Turbulent Waves, page 5
“I love you. A day off with you sounds lovely. Lately, all the people around me talk about is my womb and how I need to use it.” She tried to laugh it off, but having a child that wouldn’t be a part of Jyri made her want to skip the whole thing. “I know what you said, before you repeat yourself.” She put her hand over Jyri’s mouth, not needing to be assured again how she’d love their child no matter who they used as a donor.
“Plenty of the women have used the bank we brought with us.” The scientist who worked with Jyri had thought of future problems and packed thousands of sperm donations to bring with them. It would guarantee gene variation, and they wouldn’t have to depend only on the men with them. “I know how you feel about it, but I promise if that’s how you want to do it, I’ll support you.”
“It might be stupid, but I feel like doing that means my father wins. I can hear him in my head, how my choice of partner is lacking, and how you can’t do everything a man can do. To him it proves we can’t exist without men.” She rested her head on Jyri’s shoulder and sighed. “Sorry, it’s not the day for my depressing ramblings.”
“I do know that’s how you feel, and I also know how you feel about children.” Jyri kissed her again and started unbuttoning Nessa’s top. “Right now, I need you to only think about us and how much I love you.”
“That’s something I love thinking about.” She put her arms around Jyri’s neck once she was topless, and Jyri paused as if enjoying the sight of her. Their room was flooded with sunlight, but they were high enough that no one could see in.
They kissed as Jyri laid her down and took off her clothes. The only thing left was the talisman around her neck. The stone was precious on Atlantis, and so far they hadn’t found it on Earth. Jyri’s stone was the other half of the one Nessa wore around her neck. The stones amplified thoughts and feelings. Once you learned to harness the power of reading others’ thoughts, you could read anyone’s thoughts, but when you loved someone, like she did Jyri, it was easy to mesh your thoughts together. The etchings along the surfaces had been made when she shared her power with Jyri and her mate had done the same with her.
“Touch me,” she whispered before pulling Jyri down.
“Tell me something first.” Jyri placed her hand between her legs and hummed at the wetness she found. “Do you want us to have a child?”
“I only want your child, so if you can get me pregnant, I’ll be thrilled.” She smiled up at Jyri and lifted her hips. “Right now, all I want is you.”
“You can have me, but first…” Jyri uncovered the tray on the side of the bed and showed her the clear orb about the size of a soft bean. “I’ve been working on this because I want us to have a child. I know what’s been holding you back, but your children will be the best choice to lead into us into the future.”
“Don’t you mean our children? And what is that?” Nessa stroked Jyri’s face with her fingertips. The first time she’d noticed Jyri wasn’t in a laboratory but on her father’s training grounds. Jyri had believed in enlisting to serve her people as well as to pursue her love of science. If their people deserved someone to carry on their lineage, it was Jyri’s child who should do that.
“The prototype of what I hope will help people who have the same mindset you do.” Jyri kissed her and opened her mind to her. The talisman at her throat warmed, and all of who Jyri was opened to her. “This,” Jyri said, as she pressed her finger to the orb and it stuck to the tip, “is the essence of who I am.”
She suddenly understood what Jyri was trying to tell her. She’d managed to encapsulate her biology in such a way that it would combine with Nessa’s. “Make love to me.”
Jyri touched her, and she felt the connection as they both climaxed. What Jyri had done would make what she’d dreamed for the future possible. They spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, and she daydreamed of carrying Jyri’s baby.
“Do you think it’ll really work?” she asked when Jyri held her tighter.
“We’ll keep trying until I give you everything you want. I wanted to make it so all it takes is the love that powers the talismans that are unique to us.” Jyri rolled over and kissed her. “This baby will belong to both of us, my love, and I can’t wait to share that with you.”
They left for the temple as the sun started to set to receive the priestesses’ blessing and the congratulations of the court and their people. The head priestess asked to meet with her in the queen’s chapel once they were done, and Nessa took the opportunity to pledge her faith again. With the responsibilities of making sure everyone was thriving in their new home, she’d neglected the spiritual side that was important to her.
“You look happy, Highness,” Xendra, the head priestess, said as she poured them a glass of juice.
“I’ve been happy since we arrived here. It’s such a wild but free place, and I see such a future for us.”
“As you know, it’s taken the orb time to bond with this world, so I haven’t been much help to you, and for that I apologize.” Xendra bowed her head and knelt before her.
“Please, come and sit with me.” She waved Xendra into the seat across from her. “You have nothing to apologize for, and I promise I’ll come more often than I have. Perhaps it’s been my negligence that has made the process take longer.” She glanced around the room at the murals the artisans had completed, dedicated to the goddess. They were beautiful and so different than the stuffiness of the temple back home. The artists seemed to capture not only the beauty but the wildness of their new home.
“Today I entered this chapel and prayed for your and Consort Jyri’s happiness, and the orb finally spoke to me. I want to tell you about my vision before you leave to enjoy the rest of your evening. Your consort has unlocked the secret to life, and soon you both will hold the proof of that. Your reign will last for a thousand years, and those who come after you will continue your vision of peace.”
Nessa pressed her hands to her abdomen and prayed that was true. Their numbers were growing with the births they’d had since their arrival, but she didn’t want to waste one life on the civil war that would break out if she perished without an heir. “You’ve seen this?”
“Yes, Highness. Your daughter will start a long line of queens who will grow in wisdom through the ages. Our people will prosper until the one who comes that will—”
Xendra stopped talking so abruptly that it made her curious. “Please, speak freely.”
“It is of no consequence tonight, Highness. We’ll speak of it another time because it’ll not come to fruition in your lifetime. You have my word on that.”
“I’ll be back soon. I don’t need the orb to tell me we’ll be good friends. I also have so many more questions.” She hugged Xendra and took Jyri’s arm when she entered. There’d be so many more anniversaries.
“I know we will, Highness, and congratulations.”
Nessa nodded as she held Jyri’s hand. The way Jyri smiled at her and winked made her father, all they’d fled, everyone who’d underestimated her, and the people she was responsible for fly from her mind. She had a life to live with a partner who loved her more than anything. Whatever else the orb shared with Xendra could wait. Tonight was for enjoyment and relishing the love she had for her mate.
* * *
“Do you carry those orbs around with you?” Vivien asked Kai. The story had helped curb her nervousness, and she had to laugh at the expression of shock on Kai’s face.
“I would never do that to you. It took a few more years and a slight change in our makeup to produce the same results with only the shells.” Kai held Vivien’s shell and closed her eyes when they briefly connected, their energies merging as only soul mates could.
“I was kidding, honey.” She closed her eyes as well when warmth started in her chest and radiated out to the rest of her body. It was as if she was standing in warm rain that also kept her safe.
“What Jyri found was that the secret to joining with another person lay in the conduits of our beings. The stones their talismans were made from on Atlantis don’t exist here, but we found the shells work just as well.” Kai pointed to the shell around her neck that could be found on any Florida beach. On its own, the crown cone shell was a good find, but with the added etchings it was something much more special. “They carry the memory of the seas that make up a large part of who we are.” Kai closed her eyes and started to speak in a language she didn’t understand. “We are born to be part of a community and to find the one person who makes our mind and heart grow.” The warmth from before intensified, and Frankie’s gasp signaled he felt it too.
“Why doesn’t everyone feel it?” she asked, wanting to understand. “Why have Frankie and I been able to read each other’s thoughts at times? Why can he feel you touching my shell right now?”
“You and Frankie were close and your love for each other made it possible. To make the shells work, you needed the etchings on them, and the longer you wore them, the more your connection grew.” Kai stretched her fingers after letting Viv’s shell go. “The talismans Nessa and Jyri wore are in the historical archives, but the etchings are done now the same way they were done then. I do want to ask my mother and the head priestess why you two found the secrets to the shells without any guidance. The reason I made them for you two in the first place was to read your thoughts, so I could learn to be more human when I needed to be. But when I did that previously, whoever wore the shells discarded them eventually. You two didn’t do that.”
“So the process that achieved conception is what happened when we”—she waved her hands between her and Kai—talking about this in front of Frankie was not her plan—“you know. That’s not the norm between two women.”
“When my ancestors arrived here, humans were pretty…basic, and a lot hairier,” Kai said and smiled. “We are responsible for the jump in human evolution by giving you a genetic head start. Granted, it was done to help humankind and not as some kind of weird genetic experiment.”
“That’s a strange change of subject,” Frankie said.
“Our wiring needed a boost to help us procreate. If we hadn’t, the only option would’ve been early humans once the men who made the journey with Nessa and Jyri eventually died out. They brought a sperm bank with them, but eventually you need to introduce variation in your genetic code, and in some cases couples wanted the option of having their own child.” Kai leaned back, and Vivien followed her and pressed against her chest. “Nessa’s dream was a nation of only women, able to share what every couple should. With the work Jyri started, we were eventually able to pass on the essence needed to create life. Not like men, but still as effective.”
“Why all women, though?” Vivien asked.
“We have some women in Atlantis who are as aggressive or more so than any man, but Nessa’s vision was a home where women ruled, and no man was tempted to take over. That stemmed from her father’s influence in her life, and she eliminated the possibility of another man like her father being responsible for our people.” She smiled and placed her hand on Vivien’s middle. “Like I said, it’s a different way of going about it, but it’s just as effective.”
“I see a lot of kids in your future then, sis,” Frankie teased.
“You guys ready for lunch?” Marsha asked. She’d been in the kitchen helping and seemed to miss Frankie when she sat next to him and held his hand. “Are you sure you don’t want Frankie and me to come with you to meet the in-laws?”
“I’m sure they’d love you, but I want this one all to myself a little while longer. We’ll only be gone a couple weeks tops, and we’ll get together when we get back.”
They headed down and Vivien smiled when she saw her father staring at her throughout the meal. She caught his gaze, and he nodded when she pointed to the door. She held his hand when he headed for the beach. Her father wasn’t prone to emotional outbursts, but he hugged her when they were at the water’s edge.
“Are you sure about all this?” He kept one arm around her and started walking again.
“I know you weren’t expecting a daughter-in-law, but I love her. She makes me happy.” She could feel the tension in him and couldn’t guess what all this was about. He’d never given her any indication he had a problem with her relationship with Kai. “You can tell me if something’s bothering you.”
“I…” He stopped and pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead.
“Daddy, I promise whatever you say isn’t going to change anything between us.” The same warmth from before happened again, and she saw Kai standing outside as if giving her strength.
“What really happened to Steve?” Her father gazed down at her, and she couldn’t decipher his expression.
“He and his family left.”
“Maybe your old dad is finally cracking up. I have these images in my head, but it’s just glimpses of things that don’t make sense. When I saw Kai again, I wanted to cry from relief, but I don’t know why.” His voice trailed off, as if admitting his memories would damn him.
Vivien wasn’t sure what to say, and her silence seemed to embarrass him. “Daddy, you’re not crazy.” Whatever Kai’s people had done that day hadn’t worked, and she couldn’t understand why. Seeing the fight between Pontos and Kai wasn’t something easily explained, so Edil and the others had effectively reset her parents’ memories. She placed her hand to the shell at her throat and asked Kai to join them.
“I don’t think you understand.” He sounded as if he was pleading for her to believe him. It was quite a twist of fate since he’d never believed her and Frankie when they’d told her about the girl and the sharks when they were children. “Kai shouldn’t be alive. I remember her dead in the yard, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Then I saw you right after all that, and you were so sad. It made me think I was right.”
“Sir.” Kai was there, and Vivien exhaled in relief. “Mind if I join you?”
“Give us a minute, Daddy, and we’ll catch up.” He nodded, but his pained expression was tugging at her need to make it better. “He’s starting to remember,” she told Kai. “How is it possible?”
“What happened was too big to wipe from someone’s thoughts without doing damage unless the person was open to it.” Kai held her and spoke softly. “It’s like when someone goes through a trauma and their mind blocks it out. When Steve came to your house that day, your parents and Franklin had no point of reference for what they were witnessing. Edil did some gentle manipulation but left the choice to forget up to them.”
“So why is he remembering now?” Her father had stopped and was staring at the water as if he was lost.
“My best guess is you and Franklin are the answer to that. His love for you both supersedes his need to find comfort in forgetting.” Kai kissed her and took her hand. “Sir?”
“Kai, we’re going to be family—call me Winston.” Her father walked on the other side of her and took her free hand. “I’m sure that intense short conversation just now was about how to talk the old man off the crazy ledge.”
“Not exactly,” Kai said and laughed. “There’s no simple answer, but can I ask you a simple question? It might make all this easier.”
“What?” Her father stopped moving, and Kai seemed to be working something out in her head.
“Do you want to know?” Kai’s question was both simple and loaded. The truth meant giving up all her secrets.
To add to the eeriness of the moment, her mother walked up and put her arm around her father’s waist. Like she’d needed Kai, her mother seemed to know when her dad was in need of support. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear,” her mother said.
“You don’t have to answer yet,” Kai said. “I’m taking Viv home to meet my parents, so in a week I’ll answer all your questions if you decide that’s what you want.”
“You already know our answer will be yes—we want to know,” her father said.
“Viv inherited her curiosity from someone. I’m not surprised that’s your answer.”
“Do you promise she’ll be okay with you?” her mother asked Kai.
“Vivien will always be my priority, ma’am. You have my word on that.”
The way her father stared at Kai made her think he was trying to crawl into her thoughts. His very apparent overprotectiveness was new and in a way humorous. He’d waited until someone else wanted the job before he showed interest…No, that wasn’t exactly true. Her parents had always been involved, only they’d wanted to make all the decisions both important and minor. It was their children’s job to follow the plan they’d laid out. Having your life mapped out for you was something she’d rebelled against.
“I believe you,” her mother said.
Vivien smiled when her mom hugged her, and her father joined in. “We’ll be fine, and we’ll be back soon.” They walked back together, and her parents appeared more at ease. “Thank you both for everything. It’s good that you’ve welcomed Kai.”
“Of course, and thank you for finally making us grandparents.” Her mother hugged Kai again after saying that. “And thank you for loving our child. She’s always been special, and I’m happy she’s finally found her match.”
The feeling of finally making her parents proud brought more tears. It was neither depressing nor elating, but somewhere in between. Making her parents proud had never happened before, or it seemed like it hadn’t. How strange that all it took was Kai and the life they’d created.
“You’re a lucky bastard,” her father said to Kai, making her mom smile and nod. “Viv’s the most brilliant person I’ve ever known. I don’t say that enough, but that’s the truth.” She smiled when her dad wiped her face. “I’m sorry for doing such a lousy job as your father. I promise to do better.”
