Going Cold Read online

  He blinked. “You were scared.”

  “Yeah, I think that is what that was.” She looked up at him. “It doesn’t happen often. Feels weird.”

  He hugged her, and she gradually relaxed. “What do you think worried you?”

  “That the scratch would mean that there was a problem between you and me. I know Terrans are vrasku, but I don’t know about me, and I don’t wanna find out.”

  He cupped the back of her skull and tilted her head back. “The Kadar aren’t susceptible to much. We are disease, toxin, and radiation-resistant. As long as you are susceptible to me, I am content.”

  His kiss was slow and thorough. His tongue slid along with hers, she moaned and twisted against him, holding onto him tightly, and she was dazed when he finally lifted his head. “Calmer?”

  “Asshole.”

  He grinned and leaned over. “So, feeling less like killing the Tahs?”

  “Yes, my homicidal inclinations are a lot closer.”

  “Oh, you say the sweetest things. Now, we need to get back to our hosts. They are nearly falling over as they try to eavesdrop.”

  She glanced over, and everyone was in a chatty position, but no one was talking.

  They returned to the spot she had been occupying, and Valat sat down, pulling her into his lap.

  She was a little startled, and Krin laughed outright. Yish and the captain snickered.

  Dornin grinned and lifted Melia, settling her on his lap before she could fight him.

  Melkin took an empty chair. “I apologize for my forward behaviour. I heard Terran, and my mind went blank.”

  Krin snickered. “It’s because all your blood was redirected.”

  One of the female siblings smacked Krin on the arm, and Hesker frowned until she caught the reference.

  Valat wrapped his arm around her hip and pulled her against the ridge of his arousal. Oh. Got it.

  The tea party continued for an hour, and the Tahs got used to the idea of Valat being the imperial assassin and a charming conversationalist.

  They took a slow tour of the grounds, and Hesker asked, “Melia, how many children do you have?”

  Dornin chuckled. “Nine. Once we had Melkin and the twins, and it became obvious that they had their mother’s analytical talent, the eggs were donated instead of purchased.”

  “Donated eggs?”

  Melia smiled. “Adru-Skari women lay an egg once or twice a year. If they don’t have a mate or don’t want to get pregnant, they can donate the eggs to another couple as long as one of them is Adru-Skari. They are used to softies blending in their genetics, so they have developed methods to extract DNA and mix it with that of the vrasku mate, then insert both into the unstarted egg. A year and an incubator later, and you have a child that needs help hatching.”

  “Oh. Neat.” She nodded. “That seems like a good way to do it.”

  Valat had his arm around her waist, and she turned to him. “How do the Kadar do it?”

  He leaned over until his lips were against her ear. “I will tell you later. In detail.”

  She shivered and wished that her hair draped over both shoulders. One of her nipples could currently cut diamonds.

  Melia smiled. “You have not been together long.”

  “No. Two weeks maybe?”

  She chuckled. “I met Dornin, got scratched, and the medical team had to summon him to the station because I was fixing on him.”

  “Fixing?”

  “Genetic locking. The scratch caused a reaction in my immune system and in my hormonal system. Any attentions other than Dornin’s caused me to get physically ill. His touch was exceedingly welcome. It would have just been the occasional visit to the station and me going insane when I cycled and he wasn’t there, but there was an explosion that nearly killed me, and Dornin decided to take custody of me. I started working at the Tahs’ warehouse, and now, I am the mother of nine very tall children with very scaly skin.” Melia smiled.

  Melkin and Dornin talked as they walked up the path, and Valat was content to keep his arm around Hesker.

  “Do you enjoy your life here?”

  Melia sighed. “It is different. I loved being a customs agent. I was very good at it, but there was a price on my head, which caused the explosion that nearly killed me. This is safer, occasionally boring, but I do enjoy my life. Yeah.”

  “Good. So, four girls and five boys? What was easiest?”

  Melia chuckled. “It depends on the day of the week. Children are not static structures, and the girls are going to be available for courtship soon, so things are going to get wilder. I am sure that the laser-guided satellites are going to be aimed at every single social gathering where my daughters appear.”

  “What will you do if they find partners?”

  “Be very surprised. I think my girls are going to end up at an Adru-Skari planet somewhere. They know most of the guys around here, and there has been little to no interest from the girls.”

  “Did you have all four girls together?”

  Melia laughed. “There were four donated eggs at once, and my genes are highly desirable; they wanted them in the population. No one knew they would all end up as daughters. Odds indicated that a few should have been boys, but Dornin had a good day.”

  Hesker chuckled. “They are going to send a wave through the Adru-Skari. It looks like the yellow ran out of toner.”

  Melia laughed and looked at the four young women who ranged from their father’s gold to a pale creamy tone. Their hair was all their father’s purple.

  “Yeah, but they all have my spine. They are stellar members of local society and love their community. They also have my analytical skills, so there is that. Myit is looking into taking a position at Makuada Station.”

  Hesker smiled. “Any thoughts about going to the imperial court in a few years when the new heirs assume the throne? I mean, for your children.”

  Melia nodded. “If Reuval gets an invitation to the court, I am sure that the council will consider it.”

  Hesker nodded her head. “Did you ever think of this when you were younger?”

  Melia blinked. “Before I left Earth? No. This wasn’t even in my imagination.” She looked over at Dornin and her son. “But, I am delighted that it has become my reality.”

  Hesker nodded. “That is a very good answer.”

  “So, how about you? What do you think about the people around you in this new part of the universe?” She smiled.

  “They are grabbier than I thought they would be. I imagined moving through the stars and seeing nebulas and orbiting bodies and distant asteroid fields. Now, I just pop in and out and run around on the ground for a day, then back into a shuttle and stuck inside again.”

  Melia-tah looked at Valat and then back at her. “You know that today is the meteor shower, right?”

  “The what?”

  “The Agehan meteor shower. The sky is going to be bright with colour from a world that blew up eons ago.”

  Hesker looked at Valat. “What are the odds of that?”

  He shrugged and smiled.

  She hugged him in thanks. “I suppose it will happen very late.”

  “Just before midnight. That is why families gather. It is a celebration.”

  She suddenly felt horrible. “We are crashing a party?”

  Melia spoke from behind her. “You are honoured guests. You brought Krin home and are to be treated as cousins.”

  She looked up at the man in her embrace. “Valat-tah?”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Funny.”

  He closed his eyes, and a fine wave of dark pewter scales covered him. He looked Adru-Skari.

  Melia blinked and stared. “Holy hell. I have never seen that happen before.”

  Hesker smiled and stroked her mate’s cheek. “I have.”

  He smiled. “I have never been an Adru-Skari in your arms before.”

  “No, but you have taken on another form.
I still see you, no matter what shape you wear.”

  He smiled and kissed her. The feeling of his forked tongue sliding in her mouth was eye-opening. When he raised his head, he smiled. “You still taste like Hesker.”

  She chuckled. “And tea cakes.”

  “That too.”

  She looked around, and Melia had wandered off to talk with her children. The guys talked with Melkin and his father, and the others were playing some game that involved blowing a feather through the air across a finish line.

  “They look like a happy family.” She murmured.

  “They are. They only stopped having children because they ran out of bedrooms, and folks were staring when they headed out. They got the Terran genetics into the local population, and as long as all of the children have at least one child, that thread of genes will dig into Reuval and pop up randomly over the generations.”

  She smiled and looked around. “This is a very peaceful place.”

  “Do you like peaceful?” He kept his arms around her, his chin rubbing against her head.

  “I think I do. I haven’t had it before, but I feel really relaxed.”

  He squeezed her. “Don’t get too relaxed. You don’t want to miss the meteor shower.”

  She snorted. “I am relaxed. Not sleepy. Should I change for the evening?”

  Valat murmured, “You definitely should.” He nodded, and she wasn’t sure of what had happened until Krin was with them and leading them into the house.

  “My mom keeps guest rooms set aside so that the family doesn’t keep growing. I think she set the six rooms aside because she was starting to forget our names. Any more children and she would have numbered us.”

  “Oh, that would have been sensible.” Hesker nodded.

  “This one has the balcony, so it was designated for Dame Hesker.”

  “Where is my room?”

  Krin pointed to the door in the wall. “They are adjoining.”

  “Good. When is dinner?”

  “Two hours. Just after sunset.”

  “Excellent.”

  “Someone will knock on your door when it is time. They will lead you to the dining room.” Krin was smiling slightly.

  Hesker was wandering around the room and looking out the balcony doors. The green spaces and distant mountains made her smile.

  “Hesker, I need to take your hair down.”

  She sighed and walked over to the dressing table and sat on the padded chair.

  He pulled the pins, and the twists of braids in her hair unravelled. She sighed. “Why did you learn how to do this?”

  He smiled. “Because I knew you would need it. The same reason I learned about the formal fashion of the worlds we are visiting.”

  She touched the gossamer fabric with the thicker panels that covered her modesty. “This is fashion? This looks like someone tried to dress in ribbons and nearly missed.”

  He chuckled and continued to unravel her hair. “With the scales instead of skin, clothing is a formality and a bit of self-expression, like the body piercings.”

  He took her hair, braids, and accessories out in a few seconds, and then, she went to stand up to take a solar shower.

  Valat caught her and pulled her against him. “So, we still have an hour and a half. What should we do?”

  She looked at him and blinked. “Well, how long will my hair take for this evening?”

  “Twenty minutes.”

  “So, what can we do in an hour and ten minutes?”

  He smiled. “I know what I want to do. I am fairly certain that you will enjoy it.”

  “Fairly? Not positive?”

  Valat shrugged. “Nothing is certain. But... do you trust me?”

  “I trust you.”

  He picked her up and carried her to the bed, setting her on her feet before pulling her dress up and over her head. When she was only wearing her panties for personal security, he knelt in front of her, and his fingers slid the last covering away.

  He pushed her back, and she sat, and he removed her shoes and the last scrap of fabric.

  He parted her knees and settled between her thighs.

  She put a hand on his forehead. “No.”

  He paused in surprise. “It will not injure you.”

  “No, I mean. I want you, not this. You, you.”

  His eyes flashed, and he frowned. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “I don’t always know what I want, but when I have made up my mind, I have made up my mind. I want you in any form, but until I get used to intimacy, I would rather that you wore your own form.”

  He sighed. “You can’t see me when I am in that form.”

  She stroked his hair and jaw. “I want you no matter what you wear, but when you finally lose control with me, I want your shadows to be what I blindly stare into.”

  As she finished speaking, he changed form. His fingers grew longer, his head disappeared into shadow and her legs spread further apart to accommodate his natural form.

  His hands urged her to lie back, and when she did, his hands ran over her carefully, teasing her breasts, tweaking her nipples, and circling her navel.

  Her lower body disappeared in shadows, and she felt his tongue on her. He had kept the fork. It flicked and swirled around her clit before diving into her. She flailed around for something to hold onto, and he took her hands with his.

  She arched against his mouth and moaned as her hips took up a reflexive motion to draw him in deeper. His tongue went deeper and became thicker. His hands tightened on hers, and she flexed her hips as the pulse inside her swelled from his tongue outward until it reached the end of her and snapped inward in a rush.

  His tongue undulated inside her, and every twinge and twitch was given to him.

  Hesker groaned and muttered, “You still cheat.”

  He slowly removed his tongue from her, and he replied, “I like to win. Your pleasure tastes amazing.”

  She blushed. “I wouldn’t know.”

  He leaned up, and to her mortification, he kissed her. She tasted herself, blinking as she took in the lemony hints and the light musky taste. It wasn’t terrible. She had consumed things with a more objectionable flavour. The idea was just strange.

  She broke the kiss. “You are keeping the Adru-Skari tongue?”

  He chuckled. “It does a job, and you seem to enjoy it.”

  The shadows writhed around them, and she reached up to find his neck and jaw. From there, she traced her thumb along until she found his mouth again, and she kissed him.

  She licked at his lips and jaw and then kissed him again. When she leaned back, she asked, “Did you enjoy that?”

  He nipped at her lips. “You are aware that I did.”

  “So, should I get some body mods done here to fork my tongue?”

  He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. “No, but can I keep the tongue in my repertoire? It causes you to react very strongly.”

  She chuckled. “Bad experiment. You didn’t do a control group.”

  He made a deep rumbling sound. “You are absolutely correct. I do need more research.”

  He pressed her back and returned his lips to her sex.

  She groaned as he teased her and surrendered to his continuing the experiment. She hoped they weren’t late for dinner.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Krin smiled. “Dame Hesker, you are looking a little flushed.”

  She looked at him blandly. “I lost track of time. We had to rush.”

  Valat was back in his Nyal appearance, and the air of smugness was nearly palpable.

  Melia chuckled. “Yes, time can blur a little on different worlds. Where do you head next?”

  Hesker shrugged. “We are travelling to a variety of worlds in the Imperium and in surrounding space.”

  Melkin asked, “Did you know what was in the box?”

  “No. I have no clue until I use my energy signature to unlock the boxes. Well,
even then, I never open the boxes. Heck, Valat could jump out of one, and it would be news to me.”

  Valat murmured, “I would warn you.”

  “Thank you, honey.”

  He smiled in amusement and lifted her hand to his lips.

  Melkin cleared his throat. “So, are the guardians being spread thin across the sector?”

  The captain answered that. “Many worlds have a lot of talents while others have none. By mixing and matching the groups, you avoid the takeover mentality and get a team that works with the community in which they are placed.”

  Melkin blinked. “Oh. Right. So, that is what we are being offered?”

  Hesker asked, “Did you read the letter?”

  “Yes. Well, I skimmed it.”

  She chuckled. “They are also offering Reuval a bank of guardian genetics to incorporate in their population. They can use it or not.”

  Dornin frowned. “Are they offering it to the rest of the Adru-Skari?”

  Hesker shook her head. “Not to my knowledge. Reuval is in a unique situation.”

  Krin smiled. “Well, thanks to Mom, there are already some talented genes in the Reuval population. Analytical talent or not.”

  Melia smiled. “My pleasure.”

  Dornin chuckled. “Mine as well.”

  Hesker took Valat’s hand and pressed it to the top of her thigh under the table. She threaded her fingers through his and held his hand.

  Hesker asked, “What is the definition of a talent, anyway? Is it different than a power?”

  Melia nodded. “A talent is a personality trait that runs in a family, which can become abnormally developed, like ours. A power is a psychic phenomenon that has an effect on the world around it. They get confused all the time.”

  “I see. So, telepathy is a talent, but telekinesis is a power.”

  “Correct.”

  “Got it.”

  She smiled and looked at the approaching desserts with bright eyes. She did a quick scan, and her mood fell. None of them were suitable for her.

  Valat murmured. “We will find you something later.”

  She nodded and watched the platters of gorgeous pastries set out in front of her. She did like pastries, but each of them had something that wouldn’t react well with her system.