Chapter 11

11

She took it as a good sign when her lovers—no, her mates—let her sleep in. One of them was still in bed with her, his big body curled around hers and one arm draped over her waist.

When she forced herself to open her eyes, she discovered her bedmate was Zanyr. A quick sweep with her hand indicated that the other side of the bed was cool. Torren had been up for some time.

Deep, sonorous breathing told her that Zanyr was still asleep, which meant she had a short window of time to check for messages from Shadow.

She eased herself out of bed, careful not to disturb Zanyr. Once she was on her feet, she crept across the room to the closet. She touched the panel and held her breath as the door slid open with a soft whir. Would it be enough to wake him up? She watched for any sign, but Zanyr just rolled onto his side and slept on.

She took the comm from its hiding place and carried it to the one place in the house she wouldn't be disturbed.

The message was brief and had been sent hours ago.

Meet today. Location Charlie-Two. Usual time. And congratulations!

The usual time meant she'd have to find an excuse to be out of the house in about two hours. The location was a simple code she'd committed to memory. Shadow would wait for her inside one of the outbuildings in the part of the colony where the human females stayed while they acclimatized to their new home.

It took just a few seconds to send back a confirmation. That done, she got on with her morning ritual, including a long, luxuriously hot shower. She needed it after last night. Zanyr and Torren were true to their word and had kept her awake until the wee hours of the morning. Last night, she felt as if she could have carried on with them forever, but this morning her thoughts were sluggish, and her body twinged and ached in some interesting places.

The nanotech both males carried offered some benefits she hadn't appreciated until now. Not only were they incredibly fit, but their endurance… veth .

She hummed happily to herself as she finished her libations and slipped into a bathrobe she'd bought for herself the first time she'd gone shopping. It was thick, plush, and a deep crimson color she hadn't been able to resist.

Unsure if Zanyr would still be asleep, she hid the comm under a stack of folded towels in a cabinet. She'd put it back in its proper place once she was alone.

It was a good thing she did because Zanyr was sitting up in bed when she entered the room.

"Good morning, mahaya ." He stretched out his arms and rolled his shoulders. "Did you sleep well?"

"I could use another few hours to recover fully, but yes, I slept wonderfully well."

"Once we claim you, the nanotech will take care of such things. Honestly, I don't know how humans accomplish as much as you do without any enhancements."

"We have coffee for that. And ja'kreesh for the days that coffee isn't enough."

"Coffee is good. Torren and I have added that to our morning meal."

That was interesting. "I thought you didn't need stimulants."

Zanyr laughed. "I don't. Vex needs all the help he can get in the mornings. That male does not function well until the sun has been up a few hours."

"It didn't matter what time of day I wanted to wake. The care center had a regimented schedule we all had to comply with. Some of the families I worked for were early risers. Others were later, but I was always expected to be awake and ready to help the children start their day." She shrugged. "I didn't know any other way to be until I came here. Now, I've discovered I am actually a morning person."

"Good. That means you can help me motivate Torren in the mornings. It will be easier with the two of us."

"Wait. If he's not a morning person, why is he up already? And where is he?"

Zanyr grinned smugly. "He's back at the farm. Someone needed to check on things there. Since he found you, I get to be the one to wake up with you today."

"I hope he found the coffee setting on the dispenser."

"He did." Zanyr tapped a spot behind his ear. "He made sure I heard all about his morning."

"How long has he been gone?"

"An hour or so. He wasn't happy about leaving, but we've got a fair bit to do before we bring you out to the house." He blinked. " Qarf . Let me try that again. Jenna, we'd like it if you'd come to our home tonight. We want to show you around and let you see everything."

"I'd like that." The entire class of new colonists had gone to one of the farms surrounding the colony as part of their instruction. Jenna had been stunned by the vast stretches of plants being cultivated. She was curious to see if her mates' farm was the same. Only, the farm wasn't just her mates' home. It would be hers, too.

"We have so much to show you. We designed our place ourselves. It's larger than most of the townhomes, so if you'd like to claim a room or two for yourself, you'll have plenty to choose from."

"What would I need a room for? Never mind two."

"To put things just the way you like them. Torren collects weapons. He likes to dig into the history of other cultures. He's got the start of a little museum in his rooms. I have an office to run the farm's finances and handle any council business, and another that's just a comfortable place to relax when I want to be alone."

The idea of having a space of her own to do anything she wanted was overwhelming. Part of the support she'd received during her integration period was focused on discovering what crafts and hobbies she might enjoy. She'd never had spare time to indulge in such things before, and she hadn't found anything that called to her. Not yet, anyway. But maybe she could use the space to discover what she enjoyed doing.

"I have no idea what I'll do with it, but I think I'd like to have a room like that."

"Then we'll let you pick one for yourself." He rolled out of bed and stretched again, this time extending his wings. "If you like, you can stay with us for a few days. That would give us time to get to know each other. You can always come back here if you need some time alone."

"That sounds good." Her words surprised her. Was she actually ready to do this? She hadn't even talked to Shadow yet, though she couldn't believe her mates were anything but what they appeared to be—good males who, for some inexplicable reason, wanted her. Still, she felt like she was missing something.

It took her several heartbeats to realize what it was. She had no doubts. No voices whispering to her that she wasn't good enough for them. That she didn't deserve happiness.

"What has you smiling like that?" Zanyr asked.

She laughed, and it was more than just a sound. The feeling bubbled up inside her and filled her with light. "I think you and Vex are good for me."

He was in front of her in an instant, his hand on her cheek. "We are. We must be because the ancestors made you for us, which means they also created us for you."

She reached up to cover his hand with hers, rising on her toes to kiss him.

He bowed his head to meet her, his free arm curving around her waist and drawing her in close.

"I think we got out of bed too soon, ana-thi ." His lips brushed hers in a soft, questing kiss that fanned the flames of a fire she thought had to be quenched by now but weren't.

As the sharhal flared to life again, she reached between them and untied the knot in her robe. "I think we did, too."

By the time Zanyr left to help Torren at the farm, Jenna had almost run out of time. She left her overnight bag half packed on the bed. She'd have to finish later. If she didn't leave soon, she'd be late for her meeting. Once she'd spoken to Shadow, she'd be able to tell her mahoyen the truth. They wouldn't like it. She already knew that. They wanted to protect her. Discovering she was taking risks to help the colony wasn't going to make them happy. But she'd feel safer continuing her work now that they were in her life.

Zanyr didn't even know yet, and he was already reluctant to leave her alone. When she'd told him she'd be running errands this afternoon, he'd offered to go with her. Any other time, she'd have welcomed his company, but not today. The simple lie she told about her plans ballooned into something bigger as she made excuses as to why she'd rather go on her own.

She wasn't good at lying. She'd never done it before she'd agreed to help Haven this way. Thankfully, Zanyr accepted her reasons and didn't push. She'd have to apologize to him later. Last night, she'd asked them to be honest with her. It didn't sit right that she was still lying to them.

That wouldn't last long, though. Once this meeting was done and she had clearance, she'd tell them everything. If they were as kind and understanding as she believed them to be, they'd forgive her.