Chapter Eight

T he dinner was loaded onto the table by the bots. Addy was seated at Harwin’s left hand while Den was seated at Ra’s right. Lucinda and Vanek were gone. There had been hugs, crying, and promises to keep in touch. Just like that, one of them was gone.

Harwin lifted her head. “After the blending was complete, Aten would have killed her in weeks, if not days. She will be able to survive and thrive on Woliun.”

The ladies nodded. Addy said, “She was relieved to leave and over the moon to get into that chill suit.”

Harwin smiled. “It was nice to hug her without seeing pain.”

Addy smiled. “That was nice. She has been sensitive since the lab.”

Ra asked, “Ladies, I have not asked you, but were you able to study while you were at the lab?”

Molly nodded. “They wanted to test our cognition. Most of us had some kind of brain injury, so it was proof that the corrections were working. We were given the same history that others could have downloaded, but we read it. That included learning languages.”

Reva laughed and said, “Language classes were hilarious.”

The ladies laughed.

Tales of arguments and fistfights that broke out between the ladies when talking about food options around the known universe were funny.

Den asked Addy, “Food motivation?”

“Our world was dying, and food was going fast. Delicacies of youth were long gone.” Addy smiled. “We have gotten a few things back that we were missing. Friendships and soccer.”

Molly snorted. “Football.”

Addy lifted her brows and bared the deadly fangs she had sprouted. “Soccer.”

“It is a game with a ball, and you can only use feet. Football.” Molly glared at her.

Addy paused. “Right. It’s football.”

Seventeen of the women clapped, and the others laughed.

Monique smiled. “She can be taught, but you can see where the fights came from.”

Ra laughed, and Den was still staring at Addy. Harwin watched Addy glance at him, widen her eyes, and cover her teeth.

Harwin asked, “Something about her fangs? She has worked hard to speak around them clearly. I think she does a great job.”

Den shifted in his chair. “It isn’t that. I haven’t seen a female with deadly teeth like that outside of a history book. It is stunning.”

Addy muttered, “I pierced my tongue about nine times.”

Den chuckled. “That was a few months of puberty for most of my family. It is awkward.”

She nodded and looked down.

Harwin nibbled at her dinner as the flirting happened in front of her. “Wow.”

Ra chuckled. “He did say that it would be obvious.”

Addy’s head snapped up. “What would be obvious?”

Harwin was going to speak, but Lord Den said, “Whether you and I were remotely compatible.”

Harwin watched Addy’s hands curl and her ears twitch. Addy muttered, “Oh. So, your species is what I was blended with.”

Den nodded. “They used three-thousand-year-old DNA, but yes. You exhibit the characteristics of hunting females. Modern females don’t need to hunt. Cities cover the worlds now.”

“But you are still... uh... hunting?”

He smiled. “My siblings, cousins, and family in general keep the genetic stamp of Heyba, the consort to Drenko. She had teeth like yours. She faded from our world before I was born.”

“Faded?”

Ra said, “That is what it is called when consorts are tired of life and wish to rest. The Hmrain usually goes into a period of mourning for centuries or thousands of years while they look for their consort in her descendants.”

Harwin blinked. “Oh, that’s so sad.”

Ra sighed. “It is. So, I am going to keep at least one ruin on a distant world to feed you if you begin looking tired of life.”

Harwin blinked. “What?”

“You are interested in ancient things, and I am an ancient thing, so I am singularly qualified to keep you involved and interacting with the world around us.” Ra lifted her hand to his lips. “I have walked on hundreds and thousands of worlds and will walk them all again with you at my side.”

She blinked. “Really?”

“Really. Any children we have will support Aten and the other worlds in this sector, and you and I will have a refreshment of our union in the stars.”

She looked at him. She saw the terrifying beauty that others saw and smiled. “Can I pick my own clothing?”

“Only when you are no longer Queen of Aten.”

She frowned. “How do I resign?”

“You don’t. It is a lifelong position.”

She caught on. “Hm. I am going to have to decree a special uniform for all rulers of Aten.”

Ra chuckled. “You will have to pass them at council, and right now, I hold the veto vote.”

She rolled her eyes. “I would threaten your balls, but you don’t have any.”

He chortled. “Intelligent design.”

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close.

She looked up at him, and he lowered his head. When his lips were a millimetre from hers, she muttered, “How about leggings under the skirt? A bra? A breast band?”

He grinned, pressed his forehead to hers, and then kissed her in front of their guests. “You may negotiate for the next few years, but your current uniform will not alter as long as you can’t give me a solid reason as to why a change is needed.”

She huffed. “Fine.” She turned to Addy. “I am joining the next football game.”

Addy blinked, looked between the two of them and grinned. “Yeah, with Lucinda gone, you are our best chance for a win. The speed bursts are kicking my ass.”

There was laughter from the ladies, and the meal continued.

Harwin had an idea, and it looked like some of the women understood what she was up to. Football was going to be fun.

Ten were playing on each side, and the other ten were cheering them on. The first half of the game was played with normal reflexes, and the second half would be with their enhancements.

The fun of just playing was not lost on Harwin, but trashing her dress, sandals, and a lot of skin on the sand was just as enjoyable. The darned crown stayed firmly in place.

Marianne whistled. “End of first half.”

They got water, juice, and snacks and went for restroom breaks. When they faced off, Harwin knew her injuries had healed, but the blood was still there. The crimson on gold sparkled with iridescence. It was freaking out the opposing line.

There was a shrill whistle, and she gathered up power as she ran forward, blocking for Addy. The speedster hit her protective field and spun off the play area. Addy growled, and they ran to the end, where the ball was kicked past the goalie. Addy high-fived her, setting the pattern for the rest of the game.

They won, headed inside, and cleaned up. Sitting around the table afterward, Molly asked, “What the hell was that when we couldn’t touch the ball and it went right into goal?”

Harwin laughed. “I made a tunnel.”

The group howled with laughter, and they were still giggling over cookies with the bots flying beverages around when Ra and Lord Den came in.

Ra looked at her and said, “The city is ready. The dome that allows day and night to separate has been put up and is functioning. The library is open and fully stocked for habitation. When the ladies are ready, they can move in.”

Harwin paused. “Oh. Right. I forgot about that. Can I visit the city?”

“Occasionally, when I am able to guard you.”

She grimaced. “Right. You are on the com more than a teenage girl. You have limited time.”

“More of your people are coming. More of the people from nearby worlds will be here later today. I thought it would be nice for the primals to take up residence before anyone else arrives.”

Marianne sighed. “I suppose it is for the best. That lake is perfect for us. Overlord Ra has been kind enough to let us use the underground river, but this will be better.”

He inclined his head. “Ladies, may I ask why you are all naked?”

Harwin fielded that. “We trashed our clothing and are waiting for the fabricators to make the next tunics so we can all be decent.”

Ra shrugged. “It isn’t something I mind, but I think Den’s head just exploded.”

Addy glanced and muttered, “It wasn’t his head.”

Lord Den smiled. “You have spots.”

“I do.”

Harwin smiled and sipped at her water. “It will be another ten minutes before the clothing is ready. I have to wait because, as a good host, it behooves me to be the last to put something on. Mind you, if we had some sturdier clothing, we could have put it in the cleanser while we cleaned up.”

He sighed. “This is part of your bid for additional clothing.”

She nodded in affirmative. “Absolutely. I grew up wearing jeans, leggings, tunics, swimwear. A bunch of different things. Wearing gauze and twenty pounds of gold as daily wear gets a bit boring once the cosplay effect wears off.”

Ra frowned. “What is cosplay?”

Molly launched into a description, and Ra blinked at her enthusiasm.

He sighed. “Ladies, what would you recommend as daily wear?”

Harwin smiled as they pelted him with ideas that all circled around dressing like superheroes.

Ra’s wings ruffled. “This would benefit Harwin?”

“It would help her regulate her temperature,” Addy murmured. “With the right insulated fabric, she could be comfortable at high altitudes and exerting herself. She would be able to run without worrying about falling and tearing her skin. She would still be susceptible to head damage, but the crown can really take a hit.”

Ra looked at Addy. “Design something, and show it to me so I can understand what you are speaking of.”

The other girls perked up, and Marianne asked, “Can we all do it? I mean, you need a selection, right?”

He sighed. “You have already done it, haven’t you?”

The ladies grinned and said, “Maybe, Overlord Ra.” Their words were rehearsed.

He snorted. “I am beginning to look forward to you ladies occupying the city.”

Harwin nodded. “So am I. It will help me practice flying.”

He looked at her. “You know your crown is rigged with a communicator?”

“I do.” She looked at him. “You remember that I have a psychic blade that can cut anything in half?”

“You need both hands to do that.”

“I do not. I can do it on the run. That is what playing sports is about. It’s practice.”

He tutted. “Well, if the ladies claim the clothing clogging the replication units, we can get the fashion show underway, and they can have clothing that can stand up to their games, and you can feel less vulnerable.”

Harwin leaned over to murmur to Addy, “Boots, too?”

“Yeah.”

Harwin quietly pumped her fist. “Score!”

Addy laughed, and the girls went to get their designs and one for Harwin. It was time for the fashion show.

Two hours later, Harwin was dressed in a skin-tight suit that had a wrapped skirt and a pleated shrug that covered the top of her breasts and her shoulders. It echoed her normal daily wear, and Lilith was beaming at her successful design being chosen. The bodysuit wasn’t too far off Harwin’s skin tone, and the markings on the suit translated to Property of Ra.

It was the markings that sold Ra on the outfit. Harwin wiggled her toes in the boots that let air flow through. A handy effect in the desert.

“Well, I have to admit that it seems to relax you. Are you comfortable?”

“Very.”

“And the alteration I asked for is there?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yes, the access slit is there.”

“Good. That was in your contract.”

She winced. “I forgot about that.”

“I gathered as much when I saw the favoured designs. This little fix will keep me from having to enact a penalty.” He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

She looked at him. “What are the penalties?”

He grinned. “You didn’t read the contract.”

She blushed. “I didn’t read the contract. Well, not all of it. I skipped the boring bits about sex and breeding.”

“My favourite parts. Well, you are mine to protect, cherish, and enjoy, and nothing will get in the way of that, including you. In return, you get security, unlimited education, your people, and a lifespan that will endure for thousands of years.”

“Boy, are you optimistic.”

“I have travelled the known universe, met millions of sentient creatures, and yet, looking into your eyes, I feel possibilities that never occurred to me in my very long existence.” He chuckled. “I have sent the education station a bit of information, and I have filed a penalty on behalf of the primals.”

She looked up. “You did?”

“I did. My name, they could not ignore.”

“Wow.”

“So, each of the ladies has funds that will move with them, letting them open businesses, charities, or even join some of the temples around this section of space.”

“That will be good for one or two of them.”

“Indeed.”

“Anything for me?”

He laughed. “You are the queen of a world and the lover of a devoted Hmrain. That will have to be enough.”

She looked out at the sky dotted with authorized vessels bringing humans and citizens from Ra’s worlds. “Fine. You gave me the world. Eventually, I will want more.”

He stroked her back. “When that day comes, you will have it, my queen.”

She pulled him down for a kiss and looked at the shuttle full of humans. “I am going to go and greet my people.”

“First, proper formalwear. This is daily wear, remember?”

Harwin snorted and headed inside, stripping as she went. The team was staring, but they had seen it before. She was getting used to the idea that no one could gainsay her on Aten except for Ra. A proper outfit was applied, complete with lace-up sandals. When she was ready to meet her new people, she flew back to Ra’s side. He straightened her formal crown and nodded. Lifting her in his arms, he said, “Let’s go meet our people.”

Harwin nodded. “Let me know when the makeup is fully kicked in.”

He nodded, and his wings pulled them toward the city where the humans were gathering. Ra settled at the edge of the city, and Harwin made her speech.

“Hello, my name is Harwin, Queen of Aten, recently of Earth. Consort of Ra. I am here to welcome you to the first city of Aten. You have all been briefed as to your roles, but they are flexible if you have an aptitude.” She paused. “Oh, this is the Hmrain Ra. Don’t worry. We are bound by contract.”

The women, some of them carrying children, looked relieved.

“This is your home, and no compulsion is to be made on your reproductive systems. You are free to choose. We haven’t had a lot of choices after the impact. I won’t keep you out in the heat very long. We just wanted to introduce ourselves and say welcome to Aten. Welcome home.”

The primals were standing by and took charge of the new citizens. Ra spoke to the next wave, and the rest of the day involved them standing and welcoming the new colonists and the servants for the pyramid.

By the end of the day, Harwin was exhausted, Aten was alive again, and the Hmrain in charge was happy. Harwin had other humans on the world, and they were settling in. It was a start, and she was happy to be part of it.

She should really read that contract all the way through, though. Ah, well, she had time. All the time in this world and many others. Maybe Kris would be back on the roster by now. Harwin was going to keep looking.