Two days later, Ledia was waiting when the single dry entry to the city activated. The light on the arrival port glowed bright, and Twenty-two stepped out. Her mask was blue and silver with pewter accents, and it hid her features, except for a full, lush mouth.
Ledia stepped forward and smiled. Twenty-two came forward and hugged her. “You got out.”
Ledia laughed, and she said, “We got out.”
They stood there and held each other for over a minute. When they parted, they were both laughing. Ledia blinked. “You have a lot of muscle.”
“It comes with the constant working out.”
“Yeah, but you don’t look like you have a lot of muscle. You have the physique of a middle-range talent or a normal human.”
Twenty-two blushed. “I know. It was why we stayed as long as we did. The metabolic thing could be ignored, but my little brother’s bat wings weren’t dismissible. He was the one they focused on. We made sure they didn’t wreck him. I was set to be assigned to duties in two weeks when we got out.”
Ledia shuddered. “But you got out.”
The woman nodded. “I did.”
They hugged again, and then Ledia had to do the introductions to Juro and Renz and was impressed at how Twenty-two moved when she walked. It was like she was liquid. Ledia wanted to ask her how that worked. There was so much that she wanted to learn.
They showed Twenty-two to her room, and the Hyreno, who was going to take her to see one of the mines, would meet them later that evening. Ledia was excited. She liked getting out and into the city.
Twenty-two went to rest, and Ledia was excited. She looked at Juro. “She’s here!”
He laughed as they headed to his quarters. “You can’t keep her.”
“Why not? Her patron isn’t that serious, and she only has the one.” Ledia blinked.
Renz smiled. “That is what she told you?”
“Yes. She said they hadn’t had sex. So, not serious, right?”
Juro hugged her. “It isn’t the means of measuring what is going on in their minds. We were friends for months before I made a move. Did you think I had less affection for you because we were talking about pie?”
Ledia blushed. “Right. I just wanted to have a friend nearby.”
Renz smiled. “You will make friends over time. You are already starting to meet locals that aren’t trying to kill you.”
“I know. But Twenty-two and I have so much in common. It is exciting to see her being confident and successful.” She sighed. “But she has family, so I can’t keep her. Her siblings need her.”
Juro rubbed her back. “Very mature.”
She snorted. “The choices folks out here have are still new to me.”
“You will get used to it. Do you like your new suit?”
She nodded. “I do. I like it a lot.”
“Good. I have asked Zera to make you a few more. You look so comfortable when you are wearing it underwater.”
“It is very comfortable. Her designers outdid themselves.” She smiled. Nothing Zera did surprised her.
“Would you like to take the suit out right now?”
“Don’t we have to meet them for dinner?”
He chuckled. “Renz will keep track of the time. You can see the new stone that has been located for you. Any idea what you want to start with?”
“No, without an order, I am spoiled for choice. I guess I will start with you guys.”
Renz blinked. “Us?”
“Sure, I just have to do some research.” She shrugged innocently.
Juro murmured, “You have sketched us frequently.”
“I know, but this needs to be more hands-on.” She leaned toward Juro.
She felt the cool wash of Renz’s mind through hers. He chuckled, lifted her in his arms, and headed to Juro’s quarters. “I volunteer to go first.”
She giggled and waved at the guards as they swept past them. “Sorry. I am sure it will wear off.”
“Hah!” Juro spoke from behind her. “We found a woman we can’t break. It isn’t wearing off anytime soon.”
The doors closed, and she was settled on the bed, standing, so she closed her eyes and ran her hands over him. “So, do you want to be clothed or naked for the statue?”
“Oh, I think if we want it to be a triad statue, I should be clothed. You can do a naked one of us in Aksalla.”
She grinned. “I can do that, can’t I? Neat.”
“Still getting used to the idea of freedom?” Juro knelt behind her on the bed, and as she stroked Renz, he stroked her. His hands rubbed her shoulders and then cupped her breasts.
“Yeah, for some reason, I keep thinking that if I try to run, someone will follow.”
He chuckled. “Run, swim, yeah. We just found you. We want to keep you, and you want to remain with us. That much is certain.”
Renz smiled as she stroked his chest. “Your mind screams it when you cum. There is no one you want to be with that isn’t with you at that moment. Well, unless one of us isn’t there at that moment.”
She blushed and sighed. “That... sounds familiar.”
Juro kissed her neck. “And you will get used to being here with us socially and make companions in the population, but you have to give it time. We aren’t done getting you addicted to us yet.”
She looked up at Renz. “Do we have time before we meet Twenty-two for dinner?”
He grinned. “If we only spend an hour fooling around and half an hour in the shower.”
She bit her lip. “That is cutting it close.”
Juro peeled her dress off her shoulders. “We can make it work.”
She laughed, and then Renz swallowed her laugh. They proceeded to make it work.
The next few days were so much fun. They identified a likely buoy, and the day before the attack, Twenty-two went out on her own journey, escorted by an orca who got her into position and then descended to a safe depth. Twenty-two held her hands out and released the blast. The whale ascended, caught her, and let her grab his fin as he swam rapidly and downward. The radiating shockwave could be felt and heard in the distance. The whale hauled her away, and then he slowed to a more reasonable pace as the power spun out.
From the monitors in the city, Ledia watched it all.
The whale brought her back to the city, and Twenty-two remained outside the water entrance until she had been scanned and then she extended her hand through the entry. One of the guards pulled her up before setting her on her ass next to the pool. Twenty-two removed the mask and breather, and then she exhaled. “Right. So. I have the frequency.”
She unbuckled the rebreather, left it on the floor, then picked it up when she got to her feet. She smiled at Ledia with her bright mask still smooth. “Ready when you are. Are we still having lunch?”
Ledia smiled. “As soon as we drop your tank off in your quarters.”
“Was there a reason that the guy I am going to go out with tomorrow didn’t come?”
Ledia sighed as they walked. “The whale didn’t like him. I will have to summon a new one for tomorrow. One that gets along with him. It’s my project for the rest of the day.”
Twenty-two nodded. “Cool. I will just shower and change and then meet you at the restaurant?”
“Sure. We will meet you there.”
Renz walked with them, but a gateway guard rushed up to Juro, who nodded to Renz.
Renz stated, “He will be with us in a moment. A guest has arrived.”
Ledia looked back at him, but he was nearly around a corner.
Twenty-two nodded. “Meet you in ten minutes.”
Ledia smiled. “See you there. We will be at the regular table.”
Twenty-two headed into her guestroom, and Ledia looked at Renz. “Who is the guest?”
Renz grinned. “You will see.”
They went into the hub and headed for their favourite restaurant.
In a few minutes, Twenty-two was with them, wearing a loose and breezy dress they had picked up while shopping and her dark hair was twisted into a thick cable.
She took her seat, and the servers brought her fruit juice and Ledia and Renz’s tea.
Juro appeared a few minutes later with a very tall young male standing next to him. His skin was golden, his hair was black, and his eyes were a purple so dark that they almost matched the ink of his hair.
Juro smiled. “Ledia, my queen; Renz, the royal psychic and our partner; and this is Twenty-two, a friend from Aksalla. Ladies, Renz, this is Sgoth. He is also from Aksalla. He works with their local guards.”
Twenty-two smiled at him and nodded. “What brings you here? Hyreno is off the beaten path.”
“Ah, the call to Uradda. I just returned home and learned of the attack against the city and offered to assist as I am on a travel leave from active duty. I believe this qualifies.”
Ledia frowned. “You have a connection to Uradda?”
He shook his head. “Not directly, but it is something that has been a growing concern for me. Actives being worked to death is always a concern.”
Ledia looked at the frown on Twenty-two’s face and the smile on Sgoth’s face. “Sgoth, can I ask how old you are?”
“I am twenty-one. Just two weeks ago.”
Twenty-two slowly got very pink. She sat with her hands on her lap and kept her gaze down.
Juro was smiling, and Renz looked like he wanted to burst out laughing. Sgoth was looking at Twenty-two with his head cocked and a slight smile.
Twenty-two took a deep breath and made a bland and boring selection on the table.
Sgoth tsked and reached over to cancel the items and select something high in spices. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, and she went from pink to white to red.
Renz commented and laughed. “She changes colours faster than Juro.”
Ledia kicked him. “She is going to be freeing the harbour so that the Hyreno can arrive en masse. Be nice.”
Renz snickered. “If I was listening to her mind, and I am not, I would say that it sounds like a panicked animal in a cage with a very large predator taking it apart.”
Twenty-two must have heard that because she put her hand on Sgoth’s neck and pushed. He smiled with an arched brow.
She looked at him. “Find someone your own age.”
He grinned. “No. I don’t want someone my own age. Women my age don’t look at me like you do.”
She blushed. “I didn’t know you were twenty-one. Wait. Why did you pick me off the roster?”
He grinned. “Because I paid attention to your age and read all of your available file. You reminded me of someone I had met at a gym, and since you wouldn’t speak to me there, I was not going to pass up a chance to go on a date with you.”
She looked around and saw how closely they were being watched. “But why are you here?” She pointed through the table.
“I am coming to help. I have your back. I might look like an orca, but I have your back.” He smiled.
She stared and fidgeted. “You can stop the blast wave?”
“I can, and I will.”
“Okay. Um, see you tomorrow morning.” She got up. He grabbed her wrist, and she was eased back to her seat.
“You haven’t eaten, and you need to eat if we are going to be successful tomorrow. I am just glad I got home in time and had to see you. Management pointed me in the right direction.”
She huffed and sat back. She looked at her wrist. “You can let go now.”
He slowly shook his head. “Nope.” He changed his grip to holding her hand.
Twenty-two looked at Ledia and the others, who were all watching with interest. “Ohmygod.”
Ledia shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. These two have their minds stuck on lech lately. They won’t mock you... much.”
Ledia watched the other woman cover her face. Sgoth kissed her hand, and Twenty-two stared at him.
“Sgoth is now officially legal according to his family elders. He has been keeping their interactions in the get-to-know-you phase so that she would not get in trouble with his mother’s family. His father’s family is Aksallan, so he has been legal for years.”
Ledia sat back and said, “She thought he wasn’t interested in her that way. Thought that they were just friends.”
Renz leaned forward, and black and crimson lust roiled through her. When she paused, panting, and looked at him, he tilted his head toward the gentle aspect of Sgoth.
Ledia blinked. “So, when he lets go, he’s going to really let go.”
Juro chuckled and muttered, “Not your problem.”
The meals came, and Juro started the cheerful discussion of trying to minimize casualties and transport to Aksalla.
Twenty-two sat and ate gracefully with the two sticks that her meal required. Sgoth was watching with a slight smile on his lips. Ledia wasn’t sure what he was watching, but he saw something she didn’t, and that was fine. If that roiling crimson and black was in his soul when he looked at Twenty-two, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he thought when he watched her eat.
She focused on the conversation about what she would do and how she would get there. It was going to involve being dropped in front of the gates after she had gotten the signal. Twenty-two would provide the signal by blowing up the mines around the harbour.
Twenty-two nodded. “Based on the buoy mine today, you would have to be in outer space not to feel it.”
Ledia grinned, and they fist bumped.
When dinner was over and Ledia was ordering dessert, Twenty-two excused herself. “Sorry. I have to get some rest, and I plan on pulling my energy from the Uraddan Defense Corp. That should weaken their knees fairly effectively. It has been interesting to spend time in the underwater city, but it has been a pleasure to visit.”
Ledia realized that Twenty-two would have no reason to return.
Her new friend grinned. “I hear that King Juro visits the embassy often, so get in touch with me while you are in town. You haven’t seen the last of me, Ledia.” She grinned. “In fact, you will see me in the morning. I have to do boring meditation and focus on that frequency so that I can blow the mines with accuracy.”
Ledia nodded. “Right. Okay. I will see you tomorrow. Don’t take off without me seeing you off.”
Twenty-two smiled. “Tirra already gave me some luck. She’s not coming because of the baby but sent her luck forward.”
Ledia remembered the kiss on her cheek she had gotten and then forgotten. “Oh, so that’s what that was.”
Twenty-two inclined her head to Renz and Juro, and then she left.
Ledia sighed and then smiled. “I have a friend. I am allowed to have a friend now.”
Juro looked at her and nodded. “Yes, you are.”
She lunged at him and hugged him until he squeaked. Renz laughed, and she eased up on him. Juro murmured, “Save it for Uradda.”
She laughed, and then dessert arrived. Friends, family, a chance to break her city? It was a pretty good day.
* * * *
Twenty-two walked through the halls, and she looked at Sgoth. “Where are you staying?”
“With you. Juro said something about the guest wing being occupied, and since we will be together tomorrow, it will be a simpler thing if we are together tonight.”
She paused and then continued. “Fine. You take the bed. I will take the couch.”
“That is not necessary. I can fit just about anywhere. We can share.” His voice ran through her.
She felt her cheeks heat. “It’s okay. I am used to sleeping on the floor if I have to. You fit the bed better than I do.”
“Why don’t we wait, and you can see?”
She sped off, and he easily kept pace with her.
When she unlocked her door, he pushed it open, and she heard him sniff.
She blinked. “It doesn’t smell bad in here.”
“I spend a lot of time as animals. It smells like you.”
She bit her lip. “I remember you sniffing me... a lot.”
He looked around the room and saw her suit hanging in the bathroom. “You washed it?”
“I am going to be spending all day tomorrow in it, so rinsing seemed sensible.”
He smiled and checked out her wardrobe.
She remembered what was inside it and tried to get there before he opened it. He made an interested noise as he pulled out the nightdress that Zera had packed for her. “Uh, I usually sleep in a t-shirt.”
“What will you sleep in tonight?”
Twenty-two blushed. “The thing in your hand.”
“What are you going to do now?”
She looked at his serious expression. “I am really going to meditate.”
“Don’t let me interfere.”
She nodded and went to the cushion in the corner. She faced the room, ignored Sgoth, took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes.
She sought the frequency, and when she found it, she started to count the mines. She worked out which mine had to be set off to get the maximum impact and the minimum backlash.
She smiled and nodded with satisfaction, then opened her eyes and froze. A very large dog was lying down watching her, looking at her with dark purple eyes. “Sgoth?”
He whined, and his tail thrashed happily.
She unfolded her legs and stood up. He stood up as well, and his head was above her waist. He had silky black fur, and his tail wagged with a heavy, slow beat.
“So, you can change into any animal.”
He nosed her in the hand and whined again.
“And you want your ears scratched.”
His ears were soft and silky.
She chuckled. “And you probably want your belly scratched, but I am definitely not going to do that tonight.”
He sat and his mouth opened in a happy smile.
She sighed. “Well, this is certainly a little less awkward. I am going to change and go to sleep. Will you stay like that all night?”
He stretched and flowed into his normal form. “I can, but if I fall asleep, I go back into this shape.”
Twenty-two looked at him. She bit her lip. “You can take the bed. It’s more your size. I will fit very nicely on the couch.”
She grabbed the nightgown and took it into the bathroom. Ledia said she would send all the clothing back to the Aksalla BDC branch. All she was responsible for was the suit.
She took off the dress, folded it into the travel package, and slipped on the gown. When she walked into the room, she headed straight for the couch with Sgoth watching.
She got the throw from the edge of the couch, wiggled into position, and pulled the warm, woven fabric up around her shoulders. She looked at him where he was looking at her with his arms crossed. “See? I fit just fine.”
“You are going to get a cramp like that. Sleep in the bed. Nothing will happen. I promise.”
She peeped at him over the edge of the quilt. “Are you sure? You seem pretty intense.”
He grinned. “I won’t pounce on you. I have gone to bed with blue balls before, and I have no doubt it will happen again.”
She frowned. “Is that bad? My younger brother has mentioned it a time or two, but he wouldn’t explain.”
“They didn’t cover that in escort training?”
She blushed. “I got modified training for reasons.”
He picked her and the cover up and walked her over to the bed, peeling the covers back and tucking her in. “Management explained that as well. You were bait.”
“Bait?”
“Bait. Management wants to tangle as many guard members with the BDC as possible. She feels it will make us better. I have to say, I do better after our game or movie nights.”
He stroked her hair and leaned in to kiss her temple. “You took your mask off, Jeneev.”
She had felt his lips touching skin and hadn’t registered it. She yelped and pulled the blanket over her head.
He laughed. “I already know what you look like. At the gym, remember?”
She nodded but stayed under the covers.
He snorted. “I thought women your age would be more aggressive.”
“We aren’t on a date. If we ever have one again, request what you want. Hiding is my default.” She mumbled it. “I thought you were looking at my co-worker the first few times you were there.”
Sgoth turned off the light and climbed in behind her, his body on top of the covers and his arm around her waist. She froze as his body lined up with hers.
“Relax, Jeneev, we are both busy in the morning. No pouncing. I just feel better when I am with you. Tomorrow is going to be a day for history.”
She pulled the covers off her face and kicked a leg free, folding on top of the covers and jerking forward when she touched his suit.
He chuckled, and she felt his breath in her ear. “Just get comfortable. I will adapt.”
She squirmed so that her belly was pressed against the bed with her leg hiked up and out of the blanket. She relaxed and felt him settle against her. Sgoth’s lips kissed her neck, and she shivered.
Surprisingly, she fell asleep in five minutes, idly noting that her frequency and his were complimentary. Of course, they were. Zera wouldn’t have set her up with anyone who didn’t have a matching frequency.