Hard Hearted Read online

  That tension had gotten Tomo's interest the first time. He had been interested in the hotter portions of her nature and had ignored the intellectual. It had been frustrating, but once Ganath had approved the match, she really didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

  She relived the moment she first saw Canil. The heat she had felt had nothing to do with healing and everything to do with attraction. She had seen hundreds of men naked and none had sent her body surging to life like Canil had fully clothed. A few men had tried to flirt with her and in her state of numbness, she had missed it. Gray's heart pounded as she took in the feeling of rightness that filled her when she thought of Canil.

  With her emotions finding their place inside her, she wept for lost friends, sighed at missed jokes and smiled at the interest that had been in Mist's eyes when she had been wandering naked in the shuttle.

  Her mind spun for what seemed to be hours, but when she opened her eyes, Canil was sitting next to her, waiting.

  She let her face smile, the movement stiff, but as he rose to his feet, she gripped his hand and pulled him to the bed.

  "What do you need?" He lay supine, waiting for her request.

  "I need a hug and then I need a nap."

  He reached out and embraced her, pulling her against his chest. He didn't have a normal heartbeat, rather a rushing pulse that soothed her.

  It felt strange to be held that closely to someone's body after the years of being alone, but in a peculiar way, it also felt right. She was nodding off when she felt his hand stroking her hair.

  Her new smile stayed on her face as she drifted off to enjoy another thing she hadn't felt in years, dreams.

  Chapter Eight

  A clap of thunder shook her bed and Gray sat up straight, Canil beside her. "That was close."

  He stroked his hair off his forehead and looked closely at her. "You seem whole."

  "I feel whole and hungry. Is that food still here?"

  He grinned and she smiled back. It was becoming easier.

  He got out of her bed and Canil hauled the trolley close to her. "Eat all you want, I will eat the leftovers."

  She was into the food before he stopped speaking. The kitchen knew what she liked. They watched her plate for any items that repeated. With her condition, it had been the only way that they knew what she did and didn't like.

  Her life was good. With her soul in place, she could see the life that had taken shape around her. She had people who cared about her and a brother who risked his life for others on a regular basis. There was money, there was clothing, events to attend, work to occupy herself and now a partner to go on assignments with.

  She was smiling again.

  "You have a wonderful smile, Gralial."

  "Thank you." She dug around on the cart until she found dessert. "Oh, this is wonderful. I had the memory of this, but the taste is amazing."

  "Pace yourself, Gray. Your regrown organs may not be able to handle too much too fast." He chuckled as he ate his own meal.

  There was enough food on the trolley for four and it dwindled rapidly as they worked through it.

  She sighed when they finished and moved away from the food. "I think I need a walk."

  "With the storm, I think we are stuck inside."

  "I will give you the complete tour. That should kill a few hours and settle my stomach. Oh and we should probably check in with Brodin. He seems the worrying type."

  Canil grinned and helped her to her feet by pulling her against him. She swayed and a noise that hadn't come out of her in years surfaced. A giggle.

  Up on her toes, she gave him a quick kiss before blushing and pulling back. "Let's go for that walk."

  She hauled him through the base, laughing, scaring a few staff members and jostling a few others into hugging her in a shared joy of her newfound emotions. Brodin agreed to change her designation and gave her a hug in congratulations for her transformation.

  Gray snorted, giggled, cried and embraced every emotion that ran through her body, her mind and soul. She was dizzy by the time they entered the greenhouse and Canil's enjoyment of the growing space was contagious.

  He gasped, smiled and with a blissful expression, expanded his body into mist. The mist filled the entire greenhouse and coated Gray from head to toe in a swirling vortex of warm caresses.

  She didn't think anything of it until the seals of her uniform were teased open by unseen hands and the mist of her partner snaked inside. She fell to her knees as sensations rippled through her, every erogenous zone was touched and warmed by the tendrils that were part and parcel of Canil.

  Her breath wheezed in and out of her lungs as she reached her peak, her body locked in place, riding out the wave of pleasure. She braced her hands against the green turf and caught herself when a final spasm would have tipped her over.

  "Cheater! Try that in a physical form." Sweat was beaded on her brow and she shook when he reappeared in front of her, nude and interested.

  He rolled her to her back, kissing her and peeling her suit off with efficient movements. This time, the sensations had images to go with them and she ended up on top of him, easing his body in hers as if they were designed for each other.

  The heavy humidity of the greenhouse covered her skin with a fine sheen of moisture and she shook as they worked together to replicate her earlier pleasure. Their success came upon them in a rush and she groaned along with him while their bodies synched.

  "Oh wow. Brodin said that you got your groove back, but I didn't think you would take it for a test drive so soon." Roxy was grinning and Esur was stifling a laugh.

  She could feel her skin heating to a flattering pink. "I didn't know you were back yet and assumed you would be at your castle."

  Roxy turned and covered Esur's eyes with her hand, shoving the dragon back. "We will meet you in the commissary after you have a shower or at least a quick rinse. Congratulations on getting your soul back, by the way. Move, Esur!"

  Roxy shoved her mate back to the door and they left the greenhouse an instant before their laughter came to tease Gray's ears.

  "Well, that was unexpected." She grinned down at her partner and he returned it.

  "And yet, you managed it with grace."

  She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his chin, working her way to his lips. "I also noticed that you didn't hide us with mist." She tweaked his nipple sharply.

  He laughed and lifted her off him. "I was a little distracted." Canil pulled on his uniform, making the planes and ripples of his musculature disappear.

  She sighed and hunted for her own uniform. It had come to rest in a pond and she slid it on with a grimace. It was wetter than she was damp.

  Mist swirled around her and a rainstorm started just in front of her. She was suddenly dry and toasty warm. "Nice trick."

  He sidled up to her and helped her close her uniform. "I have all sorts of tricks. If you are nice, I will share them with you."

  She laughed. "I have always been nice."

  "Then let the learning begin."

  He kissed her neck and when he touched a spot beneath her ear, her knees buckled.

  It took her three tries to speak. "Nice trick."

  He chuckled and took her hand to find her boots. They were dried the same way her uniform had been and she wriggled her toes with pleasure. She did love comfortable feet.

  When they joined Roxy and Esur, they were sitting with Brodin and they were greeted with grins. "Have a seat. You must be tired after all your exertions."

  "Not at all, I feel invigorated."

  The group laughed as Canil answered.

  Introductions were made and after they had grabbed another meal, Gray was feeling distinctively mellow. It was weird to feel something again, but she enjoyed the slow warmth that was filling her as she leaned against Canil while they talked with Frost and Finder into the wee hours of the night.

  It was the cessation of the storm that allowed Esur to take his mate home. Roxy waved a pleasant goodbye
to Canil and gave Gray a hug.

  "I think a good night's sleep should do you a world of good, but check yourself out in medical first. That's an order." Brodin patted her on the shoulder and left them alone with only a few station staff.

  "You heard him, off to medical for a round of scans. You can tell me why your eyes have solidified as well." She tugged him to his feet and they walked through the dim and silent halls.

  "I hardened them to make it easier for you to meet my gaze, not knowing that it wouldn't be necessary. I can restore them to mist if you like." He looked down at her and his eyes started to spin slowly into revolving vortexes.

  "Whatever you choose." She smiled and skipped down the hall, letting the urge to act a little silly in the dark of the night flow through her. She stopped at the door to medical and entered her domain.

  Reports were on her desk for a minor cut that had been treated by the assistants as well as a mild burn. She prepped her scanner with her files and hopped into the scanning bed. It swung into action and started to take an inventory of her system within seconds.

  When the scanner swung away, she smiled and sat up. Scooting off the table and into Canil's arms, she looked up at him. "I think I may be having impulse control problems. I will need to keep an eye on that."

  "It is understandable. We will keep an eye on it. I don't plan to let you out of my sight until you have stabilized." It was all promise, no threat. His hands were on her waist and cupping her hips.

  "I believe you owe me an after-assignment scan. Get on the bed." Her whisper in his ear must have struck a nerve. He shook with tension as he flipped into the scanning position.

  All business, she started up the scanner and recorded the minute shifts in his health. He was more solid now than he had been during the first scan. Parts of him were very solid indeed.

  She kept her healer's face in place while she analyzed their reports. She was indeed suffering an endorphin spike along with a hormonal rampage of system-wide proportions.

  Canil got off the table and looked over her shoulder at the data. "Will I live, Doc?"

  "I believe that you will, but you might not want to let me fly for a while. I don't think my driving will improve." She smiled and filed the reports with a flick of her finger.

  She really wanted to continue the frolicking, but a yawn ripped through her with a vengeance. "I think I need a nap."

  "I am at your disposal, my dearest." He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it.

  Together they closed up medical and returned to her quarters.

  She stripped off her boots and suit, then crawled between the covers, smiling when he joined her.

  Despite his interest, he didn't do more than curve his arm around her as she snuggled against his chest. With a happy hum in her heart, she asked him question, "How could an animorph manage to have offspring with a Kozue?"

  He took in a deep breath that moved his chest under her ear. "The longer we are with a mate, the closer we become to their ideal. That includes fertility. For me, that won't be reached for a few years, but my evolution will continue as my body learns the shape best suited to keeping you as mine."

  "So, you have become my perfect man?" She smiled against his chest and idly drew a pattern on his belly.

  "It is a work in process. My body will continue to evolve with additional contact with yours."

  "Well, something is evolving. I don't remember you being this…attentive on our trip to the enclave."

  "You were not in a mood to be receptive. Now you are, so I am not wasting any time." He chuckled, making her smile.

  She yawned again and let her body relax.

  An image of Canil turning into a column of mist under her flickered in her mind as she dreamed. When she woke in his room, she knew it wasn't a dream.

  "Why are we here?"

  "The staff wanted to tidy your room. Your robes dragged blood along the halls and into the room. Housekeeping is in there right now."

  "So you floated me in here?"

  "I didn't want to lift you and wake you and this way, you were completely covered."

  "Covered by you."

  "Yes."

  He laughed when she slapped his arm.

  Canil sat up against the headboard and pulled her into his lap. "I believe that you need some casual clothing. On our next assignment, we will try to do some shopping."

  "Why do I need casual clothing?"

  "It beats peeling you out of suits all the time."

  She crossed her arms over her chest. "It isn't like I can turn into a gaseous form at will."

  "We can't all be perfect."

  Before she could yelp in indignation, he pressed his lips to hers and took her in a kiss that ended when she was under him and he was inside her, twisting with restless hunger.

  Gray shook with eagerness as their bodies moved together and when she cried out, he was with her.

  Their shower relaxed her and his massage unknotted her back even more. She was purring happily when he asked her, "Do you miss Tomo?"

  She sighed and turned to him, facing him under the spray of water. "No, but I miss the idea of a betrothal. It was what I had been raised for, trained for and been ordered to do. There was no planning in the clan, simply following orders."

  He looked down at her and she stared into his swirling grey eyes. This time, she didn't fall in, she saw him, all of him in that instant. "Oh. I see."

  "You finally do. I am yours, to death and beyond." He leaned over her and turned off the taps.

  "I wish you had warned me."

  "Would you have listened?"

  She let a smile play around her lips. "Probably not, but you have solved my little problem. I will now consider us betrothed. Is that acceptable?"

  He grinned and removed the moisture from her body with the flick of his finger. "It is exceptionally acceptable. Do you wish a ring or token?"

  "It would be nice." A blush was working its way through her cheeks.

  "Then that is something else for us to shop for when we next find a marketplace." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and another to the tip of her nose.

  She stepped out of the shower and returned to her quarters through the adjoining door. A clean uniform came to her hand and she dressed with expedience. Looking at herself in the mirror, she picked up a hank of her navy blue hair and smiled. Digging into the bottom of her wardrobe, she found her hair clips and put them in place.

  That was better. She looked more awake, more alive than she had in years.

  "Those are very pretty. Are they inherited?"

  She nodded. "My grandmother gave them to me. They have been passed down from female to female for generations." She idly touched one of the jewel-encrusted clips. "I suppose Ganath forgot to remove them years ago."

  "I do not believe he forgot. Think about it. He knew of Shevil's birthright, knew that his own child was a talent and both of his grandchildren. He fought for you to be banished rather than executed, he took your soul, but he kept it where he could keep an eye on it instead of handing it over to the elders of your enclave as he should have."

  "You are saying he left me the clips to give me…what? Hope, family?"

  "Or just so that he would remember you as you were. You didn't ask him, but he might have a different motivation than what you are attributing to him." He was already in his suit, but he could simply mist into it and solidify again. Cheater.

  The com chimed and Gray answered it. "Yes?"

  "Reset, could you and Mist please come to my office? There is another assignment pending and I want to discuss it with you first."

  "Be there in a moment, Might." She disconnected the call and turned to Canil. "Are you ready for more action?"

  His grin was fixed in her direction. "With you, anytime." He lifted her hand to his lips and helped her into her boots. With her new healer robes flowing around her, they walked down the hall laughing about the complications of her being solid and having to dress and undress the old-fashioned way. />
  Chuckling, they entered Brodin's office. Narvi was at the front desk and nodded at them to enter the inner office.

  "Reset and Mist, reporting as requested." She waited and Brodin turned around, a serious look on his face. The serious features split into a grin as he noted their entwined hands.

  "We have a situation of poisonings taking place on Eshku. Finder and Frost are standing by and I was wondering if you would be willing to go with them in case any of the survivors can be reset."

  She looked to Canil.

  He nodded.

  "Sure. Can we take the Deadpan?"

  "Yes, I have updated it with the scans from last night. Are you, umm, able to work under pressure?"

  "No time like the present to find out, but seriously, if I fall or get out of control, Mist will reel me in. He knows what is going on and has promised to pay attention."

  She was smiling again and Brodin smiled back. "Deadpan is fuelled and ready, Frost and Finder have emotionally prepared for the trip and the coordinates are in your shuttle. Whenever you are ready, you are dismissed."

  Mist nodded with a smile and escorted her back to their quarters to get extra uniforms. Her piercing on the last assignment had proved to him that extra clothing was a good thing.

  With a bundle of boots and uniform under her arm, she and Canil returned to the Deadpan. It had been cleaned of her blood and was in pristine condition. The staff here took tidying up after the Sector Guard seriously.

  Gray tucked her spare uniform away with the extra boots and in case there was any place to shop on Eshku, she wanted to get some skirts and something pretty to wear. She was feeling her hormones now and there was nothing like dressing in an ultra-feminine fashion to keep the feeling going.

  She strapped into the pilot seat and ran through tests with the halo.

  Mist took the navigator seat and waited for their companions.

  Finder and Frost came aboard with a sense of reluctance, wincing when the door closed behind them. "Take your seats."