The Choosing (The Pruxnae Book 1) (11 page)

Between a fruit
vendor and a stall dripping with huge hanks of yarn in a rainbow of colors, Ryn
ducked into an alleyway, much like the one she’d pulled him into earlier, and
shoved her behind him, flat against a building’s exterior wall. His helmeted
gaze was turned toward the people walking by, scanning them with his own back
pressed against the wall.

They waited
there for what seemed like half a sun’s pace. Ziri blinked back a yawn and
sagged against the wall. What were they doing anyway? It had been a long time
since they’d left his ship and even longer since their last meal. She sniffed,
inhaling the fragrant scent of frying meat through the sheer layers of her
scarf, and her stomach rumbled. Whatever that was would be nice, if she could figure
out how to share her interest with Ryn.

Abruptly, his
arm shot out, snagging the collar of a too-thin man whose creamy skin was flushed.
Ryn hauled the man up with one hand and snapped at him in a rapid-fire torrent
of harshly spoken words. The man held both hands up, palms out. His eyes were
wide and sweat popped out along his forehead. Ryn shook him and drew back a
balled up fist. The man’s words became high-pitched and urgent, and his hands
waved back and forth in increasingly fast spurts.

Ziri crossed her
arms over her chest as the scene played out, both amused and appalled. Drama on
her first visit off-world. She really had to remember every detail so she could
tell Mag about it. Her boss would get a hoot out of the whole thing. Come to
think on it, Mag would love to hear every bit of Ziri’s adventures, kidnapping,
Belnyin, and all.

Just to see what
would happen, Ziri said, “Ryn!”

His head jerked
around. She mimed clubbing the man, and Ryn snorted. He shook the other man by
the collar as he muttered a long string of words. The man turned wide eyes on
Ziri, true fear flashing across his expression for the first time.

Well, that hadn’t
been her intent at all.

Ryn shook the
man a final time and let go, shoving him in the back as the poor thing fled. He
faced Ziri and popped open his helmet. A wide grin stretched across his
features. He yanked down the scarf covering her mouth and kissed her firmly,
then covered them both back up and shooed her into the market’s busy streets.

Ziri’s lips
tingled and a warm spiral of something perilously close to pleasure threaded
through her. Her mind stuttered and stumbled, trapped in that moment when his
lips had pressed against hers, soft, sweet, and all too fleeting. That was the
second time he’d kissed her, each one so quick, she’d barely had time to
process it before it was over. Before he took her back home, as he rightfully
should, would he kiss her properly or would she always be caught between
yearning for more and an itch to pinch him for taking such liberties?

The sun had
dropped halfway down the sky before Ryn tugged her to a stop in front of an
advocate’s glass-fronted office. Dark curtains were pulled over the inside of
the window, a symbol of confidentiality, so important to the advocate’s trade.
Ziri eyed the Galactic-wide symbol painted onto the lower corner of the window,
a triangle bisected vertically by a thin line. What business could Ryn possibly
have here?

He tugged her
inside, and Ziri sighed. The interior was neat as a pin and warm, a welcome relief
after the market’s cooler temperature. The floors were polished and clean
beneath a blue and gold woven rug, a perfect complement to the soothing butter
yellow walls. A young woman sat behind a wooden table to the left, her pale
pink hair wound into an intricate mound of curls on top of her head. Two doors
were placed in the wall on the right, both firmly shut.

Ryn spoke
briefly with the young woman, who smiled and chattered and tapped notes into a
computerized tablet with a plasteen stylus. A moment later, one of the doors
opened and a tall man with a long, rectangular face poked his head out and
smiled. He wore a loose tan shirt paired with equally loose dark brown pants,
nothing like the flowing silky robes Ziri’s mother usually wore over her
workday clothes. The informal attire didn’t seem to bother Ryn at all. He
followed the man into the room, taking Ziri with him, and slumped into one of
the chairs placed in front of the man’s desk.

The door closed
behind them. The man walked around and sat behind his desk, his smile firmly in
place. “Pirin N’du.”

His pure blue
eyes fixed on Ziri. She glanced at Ryn, whose helmeted head was turned toward
her. “Ah, Ziri Mokuru.” The men continued to look at her, so she held out a
hand toward Ryn and said, “Ryn abid Alna.”

Pirin smiled.
“MliMli tells me the two of you need an advocate to help you sort out a
contract.”

Ziri gaped at
him. “You speak Tersii Basic.”

Pirin nodded
toward Ryn. “That’s why he asked for me in particular. I’m fluent in several
languages, including Tersii Basic and Pruxnæ Common.”

“Pruxnæ?”

“His language.
Well, his people.” Pirin’s smile faded. “You didn’t know?”

“He only kidnapped
me about a Standard week ago,” she said faintly.

Pirin tapped a
finger against his lips, completely failing to hide the smile growing there.
“Ah. Well, I suppose you have no idea what’s happening to you then.”

Ziri sank into
the remaining chair. “You don’t seem upset that I was kidnapped.”

Pirin lifted one
shoulder in a quick shrug. “The Pruxnæ are an odd bunch. Every once in a while,
they get it into their heads to get married. A bit of a problem, since most of
their females die at birth or soon after.”

“So they, what?
Steal women?”

“Sometimes, yes.”
Pirin glanced between her and Ryn. “That’s not going to be a problem here, is
it?”

“You mean him kidnapping
me?” Ziri glared at Pirin. “No, that’s not much of a problem except for the
fact that he forcibly removed me from my home when I really was doing just fine
there.”

“Ziri,” Ryn
said, his voice even and firm. “Tuh, tuh, tuh.”

She whipped her
head around, pinning that glare on him. “I will
not
be quiet, you
onka-brained lanoo.”

“Ah, if I
might.” Pirin placed a tablet near the edge of his desk and pointed to the
screen. “This is the reason the two of you are here. Mr. abid Alna wishes to
deed forty-nine percent of his interest in a spaceship called the
Yarinska
,
and a like share of future profits derived from the ship’s usage, over to you
in exchange for half a million credits.”

The anger bled out
of Ziri. “I don’t have half a million credits.”

“According to
this you have closer to two million.”

Ziri yanked the
tablet forward and peered at the information displayed on it. The top half of
the screen held a tiny image of the
Yarinska
along with serial numbers,
registration, and ownership data. Her ID image occupied the lower left-hand
quadrant. Her bank account information appeared to its right, public-records only,
but it clearly showed a tally nearly two million credits higher than her
balance should’ve been.

Ziri pushed the
tablet across the desk toward Pirin. “I don’t understand.”

He shifted toward
Ryn and held a softly-spoken conversation with him, punctuated by
ahs
and
ohs
and
ahas
on the advocate’s part. After a while, Pirin
faced Ziri. “Well, that’s a very honorable Pruxnæ you have there. He says you
gave him a handful of jewels. Apparently, he traded two for around one point
nine million credits.”

Ziri’s lips
parted. “One point nine million…?”

“One million,
nine hundred and twelve thousand, six hundred and seventy-three Galactic credits,
to be exact.”

“And now he
wants me to buy into his ship?”

“It would seem
so.”

She tugged the
scarf down and scraped her hands over her face. “I gave him the gullet stones
so he could pay for the repairs, not because I wanted to buy part of his ship.
I’m a Tersii. What use could I possibly have for a spaceship?”

Pirin relayed
the question to Ryn, then translated her kidnapper’s answer. “To visit your
family after the Choosing.”

She flipped her
hands up off her lap, exasperated beyond measure. “What in Onu’s name is the
Choosing?”

“Ah.” Pirin
exchanged a questioning glance with Ryn, who shook his head. “I think he’d
prefer to explain that.”

“Fine.” Ziri
slumped into the chair and scowled at the advocate. “So I buy part of his ship
and eventually I get to go home, is that it?”

“Well, with this
amount of credit, you could easily purchase passage on another ship and be home
within a few days.”

“Oh, no.” Ziri
crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the two of them. “That lanoo
kidnapped me.
He
can take me back home again.”

Pirin studied
her, his thick eyebrows furrowed over keen, blue eyes. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive.
Now, what do I have to do to satisfy this contract?”

Pirin reclined
in his chair. “I’ll need a day to draw it up. If you’ll come back tomorrow, we
can handle the legalities and the credit transfer then.”

“Credits now.
I’m in the mood for shopping. How did he get them into my account in the first
place?”

Pirin’s eyebrows
shot up. “You didn’t give him your thumbprint?”

No, but her
prints had to be all over his ship. She turned a gimlet eye on Ryn. Sneaky, he
was. She’d have to keep a closer eye on him, a much, much closer eye.

That evening,
after a full day following Ziri around and scaring off pickpockets and runners,
Ryn treated her to dinner in the restaurant of a modest inn. He requested a
private dining room and guided her into it, settling her onto a cushion around
the low, snack laden table before sinking gratefully onto his own.

He hadn’t been
on a shopping expedition like that since the last time Tyelu discarded a lover
after she’d caught the man cheating. Ryn tugged off his helmet and set it on
the floor next to his thigh. How thick skulled did a man have to be to cheat on
a woman like Tyelu? If her beauty wasn’t enough to hold a man, her skill as a
fighter should’ve done the trick. Thankfully, she’d settled for spending the
man’s vud rather than cutting off his privates, though she’d muttered plenty of
threats intimating that she still might.

Ziri shrugged
out of her coat and removed the scarf shrouding her mouth. A small, satisfied
smile played around those gentle curves, probably because of all the credits
he’d spent on her.
His
credits, not hers, though he had no way of
telling her. Every credit he’d taken in exchange for a share of the
Yarinska
had gone into a business account. She’d figure it out eventually. She’d be
managing that business, after all, and helping it grow. In the meantime, those
credits would pay for all the repairs the
Yarinska
needed plus a new AI
and left him plenty of vud in his personal account to spoil her with.

He’d sent most
of her purchases to the
Yarinska
. His gaze drifted to the packages piled
neatly near the room’s entrance, some his, others hers, things they’d each
deemed too necessary to send ahead. One contained a very special gift he’d
picked up. With Tyornin’s blessings, this time the next day planet-side, they’d
be able to understand each other, a prospect he met with anticipation and
dread. He yearned to share everything with her, to learn the things that were
important to her and fill his life with her memories and dreams. On the other
hand, he figured she had enough anger stored up in her heart for at least a
Standard week’s worth of haranguing him.

He was almost
looking forward to it.

A serving boy
brought them tall, fluted glasses of a slushy green drink laced with mint and
the local spirit, a favorite among travel weary spacers. Ziri lifted the drink
to her mouth and sipped. Her eyes widened as her breath whooshed out. She
sipped again, wheezed in a breath, and nodded. The serving boy grinned and
scurried out of the room, and that easily, Ziri added another conquest to her
tally.

Ryn shook his
head and leaned back on an elbow, arranging himself so he had a good view of
her. She sampled the fresh fruits artfully arranged on trays around the table,
going from one to the next with no apparent fear of any. Some she took seconds
of. Others, she wrinkled her nose at. His enjoyment of the process swelled with
each nibbling bite and lasted well through the meal the infatuated serving boy
brought them, course after course of local delicacies sitting dish by dish next
to more standard fare.

When she was
sated, Ryn procured a room for them in one of the inn’s rooms, a spacious area
containing a large, plush bed, a small sitting area, and a private bathing
chamber complete with a large, inset tub. Ziri took one look at it and shut the
chamber’s door in his face. He pressed an ear to the closed portal. Water
splashed into the tub, then cut off and was followed by a low, heartfelt sigh.

He put his back
to the door. An image popped into his mind, of Ziri fully nude relaxing in the
water, her glorious hair piled on top of her head, her expression peaceful.
Heat throbbed in his groin, low and hard, and he grimaced. If she were ready
for it, he’d wish the Choosing upon them now. Soon enough. Her skills grew
every time he worked with her on the mat in the cargo bay, a mat that had
thankfully survived the Sweepers’ attack. They’d begin training again as soon
as the
Yarinska
was repaired. Until then, he’d bide his time and channel
the patience Gared had counseled.

His gaze fell on
the bed’s crisp, white linens. Maybe he could steal one more kiss. The first
two had been impulses, one born out of a fear of never seeing her again, the
other out of pleasure at her antics in the market that day. He touched his
fingertips to his lips, remembering the softness of her own, their sweet taste,
the dazed expression she’d worn afterward. One kiss wouldn’t hurt, would it?

He stripped out
of his armor, retrieved the package he’d intended for her and placed it on the
bed, pressed his ear to the door. A soft, lilting hum drifted to him. Satisfied
that Ziri was well, Ryn stretched slowly, easing the ache of his still-healing
wounds and tired muscles, then settled into a meditative pose in an out of the
way spot.

She exited the
bathing chamber wrapped in a fluffy, white towel covering her from under her
arms to her knees. Her hair hung in a long red-gold braid down her back and she
was smiling and so lovely, it was all he could do not to embrace her. Instead,
he grasped her hand, led her to the bed, and handed her the package.

Wariness
flickered across her expression, replaced almost instantly by curiosity. She plucked
at the package the same way she’d plucked at the bandages she’d stuck all over
him and finally opened it, revealing an autolearner pre-programmed with his
language.

This one was
rectangular and curved to fit around the eyes. Two small, round earpieces
jutted from the bottom, one on either side. The contraption couldn’t be that
unfamiliar to her. They were common enough among adults needing specialized
training in a minimum amount of time and were widely available in trading posts
like the one they were visiting now.

He took it
gently from her hands and set it aside. It would likely take all night for the
autolearner to do its job. Before then, he wanted a tick with her, just one
where they could meet each other on an equal footing. Her gaze met his, that
curiosity still present. He sat beside her on the bed and leaned forward,
placing his mouth close to hers.

Ziri reared back
and shot him a heated scowl.

Patience
, Gared had
said.

Ryn held still,
allowing her to decide. Eventually, the scowl faded. One hair’s breadth at a
time, she eased toward him, and at last, her lips touched his, so lightly it
might’ve been air flowing across his skin. Her fingers drifted across his hand,
stroking him as she brushed her mouth along his in a slow, sensual glide.

Desire burst
into him, squeezing the air out of his lungs as his heart raced and his body
hardened, and a deep yearning wound its way through every cell in his body. He
parted his lips, inviting her to explore, and cupped a hand around her nape.
Her skin was soft and warm and slightly damp, its exotic scent intoxicating,
tempting. Her tongue flicked out, dipping inside his mouth, and he opened for her,
returning her kiss with every bit of the need that had been growing inside him
since the tick he’d spotted her on the streets of her hometown.

On and on the
kiss went, urgent and greedy, and as sweet as anything he’d ever tasted. Her
fingers grasped his shirt, holding him in place, and his skidded across her bare
shoulder, teasing her smooth skin. She felt so good under him, so good. He
skimmed a single finger along the edge of her towel, exploring the tops of her
breasts, dipping into the shadow between them.

She yanked back,
breaking the kiss, her eyes wide, her skin flushed pink. Her breaths panted out
of her, lifting her chest under his fingers. Reluctantly, he drew away. He
hadn’t meant to carry the kiss that far, hadn’t meant to push her. They had
plenty of time to learn each other once they reached Abyw.

He picked up the
autolearner and held it out to her. She shrugged, so he fitted it over her eyes,
inserted the earpieces into her ear canals, and flicked it on. Her body jerked
once and she uttered a soft
oh
. He laid his hands on top of hers, pinning
them to the bed, and counted.

Thirty ticks,
forty, sixty.

At seventy-five,
her body went rigid. Hoarse breaths panted out of her, morphing into soft
mewls.

Ninety, one
hundred and five, one hundred and twenty.

Her feet shifted
on the bed, pushing at it in frantic, panicked bursts, and her head jerked
back. She ground her teeth together and her body arched up, and Ryn gritted his
own teeth, regret sinking through him.
Wode help her
, he prayed, and
held her down as the autolearner planted his language in her mind.

* * *

“We will meet
together the day, Ziri.”

The words echoed
in Ziri’s head, overlapping a familiar phrase.
Myengen dun arig, Ziri
.
She pressed a hand to the quiet throb bouncing between her temples. The last
thing she remembered was kissing Ryn. Onu’s breath, his touch had turned her
inside out, ripping heat through her with every brush of his lips and fingers.
She’d been on the verge of begging him to touch her more when he had, and she’d
remembered why being with him was impossible.

“We’ll meet the
day together.”

Myengen dun arig
.

She hissed in a breath.
Did he have to keep talking to her? Maybe she’d gotten a little too used to
their odd mode of communication, shrugs and smiles and her repeating the names
of the objects around them in his language. She’d done most of the talking,
usually in Tersii when he’d irritated her beyond wisdom and her tongue ran away
on her. And now, here he was, chattering away like a garri.

“Meet the morning
together.”

Myengen dun arig
.

There it was
again, that odd echo. How was he doing that, anyway? She risked a peek at her
surroundings through half-shuttered eyelids. Ryn’s handsome face swam into
focus above her. The heat of his body warmed her from chest to feet and a hard
length pressed into the juncture of her thighs. She closed her eyes. How had
she ended up naked in bed with Ryn? In bed, she could understand. Since
kidnapping her, he hadn’t let her sleep alone, not once, and she’d continued
the habit when he’d been injured, as much out of concern as a need for his
warmth. But naked?

“Good morning,
Ziri.”

This time there
was no echo. The pain in her head flashed hard, then dimmed, and Ziri gasped.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she
said. “Well, better anyway. What happened? I feel like I was run over by a herd
of winyu.”

She paused over
the unfamiliar word. What was a winyu? Immediately, her brain supplied an image
of a shaggy creature with four legs and two sharp tipped horns attached on
either side of its rounded skull. She winced. Where had that come from?

“It’s the
autolearner, the device I gave you last night. Your brain is assimilating
Pruxnæ.”

Her eyes popped
open. “By all that’s holy.”

His mouth
twisted into a grin and that adorable dimple flashed under the scar along his right
cheek. “It takes a while. Sometimes, it hurts. I hoped you’d have an easier
time.”

“You hoped—”

“No, don’t close
your eyes. I need to observe them for a while, make sure the autolearner did no
lasting damage.”

“Is that why
you’re on top of me?” She snorted. “Flimsy, Ryn. Really flimsy.”

“I’m on top of
you,” he said evenly, “because you were hurting yourself fighting the autolearner.
If you weren’t so stubborn—”

“Me, stubborn?
Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

“I think the
autolearner worked a little too well,” he muttered. “How’s your head?”

She prodded one
temple gingerly. “Mostly ok. How’s your jaw?”

A small vee
appeared between his eyebrows. “Fine, why?”

“Remember that,
because the next time you kidnap me or land us in the middle of a bunch of
crazy aliens or put a weird device on my head, I’m going to punch you.”

He shook his
head and his straight, black hair shimmied around his firm jaw. She tucked it
behind his ears and discovered two thin braids, one on either side of his head.
“What’s this?”

“A custom on
Pruxnæ, more common during wartime.”

She threaded one
braid between her fingers. His hair was silky and finer than she would’ve
thought. She held a strand out and let it go, watching as it slid into place,
its ends brushing the top of his shoulder.

He shifted above
her. “Don’t stop.”

The husky note
in his voice startled her, and awareness of their exact position finally caught
up with her. “I think I’m ok now.”

He dipped his
head and sniffed her throat. “I like where I am.”

“You’re a little
heavy.”

He sighed. “Ok.
Sorry.” He braced himself on his forearms above her and caught her gaze. “Good
morning, Ziri.”

“Good morning,
Ryn.
Now
will you get off me?”

“One more
thing,” he murmured. He kissed her mouth gently, then eased off her, put his
back to her, and walked toward clothing stacked neatly on top of a chaise.
“Advocate N’du should have the contract ready for us to sign.”