BLUE
A hand, large and hard with calluses, flattened over Blue’s belly as a sliver of sunlight cut across her face. The scent of pine and herbs surrounded her, seeping into her very being. It was the essence of her clansman, and she never wanted to go a day without it again. She drew in a breath, sighed, then snuggled back into the heat of the man behind her. A hard length pressed against her backside, and she smiled. Maybe they’d have time for more than cuddles before the day had to begin…
A loud knock sounded on the connecting door, and Mo’ata groaned behind her. Blue cracked open an eye as Forrest rounded the foot of the bed and stared down at them. For a moment his expression was somber, brows drawn together in the slightest of frowns. Then Mo’ata curled around her, half tucking her under him, and ground out, “Too early. Go away.” Then he mumbled something in Tormani—the clan language—that sounded suspiciously harsh.
Blue squeaked as the air was crushed out of her and glanced back at Forrest. Mouthing “Help, I’m being smushed,” she freed a hand and waved it at him. She didn’t like that look on her Forrest, and soon, very soon, she would find out what kept putting it there.
His expression softened, and after a moment he grinned. Then two piquet cubs, each now the size of a very large house cat, leaped from behind Forrest and onto Mo’ata’s back, crushing Blue further into the mattress and squeezing the last bit of oxygen from her lungs.
With a laugh, Forrest grabbed her hand and pulled her from under Mo’ata. She landed on the room’s rug with a soft thud and grinned up at Forrest. “Thank—”
His gaze slid from her face and down her body, heating as he took her in. Blue took him in in turn. He’d dressed already, but maybe…
Then she remembered she wasn’t wearing anything and lay practically spread-eagle on the floor. With a chirp that sounded remarkably like the sounds the cubs made, she rolled closer to the bed and grabbed the edge of the sheets, tugging until she was at least partially covered.
Mo’ata’s head appeared over the edge of the mattress, grinning widely. “Now shopa, you know you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Forrest and I have seen—”
She slapped her hand over that grinning mouth. “I know. It’s just—and you’re both— with the sun, and I don’t—” She stopped. Nothing that came out of her mouth was making any sense, so there was no point in talking. And he was right, they had both seen her in all her glory, as she liked to think of it. But despite the fact that they had formed their own little prida—that she had married them—this was the first time they had both been there while she was naked. Not that she really minded. It was just new, and she hadn’t prepared herself very well for this new thing.
But maybe…
“As much as I appreciate where this conversation may be going, there are plans for the day,” Forrest said, breaking into her wayward musings. “Time to get up.”
Blue pushed aside the images of bare skin and sleek muscles that had crowded in on her, and she twisted, keeping one eye on Forrest while she attempted to tug more of the sheet free. “I thought we had the day off,” she said.
They needed that day off. She had been meaning to lounge in bed until her stomach drove her from under the covers and then maybe do some shopping. Actually, shopping definitely needed to be on the list. She was supposed to go with Jason to a gathering tonight, and nothing she owned was even remotely appropriate to wear. Those were supposed to be the extent of her “plans” for the day. Blue was not happy with someone adding to those.
It had been twelve days since they’d returned to Karran. The few days of rest they’d received on Padilra were all they’d been given. Since then, it had been nonstop meetings, debriefings, and lectures from officials that she only half-understood. She hadn’t even had a chance to meet with Dean Gravin or respond to Dorani Faust’s invitation for a visit. Hell, she still had no idea what to respond with.
They were also still looking for an apartment, one big enough to hold five people, two animals, and a beast-mount. Even as large as Tremmir was, space like that was at a premium, and the task was proving much more difficult than she’d thought. Not that she’d ever apartment-hunted before…
“Hey, they’re good plans, I promise. Just the three of us,” Forrest said, kneeling beside her. “We need this, Blue.” His brows pinched, and that solemn look returned. “With everything that’s happened, I feel like all I’ve gotten are stolen moments. We need to figure out how this is really going to work.”
“This?” she asked. Her stomach tightened.
Mo’ata pulled his mouth away from her hand. “Our prida.” He scooted to the foot of the bed and stood in all his glory. “And Forrest is correct. We have things to settle and discuss, and it should be just the three of us for this conversation, for now. Felix and Levi are aware of our plans, and are taking care of some things themselves. Also, I have some spots in the city I’d like to show you, both of you. Favorites of mine. We are stealing the day for ourselves.” He stood there making no move to cover himself, hair wild and tattoos covering his arms and part of his chest, and the scar—acquired in a sparring accident on Padilra—slicing across his left cheek. In that moment he was a true barbarian.
My barbarian. Blue grinned. He wasn’t one, not really, but maybe with a loincloth…
He turned away and strode to the bathing room, and she sighed. The back was as good as the front.
Forrest snorted, and her attention shot to him. The pinched look was back, and his smile was tight. “What?” she asked. Well, she had wanted to get to the bottom of what was going through his mind, and now was the perfect time. She rolled from beside the bed and wrapped the sheet around her shoulders. Then she snuggled into Forrest where he now sat on the floor because… well, because she could.
She loved that she could do that. It still wasn’t quite real to her. Forrest was hers. She could touch him—kiss him—whenever she wanted. She could take his hand or grab his arm or run her fingers through his hair. She could climb into his lap or tickle his side.
When he remained silent, she decided to do just that. He squirmed away and laughed, his head tipped back and the gold curls of his hair bouncing. He was in need of a trim, but she was beginning to get attached to the shaggy look.
Forrest wrapped his arms around her, trapping her own to her side, and pulled her into his chest so that she was snugged between his legs. “What?” she asked again and rested her head against his shoulder. She breathed in, and there it was, the subtle scent she’d discovered to be uniquely Forrest. Unlike Mo’ata’s pine and herb, Forrest’s was faint, not something you would notice unless you looked for it. Blue had.
She inhaled again and tried to break it down. It had become a game to her late at night to isolate just what made up that scent. If warmth had a scent, she thought this was what it would be. Like fresh bread, or popcorn, but sweet, like vanilla, underlaid with the bite of a slight musk. She took another breath. Or maybe that was cinnamon? And the musk was more of a woodsy scent, like sandalwood…
“Are you sniffing me?” Forrest rested his chin on her head. She didn’t need to look up to know he was smiling.
“Yes. I’m trying to figure out what you smell like.”
“You do that a lot.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks.
“At night,” he continued, “when you think I’m asleep, I’ll catch you sniffing me.”
“Ummm…”
“It’s cute. I like”—he swallowed—“I love that you want to.”
“It’s not weird?”
“Nah. Will you tell me when you figure it out? What I smell like, I mean?”
She giggled. “Yes. It’s eluding me. Mo’ata is easy. He’s pine and herbs. But you… I just can’t put my finger on it. But it’s good.” She pressed back into him, wanting to sink into him, reveling in the pressure. “So, tell me. What? I know you know what ‘what’ I mean. No secrets, remember?”
He sighed, the exhalation ruffling the small hairs at her forehead. “It should wait for the big redhead.”
The bathing room door whooshed open, and her gaze met Mo’ata’s. His hair, darkened to a blood-red by his shower, was slicked back from his face, leaving the stark lines clear.
What did that mean? Why was he being so evasive? Doubts she’d thought she’d put to rest surged to the front of her mind, and the enormity of the life and tasks to come confronted her. The big, world-saving adventure was over. All the stories usually ended there with a “happily ever after” or some such nonsense. They never covered exactly what the “ever after” consisted of. “You’re not going back, are you? Now that all this with Phillip is handled, you’re not lea—”
“No!” he said, voice low.
When did it get so deep? Blue shivered.
“Of course not,” he continued. “Are you insane? No. I came here with you, if you recall, not because of Phillip. We didn’t even know he was still an issue. But I’m not sure…” His arms tightened around her. “I need to know where I stand. No, that’s not right. I need to know how I fit. And it sounds like you do, too. That’s what we’re doing, what today is for.”
“Why wouldn’t you just tell me this?”
“He’s telling you now.” Mo’ata sank to the ground before them, legs crossed. “As First Priden, it is my duty to help spot issues before they arise.”
Blue shifted and opened her mouth.
He held up a finger and cut her off. “But, you do not know that. There is no way you could have. We jumped into this.” He grinned at her, and she couldn’t help her answering smile. Not that she wanted to help it. “And while I love your list of terms, there are definitely things we need to nail down. Things that would normally have been discussed and decided upon before a joining.”
Her eyes slid closed. Dammit. What was everyone’s role? She was supposed to figure that out? What else was she missing? Had she moved too fast? She concentrated on the strength of Forrest’s arms around her. No. She wouldn’t take back the moments she’d had with these two men for anything.
Cloth rustled, and warm, dry lips pressed to hers. Pine and herbs overwhelmed Forrest’s more subtle scent, but his warmth still surrounded her.
And there it was. Another moment to hold close to her heart.
Mo’ata pulled away, and she looked up into his hazel eyes. “Now get cleaned up and dressed. As we said, there are plans for the day.” He cupped the side of her face and ran a thumb over the crest of her cheek. “Stop worrying. We’ve got you.”
“Yeah, that’s the point.” Forrest released her and gave her a little shove. “Hurry, or I’m going to steal your turn in the shower.”
Blue stood, careful to keep the sheet wrapped around her. “There are two bathrooms.”
Forrest shrugged and grinned. “But all your things are in this one.” He climbed to his feet and took a step toward the still open door. Blue shoved his arm and darted around him, hitting the trigger to close the door. Her men’s laughter rang out, and she smiled.
Steam curled up from Blue’s cup. Mo’ata had called it a traveler’s vessel—a mug that, though very lightweight, maintained the temperature of the liquid it held, whether hot or cold. When empty it also collapsed into a small cylinder that could be stored in a pouch and strapped to your belt. Apparently, vendors and restaurants didn’t provide to-go cups; you had to have one of these. A way of cutting down on waste, Mo’ata explained as they stopped at a stall near the entrance to the shopping district and he purchased one for each of them. Blue’s was, of course, blue, with a pattern of vines and flowers flowing up from the bottom. The flowers looked like little hearts. Forrest’s was a solid green and Mo’ata’s red.
He also acquired bags for each of them. Made in a cross-body design, they were another item each shopper was required to provide on their own. Blue remembered them from the couple of days she had spent exploring before returning to earth after her first, fateful adventure but hadn’t made the connection. Now, she saw they were everywhere. Oh, not everyone had one, but the majority did, from those wearing the robes of ministry employees to the sleek suits favored by Martikans, and even a few mercenaries—outfitted in their armor—sported them.
Blue sipped her beverage—a light tea called pango—as she wandered through the lower shopping district at street level, her prida flanking her. Garfield and Vivi pulled against their leashes, their big eyes taking in the bustle of the city around them.
Mo’ata was correct, the three of them needed to establish the ground rules, or—despite everything they’d been through together—this arrangement wouldn’t work. They were a family now. A prida. That was how she needed to start thinking of them. Blue twirled her wedding ring on her finger. Wedding. Damn.
Exhilaration filled her, and her heart expanded. Phillip and the crystals of Padilra were not the end of her story, but just the beginning.
A smile bloomed, and she stopped in her tracks, spinning to face her men. Forrest matched her grin, and Mo’ata gazed down at her, face serious but his expression held a new animation she hadn’t seen before. He was enjoying their outing just as much as she was.
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked. “You said you had one for the day?” A swift wind gusted past them, winding its way through the streets and beyond. A shaft of light cut through the air just in front of her nose, highlighting the specks of dust that had been kicked up.
“Shopping first. There are some essentials you both need, and the inn will not be providing them forever. Most we can have delivered. The bags are for incidentals.” Mo’ata’s head tilted. “And of course, we must find something for you to wear tonight. I know of the family hosting the gathering, and as lovely as you look in jeans, they will not be appropriate.”
“What about—”
“Shopping first,” he said again. “Trust me, you’ll feel better once you have things of your own. Then we will stop at a place I know for lunch, and we’ll get the rest worked out.” He closed the distance between them. “We have the time, Blue. Shopa. This needs to be done, but we have the time.”
She rested her forehead against his chest. After a moment she nodded, the smooth leather of his vest soft against her skin. “I think I’ll need to be reminded of that for a while.”
Forrest grabbed her hand. “Come on, pixie. Let’s do some exploring.”
“Wait, who’s paying for all this?” Dorani Faust’s words came back to her. We wish to help provide for you, she’d said. And obviously someone had been providing for Blue, for them, since they’d been back. Ugh, so many details. A list. That was what she needed, a list. Wait, had she started one…?
“I am. I have accounts here in the city, funds from my work with…” Mo’ata said. The crowd pressed in on them before moving on. They stood in the flow of traffic like a badly placed traffic cone. “There is plenty. I haven’t had much of a chance to spend it.” He smiled. “I like spending it on you.”
Right. The Order. Which was still on the down low. To the rest of the worlds, they were supposed to be just another clansman, David Faust’s prodigal daughter returned from a closed world, and her romantically involved friend, all caught up in the machinations of a mass murderer. Only select people knew the truth. She had to remember that.
She let out a breath. “Okay. Good. I wasn’t sure yet if I wanted to take the Fausts up on their offer, and—Dammit. Did I even tell you about that?”
Mo’ata’s expression stiffened and he shook his head. “No. You did not. But Forrest filled me in. It is a good idea to avoid any obligations, set or implied. I have enough saved to get us by for now.”
“And we’ll all be getting jobs at some point,” Forrest chimed in.
“Can one of the things we pick up today be a notebook and pen? I left mine at the inn. And then we can start a list at lunch. I have a feeling this is going to be a longer list than my other one.”
They resumed walking. “And what’s this list going to be called?” Forrest asked. “Crap To Do? Prida Practices? Ways to Waddle?”
Blue laughed, recalling Forrest’s previous references to ducklings. “Quack,” she said. “No. I was thinking something along the lines of ‘Best Practices for Blue’s Boys’ or some such.”
Mo’ata drew himself up and puffed out his chest. “I am no boy.”
Her gaze roved over him. “No, you certainly aren’t.” Then she wagged her brows, and he laughed a joyous, throw-your-head-back laugh, one she expected from Forrest, or even Felix or Trevon, but not her Mo’ata. It made it all the more special.
Today was shaping up to be a wonderful day.
“Okay.” She tugged on Forrest’s hand, still held in hers. “Let’s get this show on the road.” She set off, not even knowing where she was going. But wasn’t that half the fun sometimes?
“Show on the road?” Mo’ata asked behind her, low.
“Means to get started,” Forrest whispered.
“Ah. Another idiom. I fear I will never learn them all.”
“No one ever does, really,” Blue said, still leading the way. A display window caught her eye. Feathers of all shapes and sizes adorned cushions, arranged to show them to their best advantage. One, iridescent like a peacock feather, glowed with reds, golds, and oranges. “It looks like it’s on fire.”
Mo’ata, his features reflected in the glass, frowned down at it. “That’s a miriski feather. The shopkeepers are getting bold. I don’t like it.” He met Blue’s gaze in the window. “It’s from Falass, which is closed.” He focused on the feather once more. “Smuggling is always going to happen, everyone knows this, but to flaunt regulations like this… I will have to report it.”
Garfield stood on his hind legs and pressed his nose to the glass, a squeaking growl escaping him. Was their day about to be derailed?
“But I can do that later. Right now, we have some shopping to do.” Mo’ata grabbed her hand and tugged, this time taking the lead and guiding them along.
The next couple of hours were filled with shop after shop. Soaps, hair cleansers, towels. Brushes, dryers. Pots and pans and dishes. Most of it would be delivered once they’d found an apartment. The rest was sent on to the inn or stashed in their satchels. Blue was in a furniture shop—the sixth place they’d visited—perusing a display wall of mirrors when she caught sight of a pair of bright blue eyes, framed by dark hair, stubble, and a wicked grin.