Waterworld (Hot Dating Agency Book 2) Page 8

  “What you have done means a great deal to the Peoples. Once again, the Firaspatciti have taken the lead in solving a problem the rest of the universe was unwilling to tackle.” He smiled. “I know the Firaspatciti hold their honor in high regard. Rest assured you have restored any perceived loss in honor to the Gerretterdedsath name.”

  I subtly dipped my head in acknowledgment and thanks for his kind words.

  We left the table and sipped some Firaspatciti wine that First One had obtained specifically for our visit while conversing with our hosts. After a couple of glasses of the excellent wine, First One excused himself and Catherina and I retired to our suite. I was smiling as I closed our door behind us.

  I reached into my bag and pulled out a gruller, a fruit that I knew Catherina was found of. It was fist sized and oblong with a rich green sheen, indicating it was at the peak of ripeness. She said it had the constancy of an Earth apple, but the taste reminded her of an orange. I tossed her the fruit.

  “Hungry?” I asked as she juggled the fruit a moment before getting control of it.

  “A gruller! Thank you! I’m starving!” she gushed before biting into the fruit. “You’re a life saver!” she mumbled around the fruit as she chewed.

  I smiled and pulled another one out for myself. Not only was the fruit tasty and filling, but it was consumed in its entirety, leaving no evidence that we’d packed a snack to sate our hunger.

  I took a bite out of my gruller and chewed thoughtfully, wondering not for the first time if the Letozlets were really so unaware in what low regard the rest of the universe held their cuisine.

  “My hero,” she said as she slithered into my arms just as I popped the last of my gruller into my mouth. “I think you saved me.” She smiled at me. “A kiss for my gallant knight.”

  I smiled as she took my lips. The first time she called me that, she had to explain what a knight was, but I rather liked being thought of as her protector and the righter of wrongs.

  “I have a surprise for you,” I whispered as our lips parted.

  “Mmmm…” she purred. “Now that I’m not starving, maybe I have one for you too.”

  I snickered. “Remember, it would be considered rude to mate in the First One’s palace without permission of his joined.”

  She sighed. “Oh yeah. I forgot. And since she’s gone to the long darkness… What a stupid custom.”

  I snickered again. “Embrace our differences, remember?”

  “Yeah, well, embracing them and agreeing with them aren’t always the same thing,” she grumbled. “What if the First One’s joined had gone to the long darkness a hundred years ago. Nobody could have mated in his palace?”

  I nodded. “Not until he joined again. It is the Second One that runs the household and holds full control over what happens here. First One may speak for Letozlet, but in the palace, he answered to his joined.”

  She sighed. “Well, since that’s out, what’s your surprise?”

  I smiled but said nothing. I pulled out of her arms and opened a portal. “Bruth, Grewel, to me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  My smile widened. “You’ll see.”

  Over the millennia, the Peoples of the universe had tended to specialize. Each planet had everything they needed to survive, but their Peoples exhibited traits that they became known for. The Fires provided protection, keeping the peace and dealing with rogues and outlaws. The Waters were in great demand as healers and end of life support. Thath provided much of the fish for the universe and Hedord grain and bread. Xzarett mined the many planetoids of their system for raw materials and the Estaanayouk produced more scholars than any other single People. And the Letozlet? Where the Estaanayouk were scholarly, the Letozlet were artists. They had a keen eye for the dramatic or the whimsical and could easily adapt their artistry to suit local tastes. Most entertainment and popular culture experienced throughout the universe originated on Letozlet in some way. The most popular and prolific producers of Firaspatciti entertainment were actually Letozletian imports.

  The door chimed and I stepped in front of Catherina, my hand resting comfortably on my blade.

  “Enter!”

  Bruth and Grewel entered and dropped to their knee.

  “Rise,” I commanded. “Catherina and I are going to Taluh Face.”

  “I will summon the rest of—”

  “No,” I said, cutting him off. “Only you and Grewel will accompany us.”

  Bruth lowered his head. “Yes, my Lord,” he said without looking up. “But I recommend that—”

  “Understood,” I said. I knew he wouldn’t like it, and it was his duty to make objection known, but it was my decision. “Station.”

  I opened the portal and Bruth stepped through. After a moment’s pause, to give Bruth a chance to return and warn us off, Catherina and I stepped through with Grewel in close support. I smiled. I could just see the faint glow of the Letozlet moon, Joulus, lighting the notch between Taluh and Telrah, the two mountain peaks in the far distance.

  Taluh Face was an ancient carving, dug out by the Letozlets hundreds of thousands of years ago. They had smoothed and finished the rock face of Taluh, then dug tunnels and fitted them with mirrors that focused and directed the light from Joulus. Standing in the proper place, at the proper time, as we were, Joulus would rise directly behind Taluh. As the moon rose its light would shine through the tunnels and appear on the finished face of Taluh. A globe of Letozlet, its continents outlined in the slightly blue moonlight, would slowly form, and then over the next thirty-seven clicks, exactly one-hundredth the actual rotation of Letozlet, the globe would complete one rotation as the moon rose and the mirrors directed the light down different tunnels.

  The globe was five-thousand lengths tall and was truly a marvel of artistic engineering. Nobody knew the cost of construction, but it had taken the Letozlets more than a hundred years to complete. And why? Because it was beautiful and lifted the spirit was the only reason the Letozlets needed.

  I had seen Taluh Face before. It was something the Letozlets were justifiably proud of and I had paid the area an official visit as Lord of Firaspatciti. On my previous visit the entire area had been cleared for security purposes, but now I was just another person, standing with my bonded as we watched one of the wonders of the universe.

  In the darkness, we could easily blend into the small crowd. Nobody recognized me and I alternated my attention between Taluh Face and Catherina. As the globe slowly illuminated, picking up more and more light as Joulus rose, I watched as Catherina’s eyes opened wider with amazement.

  “Is that Letozlet?”

  “It is. Watch the globe carefully.”

  Once the face reached full brightness, the globe slowly began to turn, Letozlet’s land masses creeping past. I watched Catherina, her gaze transfixed, her eyes wide in wonderment. I saw, really saw, Taluh Face for the first time, seeing the wonder of it through her eyes.

  “That’s… amazing. It’s the moon that’s lighting it up?”

  “It is,” I whispered.

  “How?”

  “I can’t say for sure. I know there are thousands of tunnels carved into the mountain with mirrors to catch the light. It requires no power to operate. Nothing but for Joulus to rise.”

  “It’s beautiful,” she breathed, never looking away.

  I bent and whispered into her ear. “Not as beautiful as you.”

  She glanced at me, but in the darkness, I couldn’t read her face. She turned away to continue to watch, stepping in front of me before backing in close and pressing her back into my chest. I surrounded her in my arms and rested my cheek against her head as we watch the play of lights.

  As the slowly spinning globe returned to it’s starting point and began to dim, she turned in my arms and kissed me softly. I’d long ago stopped caring if anyone saw me kissing her in public.

  She slowly pulled back from the kiss. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  I smiled. “There are so many w
onders that I want you to see, that I want to see again but to see for the first time with you.”

  She smiled at me. “I stand at your weak side.”

  I could have stood and kissed her for hours, but we had to return to the palace. If we were missed, a panic would ensue. I had broken protocol by sneaking out, but I wanted to be alone with her, to blend into the crowd and just be Stevan Gerrett, Fire, bonded mate of Catherina Hume, not Stevanualfutherac Gerretterdedsath, Lord of the Firaspatciti.

  “Come,” I whispered. “We may not be able to mate, but I can hold you warm and close.”

  She held my gaze as she touched my face in a way that I had become very fond of. “I guess it will have to do,” she sighed.

  Nine

  Catherina

  “Lady, Caterina, may I have a word with you? In private?” Geller, one of the Hedordian males asked as the Hedordians and Fires trickled in our meeting room.

  I’d been working with them for about three weeks, and we were making good progress. I was pretty sure there was already some mating going on, and I could see couples beginning to pair up, but there had been no talk of bonding or children. Fire women weren’t exactly known for their maternal instincts and I knew there would be no children without bonding. On Fire, the males were as involved in child rearing as the females, and no Fire woman would willingly become pregnant and raise a child alone.

  “Of course, Geller.”

  I looked around but there was no place in the room where I thought we wouldn’t be overheard. I took his arm and tugged him out of the room and down the hall to an adjacent room. We entered and I closed the door.

  “What can I help you with?” I asked.

  Geller shook his head. “These Firaspatciti women. They’re impossible.”

  Uh-oh. I didn’t like the sound of that. “How do you mean?”

  “I know you have been instructing us to embrace our differences and find strength in them, but the Firaspatciti, they’re too…”

  “Too what?” I prompted when he trailed off. “Geller, what you tell me will never leave this room,” I continued when he didn’t answer. “If I don’t know the problem, I can’t address it.”

  “They’re too much like men,” he finally said, his mouth hardening.

  “How do you mean?”

  “There is no softness in them. They are demanding and aggressive. They don’t ask, they order. And when mating…” He paused and shook his head.

  I knew this was a sticking point, but this is the first time the Hedordians have come right out and said so.

  “Do the others feel the same way?”

  “Yes. Some more than others of course. Only Torruy has no complaints.”

  “Have you asked him why?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?” I prompted.

  Geller’s lips went thin. “During his first mating with Vularra, she so enraged him that he hit her. We don’t treat out women that way and we warned him not to do it again.”

  “Has he?”

  “He said he hasn’t, and Vularra has defended him, but she often appears to have been handled… roughly.”

  I smiled. I appreciated that the Hedordians treasured and protected their women, but it seemed that Torruy had finally figured out the key.

  “What does that tell you?”

  “I won’t hit a woman, not even for you Lady Catherina.”

  “There are other ways, Geller. Are you and Peralut mating?”

  He looked down and didn’t answer, but his silence said volumes. They may be mating, but Geller, at least, wasn’t happy with the results.

  “You don’t have to hit Peralut, but so long as you allow her to push you around, she isn’t going to respect you.”

  “I don’t!”

  “No?”

  “No!”

  “May I give you some advice?”

  “That’s why I wanted to speak with you.”

  “I want you to start treating Peralut like a stubborn horse… uh… a… what animal do you have on Hedord that you have to train?”

  “A vult is an animal that we use in competitions and for pleasure. They are beautiful, graceful animals, but can be willful.”

  “Perfect. Treat Peralut like a beautiful but willful vult. How do you bring a vult into line when it is being willful?”

  “With a firm hand. You have to command the animal and remind it that you’re its dominant. But Peralut isn’t a vult.”

  “No, but it’s what she wants from you, Geller. She wants to know that you are capable of standing at her side if things go hell.” He looked at me strangely, clearly not understanding the reference. “Sorry. If things go badly.”

  “I won’t beat her, Lady Catherina.”

  “Do you beat a vult?”

  “No…,” he said slowly, drawing the word out, “but sometimes you have to get rough with… the… I’m not sure I’m comfortable treating a Peralut like I vult. She’s not an animal.”

  “All I’m saying is, show her you’re not going to allow her to push you around anymore, okay? You don’t have to hit her. In fact, don’t hit her. That sends the wrong message to her. I want her to respect you for who you are, not make you into a Fire. But the next time you’re alone and she starts giving you a load of shit, don’t take it from her.” I smiled. “Treat her like you would a well-trained vult that simply had to be reminded you’re in charge. Use that firm but gentle hand on her.”

  “I’ll try.”

  I grinned at him. “Trust me on this. Next time you and Peralut mate, or whoever you mate with, I want you to throw her around and fuck her good. Do you know what that means?”

  He smiled. “I have a general idea.”

  “Good. You can do this. I think you and the Firaspatciti are a good match. You share many of the same traits, but you both have to adjust your expectations.” I paused. “Anything else?”

  “No.” He swallowed hard and looked at me, his eyes troubled. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for this. Treating a woman so…”

  “It’s what she wants, Geller. She wants you to prove to her you’re worthy of her. Once you have her respect it’ll become much easier. Like a vult, once she understands her place and yours, that your strong enough to protect her weak side as she will protect yours, she’ll respect you. When that happens, not only will she stop testing you, at least as often, but she will be willing to fight a pack of wild keggars for you. You just have to earn her respect first.”

  “And I do that by…”

  “By not putting up with her shit anymore. She’s testing you, and you’re failing.”

  “A vult, huh?”

  I grinned. “However you have to think of it. Just don’t be an asshole about it. Firm but gentle. I don’t know what a vult looks like, but from your description, I imagine it is similar to an Earth horse. Beating a horse until you break its spirit ruins the animal. You don’t want to break Peralut’s spirit.”

  He nodded. “Yes, same with a vult. They are stupid but agreeable animals that many of us cherish. I have three. They stand about your height, with two large muscular hind legs and two smaller front legs. We use them to pull buggies for holidays and short trips when we want to enjoy the countryside.”

  I grinned. I still thought of a horse, but now I imagined it looked like a kangaroo or something.

  “Perhaps, you can give me a ride behind one of your vults sometime.”

  He smiled back at me. “I would consider it an honor, Lady Catherina.”

  “Anything else? People are going to be wondering where we are.”

  “No. I will try to do as you suggest, but it’s not an easy thing.”

  “Nothing worth doing ever is, Geller.”

  -oOo-

  “Tokalas, is everything okay?” I asked.

  I felt on top the world but there was clearly something bothering Tokalas.

  We were waiting on Peval to arrive before we stepped through the portal to Estaan. I was in a terrific mood. There’d been a breakthrough of s
orts with the Hedordians yesterday.

  Geller had taken my advice to heart and changed his mindset with Peralut. Yesterday had been our first meeting after our discussion, and he had arrived scratched up, bruised, and smiling. Fire women didn’t fawn, but Peralut was doing the nearest thing to it. She, too, looked like she had been used hard, with red marks and faint bruises covering her. From what I could see, it looked like it had been a long and hard-fought battle of wills, but the way they were both beaming, it appeared they’d reached a resolution they both felt comfortable with.

  Best of all, everyone else noticed, Fire and Hedordian alike. Wanting them to share their experience, I’d split Geller and Peralut up and divided the room into Fires and Hedordians and encouraged them to recount their experience to their peers. The Hedordians were reluctant to talk among themselves when I hovered, so I spent most of my time listening in on the Fires.

  Geller had impressed Peralut the previous night with his strength and stamina. During their evening meal, he made it clear he was done taking her crap and she could either stop or find someone else willing to put up with it. The issue had quickly escalated as Peralut pushed back. He’d refused to back down out of respect to her gender, has he had before, and when she’d questions his ability to match her, he’d proved her wrong. He’d thrown her all around the room, meeting every challenge she’d issued him, using his far superior strength to overcome her greater skill. That had led to them mating, and again, he’d bested her, leaving her gasping and out of breath.

  She’d recounted in great and lurid detail how he’d taken her on the floor, against a wall, and in her bedchamber. She’d been delighted that, despite her best efforts, she was unable to overcome his massive strength, and they had mated with great vigor three times the previous night. The Fires were one and done when it came to mating, but Geller had rolled over her last night and she’d had to give her all to rise to the challenge he’d issued her, and she still couldn’t match him.