Rising Zero Read online

  The seamstress smiled. “She’s a royalty fan. She knows all of the ancestors back nine generations.”

  “Ah. I was never fixed on history. Now it has rushed up and smacked me in the head.” She looked down. “And flattened my breasts. We have to find a way to stop doing that.”

  “It is only for a few hours. Will you be all right?”

  Dylia nodded. “Sure, but I am going to ache a bit when this is over, so Darmon isn’t getting any tonight.”

  The seamstress winced. “I will make some alterations.”

  Forty minutes later, Dylia was standing in a skin-tight gown that was split from the collarbone to the navel and woven together with tight strands that let her cleavage be displayed to advantage.

  Her hair had been unbraided and brushed out, twisted into loops, and hung around her shoulders. She looked elegant and a little bit slutty. Just what she was going for.

  She was wearing gold and black today.

  Darmon was pacing outside the huge alcove where her team was working on her. She exited and walked up to him, smiling brightly. “Worth the wait?”

  He stared at the bare skin exposed by the deep cut in her gown and all the delicate lacing that held it together. He swallowed. “I think we are going to stay in tonight.”

  She knew that the in he had in mind had very little to do with his apartments. “I believe your parents and the court are waiting.”

  He grimaced and walked up to her, tangling a finger in the lacing and pulling her toward him. “You are going to regret making me wait. We have to be on duty at midnight.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s today?”

  He leaned in until his lips were half an inch from hers. “That’s today, and every third day until we get more defenders.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but he kissed her. His finger in the lacing was his control over her, and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. When the ravenous kiss calmed down, she was lowered back to her feet.

  Her lips were slightly swollen, and her pulse was now sounding in all parts of her body. Her breathing was ragged.

  He smiled. “Short dinner and make our excuses?”

  She growled softly, and he laughed.

  He offered her his hand, and she put hers into it, grumping as he pressed a kiss to her palm.

  She remained grumpy for the next two hours until they made their goodnights to his parents. His mother held her hand and whispered in her ear, “Did you really put yourself between my son and a blast today?”

  Dylia blinked. “Of course. He can fly, but I don’t know how blast-resistant he is. I know I can take a hit, so that is what I did.”

  The ex-empress hugged her tight. “Thank you.”

  Dylia blinked and returned the hug.

  When Darmon finally got her away, he waited until the doors were closed, and then, he flew them through the halls, past startled staff members, and back to his quarters. He set her down on the bed, and then, he stood to one side, looking her up and down. “So, you think you are clever.”

  She smiled. “Modestly, yes.”

  He grinned. “Whose idea was the lacing?”

  “The seamstress. I just didn’t want my boobs smashed flat with engraving on them from the fabric.” She kicked her slippers to the floor.

  “I see. So, it wasn’t to torment me?” He slid out of the wide-sleeved robe that he wore for public dinners. He set it aside and went to work on his shirt cuffs.

  Dylia smiled as he slowly stripped. “Nope. I mean, it is a fun side benefit, but it wasn’t the intent. I am just used to either having them comfortably bound or supported by my clothing. This particular cut is surprisingly supportive. The tension of the lacing is just the thing.”

  He looked at the lacing that she was running her fingers along. It was like he was hypnotized. “Yes, just the thing.”

  She went up on her knees and tugged at the waistband of his trousers. “So, are you going to get me out of this, or are we just going to suit up and go to the on-duty quarters?”

  He put his hands over hers and removed her grip from the fabric. He efficiently opened his trousers, sliding the last layer off. His boots had been the first things to go.

  She smiled as she got a good look at his erection. It was tapered. The head could obviously get in anywhere, but the wide base surprised her. “So, that is a recessive gene?”

  He chuckled. “It surfaces every few generations. My grandfather had it, and his grandfather was married to the woman who brought the genes to us.”

  She reached out and stroked him; it twisted and writhed against her palm. He reached toward her and hooked the laces, pulling her up as he murmured, “You are overdressed for this.”

  Dylia smiled. “Well, you are fascinated by the laces. You figure out what to do with them.”

  He bore her back onto the bed, pulling the fabric up to her waist.

  “One day, will I be able to wear underwear to a dinner?”

  He scooted her around until he could lie on his belly between her thighs. “I doubt it.”

  He cupped her buttocks in his hands and lifted her toward his mouth.

  Dylia gasped and grabbed at his hair when he lapped at her slowly. She was easily aroused by him, and all night her blood had been at a slow simmer. Now, it was a rolling boil with just a few delicate licks on and in her sex.

  He slid his tongue into her, and she squeaked as he moved two fingers to rub her clit. A few dozen light circles, and she was screaming and bucking against his mouth.

  He slowed his tongue and withdrew it. Chuckling, he moved up her body with the care of a cautious predator. He leaned over the top of her dress, and his tongue darted out to snap the first of the laces. He did the same with the next lace, and the third until there was no more tension in the bodice.

  Dylia watched as he peeled the fabric free of her breasts, and he licked and sucked each as he uncovered it. He followed the deep vee of the bodice, dipping his tongue into her navel.

  She was waiting for him to slide inside her, but instead, he moved back, flipped her to her belly, and tore the remains of the dress off her.

  He pulled her up on her knees and drove into her, leaning forward and cupping her breasts as he moved into her. Dylia rocked on her knees and held her thighs wide apart while she gripped the bedding to brace herself as he fought to plunge as deep as he could manage. Her own body was having a lovely time with him inside her, but when he pulled her upward and turned her head to kiss him, she met his tongue with her own, and the slow slide and taste of him was a definite stimulus to her arousal. She leaned her face forward, and he bit her neck, causing her to shriek and buck under him.

  He drove into her and groaned around the mouthful of her flesh that he was sucking. His body shook against hers, and they slowly collapsed together, spent.

  He gently kissed the bite mark and chuckled. “I was able to get you out of the dress, after all.”

  She sighed. “All you had to do was ask.”

  He cuddled her and stroked her body as she dozed. At thirty minutes to midnight, servants brought their suits, and they had to share a shower. It was important for team building, apparently.

  Chapter Eleven

  After being zipped and tucked into her suit with a little help, Farway flew them through the sky over the palace before dropping down toward the on-duty quarters. Zero was wearing the new addition to her uniform, a set of narrow lenses that protected her eyes and provided her with an information display that would take some getting used to.

  “So, how often do you get a call?” she asked as they walked into the on-duty station a minute before midnight.

  “Once every two or three shifts. Occasionally every shift. There is no way to estimate the activity level.”

  Roamer was waiting for them in the lounge, and he scrambled to his feet as he saw her. “This is her?”

  She tilted her head. “You were expecting someone else?”

  His dark blue hair slid across his face, and he smil
ed. “No, ma’am. Miss. I am a huge fan.”

  “You are a fan of Zero?”

  “No, Ma’am. I mean, you are great, but Dylia Ormiak is an amazing musician. Your competency and mastery of different instruments have always been an inspiration. I have many of your performances on vid.”

  She stuck out her hand. “I am pleased to meet you, Roamer.”

  He grabbed her hand, and she felt the surge of kekxite in the contact.

  Farway cleared his throat. “Roamer, you can grope her hands the next time we meet. Get some rest.”

  Roamer chuckled, bowed, and disappeared in a second.

  Farway looked at her. “Did you know you had fans?”

  “They pop up in strange places, so I am guessing that this is not unexpected.” She smiled.

  “I haven’t seen Roamer that enthusiastic... ever.”

  She smiled and nodded. “So, do we rest, or do we keep ourselves awake?”

  “We always rest. Tell has ways to get us up if he needs us.”

  A voice came through her suit and lenses. “I definitely do. Welcome to the team, Zero. I saw your work yesterday. You didn’t hesitate, and your aim is precise. Well done.”

  “Thank you, Tell. Now, you tell me. Can Farway take a blaster hit?”

  There was a pause. “Not easily and definitely not comfortably.”

  She nodded, and her partner looked at her in surprise.

  “You knew I would be badly injured?”

  “It is more like I knew that I wouldn’t.” She smiled at his faceplate.

  Tell informed her. “After you nap, if you are not called, you will be offered options of exercise, watching news, or other choices that you only need to mention, and supplies will be brought in.”

  “Thank you. I need a tablet to make notes for the college of the primed.”

  Farway grabbed her around the waist and walked her to his quarters. She continued her explanation of the children to Tell, and he was stunned. He would look into available resources and begin to outfit the empty building at the college, as well as find tutors for the younger orphans.

  By the time Farway had pulled her into bed, Tell was on the case and looking up areas to build a training center.

  Zero was tucked against her lover’s body, and she slowly breathed in and out with him until she was dozing.

  A voice in her head said, “Zero, you have to rise. We have a situation.”

  Zero got up and noticed that Farway was gone. “Where is he?”

  “I woke him first, and he insisted on leaving without you.”

  She grumbled and said, “Where is he?”

  Tell told her where the takeoff area was and how to get there first. She sprinted, and she emerged from her hall just as Farway emerged from his. She walked over to him and plastered herself against him.

  “I didn’t want him to wake you.”

  “And I don’t want you perforated. This way, I get what I want, and that is what is most important.” She smiled brightly. “Now, fly.”

  He sighed and took off.

  They were attending a building collapse due to an underground explosion. That seemed weird to Zero. The underground lines were not prone to rupture.

  When his flight took them close to the manor on fire, she wanted to groan. “Okay, this makes a bit more sense now.”

  A familiar shuttle was outside, and Zero looked at Farway in shock. “They patched him up and let him out?”

  “Tell is looking into it, but it seems that he is not the only male in his family.”

  She nodded and asked, “Tell, can you find them?”

  “There are two people at the rear of the property. Another shuttle is heading in to intercept.”

  She looked at Farway. “You take the fire; I know where they are going.”

  “The staff have the fire under control. There are no life signs within the collapsed section.”

  The collapsed section of the manor was the evening chamber. It would have just been Meddial and her cronies. Most of her friends were out front. It had to be Meddial with the invader.

  “You get her safe, and I will distract him.”

  They came in silently and dropped in front of the couple.

  Meddial looked the worse for wear. Her precise hairstyle had been torn loose, her face was smeared with soot and blood, and she was limping. The man with her looked similar to Videl, but it wasn’t Videl.

  She spoke. “Now, now, this isn’t the way to take a lady for a walk in the moonlight. You are Videl’s brother?”

  Meddial’s eyes were panicked, rolling with the whites exposed.

  “Her father gave her to us. She is our bride.”

  Zero cocked her head. “Where are you taking her? Your shuttle is back that way.”

  He growled and shoved Meddial forward. “They are coming for us.”

  She moved to block them. “I am sure they are. I don’t think they are going to like what they find.”

  “Out of the way, bitch. She’s mine.”

  Zero felt a build-up of energy, and she moved to dissipate it. She darted forward and grabbed Meddial, tossing her toward Farway. She looked at the attacker and smiled. “There, now that she is out of the conversation, perhaps you can explain to me what you were planning to do.”

  He looked at her and looked at the spot where Meddial had been. She was now on her way back to the entryway of the house in Farway’s arms.

  The man swung at Zero, and she smiled and dodged to the side. He swung again, and she dodged again. “What is it about Meddial that drew you here?”

  He growled. “She didn’t make us choose. She took us both.”

  Ah. “I see. Your family approved the match?”

  He nodded. “They were delighted.”

  “And her father approved the match?”

  “He did, and took a hefty bride price for it.”

  She groaned. “Of course, he did. We can get you the bride price back, you will have to pay for damages, your brother has to be charged for attempted murder, and then, you can go home.”

  The man frowned. “Why?”

  “When she has said that her father had no right to agree, she meant it. Once we are eighteen, we are our own agents. That is how she was able to take you both together to begin with. She is her own woman with her own rights and properties. Your payment to her father was bribing someone in the wrong district. You gave him free money.”

  There was mortification. “So, we never had a chance to have a bride?”

  She groaned and looked at Farway, returning to her. “You have a chance at one, but your brother needs his arm fixed, and you need to hang out at the right parties. You can find a woman here to take both of you on with very little effort.”

  His expression brightened. “Would you?”

  Farway stepped forward. “No, she would not. She’s already occupied.”

  Tell snickered. “I have the details. As long as he leaves with the local peacekeepers, we will connect him with his brother, and they will be able to reunite. Lord Meddial will have some answering to do. He will be charged as an accessory to all events.”

  Farway explained this to him, and he agreed to wait for the peacekeepers. Farway caught her with one arm and took the other man by the wrist, dangling him over the building as they returned to the courtyard where everyone was gathered.

  Zero was fidgeting. She had pulled a lot of power and had nowhere to use it.

  Farway spoke to the peacekeepers, and then, he came back to her. “Tell says there is something wrong.”

  She looked around. “I need to blow off some energy.”

  His helmet opened, and he kissed her. She smiled against his lips, and the pulse of energy streamed from her lips into him. There were nearby gasps, but she kept draining herself until she felt stable again.

  He closed his helmet and kept her at his side.

  Meddial looked at her in shock. “Dylia?”

  She smiled. “Please, call me Zero.”

  Farway grabbed
her, and they were off to the next site. Tell gave them an update as they flew.

  “It is a domestic conflict on the nineteenth floor. There are children involved.”

  Farway answered. “Understood. Zero, did you want to sit this one out?”

  She shook her head. “No. Just put me somewhere out of the way, and I will do what I can.”

  “Will do.” He murmured, “Cover your face.”

  They flew up even with the apartment, and Farway launched her through the pane of glass on the balcony. He caught the toddler and took it to safety.

  Zero sat up and saw the mother with her other two children staring behind her. The father screamed and ran at her, flailing with a knife. Zero did what instinct told her to. Her arm shot up, but this time, it was bent at the elbow. It formed a shield that deflected the knife. She stood up and pressed him back with the energy panel that she held in front of her, and she backed him toward the balcony.

  Farway landed behind him and slipped an arm around his neck, disarming him. He was removed from the apartment, and Farway flew him down to the authorities.

  “Who are you?” A little girl about ten had red eyes from crying.

  “Zero, miss. Who are you?”

  The girl looked up at her with wide eyes. “I am Leela. This is my mom, and that is my brother Stomi. What happened to Leeder?”

  “The toddler?”

  The mother nodded with her eyes wide, quivering with shock. She had a wide wound on her arm.

  “Leeder is fine. He was the first one brought to safety, and now, I need to get the rest of you to medical care.” She reached out to give the mother a hand, and the woman lunged at her, sobbing wildly.

  She got them into the lift and kept pressure on the mother’s wound while they waited for the doors to slide apart.

  Medical teams and folks with lights surrounded them. Zero focused on getting herself out into the open spaces, and then, she looked around for her ride.

  Farway was approaching her, and she got the confirmation in her ear. She said, “Meet you halfway.” She bent her knees and shoved upward.

  Farway caught her, and he chuckled as they headed back to the base. “So, how was that?”