Tohba winced. “Is he going to be in trouble?”
“No, but he might sweat a little.” She chuckled and worked at her breakfast. “Damn, I was hungry.”
Tohba chuckled. “I could tell. Your eyes looked hollow.”
She smiled. “Thanks. Glad you were paying attention.”
Hivr looked at her and cocked his head. “Is your scar faded? It is less noticeable.”
She touched it, and the raised ridges had flattened somewhat. “They pulled the venom from my system. It had been most prevalent in my scar, so yeah, I guess that is what is going on.”
Tohba chuckled. “It looks good. Even fatigued, you look better. Less grey. Grey looks amazing on me but not on you.”
Tber looked at her and smiled. “So, how was the volcano?”
She regaled them with the tale of her narrow escape and her flight along the coast. She paused. “Damn, they are going to bill me for the rider and the sensor.”
The group laughed, and they sat around while morning came, discussing close calls on their missions and the days that they had raked in bonuses. The day that Athena had bitten into a saponification plant was particularly one that elicited laughter. Her tendency to chew the plants to determine the makeup of them was one that had had her rinsing her mouth for hours. She still shuddered at the memory of trying to talk and blowing bubbles.
They laughed, and then, the guys got ready to get to work.
She smiled. “I am going to take in the market. I don’t have much time on my own left, and I want to enjoy it.”
Tber looked at her with a surprisingly sombre expression. “I am sorry that you didn’t get a chance to follow your path.”
She reached out and patted his hand. “It’s okay. My path just took a detour.”
Hivr asked, “Do you think you will return to your path?”
She looked at them and smiled. “I think I will have to make a new destination. It’s fine. I can manage it.”
They left the bunkhouse, and they headed for the warehouse while she went to raid the dawn market. There was a lot of really good fruit on Hyrnan, and the market was the only place to get it.
She waved at a few of the vendors and got some fruit and a hot juice, taking her loot to one of the tables set up at the far end of the market. She sat and looked at the slice of the colony that she could see. Vehicles were starting up. Foraging teams were heading out, and the farming units were trundling down the reinforced pathways.
She sipped at the hot juice and worked her thumb under the rind of the red fruit that she and her team had brought in during their first week together. It was sectioned like an orange, but the colour was almost purple. The flavour was somewhere in a cross between a blueberry and strawberry.
Athena sighed and was unsurprised to hear the heavy beat of wings behind her.
“This is not how I was hoping to spend my morning, Athena Fox.”
She shrugged. “I had been planning to be out with my team, so we are both disappointed, my lord.”
He joined her on the bench at the table, and she offered him a piece of the fruit. He leaned his head forward and took it with his teeth, his lips grazing her fingertips.
He nodded. “One of the new fruits. It’s good.”
She ate another slice and sighed. “Nothing is quite the same as the first time.”
He chuckled. “We will see.”
She choked, and he rubbed her back. She hadn’t been put in her place in a while. That did it.
Chapter Four
She finished with the fruit and was going to wipe her hand on her coverall when he grabbed her wrist and brought her hand to his mouth. He licked at her skin carefully. It was like he was analyzing each digit for a different flavour.
The stroking of his tongue against her held her attention. When he had disposed of all traces of the juice, he released her with a smile. It turned into a grin when it took her a supreme effort to focus on the world around her again. She dragged in a deep breath and carefully got up to dispose of the cup she had been drinking from. It went to the composting station, and Etska followed her.
“Are you ready to go?”
She frowned. “I was just getting the hang of this place.”
“Well, it is a good thing that I have no intention of leaving it for a century then. I like to remain on the surface of the newly worked worlds. I leave travel to others.”
Athena was startled. “We are staying here? On Hyrnan?”
He grinned. “I am, so are you.”
“Oh. Okay.” She frowned. “So, what happens next?”
“I take you to my home, you are properly outfitted according to your station, and then, we will go about the day-to-day details of the colony in the office. We will take meetings and do what I do every day when I am on the surface. We will shape this world.” With the last words, he wrapped his arms around her, and his wings started beating. He bent his knees, and they launched skyward as he lazily flew over the colony with his prize.
Athena braced herself. She was going to be shown off a lot. The Hmrain sought bonded companions out of more than lust. They consumed the extra sexual energy that specific women gave off. Athena happened to be one of those women. One of four suitable humans out of about a million so far. Lucky me.
She wasn’t sulking, but she was practical about it. This was what happened when she chose survival first and asked questions later. Who was she kidding? She hadn’t asked any questions.
When he flew them past the colony, she was surprised, but as they passed through a privacy screen, she saw the expansive structure with manicured gardens surrounding it. It looked like a movie star mansion with wide balconies on every level—landing and takeoff areas.
“This isn’t on the colony schematics.”
He chuckled as his wings flapped for a soft landing. A staff member of the same species as Tber and Hivr came out. “Overseer, I see you have your new acquisition. Shall I send her for processing?”
“Tolr, this is Athena Fox, my registered companion. You are to address her as my lady and treat her with the deference you show me. Are we clear?”
She was set on her feet, but Etska kept his hands on her shoulders. She kept her face neutral. “You may call me Theena if that is easier.”
Tolr blinked and nodded. “Yes, my lady.”
The green man scowled slightly, and she knew that he had been the highest-ranking member of the household until that moment. Ouch.
“She will need a proper wardrobe. Her current garb is functional but not particularly attractive.”
“I will arrange it, my lord.” Tolr nodded.
“Good. Is there anything on the schedule?”
“You are due at the research lab this afternoon to go over the new results, but that is all.”
Etska’s fingers curled on her shoulders. “Good. It will allow me to get acquainted with the newest member of this household.”
Tolr took the dismissal for what it was. “I will keep you apprised if I can find a seamstress.”