Collecting (7 page)

Em snuggled against his chest and let the rhythm of his breathing take her under.

Chapter Nine

It was a full skimmer that returned to the embassy. Harold and Emaline Baker insisted in seeing their daughter off as she entered the mating garden.

Daphne whisked Emharo away as Apolan spoke to the others of her party. Rivvin came up with them in the lift, but he left her with a wink as Daphne took her down another hall.

“
I foolishly asked Rivvin if he wanted you to wear Water Folk traditional garb. He said yes, so I am recommending to you that you not move around too much.
”
Daphne entered a room with a large pool in it and lifted the costume in question.

“
Oh. Wow. Okay. Well, it is tradition and only one day in my life. I can deal with this.
”

She stripped and tied the swath of long strands of shells and pearls around her hips. The top was made up of necklaces that went on in gradually widening circles that incidentally covered her breasts. Her back was bare, her waist was exposed and she grinned as she let her hair tumble down to cover her.

“
That looks wonderful. Oh, he left this for you.
”

A tiara made of three Carring pearls was in Daphne
’
s hands. She knew it must have been what he carried up from the city. He had not had time to set any of the found pearls.

With dignity and solemnity, she set the pearl tiara on her hair. It glowed the same bright blue that overlapped Rivvin every time she saw him. It was hers. Of that, she had no doubt.

She walked with Daphne to the edge of the gardens where a guard and her family were waiting.

The guard inclined his head to allow her into the garden, and the moment she was inside, Rivvin appeared from behind a tree. His hip wrap was made of shimmering fabric, and he wore a shell necklace that matched hers.
“
You look stunning.
”

“
You are very pretty as well.
”
She smiled shyly and took his hand.

“
Thank you. Shall we?
”

He led her through the trees until they reached a garden full of white flowers that gave off a sweet perfume.

Emharo breathed deeply, and she calmed immediately.

Rivvin withdrew a knife from the altar and handed it to her.

“
What do I do with it?
”
She frowned at the blade.

He pulled her down so that they were both on their knees.
“
You cut my skin, I will bite yours. Then, we press the wounds together.
”

She placed the knife blade on his skin and made a small, shallow cut.

He pressed his hand to hers and deepened the cut. He then took her knife hand and lifted her wrist to his lips. A kiss to her wrist preceded the bite, but the moment he pierced her skin, he pressed her wound and his together.

“
Emharo Baker, you have agreed to be mine. You are my wife, share my life and all my possessions.
”

“
Rivvin Sequelar, you have agreed to be mine. You are my husband, share my life and all my possessions.
”
She smiled,
“
Even Nitka.
”

He smiled, and they got to their feet. The knife was filed back in the altar stone before they slowly made their way back to those waiting for them.

Apolan waited with a spray-on bandage that would be water resistant.
“
Congratulations, Emharo and Rivvin Sequelar. Your quarters await.
”

Rivvin lifted her in his arms and walked past her family with a polite nod.

Emharo was listening to the humming in her bloodstream. Something was pressing at her mind, and she knew that in time she would make it through the mental barrier and stumble into Rivvin
’
s thoughts. This day was simply the day the change started.

He stood her in front of the bedding.
“
A swim is traditional, but as you are not Water Folk yet, you would drown if we made love underwater for the first time.
”

She grinned and lifted the necklaces over her head to drop them beside the bed.
“
I am willing to pace myself and do a few things on dry land before we get on to the advanced stuff.
”

He grinned as she untied the skirt of shells.
“
I am able to adapt, as well, to something new.
”

“
Oh good.
”
She swayed toward him, touching the knot of his wrap, and with a few tugs, it joined her skirt on the floor. His last adornment was the necklace, and it struck the floor a moment later.

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers, bearing her down to the bed and confirming that he was completely at home on dry land.

She rolled, rocked and twisted with him until her body surrendered to his touch and starlight danced behind her eyes.

When their bodies were sated for the first time, Rivvin wrapped his arms around her and held her to him until their bodies woke again. The slow slide of his skin against hers was a memory she wanted to keep. The feeling was exquisite and the intimacy caused an ache in her heart.

The next day, they would return to the lab, the ship and the exploration of the Gaian oceans. Emharo didn
’
t know how long they would remain on Gaia, but she was going to take every opportunity to see her own planet. Rivvin had his own agenda, and it intersected nicely with hers.

It was a good thing that they intersected mentally and physically. They might clash from time to time, but Rivvin seemed prepared for it. There was nothing more attractive to her than a man who saw a storm coming and simply lashed himself to the mast.

If her body changed into something that could breathe water, she might finally get the opportunity to see some of the things that had eluded her until now. She hated something out of reach when she wanted it.

Chuckling as she dozed off. She was really glad that, with Rivvin, it was no longer the case. He was hers, and she was going to test his patience at every opportunity. After all, everyone needed a hobby.

Author’s Note

So, I have laid the groundwork for
Hunting
and
Designing
. Yes, I am a horrible tease.

Neeka will lead a group of Wildings through the forest in a coming-of-age ritual, and
Designing
finds our heroine, Ula, on a mountaintop confronted by one of the Light Folk.

Viola Grace

[email protected]

http://www.violagrace.com

About the Author

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

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