ShakenandStirred (3 page)

"Is it fun?" She blushed when she realized it sounded like a teen girl asking to go shopping.

He grinned. "It can be. Sometimes, those who commit the crimes deserve our pity and not our censure though."

"That makes sense. I certainly hadn't committed a crime by Alliance standards, but by the laws of Dalpha, I had engaged in an unforgivable act by being a talent." She finished her greens and worked on the sandwich.

"This is true. None of our assignments will ever be in the Dalpha sector. They have banned the Sector Guard from their space and we are nothing if not law abiding."

The sneaky look crossed his features and he carefully blanked his face when he caught her staring.

"Something is up, isn't it?"

"I have no idea. I am not privy to that information." He was back to his business-like face.

She took the hint that the topic was closed.

With her first cup of caf gone, she retrieved her second and a glass of water. Sitting back in her chair, she sipped at her caf. The sun had fully set as she watched through the windows. "What is on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"A series of restriction fields have been set up on the far side of the planet. We will head there in the morning. For tonight, I will give you a short tour of the facility and then we will adjourn to our home."

Her lips twisted. "Our home?"

"Partners, remember?" He smiled.

She shook her head. "I remember, but that doesn't mean I won't give you a hard time about it."

"Fair enough. Are you ready to go?"

Tosha sighed and sipped her water. "I suppose." Her yawn caught her by surprise.

He grinned. "It has been a long day for you, what with being hunted by your own kind and all."

She got to her feet. "Don't forget the beetles. If that tourist hadn't kicked that rock, we never would have been privy to the emergence. He cracked their little nesting cave and instead of eating most of their siblings, they came after us. It wasn't a fun day."

He laughed and placed her hand on his forearm. "I promise Teklan has no bugs of that variety. We will be quite safe while you do your best to shake the surface tomorrow."

They walked through the base and he pointed out medical, refreshed her on Might's offices and then they cruised past administration. His arm was cool under her palm and she noted the difference in body temperature.

"Are you always so cool?"

His lips twitched. "That was a full five minutes before you spoke. Well done."

She sighed. "Answer please."

"I heat up when I am creating a vortex. The cooler body is Oshanic standard." He coloured a little, his skin darkening as she watched.

She smiled. It was nice that she could throw him off a little. "By that clanking noise, I am guessing we are near the gym."

"Yes. You can use it anytime you are on base. We have to keep in good physical condition to carry out our assignments."

She peeked around the corner and winked at a few of the male support staff who were straining in the confines of the machines and a few winked back. A hand on her neck hauled her out of the gym and back into the hall. "Spoilsport."

"Are you going to flirt your way through the base?" His grumbling finally cracked her good humour.

"I may flirt, but I don't screw strangers. Each man I was with I dated for more than six months. They just weren't the right fit."

At his scandalized look, she laughed. "Not like that. Our lives weren't compatible. A few of them came close, but though I felt deep affection for them at the time, I didn't like them. The stress of being judged and nitpicked got to me with some of them. With others, we simply drifted apart."

They left the calm air of the base and stepped into the night once again. "I think it was the lack of interest in the men I had been dating that finally ground my social excursions to a halt. There ceased to be a point to all of the stresses involved."

Mix's skin heated under her palm. "I can see how that would be a problem. I had an arranged marriage in my own life. Neither of us wanted to go through with it, so she ran off with her lover and left me to explain it to our families. I got sympathy and our engagement was dissolved. It was at that point that I left my home and engaged in a public career."

"Public?"

"I had been a fairly well-kept secret among the Oshanic."

They were at the door to the house. He bowed to her and smiled. "I have to take a swim. Feel free to get some rest. The morning will come soon enough."

Bemused, she entered the house and returned to work on her hairspray. Teklan really needed a boutique of some kind. She started to smile. A project for her time off. She had always wanted her own shop.

Chapter Five

In the middle of the night, Tosha sat straight up with her body coated with sweat and her heart pounding. In her dreams, Alara was screaming for her help and she was trapped on an island without a way to reach her.

Tosha flung the covers back and draped a sheet over herself to cover up. Micix was too twitchy for her to keep flaunting her nudity. It wasn't nice or fair to tease him.

She pattered out the door and looked to the master bedroom. The door was ajar and even in the dim light, she could see the pristine bedding. He hadn't come inside.

The back door opened soundlessly under her hand and she walked out to the covered pool. It was larger than it appeared from inside the house. She crept outside and looked into the dimly lit water. If she squinted, she could see him twisting slowly under the water.

The sheet she was wearing covered her loosely, so she took pains to hold the fabric clear of the water as she took a seat on the edge of the pool. While dangling her legs in the water was tempting, this was his private environment and she didn't want to intrude.

It was soothing to watch him swimming slowly under the surface. The pool was deep, at least fifteen feet on either end. Her stomach gave a nervous shimmy as she looked into the depths--swimming had never been her strong suit.

As if her nerves had made it to him via his empathy, Micix turned his head to look at her and he rapidly swam to the surface, breeching in front of her.

"Tosha, what brings you out here?"

"I had a nightmare. I was going to wake you up and chatter incessantly to you, but you weren't there." She was having a hard time looking at his face. Gills rode the sides of his neck that were normally covered by the uniform.

"Are you all right?" His concerned voice snapped her out of her dazed realization that she was partnered with a man who could breathe water.

"I am fine. A little shaken. It wasn't a fun dream." She rubbed her forehead and blinked as Micix whooshed out of the water completely nude and sat next to her.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" His hair dripped slowly onto the broad slope of his shoulders and down the well-defined muscles that were normally hidden by the suit.

She took in a shaky breath and sighed. "I hear Alara screaming. I try to run to her, but I am trapped on an island. Black space is between us and nothing I do can cross that void. Are you sure she will be all right?"

"She told us what needed to be done. We are doing it."

"Why can't you tell me?" Tosha was near tears. She hated being helpless."

He sighed. "Tosha, I know this is hard on you, but your cousin was very specific. You can't know what is going on or the whole plan will fall apart."

Fat, hot tears broke free and ran down her face. "That sounds like Alara. She could always see the big picture even when I wanted to push things into place."

He sat next to her in silence and took her hand. The warmth of his skin was back. They sat in silence until the sun warmed the glass and dawn came knocking.

Her voice was hoarse when she asked him, "Did you get any sleep?"

"I don't always need sleep. A good night in the pool works just as well." He stood and she blushed as her gaze was drawn to his endowments.

"Shall we get the day started? I am feeling the urge to shake some plates." She let him pull her to her feet as he slipped his uniform back on. Internally, she whined in disappointment as all those muscles went back under the pale grey suit, but externally, she tried to keep herself calm.

"Back to the house with you. We need to get you dressed and stuffed full of breakfast before you get shaking." His arm around her shoulders felt right after the hours he had spent at her side.

She carefully arranged her sheet so he wouldn't step on it and left the pool house together in the bright light of morning.

Echoes of unease still ran through her when she thought of Alara, but if her cousin had given those instructions, she had a plan. Tosha would have to trust that Alara knew what she was doing and let fate decide for both of them.

"Back into the uniform?"

"Yes. Back into the uniform. I don't like it either. Your uniform fits far too well." His low grumble did wonders for her mood.

She laughed and retrieved her suit from the foot of her bed. In under a minute she had it on under her sheet and he was watching in surprise.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"I was a teenage girl sharing a room with a younger sister. I can change clothing without an inch showing any time I wish." She laughed at his consternation. The sheet slid to the floor and she quickly sealed the suit so that only the keyhole neckline exposed flesh.

Mix was staring at her chest with a frustrated look.

"Yes?"

"I didn't notice how much your…assets were exposed. I believe I will put in a note to Fixer. The next batch should be more circumspect." He was staring straight down her cleavage.

Snorting, she slapped one hand over the exposed area. "This is just fine. I am going to point out that most men will not be seeing me from this vantage point."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he turned and muttered, "I will let you fix your hair."

She was going to give him a nasty retort, but she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Bed head had taken over. She sat, brushed her hair out and then re-wove it into a tight cap with no loose ends.

Her hairspray was still in the kitchen, so she applied it while leaning over the sink. "Why do you have a kitchen if you eat at the base?"

"I have never had a reason to stay home." He was sitting on the stool at the kitchen counter.

She sighed and spritzed her concoction on her head. The alcohol carried the scent of citrus as it evaporated and her hair locked together. "There we go. Nothing you can do is going to shake this hair."

Mix smiled. "Is that a challenge?"

Tosha narrowed her eyes, "No. I just hate running around with my hair looking like a haystack with bugs trapped in it."

"Too bad. It could have been fun. Are you ready for breakfast?" He got to his feet and held his hand out.

She rinsed the spray off her hands and extended her slender fingers to him. "Fine. Let's go."

"With that resounding invitation, how could any man resist your charms?" He grunted obligingly as she elbowed him in the ribs.

The base was buzzing with activity that morning. Shuttles with supplies were landing, carpentry was going on somewhere in the distance and a general hum of purpose was everywhere Tosha looked. It seemed the sleepy base of her first night was a thing of the past.

"They certainly do get up early around here."

"It has become a sort of challenge to get as much work finished while Might is gone as they can. He is an excellent administrator and the staff appreciate it." Mix held her close as an automated dolly swung near their path.

"How many other Guardsmen are usually here?" It seemed surreal that they were the only two.

"Well, Might, Finder, Frost, Past Tense, Midnight, Mist and Reset, so far. Oh, and Multiple Organisms with his partner, Gravity. It is a fairly well-stocked base."

"Is that normal? That the base would have that many talents on it, I mean."

"Yes. Ideally, there should be ten pairs of partners to each base, but they are trying to get a working level on each base."

He opened each door for her with a casual ease that made her smile. It was definitely something she could get used to.

"So, what will we do after breakfast?" After each door, she re-joined him with a hand on his arm.

His solid blue eyes twinkled. "My dear, I want you to shake things up on the other side of the world."

Chapter Six

"When did you have time to set this all up?" They were flying over a battery of tectonic-absorption stations.

"Two months ago when Alara sent the message. She was very specific about your needs."

There it was again, her cousin's hand guiding her life. In this case, Tosha was pleased. She would be able to let her talent rip on a huge scale, something that would not have been possible back home.

"How did you get your hands on this tech? I thought it was all restricted."

He laughed at that. "The Sector Guard has been responsible for the majority of the new technology of this nature. It is the rules of the Alliance that restrict it. We simply get to be the testing ground."

He settled their shuttle on a slab of rock surrounded by the absorbers.

"That is a little much, isn't it?"

"We want to be able to get home in the same shuttle we came in. If your talent gets out of hand, I can only carry you so far." He unlatched a chest at the back of the shuttle and withdrew a series of wires with connectors on them.

"What is that?"

"A monitor rig. You will wear it and when your talent is active, it will record all emanations and origins of your focus. It isn't invasive. You can put it on over your suit."

She eyed the tangle. "Can you help me with that?"

"Of course. Hands out at your sides. This will only take a minute." He draped the tangle of cables over one of her outstretched arms and went to work.

She was wired up in a matter of moments, none of the attachments caused her any pain and she still had a free range of movement. It wasn't too bad at all.

"What do you want to see first?"

He looked as if he wanted to say something inappropriate, but instead, he gestured to the open plain beyond them. "Whatever suits your fancy once you clear the buffers. This is your moment to let your talent out. Enjoy it."