Catalyst (7 page)

“I know. You get the whole drawer.”

She was still giggling when they arrived at his home. He lifted her out of the skimmer and carried her over the threshold.

When they were seated at the kitchen table, Mae began to loosen the laces of her corset. Nothven brought her a glass of wine, and they sat across from each other while she slowly worked the corset loose enough for her to pop the busk open. Under the corset, the transparent fabric was doubled by the wrapping effect, but the dampness from being compressed against her made it a gauzy tease to his gaze.

In her mind, she knew the thrill of the chase and the larger thrill of the catching from her point of view. Nothven would look feral, but when he took her in his arms, he was her mate and there was nothing to be afraid of.

She hoped that was the way it worked out, because sometimes, the wrong stimulus at the wrong time causes a little hiccup in her mental design.

They sat in silence while she sipped at her cup. He did the same with his until he said, “The clock is ticking. You get five minutes head start. I will restrict myself to this form and come after you.”

“When does the clock start?”

“Fifteen seconds ago.”

Adrenaline hit her system and she got to her feet, lifting the edge of the robe and running for the back door. She was wearing soft leather slippers, and they made it easier for her to sprint across the manicured grass and into the wild grass beyond the cultivated yard. She headed for the tree line. It wasn’t a lot of trees, but it might slow him down if he was tracking her by scent.

Out of all the strange things to tease him with, sex hide and seek was definitely a bizarre choice. Sadly, it suited her to a tea.

She ran through the edge of the forest before working deeper and climbing as high as she could. When she had made it into the small canopy of the forest, she watched the house. Sure enough, the lithe, tanned body was naked, and he was walking with his head in the air and a determined stride.

He was scenting for her. She watched him come closer with her limbs trembling and her loins aching. Just seeing his aroused body was enough to spin her mind into mating mode.

He rushed for the woods, and he followed the trail she had laid so carefully, giving her enough time to descend from the tree and make a beeline back to his home.

She was fifty meters from the trees when she heard his howl, and she knew she had been spotted. Mae lifted the edge of the skirt higher and poured on the speed. She heard him behind her, his long limbs loping easily through the tall grasses, and the moment she stopped to check his location, she froze with all the grace of a deer in headlights.

Snapping into motion, she turned and took three steps before he caught her and bore her to the ground.

She fought him off, her hands struck his throat, forcing him back, and she quickly turned to get up from her knees, and he gripped her hips with determined force. She was afraid, she was aroused and she was in the mood for a fight. As he lifted her skirt and thrust into her, she howled with outrage but her movements only drew him in deeper.

He set up his rhythm, thrusting and retreating, rocking into her and withdrawing in turn.

She was so aroused by the chemical conflict that her body bucked in release and she groaned as she pushed back to take him as deep as she could. He groaned and lifted her, caressing her breasts as he thrust hard and bit down in conjunction with his climax. The shuddering groan went through her body and his release brought hers back in sharp echoes.

They were both panting as they tried to recover their breath, and he stood, taking her into his arms after he slipped out of her.

“I believe that as wonderful as that was, your tradition includes a bed at some point.”

She closed her eyes and saw the claw marks she had just made on his chest in sharp relief in her mind. “I believe it does. Something tells me that this will be one of the more culturally fulfilling matings on Creyar. We will have to document it for future generations. You always have to plan on embarrassing your children. It is the perk to bringing another generation into the world.”

He carried her into the bedroom and slipped the gown from her shoulders. “Will we have children?”

She smiled, “One day, you will ask how much I can see and I will have to lie, but for now, yes, we will have children, so enjoy the privacy with me now. It will not last forever.”

His kiss was sweet as he laid her back and caressed her skin. “Then, I will enjoy our privacy now and enjoy being a parent later.”

Maeryn chuckled and caressed his face, the scars and followed them down the length of his chest. “I do love a practical man.”

“And I love a woman who can see things that will happen. It is a good thing that we are accepting or this whole thing wouldn’t work out.” He nibbled at her navel.

Mae smiled and stroked the soft white of his hair. She would make sure things worked out. It was her job, her talent and her destiny. No one was going to take that away from her.

She had a future to design after all.

Epilogue

Hawikar, navigator of the Cheevan cruiser Argent’s Triumph, sat huddled in the bar on Creyar. The note had been very specific. If he did not bring the ship’s icon to the bar at the spaceport, they would expose his true nature to the captain.

Hawikar was a pacifist but he was navigator on a commercial cruiser named after the goddess of battle.

Two shadowed figures, cloaked and silent, walked into the bar and straight toward him. One spoke in a low tone, “Do you have it?”

He nodded and lifted the box. “Here. You will keep my secret?”

The speaker inclined his head and handed him a box that matched the one he was handing over. “We will. Good afternoon.”

Hawikar looked into the box, and it held a statuette similar to the one he had just handed over. It was confusing, why did they want the statue if they were replacing it with last year’s model?

* * * *

Once outside the bar, Mae and Noth walked quickly to the skimmer. He piloted it back home, and once inside, Mae opened the box.

“Aha! They are watching me. This is so weird.” She lifted out the statuette that was in the same pose but wearing the gown she had worn to the mayor’s dinner. At its side was something new.

Noth peered at it, “What is that?”

“It’s you. Well, you as the battle beast. How cute. Look at your little fangs.” She placed the statues side by side on the mantle. His shifted statuette was to scale, his back was even with the shoulder of the goddess. “Aw, you are so sweet.”

He growled and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “I am not cute, I am not sweet.”

She laughed. “You are both. You are also very good with your hands. They are all admirable traits. Don’t you like being the beast at the side of the goddess?”

His hands travelled upward, cupping her breasts while he nibbled at her neck. “I enjoy being at your side, but I enjoy being inside you more.”

A full-body shiver ran through her. “That is an excellent idea. When is your family coming over?”

“Ah, I postponed them until tomorrow.” He stroked down her belly and gently rubbed her sex through her clothing.

“And here, I thought I was supposed to be the all-knowing one.” She leaned back and gave him free rein on her body.

“You currently don’t have anything to plot for your own purposes, so enjoy the moment.”

“Oh, I will.” She laughed and turned in his arms, looping her hands behind his neck and bringing him down for her kiss. “And so will you.”

He was leaning into her kiss when she pulled back and ran for it. She heard the growl behind her, but she was already on her way out the back door and on her way to the woods. The beast leapt over her and barred her path, sending her running back toward the house again.

Joy filled her, but there was a tinge of panic as she played tag with her mate. The thrill of adrenaline rushed through her, preceded only slightly by arousal.

Nothven jumped over her, but this time, he stalked her, growling slightly. As she backed away from him, she removed one piece of the clothing after the next until she was naked.

Nothven shifted from beast to man in an instant, and she was borne to the ground in a flurry of limbs.

She laughed when he slid home, arched into him as he began to thrust. Her mind could still see an endless parade of unions but that was for later. Now, she was rolling around in the grass with the man she loved and the present held far more allure than the future.

Author’s Note

The library of T’han will be found in another book, another time. Catalyst was just a simple love story about a woman who could see and change her own future.

Is Maeryn a seed of the Orb of Time? I am not telling. Well, perhaps on another day, another book, another happily ever after.

Viola Grace

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http://www.violagrace.com

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. 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.