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  He came out dripping wet with a towel around his waist a few minutes later.

  “You are wrecking the bed, Bryn.”

  She groaned and heaved herself to her feet, staggering past him and into the bathroom. She squinted. Sure enough, there was a water setting.

  She stripped off, set the water on, and when the water was engaged, a shelf of liquid soaps came out of the wall.

  It felt so nice to actually shampoo her hair that she stood under the water longer than she should have.

  Surat came in, dropped his towel and kissed her.

  She laughed as he pressed her up against the wall of the shower. She wrapped her arms and legs around him. “If you are going to continue this, I am going to need another shower.”

  He grunted and pressed his lips against her neck. “I know; I just wanted to feel you against me. This is my last chance today. The Elders wish to see you.”

  “Do they? Why?”

  “They didn’t say.”

  She sighed and bit his shoulder.

  “Ow, what was that for?”

  “Teasing. Now, I need to dry off and get dressed.”

  “And have lunch. Come on. I will show you where the drying cloths are.”

  He turned off the shower and held her carefully against him as he opened a panel in the washstand, and a folded stack of thin wraps came out.

  “Surat, you have to put me down.”

  His grimace was that of a child having its toy taken away.

  She slid down him and made sure her footing was secure before she wrapped one of the thin cloths around her body and towelled her hair dry with another.

  Bryn picked up his right hand and kissed his palm. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

  He looked flustered. “It is my duty and my pleasure.”

  She asked him as she was headed into the dining area. “Do you want a genetic heir?”

  “I wouldn’t mind being the progenitor of a new rank of Lrrko.”

  She laughed. “You make it sound so romantic.”

  He shrugged. “I was not designed for romance. I was designed for flight skills.”

  “And I was apparently descended from a line designed for combat. I can still choose to be a parent if I choose. I didn’t meet my birth mother, and I would like to make sure that my daughters don’t feel that I have abandoned them.”

  “Fair enough. So you would like to take your heir to term.”

  “Yes. I am pretty sure that that is what I want.”

  “Well, you will have to do one donor cycle so that they can determine your genetic imprint and viability. The cycle after that you can negotiate the delivery of your heir. None of the others have opted to carry their own heirs, so this will require a new protocol.”

  She chuckled. “Well, I do enjoy making things difficult.”

  He retrieved her meal from the dispenser and brought it over. “Everyone needs a hobby.”

  She watched his pert, muscular butt and the rippled vee of his back as he wandered around getting his own meal.

  She was suddenly drooling, and it had nothing to do with food.

  “Stop staring at me and eat. I will always be nearby and will get naked at the slightest suggestion.” He glanced at her over his shoulder and winked.

  “You had better. That is a view that deserves memorizing.”

  He was blushing as he sat next to her. It was fun to turn the tables on him. If she could just get to her studies, life on Lrrko might just be what she had hoped for. A place to begin again.

  The invitation to the Volunteer Project was a bit of a surprise. Bryn sat, smiled and invited any willing Earth women a chance at an entirely male population on a whole new world.

  When she was done, she looked at Lynni’s sister, Ty, and she got a thumbs-up.

  Lynni sighed. “Thanks for that. They wanted at least two of the transplanted humans to speak. I am not exactly video friendly.”

  “It’s funny. I don’t even see it anymore.” Bryn shrugged. “All I see is your sucky dagger throwing.”

  Lynni gasped. “You didn’t.”

  “I did.”

  The Elder got up from her seat and sauntered toward Bryn. “Bring it, newbie.”

  Leko and Surat were watching nearby. Surat gave her a look that told her to be careful with her playmate.

  Bryn touched her knuckle straps and grinned. “Bring it, Ancient One.”

  Lynni snorted. “It is Elder!”

  The other Elders were shocked, but Bryn laughed as they ran toward each other, making light contact as they both played instead of truly fighting.

  The blows that they struck were solid but not bone crushing. Bryn was being careful not to kill the Elder and her first female friend in quite a while.

  When Lynni skated a punch along Bryn’s cheekbone, it was time to stop playing. A short volley of punches to the torso sent Lynni back against a table, and with an eye to explaining the situation, Bryn jumped into the air and plowed her fist into the wood next to Lynni’s hip. The table collapsed in a heap, and Bryn caught Lynni before she fell.

  Lynni looked down at the kindling, looked back to Bryn, and she nodded. “Right. No hand to hand.”

  Surat came up behind Bryn and checked her hands and the bruises on her face. Leko did the same with Lynni.

  The rest of the Elders slowly began to applaud, and Ty snickered. “Yeah, they are going to expand the Bride program. Foxy boxing is about to come to the Lrrko.”

  Lynni hugged Bryn, and they laughed.

  Surat pried Bryn away and picked her up. “Come on, Hammer Fist. You need to see Medic Alveck.”

  “Why?”

  “Elder Lynni landed a solid punch, and I want to make sure she didn’t crack anything.”

  “Fine, Familiar. Just make sure that we make it back to the Bride compound before dinner. Lynni promised me something that tastes like chocolate, and I am going to make sure she delivers.” Hanging sideways, she crossed her arms smugly.

  She had her Familiar, she was gaining friends, and soon, she might have chocolate. It was turning into one of the best days of her life, and there were thousands more to come.

  Author’s Note

  We are nearing the end of the Terran Times Second Wave. Yay! Six books left and the next is Prohibit.

  One more Lrrko book left, and then, it is on to the Q’s.

  Yes, there is a new series coming into the “time slot,” but I don’t know which of my three plotlines will fit. Fortunately, I have a few months to figure it out.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.