Bait (6 page)

“How do you deal with it?”

“She keeps her mind separated from mine for most of the day, and we come together when we are alone. The luxury of knowing what your partner is thinking and what they enjoy is quite the compensation for the breach of privacy.”

Billie blushed hotly. “I suppose that would be a bonus.”

“It would have been handier when we were on assignments together, but it is still useful on occasion.” His grin was pure enjoyment.

“How did you know that she was the one?” The words were almost soundless, but Billie couldn’t hold them in.

Etien pressed a hand to the back of her wrist. “Because there was no one else from the moment that I saw her. She called to me in a thousand ways, and I yearned for her. It took a while before I could get authorization from the Alliance, and she had to undergo her training in the Citadel, but everything worked out in the end, and after the butterflies stopped showing up on our roof, even Gwen calmed down.” His chuckle was deeply amused.

“Butterflies?”

“On Raxos, we have a species of butterflies that is attracted to women in love. At a wedding, a batch is released, and they seek out the most likely woman to find a mate. They haunted Gwen. No one on my world had ever seen such a butterfly cloud. She wanted me badly, and she had only to give in to my charms to have her world right itself.” He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

Billie looked over at Gwen, and her expression was amused and exasperated in one. She obviously knew the topic, so Billie mouthed
butterflies,
and Gwen nodded. Giggles started in Billie’s belly and worked their way out. It seemed that being seduced by cake was far easier on the nerves.

Arcros laughed and coughed on the cup of wine he had been drinking. He gave her a rueful look and raised the cup. “To Billie, the most impulsive Enforcer I ever met.”

The crowd raised their glasses, “To Billie.”

Billie blushed and accepted the skewed compliment. He was right. She had never been one to hold back when she sensed that something needed to be done.

“Officer Praco, what are your findings?” Captain Dlenner was at the com unit and the commanders were on the other side of the conversation.

“The natural inhabitants of Yelish have no interest in having a resort, visitors or a colony on their soil.”

Captain Dlenner turned toward her and raised a brow, “You questioned a sampling of the population?”

“I did. Nine different species were questioned, and six conclusively indicated that they were not interested in having the Alliance put in roots.” Billie had tried to keep a sober expression, but it was horribly difficult.

The commander of the council nodded grimly. “Understood. Thank you for your efforts on our behalf, Officer Praco.”

“It is my honour to serve, Commander.” She stood at attention until the screen cleared and then let her breath out on a long whoosh.

Captain Dlenner pivoted in his seat. “Who, precisely, did you speak to?”

“Do you doubt my word?” She fought a grin.

“No, Officer, but I do know that you have a certain slavish fascination with the literal interpretation of orders when it suits you.”

She grinned outright. “Well, Captain, I spoke to a bush, a tree, three birds, two crabs and a pair of rodents. I tried to speak to the rocks but that ended up just being silly.”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “They will find out, you know.”

“What? I questioned the animals and vegetation, and they were not amenable to being eaten or trampled. I simply indicated their opinion. Well, the birds didn’t really care what happened, they feel they can always bugger off.”

He stared at her for a moment before cracking up with laughter. “Fair enough. Well, it is in your file, so it must be true.”

Billie sighed and sat back as she remembered that moment. It was her favourite memory of her time as an Enforcer. She had been able to do something good and no one was really endangered, plus she had heard Captain Dlenner laugh for the first time.

Further investigation had determined that Yelish was a sentient planet just waking and that had changed everything for the research teams who wanted to settle there. Five hundred years of silence was ended with occasional forays and visitations by the Avatars of other worlds. Yelish would be carefully coached into sentience, and the Alliance was content to watch.

The memory warmed her as she sat at the table full of new people who would soon be related to her via marriage.

Aciel’s spouse, Coros Dlenner was a striking man. He had bequeathed his startling bone structure to his sons while they obtained their colouration from their mother. Arcros was the eldest, Byral was next, Coriantho, Erican, and Fender rounded out their offspring.

It was certainly a full house when everyone was there, but the camaraderie between the brothers was comforting. She had seen hostility in families that had run so deep, it caused the local authorities to call in the Enforcers.

Stomping into domestic situations to part two people who claimed to love each other had always struck her as incredibly odd.

With dinner over, the men of the family got to their feet and left the room. The women removed the dishes, cleared them and set them aside.

As Aciel put it, “It is their turn to do the dishes, so let’s make sure that they don’t forget.”

The women chuckled and left the kitchen, wandering out into the expanse of the backyard.

Billie held her breath as she took in the sight of all of the Dlenner men and Etien stripped to the waist and shifted into a half-form that allowed them to engage in very violent martial combat.

Aciel came up next to Billie and threaded her arm through the Terran’s. “This is how they work off a good meal.”

Billie licked her lips as the shifted form of Arcros flipped one of his brothers and sent him skidding for twenty feet before he threw his head back and howled. She cleared her throat, “Yes, I can see how it would help to burn off some excess energy.”

Images of the night before flickered through her mind, and she tried to squelch them, she really did, but when Arcros turned his head toward her and his nostrils flared rhythmically, she knew that she had dismally failed.

Oh darn. Here he comes.

Chapter Nine

Having a charging Oefric coming at you when you were not carrying a weapon was awkward. Billie pushed Aciel aside and crouched down, the moment that Arcros reached a distance of five feet, she propelled herself up and over his charge.

She landed flat-footed and made a beeline for his brothers and father. They scattered, but not soon enough. She could feel Arcros’s approach behind her, and when his claws grazed her tunic, she dropped like a stone.

Her clothing would be stained with grass, but the sound of Arcros thudding into his siblings had her cackling with amusement. Brushing at her clothing, Billie got to her feet and returned to where the women were huddled.

Aciel was standing next to a grinning Gwen. Her fellow Terran complimented her, “Up and over, very well done.”

The sounds of fists and feet, growling and clawing gradually dwindled. Billie looked behind her and sighed happily.

The boys were still busy. They were pinning Arcros down.

Aciel blinked, “I have never seen a woman do that before.”

Gwen patted her shoulder. “You can’t say that again. I read Billie’s file. She is perfectly competent at hand-to-hand combat and rarely gets caught by her attacker.”

Aciel defended her son, “He wasn’t attacking her.”

Billie grinned. “No, he was going to haul me back to his house for the night, and he knew that it wouldn’t make you very happy. I simply acted to keep everyone on a quiet and respectable keel.”

The women within earshot laughed and applauded lightly.

They took a seat on folding chairs and watched the men resume their exercise. It seemed that when Billie calmed down, so did Arcros.

She enjoyed talking with the ladies. After they finished discussing her defense techniques, they spoke about the clothing that she had ordered. And in an hour, the men were exhausted and back in their daily forms.

As they approached, Aciel smiled, “Your turn to do the dishes.”

Coros nodded and walked toward the interior of the house. His sons followed with the exception of Arcros.

Billie smiled as Arcros crooked his finger at her, his lips twisted in a smirk. “That was a charming display of technique, Billie.”

“Thank you, Arcros.” She gave him a bow, and the instant that she straightened, she was in his arms.

Images of her pale skin under his hands filled her thoughts. He kissed her as he filled her head with memories of his body on hers, inside hers.

When he raised his head, she was trembling and her body ached restlessly. Her lips throbbed from his kiss, and he seemed satisfied with whatever he saw in her eyes.

“It was unorthodox but a good call. My mother would not forgive me if I ruined her plans.”

“It is the same all over the universe. The ceremony is for the parents, the children simply want to be with the one they have chosen.”

“Now that she has agreed to you, there is nothing to hold her back. Once we are together, there will be nothing to hold me back, and if you think you can dodge me again, you are woefully mistaken.” He reached out and slapped her ass before joining the others inside.

With his threat ringing in her ears, she turned back to see Etien and Gwen standing and talking quietly to Aciel.

“Are you leaving?” Billie was sorry to see her go.

Gwen was apologetic. “We have to. Another few days and I won’t be able to jump safely. I want to get home in the next year.”

Billie hugged the other Terran. “Take care and enjoy your trip.”

When the ladies parted, Etien bowed low over her hand and pressed a light kiss to her skin. “Arcros will make a good spouse. He has a sense of humour and has lived away from home. Those are both key aspects as far as Gwen is concerned. She would not have given her blessing if it wasn’t a good match.”

She grinned, “Thank you. It means a lot that you get good reviews from your wife.”

He smiled, “You have no idea.” With a lascivious wink, he wrapped an arm around Gwen’s waist, and they went inside the house to make their goodbyes.

Aciel came up next to Billie and smiled, “I think we should get you tucked away before my son plans any more mischief.”

Billie made her good evenings to the aunts and cousins’ wives that had attended before Aciel whisked her up the back stairs and into a bedroom that was familiar to Billie on a basic level.

“You put me in his room?”

Aciel grinned, “Yes. Two nights of frustration won’t kill you, and it will make the bonding ceremony much more entertaining.”

With that last shot, her upcoming mother-in-law closed the door, leaving Billie surrounded by the scent of Arcros soaked into the very wood of the bed.

Her duffel was waiting at the foot of the bed, and she took comfort in her own scent, keeping her hormones from stampeding. With effort, she opened the window and looked out at a beautiful sight.

The three moons of Chysan were rising, and her window gave her an ideal view of the hills with the huge orbs between them. In the distance, fliers passed between her and the moons, making her smile.

She asked them if they liked the evening, but there was no reply. After airing out the room a little, she changed into a light shift and settled down to read from her data pad. It was a romance set in the ancient city of Mir. Hopelessly romantic, once Billie got into it, she couldn’t put it down.

Images filled her mind of the house and the night sky. They did not have the tone of Arcros’s thoughts, so she got out of his bed and walked to the window. Her eyes went wide at the sight of a flier in the garden, hovering slowly near the window.

An image of her on its back struck her, and her body moved automatically, perching in the window frame before she leapt out to land on the soft, warm back.

The flier took off the moment she had a grip, and the enormous wings stroked calmly through the skies.

She had seen images like this back on Earth, but there, the creatures were underwater and giving divers rides. Billie hung on for dear life, eventually comfortable enough with the slow pace of the flier to look up and around her.

A rainbow of the creatures, some small, some large, surrounded Billie and several were obviously babies. Their flapping was faster, less rhythmic, and when they grew tired, they found their parent and hitched a ride, much as she was doing.

When Billie looked back, the Oefric settlement was far away, and she sent her unease to the creature she was riding.

The translation was that they needed her. They needed her hands, and they were taking her to where she was needed, whether she was interested or not.