Obedient (3 page)

“I never asked, do you have children, Quil?”

“Four. All grown up. In my culture, the adults only get to live their own lives once the children have been set on their own paths. Everyone scatters.”

Quil was flying, but it appeared she could still carry on a conversation.

“What do you think of assignments like this?”

“Taking Terrans or other species and walking them through the first days in a new universe? I love it. It is amazingly fun, and I learn something about your folk every time I meet a new one. You are the first pregnancy, so that is fun.”

“So, what am I carrying?”

“A Drai. They are a species of winged beings that used to be shapeshifters. Before that gene was bred out, they scattered a handful of Drai around the universe, each hiding on their own world. They are highly territorial and that might have had an impact on their collapse.”

“What do they shift into?”

Quil started to set the shuttle down. “Your culture calls them dragons.”

Zelia put her hand over her belly. “What?”

“Check your information. You will find them in detail.”

She closed her eyes and pulled her recall up like she had been taught. Drai were basically humanoid with the exception of the males having large bat-like wings. Well, bat-like if bat wings came from an independent source and not the hands of the bats themselves. They were large enough to carry the Drai through the air, and the bodies of the species had evolved to let them do their job.

She opened her eyes and flicked to the next article. The ancient Drai could shift their forms by temporarily absorbing energy and mass from the environment around them and discharging it when they resumed their more socially acceptable form.

“So, if this is a boy, it will have wings.”

Quil laughed. “Wing buds when it is born. They can’t fly until their bodies are strong enough to manage it. Don’t worry about chasing a flying toddler.”

Her concern came up in a wave and receded in the same instant. “Right. Okay. You said there is a com unit?”

Quil smiled. “I have only seen the schematic. We are a kilometre away from your new house, but I am assured it has been well stocked.”

“How could they stock it if I wasn’t here?”

“We took the long route. The short route is less than a day from occupied space. The Alliance can get someone here if you need it.”

“Oh. Okay.” She unbuckled and got to her feet. “I hope that that will not be necessary.”

“As do I, but keeping Terrans alive away from home is worth a little effort. Better too prepared than not prepared enough.”

“Are we hard to keep alive?” Zel was worried.

“No. A Terran once told me to liken you to something called
sea monkeys.
You are plentiful, easy to care for, but if your environment is messed with, you tend not to thrive.”

“Wonderful.”

They left the shuttle, and Zelia took a chance on inhaling the alien air. She could smell trees, soil and the distinct tang of the ocean.

“Are we near the sea?” She bit her lip and her hands tingled with excitement.

“You will see. Come on. The house is over here.”

Quilan led her up the lush purple-green of the hillside. Bright yellow flowers bloomed and the sweet, light scent teased Zel’s nose.

When they crested the hillside, she swallowed sharply. “I am going to live there?”

Quilan took her hand and tugged her toward the huge stone palace surrounded by ornamental and kitchen gardens. “This will be your home. There are bots to take care of your needs, and you will be able to do whatever you like here.”

The design of the buildings had the feeling of images of Asian architecture mixed with a Greek or Roman influence. The books she had worshipped in the school library had been filled with images of exotic ruins and preserved sites. Zel never imagined that she would be living in something that looked like it was designed to hold dozens of ladies, gentlemen and servants.

She tried to look at every angle of the walkway as they approached the doors. Quilan pointed to the smooth dome, and she wiggled her hand. “You need to key it open.”

“It is set for me?”

“Yes. That was all settled while you floated and got taller.”

Zel’s palm sweated a little, and she wiped it on her bodysuit. Her fingers trembled as she pressed her palm to the dome. The door clicked, and it swung open without a creak. The door opened to allow them inside the wonderland that was just beyond the high fence.

She wanted to run through the neatly arranged hedges, the flower gardens and the vegetable garden that was being tended by a waist-high bot wearing a small apron.

It cruised around the corner, and she was left staring at the huge entryway designed for something twenty feet tall.

Quilan smiled and trailed behind her. “Well?”

“I really like it. It is wonderful.”

A curl of joy ran through Zelia’s mind, and it didn’t originate from her own thoughts. A slow, quiet song began in her head, and it rocked her gently in a feeling of safety and welcome.

She turned to her friend. “Do you hear that?”

“No. What are you hearing?”

Zel frowned. “I don’t know. It is really quiet, but I can hear singing.”

Quilan sighed and her shoulders relaxed, showing that she had been tense. “Good. Now, let’s find your bedroom and your new wardrobe. If you are living here, you should look like you belong here.”

Zel nodded and whispered, “I should look like I feel. This place is wonderful.”

Quil pulled her along, and they walked up the steps, looking into the bedrooms before the master suite made itself known by opening its doors.

“I think I can get used to this.” Zel smiled.

“Good. Zelia, welcome home.”

The first week on her new world was a dream that she eventually realised she didn’t have to wake from.

Quilan had left after three days, and Zel was used to the song in her mind as well as the thought that she had something growing in her body.

Zel slid out of bed, trying not to disturb the bedding and sheets too much. The house was full of bots that fed her and cleaned up after her, but she was trying not to make too much of a mess.

She slipped on a robe, walked out onto the balcony and made her way down the stairs until she was standing on the beach. The water was quiet in the morning. Zel hummed along with the song in her mind and wandered through the surf as it frothed around her calves.

The song seemed to be part of the world around her. It alternated between wild tumbles of sound and gentle whispers as she tried to sleep.

Zel looked around and asked, “I wonder if the song and the dreams are related.”

Since Quilan had left, her dreams had contained a huge Asian dragon twisting against the full moons and running along the waves with a smooth undulation. When it reached the shore, it turned into a large, naked man, and at that point, Zel woke up.

When she woke, her pulse was racing, her body was hot and there was a disturbing slickness between her thighs. The morning walks calmed her down, and the ocean helped steady her heartbeat.

A splash out in the open water got her attention, and she saw something huge breaching and a tail flicked a spray of water through the morning light.

Zel grinned and climbed up onto one of the rocks that jutted out over the waves, trying to see the creature again. She sat and waited for a few minutes, and it soon appeared again, far larger than she originally imagined. “Wow.”

She swallowed when the crest along the back changed direction and began to swim toward shore, Zel had the sudden feeling that she wasn’t as safe on the rock as she imagined.

The ripple of the creature grew larger and larger, but instead of the head surfacing, the trail disappeared. She slowly got to her feet and walked back the way she had come, returning to the house.

Since the creature never surfaced, she was confident it wouldn’t, but she sprinted to the house anyway. The bots would have breakfast ready, and she was hungry.

The song in her head was soothing, and after she had wandered in the gardens, she followed it back to the beach. The water had changed its mood. The waves crashed and twisted against the shore.

She was drawn to the water again. Zel couldn’t figure out the instinct that forced her to walk into the waves, but she stopped with the water at mid-thigh and closed her eyes as it surged around her.

She couldn’t say how long she stood in the water, but when she felt it lapping at her navel, she turned to walk back the shore. The move was a mistake. Her legs were numb; she stumbled and went under. Her instincts for self-preservation were rusty, but she fought her way back to the surface in order to gasp before the water pulled her under again.

Cold panic, she fought to the surface again and breathed in, looking at the shore in the distance. She was being swept out to sea.

The pull of the current hauled her under again, but instead of being swept in a swirl of confusion, hands caught her and held her, lifting her to the surface.

She was pulled back into the air, and she gasped, coughing up the water she had swallowed. Her rescuer swam easily through the water, bringing her back to the shore in a matter of minutes.

She was pinned against his chest and couldn’t see him, but when he lifted her from the water and carried her to the beach, she noted that the arm holding her was pale blue.

Her rescuer didn’t pause to set her down; he carried her across the beach, up the steps and into her house.

He knew where he was going. That much was certain.

She was still coughing and couldn’t ask who he was, but the bots ignored him as he walked into the medical office and set her on the exam bed, moving the scanner over her with practiced gestures.

She stared at him. He was tall, that was certain. His skin was pale blue all over and darker blue around his mouth, nose and eyes. His hair was silky black, and it cascaded down his back between the huge blue and silver wings. The rest of him was taut, lithe muscle.

He was also completely naked, but his interest in her seemed confined to watching the scanner do its job.

His navy-blue eyes and lips were tense until the scan chirped that she was perfectly healthy. At that point, he looked angry.

“What did you think you were doing?” His voice boomed and rumbled in the small room.

She frowned. “I was called to the water, but I lost track of the tides and was pulled under.”

His wings flexed and his hands opened and closed. “Can you even swim?”

Zel blinked. “Of course. Well, I can in a pool. I have never been near the ocean before. I underestimated the force of the currents.”

He exhaled and ran a webbed hand over his face. “Well, that is something. Your child is still in place, your body is healthy and you need some hot tea but otherwise are perfectly fine.”

She sat up, still soaked but recovering. “Who are you?”

He laughed and bowed low. “Rad Ahku of the Drai.”

She inclined her head from her perch on the exam bed. “Zelia of Terra.”

“I am aware.” The smile on his face changed him from terrifying to extremely attractive.

“If you are a Drai, is this your home?”

“I have offered it to you and our offspring.”

She blushed. “So the child I am carrying is yours?”

“Yes.”

“And this house is yours?”

He shrugged. “I created it for my mate and child. I can settle for it sheltering my child.”

She swallowed. “So, you don’t have a...mate?”

He chuckled. “No, and no other woman will be in this home while you live. It is yours for your lifetime.”

Zel looked down at her wet dress and blushed. “If you are here, I should move into one of the smaller bedrooms.”

“No!”

She flinched back and slipped off the opposite side of the bed. “Um. I think it would be a good idea. This is your house. I don’t want to be where I am not wanted.”

Zel turned and headed out the door and up the stairs to the bedroom. She needed some dry clothing before she could think of what to do next.

From the moment she had set foot in the house, she had known it didn’t belong to her. It was too good to be true.

She stripped off her wet dress and went looking for alternate clothing. She found a red, sleeveless tunic and some tights. With the clothes over her arm, she headed to the bathroom and took a solar shower.

When she emerged from her sanctuary, she was dressed, her hair was combed over one shoulder and she was ready to figure out what to do next.

Rad was leaning on one shoulder in the doorway to the master bedroom. “I am not moving in.”

She bit her lip. “This is your home.”

“This has never been my home. My home is out in the open ocean, but that was never going to work with a family. My child will grow up under this roof. It is my honour to provide it for you.”

Zel blinked and ran her hands down her thighs. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

“The bots were programmed for you. The gardens are for you. You are not in the way; you are the purpose of this place.” He smiled.

“I thought it was for your mate.”

“I thought so, too, but you do not wish a mate and you do wish a child, so I will take what I can get.”

Part of Zel’s mind said that he was giving in too easily but another part mumbled something about cows and free milk. He would have the child that he obviously wanted and his lifespan was centuries longer than hers. He would have their child to himself soon enough.

She nodded and cautiously walked toward the doorway. “Thank you for the place to live. It is exceptionally lovely.”

He inclined his head. “I do wish to address your lack of ability in the ocean. You need to learn how to take care of yourself in open water.”

“I’m pretty sure that I am good for a while.”

“Nonsense. We live at the edge of the open water. You need to be confident that you can survive if you are pulled into the surf again.”

She shivered at the look in his eyes. If she didn’t know better, he was planning on pulling her under right there and then.

“I am sure that I can practice on my own somewhere. There has to be a section of beach nearby that is more sheltered than this cove.”