Chapter Twenty-One

She yawned and stretched. The weight of one arm and one leg held her down. One was red, and one was gold, and she was pinned in between.

Drin felt a hand around her throat, and she chuckled. They were holding onto their bands.

Ekron gave her a sleepy smile. “It is amazing you can be so chipper after you wore us all out last night.”

She smiled. “Yeah, it was satisfying, but I could have taken you all again, though Techor and Remark’s penchant for doubling up made things go a little faster.”

The hand around her neck flexed, and someone snuffled at her hair. Ekron tried to part her thighs from the front, but Vikor’s leg was pinning her thighs together.

Ekron muttered, “Spoilsport.”

Vikor chuckled. “Didn’t you get enough last night and this morning?”

Drin muttered, “No.”

They both laughed. She looked around. They were at Vikor’s place. She grinned and started checking her com for nearby donut shops.

Vikor murmured, “What are you doing?”

“Cheating on Klauz with a donut or five.”

The door to the bedroom opened, and Klauz stood there. “You are thinking about takeout again, Drin, and part of your brain is giggling.”

She looked at him grimly. “I just want some of those fancy donuts. And maybe a gallon of good coffee.”

Klauz chuckled. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

“Because I am trapped. Trapped like a... I have no idea what ends up pinned under the devil.”

Everyone snorted.

Vikor moved his hand and stroked her hip. “My pet. That is what ends up trapped under me.”

She sighed. “Your pet still wants fancy donuts.”

Klauz laughed. “Here in fifteen. I also own a donut shop.”

Ekron tapped her jaw to close it.

Klauz left the doorway while laughing.

Ekron chuckled. “We have time for a shower.”

She nodded, and eventually, Vikor let her up. They made their way to his shower, and she was squeaky clean in five minutes and carried limp and out of the shower in ten. It was amazing what that tongue could do, and holding her up for Vikor was an easy task for Ekron.

“We are going to have to double up your wardrobe.” Ekron chuckled.

Vikor smiled. “You are having a lot of fun shopping for her.”

“With her. You should see the faces she pulls when I select lingerie and shoes. It’s hilarious.”

She pulled on the sheath dress that Vikor had produced and put on the shoes from the previous evening.

Ekron tugged on the lacing until it was snug and patted her lightly on the ass.

She made a face and left the room, heading for the living room. She heard a polite knock at the door, and Klauz answered, talking for a moment to whoever had delivered it. She crept up behind him, sniffing. She reached for the box in his hand, and he gripped her wristband. “Ah-ah, pet.”

“You are no fun.”

He laughed. “And that is a lie.”

The man who brought the delivery grinned. “This is her?”

Klauz pulled her forward. “Reg, this is Drin. Drin, this is Reg. He manages the shop.”

The manager extended his hand, and she shook it. “Pleased to meet you, Miss.” He lifted his wrist and took a picture of her. “Just so that anyone at the register can treat the boss’s mate politely. I hear you have trouble with that.”

“Yeah, but I am seeing a doctor now, so it should be fixed shortly.”

“Well, as Klauz has also told me that you are a junk food fan, I hope to see you frequently.”

“That is more likely than not. You are right around the corner from this place.”

He grinned. “Yeah, we are.”

Klauz saw the look that Reg was giving her, and he handed her the boxes and bags and sent her into the apartment with a pat on her butt that was fairly firm.

She headed into the kitchen to find Techor making coffee and Remark talking on his com, but he was sitting with his body in a relaxed pose, so it wasn’t anything important.

She set the donuts on the counter and put the bags next to them. The fresh scent of bagels hit her, and she groaned. She leaned on her elbows and just inhaled the scent from the bags like it was life-giving.

She heard laughter and saw Remark aiming his com at her.

Klauz laughed when he came in, sat her on one of the barstools next to the counter, and asked her, “What kind of cream cheese and what kind of donut?”

“Plain cream cheese on a poppy seed bagel and the most calorie-laden donut you can find.”

He chuckled and selected a donut with cream oozing out of it, a thick glaze with a zigzag of caramel, and a precise halo of sprinkles. Drin stopped herself from bouncing up and down, but it was a very close thing.

Klauz smiled. “One kiss, and you can have the donut.”

She sighed. “How much for the bagel?”

He pinched her chin, and then, the kiss began and didn’t stop until her breathing was ragged and her knees were pressed tightly together. It was a really good donut, and he had undercharged.

Her bagel was ready by the time she finished her donut.

She put a few pinches of salt on the bagel half and had it in her mouth before Klauz could levy another tax.

She had to slow her bites when a cup of coffee appeared, but she still made it through the bagel before the others had even gotten theirs out of the toaster.

She sat back and sipped her coffee. Her mates were moving around the kitchen, none fully dressed, and she wasn’t complaining. They were all very pretty in their very different ways.

Techor spluttered his coffee. “Pretty?”

She shrugged. “That is how I see you. All graceful lines and lovely muscles.” She finished her coffee and reached over to put the cup in the sink.

Klauz smiled. “How did you see Reg?”

“Slightly round person who brings donuts.”

He chuckled. “Good.”

Vikor asked. “How are you feeling, Drin?”

She chuckled. “Sated and relaxed.”

Ekron chuckled. “I think you should continue to have a relaxing day. Back to the house for a lazy day by the pool?”

She gave him a serious look. “What’s a lazy day?”

“Oh, I can teach you all about that.” He grinned. “We will need some cocktails, a pizza, and that little swimsuit.”

Drin cocked her head. “I don’t know where that suit ended up.”

Techor reached into his pocket, pulled out the scraps of fabric, and dangled them from his fingertips.

“Thanks, Techor.”

Ekron grinned. “See? We all cooperate.”

Vikor snorted. “I have some bookkeeping to do at the club.”

Techor nodded. “I have some errands to run, but I will get over there as soon as I can.”

Remark nodded. “I have to check in with dispatch. There are some long-term assignments that they are looking to post. My team is up for two of them.”

Drin looked at him. “How long is long-term?”

He smiled. “Two weeks. Worried?”

She bit her lip. “Well, yeah. You are threatening to break up my set.”

He laughed and got up, walking over to pin her against the countertop. “Nothing dangerous this time. Just scouting and extra training.”

She kissed him softly. “Good luck.”

He grinned. “Oh, I have already found my luck. I have no urge to lose it. Stay safe and avoid getting hungry. The guys are going to keep me posted as to your activities, but you might want to have my com code.”

Techor stiffened as she put Remark’s code into her com, and then, he came up and whispered his code into her ear. Klauz did the same. Ekron reached over her shoulder and flicked through her contacts. “Who is Mayel?”

“She’s a friend through the BDC. Another metabolic.”

“Why does she have stars next to her name?”

“Because she’s another metabolic. Duh.” She chuckled. “There aren’t a lot of us, and she and I chat late into the night when we have a surplus.”

Vikor cocked his head. “Is she like you?”

“Oh, no. Her power works differently. She’s an ambient collector.”

Remark stared. “Is she a soft blue with silver hair?”

Drin looked at him and stared. “Yeah.”

He started chortling and said, “A friend of mine will be very interested in that information. He’s been looking for her for years. He describes her as curvy-thin, short-tall, but the light blue and silver are always the same. He was in Ikan on his day off, and there was a fire in downtown. The blue woman ran straight into the flames, and then, she shot out the roof, and the flames followed her, wrapped around her, and she pulled the blaze into the sky with her. He followed her, and when the flames burned out, he caught her before she fell. She was arrested for being an illegal immigrant by peacekeepers, but she disappeared when she hit the system. He tells that story at least once every long mission.” Remark chuckled. “Now I have something to taunt him with. Does that sound like something your friend can do?”

“Yeah, it does. She tells that story, too, and if your friend noticed that her clothing burned off, it is the same woman. He can go through the roster at the BDC and see if anyone matches.” She smiled. “It will give him something else to do instead of telling that story.”

Remark chuckled. “Can I get her contact information?”

She spluttered. “No. No fucking way. He can get it the old-fashioned way, through the escort service via the app; if he is creepy about it, that will be that. Wait, what does he look like again?”

“Big, dark grey, huge leathery wings, and a whipping tail. Ice blue eyes.”

Drin blinked. “Yasit? Yasit has a crush on her?”

He kissed her cheek. “Crush might be the operative term if he meets her again.”

“If he gets rough, he might be in for a surprise.” She pressed her forehead to Remark. “Have fun, and don’t get hurt.”

One more kiss, and he was on his way. It felt like someone had burst her comfortable little bubble.

The other four polished off the donuts with her, packed her up, and then, they were on their way to Ekron’s place.

The sun was climbing higher, and Ekron bullied her into the bikini; from there, she put on a sheer wrap and brought a computer out to the deck near the pool.

She started by creating a catalogue of all the things that had been bought for her, from shoes to the bands. She then estimated the value, which made her a little sick. She then started a spreadsheet for dates and cross-referenced the amount of time and money that they spent there. Uneven relationships always made her a bit queasy.

The sun rose, and she noticed a cup of tea sitting next to her. She sipped at it and returned to her spreadsheet. She started feeling warm and got up, removed her wrap, and walked to the pool, moving until she was shoulder deep before she dove and went for a swim. Her body was burning, and that wasn’t normal.

* * * *

Techor felt the burn in her mind, and he called Ekron immediately.

“She’s in the pool; something is wrong with her. Her body is on fire and not in a good way.” He snarled. “I am too far away to help.”

Vikor cursed in the background. Ekron must have had him on speaker.

Techor heard Vikor calling Kritz, and he heard voices as he turned his car and headed to Z-Tech. He would be there in ten minutes.

He heard Kritz giving that same order to Vikor, and then, everything sounded like water as Ekron went to retrieve their mate.

Klauz was at his restaurant already. He was two minutes from Z-Tech. If only their one flier hadn’t left on a mission.

Techor contacted Klauz and sent a message to Remark. Whatever was burning her was getting stronger.

* * * *

Sound roared in her ears. She was burning up, and she couldn’t see a thing. The world had gone white. She felt hands, felt the fire, and then something was being shoved into her mouth, and she was being dropped. She floated, and the fluid gave her back her sight. She was in a Z-Tech tank.

Her skin was coursing with red and purple bands. Arcady was at her terminal, and bloodwork was being analyzed.

Kritz was speaking with a worried Klauz, and it was only when she banged on the inside of the tank that they looked at her. She pointed at Techor and beckoned him close. She pressed her forehead to the glass.

I have never tried this directly, but I hope it works. This is an allergy. A major one.

Has it happened before?

Twice. I was fifteen years old. We were at a wedding, and they served Kiamut tea. No one serves that at casual functions. Someone brought me tea at Ekron’s.

He turned his head and told Kritz. His eyes went wide in his blue features, and he nodded, speaking quickly to Arcady. She bolted out of the room.

Kiamut exposure isn’t common, and the allergies are less common. Who knew you had the allergy?

She recoiled, and he had the answer. Vikor made a call, and Ekron made another one.

Drin grumbled silently about a stupid allergy that only affected one in ten thousand actives for a plant that was so rare it was nearly extinct and only used for upper-class ceremonies in Biorvin. The only person who knew about it was her brother.

She had a thought, and she sent the message through Techor. Recovery from this effect was going to be tricky.

Everything went white again, and she began to flail in the tank. The seizures were starting. That wasn’t good.

A soft hand and the creak of leather told her how she had made it.

She croaked and kept her eyes shut. “Hey, Khytten. How are you and Salat doing?”

“Aw, sweetie. We are doing great. You scared the hell out of the prefect’s entire family. Finally, that pretty boy has a mate, and someone is trying to kill her? Your brother’s fiancé is squealing that your brother put her up to it.”

“That is probably accurate. He’s a bit of a twit, but he is greedy as fuck. I just got the payout from Vaka’s estate. They were trying to get the money before I started a family. I don’t think it ever occurred to them that Vaken is my heir for four million, and all of the money will be held until he’s thirty. Shisha is inheriting her parents’ money eventually.

“Techor was insistent that you get a tablet as soon as you wake, so here it is.”

She opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but Khytten elevated the bed for her.

“I have another shot for you. It targets scar tissue. And this other one will be taken an hour after that, or the healing will continue. Kritz is jealous. He was going to make nanites for you, but this will be faster and easier on your system.”

Drin lifted her hand and took the first vial. She shot it back, and it tasted like lemon cream. “Flavouring now?”

Khytten chuckled. “I had some time to fuss with it, and the babies are all weaned. I may have wished that they would grow faster once or twice while feeding, and they are all toddlers now. Bottle feeding for everyone.”

Drin moved her fingers over the tablet. Kiamut was a tracked substance, so she did what she did for Litha and sourced it.

She cross-referenced it with spending through her brother’s accounts and found two batches purchased. One was sufficient for most weddings. “Well, they bought it, and they bought the linberry tea. That confirms it. They only used a portion of the Kiamut in the tea, but with my allergy, it is enough.”

Khytten looked at her. “You did all that with a few keystrokes?”

“Oh, sure. Sourcing things is my... uh, thing.”

“You accessed their purchasing records?”

“I went through the supplier who has to record who buys the Kiamut. Then I found my brother’s name. I kept looking, and I found it again yesterday. My guess is that they were going to claim it was wedding related.”

She looked around and touched her collar and then the wristbands. “Where are the guys?”

“Salat is holding them off down the hall in case you needed to take in some healing directly. I know girls aren’t on your preferred list and didn’t want to embarrass you.”

Drin smiled. “Thanks. It is awkward enough having sex with other people in the room, but I finally got over that.”

Khytten smiled. “Doc Torenne helped with that and my birthday party. I was all mopey until Salat showed up.”

Drin tapped via the messaging system, and there was the sound of thumping feet.

Khytten grinned and stepped aside as the five came in.

Drin looked at Remark. “You had a thing.”

“I had a family emergency.” He was standing at the foot of her bed, and his hand was around her ankle.

She looked around at the concerned faces. “Am I still gross and blotchy?”

Vikor caressed her cheek. “You are lovely, all golden and sparkly again.”

Ekron pulled up a chair and pressed his forehead to her fingers. “We were very scared.”

Klauz gripped her other ankle. “I was petrified. Everything that I was planning but not saying. I want to say it and plan it with you.”

Techor took her hand. “I am so glad we formed that link, Drin.”

She squeezed his hand. “Me, too. I just knew I had to get cool fast, and I hit the pool and thought of you for some strange reason.”

Kritz spoke from the doorway. “Your plunge probably saved your life, Drin. It slowed the reaction that was burning you. You remembering the allergy stopped the reaction, and Khytten dosing you repaired the damage.” He smiled. “I tell you, sis, it is a weird allergy.”

“Thanks, doc.”

“It’s okay. You aren’t susceptible to it anymore. Khytten does some good work. No allergies to anything. By now, all the scar tissue should be gone. Her doses work quickly.”

She nodded and said, “When can I get up and out of here?”

“You need the final dose and the final scans that check everything, and then your link can take you home.”

Drin nodded. “Then, Khytten? Hand it over.”

Khytten passed the vial to Vikor. He popped the cap and held it to Drin’s lips. This time it was strawberry. Khytten must have been bored.

She swallowed and finished the vial.

The scans were quick, and Ekron pulled a soft knit dress over her head. He kissed her temple. “Just until you get home. Then you are back in bed.”

“That does not sound as fun as it should.”

Khytten and Arcady laughed, but Drin’s guys looked sober. They were taking this seriously. She was picked up and carried out of Z-Tech with her cuffs in place and Vikor’s arms around her. The huge SUV was waiting in the secure parkade, and they got in and headed back to Ekron’s place.

“Stella is going to be grovelling at your feet for a while. She met Jeanie and your brother at the door, and when she said that this was a housewarming present, Stella took her at her word. She has tried to quit every four hours since it happened.” Ekron smiled. “She will be relieved to see you up and around.”

She yawned and smiled. “I will be happy when I am back on my feet. So, when do you think that will be, precisely?”

Vikor frowned. “Are you tired?”

“No, but you twits keep carrying me. I need to make sure that my legs work.”

Techor looked at her with a scowl. “Did you just call us twits?”

She looked back at him. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

Klauz grabbed one of her feet and started a heavy massage. She squeaked and arched, twisting against Vikor. Klauz grabbed her other foot and ran his thumb along her instep. She was squirming in ten seconds, and Vikor held her while she whimpered and giggled while she moaned. No one had given her a foot rub before, which was both stimulating and triggering. When they pulled up to Ekron’s home, she was limp, and Klauz had moved the massage up her calves. He suddenly slid his fingers up her inner thigh and caressed her sex. Her legs kicked. He chuckled. “Your legs work just fine, but you appear to have some fluid loss.”

She grunted. “Funny. Don’t you have people to feed?”

“You are the most important person at the moment. My staff is good, or they wouldn’t work for me. I don’t leave your side until we are sure you are all right.”

“I am fine. Just a little weak. I feel like I have been run over by a paver.” She flexed her legs in his grip.

The driver pulled up at the entry, and Ekron left the vehicle first. He spoke with Stella and then nodded to Remark. The agent left first, and when Techor smiled at her, got out, and did a scan that she could feel crackling against her nerves, she realized that they were still worried about her being attacked.

“Vikor, were my brother and sister-in-law arrested?”

“They were. There are records of them hiring an assassin. It hasn’t been traced yet, so until we find them, you are going to be plastered next to one of us.”

She groaned. “Well, fuck.”

“The prefect has let your sibling know that if you suffer any additional injury, it is the death penalty for them. Your link is very high profile, and Aksalla would be poorer if you left it.”

“Link? I have heard that word today.”

“It’s a union with more than three participants.”

“Ah. I learned a new word.”

Klauz chuckled. Vikor carried her out, and he brought up the rear. She was protected on all sides as she was carried in. Techor was doing a broad sweep, and Vikor brought her to Ekron’s bedroom and tucked her into the bed.

“Get some sleep. We will be nearby. Techor is keeping his mind open.”

“Okay.” She pulled the covers up. “I am going to get some rest at home. Are we home?”

“Yeah, baby girl. We are home.”

She was kissed, and he stroked her cheek, and then, she was left to rest.

She let herself drift away.