Ice Runner (7 page)
She eased it open and stepped into the dark of his chambers. He was in his bed and unmoving, so she slowly retreated.
“Kes? What is it?” His voice was gravelly with sleep.
“I just called my mom, and I… ”
“Come here.” He sat up and flipped the other side of the bedding back.
She didn’t hesitate. She ran forward and climbed into the enormous bed, burrowing under the covers.
He wrapped her in his arms and held her close.
“It will take some getting used to, Kescu. Just let it happen.”
She reached up and put her hands behind his neck. “I have never been one to wait. Sometimes, you have to make things happen.”
Kes mentally crossed her fingers when she kissed him, and as he moved against her, taking control of a situation she knew almost nothing about, she felt relief along with a very different kind of warmth.
She stroked his shoulders, the column of his neck, the planes of his chest and worked her hands down his abdomen. While her hands worked on him, his were busy removing her robe and pushing it aside. Her sleep shirt was pulled up and over her head, and before he could kiss her again, she covered her breasts.
He pushed her hands aside, and he kissed his way down her torso, leaving her feeling less exposed and more desperate to find out what it was all leading to.
Kes stared up at him when he moved over her, and as he joined their bodies, a bit of knowledge clicked in her mind. She held on, and when her body and voice were beyond her control, she held even tighter. He groaned and slumped against her, his head pressed in the curve of her neck.
She stroked her fingers through his hair and sighed as the urge to try that again rippled inside her. She raised her leg, stroking his outer thigh with her inner thigh, and he moved his hand down to her hip, rolling to his back with her still in place.
“Sometimes, you just have to make things happen.” His hands caressed her hips, and she could feel his body flaring to life inside hers once again.
She followed his lead, and after she got the hang of the rhythm, she found that location had little to nothing to do with being able to find pleasure. When he joined her in dazed bliss, she sighed in relief.
A moment later, she was lying on his chest and he stroked her back. “Why the big sigh?”
“My policy has always been no one left behind, and for a moment, I thought you would be my first loss.”
He chuckled and threaded his fingers through her hair, lifting her for his kiss. “Never worry about me. Here, it is always ladies first.” She laughed and pressed her forehead to his.
“Good policy.”
They rearranged themselves, and he curled around her protectively as they eased into sleep.
Tomorrow, a full court would be assembled, and she was going to meet her birth parents for the first time. Surprisingly, she slept.
Sitting on a throne in front of a whole bunch of strangers was not the oddest thing that Kescu had ever done, but it was a bit stressful. She was wearing the clothing that the Sector Guard had sent. A lightly armoured bodysuit and a set of robes that indicated she was a Citadel novice. She had signed on to accept Lorvik’s instruction early that morning, and the status allowed her to bypass the formality of court clothing during the day.
The line of the nobles was coming to an end, but Kes still hadn’t seen the people that she came for.
“Lyrica and Jerrin Aduran.” The chamberlain introduced them, and Kes didn’t pay attention to anyone else.
Her skin tone came from Jerrin. The paler gold skin was a rarity from what Kes had seen so far.
Lyrica gave her her face and figure as well as her hair and eye colour.
Kes got to her feet. “Would you come with me, please?”
The chamberlain looked to Lorvik, but Lor was getting to his feet as well. “Give us a few moments.”
The court murmured to each other, but Kes didn’t care. She walked out to the garden and led her parents. When she was standing next to a bench, she turned and extended her hand. “I am Kescu Washley. Pleased to meet you.” Lyrica extended her hand and smiled, “Lyrica Aduran, this is my husband, Jerrin.”
“You are my parents. You sent me to Kema Washley.” Kescu held her mother’s hand with both of her own.
Lyrica swallowed. “We did.”
Jerrin had tears slowly tracking down his cheeks, and Kes did what her heart urged. She lunged forward and hugged them both at the same time. “Thank you. You picked the right mother for the job.”
All three of them cried together, spoke in blurts and cried again.
Lorvik eventually pried them apart and kept his arm around Kes as her parents tried to get a lifetime’s worth of knowledge into one moment.
Finally, he said, “Kema can answer your questions about Kescu’s dietary habits. If you will join us, we are going to sign the marriage contract today. Your child has grown into a woman of power, and I don’t just mean becoming a ruler.” To demonstrate, Kes knelt and picked up some fallen leaves and sticks from the base of the hedges. She held them in her palm, and they flared with flame before disappearing into ash. “I will need some self-control training to keep from lighting the palace on fire, but I should be in control in a few months.”
The day whirled by with the palace witnessing the marriage contract. The official wedding would wait until Kema and Eera were on Shivi, but for all intents and purposes, Kescu and Lorvik were legally wed.
At the dinner that night, Kes was wearing a formal gown and sitting between her mother and Lorvik. “Lyrica, if you could have another child now, would you?”
Lyrica looked down and fought tears. “I was sterilized after you were born.”
“I am aware. But if you could, would you?” Lyrica nodded. “I would love another child.”
“Good. I will see what I can do. There are members of the Sector Guard and Citadel who might be able to help.”
Lyrica whispered, “Do you think they would?”
“I believe that Shivi is in a position to do some negotiating. I can try, and if I can’t manage it, I am sure Kema can.”
“She is really coming here?”
“Yes. You birthed me, but she is my mom. Nothing will ever change that, just like Eera will always be my little sister. You gave me another family, but it doesn’t mean I am not grateful for you.”
“Kema Washley was the strongest woman I have ever met. I knew when your talent manifested that she was the one that would keep you safe, and she did.”
Kescu nodded. “She certainly did. She also had me working using my talent. If the building is not on fire around me, she is the reason.” The dinner continued on, and when Lorvik took her hand, kissed her wrist and stood up, it was time to retire for the evening.
Kes held Lor’s arm as they walked through the halls to their rooms. “I think it was a good day.” He smiled. “I am glad. Tomorrow, we start negotiating to allow a Citadel outpost and school for talents.”
“I know. I have just the thing I want to ask for.” She smiled smugly and imagined Lyrica and Jerrin with a child they could raise. They had missed out on her early life, but there was no reason that it had to continue that way. The Guard had a member named Reset who seemed particularly suited to healing this particular situation.
“Good. I was afraid you would be satisfied with me.”
She laughed and turned to him in the hall, holding him tight. “I am very satisfied with you. I didn’t know that they just handed you over without a qualm. Perhaps I should have asked for a pony… ”
He snorted and leaned down to kiss her. “I already have more than I asked for, so let’s get some privacy, and we can negotiate how much time you will spend talking to off-worlders while I engage in more botanical pursuits.” She scowled. “You are going to have to negotiate like a madman for me to give in to that. Perhaps we should run it on a three-month contract. That way, there would always be room for renegotiation.”
He grinned, and he swung her into his arms, carrying her to their chambers for an exhaustive session of negotiations. In the end, she agreed to deal with off-worlders if he would spend two days a week teaching Eera how to work with plants.
The next round might involve different concessions, but Kescu smiled as she lay in his arms, knowing that the next time would appear far sooner than she had imagined. Now that Lorvik was allowed to touch her, he had no inclination to stop anytime soon.
It wasn’t a sprint across the ice, but her life was taking on a new excitement, and it didn’t involve life-threatening events or time away from family.
It was literally the best of both worlds.
Ice Runner
started strong, and then, I called my mom, and it got all mushy. Blame my mom. ☺
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
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.