Mauled by Destiny [Tales of the Citadel 17] (5 page)

“It was your first time.” His voice was as low and husky as it had been during his whispered instructions.

She blushed and looked down. “Of course it was. I was raised at an all-female Citadel. I will take a shower.”

There was a rush of fabric, and he was behind her with his arms around her. “I did not mean to embarrass you. It is just unusual for a Lyran female to be untouched at your age. Biology is a powerful motivator.”

She shrugged but leaned back against him as his arms wrapped her in warmth and his scent surrounded her. “Among the Cial, biology is a matter of necessity. We breed for the sake of the whole, not for individual entertainment.”

“You found it entertaining?”

Priina chuckled. “At times. Frustrating at others.” She sighed and relaxed. “Does this mean I can skip tomorrow’s exercise?” He snorted. “No. You have to learn to hide yourself in dangerous situations, and with me on your tail, the situation will be dire indeed.” The image in her mind sent a quiver through her. She shook her head to dispel it and placed her hands on his to break his grip. “A shower, I think, and then some fresh sheets. I won’t be able to sleep with that scent in my bed.”

“Then, sleep in mine. We can worry about the bedding tomorrow.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

She looked up at him and came nose-to-nose with him. “Is that appropriate?”

“With only you and me here, who else is to know?” He stroked a hand over her hip.

Her eyes crossed with the effort to meet his gaze at such close range. “I will know.”

“But, the true thing is, do you mind?” Rhanos had it in one. She didn’t really mind, but she was not sure how she felt about her lack of concern. She should be more circumspect, shouldn’t she?

“I don’t think I do mind. That is confusing in and of itself.” Priina scowled. “This is a very new situation for me.”

He kept his arms around her and walked with her to the lav. He coached her into the shower, putting his body between her and the spray until it heated. It was strange to be bathed like a child considering that those hands had definitely acknowledged her grown form just an hour earlier.

She let him shampoo her hair and finger comb the tangles out, she rested her forehead against his chest and let the water run over her back, unknotting muscles that were unaccustomed to intimate activity.

Rhanos turned off the taps, wrapped her in a towel and lifted her off her feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck for balance. She hadn’t been carried since she was a child.

He took her through the adjoining room and set her on the pristine dark blue bed.

She looked around her. “Your room is very…neat.”

He chuckled. “I would apologize, but it is part of me. Everything must be in its place, and you now officially belong in my bed.” She scowled and shucked off the towel as she crawled under the sheets.

He took the towel and wrapped it around his hips.

“That is rather high handed of you, Rhanos.”

He bowed from the waist. “I know. I would claim Lyran tradition, but it has already been made clear that my people are interested in the nearest partner until they choose their mate.” From under the covers, Priina mumbled. “What happens after that?”

He peeled back the covers and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “They are faithful unto death.” She looked up at him and blinked at the dark shadow of his features. “So, are we…”

“Early stages, but yes, we are. I knew it all those years ago. Your blood called to me.” She shivered. “That sounds creepy, but I understand.”

She inhaled deeply and rolled over in the sheets to watch him bustling about. He carried armloads of fabric into his chamber and meticulously hung her clothing in his wardrobe. Apparently, she was moving in.

* * * *

He was awake and perky the next morning, his side of the bed already cold. He shook her gently awake. “Come on, sleepy head. Time to let me chase you through the woods.”

She groaned and pulled the covers back over her head. “I am not in the mood for foreplay.” He laughed and yanked the covers off her.

“Come on. Breakfast by the window while I make the bed.”

She took the light robe he handed her and stalked over to the small table for two by the window. She sat and ate while he made the bed and fluffed the pillows. It was such peculiar behaviour from a large predator that she couldn’t help but smile.

She sipped at her tea while he finished his rounds. When he was done, he sat next to her and had his own cup of tea. “How was your first night’s sleep?”

Priina knew what he was referring to. “It was fine. I don’t think that I am adapting to Balen’s hours. It seems to have much more daylight than Thoola.”

Rhanos nodded. “It does. Balen has increased the growing season to let the new plants get a better start. The forest has been transplanted, but the rest of the world is slowly growing from seed and sapling.”

She nodded and yawned. “So, when do we have to start today’s exercise?” He sighed. “Now. Are you ready to evade me?” Priina cocked her head. “Am I restricted by any rules or regulations?”

He shook his head. “No. Let’s get down to the forest, and five minutes from your shift, I will come after you.”

She nodded and fingered the robe. “Where did this come from?”

He smiled. “The folk of Citadel Thoola sent you off with a care package. There are more clothes in the closet aside from your standard robes.” Priina got to her feet and exited his quarters with him on her heels. The route down to the stairs off the plateau was becoming something she could probably do in her sleep. At the forest edge, she slipped off the robe and shifted. She looked at Rhanos, and he raised the timer, starting it with a shrill beep.

Priina took off into the woods. She found the stream and ran downstream for half a mile, shifted her form a few times as she made her way to confuse him.

Her senses reached out to see him before he saw her, and she crafted a few snares to confound him along the way. Being slapped by branches tied delicately with their own bark was painful but not deadly. It was a shame they would all strike near his hips.

The terrain became sparse as she continued, so she switched her terrain to the trees. She had no idea whether or not Rhanos could make it in the trees, but she had no trouble jumping from one part of the canopy to the next.

Priina sensed him before she saw him. She was forty feet up in a tree, invisible among the branches with only her emerald eyes to give her away. If she squinted, he wouldn’t even see that much.

He bolted down her trail, and he was scenting the air frantically. It had been two hours since the timer was set, and he hadn’t caught her yet.

He let out a peculiar howl, and it struck something inside her. She clamped her claws over her muzzle to keep her from responding.
Sneaky bastard.

She had no idea why she wanted to respond, but when he called out again, the urge to answer him became more urgent.

He moved further away and called again. This time, Priina let herself answer. A mournful howl rippled through the forest, and she quickly snapped her mouth shut as relief ran through her.

He sprinted back as the echoes of her cry reverberated through the woods. He sniffed again and looked left and right in an effort to see her.

His ears must have pinpointed her precise location, because he searched every nook and cranny of the clearing below. She sat amused as he even turned over some turf that she had stuck her claws into.

His frustration was becoming visible in his motions. His head jerked and swivelled as he tried to catch a glimpse of her.

It was entertaining, but he was too focussed on the current location. It was too close to her for her to move. She mentally crossed her fingers, and his head moved again. He was tracking her thoughts!

She thought of nothing, and he snarled before stalking out of the clearing. He was nearby, that she was sure of. Now that Rhanos knew she was nearby, he wouldn’t give up.

Priina shifted silently and identified a new tree to land in. It had plenty of branches and a sturdy trunk, so it would hold her weight.

She started to run again, moving from tree to tree, but now she knew that he was close she was a little less careful. She misjudged one of her jumps and her claws dug into the trunk while she skidded to a halt. With careful moves, she worked her way back up to her target branch, but her cover was blown. The noise of claws on wood brought Rhanos at a run.

She started to jump faster, faster until the canopy was a blur and her reflexes were keeping her up and mobile. She was moving at quite a clip when suddenly, she ran out of forest.

Damn it.

Her momentum had carried her to a lone tree standing at the edge of a precipice. She could either climb down or wait for him to come and find her.
Decisions, decisions.

H
er claws worked pretty well on the stone of the cliff. She descended to the valley floor below and jumped into the river. It whisked her downstream, and when she had covered enough ground, she exited the river with a bit of extra effort.

She shook herself violently and looked up at the sun for the time. It would be two more hours until dark.

Priina shifted back to her normal form and stretched in the sunlight. Balen was a lovely world, and she could imagine how lovely it would be in full bloom when the plant growth had had time to anchor in and become part of the world.

The rocks and rivers made an excellent start to a planet that had so much potential. She could feel the heartbeat of Balen under her feet.

She finger combed her hair while the sun dried it. The moment that she had one hour left, she turned to shift back into her furred form, and she ran back toward the cliff.

A howl came to her on the air, and her beast answered it before she could stop it. It was a worried howl, and she didn’t want him to worry.

Priina moved faster until the ground and shrubs passed in a blur. She scaled the cliff and was almost to the top when she saw the male hunting her. He extended his clawed hand and lifted her by one wrist.

She expected to read his triumph in his mind and body, but he crushed her to him in relief.

Together, they shifted back to skin, and he covered her face with kisses.

She let him work out his worry, and when he kissed her lips, she stroked his cheeks, neck and shoulders, soothing him the way that only contact could.

He shuddered in her arms. “I thought you had fallen.”

“Of course not. I am unstoppable. It was something that the Citadel healers noticed. No matter what damage I sustained while training, I simply would not die. It is baffling. They can’t find which of my genes is triggering the repair, and it becomes more perplexing when the permanent damage of my scars is thrown into the mix.”

He sighed. “You could have told me that.”

“When? Our contact has been a matter of attack and respond. There has never been much of a chance to talk about the peculiarities of our bodies.” She caressed his cheek and smiled. A strong shiver followed closely. “Can we go back to the Citadel now? I am catching a bit of a breeze.” He stroked a hand down her spine.

“Technically, I won.”

“Only because I heard your heart breaking.

That is not a technique that most predators will use on me.” She patted his chest and shifted, bounding over him and running through the forest toward the Citadel.

She heard him give chase with a howl of delight, and she poured on the speed.

How many times her feet struck the ground, she couldn’t say, but she felt like she was flying.

The moment that the stairs appeared in front of her, she darted over, grabbed the robe and headed up the stairway.

She screeched to a halt when she saw Zenina-Balen, a shuttle and two new people. The male put himself between her and the woman, but the young woman with a wave of golden hair peered around him.

“Hello, Priina.” The young woman smiled with the knowing smile of an open telepath.

Priina had met two in her time at Citadel Thoola, and they all had that same slow smile.

Priina nodded and inclined her head, carefully draping the robe around her shoulders as she shifted back into her skin.

Rhanos screeched to a halt behind her, and he put himself between her and the newcomers as she tied her robe. She ran her hand down his fur when she was done.

Priina walked to meet the new female, and the woman met her halfway. “Hello.”

“I am Veera. Zenina-Balen invited me here while I try to get a grip on my talent. It came on a little suddenly. This is my guard and companion, Stanik.”

Stanik saluted though he was looking at Priina with a lot of curiosity.

“You need silence, so we will be on our way to our dinner. I have exercised quite a bit today.” Veera smiled. “Yes, you have been. You will soon be on your way to Udell Base, so Zenina offered me the space while Stanik walks me through self-control.”

Priina laughed. “Funny thing is that I was sent here to lose my self-control. I have to say that the experience has done me good.”

“I hope I have that luck as well.” Rhanos was in a glaring contest with Stanik when Priina turned around. “Come on, fuzzy face.

Let’s let them get settled.”

Rhanos lifted her in his arms and carried her into the Citadel.

“The halls will be a little less empty.” She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his fur.

He opened his chamber and shifted into his skin. “So, no more naked sprints to the finish. Too bad.”

“She said we will be moving on to Udell Base soon. I think she needs the silence.” He frowned and slipped the robe from her shoulders. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I have known open telepaths before, and if they don’t learn to block soon after they activate, they go insane and die. Silence and calm thoughts are their only balm. So, we are going to keep everything quiet and calm.” He groaned. “You can’t be serious.”

“I can and I am. If she has been sent here because there are no psychotic minds here, then she needs all the silence she can handle. I will give her that. It is the Citadel way. Now, why were you and Stanik glaring at each other?”