Fire Fall tapped her hand. “Feel free to hang on, but I am getting to my feet so things could get awkward.”
She unclenched her fingers and opened her hand, sliding it across his chest as she released him. Rox flexed her hand around her trident and used it for leverage to dismount from the seat.
The gardens of Irudan were visible on all sides of the large complex that made up the Guardian base. It was pretty, delightfully coloured and the scents were alive and bright. Roxelena was intensely uncomfortable the moment that she started walking.
Fire Fall was at her side as they walked toward three figures. “Roxelena, this is Skorin, known as Walking Darkness, Uadon, known as Rock Wall, and Pleska, known by her name and as the insect commander. Uadon and Pleska are mates, and Skorin’s mate is one of your kind. Rowen Nakkua. She is currently at her day job.”
Rox whispered quickly. “What is your other name?”
He whispered back, “Devnin Niil. I am your husband.”
As the others approached, she whispered, “Oh. Pleased to meet you.”
He chuckled as she greeted all of the Guardians, one by one.
Skorin was admiring her hair. “It is so pale. If I hadn’t seen Rowen, I would have believed that all of your people were so colourless.”
Rox made a face. “If you are saying I am washed out, I am sure that you are correct. I have been hearing that since my talent arrived.”
Devnin came up beside her. “I believe I will see my bride settled before you start throwing insults, Skorin.”
He backed away, and Rox saw shadows flickering around him. “You are correct. My apologies, Lady Niil.”
She felt heat radiating from Devnin, and when she looked, he had removed his helmet and flame was crackling around his head. She was pressed against him, but she didn’t feel anything more than a pleasant warmth.
Rox looked up at him, “I think I would like to put my bag down and have something to drink.”
Devnin smiled at her. “Then that is what you shall have.”
The interior of the base was very organic and that made Rox a little nervous.
“Our rooms are on the far end of the halls and both are lined with insulators to keep our moods from injuring the base.”
“Rooms?”
“They adjoin for now and can be expanded into one set of larger quarters when you and I deepen our involvement.”
She smiled. “That is a polite word for it.”
“I will strive to be polite and treat you with honour.”
Rox looked at his face and his earnest expression. “I will attempt to do that same, but I know I will fail from time to time.”
He grinned. “At least you are honest.”
“Some would call it cold.”
“Cold can be altered. Treacherous behaviour cannot.”
She nodded. That was her experience as well. Once someone acted against her, she never trusted them again.
He opened a door and gestured for her to enter. “These are your quarters. The lav is to the left; it has not only water but also sonic and solar shower options. The bed hangings have been created in reds and ambers, but they can be changed to your preferences.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I like hot colours. Everyone thinks that I should dress like an icicle, but when you feel it in your bones, you want to wear something else on your skin.”
She lifted her bag off her back and settled the trident against foot of the four-poster bed.
“What is the trident for?”
“Focussing my talent. It is for projection. I have been getting pretty good at aiming searing cold.”
Devnin lifted her left hand and raised it so he could see the band on her arm. “I don’t find you cold.”
He pressed a kiss to her palm and heat spiralled through her. From her palm to her elbow, shoulder, breasts and belly, the stroking coil of warmth shifted to stroke her from the inside out.
She licked her lips. “I really need something to drink.”
He chuckled. “I will return in a moment. Change if you like. I need to get out of this armour.”
She blinked and tried not to imagine him with nothing at all. Parts of her began generating heat, and there was nothing more to it than her own hormones. She had to cross star systems to find a man that could warm her blood. Funnily enough, she thought it was well worth the trip.
When he returned, Devnin wore a sleeveless white shirt with a deep vee at the neckline, dark green fitted trousers and bare feet.
“I wish I could match you for casual clothing.” She opened her robe and slid it from her shoulders.
He stared at her, and she felt the increase of heat in the air. Her body acted to subdue it a second later.
She looked him over, made note of the different musculature over a familiar bone structure and took in the band on his left forearm. “You have one, too?”
“All couples wear the bands with their family names on them.”
She looked at the design. “This is a name?”
“It is a depiction of the Niil family crest.” He drew his finger across the filigree.
“I see.” She stared at the design on her wrist. “What causes it to lock in place?”
He looked pleased. “It locked?”
She held it up and exposed her band. “It sealed in place.”
“Each band is calibrated to the family member that seeks a mate. Both females and males have cuffs, and in an Irudan family, both wrists of a wedded couple are banded.”
“I see. So, I am going to stand out.” She bit her lip.
He looked at her in astonishment and then laughed out loud. “You are an alien who controls cold on a world covered in gardens. Yes, you will stand out but no one will judge you for it.”
“Wonderful. I would change clothing, but I only have another set, which is similar to this one. It allows for a more passive absorption of ambient heat.”
Devnin approached her, and she felt the air warm between them. “Is that what the crux of your power is?”
“Apparently. The men in my family are cold inside, and they can find comfort in a wife, but I am the first woman in my family in five generations. The hungry nature of the cold was never set down in family diaries. There was nothing to help me tame it.”
“I believe I can assist you with that.” He touched her cheek, and she fought the urge to lean into the warmth.
She cleared her throat. “A drink of something first, perhaps?”
Devnin winked. “Of course. This way. We will work on your wardrobe later.”
She sighed and put her hand on the arm that he offered.
They walked out of their rooms, down the hall and into the kitchen that overlooked the common room where the others were gathered.
Skorin had a seat that allowed him to see the landing area where she and Devnin had arrived. It seemed he was waiting for someone.
“Rowen is due back from work soon. When he isn’t on assignment, he worries that she will wreck her riot runner.”
“Oh, that sounds like fun. What is a riot runner?”
Devnin looked wary. “It is a personal conveyance. The flying around Irudan is strictly controlled. She had to get a personal license to make it to and from the Guardian base, no matter where she is working.”
She smiled as she used the dispenser to get a cup of caf. “It sounds like you fear that I will make the same request.”
“No. It seems that I know you will make the same request. You will not always be with me and you will need to fly yourself to and from assignments.”
Rox scowled and sipped at her caf. He watched her as she gulped at the hot beverage. “Doesn’t that burn?”
She snorted. “It cools the moment it touches my mouth. I haven’t had a hot meal since I was a child.”
Pleska leaned back and frowned. “That sounds horrible.”
Rox shrugged. “It makes you pick your meals carefully. Some foods do not adapt well to being served cold.”
She served herself a second cup of caf and made her way into the common area. Devnin was right behind her, and he sat beside her on one of the couches. His calm broadcast of heat kept her temperature close to normal.
Pleska leaned forward. “Is it true that you froze a chunk of the tarmac?”
Rox sipped at her rapidly cooling drink. “Probably. I was in a sealed capsule at the time.”
“Your talent worked through it?”
“Because of it. On the moon base, I found that I have been working against my talent my entire life. Instead of trying to insulate my body to preserve what little heat I had, I needed to expose as much of my skin as possible so that I could absorb heat from passive sources like the sun and the ground beneath me. Even rocks that have been heated in daylight give off warmth for a while. The tighter I seal myself, the more aggressive the cold becomes.”
“Do you feel up to a demonstration?” Uadon asked calmly.
Rox grinned and flicked her cup upward, sending her caf toward the ceiling. She pulled the heat out of it on the way up and caught the icicle with her hand. “Ta-da.”
Skorin, Uadon and Pleska applauded, and she bit the ice and started to crunch her caf.
Devnin whispered in her ear. “Put it back in the cup.”
She placed the icicle back in the cup and it melted and steamed in a moment. She smiled brightly. No one had ever heated anything up for her before. “Thank you.”
Having a hot cup of caf in her hand made her blush. She sipped it and looked at him shyly. “Thank you again.”
She smiled and settled back on the couch, cradling the cup that did not seem to cool. It was such a small thing but it meant so much.
A low whine announced a new arrival. Skorin’s shoulders shifted with relief as the small, encapsulated vehicle came to rest on the tarmac.
The woman who opened the dome and stepped out was very obviously human. Skorin rose to his feet and headed outside to meet his wife.
Uadon lifted Pleska’s hand to his lips. “He goes out to meet her every day. Our dear leader is not suited to sit at home and wait, so I think it makes him a little less carefree on our assignments. If he comes home with an injury, she gives him hell. We have the benefit of going out together and going home together. It is a joy that I am certain you and Devnin will share.”
Pleska leaned forward conspiratorially. “It isn’t that great some days, but that is when I go for a walk or offer to take Rowen shopping. If I offer to take Devnin or Skorin shopping, you will know I have had a really bad day.”
Uadon rolled his eyes and sighed.
Skorin returned with one arm around his wife and made the introductions. “Lady Rowen Nakkua, this is Lady Roxelena Niil, the newest Guardian of Irudan.”
Rox got to her feet and Rowen came toward her for a hug. She was wearing a smart and glittering bodysuit with a series of gardening tools on a belt around her waist. Her golden skin and long brown hair was a giveaway that Rowen wasn’t local.
Using the training she had worked so hard to master, Rox didn’t take Rowen’s body heat for her own during the hug.
“Welcome to the base. Are you really Terran?” Rowen looked her over from head to toe.
“I am. I am just a little paler than the average human. The eyes went when the talent came in.” She smiled. “How long have you been here?”
“Four months. I am just getting my nerve up to get my Nakkua tattoo done. I was hoping that it might be a good time this weekend, but it seems Devnin will be busy.” Rowen gave him a knowing look.
Devnin held up his hands. “Despite my marriage, nothing of my behaviour within the base has changed. I will still put the ink on you. It has been waiting a week.”
Rox sighed. “What kind of tattoos are we talking about?”
Devnin turned his back to her and pulled his shirt up. The elaborate twists and turns that marked the silver on her wrist were picked out in black ink on his entire back. She reached out and touched the marks, pulling her hand back when he shivered.
“Sorry.”
He turned, and she blinked when she realised that the cool of her touch was not the problem, it was the touch itself that was the issue. Apparently, contact had the capability of spiralling rapidly out of control.
He slowly lowered his shirt and tucked it back into place.
Rox didn’t know where to look. Four other pairs of eyes were staring at her and everything was silent.
Rowen finally spoke, “So, who is making dinner today?”
Skorin raised his hand.
She elbowed him. “Then, you had better get to it.”
Rox enjoyed the distraction and the group turned to watch as Skorin entered the kitchen and tendrils of darkness lifted from around him, moving objects and retrieving ingredients.
Devnin spoke softly, “We could use the food dispenser and we do when we have an assignment or come home exhausted, but when there is quiet, we take turns cooking.”
She chuckled. “I have never been good with cooking. I can’t keep the heat on.”
“Then, you will have to find some other means of executing your turn.”
“I might need your help when it comes to that.”
“I will stand by to assist you.” He winked again and rubbed her arm through her robe.
Skorin’s efforts were fascinating to watch. When a chime shimmered through the room, everyone’s head went up.
Devnin headed to the com room that he had pointed out to her earlier, and he smiled when he returned. “Roxelena, you are with me. We have to take care of another fire, and I believe your assistance will speed the ratification immediately.”
She got to her feet and removed her cloak. “Ready when you are.”
He paused and swallowed heavily. “Right. I will be back as soon as I can wedge myself into my suit.”
Everyone in the room laughed, but Rowen was staring. “That is quite the outfit.”
“The less I wear, the less cold those around me feel. It might be hard to deal with at first, but this is what I am stuck with. Oh. Right. The trident.”
She darted to her quarters and grabbed the trident while tossing her robe to the bed. She checked the mirror and admired the thigh-high boots, her miniscule bikini bottom with the side coverings that almost made it to the top of said boots.
Small, decorative panels were on the bottom of her supportive breast wrap, and strips of the thermal fabric ran horizontally to cover what had to be covered. Her shoulders were wrapped in a collar that extended on both sides to cover her upper arms.