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  “Leera, let her go to him.” Dr. Heshla pulled his wife from Vexa but put a small kiss on her cheek. “Tell him to call. She worries and it is distracting as hell.”

  Chuckling, Vexa returned to the shuttle where her Udell Base pilot was waiting, and they were on their way back to Burn in moments.

  Vexa was at Burn’s side when he woke from his fevered state. “Your parents want you to call.”

  He laughed weakly and sat up. They were in an isolation room, and the base physician was watching from the other side of the plexi.

  “That is Dr. Helsin. He has been observing your progress. Congratulations. You revived a plague that was thought extinct.” She smiled brightly and tucked pillows behind his head.

  “You were worried.”

  She paused and went through the despair and panic she had felt when she saw him again on her return. His chalky pallor and the blistering around his mouth and nose had shocked her. Apparently, Flame had been called away on an emergency, and since Burn had been fine at the time, Flame was free to leave.

  Burn had gone downhill quickly in the three days she had been gone, and his recovery had taken five more agonizing days.

  “Yes, I was worried.” It was a gross understatement for her emotions over the last week.

  He reached out and pulled her to him. She sighed as the familiar feel of his body relaxed her. She pushed up abruptly. “You need a bath. I can help you into the solar shower if you like.”

  “If it won’t offend you, please, help me.” He got up and his nude body surprised him. “Where did my suit go?”

  “It was taken from you the first day. Sorry. I had to dissolve it so we could coat you in cooling gel. The cure was working but not fast enough.” She helped him into the shower and ran the solar cycle for him.

  When he was less aromatic, she walked him out through the airlock and into the medical bay proper. Dr. Helsin helped her get him onto an exam bed, and he took over running scans and checking his immune system.

  Vexa tried to pay attention, but she sat in the corner and fatigue washed over her. He was safe, he was in good hands and she could rest.

  * * * *

  Burn was exhausted, and he was shocked when he heard the slight snore from the corner of the medical bay. Vexa was curled up in a chair, and she was snoring as she slept.

  “She didn’t sleep. I asked the pilot, and my staff tells me that she didn’t sleep for eight days while she was on her mission to save you.” Dr. Helsin made notes and grinned.

  “She is a good friend, a great partner and…”

  “And your mate. Even your body is showing more activity in the immune system. The funny thing is that those aren’t your cells. They are her cells.”

  Burn smiled, “And my mate. I wasn’t expecting to fall for an older woman.”

  Dr. Helsin’s shoulders shook as he continued to scan Burn. “Well, then, you got lucky. You picked the one older woman who is going to outlive you by centuries and look younger than you the whole time.”

  Burn relaxed as blood samples were drawn. “I am lucky. Very lucky. It’s weird. I have never seen her sleep before. Did she eat while I was here?”

  “We delivered food, but more often than not, she didn’t touch it. Why?”

  “She needs to eat. She gets hungry and consumes the elements that she controls.”

  “Oh, that. Apparently, she lit herself on fire on your parents’ station, as if she knew she would need to top up. She hasn’t exhibited any signs since she got to Udell. Should we wake her and make her go out to eat?”

  Burn grinned. “No. Let her sleep. I had no idea that she snored.”

  The noise she was making made her vulnerable, made her mortal and swelled his love for her beyond any level he had anticipated. There was something about having a destructive force snoring gently after watching over him that caused a strange tripping in his heart.

  The combination of volatility and protective impulses made Vexa his perfect woman. She may be older, but he had far more experience in the actual world and he looked forward to seeing which experiences they could combine in the future.

  Vexa droned on in her sleep, and he stifled a laugh. If they were together long enough, he might be able to see a day where she slept in his arms and snored like that.

  He could dream.

  Author’s note

  In Guardian Enjel, I went to Jela and explored their dating and mating rituals. In Deal with a Dhemon, we learned that the Dhemons are the ones with Victorian sensibilities and the mating habits of large cats.

  A child of the two species is bound to be a little messed up when it comes to finding the right girl for him, so what would fit better than an ancient woman with less exposure to the worlds than a teenager.

  Rain of Tears will see the last recorded clone out and walking her world as the weather witch. She has been bringing the rains for a very long time, and the chance to do something new is definitely tempting. What else could the Citadel possibly offer?

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

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  http://www.violagrace.com

  About the Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.

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