She swallowed. “Did you do that to me?”
He looked as if she had struck him. “No, of course not. All you have required is my presence, an anchor to reality. All your memories are still your own.”
She was immediately contrite. “I am sorry. I just have no idea how I have managed to come to the tentative balance that I now have.”
She felt the light touch on her mind and he could tell that she was telling the truth.
“You got to where you are by continuing to move toward your goal no matter what state your mind has been in. Even the construction was a step that you engaged in to cure yourself.”
Erinii grinned, “Do you think they will let me try it again?”
She looked from Turnari to Dravi and back again.
Turnari finally inclined his head. “We can ask. It will hurt nothing to make the offer.”
She chuckled and rubbed her hands together. “Nice. What do we do now?”
Turnari grinned. “Now? Now, we head to the Sector Guard base so that you can tell them everything you remember about the talents at the station. The Guard is taking custody of them and will slowly bring them around once they have determined which are felons and which are not.”
Chapter Twelve
Three weeks after the debriefing, Erinii was going to scream. With her help, the construction was almost done and Dravi was so happy for her that he had taken her to dinner in the village.
As she watched him across the table, her heart ached in her chest. No matter what she had done, he had not made one romantic move toward her, even though they slept together every night.
She could not rest if he wasn’t holding her. They had tried around week two and she had quietly spoken to the foreman and declined to assist on those days, knowing that her mind was far from stable with lack of sleep.
Dravi had filed the necessary paperwork with the Citadel and it was final. She was assigned to his quarters and they lived together as companions.
She wanted more.
“When do you head out on your next assignment, Dravi?” She used her spoon on the soup that she had been served and smiled at the delightful flavour that burst across her tongue.
“
We
head out in three days to Gascorrow. They have a similar situation to Bassinor and they are requesting advice on how to deal with their talents.”
His inclusion of her relaxed her somewhat, but she was still seeking some sign of physical interest.
They ate in silence for a few minutes before he asked, “What is wrong, Erinii? You are uncharacteristically quiet.”
She bit her lip.
Why don’t you want me?
What?
You heard me, why don’t you want me? We have slept together every night for almost a month. I know your body is interested, but you don’t do anything about it. Why don’t you want me?
Simply asking him the question directly was exhausting. She slumped down in her chair and reached for the wine with a shaking hand. His hand intercepted hers and he held it.
“I do want you. I simply had to wait until your mind did not need mine. As a minder, I could not involve myself with a patient, but as of today, you are no longer a patient but my companion.”
She blushed as his thumb caressed the back of her hand with a slow stroke. Heat spiralled outward from that small touch.
“What about my dependence on you for sleeping?”
“I fall into the category of anchor and it is a passive situation. I don’t do anything to you other than provide my physical presence to assist you in sleeping. Many couples need each other to get a good night’s sleep. My parents certainly fall into that situation.”
“Your parents are still alive and bonded?”
He gave her a quizzical look. “Of course. Why?”
“On Bassinor, it is traditional for a man to start multiple families and eventually choose the one he feels fits best. It was why Davio and I don’t share any names. My father chose his family and my mother and I were left to muddle along on our own.”
“That’s barbaric.”
She shrugged. She thought so, too, but it was the way of her world, so who was she to complain.
“My father’s people bond for life and my mother’s are known to kill mates slyly if they dare to stray. I grew up in a household that stood against public opinion and it made my parent’s bond stronger.”
Erinii smiled. “So if we are no longer restricted by your code of conduct…”
His grin was just as wicked as hers. “Check please!”
She ran her hand over his chest, down to his hip and back up again, a soft and relaxed smile playing around her lips.
They had proceeded back to the Citadel and their joint chambers with quivering enthusiasm. His clothing had suffered the brunt of her talent, taking him from clothed to naked and aroused in seconds.
He had raised an eyebrow and tortured her by removing her clothing layer by layer, filling in the silences with soft kisses and slow touches.
She was quivering with eagerness and breathing hard when he finally lifted her into the air with two hands at her waist and he tossed her onto the bedding, following her with a low growl.
They tumbled, stroked and twisted against each other until he was inside her and their minds were burning together.
Erinii smiled as she kept running her hand over him absently. They had come together three times in the night and now they approached dawn and to her surprise, she was wide awake, well rested and amused that her exhausted lover showed no signs of waking any time soon.
He had bitten her each time he had reached his peak, but the small scars were already fading. It was either her physiology or his, but his marks would be small and pink in a few more hours, almost invisible.
She stifled the urge to scream her happiness to the entire Citadel. A tiny part of her still doubted that this was her reality, but she didn’t care. She had her minder and Dravi Nemilin was not getting away.
What are you planning to do with me?
She blushed as she realised she had been broadcasting loud enough for him to hear her.
Nothing that you will object to, but I am fairly possessive and I am claiming you as mine.
That sounds like fun. Is that a proposal?
She blinked at him, his features were smooth and relaxed in the repose of sleep, but she knew he was not sleeping.
I think it might be. Dravi Nemilin, would you be my chosen mate?
His eyes opened and his expression turned serious. “I believe that it would be better if I did the asking. Bring me that lavender box from the other side of the room.”
She beckoned and the box flew to her hand. She gave it to him and watched curiously.
He sat up and knelt facing her.
She knelt in response.
“Erinii Zakkata, the woman with the lost mind, will you live with me, be mine and hold my life and mind to yours for as long as we shall live?”
“I will.”
His eyes crinkled as he stifled the joy she could feel in his mind. He opened the box and brought out a set of flat metal bands that he fitted to her wrists. They were elaborately carved on one side and each bore half of a crest.
Smiling, he placed her two wrists side by side. “These are the bonding bracelets of house Dravohi of the Vimpyr Empire. Lest we ever forget where we came from, they bear the marks of my family’s ancient ties.”
She laughed, tears in her eyes. “You know I am going to look that up now.”
Her penchant for learning about Vimpyr and Kozue traditions was one of her favourite hobbies and one that he did not object to, unlike teaching herself to fly by dropping off the edge of a building.
“Look it up, find the truth, but always stay mine, Erinii.” He leaned in and they kissed and the kisses turned to touches, the touches, to stroking and the stroking took them down a road that Erinii hoped would never cease to be a novelty. Her mind and his may be bound for life, but she still wanted to surprise him.
As the crazy one in their pairing, she had a reputation to maintain and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Author’s Note
Vimpyrs, Kozue, and Bassinor, oh my.
I introduced the Vimpyrs in my book
Blood Proxy
. The Kozue appeared in
Powered Up
. And this is the first appearance of the Bassinor.
Mixed races, mixed traditions, these are all things that I have gleaned from modern human history. It is amazing the reasons that some are revered and other despised, all for a trick of genetics.
You will see Erinii and Dravi in
Bound by Law.
Another species that is trying to control the uncontrollable, but they have taken the direct approach and used suits that confine and compress any talent.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Viola Grace
http://www.devinedestinies.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.