Knowing (6 page)

Ziggy’s mind cleared the moment that her heartbeat returned to normal. She reached up and slapped his arm. “You couldn’t have warned me about that?”

He blinked and started to laugh. She could feel him still inside her and the laughter dislodged him.

Rothaway rolled to one side and curled her against him, stroking her spine over and over. “I could barely remember how to speak earlier. Explaining that our blood bonding might send you into heat was a little beyond my comprehension.”

She snorted and rubbed one of the scars on his chest. “I still can’t believe that you are a shape shifter.”

He gave her a long look and seconds later, a huge feline of undetermined species was lying next to her in bed. It had Rothaway’s eyes and colouring, so she reached out to touch it and slowly stroked the spotted fur.

The noise he made was a low rhythmic rumble as she stroked him. She rubbed the spot between his eyes and carefully caressed his ears. The noise he was making made her drowsy and she soon snuggled against him and dozed off.

Ziggy woke with a jolt, the masculine arms holding her tight scared the crap out of her. It took her thirty seconds to remember where she was and who was with her, but once she did, it didn’t relax her any.

“I want to see my parents and I need to have my friends brought up here for visits. Tiera will be wondering what the hell happened to me and I honestly can’t sum it up over a com link.”

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “You can have anyone you wish here for a visit. Do the Gaians have any particular formal wear you will need as representative of your species?”

She thought about it and decided not to lie. “Nothing formal. We wear dresses or military uniforms. I am not in the military, so nothing fancy.”

He pressed a string of kisses along her shoulders. “Good. I have ideas of how to dress you and I think that the Wilder fashions will look very good on you.”

She shrugged. “Well, right now I only have that gown on the floor and my work clothes up here, so whatever you decide to do, do it fast.”

He laughed and rolled her over. “I think slow would be better.”

She blushed as she caught his reference and then she stopped thinking as his hands woke her body once again.

They spent an intense day, coupling, parting and then coupling again. By the time they woke the next morning she knew most of Rothaway’s sensitive spots and he knew all of hers.

She used the shower and came out squeaky clean if somewhat sensitive. The soothing effect of water would have been good, but it was absent.

Ziggy fastened her dress and tried to fluff out the creases with her hands. It was better than nothing but still awkward as she carried her shoes into the dining area and she saw Lyneer.

Rothaway was reading a data pad and he smiled as she entered. “Your parents have been contacted and they will be here in a few days. Your friend Tiera is on her way.”

Smiling, she walked up behind him, dropped her shoes, looped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you. I will get my parents to pack some clothing for me when they visit.”

Rothaway took her by the hand and got her to take a seat at the table. “The seamstress will be here in an hour. Lyneer will remain with you while she takes your measurements and after you have a day dress, you will be asked to represent your species at a children’s competition.”

“Where will you be?”

“Representing my species right next to you.”

“Can Tiera come?”

“Of course. She can stay as long as she likes. The guest quarters you were in initially have been reserved for her.”

“Who will bring her here? If Lyneer is with me who will pick her up?”

Lyneer smiled. “I have arranged for one of the Forest folk to pick her up. He will meet her and bring her here.”

With Rothaway’s hand on hers she accessed everything she could on the Forest folk.

When her shoulders started shaking both men looked at her in alarm and she explained with laughter bubbling up, “Tiera is going to have a hard time laying off the wood jokes. They practically write themselves.”

As Lyneer put her breakfast in front of her she smiled and sighed in relief that at least there was no chance that Tiera would find a male in rut when she arrived. The surprises would be kept to a minimum and the fewer the better.

Ziggy looked around her. If she had known back then what she knew now, she may just have climbed into that escape pod with Rothaway back on the Tokkel ship. It would have saved her five wasted years of hiding and a lot of good sex.

It just went to show that no matter how much she knew, there was no foreseeing the future.

Author’s Note

Knowing is the first in a new series that will be released first at Kindle. Accepting is the next book and will introduce us to Tiera and her escort to the mother Ship.

Tonos the fairy will greet her instead of the Forest representative. His sleaze will be mitigated when he realizes that Tiera is actually worried for her friend and is having trouble accepting the new situation.

As you may have guessed, all the creatures of the Nine are creatures found in fairy tales. They evolved on a planet far from our own, and our descendants sent a generation ship to that very site.

The odds of this occurring increase dramatically when you realize that I love fairy tales and sci-fi in equal measure.

Viola Grace

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http://www.violagrace.com

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