Quit (3 page)

He relaxed his grip on her, and she stepped back, touching her hair. “If your reporting is accurate, you already have me, so why give me such polite invitations to a place I desperately want to be?”

“Because joining me will be a test of your control. You will be on your world, but our daughter will remain up here for the rest of her gestation. We will come to her on decanting day, but you will have to trust that she will be taken care of.”

She widened her eyes. “She will be alone?”

“The monitor will let you see her day and night, and read to her if you wish, but our visits will be few and far between.”

Minny felt her heart thudding in her chest. It was a dream and a nightmare all wrapped in one. “You want me to leave her.”

“The best way to return to your world is at my side. By presenting you as my spouse, you will have the opportunity to make a place for yourself at my side, and your people will be forced to allow you to remain.”

“And once we are settled?”

“Alyla can join us.” He smiled. “We will go to her the moment that she prepares to leave her canister, and we will take her back to her new world.”

She was still reeling but pressed her fingers to her lips. “The first citizen of Luna.”

“And entitled to her own embassy on Terra when it can be arranged.”

“She will get a playhouse and be content with that.” She smiled absently as she got her mind around the thought of returning home.

Imbolt laughed and slowly moved behind his desk, opening a drawer. He pulled out a small chest and opened it, removing a smaller box from inside.

“In reading about your traditions, I have found that this will symbolize our decision.”

He walked around and faced her, dropping to one knee in front of her. “Minerva Twill, will you marry me?”

She stared at the ring that would cover most of the joint on one finger. The cabochon swirled with the image of a thousand stars, gas clouds and unnamed phenomenon.

“I...” She thought of a life with him, with Alyla and learning about this strange man from the stars while their daughter played nearby. Her family, her friends, her world was the promise of that ring.

“I will.”

“Excellent. We will arrange the ceremony tomorrow, and I have meetings with your governing bodies at the end of the week. I am gaining a list of demands, and we are working from there.”

“What about my position as Norz?”

“As my wife, you will no longer be qualified to act as a recruiter. You will, however, be a charming spy at my side. They will try to bend your ear and get you to manipulate me. I think it will be entertaining for you.”

She quirked her lips. “I see you have read my file.”

He nodded. “It is memorized.”

He slid the ring onto her finger and rose to his feet, kissing her softly.

The energy under his skin touched her in random bursts, skating across her lips in tiny crackles of lightning. It wasn’t just a design moving in his skin; it was pure power.

She went up on her toes to increase the pressure, and the ring on her finger throbbed heavily.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly to him. His robes opened and swirled forward, surrounding her in an intoxicating scent and wave of energy.

She slowly brought their kiss to a halt, and she observed, “There are more than one of you in there.”

He smiled. “I have been the Avatar for an energy being of sorts for a very long time. I do not need to be near him to feel him and hear him. He is written on my skin and in my blood.”

“What is he?”

“Zanicon. He is a star that tied and then continued to die for millions of years. He summoned me because he got bored; we struck a deal, and after centuries of servitude, here I am.”

She was still standing in his embrace and was a little surprised at how normal it felt.

The food cart trundled away, and it reminded her of where she was. Instead of jerking away, she eased back with a smile. “I think I need to discuss these matters with Alyla.”

“Please do so, but be back in an hour or I will come and get you.” He inclined his head and returned to his desk.

She blinked. “Why an hour?”

“Because she can feel you no matter how far you are. The being next to her is for your emotional well being, not hers. But instead of you gaining strength, you have worn to nothing.”

He settled and looked up at her. “The clock is ticking, as you say.”

She left his quarters, oriented herself and headed for medical.

Minny kept her hand on the tank and asked, “So, what do you think? Should I go through with it?”

The little hand near hers on the inside of the tank flexed. Apparently, it was a good idea.

“Would you like a story?”

The legs kicked, and Minny lifted the tablet and started reading. The weight of the ring on her hand distracted her periodically, but she kept her focus on the knights trying to ride horses up a glass hill.

She must have gone beyond her hour. Imbolt came in, removed her tablet and offered her his hand. She took it, kissed her fingers and pressed them to the glass before she left.

“Why do you do that? She can’t feel it.” Imbolt smiled.

“I send her my love when I touch the plexi. I am sure she can feel that.”

He shrugged. “She can, but her emotions are simple right now. As long as all needs are being met, a little love is all she needs.”

Personnel that they passed in the hall were heading for the observation deck.

“What are they after?”

“Ah, there have been energy discharges from the Earth’s surface. The light has been shooting out into space randomly but we are waiting to see what it means. The Alliance officers have no clue or just aren’t telling.”

His smile was quietly amused when she glanced at him.

“Do you know what it is?”

“I have never seen it before, but Zanicon thinks it resembles something
he
has seen before. It will have to play out before I could say for certain.”

They followed the stream of people to the observation area and everyone was looking toward the Earth. A murmur of shock ran through them as identifiable positions lit up on the surface and tendrils of light emerged, caressing the space around the globe.

She glanced at Imbolt, and he was looking at the display with a satisfied smile. He knew what it was.

He looked down and gave her a slow wink. “It is time for dinner. I have ordered more of the selections that your sisters volunteered.”

She snapped back to that mention. “How are they? Tell me everything you learned about them.”

He grinned, and they left the group watching the Earth flex and seek whatever it was looking for. Minny didn’t care; she was learning about her family.

Chapter Four

Commander Leema Marx looked nervous as she faced them. “Are you sure about this, Minny?”

“If even half of what he has promised will come to pass, I am in. Even if it isn’t, he is my baby-daddy. I owe it to Alyla to make sure that he is as close as I can get him.”

Commander Marx glanced at Imbolt and looked away. “Right. I can only imagine the Christmas cards.”

Minny snickered. “Right. You are off the list.”

Marx smirked. “Okay. Let’s get this started.”

The commander took a deep breath and began to intone in an ancient language. Imbolt spoke at several intervals, but Minny was left standing there, looking confused.

Finally, Marx turned to her. “Do you, Minerva Twill of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra, agree to surrender your world, your citizenship of Earth, your place and all that you are to your husband?”

“I will never surrender my world. It is part of me. Yes to the rest.”

Imbolt smiled and answered in low tones. “It is an acceptable response.”

The commander let out a breath. “Well, in that case, I pronounce you, wife and husband, Avatar and recruiter. You may kiss the bride or groom or whatever.”

This was the moment. She turned fully to him and went up on her toes as he held her. Their kiss began slowly and soon turned into a wild exchange that had the commander running for cover.

The contracts had been signed before the words were spoken, but now, it was time to seal the deal, so to speak.

His hair was silky soft, and as she stroked it, she realised that she knew that texture. His hair was feathers. It made her smile against his mouth while her body started snarling for something more.

He pulled away and looked around, apparently confirming that they were alone.

She was wearing her formal bodysuit but still blushed when he opened the closure at her neckline. Her body was completely outlined by the suit, but skin was another matter.

Minny stiffened as he peeled her suit off, but he paused. “I think this might go better in a more secluded area.”

She didn’t run to the bedroom. That would have lacked dignity, but she did move at a brisk pace.

He followed her into the bedroom and casually removed his outer vest, the inner one was hung next to it, and then, he loosened his cuffs.

She unsealed her bodysuit down to her waist and sat on the bed. She watched her new husband strip and wished for popcorn.

The moving tattoos were on every exposed inch of skin. Now and then, she could almost make out words that formed and disappeared across the hard muscle that shaped him.

She cleared her throat. “You are in pretty good shape for an emissary.”

He grinned. “Zanicon rebuilt me when he took me over. I was damaged in an accident, and I had a long talk with him through his relay before I was willing to hand my body over. I thought my personality would be eradicated. I never guessed that we would share like we do. Did.”

“Zanicon is dead?”

“He is a collapsed star.”

She blinked slowly as he removed his boots. “A collapsed star... a black hole?”

Imbolt nodded. “Yes. He needed an Avatar to keep folk out of the danger zone. His reach was expanding for centuries, and the ships passing near needed help escaping. That was my job.”

He unfastened the wide waistband of his trousers and slid them down and off in one smooth move, his feet stepping gracefully out of the fabric.

She watched as he folded the trousers and hung them up in the cleaning cupboard. His butt was just as well muscled as his abs.

There was not a sign of the damage that he had mentioned, and she was really looking.

When he turned back to her, her gaze fixed on his midsection, and she tried to figure out if it was a point or a cone. His cock was narrow at the tip, and then, it widened to three inches across by the time it joined his body. The initial inch didn’t seem too intimidating, but how far was he going to go? The length didn’t matter. He would get stuck long before he reached the end.

He looked at her, and then, his own gaze lowered to his erection. “Not what you were expecting?”

She blushed and jerked her gaze upward to meet his amused expression. “I wasn’t expecting anything. I was just taking in the terrain.”

Imbolt laughed, and as she watched, the shape changed.

“Are you doing that because... I have no idea how that is happening.”

“It is the bonus to being the Avatar of Zanicon. Lovers were never in short supply, but adaptation was necessary.”

“So that was the shape of the last species you had sex with?”

“Yes, two centuries ago.” He walked slowly toward her with his body now taking on large—but human—proportions. He was scaled for the rest of him, so just a little too large to be comfortable.

When he was still a few feet away, she got up and peeled off her bodysuit. Medical had done a good job of removing the signs of her pregnancy. They had had to, given her body was producing milk for a child that didn’t need it.

He took her suit, and it joined his clothing in the cabinet.

“As it is our wedding night, I have read a number of different traditions that we would need to uphold, but few, if any, apply to our situation. How would you like to consummate our contract?”

He returned to her and reached out to stroke the naked skin of her arms. The gesture was intimate without being sexual.

“Do you want details or broad strokes?” She smiled shyly.

“I would love details, but that can wait until we know each other better.” He continued to stroke the sides of her arms, the lightest touch that nevertheless hardened her nipples and pebbled her skin.

“Then, I would say we should start and proceed as soon as it will be comfortable for me. Would you like sound or silence?”

His hands clenched briefly on her arms. “I want to hear you.”

“Then, I think we should try this out.” She pressed her hands to his chest and felt the thudding of his heart under the muscle and bone.

She hummed lightly as she ran her hands over the grey-brown tattooed skin that was tight and hot under her touch. The heat coming off him made her want to snuggle up to him, so she did. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her breasts against him and stroking his back with light rakes of her nails. His erection was trapped between them, and it was hot and slick. He was producing his own lube.

Minny focused and smiled. Her own body was taking the same tactic. Things were moving quickly.

She leaned up and pressed her lips to his neck. The markings slid under his skin and tickled her. She smiled against his skin and continued her exploration.

He groaned when she drew her fingers down his back with more insistence, and his hands shifted, covering her back and pulling her up against him in one swift move. His large hands cupped her buttocks.

She wrapped her legs around him and rocked her hips as much as she could in his grip. His erection was pressed against her, and with a little manoeuvering, she was rubbing her sex along it.

The heat of his body was enticing. She wanted him inside her but didn’t want to be pushy.

He lifted her higher and rubbed his cock against her. Her folds parted, and her body continued to send out its slick welcome.

She squeaked in surprise when he hoisted her high and then groaned as he ran his tongue up and down the side of her neck. The stroke of his tongue was surprisingly dry, but the faint trace of moisture gave her a cold contrast to the heat of his mouth.