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  Nearing knocked on her door just after sunset. “May I come in?”

  She had just been settling in to doze. She was still wearing her suit though she had removed the boots and weaponry. “Come in.”

  He walked in, and she finally noticed that he looked as rough as she felt.

  “I can’t take off until the morning. I have a diplomatic mission and need to get some sleep before I leave. The crew quarters are off limits, so I have come to beg a space for the night.”

  She sighed and scooted back. “Come on. They didn’t know how big I would be, so I got the double-wide version.”

  He dropped his weapons and the belt, crawled in next to her and curled against her.

  Yllin paused for a moment, but he began to breathe heavily and his arm went limp. He was out and she had a living wall of warmth at her back.

  The next morning, the vid cameras were flying everywhere, and after wedging his body into the solar shower, Nearing joined her for breakfast.

  It was going to take her a few days to feel secure again, so she was wearing her blades.

  She sat across from him and stared him down. “I still have one question.”

  “What?”

  “What is your actual name?”

  He grinned. “Don’t you want to guess?”

  She flicked her spoon at him, landing a wad of hot cereal on his shoulder. “I hate guessing.”

  “But have no objection to wasting food.”

  He scooped the cereal off his shoulder and popped it into his mouth. “There, now it is not wasted.”

  “And I still have no answer.”

  “Hexor. My name is Hexor Nearing.”

  She smiled and finished her breakfast. The team wanted to get started on some of the new levels, but Dr. Kliask was going to have to send for more students and assistants.

  She tried to follow her team, but Nearing grabbed her for a quick kiss that turned into something quite elaborate. If she hadn’t pulled a knife on him, he might still be kissing her at this very moment.

  Chapter Nine

  Lorada Gerocard took the image she had been sent and smiled. It wasn’t something she had anticipated, but it brightened her day to see her daughter grinning up at the man who held her so carefully.

  The placement of Yllin’s knife at her friend’s groin might have had something to do with his careful handling.

  “Ah, Ylli. You are never going to change.”

  High Prefect Hercot Gerocard entered and smiled at his wife. “Have you seen the business news?”

  “No, darling.”

  “She has gotten nineteen worlds to help supplement her trade school fund for women. She is taking over the universe one welder at a time.” His pride swelled his chest.

  Lorada came over and gave him a hug. “I suppose this was the right thing for her after all.”

  He sat and pulled her into his lap. “It is a shame that she can’t give us grandchildren, she would have been a creative mother. Why didn’t we get her that shot?”

  She sighed and snuggled against her husband of the last forty years. “She bit the pediatrician, drew blood and stabbed the nurse with the syringe. She has always gone her own way.”

  “We are lucky she decided to use her powers for good. If she had world domination in mind, I am pretty sure I would be out of a job by now.” He pressed a kiss to her temple.

  Lorada smiled and wove her hand with her husband’s. “You are going to have to take that sign off your state vehicle.”

  “Why? I am very happy that it now says, My Daughter is a Citadel Specialist.”

  Pride in all their children had been there from the beginning, but understanding their youngest had taken time. Now that her program had come to public and interplanetary light, her work at the Citadel had brought her acclaim for her work at saving people and helping discover things long gone, it was easy to see that she needed to take care of others.

  “She would be embarrassed if she knew that we knew about her exploits. Her letters to us are tepid in the extreme. She obviously doesn’t want us to know what she is doing, but I am glad that her new friend’s mother is keeping us informed.”

  “New friend?”

  “Check the picture on the mantel.”

  He glanced over and stiffened. “Is he bright red?”

  “I would call it scarlet.”

  He squinted. “Does she have a knife aimed at his crotch?”

  “Yes, she does.”

  “That’s my girl.” He squeezed Lorada slightly and sighed. “I hope they come to visit.”

  “So do I. She has finally found someone who will hang onto her despite the danger. When you find a man like that, you have to grip him tight. I am still clinging to you and you haven’t tried to run away in years.” She nuzzled his jaw.

  “There is no sense running from the one person who makes you happier than anyone else in the universe.” He kissed her and they enjoyed the silence of being alone in a very large space. Having an empty nest had never felt so good.

  Author’s Note

  So. I thought it was cute. I never got to use her close-range attack, but there are so many more books; we haven’t seen the last of Yllin and Nearing.

  The next release date celebrates my 300th single-author title. I have chosen my alter ego’s book Snow Time for Love as book 300. Yay!

  Honestly, I never thought I would go this long, and I know I still have some stories yet untold. They might be hits, might be misses, but I will do my best to make them entertaining.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

  http://www.violagrace.com

  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.

  Listening to readers has gotten her this far, and with her 300th short story looming before the end of 2014, she will continue to listen in the future.