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  He blinked. “That’s it?”

  “Well, I would have to know that Niika is all right with it. She just got a father. To have another stranger in her life so soon might be awkward for her.”

  “Why don’t we ask her when we go to pick her up?”

  Meri blinked. “Just like that?”

  “You are over complicating things, Meri. The Lahash are far more practical than you give us credit for.”

  “Even the children?”

  “Especially the children. My birth mother was a charming woman who enjoyed my father’s attentions until I was five, and at that point, he and I went to the water and she married a Sivith who moved her as far inland as he could. I never saw her again, but a few months later my father met Mir and she became my mother in all ways. There has never been a moment that I doubted her love for me. I could feel it every time she helped me with homework or ruffled my hair.”

  Meri smiled and blinked away the tears that welled up. His affection for Mir was obvious and heartfelt.

  “You didn’t mind the change?”

  “No, Mir is Lahash, and she understood the calling of the water, something that my birth mother never understood. It means a lot to be accepted for what you are. Niika will know what it means to have that in her life if you join us and complete our family.”

  “That is hitting below the belt.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “An interesting phrase, if an appalling visual.”

  “It refers to fighting with an illegal move.”

  “I thought it might. Well, we pick Niika up in an hour. You have that time to decide.”

  Meri exhaled and cleared the dishes, putting them in the cleansing unit and setting it to scrub them. She then puttered around and made tea. “How is it that everywhere I go on Reepha, I find my tea blend?”

  He leaned against the counter and smiled. “I made notes and had supplies laid in.”

  She chuckled. “Over-confident much?”

  “Call me hopeful.” He moved and pinned her against the counter. “Can I do anything to convince you?”

  “Give me time and a cup of tea. I have an hour before I go swimming again.” She snickered at the reference but let her mind wander when he feathered kisses across her forehead and down her cheek to her mouth.

  She tilted her mouth to his and went up on her toes to increase the pressure between them while her body fought to keep its balance without leaning on him.

  He broke the kiss and smiled, “How about now?”

  She laughed and placed a hand in the centre of his chest, guiding him backward so she could make the tea. It was going to be the longest hour of her life.

  Chapter Nine

  Walking back to the wet entrance, she tried not to let her shaking fingers give her away. It was no use, the moment they were three feet away from the water, Vehn grabbed her, pressed his mouth to hers and dove for the water.

  His mouth didn’t give her the option to breathe, her gills opened immediately, and she relaxed against him. It’s still sneaky.

  And yet it works. I hope it works for decades to come. He released her mouth and grinned before setting off to the school.

  Meri tried to emulate the swimming style of the Lahash, but she was slow and sluggish compared to Vehn.

  He turned, noticed that she was slow and came back. He wrapped an arm around her waist and swam to the school. This time, he hauled her with him into the wet entrance, and she lifted her head above the surface while leaving her shoulders under water. The children were all lined up waiting for their parent or parents to arrive.

  Vehn was at her side, and together, they gestured for Niika to join them. She jumped into the water with a shriek, and while her entrance was seamless, Meri wanted to teach her the fine art of the cannon ball.

  Niika’s mind was excited, and she wormed her way between them, taking each of their hands in hers. Vehn hauled them away from the city and toward the shore. They entered the shallows and Vehn took Niika to purge.

  Meri tried to stand up in the shallows and eject the water from her gills, but she ended up doubled over and coughing, staggering up the sand and stone.

  She felt hands on her shoulders, and Vehn lifted her. “Back in you go until you can do it properly.”

  He held her under the water with one hand while fluid rushed into her gills. He dragged her back into waist-deep water and helped her stand.

  When her shoulders rose above the water, she held her breath. Vehn stood between her and Niika, wrapping his arms around her. “You have to breathe sometime, Meri.”

  She looked up at him, not saying a word with her body full of water. When his hands cupped her ass, her eyes widened, and when he slid his thumb between her buttocks, she gasped. Water flew from her gills as the influx of air propelled it out.

  She grabbed his arms and hung on while the world righted itself. “You can’t keep using that method.”

  He nodded. “I understand. Eventually you will get used to the shocking caresses and they won’t make you gasp. I suppose I will just have to be creative.”

  He patted her ass before he released her to walk to the bank on her own. Niika was bouncing around and hugging herself. She wrapped her arms around herself and twirled, her skirts flaring out around her leggings and her chubby bare feet stomped on the grass.

  “Hey, Niika, did you have a good day?” She walked into Niika’s spiral and became part of it when the little girl grabbed her hands and twirled with her.

  “It was wonderful. They had a class for purging and how to swim and Lahash history.”

  Niika was chortling and yanking on her arms.

  Vehn walked in and caught Niika in his arms. “Come along now, your gran will have dinner ready.”

  Meri swallowed, “Mir is here?”

  “It is a family home, and all our family will be here for her first day of school. They will also be with us on major holidays.” He chuckled at her expression. “It’s traditional.”

  She swallowed, “What did I get myself into?”

  He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed the bare skin of her waist. He kept his arm around her as the door opened for them.

  Mir and Hisk stood side by side, grinning wide.

  Niika squealed and kicked to be let down. The moment Vehn put her down, she lunged for her grandparents, chattering away and using her hands to pass along her emotions.

  Meri laughed, “It seems that she enjoyed going to school.”

  Vehn smiled, “It will last as long as it lasts. There is a reason we will need to move closer to the school after she fully adjusts. She will be just like other students and ditch school when she can.”

  “Even the evolved Lahash skip classes?”

  He stroked her bottom as she passed him to enter the lake house. “We have other means to prove our evolution. I look forward to assisting you in your search to find those means.”

  She wanted to blast him, but his family was looking on.

  They took one look at his hand on her waist and rushed forward to congratulate them.

  Hisk gave her a gentle hug. “Welcome to the Kaos, Meribeth.”

  Ys appeared from the kitchen, “She said yes?”

  Vehn grinned, “She said yes, and she didn’t even bankrupt the family.”

  Mir came in and hugged her with one arm while Niika was gripped with the other. “Welcome, daughter. The Kaos are a good, solid family, rich too. That doesn’t hurt.”

  Hisk rolled his eyes, and Ys just cackled. Vehn came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her while the family congratulated them.

  Ys finally tackled the elephant in the room. “It is a shame you are so small and pale.”

  Meri laughed. “Yes, I know. The horrors of being a Terran on a strange world. I am never quite right for the situation, too short, too pale, too bony.”

  Ys continued, “I mean, I wonder if Vehn will even fit.”

  From above her head, she heard the low and amused voice say, “I fit.”

&n
bsp; Hisk snorted as Mir and Ys darkened.

  Meri was entertained. Despite their casual references to spawning and the children thereof, it seemed that they were a little unprepared when sex simply happened.

  Niika wanted to know what would fit where, but she was left wanting. It seemed there was information that even contact telepathy could not work out of unwilling participants.

  Meri distracted Niika, “What was your favourite part of school today?”

  The distraction worked, and Ys herded them all into the dining room for a charming dinner. Sunset was creeping in, and it came as a bit of a surprise. “How long were we in the lake?”

  “Seven hours.” Vehn put some green shredded veg on her plate and winked. “How time flies.”

  “Well, we were occupied.” She smiled and blushed as Mir and Hisk shared a glance.

  Ys laughed, “See, it is quite something to witness when you are not the one dealing it out, Mom.”

  Meri could see Hisk’s arm and based on the angle he was holding it, his hand was not on his own thigh. She snickered and reached for her glass, sipping at the water while the family life of the Lahash lapped at her from all sides.

  She worked through the peculiar foods one at a time, and when she heard conversation turn to her, she perked up.

  “So, Meri, you have a problem purging?” Ys was curious.

  Niika nodded. “She made horrible noises.”

  Meri nodded in agreement. “The gills were installed, I wasn’t born with them. It takes me a few days to get used to using them. The first time I used them, I had to have the locals hold me under until the gills started to work. It was traumatic for them.”

  Niika’s eyes were wide. “You were born Sivith?”

  She shook her head. “No, I was born as something else, something strange from beyond the stars.”

  Vehn lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “And I am very happy that you fell into my path.”

  “I didn’t fall, I was summoned.” She turned her hand in his and stroked his palm with her fingers.

  Niika was working something else out. “So, if you are an alien, is that why your fingers don’t have webbing?”

  “That’s correct, nor my feet. None of me was designed for life in water until the Alliance techs got a hold of me. They had me floating in a tank in a matter of days.”

  “They didn’t teach you to purge?” Niika’s eyes were shocked again.

  “No, they hung me upside down by my ankles and drained me that way. It was not fun.” She enjoyed the general amazement around the table. “If you don’t believe me, ask Vehn, he was there.”

  “Yes, they hung her upside down, and the water came out. It was really something, as if they had never heard of purging.” Vehn shook his head.

  Meri smiled, “I can answer that. Most species with gills have them either up on the neck or lower on the back. The back gills are the most common. The Lahash are a distinct species. You should have seen the expression on the tech’s faces when Vehn demanded the collarbone placement.”

  Vehn laughed. “They were most surprised. I think they had to look it up.”

  Meri returned the conversation to Niika, “Now, did you meet any nice children your age at school?”

  Niika frowned. “They are all younger than me, but teacher says that as soon as I catch up, I can get into my age class. There are two girls in that class.”

  Mir got to her feet and retrieved dessert. Fruit drizzled with sweet syrup. As she set the tray down, she asked Meri, “So, do you cook?”

  Meri shrugged. “I haven’t cooked since I left my world. I travel too much to get used to cooking with foreign foods. I usually eat rations designed for my people.”

  Vehn raised his brows, “Would you like to learn how to cook here on Reepha?”

  “Of course. If I can’t be a mediator, I will need something to occupy my time.”

  Vehn brought her hand to his lips again, I plan to occupy as much of your time as I can manage.

  Meri ate her berries with the fingers of her free hand and left the other in Vehn’s custody.

  She tried to lick the syrup free of her fingers, but before she could get her hand to her lips, Vehn had grabbed it and brought it to his own mouth.

  Hisk laughed, grabbed Mir and told Niika it was her bedtime. Niika must have gotten a message from one of her grandparents, because she rushed over and gave Meri a kiss and then Vehn before scampering off.

  Ys waved at them. “Leave the dishes, I will get them later.”

  Meri turned to face him and smiled. “You have a knack for sending your family running.”

  He lifted her sticky hand to his lips and slowly licked each bit of sugary treat from her fingers. “It is a knack I developed since meeting you. I give you full credit.”

  She laughed and ignored the tug low in her belly that coincided to each stroke and suck of his mouth. Her evening had suddenly taken a less-than-parental turn.

  Chapter Ten

  Vehn’s room was dressed in silvers and blues, but Meri didn’t stop to stare. She was interested on the closure of his wrap and nothing else.

  He pulled her hand away from the knotted fabric, and with two sharp tugs, let it fall.

  I have to say that it’s a little strange to be on a planet that doesn’t require one to cover up. It is tremendously freeing.

  He laughed, gripped her by the hips and pressed her to the wall beside the door. With steady hands, he moved her skirt aside. It is also highly convenient.

  His thighs pinned her and supported her while his fingers slid into her folds. His fingers primed her with long strokes that curved along the front wall of her channel.

  Meri closed her eyes as his mouth licked and sucked at her neck. She whimpered and clutched at his shoulders.

  Your neck is delightful. I think I could almost make you cum just by licking here. He tongued a spot below her ear and Meri shuddered violently.

  Her breath left her lungs in a rush, and she arched against his chest, the wall scratched her shoulders, but the light burn added to the other sensations.

  He moved his fingers from her and replaced it with the hard slide of his cock and the delightful appendage that rubbed her clit with every stroke. She held onto him as he pushed into her, his thighs flexing between hers in a steady pace that stole her breath and had her exhaling on tiny moans.

  It was such a peculiar feeling to have him inside her mind and her body at the same time that she reached out and took his lust for her and made it her own.

  Her roar of release echoed in the air, and when she dumped her pleasure into his mind, he followed with a sharp bite to her shoulder that kept the spasms going forever.

  Meri draped her arms around him and hung on as her entire body went limp, but her inner muscles milked him endlessly.

  I love the way that feels. I could stay in you forever. His inner voice was lazy and satisfied.

  No you couldn’t. You would get all wrinkled and pruny and that is something I could not deal with. She chuckled and nuzzled his neck, careful to avoid his gills.

  Why do you avoid my gills?

  She raised her head and looked him in the eye. “I thought you would want me to. Mine are really sensitive, so I wasn’t sure how a casual contact would feel to someone else.”

  He smiled. “They are muscles and tissue with nerves that are very sensitive and can be pleasurable if approached correctly. Shall I demonstrate?”

  She shifted. “No, not against the wall. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it tremendously…”

  “I could tell.”

  “But right now, my back is on fire, so I would appreciate a change in location.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, walking with her to the bed. He uncoupled from her and helped her remove the rest of her clothing.

  She groaned as she knelt on the sheets. Her knees fought going together. He was proportional, but his hips were wider than she was accustomed to.

  Meri gathered her ha
ir and watched him putter around the room, folding their clothing and flipping the latch on the door.

  She stared in shock. “So the door was open the entire time?”

  “No, of course not. It was closed, just not locked.” He knelt on the bed and moved behind her. “Now, as you use your gills more frequently, they will become able to withstand a little more rough handling. For now, we will start with something light.”

  He licked along one of her gills and it fluttered. The tip of his tongue worked just below the edge and when he stroked along it, the feeling was akin to having a tongue slipping along the entrance to her sex.

  She froze as he did the same to the other side, terrified that he would stop and horrified that he would continue. He stopped and pulled back. “You see?”

  Meri licked her lips and swallowed. “I see that the sensitivity has its uses.”

  Vehn laughed. “It does. My gills are fine, you can touch, stroke and do anything you wish to them, I will tell you if I need you to stop.”

  She turned and groaned as her muscles pulled. “Can we save the exploration for tomorrow? I have had a bit of a day.”

  The sigh of disappointment was heartfelt, but he gathered her in his arms and pulled her horizontal.

  “I can wait until tomorrow or the next day or the next. In fact, I think I will just enjoy holding you right now.” His voice was sleepy and slurred, but he held her tight against him until his breathing evened out.

  Meribeth smiled and drew her fingers down his arm, tracing a pattern that took her mind into a quiet place where she joined Vehn in sleep.

  The next morning, they walked to the lake, hand in hand with Niika beaming between them. Breakfast had been a discussion of the official ceremony with Hisk and Ys leading the charge. Mir had sat back and watched her daughter and husband craft the guest list while Niika twirled at the idea of carrying the joining bands.

  Meri didn’t have an opinion on the matter, because she had no idea what the ceremony was supposed to look like, and Vehn didn’t really care as long as Meri wasn’t leaving him.