Dawn Autumn (14 page)

“Could I get away with that?” he asked hopefully, then laughed when she swatted him. “Okay, I’ll give. We’re going to have a honeymoon, just like nothing is bad in the universe. After that, I’m going to leave you with some friends and go take care of the problem. Shouldn’t take me more than a week or two. You want to look at houses after that? I know a nice little planet in the Zapas solar system—“

She sat up and looked at him. “What does ‘taking care of the problem’ entail?”

“I don’t want to bore you,” he said with false humility.

Her eyes narrowed. “Bore me.”

He blinked at her.

“You’re an ex-assassin, not a god. I don’t want you hurt,” she warned him.

“Note taken,” he said, and kissed her.

Blast the man. She was never going to win an argument if he kept that up.

* * * *

“Come on. I’m going to introduce you to the local shopping scene.” Fred bounded up from the couch and pulled on his clothes. Lovemaking seemed to supercharge him.

Jay lay there, drowsy with satisfaction. She might be too tender to make love as often as Fred wanted, but it hadn’t stopped him from mapping her body with his mouth and hands as often as he liked. She had whisker burns in unmentionable places, places he’d gladly soothed with a healing balm. He’d also taught her to return the favor with the result that she was now unwilling to stir from the couch.

A girl could only take so much.

Fred playfully slapped her bare bottom, then lingered over the spot. “If you’re smart, woman, you’ll get me away from anything horizontal...or vertical...or semi-private for the next while. Maybe the next few years.”

She groaned and rolled off the couch. “Okay, but you’re going to have to carry me. My legs are jelly.”

He grinned and tossed her a shirt.

Chapter Ten

A week ago she wouldn’t have believed she would be walking down an alien boulevard, her arm around her equally exotic lover. Correction, husband. She laughed with disbelief. She didn’t even know what species he was. The whole street had the feeling of a carnival. A squat alien to their left was dressed in a stiff, large ruffled collar and pointy hat, selling bubbles on a string, like iridescent balloons. Venders hawked food from gaily painted carts with enormous, decorative wheels. Glowing pink, purple and blue butterflies the size of a giant lollipop fluttered around like Japanese lanterns on the move. Topiary bushes mixed with trees in shades of pink, white, and mauve. It was all so extraordinary, and yet so wonderful.

“What’s so funny?” Fred asked, nuzzling her ear.

She giggled at the tickle. “I was wondering what species you were.
Are
you human, like me? I mean, I know you’re not a Vulcan, and you can’t be whatever Tasin is.”

“Tasin and Lezza are Exians. My race is called the Sado.” He stepped around a creature that looked like a sawed off werewolf.

“Do all your people have silver eyes, or is it rare?”

“It used to be fairly common. Silver blue, rust, or amber also show up. Sometimes green, but that’s usually linked to alien blood.”

Fascinated, she asked, “What about hair color?”

“Black, browns and red.” His brows drew together slightly. “Here we are. I thought you’d like to check out a music store.”

Distracted from his frown, Jay ogled the instruments, some so oddly shaped she wasn’t sure what their function was. They had some stringed instruments, but none quite like her guitar. What fascinated her, though, was a small pan pipe. Shaped like a Y, it was covered in elegant scrollwork. When she blew in it, it sang out like a soulful human voice, but in a register she’d never heard. Amazed, she stared at it. “Wow! I love to hear some music written for this. This is the most amazing instrument I’ve ever heard.”

The proprietor, a pale blue Exian, grinned in delight and explained, “It’s an Exian pipe, native to my world. Here, let me play you something.” He took the pipe and blew into it, his fingers caressing the metal.

Jay stood frozen as the sweet, haunting notes filled the air. So much beauty. Tears swam to the surface of her eyes and spilled over, and she didn’t care. Music had always had the power to move her soul, but she’d never experienced this before.

Fred lightly caressed her spine as the song ended. “We’ll take one,” he said softly to the proprietor. “We’ll take sheet music, a selection of digital songs and she wants lessons. You want a live instructor, sweetheart? You need to get out and meet people, so I’d recommend it.”

Still dazed, Jay swallowed and tried to answer. In the end she just shook her head yes or no. To think she might have passed the rest of her life on earth and never heard that.

Fred led her out of the shop with his arm around her, carrying the small bag. He was smiling.

They settled down into a confectionary place a couple of shops down. Fred ordered for them, giving her time to recover. Jay said little as she caressed the pipe, dreaming. Finally she gave herself a little shake and put it back in the bag. She smiled a little sheepishly at him. “Whoa.”

He grinned. “You think that’s good, wait until you taste your shake.”

Still a little out there, she took a sip of the frosty beverage, unprepared for the richness. It tasted of mint, vanilla, and a clean, sweet taste she couldn’t identify. Whatever it was, it elevated the shake from good to ‘wow’! “Hello! What is this? I’ve never had ice cream like this.”

He grinned. “It’s not ice cream. It’s a tree fruit. It’s got a lot of natural fat, like butter or an avocado. That’s where the richness comes from.”

“This is amazing. Can we grow one of these plants?”

He laughed. “You’re going to need a lot of land, first, farmer. Why not just buy it? It’s not like it’s in short supply.”

“Yeah, but sometimes it’s fun to make things from scratch. You know, cook? I realize you’re used to getting your meals from a box, but there was a time when I used to sit down to something homemade.”

“Okay, if you really want to cook, go for it. We might have to get you some cooking lessons, first, ‘cause I doubt there’s much here you’re familiar with. There are lots of them in the public library database. I’ll show you how to access them at home.”

She frowned. “I can’t read your language.”

“Don’t worry, you can download the verbal version until you’ve completed the Galactic Standard tutorial. We’ll practice at home.”

“Daunting.”

“Doable,” he said firmly. “You want anything else with that?” She was full, so he got a box of treats to take with them. They hadn’t strolled far when Jay was distracted by a pet shop window. There was tiny dragon-like creature on a perch. The golden wings were drooping, the hawk-like head bent. It looked sad. She placed her hand on the glass, though she wasn’t the sort of person to smudge windows. “Look at that. He looks so sad.”

“He?” There was a strained note in his voice.

“He looks like a he,” Jay insisted. “What is he? See that? They’ve got a little chain around his ankle. He can’t even fly around. How cruel!”

“Jay...”

“Oh, look! He’s looking at me. I think he likes me.”

“Jay.”

“Hm?” It took her a moment, but she finally glanced at him, wondering at his serious, even stern expression.

“That’s a pendragon, hon.”

“Okay.”

Fred tried again. “Pendragons are wild creatures, meant to be free. This one was probably hatched in captivity, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous to the wrong owner. If you want a pet, you should probably get something fuzzy and cute, like a lap oodle. This one...this one’s not for you.”

The creature strained on the perch, reaching out with its little clawed paw, and overbalanced. It couldn’t leave the perch, but it could make little mewling sounds.

“Are you sure? It looks like he’s trying to get to me, like he wants to leave. I don’t blame him.”

“Buying him will only encourage the breeders,” Fred said, a little savagely. He could see he was loosing this battle. Jay had no idea, and he sympathized with her compassion. She must be a little empathic, or the pendragon would have ignored her. Even as he denied his own sympathy for the little captive, he sensed that Jay would make a perfect match for the beast.

Hardly surprising. She’d captivated him, hadn’t she?

Ruthlessness rose in him, that familiar possessiveness she always evoked. If she had any idea what he’d do for her, he’d never have the upper hand again. He also knew the thoughts that still lingered in her mind. “That’s not the kind of pet you can take back to Earth, and once he bonds with you, you’ll never get rid of him without killing him. They are a one-person pet.”

She hesitated, but not long. “I understand. Can I please have him, Fred?”

He was still calculating enough that he let her. Even as he glared his disgust at the shopkeeper, he paid for the pendragon and an overpriced package of raw meat. The refrigerated packaging would keep the meat cold for days, but he wasn’t in the mood for more shopping. He called for a cab as Jay followed the attendant to the window. She didn’t even notice that the shop keep locked the door and turned the sign to closed. She did look inquiringly at the attendant as the front window turned opaque, though.

The woman smiled nervously but didn’t explain. Fred knew they were trying to avoid bad publicity if the pendragon went for blood. It often did, for it was rare they took to anyone. He wasn’t worried, though. He’d grown up with them, knew them as only a native of their world could. He’d have never bought it for Jay if he hadn’t known they’d be a match.

The attendant fitted Jay with a leather shoulder perch and gauntlet. The strap went over her chest, between her breasts and fastened at her ribs, protecting her from the dragon’s sharp claws.

As soon as the attendant released the electronic lock, the dragon flew straight to Jay’s shoulder perch and huddled defensively against her head, as if trying to glue himself there. His tail curved around the back of her neck, and his claws dug into the leather, anchoring it firmly. That dragon wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the shopkeeper marveled. “Usually we have to stun them and put them in a cage ....” She trailed off at the evil look Fred gave her.

Jay looked at the woman coldly. “I’m rescuing this dragon because he
asked
me to, but I don’t approve of what you’re doing. My husband and I are going to see what we can do to stop people like you. Pets were made to be loved, not abused by people like you.”