Conflict (7 page)

They had the first field done by what Kaia calculated as nine in the morning. Instead of resting, she moved on to the second field of the day immediately. The blade became easier to control with each moment that she used it, and the second field was lying mowed by noon.

She went to the tables and ate the sandwiches presented to her, drinking water, and the moment she was done, she transported to Thaxis. “Where is the third field?”

He frowned and stared down at her. He gripped her around the waist, and in a moment, they were standing on a cliff overlooking the sea. In the distance, Kaia could see the field with the dark figures resting.

“Kaia, what is wrong with you?”

She blinked up at him. “Working the blade takes a lot of concentration. I can’t socialize and use it at the same time.”

“Socialize?” He stroked his hand down her spine, trying to evoke a response.

She stared at him and waited. Her mind was calm and nothing he was doing even caused a ripple.

“I believe that I should carry out my duty, Thaxis. Only one field to go and they are all down. Now, where is that field?”

He kept his hands around her waist, and they appeared on a huge field that cried out for her blade.

She raised her hands and sent the blade spinning. The entire time she was mowing, Thaxis kept his hands on her waist or his arms wrapped around her. When she completed the blade’s movements, she let it go.

With her task completed, she turned to him. “I have finished it.”

He looked into her eyes and smiled, but there was worry in his features. “You did well.”

* * * *

Thaxis lifted his limp mate as she collapsed. He transported to the second field and called out, “Gathika! Help!”

The healer was at his side in an instant. She pried up one of Kaia’s lids, and she hissed. “Damn. Put her on the table and have Arik get Luloa.”

Arik had been hovering nervously nearby, and he took off at a run.

Thaxis put Kaia on the table, and he kept hold of her hand. “What is wrong?”

“The Heshi isn’t fully bonded. Instead of generating energy, it pulled it out of her. It was too soon.”

Thaxis winced. “What can I do?”

“Give me your hand.”

He pressed his hand to the skin of the healer’s, and he felt a surge of life force leave him and transfer to Kaia.

Luloa took in the situation, and she pressed her hands to Kaia’s forehead. “We need more.”

Gathika released his hand and took off running for the fields. A few folks were coming toward the table, and she quickly gave them instructions before continuing on.

Within twenty minutes, Kaia was breathing evenly, and Thaxis was watching the most incredible thing he had ever seen. Every member of his clan was lined up with hands to the shoulders of the person in front of them in a huge spiral that wound back in on itself with Kaia at the centre.

Energy of every adult in the clan was being siphoned through her body, and she was glowing with power.

When she opened her white-on-white eyes, he smiled down. “Hello, Kaia. You have been missed.”

She smiled, and then, her eyes widened, looking behind him. She lifted a hand and a spinning blade of light shot from her palm with the force of the clan behind it.

Thaxis turned to see a Raider ship bearing down on them, but when the blade hit it, it sheared through the metal like it was made if gauze. The explosion of the ship should have struck them, but the blade expanded into a shield that diverted the debris into the sea.

Kaia relaxed again. “Hello, Thaxis. Where did I go?”

He looked down at his mate and the surprised looks of the clan around him, and he laughed. “Nowhere important. You are back now.”

Chapter Ten

Not being allowed to help with the rest of the harvest was frustrating. Threshing looked like grubby fun.

Thaxis stayed with her every moment of every day. He sent a courier to Bael Lerock to explain the situation, and the Bael’s reply was, “Good.”

Kaia was uneasy. As long as the orbital station was up there, it was going to be a problem.

Gathika had pronounced her fully integrated and that meant that she could work like a normal member of the community, but no one would let her do anything. Even the kids wouldn’t let her help with the cooking.

She was stuck staring at the workers from a charming chair that the woodworker had brought out just for her after her collapse.

Kaia was not used to doing nothing. It made her twitchy.

During the break, Jorra and Gathy came to sit with her and while it was entertaining their sweat was proof that Kaia wasn’t pulling her weight.

Thaxis was watching her carefully while he spoke with some of the men about the storage of the grain.

“I am going to go insane.” She muttered it to Gathy.

“What would you do with recovery time at home?”

She sighed. “I am trying to make this home.”

“Well, what would you like to do?”

“I used to paint.” She hadn’t seen any paintings since she had been there but then she hadn’t been looking for them.

“Pigments on fabric?” Gathy looked excited.

“Yes, or a hard board.”

“Would you like to paint on silks? We have plenty of fabric dyes. Jorra can set you up.”

Kaia smiled at Jorra’s eager nod. “Thank you, but why are you being so helpful?”

“You don’t look happy, we want you to be happy.” Jorra whispered it.

“I will be happy when I am allowed to be a part of this community. Sitting by while everyone works is irritating. I was a little tired, nothing more.”

Gathy frowned. “I thought Bael Thaxis told you.”

Unease rippled through her. “Told me what? He has been attentive and hovering but nothing more. He didn’t say anything.”

Gathy leaned forward. “You nearly died. Your Heshi hadn’t blended all the way, and it was using your life force to run that blade. We had to give you a transfusion, so the whole community volunteered to give you a piece of themselves to keep you alive. While you were recovering, one of the Raider ships came in on an attack. You blew it out of the sky before anyone could react. After that, you didn’t seem to remember anything.”

Kaia was grappling with what she was learning. “You are sure.”

“Of course. I had to call in Luloa to help keep you stable while I rounded up volunteers. No one wants to risk your health, and you did more than enough. We are days ahead of schedule, and once the grain is in storage, we can have a cleansing rain.”

“Is Thaxis keeping it dry?”

“Yes, he always does during harvest, but it usually exhausts him completely. This year, he has far more energy, though I am guessing that your sex life is pretty non-existent.” Gathy smiled ruefully.

Kaia winced. “Well, not non-existent, just a little gentle. Since I am not working during the day, I give him a rubdown before bed and things develop from there.”

Gathy chuckled. “Interesting technique.”

“We are still in the experimental phase. I look forward to the harvest dinner.”

Gathy grinned. “We all do. I believe you will find it quite pleasant and certainly interesting. No other clan celebrates like we do.”

During the harvest dinner, huge bonfires raged on either side of the tables and all children were under lock and key in the village. The fires were a good thing considering that all the women were wearing as little as possible and so were the men.

Bael Thaxis was stunning in a black leather hip wrap that left every other part of him bare. He was her personal attendant. Each mated male attended to the meal and wine of his female, and the single men had to share the single women’s attentions. A few enterprising young warriors had dispensed with clothing entirely.

The meal consisted of nine courses, each a few mouthfuls.

Gathy leaned over. “The multiple courses were designed during the days before the women won the contest. They wanted to watch us walk.”

Sweat was starting to gleam on Thaxis, and as she sipped at her wine, Kaia wanted to lick each drop up his hard belly until she was gnawing on his throat. Kaia blinked as her heart started to pound and all she had done was have a suitable meal and…
how many glasses of wine was it?

Thaxis topped her wine cup up, and she smiled vaguely up at him.

Music started in the open space between tables. The men played drums, flutes and stringed instruments with alarming dexterity.

Couples took to the dance floor, their barely dressed bodies writhing together in the most fascinating of ways.

Gathy leaned over, lurched and caught herself. “Babies conceived at harvest are considered to be lucky.”

Torrimak took Gathy and lifted her in the air. He spun her into the dance, and soon, they were engaged in motions that would have made a porn star blush, and yet, on an Ikanni, they seemed completely natural.

Kaia looked at Thaxis, and he quirked an eyebrow.

“Would you care to?”

Kaia took in the other dancers and shrugged. “I don’t think I can move like that, but I am willing to try.”

He grinned. “I am always impressed in your ability to move with me.”

He extended his hand, and she got to her feet, pitching against him with a thud. She giggled. “A little too much wine.”

“The aphrodisiac was in the ninth course, love.” He nibbled on her neck.

“Cheater.”

“Every chance I get.” He laughed and led her onto the dance.

The thin silk she was wearing was painted with scenes of the harvest and the open sea. It was a light sarong that didn’t defend her one whit as she pressed to him and he slid his thigh between hers as they started to move to the music.

Her blood was pounding in her veins, her thighs were slick with need and her body was coated in sweat. She ran her hands over every inch of him that she could reach, and it included lifting the short leather wrap that was in place to tease her.

He groaned as she stroked the thick width of his shaft. She laughed and continued faster, stronger until she felt the telltale twitching that heralded his orgasm.

Before she could blink, they were in the bedroom and he was lifting her, sliding through her folds and thrusting frantically until she shrieked and he grunted as his cock bucked within her.

He staggered back and fell to the bed with her on top of him.

She grinned and circled her hips, by now, knowing that his recovery time was amazingly short. She leaned down to kiss him, and he threaded his fingers in her hair, holding her to him as his tongue slid inside her mouth.

He licked, sucked and stroked every inch of her mouth before releasing her. “Harvest night is a lucky night for our clan.”

She chuckled and started to ride the thick invader inside her. “How so?”

“More children get their start tonight than any other night. Do you think we will have that kind of luck?”

She ran her hand across the scar on his chest. “I don’t think so.”

He frowned, cupping her breasts in his hands as she continued to move. “Why not? Orriko says that our species are compatible.”

“Oh, we are, but I can’t get pregnant twice.”

He paused. “What?”

“You heard me.” She smiled down at him and laughed when he flipped her to her back, and he thrust into her wildly.

He stroked her clit, and she moaned as he circled rapidly while he thrust into her. She shrieked and clawed his arms as her orgasm struck her with force, twisting her against him.

The moment she came, he followed, shouting his triumph before he dropped onto her with his entire body weight.

Kaia ran her hands up the sweaty groove of his back. “Thaxis? Do you consider this good news?”

He lifted his head, and there were tears in his eyes. His kiss said volumes, and when he withdrew from her, he kissed her belly softly. “I consider this very good news.”

Thaxis kissed every inch of her abdomen, and he cuddled her against him with his hand protectively over his growing offspring.

Kaia smiled. Gathy had confirmed it that very morning.

“Oh, Thaxis?”

He kissed her neck. “Yes, Kaia?”

“My species can be made ill during the early stages of pregnancy by the smell of food. I don’t think I can make breakfast for a while. I still need to eat it, but I can’t prepare it.”

He let out a playful growl. “How long is a while?”

“Ten months.” She smiled, unless he looked into Terran gestation, he would never know how long it actually lasted.

He swatted her on the backside. “Cheater.”

“Every chance I get.”

Author’s Note

That station will have to be dealt with. That is a book for another time. I hope you enjoyed Conflict, it was written during Xmas holidays, and I kept family in mind the whole time. Then, I thought pagan festivals and horny elves and everything got out of control.

This concludes my trip into the C’s. Join me in two weeks for Dancer.

Viola Grace

[email protected]

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. 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.