Determine by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online

and slapped him on the arm.
    It was the next day when the exhausted Guardians were interviewed. The reporter was the same snide woman from the earlier vid.
    “So, Starburn, what all the viewers want to know is who is your latest woman? It seems she is an off worlder from a tiny, nameless world.” Starburn gave her a surprisingly warm smile.
    “She isn’t my latest woman.”
    The reporter was excited. “Really, tell us more.”
    “She is my last woman. Hydrangea Graham, Instructor of intergalactic contract law, born of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra, is my wife. Congratulate me. I am off to complete my honeymoon.” He lifted his wrist and showed the mark.
    The reporter was shaken, and the rest of the Guardians were grinning. “Are all your teammates happy with this turn of events?” Warp and Tangle nodded while Breaker said, “Hydrangea is a wonderful woman and a lovely addition to our group. Starburn really needed a woman like her. So sensible, genuine, honest and generous.”
    Breaker’s smile was pure saccharine, but there was steel just underneath.
    The reporter concluded the interview, and the Guardians entered the shuttle and lifted off.
    Hydra wiped a happy tear from her cheek and checked to make sure that everything was ready for a meal and solid night’s sleep when they got home. She opened the doors for ventilation of the main room and selected a music station that she hoped they would find soothing.
    They had had a helluva time, and they needed their rest.
     
    Twenty minutes after they were home, Hydra moved around and collected plates, cups and cutlery. Four filthy Guardians were passed out in the conversation pit, and she didn’t have the heart to wake them.
    She dampened a cloth, half-filled a bowl with warm water and went to wipe up the remains of dinner that they were still wearing. She started with Tangle and cleaned his face and hands. The water was grey-lavender with grime, so she changed it and went along to clean Warp off.
    By the time Breaker was clean and she was working on Starburn, she was feeling a little tired herself.
    She carefully removed the grime from around his mouth, slipped off his mask and smiled at the reverse racoon effect.
    A low voice made her jump, “Did you clean them all?”
    She looked down to see a smile on Starburn’s face. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” He chuckled and sat up. “Then, next time make the water hot. Now, help get me to bed.”
    She put his arm over her shoulders and helped lever him off the couch. “I hate to break it to you, Starburn, but you are hitting a shower first.”
    “As long as you hold me up, no problem.” He chuckled. “I am going to enjoy you taking my armour off though. It is a little fantasy I have had for the last two days.”
    Hydra laughed as they made it to the hall and then the bedroom door. She steered him past the bed and into the lav where the lighting would help her figure out what was going on.
    Her gown was dirty, so she tugged it away from the belt and slipped it off over her head, leaving her wearing the metal and nothing else.
    “Oh, Hydra. Why do you have to be so lovely?”
    “It is a blessing and a curse. Now, where do I start? Sorry, usually when you put it on, I go into mourning, because all that skin is gone.” She grinned and kissed him quickly, backing away before he could lean forward.
    She took his mask from the top of his head and tossed it aside. With a few fumbles, she managed to release the clasps and work his torso covering loose. She wisely removed his boots and said, “Now, stand up, palms to the wall.”
    “Kinky.”
    She laughed and worked the reinforced trousers down his legs, helping him to step out one leg at a time.
    She sat back and sighed in relief when he was naked. She tugged him into the shower and turned it on. The light seemed to energize him, but she was exhausted.
    She chuckled and took a quick turn in the shower as he left it. She closed her eyes and let the grime be