CHAPTER 4

Kris

There was a lull at the Capital now, and everyone knew it was the lull before the storm.I'd gotten through my orientation and was on a brief leave time before officially going on duty.What was I going to do with myself?

I'd been told that one of the things Guards did at leisure was to go sunning.The Regency grounds happened to have a stream passing through them, where Guards who were assigned to the Manor and the legislative Houses often went to relax.I took a Guard-issued kit bag with a blanket, some skin shield oil, a pair of sunglasses, and a flask of Cygnian rum and carried it out of the Canis Guard dorms in just a pair of tight shorts and my boots, and made for the stream.

Arriving there, I found a wide body of flowing water that let out from somewhere in the hills, coming from the underground springs in caverns that this area was known for.The water rushed and laughed invitingly around big rocks that jutted up from the stream bed.On those rocks lay some of my new mates in the Guard, resting naked on blankets and enjoying the sunshine.Quickly I found an unoccupied rock for myself and stepped nimbly over the other stones with the water gurgling around them.Claiming my sunning place, I laid out my blanket and towel and pulled off my boots and shorts, and sat down to rub some oil on myself.Then I put on my shades and stretched myself out for a little relaxing time with the sun massaging my oiled muscles.

For a while, all I heard was the babble and splash of the water, which made a soothing white noise.Then came a familiar voice.

"Kris?Kris Tynan?"

I looked up from where I was lying and saw her coming towards me, stepping over the same stones that I'd stepped over to get there.I'd know that flowing blonde hair of hers anywhere.She was dressed in a tight one-piece bathing suit with a towel hanging over her shoulders, and wearing a kind of slippers that I recognized, that had special grips on the soles so she wouldn't slip on the rocks.If she did lose her footing on the slippery rocks and fall into the water, maybe hitting her head and hurting herself, I would have been the first one on my feet to get after her, naked as I was.And all of a sudden I'd never felt so naked in my life.My kind didn't have the same history of body shame and taboos around sex that humans had, but suddenly, with Tara Landon coming across the rocks towards me, I was aware of what was sitting up and taking notice below my waist.

Until now, the fastest I'd ever gotten my shorts on was the time at the Academy when I was in bed with a human Professor's daughter and he came ringing the chimes on her door at the same time I was ringing her chimes between the sheets.I set a new record for myself, pulling my shorts on before she got to my rock, and holding out a hand to help her make the final step over some splashing water.And I thanked the old Greek god Lycaeon that we lycanthropes could be fast at everything when we needed to be.

She took my hand and climbed over to stand on the rock with me.Smiling welcomingly, I said, "Good afternoon, Princess."

Flashing her sparkling smile, she held onto my hand a moment longer and said, "Please, I'd love it if you'd call me Tara."

It felt as if she were a second sun lighting up right there beside me.I had been with well-born and well-raised girls—and taken the virginity of some of them—but there was something special about Tara.An instinct told me she wasn't like any other girl I'd ever met.It wasn't her station; she wasn't born to her title and there was really no such thing as "royalty" any more.It was just some quality about her.

"Okay…Tara," I said."It's good to see you.I, um, kind of didn't expect that I'd see you here, the next time I saw you—at least in person, or, um…you know, up close.I didn't think I'd be this close to you again any time soon."Suddenly my heart felt like it was jumping from stone to stone."Sorry, it must sound like I'm babbling.Probably not what you expect from a Guard…"

Tara laughed a soft little laugh, and maybe it was only my imagination, but it sounded more musical than the water playing on the rocks."Oh, don't worry about it," she said."I have come here sometimes."She looked down the stream, where other male Guards were lying on other rocks, just as naked as I'd been, and out to the surrounding green hills, and I wondered if there might be more than one meaning when she said, "There's always something pretty to see here."

"I agree," I said."Would you like to sit down with me?"

"Yes, I'd love to," said Tara.And remembering my manners, I offered her my hand again, and she took it and we sat down together on my blanket.

We were quiet for a moment.I tried to look like I was admiring the scenery around us instead of the scenery right next to me, and I thought I caught a glimpse of Tara moving her eyes over me.It almost made me grateful that my regulation Guard-issue shorts were a near-black Navy blue color, which slightly hid my appreciation of her.But then they were also short and tight, which didn't completely hide what I thought of her.

"You're really the talk of the Capital lately," she mentioned.

"What?" I said."You mean the thing with the reception and the…?"

"Single-handed capture of a Soorn spy?Yes, that.People have their eyes on you now, you know."

I loved hearing that from her, but as much as human females are supposed to love a lycanthrope who acts like an "Alpha," there are limits to the popularity of a stuck-up wolf man.You never know when someone bigger and stronger—or female and unimpressed—might be there to put him in his place.So I tried to measure my reaction to that and seem modest but not humble.

"It was a line-of-duty thing," I said."I had an instinct and I followed it."

"Well, it's a good thing you did," Tara said, "or that spy might still be skulking around passing for a human and doing who-knows-what."She hugged herself a bit, as if she were taking a chill in spite of the beautiful day."And there could be other Soorns around here.They could be anyone in Leto, anywhere, and they could be up to anything.People are trying not to show it, but they're nervous."

Much as I wanted to put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her, I stopped myself."Whatever they try, they won't get away with it.I'm not the only wolf around here with good instincts.The ones who just came here with me from the Academy, they're the best.All of us, we're the best."

She looked over at me with the sexiest tilt of her head, which made me bring up one leg so that she wouldn't see my reaction "down there" to the way she looked."Of course you're the best.That's why you're here."

We were quiet for another moment then, looking out over the water again.Then Tara said something that surprised me.

"You know," she said, "every time I think about Sub-Commander Nick and Lieutenant Lon going after those mutated trees with their two-guns, I have this picture in my head of myself picking up someone's fallen weapon and going at those monsters myself."

Wrinkling my brow at her, I reacted, "You?"

"Yes, me!" Tara said.She used her fists and mimed the way that a Guard holds his two-gun in energy blade mode, and swung her imaginary blade in the air making swooshing and sizzling noises."I can see it.If I could get the kind of training you guys have with one of those things, I could have fended off those tree monsters right there with you."

Skeptical, but not wanting to insult her, I rubbed anxiously at the back of my neck."You know, that's not the way most people would picture you…"

Tara balked a bit at me."What, you think I couldn't do it?Really, you think someone like me couldn't take that kind of training and do well at it?"

Oh no! I thought.I did just what I didn't want to do.I insulted her.Squirming inside, I fumbled for a way out of this.

"That's not really what I meant," I said, a bit feebly."Of course, anyone could be trained to use a two-gun.But you're not supposed to even think about needing to use one, you know…"

She folded her arms and frowned."Because I'm a Princess and I'm used to living a gentle, sheltered life.Because I was brought up to be taken care of.Isn't that right?"

"Well, isn't that right?" I asked.

"It's the same thing my friend Melanie and I were talking about.I'm not as delicate as all that, you know."

"No, of course not," I said.And I wasn't just agreeing with her to appease the Princess.This was a refined young woman, but she was a refined young woman who must have been to bed with guys like me, who are not refined and delicate.There had to be something about her that wasn't quite so soft all the time to be able to take on a lycanthrope in bed, especially a member of the Guard.We're demanding.

"But listen," I went on, "we're here to protect you.And we're honored to do it.We're proud to do it."

She gave me the head-tilt and smile again, this time with her shoulders scrunched a bit, as if what I just said had gotten to her.I liked that.

"Where are you from, Kris?" Tara asked."Tell me about where you grew up, your family.I'll bet you're from a really strong, brave pack.You must be just like them."

I laughed out loud at that, surprising myself with how I suddenly felt that much at ease with her.

"What?" Tara said.

Getting a grip on myself, I explained, "Maybe you wouldn't know it, but I'm the runt of the litter."

"Go on…!"

"No, really.I have two older brothers.Two bigger older brothers.When you've got two bigger, older brothers, you grow up jumping and yipping for attention a lot, from your parents and most everyone else."

"Aaawww…," she said sympathetically.

"That's kind of why I enrolled at the Guard Academy, to distinguish myself from them," I continued.Grinning with one corner of my mouth, I remembered, "I'll never forget the way they looked when the Academy accepted my application.It was the most impressed I'd ever seen them with anyone."

"Are they in the Guard too?" Tara asked.

"No," I said."They're both pilots.Space charter pilots.I'm the wolf in uniform in the pack.Guard uniform, anyway."

"Your parents must be so proud."

I paused a beat to recall Mom and Dad."You know, getting accepted into the Academy was the time they were most impressed with anyone besides my brothers.You should have seen the holomail from back home when the news got out about what I did with that Soorn guard."I shut my eyes, basking in that moment as much as in the sunshine."I actually made them proud."

"Well, of course you did," Tara said.And when I opened my eyes again and looked over at her, I saw something like the same pride as my parents and my brothers.That, in its own way, was a better feeling than getting the first claw pinned on my uniform.

Once again we were quiet, and this was a lingering, happy kind of quiet, sitting on the rocks, listening to the rush and the sparkling tumble of the water down the stream, enjoying the weather—enjoying just being there.

Then Tara spoke up again."Kris…?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any plans for later?"

"I'm on a bit of liberty right now until the Guards who went out on maneuvers came back.A little extra reward for my service at the reception."Looking over at her again, I asked, "Why?"

"Want to have dinner at the Mansion?With me?"

I broke out into a smile warmer than the sunshine.This day was getting better all the time.