A healer who can’t control her talents meets a dark elf who needs her to shape her own destiny and save his people.
Ava has gotten used to the solitude of being a contact healer, but when she is stolen before she can get to her next assignment, she is up for sale to a very specific clientele. The folk of Nafki need her for her healing abilities, but the raiders who stole her want her for her ability to create a toxin for any species she has ever healed. Her talent successfully helps pause the plague rippling through the population, but once she has a grasp on the dark elves of Nafki, she knows that being used as a weapon to kill them is the next step in the plan. Kondr has faith in Ava’s ability to heal his people, but when she confesses that she is the true danger, he has to decide between the safety of his people and the woman who has caught his attention and imagination.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Bane Copyright © 2012 Viola Grace ISBN: 978-1-77111-351-9 Cover art by Martine Jardin All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by eXtasy Books Look for us online at: www.eXtasybooks.com
Bane A Terran Times Tale By Viola Grace
Chapter One
F
ire was hypnotic, even on an alien world so far away from home. Avaneer Leftiss poked the logs with a stick and watched hot, lavender sparks fly. The small cottage she had been using on the high-gravity moon was behind her, giving her comfort on her last night before being rammed into a box and shipped to her next assignment. In the distance, she could see the lights of the town she had just been visiting, and a strange sort of aching pride took her over. It was her destiny to travel from world to world, passing along cures that percolated in her bloodstream and handing them over to those who needed them. For tonight, she could pretend that her friends had just left her, and she was spending a night of solitude before being sent by special container back to the high-gravity Alliance base on Rhetek. As she stirred the fire, a smile of nostalgia rippled through her. Camping with her family had always been a pleasure, and this night, under the strange sky with the huge planet looming above 1
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her, she felt closer to home than she had in a long time. Absently, she started to sing a tune she had learned on Gezia. Instead of being in Alliance Common, it was in the ancient language of that world, and it echoed what was going on in her heart. The song was about a woman who had to commit ritual suicide, but instead of dying, the gods lifted her in the air and transformed her into the goddess of broken hearts. She watched over young women whose lovers chose family honour over love, just has her lover had done. Her work was so dedicated that the gods gave her dawn as a sign that despite the grief and darkness that reigned over her heart, a new day would start with or without you. When she finished her song, she extinguished the last of the embers and returned to her solitary cabin. One night’s sleep and she would be on her way once again. **** “Is that the one we are looking for?” A figure in the shadows looked to his companions. One of them nodded. “She is the bane. Anything she is infected with 2
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will be cured within her body. She is ideal for the people of Nafki. They just don’t know it yet.” A round of low laughter followed while they circled the cabin and prepped the gas. Contact with a being of her nature was not wise. While most of her kind were strictly healers, a few could hold the original pathogens inside them and use them when under attack. That was not something they wanted to test. Silently, they reached her cabin and slipped a tube into a crack under the window. Once the gas had saturated the small space, they would take their prize and get off this world. **** Kondr of Nafki looked down at the container. Lights slowly cascaded up and down the sides. “Are you sure this is the one we need?” The seller grinned and bowed with a flourish. “She is precisely what you need for that plague ravaging your planet. She can cure what she touches. Alliance certified.” Kondr couldn’t see her inside the container, but the lights were definitely indicating life. “She is rated for higher gravity?” There was no sense in coming to the black market to buy a healer for Nafki if she wouldn’t be able to move or breathe the moment she was 3
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decanted. “She is. One thing though, you can have her at a reduced rate if you promise to return her when you are done with her. She is a commodity that can be sold over and over if she is properly handled.” Kondr straightened. “My people are dying. What is the price?” The vendor stood straight, and they got to business. Kondr was under strict instructions not to open the containment unit until they landed on Nafki, but he admitted a certain draw to the woman inside. Janiv and Norfe were flying the ship, which left Kondr next to the large capsule. The three of them had been off world when the plague struck and communication with their home told them what they needed to bring home in order to cure those who had not yet succumbed. When the plague struck the population, infected entered the cities and those who were clear left for the hills and wild areas. The theory was that those who were ill would be unable to fend for themselves in the wild and it would be easier to contain and make folk comfortable in the larger cities as well as keep them supplied with food and water. The pathogen was quick to show 4
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signs fortunately but slow to kill. They might have a chance to save most of the population if this healer was as effective as the exotic provider advertised. It didn’t sit well with him that he was entrusting his people to a slave, but if she were trained as a healer, he would take any help she could give. They were going to be landing in one of the worst-hit areas, and if she wasn’t able to stem the tide of death, they would all be joining the infected within days. **** Avaneer sat up and stretched. The gravity was slightly heavier than she was used to but not enough to cause her any distress. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed one very important thing. She was not in the Alliance highgravity station. Instead of a medical bay, she was in a very well appointed apartment with a balcony overlooking a city of elegant architecture. “Where am I?” A shadow moved on the far side of the room. “You have been sold to us for the purposes of stopping a plague.” Avaneer blinked rapidly. “Sold? I am a trained contact healer of the Citadel under contract to the Alliance. I can’t be sold. It is illegal to own me.” 5
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She scrubbed at the back of her neck and climbed out of the pod. “Nevertheless, you are here now, and we need your help.” He stepped into the light, and she fought the reflex to rub her eyes. She had seen pictures of the dark elves of the Admaryn before but never one made of a hard, glittering black. He appeared to be made of jet and mother of pearl, but his skin flowed and flexed as he moved. She sighed, “Fine. I will help, but when I am done, I want to contact the Alliance. They will be looking for me and finding me on a strange world with no transfer order will cause your government problems.” He blinked. “Just like that? You agree to help just like that?” Ava laughed and moved toward him. “Of course. My particular skills are only of use if I can use them. What do you have here?” She began to walk toward the door, her robes swaying. “Where are you going?” He moved astonishingly quickly to block her from the door. “I thought to go in search of my patients. You would not have brought me here if they were not nearby.” She smiled brightly and extended her gloved hand. “I am Avaneer Leftiss, by the way.” He looked at her hand and paused. 6
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“I wear the gloves so that I don’t gain a resistance to everything. It is a hazard of my occupation. The gloves are quite safe. I even wear them to sleep.” Ava couldn’t stop a snort. “I wear everything to sleep. The only time I am dangerous is when I am naked and that only occurs in the shower.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “I am Kondr Lytan, Prefect of Nafki North.” “Is Nafki the city?” “No, Avaneer, it is the planet. We are a sparsely populated world, but our cities are beyond compare.” Avaneer smiled up into his sapphire blue eyes. “If the rest of the population shares your characteristics, I am amazed that anything could harm you.” He released her hand and opened the door. “We were as surprised by it as you are.”
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Chapter Two
A
vaneer was holding back panic with every bit of her Citadel training. She was on a strange world, and no one knew where she was. Kondr was an impressive specimen, and it made her a little sad to think she couldn’t even try to touch him. Casual touching was forbidden to contact healers. Perhaps one day she would be assigned a mate, someone who had been checked out that she could call her own, but until then, she was living a solitary life surrounded by disease and pain. “The sick have been asked to remain in the cities. We have kept them informed as to our efforts to bring in a healer, and now that you are here, the other cities will send their ill to us.” He carefully shepherded her down a wide set of stairs, and she could hear folk below, speaking in low tones. “What can you tell me about the illness?” “I will leave that for the doctors who have 8
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remained. They have been investigating it for two weeks now.” “Are we going there now?” “We are. Your rooms are on the third floor. Patients are housed on the first, and the medical staff are working on the second.” She nodded and followed him down the hall with the definite scent of medicines wafting in the air. To avoid accidental contact, she folded her hands together and shifted her sleeves to cover them. Folks didn’t try to touch you if they didn’t see your hands. A door had the marker of Research and Treatment on it, and it was through that door that they went. There was a quiet desperation to the occupants of the ballroom. Row upon row of cots lined the walls and formed aisles where the attendants moved back and forth, carrying meals and trays. “Oh my. Where is the head physician? I need a briefing as quickly as possible.” Seeing the pain and devastation that the illness was causing, she wanted to be of use before it got out of control completely. Kondr waved over an attendant and spoke quietly to her. She nodded her glossy black head and whispered to him. He hesitated for a moment before he returned to Ava. “This way. He has been 9
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struck by the plague that he was treating.” She was led past fifty beds, and finally, she passed through the curtains attended by a woman in a pale gown. The woman’s emerald eyes lit with hope, but she let Kondr and Ava pass. “Oh, my.” The man was wearing nothing more than a minimal loincloth and a rainbow of splotches with yellowish edges covered his body. The man sat up and smiled weakly. “Are you the healer?” Ava sat next to him and stripped off one of her gloves. “Let’s see, shall we? If I can affect any change in you, you can tell me everything about this pathogen. Now, where is your heart?” The man chuckled. “A healer who doesn’t know where a heart is. This isn’t going to end well.” Despite his words, he indicated a position on his chest two inches below his sternum. Ava removed her other glove and tucked both under her belt. An immediate healing would take a lot out of her, but if she could heal him, this would give them a better start for affecting a larger cure. “Are you ready? “You can call me Rathos. Most call me Dr. Rathos.” He squinched his eyes shut. “This won’t hurt, but it also won’t give you immunity. It will simply buy us enough time to synthesize a cure using my talent.” 10
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Kondr was standing out of the way, and Ava didn’t blame him. With this much disease, it was amazing that he came in to guide her. Most would have remained at a safe distance, but he was different. He was both brave and determined, which were oddly endearing in the face of a plague. Ava rubbed her hands together and placed one on either side of his heart. She washed his blood with energy, and as she sat there, the marks of the disease faded to mild discolouration. “Amazing. That is amazing. How many more folks can you heal like this?” Kondr was next to her, staring at the healed black flesh. Rathos shook his head. “She didn’t heal me, precisely. She reset my body, washed away the active pathogen and put me in the state of a person who was never exposed.” Ava smiled and removed her hands, replacing her gloves. “Excellently deduced. I will need to have a piece of infected tissue inserted under mine to begin to create a cure, in theory anyway. Can you synthesize what you need from plasma?” Rathos smiled and got to his feet. “We will see. First, we will find a compatible donor cell, and then, we will insert it within your tissue.” Ava got to her feet, looking up at Kondr. “So, phase one is complete. I can flush anyone we need to keep alive, but they will still get the infection.” 11
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Rathos swept back the curtain, and the woman who had been waiting flung herself into his arms with a sob. Rathos held her tightly and smiled over her head to Ava. “My wife. She was worried.” Ava smiled wistfully and folded her hands back in her robes. “Get dressed, Dr. Rathos. We have work to do.” She worked with the medical staff and Kondr kept nearby. When light dimmed and lamps were flipped on, they continued to try to isolate the pathogen. Kondr made himself useful and helped the staff feed and care for those who were in the final stages of the disease. “So, what are your folk? I haven’t met your species before,” she asked Rathos while they worked on typing a suitable sample. He chuckled. “A designed race descended from the Admaryn. They called us the Admorik. We were changed for the purpose of inhabiting heavygravity worlds. Our birthrate is low, but life expectancy is high under normal circumstances. This is the first major pathogen to strike in centuries.” Ava shrugged, “Is there any idea where the origin point was? Where it started?” Rathos frowned. “It has been traced to a farm in 12
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the north, but there was no obvious point of origin.” “Are there any patients from that area here?” Rathos paused and spoke to one of the attendants. She checked the patient records and nodded. He turned back to her. “Yes, there is one, but she isn’t doing well.” “Can I speak to her?” The attendant smiled and said, “Please, come this way.” Kondr came along when he saw she was moving down the aisle, and he whispered, “Where are we going?” “To see a survivor from the initial infected area. She is near death, but I can wash her to help her out.” They entered a room that was quiet with a low light and soothing music. The attendant was respectful as they walked through the room with the twenty folk waiting to die. The woman that they were led to was introduced as Madame Lytan. Ava sat at her side and winced at the discolouration that covered every inch of skin. She removed her gloves and placed them on the woman, repeating what she had done to Dr. Rathos. “What are you doing?” The woman’s eyes were blind, but her voice was strong. “I am setting you back to the point before the 13
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infection spread. It will buy you some time and allow you to answer some questions.” The woman smiled as her skin began to darken once again. “I wished that I could have seen my grandson once more. He was away on business, you know.” Kondr knelt at her side and touched the woman’s diseased hand before Ava could stop him. “I am here, Gran.” Ava closed her eyes as he touched the stillinfected skin. He had just guaranteed himself a place in one of the sickbeds. “Kon, I am so happy to hear your voice. Why are you back?” “I brought a healer, Gran.” Ava worked hard to scrub the disease from Madame Lytan, but she was tired and it was awkward. “Madame, I need to know what you saw or heard from your friends and neighbours when the first infected person was seen.” Madame Lytan laughed, “Call me Eeli. There was nothing to see. I have been blind for the last century. But, I do remember folk talking about a falling star, a crater and when we all went out to look, there was a cool mist that touched my skin.” Ava was shocked. “Did the medical centre look for it?” “I am a blind woman. I probably felt the first fog of night. I told them where to find the crater, 14
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but no one could.” Kondr asked, “Where was it, Gran?” “The valley hollow where you lost your third tooth. Forty paces from the wide oak.” She smiled, and her face was taking on the dark, smooth skin of their species. Ava’s hands started shaking, and Eeli pressed her hands over hers. “You can stop now, dear. I will last a few more days, and you can use that to take my grandson back to our home before he succumbs to his act of affection.” Kondr was confused. “What?” Ava relaxed her hands and removed them from Eeli’s skin. “I have bought you a few more days, Eeli. How long does it take to get there?” Eeli laughed. “You are in the North Prefecture. The site is three hours away.” Ava put her gloves back on. “Then, I suppose that I have a trip to make. Kondr, can you escort me before you turn every colour in the rainbow?” He pressed a kiss to Eeli’s forehead. “I can and I will.”
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Chapter Three
T
he skimmer that Kondr was flying was far beyond Avaneer’s piloting skill. They did, indeed, only have to go three hours north to get to the designated coordinates, and they did not speak the entire time. Ava napped intermittently, and he kept staring at his hand. Ava jerked awake when he touched her shoulder. “We are here. I am not surprised that they could not find it. This is a hollow known only to the locals. This way.” He kept contact with her, cupping her elbow and supporting her when she wobbled. They walked through thick, silvery trees, past a pond and into a wild meadow with a sunken stream in it. Once they passed the stream, there was a huge crystalline oak over ten feet wide. “That is the wide oak. The crater should be this way.” They passed the oak, and once the crater was 16
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visible, Ava touched his arm. “Hold back. I am about to do something very stupid or very brave. It will mean I can’t flush anyone’s system for a few days, but if this works, the cure can start being synthesized in two days.” “What if it doesn’t work?” Kondr sounded concerned. “If it doesn’t work, then it means my body can’t keep up with the infection, and it will kill me much faster than it will kill your kind. Either way, we know for sure.” “Know what?” “Know whether I can do anything to stall this pathogen. It seems precisely designed to attack your systems. I may not be the best healer for the task, but I am the only one you have.” She strode over to the crater and opened the sample cases she had obtained from Rathos before setting out. The device was remarkably simple. In the bottom of the crater, tiny shards of metal were visible. Someone had dropped the ball of metal from orbit, the pathogen inside. When it landed, it burst open, and the liquid inside turned to vapour that spread the infection to the first of the Admorik. Ava had never done this to herself in this manner before, but she removed her glove and sliced her palm on one of the metal shards before quickly slipping the sample into the container and 17
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putting her glove back on. Her palm burned from the cut, but she could feel it healing. She just needed her body to succumb to the infection, and when it was over, her blood would be able to be used as a cure. “Okay, I have the samples, I have the initial infection. Let’s get back to the city before I pass out.” She tried to smile brightly at him, but the stained skin on his neck faded the smile before it bloomed. “Your infection has started.” He smiled, caressing her neck. She jumped at the contact. “So has yours.” She sighed, “So, let’s get back to the city and see what my talent will bring.” Without another word, they hiked back to the skimmer, and he flew them back to the gleaming jewel in the darkness. “It’s a shame that so much beauty has to hold so much death. What is the death count up to?” “Fifty. Most from the original exposure site that we just visited.” “Of course. I believe I need some rest now. If I can rest and eat normally, then I can work on creating a cure.” She smiled, but her body was aching and her limbs were shaking. When they got out of the skimmer, she moved slowly up the stairs, step by step, until she reached the third level. Her feet felt like lead as she marched down the 18
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hall to her room and even the gilt splendour of the room couldn’t make her feel better. Ava didn’t care if Kondr was nearby, she was having a shower. In the bathroom, she peeled her gloves off, followed by her outer robes, belt, inner robes, boots and bodysuit. Her skin was covered with blotches in a rainbow of colours. Grimacing, she unravelled her tight braid and loosened her hair. She wasn’t going to let her skin ruin the chance for a nice shower. The heat of the water was bracing, but when she had scrubbed and scrubbed and done nothing but pinked what was left of her normal skin, she let out a yawn that turned into a gargle. “Okay, that’s enough.” A hand reached into the shower and pulled her out, swathing her in towels and gently patting her skin. “Kondr, this is unseemly.” She tried to bat at his hands, but he was having none of it. “Call me, Kon. You and I will be sharing the bed. I can barely stand on my two feet, and there is no room available in the city. They are all occupied with the ill.” She chuckled as her blush kept her face a bright pink. “My bed will be a hub of viral activity.” “I don’t care. I need some restful sleep, and I swear not to harass you. Since my cock changed colour, I am not even sure it would stay on during 19
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sex.” She got the image in her head and burst out laughing. He wrapped her tightly in another round of towels and lifted her in his arms. “There you are, all covered, and I will tuck you into bed.” Ava smiled and relaxed in his embrace while he carried her into the bedroom. He was as good as his word, and he kept her tidily wrapped while he tucked her into her side of the bed. Once she was in bed, he went back into the lav and closed the door. She heard the sounds of the shower, but since she was warm, clean and snug, she let the noise carry her off to sleep. **** Kondr watched the even rise and fall of Avaneer’s chest under the blanket. There was the occasional hitch in her breathing, but the most disturbing thing was the wild colouration that was spreading over her body. His people were quick to show the signs of the disease from what Rathos had told him, but it spread slowly. The gemstone colouration was moving across Avaneer in a matter of hours. The soft texture of her skin was giving way to hardened panels. He pressed his hand to her forearm, and there was no yielding in her skin, her 20
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body was cool to the touch, and he knew from earlier that her skin was normally quite warm. How she came to be in that pod on that blackmarket station was a mystery to him, but he was hoping to find out why she was willing to help strangers on a world not her own. He held her hand as the skin turned emerald and sapphire mixed and keeping the small contact with her while she fought the plague that was killing her and the rest of his people. Kondr sat next to her on the bed, her small hand in his, wondering what their chances of survival were, until he succumbed to sleep as well.
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Chapter Four
A
va knew before she opened her eyes that her body had done what it always did. It had cured her of the pathogen. She shifted and a tug on her hand got her attention. She looked down to see Kondr’s hand holding hers. A smile crossed her lips as she enjoyed the feeling of contact with another living creature without pain between them. His breathing was easy and deep. She turned and noted that the only thing that stood between her and a complete view of his body was a strategic fold of sheet. Slight bags under his eyes were a testament to his fatigue, and Ava gave in to impulse. She leaned forward and brushed her lips across Kondr’s. The texture of his lips was firm and the slide of his skin made her smile. She leaned back, and his breathing had not changed, so she repeated her kiss, this time letting her tongue dart out to taste him. 22
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Her tongue tingled as she absorbed his taste. It had been ages since she had let herself be this close to a man, let alone one as fascinating as Kondr Lytan. Since she had left the Earth, she had met hundreds of people, dozens of species, but few fascinated her like this. The human attraction to elves was ingrained in her brain. Ever since she had heard of the Admaryn, she had been fascinated, but a pass near the planet proved that she wasn’t destined to join them. Her mind lived in hope that one day she would have a family of her own somewhere out here among the stars, but since her selection as contact healer, she had throttled back on that dream. Facing Kondr, she relaxed back onto the pillow and tried to forget how she had arrived here. “She’s unholy, and she needs to be with the demons. Get her out of here.” Her father had been sure that possession and not a blessing had enabled her to survive the multiple snakebites across her lifetime without any effect, and only the devil would have brought his mother back from death. Avaneer kept her mouth shut as her father shoved her through the doors to the Volunteer Centre. The attendants were a little surprised when her father held the doors closed. One man came forward and extended his hand. 23
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“Welcome to the Volunteer Centre. You are welcome to fill out a form.” She extended her hand carefully, her mind taking inventory of his physical health and transferring all ills for her body to heal. Fortunately, he was in good shape aside from a cut on his back and a bruise on one thigh. His eyes widened, and he gestured to another attendant. “Come with me, healer. We have much to discuss.” She had never seen her family again, but they weren’t interested in the demon in their midst, so she went from the bane of their existence to a haunted memory. “What are you thinking about?” Kondr’s voice was low with sleep. “How I got here, where I will go next, that sort of thing.” She opened her lids a bit and watched him lick his lips, a frown between his brows. She felt her cheeks heat up as his gaze locked with hers. “Why can I taste you?” She blinked and tried to move away, but he had her by the hand. “Um…I kissed you.” “You kissed me? While I was sleeping?” He blinked in surprise. “Yes. I am sorry if I intruded on your privacy. It has just been a very long time since I have been this close to another living being without layers of robes between us.” She tried to tug her hand 24
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away, but he held on. “I see. Perhaps we should take advantage of this moment. Do you know you are healed?” he whispered an inch from her lips. “Yes, I knew. I could feel it. How are you feeling?” He smiled and pressed his lips to hers, rolling her to her back and pinning her beneath him. I suppose this means he is feeling better. A dozen rationalizations rippled through her mind, but the feel of him against her sent them out of her head. She should push him away, should stop enjoying the feel of his skin against hers, and she really should stop arching into the hand that was slowly caressing her hip. When a pounding on the door sounded, her body let out a silent scream of frustration. Kondr leaned back and sighed. “I suppose I should wait until you have completed your work.” She smiled and caressed his cheek. Sadness welled up. “When I have completed my work, you will send me back to those who stole me to start with.” His tension was sudden, and he jerked back. “I forgot all about that.” Ava felt cold and abandoned when he rolled to one side and picked up his clothing. A soft despair took a place in her soul. She sat up and quickly 25
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went in search of her own clothes, pulling the bodysuit up and over her newly healed skin, hiding it from view. Ava pulled on her boots, shrugged into her inner robe and fastened it before slipping on her outer robe and tugging on her gloves. “Is there a hairbrush around here?” Kondr’s voice was muffled as he pulled on his shirt. “In the lav.” Ava walked into the lav, found the brush in the fourth drawer she opened and brushed out her hair before braiding it into a tight coil around her scalp. The sandy brown mass became a skullcap that she saw every time she looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen and there was a dreamy glaze to the pale green of her eyes. “Stupid. You can’t stay here. You are a freak to him, just like you are to everyone around you.” She shut her lips and entered the bedroom, her robes swirling around her once again. Kondr was wearing a dark shirt with a fitted vest over it. His trousers were snug and his boots had lost their polish. She took it all in in a second and then strode to the door, not waiting for him to catch up. A medical attendant was waiting for her, and he escorted her down to the lab area where the scene was the same as the day before. Dr. Rathos looked exhausted, but he smiled 26
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when she entered, “So, how did it go?” Ava smiled weakly. “Fine. I am now carrying an antidote for this pathogen specific to Terrans. If you can find me a sample of compatible Admorik tissue, I can work on creating the antidote for your folk as well.” “Can I draw a sample?” “Of course. Is there somewhere I can eat?” Ava took a seat to let the assistant draw her blood. It was better than having Rathos do it. His hands were shaking with fatigue. Dr. Rathos smiled as he watched the blood drawn. He mimicked her, “Of course. Kondr should have fed you before you came down here.” Kondr’s voice came from behind her. “It was my mistake. I let her leave the room before I was ready.” Rathos scowled. “We are depending on her, Kondr. You have to take care of her needs.” Despite the blood being removed from her arm, she blushed scarlet at the image of Kondr taking care of her needs. That thought was going to keep her up nights. “I can take care of my own needs, Rathos. Thanks for the thought. For now, I just need to know where to get food.” Kondr chuckled, “You taking care of yourself is something I would love to see.” The attendant finished with the draw, and Ava 27
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pressed down to seal the injury. In seconds, it was healed with no traces that the needle had ever pierced her. She lowered her bodysuit and robe sleeve then tugged her glove back into place. “Come, Avaneer, you need something inside you.” Ava was getting up when he spoke, and the low, husky tone in his voice made her knees buckle. She gathered herself and got to her feet, ignoring the low throb in her belly. Ava told herself she was simply hungry. As she put her gloved hand on his arm, she muttered, “You had better mean breakfast.” He chortled as they walked down the hall of the second floor to a room that had a steady flow of medical staff coming and going. “The staff is fed here. The patients are either fed by tray or on the main floor. Now, what would you like?” “Can I pick my own?” “Fine, you point, I will carry it.” His lips twisted in amusement. “I will also tell you what you are about to eat. I am not sure that our food matches what you are expecting.” She grimaced. “Normally, I would have Alliance rations with me, prepared for my biology.” “This is an unusual situation. Now, what would you like?” She didn’t say that she would like to be back in 28
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her pod, hiding from reality. Instead, she pointed to items that looked like cured meat, fruit, bread and a cooked grain. Kondr put two cups on the tray, and she trailed after him while he made his own selections. He steered her to a table, and as they sat down, a food server with only a small plague mark brought a pot of steaming liquid that had a definite caffeinated scent. “So, are we going to discuss what happened this morning?” Kondr poured some of the hot liquid into the cups. “No. I don’t think so.” “Well, I will, so let me run through events as I saw them. I fell asleep holding your hand, your body healed you of the plague in the night and the slight contact with you reset my health back to merely having exposure once again.” She blew on the liquid before sipping carefully. It was too hot to drink, so she tried some of the fruit. It wasn’t horrible, just really sweet and very tangy, like hyper-acidic citrus. “Fine, that sounds about right.” He grinned, “And then, you found me so irresistible, you kissed me while I was sleeping, tasting my lips.” Ava grimaced and took a bite out of the surprisingly mild cured meat. “Sure.” “Bewitched by my masculine glory, you found 29
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yourself unable to hold back and you pressed your lips to mine.” His grin was blindingly white against the glossy jet of his skin. “Bewitched?” “Enthralled, entranced, your soul entwined with mine. However you want to say it. You want me.” He sipped at his cup. Ava let out an exasperated sigh and pressed her hand to her forehead while eating her toast. “It doesn’t matter. I am not allowed to have you.” He blinked and leaned back, “Why not? Among my people, you follow your heart or any other part of your body that is leading the way.” “Well, in contact-healer training, we learn that getting too close to folk that we work with can cause us to lose focus and that can mean disaster for our patients. With so many lives at stake, I don’t want to risk anything by following any part of my body. The kiss was a flight of fancy. I won’t do it again, I promise.” He scowled and finished his breakfast while she consumed hers. When they were done, he seemed to have recovered some of his determination. “Well, I make no such promise.” As they walked back to the medical gathering, Avaneer had to admit that hearing his words made her feel a little better.
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Chapter Five
D
r. Rathos was beaming when they returned. “It works!” Ava raised her brows. “In the petri dish?” “Indeed. This is excellent. You can be on your way in a matter of weeks if this continues to work.” Ava looked to Kondr and nodded tightly. “Doctor, I need to speak with you about the next stage.” Dr. Rathos frowned but inclined his head. “Of course. This way.” Ava gave Kondr a hand gesture that told him to stay. She followed Rathos to a small office that had been built on a balcony. The feeling of fresh air against her skin made her smile and being able to look out over the city caused an ache in her heart. “What did you need to speak to me about, Healer?” “I know what is required for the next phase in 31
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theory, but I don’t know how to describe it without complete mortification.” She dropped into a chair, and the doctor mimicked her, sitting close. “Just say it. We have the initial sample to try on our volunteers, so what is the hesitation for what comes next?” Ava blurted it out. “The volunteer needs to be male, needs to get injected with a sample from my blood and then I have to…” “Yes?” “I have to take DNA from that volunteer into my body and thereby create a working serum for your people.” “Of course, we can insert a sample under your skin as you mentioned earlier.” She winced. “No, I am afraid that my body will feel it as an attack. This is the hard part. I will have to have sex with the volunteer.” She tried to cool her skin by will alone. Initially she had assumed that she could create a simple anti-viral but the plague was hardier than it looked. Tricking her biology was her only choice. “Oh. That is unacceptable for you?” Ava ran her hand across her braid. “No. Yes. It has been over a decade for me, and I don’t want my first time in that long to be under duress.” Rathos frowned, “A decade? Are the men of your world dead? You are not Admorik, but you 32
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are exceptionally attractive. It is no wonder that Kondr is sniffing after you.” “I think that it is a matter of being convenient.” She groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. “Can you please restrict the volunteers to men? I can heal them enough to have sex with them if they happen to be in the ward.” “Very well. I will also brief the man as to your state of…practice.” She groaned and covered her face with her hands. “That is more due to my being a contact healer. No one can get close to me without my healing them and that is rather distracting when you know that men are seeking you out to remove their wounds or diseases.” Rathos winced. “I can understand that. Very well. I will be careful in my selection. So far, there are twenty volunteers and five that are registering as compatible. Help with those in immediate danger, and I will speak with you later in the day.” “Fine, but do me a favour and get some rest. Take a nap with your wife and relax. You are no good if you are exhausted.” Avaneer got to her feet and left him alone on the balcony, her next sexual encounter in his hands. Kondr took a look at her face and his smug bantering took a blow. “What is wrong?” She put her hand on the centre of his chest and 33
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pushed. He stumbled back. “I. Am. Tired. Of. Not. Being. In. Control. Of. My. Own. Body.” Each word was punctuated with a shove until Kondr was out in the hallway. “You are quite strong.” His words were carefully spoken. “Yes. My body can take half and again this gravity. I will be in the room where your grandmother was yesterday. Follow me or not, I have come to realise that I don’t have a choice.” Switching from happy arousal to anger to depression was horrific, but it came with being a contact healer. Those around them stabilized normal folk. They were comforted by touch, socialization, all the things that were forbidden to the contact healers. She entered the room with those in final stages of the disease and spoke to the attendant. “Who is furthest along?” The attendant took her to the first patient, a man in his prime whose body was atrophied to the point where he could not move. She washed his blood, and when he returned to mobility, she left the attendant to explain to him that he was not cured, but he had more time. It was a pattern that took over the entire afternoon. She had washed the blood of twenty patients, and the room was empty. Kondr came to her and placed his hands on her 34
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shoulders. “Rathos has some news.” Ava looked at the arms touching her, and while one showed signs of a ruby hardening of the flesh, the other had a long scrape on it. “What is that?” “Rathos took a skin sample to test it against your blood.” He wrapped an arm around her and steered her back to the medical lab. “What are his results?” “You are a hard woman to match. He will fill you in on the rest.” He didn’t say anything else until they were standing in front of the good doctor. “Rathos. She’s here.” Dr. Rathos looked up from his screens and smiled. “We have found you a suitable volunteer, Avaneer. Will you accept my findings?” Ava hung her head in surrender. “I will. I will abide by your findings.” “We had a complete roster of fifty volunteers. Fifteen were removed, because they were female, five males because they prefer other men, twentyseven of the remaining were unsuitable matches which left us with three. Based on your preferences, I selected a candidate who will be attentive to your more particular needs.” Kondr had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was scowling at the screens. “Who did you pick, Rathos?” Dr. Rathos turned around in his chair and smiled. “You are the candidate, Kondr. You have 35
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had the most exposure to her, and your system is already attuned to hers. Hers is also receptive to you, so go on and work on the cure. You have two days before anyone will expect to see you again.” Ava was in shock. “Thank you for your efforts, Dr. Rathos. I will bring you the blood sample as soon as I am sure that it is set for the Admorik.” Numbly, she turned and walked out of the room, toward the stairs. Kondr joined her, silent and sombre. He reached out and grabbed her hand. “Wait. Let’s not go there. I have a place within the city that will be more private.” She looked down at his hand. “I know it is a lot to ask, but is there a place where I can get something else to wear? If I have to do this, I want it to feel rather more like a date and less like a medical procedure.” “That can be arranged. Do you have a preference for colour?” He put an arm around her, and together, they walked down to the main floor. Persons in the first waves of infection were milling around, some weeping, others giving comfort. Everyone was very calm and that frightened Ava more than anything she had seen. She waited until they were outside the building and on the skimmer. “How can they all just accept their impending demise?” “We live for a very long time. When we are 36
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dying, we know it.” He flew the skimmer through the streets, along a wide pathway bordering a body of water. “Where are we going?” “My home. It is within the city limits but on the edge of the ocean. It will afford us privacy while keeping us within the quarantine zone.” “I am still having a hard time with the fact that your population calmly accepted this situation.” “There was a wave of dissent, but our councillors and the prefects calmed the population by telling them that my little ship was on the way to pick up a healer. They then frantically called me, and we redirected to the station where I found you. It was most peculiar, as if they were waiting for my request for a high-grav healer.” She snorted. “I was kidnapped from my last assignment and stuffed into my transport pod after I was gassed. At this point, I was supposed to be on the Rhetek base waiting for my next dispatch to a planet with someone who needs my attention, someone who has been waiting for a healer for a while.” Kondr looked at her as he drove. “Should I feel guilty? I think not. There is far more than coincidence at work here. That meteor was a biological weapon. They wanted us infected and you here.” That brought something to mind. “What is so 37
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special about the Admorik?” “What do you mean?” “Someone has handed you a contact healer that can create not only a cure for your race but also the most violent toxin known to your people. Don’t you feel that that is dangerous?” The skimmer swerved as he jerked his head toward her. “What do you mean?” Ava admitted to surprise. “You honestly don’t know? They call me living bane. Once I heal a race, I can generate a toxin to destroy them at will. I thought that the fellow who handed me over would have mentioned it.” Kondr’s hands clenched on the controls. “He did not.” She sighed, “Don’t worry. It is not in my plans for any future I can imagine, but whoever stole me did it for that reason. It is the only thing that makes me different from other contact healers. I can save the patterns of any species I have ever touched, and I can craft a substance to either heal them or kill them.” “This would have been important to know before you touched your first patient.” “I wasn’t really given an option. The pathogen struck me the moment the pod opened.” Kondr smashed his fist against the control panel. “No wonder he told me not to open the pod before we landed.” 38
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The skimmer wobbled dangerously. “I understand your outrage, but can we finish this conversation when we get to our location? It seems to be getting you riled up.” He nodded tightly and set the skimmer down. “We are here.” She looked around at the gleaming white building perched on the edge of the rocky shore. “Well, then. I think it is time you began asking the questions you should have asked before you tried to save your people.”
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Chapter Six
“I
s this the prefect’s home?” She looked around and listened to her voice echo. “No, it is the Lytan family home. My grandmother lives here, and my sister and her husband visit often. It is my sister’s clothing that I am offering to you.” He gestured and directed her down a long hall to the side of the home facing the ocean. The tour was brief. He took her directly to a large bedroom central to the house. “I will return in a moment. Feel free to open the shutters.” With the brusque suggestion hanging in the air, Avaneer walked to the floor-to-ceiling panels, and she yanked open the shutters. The blast of air off the ocean greeted her and ruffled her robes. Ava walked to the edge of the balcony and stared out at the rocks being beaten by the surf. The violence of the scene managed to be the most peaceful thing she had seen on the surface of Nafki. The population was handling the plague well, but the 40
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very act of infecting an entire world was one of the most vicious and violent acts she had ever witnessed. Ava closed her eyes and drank in the sunlight, let the wind tug at her robes, and she wished with all her heart that she were home. Tears started to flow the moment she heard Kondr return and his footsteps brought her crashing back to reality. She wiped at her cheeks, trying to remove the traces of her crying. “I have brought you a few gowns to choose from. Once you have changed, we will have a meal and I will ask the questions I should have asked earlier.” Kondr’s voice was quiet. She nodded. “Of course. I will join you in a moment.” “I will heat up some food and bring it up in a few minutes.” She nodded again, and the moment that she heard him leave, she turned and examined the dresses that he had brought. The yellow oneshoulder gown immediately got her attention. She shucked out of her layers and slipped the gown over bare skin. Her toes wiggled on the floor, and she let out a giggle. A short exploration showed her the master bath, and she used the mirror to let her watch the length of her hair tumble to mid-waist. The gown left her left shoulder bare, and when she returned to the 41
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balcony, she spun around and around, loving the flare of the gown around her legs and the feel of it settling against her ankles when she stopped. “My sister used to do that when she first began to wear women’s clothing.” His voice startled her out of her girlish fun. She froze, suddenly aware of how the gown outlined her body from shoulder to hip before flowing out in soft yellow folds. He smiled. “You look lovely.” Her blush should have burst her gown into flames. It started on her cheeks and crept down her belly. He slid the tray he was holding onto a small table with two chairs. “Dinner is served.” She nodded and inhaled. “It smells good.” “Thank you. My grandmother has made sure that frozen meals are always available for me.” He placed a napkin across his lap, and she had to smile. “It is a good thing that she has. I am not sure I could manage cooking with your ingredients.” She mimicked him by placing the napkin across her lap, and she carefully explored the tastes of the dish. It was sort of a beef stew, if the beef was turkey and the vegetables were seaweed. Ava muscled through it, chanting to herself that it was better than nothing and she needed the protein if the next phase of this was to work. 42
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It took three small glasses of water to stop the meal from trying to return from whence it came. “So, how will you generate the cure for the plague?” She cleared her throat. “Do you want all the details?” “As much as you can manage, yes. Let’s start with, why does it have to be sex?” She blushed and sipped more water. “Well, that is a matter of rejected matter. Pardon the phrasing. If something enters my body and stays there, I have to find a way to convince my tissues that it is a good thing. Pleasure is the easiest way to fool my body into accepting foreign DNA.” “Why?” “My body, like many female bodies, wants nothing more than to propel my own genes, in order to do that, I need to have sex and get some DNA that is not my own into the picture. My body will be all for it.” She was grim. His lips twisted in amusement. “That actually makes sense but why did you initially say that you needed a sample of tissue beneath your skin?” “I was trying to push the true nature of the exposure out of my mind as long as I could.” She nodded. “Anything else?” “Why were you in a pod?” Ava winced. “Because I am dangerous, I am normally transported under guard and in the pod 43
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to keep me from being exposed to other species. I am capable of self-defence, and it tends to make folks very cautious when using my services.” “What do you mean?” Ava sighed and leaned back. “Most contact healers touch a person and transfer the injuries or illness to their own bodies. Our bodies heal much more quickly than most. My body takes the injury and catalogues it. It finds the cure for the pathogen but keeps the original. In the case of a new species, I find what makes it live and can create what would make it die.” “Do you do that a lot?” She shook her head. “Once was enough.” “Once? You have done that before?” She sighed and buried her hands in her hair. “Yes. Until that day, it had been a theory and a leak at the Alliance must have shared that idea. I was kidnapped and hauled onto a ship where a giant fairy tried to force me to use my talent to kill one of their prisoners, a strange man with black eyes.” “What did you do?” She held up her hand staring at her fingers. “I touched the man with the wings, and he started screaming. First, I copied everything that he was, and then, I burned it in his own bloodstream. The man with the black eyes got to his feet and hauled the fairy to an airlock. He dropped me off at the 44
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nearest Alliance base and disappeared.” “So you know who or what took you?” She smiled grimly. “No, but if I am ever near one of his kind again, the slightest breath of air, and they will be going down.” “It sounds like self-defence.” “It is, but it is also the basis for a weapon of mass destruction, similar to the one that struck Nafki.” She sighed. “I don’t know. All I know is if they were asking you to return me, then they want the destruct genome for the Admorik.” Kondr’s features were grim. “That is now abundantly clear to me. What should I do?” This was the moment when Avaneer had to be blunt. “You either kill me or give me a home here once the cure is complete.” Shock wiped over his features. “Do you know what you are saying?” She chuckled grimly. “Oh yes. There is only one way to assure your world’s safety and that is by either granting me sanctuary here, a small place out of the way where no one can find me or by killing me before I can be used to destroy not only you but all of those species related to yours.” “What?” His question was a shout. “Well, it can easily be turned into something that can take out anyone related to the Admorik and that means the Admaryn and any of its offspring species.” 45
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“Why would anyone do that?” The horror in his expression was obvious. Ava winced. “I am going to guess that it has to do with the Admaryn transport network. Anywhere there is an ancient colony site, there is usually a transport tunnel.” “Nafki has no such tunnel.” “Of course not. It is a high-gravity issue. You can’t go from high gravity to low in an instant, you would fly apart.” He frowned, “Then why Nafki?” Guilt ran through her even though she knew she was not to blame. “I was altered to work on heavy-gravity worlds, and I can’t go back. To create a method of killing Admaryn descendants, they had to find a planet to put me on.” Kondr groaned, “This is a lot of information. Are you sure?” “No. It is conjecture. I am guessing. Can I go for a walk along the shore? It has been a while since I felt the wind on my skin.” “Fine. Take a walk but don’t go too far. I will speak with what is left of our government and join you when I am done.” Kondr nodded and left the room. Sighing, Avaneer walked through the house until she found a door that led outside. The sun was lowering but there was still plenty of light. She lifted the hem of her dress and walked 46
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along the rocks, carefully picking her way until she reached an outcropping that ended in a huge, flat stone surrounded by crashing waves. It seemed as good a place as any to wait as Kondr wrestled with knowing that he had brought the destruction of his people to his own world. If death came to her at Kondr’s hands, she would take it. Her father was finally right. She had been transformed into an agent of evil, and she hadn’t even had a choice.
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Chapter Seven
A
vaneer was shivering with cold when Kondr came to get her. “Avaneer, come with me.” She stiffly got to her feet and balanced precariously on the rocks while returning to his side. “Did you speak with them?” “That is a discussion for another day, for now, we must affect the cure for my people no matter what you can do with it.” Ava swallowed heavily at the determination in his tone. “Um, I already have the ability to weaponize your genetics into a toxin. I have touched around thirty of your people in the last few days. They not only accepted my touch but welcomed it.” He extended his hand to her and helped her down the last rocks, steadying her as they walked back to his home. “Why do you need me then?” She waited until her feet were on smooth tile once again and turned to him with a small smile on her lips. “I need you so I can make a cure.” 48
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His smile was almost glowing in the fading light. “I am glad you said that.” He lifted her off her feet and carried her into the house. “The carrying isn’t necessary. I am not going to run away.” “I know, but our time is limited, and so, I will not waste any of it with you out of my grasp.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Do you know the history between the Admaryn and your people?” She swallowed and nodded. “I am aware of it. Your original ancestors had a fascination for my people, and when we turned out to be a suitable mix for the Admaryn genetics, the purists decided to kill everyone on Earth. They failed, and they were penalized for their attempt. They left Admar, leaving only a few sleepers, and blended their genes across the stars.” He walked through the silent house, back to the master bedroom, and there, he set her on her feet. “That is a fairly succinct summation.” “Thank you. We are given the basics of our interaction with other species when we leave Earth.” Her mouth went dry as he began to remove his vest with brief, economical movements. Kondr unfastened his shirt and tugged it free of his trousers. “What other races did your ancestors encounter?” 49
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“Dhemons and Enjels. They had a war over possession of our species with the warriors of Dhema saving our asses.” She licked her lips as his chest became visible when the fabric parted. “I see. Are all your people as pale as you are?” “No. We are a variety of colours and sizes.” He chuckled and caressed her cheek. “I like the contrast in our skins. You glow like a full moon, and you are so very soft.” Her blush was uncontrollable. “I don’t know what to say.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck. “You have never heard compliments from a lover?” She shivered from head to toe. “Um…no.” “It’s a pity. A woman as lovely as you should know it.” He trailed kisses down her neck, and her body responded with a riot of heat, moisture and a fine trembling. She wanted to tell him that she was nothing special, and she knew it, but words bottled themselves inside her for fear of breaking the spell he was weaving on her senses. Kondr stroked his hands over her back, and she raised her hands to touch his chest, timidly returning the caress. The contact sent prickles of electricity down her arm to localize in her nipples. She inhaled sharply as her caresses worked on her 50
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body as if his hands were touching her. Damn, I hate being a contact healer. She couldn’t even enjoy sex without having her body jerk her around. She throttled back the tear and decided to work the effect to her advantage. Her caresses grew wider, and she stepped toward him to run her hands over the individual muscles of his back. This act pressed her breasts firmly against his chest and the contact caused a low moan to exit her lips. Kondr’s hands tightened on her, crushing her to him. His words were hot in her ear, “Do that again.” He loosened her gown, and it slipped from her shoulder to puddle at her feet. Ava wanted to pull her hair around her to block his gaze, but he must have sensed her impulse. He swept her hair back over her shoulders and knelt to take her nipples in his mouth in turn. Heat bolted from her breasts to her centre, causing embarrassing moisture to gather until she pressed her thighs tightly together to ease the ache. Another moan broke from her, and his hands tightened again. The grip on her back was comforting, but she finally realised that without the bulk of her robes and the covering of her gloves, he was much larger and far more dangerous than she was. It 51
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sent a new frisson of sensation through her. Fear and trust were warring in her system, and it was as peculiar an aphrodisiac as she had ever heard of. He spanned her waist with those strong hands, cupped her buttocks and stroked her thighs. Ava let out the noises that he seemed to crave. She gasped when he lifted her from next to the bed and dropped her on the covers. Kondr removed his boots and trousers and joined her on the soft fabric of the duvet. “We are in no hurry, Avaneer. We have two days. I intend to make every moment count.” He pressed a kiss to her throat, and she reached up to thread her hand through his hair. “I trust you, Kondr. Take the time you want, and I will be here.” She watched his expression shift from smug to challenge. He moved over her, his body blocking out the meagre light, his knees parting her thighs. “I don’t need any time.” He grabbed her hand and placed it on the erect cock that was barely visible in the darkness. Her talent shifted her perception again, and the slow strokes that she began on the long, thick shaft translated into strokes on her own sex in a very peculiar way. Another moan worked its way out of her throat as she paused an inch away from her own release. 52
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While she was a stranger to sex, a self-induced orgasm was very familiar, and she was right on the edge. “Kondr, I would really not go over the edge without you.” His gaze was unfocused. “What?” She confessed in desperation to have him do something. “When I touch you, my talent equates it to touching myself, and I am just about to go over the edge.” Shock rippled through him. “Prove it.” Shrugging, she stroked her hand over him, circling the weeping tip of his cock with her thumb over and over. The caress translated into a circular pattern on her clit, and her breath caught in her chest. Her hips bucked upward, and she stroked his cock faster as her inner walls clenched on the fingers that were not there. She broke into low sobs and suddenly released his cock as her orgasm swept through her in a wave. Kondr spread her thighs wide and put his lips on her sex, parting the folds with a sweep of his tongue. Ava’s channel fluttered as his tongue worked into her, drinking her in. He lapped feverishly at her, his hands holding her thighs in an iron grip. She could hear the breathless cries of her own voice as her release didn’t fade but picked up 53
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speed and ferocity as he worked her into a frenzy. She fought his grip, but he held her fast until her body bucked in his grip and she screamed. Fire poured through her system until she collapsed with a whimper under Kondr. He shifted his hips until his cock was pressing at the opening he had so recently been worshiping. As he surged forward, he lifted her left leg to allow him complete access. Her startled whimper and his snapping through her hymen caught them both by surprise. “I thought you said…” She fought tears of pain as her body began the process of healing. “I said it had been more than ten years. My whole life is more than ten years. It feels better now, can you move?” It felt amazing, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. The internal massage of the length and width that filled her just to the stretching point and a teeny bit beyond was one of the more fascinating experiences of her life. If it got better than this, she might just die happy. He rocked his hips back and slid forward. “We will discuss this later.” She pressed two fingers to his lips. “I am already healing, keep moving please.” He sucked her fingers into his mouth, and the wet heat swirling around her digits sent ripples of reaction through every shivering inch of her skin. 54
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Her lids drooped as she pulled her fingers from his mouth, and she leaned up to press her lips to his skin. He tasted of spice, salt and honey. Ava worked her lips against the column of his neck, and he groaned. She could see why he liked the noises, they let him know he was doing the right thing, and the same went for her. She licked his shoulder, and he hissed a moment before he pressed her back to the bedding and held her there while he plunged and pumped inside her until a fine shivering took over his body. He pressed his lips to her shoulder, and Ava flinched when his teeth dug into her skin. She gasped, but he reached between them to stroke her clit hard and fast, her climax was on her in an unstoppable rush. He shouted and thrust into her, holding his hips tightly to hers as he bucked sharply. Deep inside, she felt the jet of semen that carried the DNA she needed, that they needed. He released her shoulder and licked the wound. Ava caressed his cheek, and he took her finger into his mouth again, swirling his tongue around and around the digit. Unbelievably, her body started to warm to his again. He released her finger with a pop. “You should have told me.” She chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair. “You figured it out. It is hard to explain to 55
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someone when you absolutely have to have them have sex with you.” He rolled with her until she was draped across him. “I would have made love to you regardless. Now, tell me about what happens to you when I touch you.” She laughed lightly and rested her head against his chest. “It feels wonderful, but the problem lies in when I touch you. My talent makes a patient’s injuries mine, but when I touch someone casually or not casually, as in your case, the touch translates into a caress on myself.” He chuckled. “Interesting and very peculiar. Is it a common affliction of contact healers?” She shrugged. “We don’t discuss our sex lives. We live covered from neck to toe under several layers to prevent contact unrelated to healing.” Kondr stroked her back. “Do you have what you need?” “I don’t know yet.” She leaned up and looked into his gemstone eyes. “I will know in the morning.” He ran his hand up her spine and settled it on the back of her neck, bringing her down to him for a kiss. “Then, I believe we should make absolutely sure that you have what you need.”
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Chapter Eight
“T
his is ridiculous.” Avaneer tugged at her wrists and tried to get loose. “This time, when you cum, I want to know it was me and not you that started it.” His words were hypnotic, and she gladly gave in to the honey in his tone. “Fine. Go ahead. I am not stopping you.” Her tone was as prim as she could make it when she was tied to the headboard with long, wide leather straps. She had tried to stop him when he was tying her, but he had proved her earlier theory of his being physically more able than she was by holding her wrists with one hand and slipping them into the loop with the other. He grinned, and she could see him far more clearly with the bedside lamps on. Ava looked him up and down, the enthusiastic arc of his cock bobbed below ridged abs that coasted upward until the rock-hard pecs shifted with every move. His biceps were larger than one 57
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of her thighs and the corded mass of his neck that suited his wide jaw, pointed ears and catlike eyes. He was lovely, like the sturdiest dark elf that nature could have created. Ava shivered internally when she realised that back on Earth, he could lift cars and leap several meters into the air. The fact that she could engage in incredible feats in an Earth-gravity environment was something that she ignored. It was much hotter to be in the arms of a man with exceptional strength. “Now, where to begin?” His low chuckle was devious. Kondr stared at her with his sapphire eyes until she squirmed under his gaze. “You seemed to enjoy the breezes off the ocean, so we will start with this.” This was his pursed lips, blowing lightly across her torso, the speed of the breeze was far beyond what his lungs should have been able to manage. “What…how…what are you doing?” She squirmed. He grinned and lapped at her skin before blowing again. It became an endless round of licking, blowing and shivers that were as uncontrolled as they were pleasurable. Kondr continued his tireless efforts across her torso. Even the sensitive undersides of her breasts were not ignored. Her navel was surprisingly sensitive, but the skin just below it reacted 58
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violently to his caress. “You have the loveliest thighs, sensitive to my every touch, shivering and so soft.” His words were murmured against her skin as he trailed designs on her thighs that she could almost see. Her body should have ached, her skin should have been chafed, and it would have been if not for her talent. Ava’s body repaired itself as soon as any minor tears occurred. In the light, she could see his smile as he slid his fingers between her thighs and into her with a smooth stroke. “Subtlety works on you, good to know.” He moved between her thighs and slid into her, stretching her inner walls until she wanted to groan with the pleasure rippling through her. It felt so damn good to have him moving inside her that she knew she would spend nights weeping and aching for him if she survived her time on Nafki. Her arms were still pinned above her head, so she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him into her as hard as she could. He continued a slow and steady pace, but she wanted more. She squirmed toward him, and a frustrated whimper broke free when she couldn’t make him understand what she wanted. “Tell me, Avaneer.” His voice was low and all honey once again. He didn’t move faster. Instead, 59
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he slowed down and went shallow. “Harder, deeper, faster, please, Kondr.” Her voice was breathless and desperate. “What? I didn’t hear it.” He lowered his head until his pointed ear was next to her lips. She licked his lobe and whispered, “Harder, deeper, faster. Please.” “Say my name.” “Please, Kondr.” Her voice was a low moan, but he increased his pace and gave her what she had so politely asked for. His thrusts were faster, deeper, harder, and she gave him what he wanted in the vocal department. He kept his ear next to her lips, and she let every moan, groan and sigh pass to him without being self-conscious about it. Shame could come later when he wasn’t bringing her body to orgasm once again. Her release was on her without warning. She cried out, “Kondr!” and sobbed as her body rocked with every shift of his hips. He groaned and met her in release, his cock flexing inside her in the most intriguing way. Their bodies were coated in sweat, and he relaxed on top of her. Clumsily, he untied her hands, and she wrapped them around his neck, holding his head to her chest and sifting her fingers through the dark silk of his hair. When he finally could move, he grabbed the 60
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edge of the duvet and pulled it over both of them, creating a snug cocoon from which neither of them wanted to move. The moment that Avaneer woke, she knew that the nocturnal connection had been successful. A bitter disappointment that she had no excuse to keep Kondr as her love monkey washed over her. Sighing, she left his embrace and headed to the bathroom. Shimmering silver over her abdomen told her what she needed to know. Her body was rapidly manufacturing a series of antibodies that would prevent any further infection by the pathogen to anyone in the Admorik bloodline, including her son. She took a shower, washing away all exterior traces of her one night of normal and enthusiastic sex. A few tears joined the water, and when she stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapping her from breast to knees, Kondr was waiting for her. He reached out to her, but she stopped him. “I have what I need. We can go back to the lab now. My body is producing the cure.” Angry frustration moved across his features. “We had forty-eight hours.” “I didn’t need the day and a half. It is done, and the sooner Rathos can culture it, the better for 61
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your world.” She kept her face blank and moved past him into the bedroom. She picked up her bodysuit and robes, but his hands stopped her. “No. You will dress as one of us while you are here. That includes your hair. Until we get you some shoes, you may wear your boots.” “How thoughtful.” She frowned. “Why am I not allowed the clothing of my rank and occupation?” “I don’t want to see you covered up like that. It makes you unhappy.” He caressed her cheek. She wanted to lean into his hand, wanted it more than anything, but she held back and straightened. “What I feel does not concern you. We are here to provide the cure for your people, it has been created and we now, need to get it to the physicians as soon as possible.” His face grew angry, but he nodded his head with a jerk. “You have three minutes to get ready.” Ava throttled her tears back and slipped into the yellow gown from the day before. It was too long for her by eight inches, but it made her happy to see the colour. Her boots under the dress felt weird, but they covered her feet and let her feel slightly more dressed than without them. She quickly went to the bathroom and brushed her hair out until the damp strands hung straight. Ava returned to the bedroom where Kondr was 62
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putting the final clasps together on his vest. She wistfully overlaid a mental image of the nude skin and lithe muscle over the reality of his clothing. It was something she was planning to do at every opportunity. Kondr was completely silent as they walked through the halls of his home and got into the skimmer. He slammed the controls into gear, and they shot back to the treatment building at a ridiculous speed. “Um, this won’t work if you kill me before Rathos gets the sample.” It was the best thing to say when screaming in terror was her other option. He didn’t reply, but he slowed their speed to something more reasonable. As they parked, he muttered, “You know the way.” Dismissed, she left him and walked up to the second floor and smiled at Rathos when she dug him out from behind the attendants. “I have it. Set me up with a plasma drip, and you can start taking the blood that contains the cure.” “You are serious? Are you sure?” “I am sure that my body is producing antibodies that will work on an Admorik.” She didn’t want to say how, and she really hoped he did not ask. He didn’t ask, with attendants standing by 63
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nervously, the drip she asked for was set up and the donor pack was set on her other side. Rathos was waiting for the initial sample, and when he received the tube, he moved off with it to begin his testing. Ava felt the needles attach to her skin and breathed in deep meditation. She had to keep her body from fighting off the needles and that required a lot of concentration. Replacing her own blood was one of the easiest healings that she could do for herself. It caused little to no trauma, and she was sure that her baby was safe in its multi-celled form. Avaneer relaxed into the donation of blood and waited for Rathos’s shout of relief. It was not long in coming. She felt a hand on her arm and a voice asked, “How much can you donate?” “Two litres a day for safety. But I can be back here tomorrow morning to do it again.” She cracked open one eye, and Kondr was kneeling at her side with concern on his face. It was he who had spoken. “Isn’t that a lot?” “For anyone who isn’t a contact healer, probably. For me, it will just make me tired and queasy.” Rathos was hovering behind Kondr with a data pad in his hand. 64
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“Dr. Rathos noted something peculiar in your blood work.” Ava tightened and then breathed to keep the blood flowing through the tubes. “Nothing peculiar. Precisely what was needed.” He looked at her with surprise. “You know you are pregnant?” She chuckled weakly. “How else was I going to trick my body into protecting another genetic line?” “And you offered me your death as a solution?” The medical attendants cleared the area, working on the first samples of blood while the next filled the pack with every heartbeat. “The mixing of bloodlines may be in the current Admaryn, but there are no mixed races here on Nafki. Why would my little half-breed be welcome?” His words were soft as he leaned in close. “You could have asked.”
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Chapter Nine
K
ondr held her hand for the entire hour that she slowly gave blood containing the cure for the pathogen. Ava sealed the marks of the large needles with direct pressure and a surge of tired talent. “I thought you were angry.” “Oh, I am angry. There are things that need to be worked out before we settle everything, and those things are related to your glossing over the truth of the current situation.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. Avaneer tried to get to her feet, but her legs wouldn’t hold her. “I think I need a minute.” Kondr didn’t wait. He lifted her from the chair and carried her to the upper floor before she could do more than say, “Back on Earth, you get a cookie for doing that.” “You give litres of blood in one sitting on your home world?” His raised eyebrows indicated that he was sceptical. 66
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“No. Half a litre at a time. You get a cookie and juice to help reset your blood sugars and reduce the feeling of shock.” She fought the urge to swing her legs as he carried her, but she didn’t have to fight hard. She was tired. “We can do better than that. In light of your exhaustive efforts, food is being delivered to your room.” Sighing, she leaned her head against his chest. She felt as well as heard his next question. “How did you know that you were carrying?” “I don’t suppose you will believe that it was mother’s intuition?” “No. Not that quickly.” She didn’t say another word until they were in her room. “Do you want to know?” He nodded. “Of course.” Ava winced, “Lock the door. I am not flashing for anyone who pops their head in.” His curiosity was evident as he did what she asked. Standing in the middle of the room, she loosened the top of the gown and let it slide to her feet in a whoosh. “Can you see it now?” Kondr was shocked at the change to her body. She could see that much in his face, but at the same time, there was a peculiar wonder. He walked to her and knelt in front of her, touching the silvery skin. “What is this?” 67
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“It is an indicator that I am cross-breeding with another species. Different blood, different DNA.” “I didn’t know that it was so easy.” She snorted. “It isn’t. My body tweaked your donation until it was compatible. I told you, my genes want to survive, and if they had to use you to do it, they would.” “So, this child is the bridge between your race and mine.” Ava smiled as he pressed his hand flat to her abdomen. “Yes, he is.” “He? You know already?” Laughter at the wonder in his face was her response. “Of course. He is growing in me. I know every inch of myself, and there is something inside me that is only partially mine.” He continued to stroke her skin in wonder until she swayed. He sighed and stopped playing. “You need rest, you need food and you need to communicate with your people. I will see what I can do on the last one.” He took her hand, helped her out of her boots and tucked her into bed with a pitcher of water and a glass at her side. “The food will be here when you wake.” She smiled, slugged down a glass of water, rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. It was time to work on protecting her little one by making sure that she was strong enough to bring 68
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him into the world. Kondr had mentioned letting her talk with her people and that meant she was going to live. If she was going to live, she was not going to let Nafki regret it. Clothing had been provided for her in the form of another gown, this time, a pale blue with a light shawl. Her feet were encased in slippers meant for an adolescent. The food tray that a medical attendant had brought to her was empty. Her taste buds were engaged in a shift that enabled Ava to work her way through the strange tastes with good appetite. She drank a litre of water and one cup of the hot beverage that she had consumed when she and Kondr had gone for breakfast. He was sitting across from her, leaning on the table with his fist supporting his chin. “I can’t believe you ate all of that.” She snorted, “It was necessary. I can’t keep producing the cure unless I stay healthy. That means eating and drinking regularly.” “Speaking of that, there is a line of volunteers in the lab who have tried the cure. It seems to work very well indeed. Rathos was one of the first to get an injection, I was second.” He grinned and showed her a tiny mark on his arm. 69
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“How many doses did he get out of the samples?” “Four hundred. He is culturing more and ready to go into full production the moment that the volunteer tests come out negative.” She sighed and smiled. “Thank goodness. I was pretty sure that it would work but not positive.” He raised his brows. “You had doubts?” “It was all theoretical. I haven’t done that before.” “I am aware of that. That brings me to the point that I was trying to make last night. Why didn’t you tell me?” Avaneer ran her hands through her hair. He laughed, “You do that when you are trying to cleanse the truth in sterile language.” She froze. “I normally don’t have my hair loose.” “You are avoiding the subject. How could you go this long as a virgin?” She shrugged. “When I was on Earth, my family was religious and no boys were allowed near me, and when I joined the Volunteers, ending up with a diagnosis of contact healer, I was swathed in robes and not allowed to touch folks, so it seemed appropriate to follow orders.” “Your family was in favour of you leaving your home?” She started to run her hands through her hair, 70
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and she stopped when he smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. “Yes. They thought I was an abomination, and since they couldn’t kill me themselves, they wanted me off the planet.” Her answer shocked him, she could tell. “Your family…” “Thought that I was evil, tainted by evil, and doomed to hell for my wicked soul.” It felt good to say it out loud. “What was the wickedness?” “I cured my grandmother, and she wrote my parents out of her will.” She smiled, her feisty grandmother’s memory always made her smile. “Your family did not wish her to survive?” “My father did not. It was his mother. She had a series of tumours that were suffocating her organs. I took them on, and she got better. She lived for six months before crashing her motorcycle and leaving her money to a local women’s shelter at my request.” Ava grinned. Her father had been sure that the money was coming to her, and at the age of seventeen, he would have had control of her funds. She and her Grandma Leftiss had looked into every charity in the area and found the women’s shelter had the best track record as well as the best recordkeeping. Ava wrapped her shawl around her shoulders. “After that, my father decided that it was the work of the devil to bring my grandmother back to 71
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health just so she could take his money away. He hauled me to the Volunteer Centre in our area, shoved me inside and held the door shut until the attendant took me to the back.” “How did he know they would take you?” “With the way my talent worked, there was no choice for them. The Alliance got me a nice place to stay until the launch day, and I left with the rest of the chosen on that day.” He asked, “How did you get a heavy-gravity assignment?” “There was no heavy-grav contact healer in the Citadel roster, so I volunteered for the alteration.” “Was it painful?” She thought about it, remembering the fire running through her as she was placed in a tank with ever increasing pressure she had to say, “Yes, I would say so. It was a one-way trip, and I was aware of that at the time.” Before he could ask another question, she raised her hand and asked him, “What is to be done with me after this is over?” He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. “I haven’t decided yet.”
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Chapter Ten
A
fter her bloodletting the next day, an excited Rathos gave her an enthusiastic hug. “It worked!” Her laughter and surprise doubled when a stranger came up to give her the same treatment. Admorik after Admorik hugged her, thanking her for her efforts on their behalf. Rathos’s culture of her cells was creating thousands of treatment doses with every passing hour. The city of five thousand would be cured by the end of the following day, and at that point, those cured would begin dispersing the cure across Nafki. She had been hugged, groped, pinched and had her hair ruffled by two-dozen people by the time her head started spinning. She staggered away, holding up her hands to fend off those who had not yet had a chance to touch her. Her body was vibrating in shock, it had tried to heal every minor imperfection in every person it 73
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had touched, and touching two-dozen people in a minute was a strain. She fainted. She was alone with Kondr in her room when she woke. His face was grim. “What happened?” Ava sat up and reached for the water. He handed her a full glass and brushed her hair from her forehead. “Now, what happened?” “My body shut down. It was getting too many conflicting signals. I really would rather wear something with long sleeves.” “Would that have stopped your faint?” She remembered the whirlwind of kisses and folks clutching her hands. “No. Not even my normal robes would have taken the full effect away.” “Then, I will remain at your side and keep grateful crowds away. How is the baby?” Avaneer did a quick check. She sighed in relief. “He’s fine. He’s growing cell division by cell division.” Kondr’s relief echoed her own. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I wish for you to remain in my home during your pregnancy. After the child is born, we can re-evaluate.” “Will your grandmother mind my living there? It’s a huge imposition.” She bit her lip. “It is nothing. She can teach you to cook and 74
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keep an eye on you while I am away from home.” He beamed as if he had solved world hunger. “Do you travel often?” He shrugged and fluffed the pillows behind her back. “No. We send a visitor to the colony once a decade to check on them, but aside from that, no one really leaves Nafki. Why do you ask?” “Because the men who stole me and sold me to you are going to come looking the moment that it is known that the plague is over. If you don’t bring me to them, they are going to come here, but I have a plan for that if you are interested.” He caressed her cheek. “I am interested.” “A fifty-year, one-way plague lock on this world, Sector Guard patrols and communication with Admar. Can your world go fifty years without someone wanting to leave?” He blinked. “Of course. It is an easy thing to pass through the councils. What is a one-way lock?” “Oh. It allows for drops of support staff and supplies but nothing else. If anything tries to leave, they are shot out of the sky by armed satellites. The Sector Guard request will allow the Guardsmen to patrol the area in case anyone tries to force past the satellites, and if in fifty years you want to host a guard base, they are always on the lookout for heavy worlds.” Kondr was perplexed. “How do you know so 75
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much about it?” “My species is very chatty. We have a newsletter that keeps us apprised of the comings and goings of our Volunteers out here so far from home. Some of us are in the Sector Guard, some in the Citadel, and many more in strange assignments all over the known and populated universe.” She smiled brightly. “Men and women?” “Yes, though more women than men, a two-toone ratio, actually. The folks at home were shocked.” She was stopped from any further discussion by Kondr’s lips against hers. Without thinking about it, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. Her body was desperate for his touch even though it had only been just over a day since he had been inside her. He pulled away from her for a moment, “Are you well enough for this?” She answered by pulling his lips back to hers. He smiled against her mouth, grabbed her hands and placed them on his chest. As they kissed, she stroked the front of his vest before unbuckling the clasps and working to get at the shirt beneath. She shivered when she managed to get her hands under his clothing and sighed as the heat from his chest met her palms. Her skin echoed her own caresses, but she was 76
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eager to work her way down into the waistband of his trousers. When she passed her fingers over his lower abdomen, he hissed against her lips, pulling back and discarding his clothing as fast as he could. She laughed and flipped the covers back, welcoming him into her arms. He rolled with her until she was astride him, and he caressed her between her thighs, rubbing her clit and slit in a seductive rhythm. When she moved against his hand, Kondr’s heavy-lidded expression told her all she needed to know. Whatever happened next, he wanted her now. She rocked against him, bracing herself on his chest and gasping as he slipped two fingers into her. She groaned and threw her head back as her channel clenched around him, trying to grip his fingers tight. He pulled his fingers free and lifted her over him. She rocked her hips, trying to pull the tip of his cock into her. He lifted his hips and pushed into her, the head of his cock sinking into her and teasing the sensitive flesh around her entrance. Kondr withdrew and plunged just those two inches until her whimpering was unceasing. He held her hips to keep her from impaling herself. She cupped her breasts to ease their ache, kneading gently, and then, with more ferocity as her arousal cascaded into a pulse-pounding 77
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roaring in her ears that heated her from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her feet. Ava opened her eyes in surprise when her orgasm struck. Her body jerked and no sound came from her throat as a silent scream locked in her lips. Kondr pulled her down and groaned as his cock twitched inside her. Ava trembled and slowly lay down on Kondr’s chest. “Thanks for waiting for me.” He stroked her hair, unknotting the tangles and smoothing it into an even cloak. “I get more pleasure than you can know just watching you cum.” She snorted, a very unladylike noise considering her position. He pressed his hands to her back and held her over him all night, until the light coming through the window hinted at the new day. “I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me.” She squirmed off the rigid length of his cock and rolled to one side. Normally, her body would have recovered, but since she slept on him, her thighs didn’t want to close, and she wobbled to the bathroom. Ava engaged in the normal morning activities, including stepping into the shower. She hated being sticky, and her body only absorbed so much. Clean and wrapped in a towel, she exited the 78
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bathroom and looked for a gown. Today’s selection was soft green with a matching shawl. Kondr was still lying in the bed. “Where are you going?” “It’s time for daily bloodletting. I don’t want to be late.” He sat up. “You are not going without me. Wait here.” Kondr took a quick shower, and while he was in the bathroom, breakfast arrived. Avaneer started on her food before he re-joined her, a white towel around his hips hiding areas of interest. She sighed and shoved his half of the food to his side of the table. “Eat up. I don’t want to keep Dr. Rathos waiting.” He chuckled. “You are so soft and willing in bed and so bossy out of it. I wonder if the two can ever be blended.” Ava grimaced and kept eating. “I am very docile out of bed when there is no imminent death looming for those around me.” “I look forward to seeing it. Today, I believe, I should properly introduce you to my grandmother, and you need to see a physician.” Ava knew where his mind was heading. “I see a physician every day.” “I want you to see an obstetrics specialist. If you were not born for heavy gravity, there may be issues with the pregnancy.” 79
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Ava pressed her hands to her stomach. That had never crossed her mind. “Um. Okay. Do you have someone in mind?” “The other Dr. Rathos is a likely candidate.” “The other?” “Almia Rathos, the doctor’s wife is also a physician. It gets very confusing.” “Fine, I will see her after my bloodletting.” His lips tightened but he nodded. Once he had eaten, he draped the towel over the back of his chair, and he wandered around the room, collecting clothing and slowly getting dressed. Avaneer was an avid audience. “Show off.” His grin said he knew precisely what he was doing to her hormones. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” She flapped her hand. “Tuck yourself away, and let’s get this day started.” He chuckled and did as she bid. Ava had the strange feeling that it would be one of the last orders that he followed. She was shifting to his turf now.
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Chapter Eleven
T
he medical lab was no longer over stressed and tense. Patients were sitting up in their beds and laughing while the patients from the room of the dying were now situated with the activities of the day happening around them. The medical staff moved with expressions of relief and determination now that they were able to treat those who needed help. Tray upon tray of injectors were prepared, the hypos were ready for the waves of folk already lining up outside the building. Ava sat in her now-normal chair, and the attendant took blood samples with a new enthusiasm for it. Her plasma drip was set up on the other side, and Ava waited until she had provided the four units required. Eeli Lytan appeared in front of her on the arm of her grandson. “So, you are the woman who is carrying my great-grandchild.” The statement was not confrontation. 81
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“I am.” Eeli commented on Ava’s current situation. “Is that healthy for the baby?” “As long as I don’t overdo it, it should be fine. The plasma builds up the bulk of my blood, and my talent is working to replace the platelets, cells and antibodies.” Eeli sniffed. “I don’t like it. How long must you do this?” “Ask Dr. Rathos. He is in charge of crafting the injections from the samples.” An attendant was staring at Eeli with nervous respect. Ava sighed, “Switch the containers, please.” Given an order, the attendant rushed forward and did the switch as quickly as she could, fumbling a little with the drip end but finally managing to make her way over to Dr. Rathos with a relieved slump to her shoulders. “My grandson has told me that you wish to put us under fifty-year quarantine. Why?” Ava shrugged carefully. “Either someone wanted to infect you with that plague to get a cure for sales purposes, or they wanted to destroy your bloodline. Whichever one it was will be thwarted if they can’t get a hold of me or your antibodies.” Eeli frowned. “So, this is about you.” “Yes. By using me in particular, they gained the ability to craft a toxin for all who share your 82
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genes.” “You are so special?” Eeli raised her snowy eyebrows. Kondr frowned. Ava grinned at the older woman’s face. “Yes. Yes, I am one of a kind and like no one else in the universe.” Eeli Lytan stood silently for a moment before cackling with laughter. “Excellent. I have been telling Kondr that he needs to find a woman who can stand on her own two feet, but he has spent his time with work as prefect. He needs a little fresh air now and then, and I get the feeling that you are just what the doctor ordered. I will set the plague protocol in place and talk to the Sector Guard. It will be settled by dinner time.” Ava was confused. “What?” “Didn’t my grandson tell you? I am High Prefect and Council Speaker for Nafki. When I say do it, it is done.” Eeli crossed her arms and looked smug. Kondr’s chest was puffed with pride. He loved Eeli, and it rippled out of every inch of him. Ava cleared her throat. “So, I will be living in your home?” “Of course. That is how we live here on Nafki. A family remains in its home until it outgrows or marries into a family with more room. You have seen the house. There is tons of room for three or 83
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more generations.” Eeli gestured, and an attendant brought a chair over. There was a small mark on Eeli’s arm and it made Ava smile, another successful inoculation. Ava was going to say something inane when Eeli cut her off. “Now, how many greatgrandchildren can I count on? I want at least two.” Ava blinked, and her hands tried to run through her hair, but the feeds stopped her with a wince. Kondr burst out laughing. “She isn’t comfortable with the subject, Gran.” “The subject isn’t the problem. I can probably have as many kids as you want. It just tends to scare other species when Terrans mention it.” Eeli blinked and sat up with perky attention. “I can have a lot more than two?” Ava decided to talk about family. “My parents had seven children, my mother came from a family of ten, my father from a family of thirteen. When not pregnant, I will cycle approximately every twenty-eight days.” Eeli’s mouth opened, and she clapped her hands in delight. “Excellent.” Kondr looked both intrigued and appalled. “So, as many children as I want?” Ava scowled. “I am still packing that toxin, Kondr. Get that leer out of your eyes.” He blushed when his grandmother smacked 84
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him, and suddenly, Ava liked her much, much more. Eeli was the same jet black with the shimmering skin as her grandson, but her spirit reminded Ava of Grandma Leftiss. “Let’s start with this little guy and work our way from there.” She smiled. Two more filled units and she was free to go. Kondr smiled and handed her a parcel wrapped in paper. Curious, she opened it to find a cookie inside. It didn’t taste like anything she was used to, but the changes the baby had made to her taste buds made it far more palatable than it would normally have been. “Now, we will see the other Dr. Rathos. She is waiting for you in a private room.” Kondr inclined his head to his grandmother, and Eeli waved them off. Ava smiled at Eeli and muttered to him. “You had to spring her on me while I was pinned down?” “It seemed the best time. She insisted, and as you can guess, few folks say no to my grandmother.” They passed several staffers who moved aside for them. Ava clued in. “You told them not to touch me.” “I did. Also, it was fairly obvious that something made you violently ill yesterday, and it 85
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didn’t take much supposition to figure out why.” He brought her to Almia Rathos, and the doctor quickly shooed him out of the room. “Thank you, Doctor.” “Call me, Almia. You have done our people a great service.” “I get the feeling that you are about to return the favour.” Ava smiled brightly, and the examination commenced. When Almia ran her through every test available and several scans that showed the ittybitty fleck of living tissue that would eventually form into a person, Ava got a little weepy. “Well, let me be frank. I have never seen anyone with your physiology before, but if you check in weekly so I can monitor your progress, we can come up with a baseline for what should be normal. I will tell you that you need to cease with the blood work. You can’t put that kind of strain on your body when it is going through a pregnancy.” “You might want to consult with your husband. If he needs more, then I will provide more.” Almia walked over and grabbed her arm. “The culture he has will be enough. Those close to the edge have already gotten the treatment. The rest will be inoculated as the serum is developed. Your body is changing, so I don’t know how long you can continue to produce viable antibodies.” 86
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That shocked Ava. “What?” “Your body is adopting Admorik characteristics around the baby. It is a slow growth, but as the child increases in size, the change will be more dramatic. Even now, your abdomen is darker than it was when you came in.” Avaneer pulled on her gown and ran her hands through her hair. “I did not anticipate that.” “It’s a new one for me as well.” Almia smiled. “We will get you through this. Don’t worry.” Ava straightened her shoulders and pulled the shawl around her arms. “I will be here next week for another exam. Now, do you want to talk to Dr. Rathos or should I?” “Oh, I will consult with him, and he will see things my way. See you in a week.” Almia winked and walked Ava to the door. Avaneer filled Kondr in on all the details, including her gradual transformation. “So, you will become an Admorik?” His frown was uncertain. “I think the baby needs the change to support it. So, I will go black and shiny, have a baby, and afterward, I might or might not shift back. Who knows? I certainly don’t.” A slightly hysterical giggle broke from her until she was rocking back and forth trying to calm herself. Kondr gathered her on his lap and cuddled her 87
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close. “We will get through it together. If there are any problems, issues or what have you, we will get through them together. I have grown attached to your snarky wit. I hope it translates into our son. He will be an amazing politician.” Ava smiled. “You don’t mind the impending stress?” “Avaneer, we just survived a plague that took five percent of our population and would have taken the other ninety-five if not for you. A new life will be welcome and celebrated. I have spoken with my sister, and once she and her husband have their shots, they will be coming in for a visit to meet you. Family is always welcome, and you are now family.” She didn’t know if it was going to come to pass, but it was a lovely thought to keep in her mind as her talent spluttered during her pregnancy and she was unable to remain a contact healer. Her skin darkened and took on the texture and sheen of the Admorik until the day that her son was born. Avaneer Leftiss Lytan sat up in bed with her child at her breast. The moment that he was born, her body began to reset itself to her normal pale colouration. “Are you disappointed that I am not keeping the Admorik skin?” Kondr lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the 88
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pale white skin. “I have missed my fool moon every night.” She blushed and then blushed more when she realised it was visible again. “What shall we name him?” “I think we need a name that reflects both of use. Koneer is my suggestion.” She looked down at the tiny, wrinkled face, the chalky grey skin and pale green eyes that he got from her. “Koneer Lytan. It’s a good name.” Eeli rushed into the room and that was the last time Ava held Koneer until he wailed to be fed. Since Ava had restored her sight, Eeli had been a whirlwind of preparations and a source of cheerful support. Smiling at the image of the chortling woman disappearing with her great grandson, she flipped back the sheets and took a shower. Ava was up and dressed much to Kondr’s consternation. “How can you recover so soon?” “My talent came back the moment that he was in the world.” It was the truth. She was able to slip into a pre-pregnant-belly gown. Her milk was still active, so her instincts had her lactating the moment his little wail was heard. Eeli brought him back immediately. Ava fed the little one, stroking the white fluff on his fuzzy head. “Where did you get to, Koneer? Did Great-Grandma involve you in affairs of 89
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state?” She sat in a chair and fed her son. Kondr looked on in amazement. “How long will you be able to keep breastfeeding him?” “As long as he needs it. I won’t get pregnant until he’s weaned.” She narrowed her eyes. He gave her an innocent smile. “Good to know. Now, shall we meet with his family? Eeli may have introduced him, but it is important for us to do it formally.” Koneer finished after a few minutes, and she burped him with a cloth over one shoulder. Having younger siblings did prepare you for motherhood, you had to learn how to burp them early or there was no sleep to be had. Ava straightened her gown, making sure that both breasts were covered, and walked to Kondr. “Introduce your son, Kon.” He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Our son will meet our family with us. Now, let’s do this.” Giggling at the Terran phrase that he had picked up over the last nine months, she wrapped her arm around his waist and pressed a hand to the tiny bundle of Koneer. As a family, they walked to meet Koneer’s new family. A warm welcome for the new Lytan was unavoidable, and basking in that warmth was enough for Ava. Eventually, she would feel that warmth for her, 90
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but for now, knowing that her child was loved was enough. When she was alone with Kondr, she knew that she was loved and that was more than enough. With him at her side, she had been purchased, decanted, used for her healing, used for her blood, and used for her body. As courtships went, it had been a little tumultuous, but it had been successful. A partnership took the place of love, but while Ava wasn’t looking, love had snuck into place and lodged in both of them. Their child was just another level to their union. So, with Koneer in her arms, Eeli trying to steal him and Kondr’s sister whining to her husband that she wanted one, Avaneer realised that she was firmly in a family whether she liked it or not. She could get used to it.
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Author’s Note Bane was tricky. I made the mistake of reading a bad review during the writing process, and it threw me off. Avaneer was lucky that Kondr was the target species and even luckier that he decided that she was worth listening to. Families are not all created equal and that was the point I tried to make here. Some work with love and good-natured acceptance and others try and create control with money or threats. Those are two examples. There are thousands of variations out there. Core takes us to an honour guard dressed as lizard. She is deadly when threatened, but a rose garden is always in her thoughts. Looking forward to seeing how I am going to screw that one up… Viola Grace
[email protected] www.extasybooks.com www.devinedestinies.com 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.
