Quit (7 page)

She wrinkled her nose and looked up at him. “You know me so well.”

He laughed. “It is my business to run along at your side.”

“Or fly.”

He pressed a kiss to her chin. “Or that. How is Alyla doing?”

“I have started reading her a physics manual. She is getting so big!”

It was nice to not require a mechanical self anymore. The bot had been put into storage. She was sitting and holding the data pad as a solid projection of herself.

“She only has three months to go, and then, we can hold her in our arms. I think you should take on the idea of a Guardian project. It would be a good way to distract yourself.”

Well, she had done all her pre-baby shopping, anticipating getting someone nearly toddler height and taking her home.

Her sisters had prepared to bury their niece in soft and fluffy items. The assortment of Earth animals available in pink was mindboggling.

“I would need the governments to agree with me. They would have to authorize the Guardians.”

He reached over for a data pad and held it out to her. “I have come up with a proposal. It has worked across the Imperium. If you can come up with four Guardians, we can train them at the embassy, and when they are ready, they will be outfitted and good to go.”

His use of human vernacular was funny. She sighed and set the data pad aside. She crawled around and straddled him. “Speaking of good to go, I think that we should take the advantage of this moment of quiet and lack of an infant.”

She kissed him softly, slowly, and she stroked her hands through his feathers. “How long do you have before your next meeting.”

He groaned and whispered, “Two hours.”

She smiled. “Is it enough time?”

He got to his feet and held her against him. “Never. Let’s see how long it takes them to call me.”

She laughed as he made it to the second-floor balcony with one leap, and he swept her into the bedroom. She peeled off his layers, and he worked on hers. In a flurry of fabric, they fell to the bed together, and she pulled him over her, tracing the moving marks under his skin while he used his lips to take inventory of every inch of her.

She lifted her knees to either side of him as he worked his way down, and she revelled in the heat coming off him. His mouth caressed her sex with devoted enthusiasm, and her moans echoed in the room.

When she pulled at him, he slid up her body and fitted himself to her. She tasted herself on his lips as he arched and thrust into her.

She clutched at him, surrounded and filled by his heat as he rocked into her. Their situations as Avatars may have ceased their ability to have children, but she was definitely happy to have him as her lover. She always got to go first.

Wrapped in his arms an hour later, she smiled as he traced her hip, ribs and cupped her breast. “Didn’t you get enough?”

He kissed her shoulder. “Never. It is a very good thing that we have forever together.”

“How will we deal with outliving our daughter?”

“We went into this knowing that it would be the case. It is not unheard of for the children to die first. Hopefully, there will be grandchildren stretching into the far future.”

She pressed her palm against his and leaned against him. “It will definitely colour my parenting technique.”

“You will be fine. I will be fine, and she will be fine.”

“Your assistant is downstairs.” Minerva smirked.

“I know. I forgot to close the door. I am guessing he got an earful.”

Her cheeks heated, and Gaia was amused. It had taken two weeks for her to have sex with Imbolt without causing an earthquake, so a little vocalization instead of internalizing the pleasure was definitely what she needed.

She sighed and stroked his palm again. “Should we get up?”

He rolled to his back. “Excellent idea. You get on top.”

Laughter rippled through her as she took in the expanse of muscle and magical designs that were at her disposal. She stroked his erection, mounted him and settled against him. With the first slide of him inside her, she let out a low groan, and his eyes took on the heavy-lidded look that she loved.

She moved, he thrust, and Mr. Thompkins had to wait.

Family crowded the room as the nervous medics watched the parents ease Alyla from her warm bath. Silence filled the room, and then a soft coughing sound preceded the wail of the baby who didn’t like the feel of air against her skin.

Minerva and Imbolt held their daughter together and cleaned her up, tying off the umbilical cord and wrapping her in the soft cloth provided to snug her up.

The aunties and their husbands were in the room and watching with rapt attention. The four apprentice Guardians watched their master with the same focus. This was their first trip to the moon, and they wanted to enjoy the fieldtrips.

Minny felt the tears cascading down her cheeks. Gaia was inside her, behind her eyes and watching with a sense of joy that finally made Minerva understand the purpose of Avatars. The planets wanted to feel instead of observe.

Alyla looked up at Minerva with huge eyes, the same starry black as her father’s tattoos. “Hello, pretty eyes.”

The baby pursed her lips together and pressed her fat fist to them. A moment later, she pressed that fist to Minerva’s cheek.

Minerva blinked and looked into her daughter’s eyes as Imbolt began to laugh.

“I told you she was paying attention.”

Imbolt was inside with Alyla while Minny took her Guardians on their first outdoor trip on the moon.

“Breathing normally is key. If you can remain calm during a moonwalk, you can do it while a wave is coming at you, fire is rushing toward you and screaming is all around you. Silence is far scarier. To demonstrate, I will turn off your coms.”

She watched the eyes widen in the group as they tried to talk but were unheard.

She tapped into Gaia and said, “You have one hour to make it back to Lunar Base. Do it by any means necessary.”

Minny faded from their view and returned to herself watching Imbolt with the baby.

“I never imagined you changing diapers.” She cocked her head while keeping a version of herself out where it could watch her recruits.

“Someone has to do it, and I will while I can. You will while you can, and soon, she will not need the tending. Our people grow fast once they are out in the world.”

“How long until we can take her home?”

“The medics have given her a complete clean bill of health. How are your recruits?”

“One is already back. The other three are on their way, but one will not make it without help. Now, I just need to see who goes back to assist.”

He pulled Alyla into his arms and turned toward Minerva. “Your daughter, Avatar.”

Alyla held out her arms, and Minny took her daughter. “Yes. She finally is.”

Minerva sat in the chair and started to recite the fairy tales that she had been reading to Alyla since she was inside her. She wasn’t sure, but she could swear that Alyla was repeating the words with her, her lips moving as Minerva’s did.

Minerva looked to Imbolt from where he was watching them both. “You are right. She really was paying attention.”

“So was I, little star. So was I.”

He moved and pulled a chair next to her, cuddling with them and taking up the story where Minerva had left off.

The Guardians would make it through the moonscape, and if they were still up for it, they would be ready to graduate into combat.

Minny was graduating into motherhood, so Imbolt was going to have to take over the combat. She had better things to do.

Epilogue

Alyla smiled and swam through the ocean with a pod of dolphins on one side. She wanted to remember home as clearly as she could before she headed off to the Archive to complete her education.

Her mother was sitting on a rock that had appeared out of nowhere. “Having fun?”

Alyla swam to her mother’s feet and smiled up at her. “I am. Just trying to make some pure memories to anchor me to home.”

“I am your anchor to home. Think of me, and I will be at your side no matter where you are.”

Alyla grinned. “Where are you right now?”

“In a policy meeting with your father. The new orbital station is taking up all of his time.”

“I am sure that you make him take as much time as you want.”

Her mother shrugged. “I do. Would you like to come out of the water?”

“I am fine here.”

“You grew up so strong. I can’t believe you are leaving us.”

Treading water, she grinned up at her mom. “I have to. Nothing here can harm me, but that also means that few things can touch me as I want to be touched. If I want to find a love like yours, I will have to leave Terra.”

“We didn’t always love each other, but attraction and respect got the fire started. Keep that in mind. It might not strike with a thunderbolt but creep in like the tide.”

Alyla grinned. “I know. You tell me, he tells me, and Gaia and Zanicon give me lectures every time they are in charge. I know love is a fickle thing that can be rushed into, but the lasting kind starts on a level where you actually enjoy the other person. Got it.”

Minerva-Gaia sat and pursed her lips. “Would you like a ride to Lunar Base, or are you taking the shuttle?”

“I will take the shuttle with all the other Terrans seeking the stars. It is okay, Mom. I will be fine. I have actually been in contact with a few other half-Terrans, and they are agreeing to show me the ropes. They have already created a working coalition of worlds that have Terrans on them.”

Her mother cocked her head. “What are they called?”

Alyla turned and started swimming home, calling over her shoulder. “The Gaia Group.”

Author’s Note

So, this was the final book in the Terran Times Second Wave, featuring a woman from the First Wave. I wanted to bring her home.

There have been a few possible continuances left open for a new short series. The Guardians of Terra or The Gaia Group.

If I can ever get around to them, I have somewhere to go.

Thanks for being with me during the 10-year run of the Terrans.

Viola Grace

About the Author

Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.