s council. I think a trip to the vet and zoologist might be in order as well. You might be able to assist in speaking with their animals when needed.”

  Billie frowned, “That might not work, a dumb animal is still a dumb animal. The fliers are highly intelligent. They were able to tell me what was wrong. I have talked to farm animals before. Most are not too bright. They are raised to be food after all.”

  “Well, we will go and introduce you. It can’t hurt.” The militant cheer in Aciel’s eyes told Billie that her mother-in-law was out to show her off, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  It was best to just lie back and think of England.

  Chapter Eleven

  The bonding-day awakening was a harsh interruption to dreams that had Billie waking in a shivery sweat with wet heat between her thighs. If that was all her imagination’s doing, she needed a therapist.

  Aciel came in with a tray and watched while she ate. “Come along, we need to get you dressed and to the ceremony space before dawn.”

  Yawning, Billie let herself be dressed, made up, escorted down the steps and out the door to a skimmer. She propped her chin in her hand as they whipped past the scenery that she was becoming more familiar with each passing day.

  The ceremony space had a surprising amount of people waiting for her.

  Aciel and Coros walked her down to the dais, which had cushions on it.

  Billie mentally kicked herself because all she could think about was piling those cushions up and having a nap.

  Arcros looked good enough to eat in his formal clothing with the Dlenner crest crossed with the mark of the clan chief. A priest of the Serene temple was conducting the ceremony.

  It passed in a blur. Billie remembered nothing more than the warm darkness of Arcros’s eyes as they waited, meditated, sat, stood, ate, meditated again and finally exchanged promises to bind their lives as one until their natural deaths.

  Aciel was sobbing happily and noisily.

  Arcros bent down to kiss Billie after the ceremony was final, and she leaned up to meet him halfway.

  His arms wrapped around her, and he bounded off to the amusement and enthusiastic cries of the witnesses.

  When Billie broke the kiss, she was being carried in the arms of a feline centaur. His upper torso was all Arcros, but his back end was a huge cat.

  He chuckled, “If you would care to ride in back, I have no objection.”

  It took some manoeuvring in the long gown, but she managed it. “Heeyah. Move it.”

  He laughed outright and put on the speed.

  They sprinted through the village, past several startled folk who laughed at their appearance. A few lights flashed, and Billie grinned. A girl wanted pictures of her wedding day and candids were the best.

  The home of the clan chief was festooned with flowered garlands.

  “Aw, you made it pretty for me.”

  “Anything I can do to make it a special day for you.” While he was speaking, his paws were taking the steps four per bound.

  Joyful laughter spilled out of her when they made it up to his chambers in under a minute. He bolted through his office, into the bedroom and swiftly locked the door.

  Flowers and flower petals were everywhere.

  The combination of flowers was giving her the same heady, out-of-control feeling as the cake the first night.

  “These are the same herbs that I baked into that cake.” His hands were busy on her vest, unclasping the awkward closures that had baffled her during the dressing.

  Her personal icon was impressive, the marks of an Enforcer over the spiral of her solar system. The seamstress had done a magnificent job.

  She had admired it, and now, it was being carefully set on the back of the dressing-table chair. Her gown glowed with its silky texture and caressed her skin like a rose petal. She nervously ran her hands down the surface and looked up at Arcros as he stared down at her, memorizing every inch.

  “Do you like what you see?” She slowly turned to let him get a good look. The fabric was nearly transparent in certain lights and daylight qualified.

  He grinned and removed his own tunic with the same slow and deliberate movements he had used on her. “Do you?”

  She swallowed at the exposed expanse of chest and shoulder. Her tongue licked her lips, and she heard a low growl. “I do.”

  He followed it with, “I do as well.”

  Billie shivered when he kissed the side of her neck. His teeth were sharp as he scraped them along her skin. Her neck flexed, her
body quivered and she clung to him for dear life.

  While he aroused her with the simple caress, his fingers worked on the back of her gown until it slid off her shoulders to puddle on the floor. The only thing she wore under it was a pair of soft leather slippers.

  Arcros ran his hands over her, but the slight trembling in his digits gave him away.

  She laughed and reached up to wrap her hand around the back of his neck. “Detail can wait for later. I want you now, husband.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. His ornate trousers hit the floor next to her gown, but he had to pause to remove his boots.

  She stepped out of her gown and kicked off her slippers, watching the muscles in his back bunch and release as he worked to not fall on his ass while he removed his footwear.

  Aroused, focused, he stood and lifted her in the air, bringing her slowly down his body. He groaned, and she sighed at the friction.

  Her legs wrapped around him reflexively, allowing her wet heat to engulf the tip of his cock.

  Arcros stepped wide and pulled her onto him with small, punching thrusts.

  She shivered, moaned and dug her nails into his back as the sensations took her over.

  When he was fully inside her, his hands gripped her buttocks, and he lifted and dropped her in a fast, sharp movement, their bodies slapping together with force.

  Her vocalizations got higher and took on a pleading whine. He pulled her hard and fast, the friction heating her skin until her nerves overloaded and she shrieked, holding him tight.

  He howled, throwing his head back and announcing his triumph while his cock pulsed within her.

  They panted in unison. Billie clung to him in desperation. Her legs would not have held her if he had put her down at that moment.

  Arcros recovered faster than she did, walking them over to the bed with him still inside her.

  She felt his return to girth and rigidity. She also tried to ignore the slight shiver of her hips in a small circle to churn him within her.