CalltheMoon (7 page)

Viiko inclined his head in return. “Thank you, Relay. I knew I could count on the Guard.”

At the word Guard, Naka flinched, but she fought the reflex from Resicor and pasted a smile on her face.

“Thank you, Relay. I look forward to additional communication with you.”

The woman smiled, “I will have Fixer send you a manual for that suit. It does a lot more than you would imagine.”

They chatted for a few minutes, and then, the call was over.

Looking to Viiko, Naka raised her brows, “So, where are we going to sleep?”

He looked at the back of the shuttle. “There is only one bunk.”

“I suppose we will have to share.”

A happy glow that had nothing to do with the planet’s consciousness filled his eyes, and he escorted her to the bed they would share.

Naka watched as he discarded his robe and slipped between the sheets. Her motions were careful and slow when she lay down on him. The feel of his rock-hard body under her made her smile against his chest. His hands stroked her spine over and over, soothing her into sleep.

Naka enjoyed the thought that whether he had planned it or not, they were bound for life now, and it was going to be a very, very long one.

Chapter Twelve

Two months later
.

His hands rubbed her back slowly. Naka fought her way back to awareness with the gentle caresses. “Good morning, sweet.”

Two months had passed since their first negotiation with Relay, meaning that the construction on Kevna was underway. The moon was delighted with the contact.

Naka groaned and pushed away from the naked warmth of her mate. Her hair caressed the still-sore mating marks that he had left on her neck, but she was smiling. “That was quite the wedding night.”

He chuckled and sat up. “According to Dhemon tradition, it is not official until there is a witness.”

“I am going to say the Piquaro qualifies. He was definitely there. So was Kevna. Her curiosity almost drove me onto you weeks ago.” Naka sat up and flicked her hair over her shoulders, staring down at him as he watched her with one arm propping his head up and the sheet barely covering him from the hips down.

“I am glad that we waited until there was an official here to record it. It makes the rest of our hundreds of years together that much more special.” He winked at her as she wrinkled her nose.

“You make it sound so appealing.” She snickered and flicked one of his horns.

“I believe I have a certain amount of appeal for you or at least that is what you whispered last night.”

She blushed to the roots of her hair, and her suit slithered up her body, wrapping her in a new style of clothing that Viiko seemed to enjoy.

A tight bodice that was fitted but rigid at the same time had a front-opened skirt, and she had contrasting leggings beneath. It had taken some practice to get it working properly, but Fixer had sent her some tips as well as engaged in a videoconference, and now, Naka could change her clothing at will.

She got out of bed before Viiko could haul her back, and she waggled her finger at him. “We have to check the plants today, and as you said, we have hundreds of years together to look forward to.”

He got to his feet, his anklet surging up his body to create a suit of similar structure to hers without the skirt. A faux vest covered him from shoulder to ankle with a body suit thickened to armour width under it.

She had to admit that he took her breath away.

They exited their chambers in the cavern and took flight.

Piquaro had given Viiko the power of atmospheric flight when he had bemoaned that Naka was always flitting away. Now, when she flitted, he followed her.

The ability to fly made the commute to the base so much easier. Relay’s negotiator managed to get the base included in exchange for botanical and horticultural research reports being sent to the Alliance on a quarterly basis.

Naka flew rings around Viiko, touching him randomly to see if she could shake his concentration. “You are getting better at this.”

He sighed, reached out lazily and snagged her to his side. He turned her and kissed her as he flew them both to the base. “You are too tempting by half, wife.”

Her blush flared brightly before it faded. “I could say the same about you.” Her memories of their wedding night caused her to flush pink randomly throughout the day.

They took samples from the greenhouse, ran tests and made plenty of notations. Viiko could do it on his own, but if she worked with him, it went faster.

Today, she had to visit Kevna and check in on the contractors working to build the spaceport and orbital-repair extension.

It would take a little longer today as the moon had shifted, and Naka would have to depart from the far side of the planet. Compensating for orbit was tricky, but Naka was getting the hang of it.

“Okay, I am off to visit Kevna.” She stood next to Viiko and inhaled his scent.

“I have a surprise planned for you when you return. Don’t be too late.” He turned and smiled, caressing the riot of hair from her forehead.

Her hair was growing madly, curls tumbling nearly to her waist now. Kevna was doing research and altering Naka as she went.

Naka lifted off, flew down the hall, out of the greenhouse and toward the ocean. Once clear of the danger zone, she put on the speed and powered to her launch vector.

As she left the atmosphere, she could hear Kevna purring in her mind. Kevna loved having people on her. It made her feel useful, and Naka could sympathize. Out of all of her motivations, being useful had always been something that she craved. Now, she was the voice of a moon that no one had known was alive, married to a Dhemon who was the Avatar of a planet that no one knew was conscious. She may not be useful, but she had a purpose, and that purpose was to turn Kevna into an amazing facility that welcomed everyone.

The air is here. I have thawed out my ice and made breathable atmosphere.
Kevna’s pride was unmistakable.

Naka grinned as she flew to the site that Kevna had declared was for her Avatar’s use only.

A garden had begun. Kevna had pulled out all the stops to apologize for hijacking Naka’s body. The plants required little water but produced plenty of oxygen.

The gravity on Kevna was three quarters of Resicor. It was easy enough for Naka to move around, and when the dust turned to dirt and greenery started to sprout, Naka had finally realized that Kevna had just been waiting for someone to see her for what she was.

Carefully, Naka settled in her garden and let the mask go. She breathed in a few times and grinned.
Well done, Kevna. It is indeed breathable. How are the workers treating you?

They work with respect and care. It is refreshing. Those first ones were unpleasant.

There had been a hiccup at the beginning. The crews had decided to blast without bothering to tell Naka or Kevna. Naka had cracked nine panes of the greenhouse when she powered straight up.

The blasters had been shocked by her presence, her lack of EVA suit and the power that she shot from her hands. Their equipment had been rendered unusable in seconds.

After stopping the work, she had stalked inside and given the foreman a piece of her mind. He had cringed, called security and been used as a living shield while Naka helped Kevna work into his mind.

He was a bundle of tears when she released him, and Kevna felt her point had been made.

The crew left and was replaced by one that acknowledged that the moon was alive and needed to be kept informed. They called Naka, and she translated for Kevna.

The garden is amazing. Is that the tea blend that Viiko created?

I am not allowed to say.
Kevna was indeed coming along. Another planet named Balen sent a satellite that allowed other planets easy access to speak with Kevna and allowed her to use the data stream to further her education. Her speech improved, her intellect grew and finally, she was able to comprehend the worlds around her.

Keeping secrets from your Avatar. You are getting smarter.
Naka smiled.

Kevna’s mind giggled.
Every day. Last night was quite educational. I finally understand pair bonding.

I am born to a species that does it, and I still don’t understand it. Technically, there were four of us in bed last night. Don’t think I didn’t notice you peeking.

I was curious. You kept away from him so long. Why didn’t you just bond?

Societal restrictions. Both mine and his. I wanted to make sure that he wanted me for me, and he wanted to see if he could drive me insane with foreplay every night.

That is the thing that made your heart race.

That is the one.

And your—

That is the one.
Shutting up a moon was not easy.

Kevna laughed in her mind again.

They talked, bantered and giggled together for hours. At last, Naka sighed.
I promised him that I would be home early.

Then you had better get going. Early is passing quickly.

Have a good day, and tell me if you need anything.

Naka lifted off and did a quick pass of the growing base. All was in order, so she checked on the large ship-repair dock that was coming together in a matching orbit with Kevna.

When she was sure that everything was proceeding according to plan, she returned home.

Petals marked the path to their quarters. The scent was heady and warmed her skin each time she inhaled.

Their quarters were filled with flowers, and Viiko was standing next to the bed with a smile on his face and nothing more on his body.

She touched the fiery blossoms, enjoying the silky feel on her fingers and breathing deeply of the intoxicating scent. “What are these?”

He came around the bed and wrapped his arms around her from behind, cupping the flower that she was inhaling. “
Flora NakaKevna
. A flower born on the moon and grown here on Piq. There is nothing like it in the universe.”

Her clothing receded, leaving her naked in his arms, and he took full advantage of the access.

“This is the surprise that Kevna wouldn’t tell me about.”

He turned her in his arms and grinned down at her. “She made them for you but designed them to be grown in this soil. They will grow nowhere else in the universe. Anywhere else, they are simply a tea bush. I have tried it on nine soil samples.”

She went up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, “I love the flowers, but I am fixated on my bond mate. According to Kevna after watching us last night, she knows why pairs bond. I want to confirm her findings.”

He lifted her to the bed and crushed her into the petals covering the sheets. The perfume of the flowers made only for her swirled around them, and as they started to move together, it became clear to Naka that the flowers were only half the scent that made her head spin. Viiko was the other half of her soul, her mind, and the only man to have supported her when a moon grabbed her body. If that wasn’t love, it was close enough for her.

 After all, they had hundreds of years to get it right.

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. 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.