Ivetha woke up starfished on top of Arata and licked his chest before she looked down his body. He smiled. “Good morning, Ivetha.” His whisper was soft, but a shockwave struck her hair, and it went wild.

  Her hair fell over her eyes, and she leaned up on him and clawed it back. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

  His eyes crinkled in amusement as he pulled her up his body until they were face-to-face. He was coming in for a kiss, and she shrieked and tried to dodge. He paused and whispered against her cheek, “What’s wrong?”

  She groaned. “I have morning breath.”

  He leaned away, stared at her, grinned, and rolled her until they tumbled to the end of her bed. Ivetha blinked and hid her face against his neck. He was laughing. He threaded his fingers in her hair, tugged her head back, and kissed her. Apparently, he wasn’t concerned about it.

  Her blood was rushing in her veins when they parted. Her chest was heaving, and she realized that her robe was long gone. She looked up and around at where their clothing from the previous day was, and it was gone. “Where did the clothes go?”

  He beckoned her closer and spoke into her mouth. It was surprisingly arousing to hear him whisper, “It will be brought with breakfast.”

  She leaned back and said, “But they were loaners from Sariah.”

  He smiled and spoke against her temple. “New clothing will be provided.”

  “Oh right. Akio paid.”

  He spoke into her ear, “Like fuck he did.”

  “So, what is the local currency?”

  “Credits for labour or service. The island buys the materials for our artisans so that they don’t have to bankrupt themselves to get into business.”

  “Tourists?”

  “Different villages in the lowlands.” He spoke against her neck, and it was the last bit of stimulation needed. She shuddered against him and made a soft sound as she went limp. He muttered, “You have no idea how much I love that.”

  Her hips twisted and gyrated against his belly as the slow spasms went on and on. It was more from the use of the word love so unexpectedly. She rode it out until she relaxed, and his smile against her skin was unmistakable.

  “We need to sign some paperwork today.”

  She muttered against his chest, “What?”

  “Paperwork. Sign things.”

  “Why?”

  “Please marry me.”

  She snapped up on her arms and glared at him. “What?”

  He moved his hands between them. Marry me. I wanted you when you were my escort, and I want you now more than ever.

  She looked at him with wide eyes. “I... don’t know. I don’t want to step on Sariah’s toes. She wants to start a life here. I can’t. I am too loud. I wreck everything. Last night was an example.”

  He stared at her, and eventually, he blinked and nodded. I think I am understanding. My offer stands. I will wait.

  She nodded and swallowed, carefully getting off him and darting to the bathroom. She was under the spray in seconds, and the tears started immediately after. She didn’t hear him, but his hands stroked her shoulder, and then his arms wrapped around her.

  He helped her soap her hair and body and rinsed her off. He then held her under the spray as she held onto him.

  He stroked her cheeks and lifted her head. She saw calm understanding, and he kissed her again. He was too much, too loud, and wrecked everything. He understood.

  Ivetha smoothed the sarong skirt and ignored the wrapped top that was made of yards of ribbon. Arata had dressed her himself. Her breasts were wrapped in ruby red. As was the skirt. The strappy sandals were delicate, and she really didn’t want Sariah to see her.

  She was walking downstairs after breakfast when a very familiar sound came to her ears. “Now, where are my little girls?”

  Ivetha ran toward the sound and heard the shriek before she could round the corner. Sariah had gotten there first. Ivetha slowed and walked calmly. The giddy excitement of running to her guardian and being the first in her arms was gone. It was Sariah’s day. It was usually Sariah’s day, but today, it was official.

  Ivetha looked for another exit but didn’t find one, so she walked into the room where the hug was still going on.

  Bex looked at her. “Ivetha, oh, good, you are still here.”

  She walked to her guardian and sister. Sariah was still in the hug and beaming with happiness. Bex’s feline green eyes, pointed ears, and fuzzy skin, along with the armoured bodysuit, were familiar.

  Bex smiled. “Wow. Ivetha. You look amazing. That colour is wonderful on you.”

  Sariah smiled. “You look great, Ivy, but I thought you were going to wear a duller colour.”

  “I didn’t pick it,” she said quietly.

  “Ah, quiet now. Last night she shook the whole damned building.”

  Fire hit her cheeks and remained there. “It was an accident.”

  Sariah’s expression wasn’t kind, but she giggled. “So Akio told me.”

  “Uh, I am going to go for a walk. Nice to see you, Aunt Bex.”

  Bex frowned. “You don’t want a hug?”

  “Not today.”

  Ivetha smiled at them both and walked outside, heading down to the beach. She had to cheat and fly part of the way, but she got there, found a rock to sit on, and stared out at the waves, wondering if she had done the right thing.

  She ran her hands through her hair and sat crunched over. Her wrist com pinged, and she answered, wiping her cheeks as she answered. “Hey.”

  Bex looked at her, and her brows snapped together. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, ma’am. Just thinking some things through.”

  “Get back here. They are getting searchers ready.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Coming back.”

  “Good. Sariah is upset. You are ruining her day.”

  “I... am on my way back home.” She paused. “To the residence.”

  “See you when you get here.”

  “It will be over half an hour.”

  “Be as quick as you can. Some of the local ladies are here, and we need to start the festivities. They are insisting that you be here.”

  “I understand. I am on the way.” She walked back up the hill and braced herself for what she would find when she got there. Her shield was thin but kept her from most of the trees and insects. Ivetha found the path to the overlook and rapidly blinked before she continued back to the residence.

  She sat down and put on her sandals. When she was presentable, she walked the last fifty metres to the courtyard.

  Arata and Akio were talking with Bex and Sariah, and local women were cooing over her pretty golden outfit.

  The seamstress saw Ivetha and charged over. “Hello, Tuurin.”

  Tuurin looked at her. “You look spectacular.”

  “Thank you. Too spectacular. What happened to the dull colours I asked for?”

  The seamstress shrugged. “They don’t suit you. You need bright colours. Oh, let me introduce you to my sisters.”

  Tuurin grabbed her hand and hauled her over to two older women who were laughing quietly at some joke. One of the women spoke in sign. Hello, little miss. You look lovely.

  Ivetha spoke and signed. “Thank you. You and your friend look gorgeous, and Tuurin is smiling like she was responsible.”

  What do you think of the bride?

  “I think that she and Akio are very well-suited and will be very happy together.” She smiled. “She is very sweet.”

  And yet she has been unkind in describing you.

  Ivetha closed her eyes and opened them. “My guardian believes that beauty has more value than any other exhibited power. The opinion leaks through but vanishes when my sister is away from her. We love her, but Aunt Bex thinks what she thinks.”

  So, she does not appreciate you?

  “Her power is sensory, and I hurt her ears. It is the nature of what I do, and she had agreed to raise us. I hurt her. Often.” She smiled. “Light can be more easily controlled.”

  The woman nodded and narrowed her eyes. Do you dance?

  “Yes. I have taken classes.”

  The other woman leaned forward. “Can you dance like we do?”

  “Probably not, but I can try.”

  The woman cackled. “That’s the spirit! Don’t worry, these hips don’t rock as much as they used to unless my husband is involved.”

  The silent woman laughed and smacked her friend. They giggled together silently.

  Tuurin smiled. “These are my sisters, Yelmara and Helthiot. Helthiot is the mother of the groom. She has sworn off using her voice since Arata can’t.”

  “Oh. That is nice that she is supportive like that.”

  Helthiot smiled. It is nice to meet someone who can sign. I am not sure your sister knows that Akio has to go with Arata wherever he goes.

  Probably, she hasn’t really clocked that. She will adapt. She travels on her own and enjoys new experiences.

  Hmm. The way your mother refers to you, Sariah is a beautiful and delicate flower with amazing talents.

  Ivetha sighed. I am not. I get it. She will be a great addition to your family. Akio seems pleased with her joining him here.

  And you? Where will you go?

  Ivetha smiled. I have an employer. A job. A life. I have never considered travel or a life away from home. I will creep back after this celebration and resume my boring life.

  Helthiot’s gaze was pitying. Do you want to?

  I can’t see an option.

  The option is staring at your back.

  I was raised to respect territory. Sariah lives here. Her new life starts here. I am not going to override that. I have done it too often in our lives. I am not going to do it in the most important relationship in her life.

  “Ivy! What are you doing? It’s rude!” Aunt Bex walked up to them.

  Ivetha’s shoulders slumped. She stepped back, and Tuurin’s arm came around her. “Madame, what did she do that was rude?”

  “She is signing without speaking. That is so rude.”

  “What about my sister? Is she rude?” Tuurin smiled brightly.

  “No, of course not.”

  “Well, I understood what was being said, as did my other sister and the retired queen. So, if you had educated yourself, you would have known what was being said.” Tuurin smiled. “No rudeness on Akio and Sariah’s special day.”

  Bex growled, and Ivetha shrank back. After all these years, the sound still freaked her out.

  Helthiot stepped between them, and her hands moved rapidly and smacked into each other. She was pissed. No one was translating for her, so Bex said, “Ivetha, what is she saying?”

  “I don’t know, but she’s shouting at you.” Tuurin held her back.

  “Translate.”

  “I am not an official translator. You always told me that if I wasn’t authorized, I shouldn’t pretend I could do it. I have always listened to what you said.”

  Helthiot moved in between them, and there was no chance to see anything. All she saw were the woman’s shoulders moving.

  Akio came over and put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Uh, Ms. Bex, my mother wants to know why you don’t treat your daughters the same. I confess to being curious.”

  Bex growled. “Ivetha is a disaster. She’s too loud.”

  Akio asked, “That’s it?”

  “Yes. Sariah is beautiful and graceful. Everyone loves to watch her light.” Bex was bragging. There was nothing to it; the gloat was unmistakable.

  “Who paid for her to travel the world?” Akio asked politely.

  “She did.”

  Helthiot’s hands smacked together. Akio translated. “I met her, and she said her sister had bought her the bike, the security tags, and the stipend so she could roam the world to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. I am happy she has chosen Akio, but what about Ivetha? I am worried for her.”

  “Madame, respectfully, she can take care of herself, and if she doesn’t, then it was because she was lazy.”

  “What about Sariah’s laziness?”

  “She is just trying to find herself.”

  Akio said, “She’s twenty-three. I found her, and she definitely knows who she is. Why did Ivetha have to support her?”

  “She’s her sister. Once they were eighteen, they were on their own.”

  Sariah came up and asked, “What is the problem? Mom, what is the issue?”

  Helthiot’s hands were fast. Akio said, “She treats her daughters unequally and is hostile to poor Ivetha. Arata wants to marry her but has rejected him because she feels you will not be happy to have her nearby. Is that true?”

  Sariah stared at Ivetha, and Ivetha shrugged. Sariah teared up. “No, it isn’t true, but it is what she would think. Bex puts me first all the time. She doesn’t like the noises that Ivetha made while learning to control her activation, so she forbid the use in the house. Ivy had to learn control where no one could hear her. I brought her food on the weekends.”

  Bex was growling and hissing for Sariah to shut up. “I taught you to fight.”

  Sariah yelled, “Dodging plasma whips isn’t teaching.”

  Arata was there in a flash, and he gestured to Bex. Go, and if you want to live, don’t come back.

  Ivetha covered her mouth.

  Sariah frowned. “What?”

  “My scar. He’s seen it.”

  “Oh, shit.” She blinked as Akio translated.

  Bex blinked. “I am here for the wedding.”

  Akio said, “I do not believe you will add any joy to the events. You can go. The ladies were loyal to you because you were all they had. That is no longer the case. You raised them; they are alive. You can go now.”

  This time, it was his own words. Sariah walked to him and leaned her head against him. “Go home, Bex. We’ll send you photos so that you can delete Ivy when you get them. They are right. You have treated us unequally, so it seems fair that some prejudice be enacted here.”

  Arata rolled his eyes, grabbed Bex by her neck, and hurled her through a void. Ivetha blinked, and he walked over to her and hugged her, trailing his fingers over the scar on her back. She sighed. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”

  Sariah’s voice drifted to her. “She slept curled around me after that. I didn’t see her back for weeks. I didn’t know about it until it was set.”

  Arata kissed Ivetha’s temple and nuzzled it as he whispered, “I will ask again. Soon.”

  She clutched at his waist and nodded.

  Sariah cleared her throat. “Well, now that the dark shadow has lifted, can we start the party?”

  Ivetha held one thumb up. Sariah grabbed it and held her hand. “So, Your Majesty, can I have my maid of honour for now? You can have her later. Wait. That sounds... never mind.”

  Ivetha was laughing, and she lifted her head and kissed Arata softly, which elicited an aww from the two dozen folk watching. He smiled against her lips and wrinkled his nose. She leaned back and patted his chest with her free hand.

  He smiled encouragingly. She nodded. “Right. When will I see you again?”

  His eyes twinkled. He pressed his mouth to her temple. “Soon. Save me a dance.”

  She blinked and nodded.

  Sariah tugged her away, and Helthiot smiled and signed, Right. Now the classes begin.

  Ivetha translated, and then she and her sister said, “Classes?”

  The Ekovar ladies laughed and swept them away. They were down in the village in no time. The chaos commenced immediately.

  Chapter Six

  Ivetha was aching all over and covered in sweat. She now understood the outfit she was in. Sariah was leaning against her, just as sweaty.

  Sariah gasped. “If I had known that this loomed before me, I think I would have agreed to one of the Sethir. They just want you to shut up and look pretty. No cardio required.”

  Ivetha laughed and then paused. “Oh shit. I forgot to tell you. The egg donor that made us has been located. We were two out of twelve. The others are all known.”

  Sariah sat up and stared. “What?”

  “Yeah. Apparently, the donor is eager to meet us. She’s the greatest beauty of the Sethir. She’s met seven of the other egg set. I get the feeling that we were not the first stringers.”

  Sariah snorted and nodded. “That tracks.”

  Ivetha laughed and grabbed Sariah’s arm. “Shit, they are coming back for us. Hide me.”

  Sariah cackled with laughter, and Ivetha joined in. The married ladies of Ekovar gathered around them and tried to get them up for round two of the marriage dance that was Sariah’s responsibility. She was going to have to perform the gentle sway in front of about five hundred people in two hours. Ivetha was just there for moral support.

  They got up, lined up, and learned until they could do the traditional dance of Ekovar automatically. It was a story told in movement about the original people landing their boats on the island, making a village, and settling in. Then the story spun forward to the actives appearing and the encouragement and voting of chiefs into kings when outsiders found them. Their king protected them from incursion, and they were loyal to the family line ever since.

  Ivetha felt like she had been doing squats for hours.

  When they finished the third run, Helthiot smiled and signed, Good. Rest. Have something to drink. Dinner will be quickly served so you don’t pass out.

  Ivetha translated, and Sariah sighed. “Oh, thank god.”

  They giggled and hauled themselves to the seats, and Helthiot sat near them. Ivetha smiled. Do you put every bridal party through this?

  No, just the brides.

  Ivetha gave her a narrow-eyed look. I am not a bride.

  Sariah asked, “What are you saying?”

  “Oh, I was asking if she does this to every bridal party, and she said no, just the brides.”

  You aren’t going to tell her.

  Ivetha looked at the mother-in-law that Sariah was about to receive. No. Just respecting Aksallan tradition. Tomorrow is for her and Akio.

  Helthiot reached forward and took Ivetha’s hand, squeezing it before letting go and saying, This is not Aksalla. Ask Tuurin about why we have rules about family marriages. Two sisters marrying two brothers will create too many offspring to blend into our population.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10