Untitled (6 page)

   "Can you tell me how you happen to own the station above my head?"

   Fen grinned. "A seer came to me when I was a teenager and gave me a reading. She said that not only would my best friends be air and water, but also I would find my destiny and my true mate over the head of a giant. It took a lot of research, but I pinpointed the station and we were already friends who wanted to leave home. The rest came naturally."

   Thosnas's mouth opened and closed for a moment and then he erupted in laughter. Khasna held him as he howled with mirth and smiled at the girls while her husband got himself back under control.

   "Will you accept the position as business manager for the Jotunheim exporting system?" He was asking her directly and she decided to ask Tynir.

   
Would you mind if I took this position?

   
I have a few positions with you in mind and none of them involves
business. But I believe this will make you happy, so please take it on.

   
Thank you. That is going to get you all kinds of goodies as soon
as I can do some research on sex. Being new to the concept is
awkward.

   
What? You were not a virgin.

   
No hymen, but it was the first time I took a man inside of me.
Hickom women have the hymen removed to prevent bloodlust
during first mating. It's safer.

   His hands held her waist tightly and she knew that this would be discussed later. His mind was reeling with shock. "Yes, I will take on the challenge of trying to organize your business matters."

   "Excellent. Now to a meal, you look far too pale for my liking." Thosnas led the way into a dining hall and when he had spoken to a servant, food began to appear.

   Before they started eating, he lifted his goblet. "To my grandsons, who knew a good thing when the seer told them of their future brides, to the elementals who had the good taste to agree that life amongst the giants held some appeal and to my beloved Khasna, who gave me a garden of daughters that bore this strange and unanticipated fruit."

   Everyone lifted their goblets and drank.

   Morgarn stood and raised his goblet. "To a future where Jotunheim thrives and grows and to my beloved Solial and her chosen friends Djihntalia and Fehniel. Three women of power who took pity on us poor males and made our lives brighter."

   The three elementals didn't drink to themselves but all blushed, their varied skin tones darkening.

   The conversation turned to intergalactic trade, some of the characters who had frequented the bar and the families that were on the way to visit. Sol's grandmother and grandfather were already visiting Thosnas, Jin's brothers were at Ragnar's home and Thosnas informed Fen that her sister and brother-in-law were coming to ratify the union.

   Laughter flowed as freely as the wine and when Tynir escorted her to their guest rooms, the wine and laughter took over in a loving tumble to the bed. He was on top, then she was on top and nothing mattered except that they were together.

* * * *

   "I understand that you want to expand production, but Tonhemic has become a black-market substance. We need to control the amount and the destinations."

   Morgarn nodded and looked to the miner who was pushing for expansion. "Slow and steady expansion is what we are after, Raso. These are early days and many of the psi races are experimenting and creating records of effect. We need these to produce more information, documents to show that we are responsibly examining our product. The price that we are demanding is only acceptable because we are restricting production. The planet can drain the mineral of its properties at any time and we have to keep that in mind."

   Raso scrubbed his face. "We will abide by your decree, my lord."

   "Thank you. Do mention this to your miners as well. Several have been caught smuggling the mineral to Raven's Rest. The scanners on the station find the mineral the instant that the shuttles dock. There is really no chance for them to engage in profit."

   Fen grinned. The scanners were members of the Gaia Group who wanted to be helpful.

   Raso cleared his throat. "I am not missing any men, nor have any reported anything like that."

   Fen looked to Morgarn and receiving his permission, she explained. "There is a minder on premises as well. Their little excursion into illegality is removed from their minds and their connections are tracked down."

   "Oh. I see." He was looking worried and Fen quickly touched his mind, running through his own thoughts of espionage that had just been nipped in the bud.

   Morgarn dismissed him and turned to her. "Well, cousin, what do you think?"

   "I think that the properties of the mineral need the examination. I think that Raso is going to tell the men that they are to stop trying to smuggle it and I think that Tynir had better get his butt in here before this baby appears in your office."

   She grunted as another pain rippled through her.
Tynir! Now is
the time and I don't want to give birth in front of your cousin.

   Morgarn opened the door and called for Sol. She came in and grasped the situation. She raised her hand to lift Fen with air and the pregnant woman glared her friend into freezing. "I am going to start walking. Feel free to follow me. Blow air up my skirt and I will injure you, Sol."

   Jin had been giving her birthing classes and she knew what to expect. It didn't make it less uncomfortable or make it hurt less, but it was comforting.

   Jin was on the station right now and Fen cursed the timing. She slowly made her way through the halls until Tynir caught up with her and lifted her into his arms.

   "How long, Fen?"

   "Since this morning, but I couldn't miss the meeting with Raso." She grunted as another pain gripped her.

   This was the first baby to be born to the new ladies of Thosnas's family and she had wanted to get all the business out of the way before becoming a mother.

   A birthing chair was in the corner of her bedroom and after setting her down on the bedding, he settled the chair closer to the bed. Tynir lifted her and placed her on it with gentle care. He changed her clothing, putting a new nightgown on her for the labouring and bustled about getting ready while her body slowly spun out of her control.

   The Jotunheim midwife stood by in case she was needed, but Tynir managed to handle everything with only minor coaxing.

   When she got the urge to push, he told her to breathe until she felt the tremendous pressure below. Her child slipped from her body in a rush and landed with a smack in its father's hands. The frost giant thawed as the tiny one wailed its distress at the speedy entry into the world. The midwife came over, tied the umbilical cord and allowed the proud father to cut the cord.

   "Here he is, Fen." His voice was thick with emotion.

   "He?" It was a little boy with his father's ice blue eyes. Thankfully, he was the same size as a normal Hickom baby, but he was his father's son and would no doubt be quite the giant.

   They would name him at a formal ceremony in a week, but for now, she admired the dark fuzz of his hair and the silky skin of his cheek under the slickness of the birthing fluids.

   After the rest of the birthing details were carried out and the midwife pronounced her sound, she was allowed into another fresh nightie and was placed into her bed. She was a little tired, but there were visitors and protocol meant that Thosnas meet his grandson.

   Sol came in and grinned at the new baby. "He's adorable, well done."

   "Thanks." Tynir grinned and got swatted by his wife.

   Thosnas pronounced him the most handsome baby that ever there was, Khasna wanted to babysit immediately.

   Ragnar brought in a portable com and let her show her new son to her mother and father back on Hickom, while Jin used her other talents to check on the birthing stress. "You just had to do this while I was on the station."

   "Sorry, he saw his moment and he went for it." She opened the nightgown to allow her bundle of joy to have his meal.

   Jin grinned, her parents laughed and Sol covered Morgarn's eyes as her friend bared her breast.

   With his eyes covered by his wife, Morgarn asked her, "So, when can we go over those purchase proposals?"

   The room at large gasped, but Tynir laughed. "Give her until the morning. Today is all about family."

   Fen looked up at her frost giant. For a man whose very soul could radiate cold, she fell in love with the heat he fostered in her. It had been a slow start on the road to love, but the path had been set in stone.

Thanks for coming along on the Elymyntyls mini-series.
Liquid
Heat
,
Earth and Ayr
and
Frost and Fyr
have been the first books in the Gaia Group series.

   They are the children of the Terran Times and are now out on their own looking for and finding love.

   A few more will make their way out into the Alliance as time and the publisher permits.

   I wish you a joyous time with family and friends in whatever season this finds you.

Viola Grace

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.