Hidden Instinct Read online

  Yanith laughed and hugged her. “A medical pamphlet on pregnancy because I can’t see you two missing the connection that long.”

  “Oh, you would be amazed at what I can dodge when I try.” She smiled and then turned where Beryl and Toyo were grinning at her. “Not that I am avoiding that. It just seems that trying is the most entertaining part of the event.”

  Beryl grinned. “You don’t have to tell me. I got pregnant and shoved Toyo through the exercise room wall. I will tell you, the guy can take a hit.”

  Toyo chuckled. “It came in handy when the children began to arrive. Their talents kicked in like clockwork when they were teenagers. Having both of us able to switch off childcare was a blessing. If we had had your talent, we would have slept better at night.”

  Yadeel chuckled. “I have had to change a lot recently, and I just want a bit of equilibrium.”

  Beryl nodded. “Got it. I am going to guess you have talked to Toryl about this?”

  “For days on end. Well, intermittently.” She felt her face warm.

  “Right, well, we are going to sort out your wardrobe and get you enrolled in the training centre.” Beryl grinned. “Let’s go.”

  The rest of the day was a blur of activity, and when they were back on the approach to Beryl and Toyo’s home, she noticed something. “What’s that?”

  Beryl chuckled. “That is the addition for you and Toryl. It will allow you a bit of privacy, and you can come and go as you like.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “There have been several incursions into homes where there are Terran offspring. Samples are being taken, and we believe they are looking for those with Terran Syndrome.”

  “What is the purpose of it?”

  Toyo muttered, “Your sister-in-law mentioned that it might be considered a treatment for infertility. The samples she took from you during your adolescence show that it could be used to revive flagging hormones in the W’lyn.”

  She blinked. “Right. My father mentioned that there was a bit of an uproar when he would take us out together. I haven’t associated with many peers, but the families were all smaller than ours.”

  “There is a movement to expunge the Terrans and another to use those with Terran Syndrome for experimentation. We want you to remain safe.”

  “So, it is either a guardian team or living with the in-laws?”

  “You just need to become a public figure, and the heat will fade. So, are you looking forward to resuming your studies?” Beryl grinned.

  Yadeel nodded. “I think I am. I have the legal education. I have the teaching certificate already. This should be an easy qualification.”

  Beryl nodded. “I look forward to seeing your progress.”

  Two weeks later, Yadeel was waiting for her turn to run the qualifying exam with the guardian administrators. She already had the education qualifiers, so it was the practical exam that she needed before she could join a guardian support team.

  She breathed in and out, and when the light outside the room went on, she stepped inside. She paused and then kept her demeanour professional.

  Toryl, Rainek, Dryej, and Sorket were looking at her.

  She stood in front of them, and Sorket slid a list toward her. “These items are in this room. Find them all, and we will consider you for the position on our support team.”

  She took the list and groaned. It was far too vague. So, she got started. She found everything that was listed and piled it up in front of the guardians, one by one. When she had a minimum of three items that qualified for each of the twenty items listed, she went to the guardians and pulled other items out of their hair, their suits, and from their cuffs.

  When she had retrieved the small items and blades from them, she said, “Guardian Rainek and Dryej have hidden the jewelled clips in their suits. It might irritate Toryl if I go after them, so Guardian Sorket, would you please extract them?”

  He blinked. “You were supposed to find them.”

  “I did find them. I am just not going to shove my hand into a male’s suit while my husband watches, and then, you will have to spend the evening explaining to him why this was a good idea.”

  Sorket smiled. “Fair point.”

  Toryl was keeping his expression straight, but there was a sparkle in his gaze. “Oh, I am still going to beat them for the attempt.”

  The missing jewels were dropped on the table with the others, and her test was over.

  Rainek cleared his throat. “Where do you think your skills will be most useful?”

  “Post-disaster recovery. If you know who you are looking for, I can find them. If you know the general area where people should not be, I can find them.” She chuckled and grinned, “If you want to know if your mate is on W’lyn, I can find them.”

  She had their complete attention.

  Wren’s voice rang out. “Stop taunting them, Yadeel. You are cleared for work on recovery. Gentlemen, you are dismissed for the day.”

  Toryl was around the table and had her in his arms a moment later. “You did excellently.”

  He pressed his lips to hers, and the chaste nature of the kiss lasted for about five seconds until she could wrap her hands around his neck and her tongue fenced with his.

  His arms flattened her against him, and they held together until he pulled back, breathing heavily. “So, can you really find them their matches?”

  She laughed. “That is what you were thinking about?”

  “No, but I thought that thinking about Dryej’s sex life would be enough to calm me down.”

  She grinned. “I can. I have done it for one of the ladies in my course.”

  The other three gathered around, and she held up her hand. “I can only look for a mate for one of you at a time, or I would end up finding one, and you or she would have to figure out who went with whom.”

  They were frowning at each other, and she sighed. “Fine. If you want me to decide, I can just look for one of you that needs a mate first.”

  Dryej nodded. “That would work.”

  The men stilled, and she took a deep breath, and they waited.

  Through Yadeel’s eyes, the men all glowed with different colours. White, blue, and purple were not what she usually looked for, and she nodded with a smile. “Right. I will know them when I see them. So, do you want me to tell you, or shall I tell them first?”

  The guardians of W’lyn fell over themselves, swearing her to tell them first. She grinned. “And yet, what will you do for me? I am not finding mates while on the clock, you know.”

  Toryl rested his chin on her head while she negotiated with his teammates. She could feel his amusement in the hum of his energies, and it was a very nice feeling.

  The negotiations continued as they went for lunch, and Toryl leaned over and said, “Have I expressed to you how happy I am that you waited until I came to my senses?”

  She nodded and whispered back, “Yes, and I hope that you continue to express that appreciation over the years to come.”

  He kissed her quickly, and the other three groaned.

  One career over, a court case pending, she was going into heat in just over a week, and she was being granted the position of guardian support staff. She lived with retired heroes, mated to one, and everybody wanted to see the next generation start up. There was nothing like pressure to sharpen her senses, and they were the keenest that they had ever been.

  Following her instincts had led her across the world and ended her in a crevice with her life on the line. She wouldn’t recommend the path to everyone, but it had worked out for her.

  Her children had a ten percent chance of getting Terran Syndrome, but if they did, she knew just what to do. Experience was a brutal teacher, but it was effective as hell. She looked forward to the experiences that were on the horizon. With Toryl finally at her side, she was ready for anything.

  Author’s Note

  Well, I have returned to the
Stellar Born, and I decided that the child mentioned in Logic was a boy, a guardian like his parents and that some of the other Terrans who moved to W’lyn might not have simply blended in with the population.

  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.

  In real life, she now is engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.