She lay still, and Nandy got ready. She put in a port then started with the injections.

  “Why are you using a port?”

  “Because it is holding your vein open. Your body is trying to heal it. I made this last night. It vibrates softly to keep you from clotting.”

  “Last night? How long was I out?”

  “Twenty-two hours.”

  “Oh, my god.” She tried to sit up, but ice pooled in her body and tumbled down her spine.

  “Lay still. You are going to be in here for a while.” Nandy’s voice was calm and determined, and a few moments later, fire tumbled into Kyda’s body.

  Hours passed while fire and ice alternated, completing with shocks of lightning.

  Kyda trembled and slowly sat up when Nandy left the room. The pain was fading fast, and the sweat on her skin was drying.

  Nandy returned with a fruit salad and a cup of coffee. She kept the coffee and handed the fruit to Kyda. “Eat. That took longer than I thought. The tarts are very good.”

  Kyda ate slowly, and gradually, her heart calmed in her chest. “No wonder Kynor was so irritable. This feels like I am housing a horse race.”

  Nandy used a scanner and nodded. “Your body is adjusting. More muscle attachments are forming so you don’t rip yourself apart when you lift heavy objects.”

  “Oh. That. Right. Yeah, my brother’s tendon attachments and bone density are impressive.”

  Nandy’s eyes widened. “Right. Calcium. I want you to eat half that block of cheese in the chiller while I place an order for supplements.”

  “Wait. Do they deliver stuff to you?”

  “Ados does, provided that things are neutral. You are going to be eating a lot of dark greens.”

  Kyda groaned. “I don’t like them.”

  “Tough. You are going to have a rough few weeks then. Now, get up and start eating until you don’t want to anymore. I have sandwich fixings you can have. Go eat the chiller.” Nandy smiled.

  “Okay. I feel a little lightheaded. I think some more food is right up my alley.”

  Kyda eased off the bed and slowly made her way back up the steps. She felt heavy. It was hard to move. She got into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Cheese was the first casualty, and from there, she just kept eating, making food, and eating again. When she finished, there were more fruit tarts and two dozen tiny quiches.

  Full, she headed up for a nap and lay down. Time to sleep again. She could feel her body changing under her skin and would like to sleep through it.

  A cup of coffee was next to her, and she could feel the heat coming from it, as well as smell each individual note of rich, acidic, bitter, and dark. She sat up and blinked at the different smells in the room. “Wow.”

  She was in a nightgown. “Oh. Okay.”

  She drank the coffee in one long gulp and headed for the shower. There was an unsettling scent in the room, and she felt it was clinging to her.

  Out of the shower, the scent was gone, and she smiled as she brushed her hair and then braided it. That would have been embarrassing.

  Kyda headed downstairs to get more food and wash her mug before obtaining more coffee. She froze near the stairway when she heard a familiar voice. Her patron. Ados.

  “Kyda, stop lurking around the corner, dear. Ados has stopped by with extra supplies and those supplements you need.”

  Kyda sighed and crept cautiously around the corner. “Oh. Hi.”

  Ados straightened when she came around the corner. Nandy smirked as she watched her grandson.

  The look on Nandy’s face brought heat to Kyda’s face. “Ados, thank you for bringing me here.”

  He bowed. “It was my pleasure. It will also keep Kynor calm and functioning.” He smiled. “We went out and used exactly the right amount of force on some actives.”

  Kyda snorted. “That is how he solves everything.”

  Ados chuckled. “It was my idea.”

  “Oh, great. Two of you.”

  Nandy laughed. “Ados brought a picnic, and he was delighted to find out that you have prepared tarts. If you bring the tarts, I will bring the drinks and the cloth, and he will bring the basket. We can all have a picnic.”

  Her face went hot when she heard the word picnic, but she moved mechanically to get the items ready. Ados and Nandy went out ahead of her, and when she was done, she took a deep breath and walked out of the house.

  The mist surrounding the land that the house sat on was a slippery silver. It was thinner at the top but dense on the sides. There was a gentle slope leading away from the house, and on that slope, Ados and his grandmother were laying out the picnic, and she walked over to join them.

  She sat down as far away from them as she could and put the container of tarts as close to the food as she could.

  Nandy chuckled. “Why don’t you sit closer to Ados, Kyda?”

  Kyda bent her head and caught a whiff of that weird scent. She shook her head. “No, Nandy. I am not really comfortable.”

  Nandy sounded surprised when she said, “Why not?”

  “Uh, it’s kind of personal.”

  Ados murmured, “You are among friends. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  Kyda sighed and looked at them. “Since some of the samples were Sethir, my sense of smell has kicked in, and I am finding the scent of my own body offensive.”

  Ados covered his mouth, and she knew he was smiling. He got up and came around, bending to take her hands. He pulled her to her feet and led her around the blanket to sit between Ados and Nandy. Ados chuckled. “We are used to smelling first and seeing second. Your scent is extremely pleasant.”

  Nandy laughed.

  She slumped.

  Kyda felt him rubbing her back like he had on their dates. He eased her closer, and she ended up leaning against him, just like she had on their dozen dates. “This isn’t appropriate.”

  He chuckled. “I have seen you without your mask. Your secrets are now mine to discover.”

  Nandy cleared her throat. “Grandson, keep yourself under control.”

  He sighed. “I am, Grandmother, or I would have taken her someplace private.”

  Kyda frowned. “Like fuck you would have.”

  Nandy chuckled. “She’s fun. She’s everything I designed her to be.”

  Ados paused. “You said you could treat her. What do you mean she’s what you designed?”

  “I was the original scientist working on the reproductive restrictions of the Sethir. I created this experiment for donated eggs from active females. The donor of Kyda’s egg was beautiful and powerful. She still is, I think.”

  Kyda sat up. “Oh. Right. Genetic relatives. Well, aside from Kynor.”

  Ados chuckled. “He’s pissed.”

  “He’s young. He will get over it.”

  Ados leaned forward and loaded a plate, handing it to Kyda. “There. You look pale. Eat up.”

  He did the same for Nandy with less food and only said, “Here you go, Nandy.”

  “Thank you, pet.”

  Kyda smiled and started eating.

  Nandy sighed. “Kyda. Manners dictate that we wait for Ados.”

  “Oh.” She put her sandwich back on the plate.

  Ados stroked her cheek. “Kyda, you go first.”

  She looked to Nandy, who was staring in surprise. “Uh, it’s okay. I can wait.”

  He looked at his grandmother and filled his plate. “Nandy, manners indicate that you don’t correct a guest.”

  Nandy laughed. “That is true, but I get the feeling she will be closer to family.”

  Ados snorted. “Early days, Nandy.”

  He sat back and ate, and they all resumed the meal.

  Kyda wanted to lean against him as she did on dates, but it didn’t seem right with Nandy there.

  Ados put an arm around her and pulled her against him again. “I like it when you lean on me. Your eyes are very pretty.”

  She paused mid-sandwich. “Oh. Right. Yeah, you haven’t seen my face before. Mind you, when you saw it, it didn’t look like this.”

  He stroked her jawline with his fingertip. “How did you get the changes?”

  She swallowed. “Makeovers.”

  He paused. “You don’t mean...” His expression was horrified when she looked at him.

  “A healer and heavy hitter. Yeah. A few times. Kynor, too. He’s exceptionally pretty.”

  “Seriously? He’s better looking?”

  She laughed and nodded. “He’s stunning. He will probably fix his face when he’s an adult.”

  “Yeah, that threw me when he mentioned why he didn’t start a BDC account.”

  “Don’t corrupt him, you perv. Not everyone needs to share your sexual proclivities.” She nibbled at a cucumber slice.

  He stiffened. “Are you calling me a pervert in front of my grandmother?”

  “Well, yeah. They told me about your history.”

  “What?” His shock was audible. “Why?”

  “Because I am dangerous, and I was also worried about getting you a cancellation warning.” She muttered, “Your history came out when the medics were trying to figure out how I could be an escort without intimate activity.”

  “Shit.”

  “Ados!” Nandy was shocked.

  “Nandy, now is not the time. Kyda, I started tapering off my interactions, and it has been solely dates with you for the last five weeks.”

  “You don’t need to defend yourself. This isn’t an attack. I just think it is helpful for you to have other outlets.”

  He frowned and growled. “I don’t want other outlets.”

  Kyda met his frown with surprise. She leaned away from him. “Why not? I never did understand why you went on dates with me, to begin with.”

  “You don’t understand?” Ados’s frown got deeper, and Kyda wondered if his face was going to freeze that way.

  Nandy snorted. “She can’t have romantic contact, Ados. She wouldn’t have gotten much social experience.”

  Ados looked at her, and the frown cleared. “She... oh.”

  “Toxic blood is quite the chastity belt.” Kyda reached for some more vegetables and snagged some high-calorie crisps onto her plate. The moment that the vegetables were clear, she nibbled at the crisps with one hand while reaching for more with the other.

  She finished what she had on her plate and then leaned forward looking for more. There was a soft sound behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder. “Where did you hide them?”

  His soft smile turned into a grin. “Ask nicely.”

  She sighed. “Not with your grandmother watching.”

  He glanced over. “Nandy, close your eyes.”

  Nandy laughed. “You have a minute.”

  Ados quirked his brow. “Clock is ticking, Kyda.”

  She shook her head but moved up until she tucked her head against the column of his neck. She breathed softly against his skin. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her there for the rest of the minute.

  When she guessed a minute ticked by, she moved, and his arm tightened. “Um, where are the crisps.”

  He sighed. “Compartment under the cucumbers.”

  She grinned and kissed his jaw. “Thanks.”

  She squirmed, and he let her go with another heavy sigh.

  Nandy asked, “What the hell was that?”

  Kyda ignored her and went for the fried salty snacks.

  Ados told his grandmother, “Kyda really likes salty snacks, but she only lets herself have them on dates. So, I hide them, and she has to cuddle me for a minute to get the location.”

  “That is... odd.”

  Kyda was crunching away. “Don’t judge my crazy.”

  Ados laughed and rubbed her back. “No judging from me.”

  She paused in her munching and grabbed the container of tarts. “You get a tart.”

  He laughed.

  When the crunchy snacks were done, she sighed and sat back, licking crumbs from her lips. “I missed those.”

  Nandy chuckled. “I don’t have anything like that here, I’m afraid.”

  “I can’t eat many, or I get sick, but Ados always packs just the right amount of them. He doesn’t even make a move for them himself.”

  “I see.” Nandy sounded amused, and when Kyda looked at her, she was smiling softly. “Oh, by the way, Ados, Kyda is no longer vulnerable to bleeding. Her skin has been reinforced. Are you staying overnight?”

  Kyda’s eyes got wide, and she stared at Nandy. “Aren’t I in his room?”

  Ados asked, “How can you tell?”

  “Sense of smell just kicked in. The room smells like you,” she muttered. “Seriously, how do you Sethir manage things when the world comes at you through your nose?”

  Nandy laughed, and Ados chuckled.

  Nandy sighed, “Of course, testing will have to be done to determine whether all her body fluids are safe.”

  “What the actual hell, Nandy!” she shrieked.

  Ados chuckled. “I will spend the night in the guesthouse.”

  Nandy frowned. “It isn’t finished, Ados.”

  “I know. I will finish it during this visit.”

  Kyda turned to him. “Do you need help?”

  “Can you do construction?”

  She smiled. “Yes. Kynor and I worked construction for six months to get enough money to make it to Aksalla.”

  Nandy frowned. “You worked on a job site?”

  “Sure. There are these things called gloves and long-sleeved shirts. I did all the measuring and cutting, and Kynor lifted things and did the fastening. We made a good team.”

  Ados chuckled. “You can help.”

  Nandy frowned. “I need to run more tests. Her new activations may manifest at any moment.”

  Ados paused. “Wait. What new activations?”

  Kyda started to collect the empty cases from the picnic. In her mind, she was whistling innocently.

  Nandy informed him, “She was my experiment. They think her blood is the weapon, but she was supposed to be the weapon. She has blood domination. She can assume the power of any active when she consumes their blood. Or injects it.”

  Kyda piled everything into the picnic basket.

  “Nandy, what did you do?” There was horror in Ados’s voice

  “I finished the experiment. Well, I advanced it.” Nandy snorted. “It is what she was made for.”

  Kyda got up with the basket. “I will let you two hash this out.”

  She turned, bobbed a curtsey to them both, and then scampered to the house. She didn’t want to be in the middle of that.

  * * * *

  “Nandy, what did you do?” Ados felt worried when he watched Kyda make a run for it.

  “I moved her evolution along. She was still in the first stage.” His grandmother looked defensive. “I gave her rapid healing to start, then strength, energy attack, contact reading, speed, and a few other items that will be handy if she decides to have a family. Oh, and about nineteen trackers that have embedded themselves in major organs.”

  Ados covered his eyes with his hand. “What are the trackers for?”

  “In case she runs. Oh, and to keep track of her vitals.” Nandy chuckled. “You know what I did for a living.”

  He looked at the most terrifying geneticist in Sethir’s history and nodded. “I knew, but I thought you would keep her safe. Wait, can she fly?”

  “No. I wasn’t going to do that to her. Not yet.”

  He frowned. “Why not?”

  “She has already grown the muscle attachments for strength. There is a part of the brain that needs to develop for flight, and I want her to pace herself. She’s fine for now, and once she masters what she already has, I will give her a sample with flight.”

  “Where did you get the samples?” Ados frowned at his grandmother.

  “They were given to me by the government when I was dismissed. I think it was just in case one of the experiments was discovered.”

  Ados frowned. “You said that you had only designed the experiments and your research was stolen at the same time as the eggs.”

  Nandy smiled. “That is true. And accurate. I was positive that the experiments would be carried out and that one of them would find their way to me. I never imagined it would be one like her, but the royal family provided blood samples from some of the honoured dead. Those are the powers she’s going to channel.”

  Ados ran a hand over his hair. “Do you think she can manage what you have given her?”

  Nandy chuckled. “I think she will thrive. Now, what is your big concern?”

  “I was wondering about the bodily fluids. When are you going to run those tests?”

  His grandmother grinned. “Why do you want to know that?”

  “You know why, Nandy.”

  She smirked. “Spell it out for me. I’m old.”

  “I think about her when I am on duty, off duty, and probably sleeping. I like to see her smile and love to watch her laugh. Is that enough?”

  “You can do all that without bodily fluids involved.”

  “Fine. I want to take her as my mate and keep at her until you have great grandbabies.”

  Nandy rubbed her hands together. “Excellent, but get royal authorization. You don’t want her targeted by the Sethir for stealing one of their best and brightest.”

  Ados blinked. “Right. I don’t want that. Do you think she will accept me?”

  “She blushes whenever you are mentioned but doesn’t get close to people. Oh, and you might want to follow tradition and warn her brother of your plans before things get too complicated.”

  He chuckled. “I have already done that. He was agreeable when he learned I have ceased other escorts while I court Kyda.”

  “Yes, about those escorts...”

  He held up his hand. “No, Nandy, they are not up for discussion. They served a purpose and were not love interests. They also were my power class.”

  “Why were you matched with Kyda?”

  He shrugged. “I had had a bad week and asked if there was anyone who was a good conversationalist and liked to cuddle. They warned me that she was physically toxic. I signed a waiver, and we went for a picnic. She brought dessert, and I was hooked on those tarts in no time.”

 

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