Sudden Storm [Tales of the Cidatel 21] by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online

and while mating, he roared loud enough to bring anyone nearby running to investigate. With the union witnessed and confirmed by the female in question, the bond was locked. Noisy sex on Dhema was a dangerous business.
    “I never asked, do you have anything to do with family on either side aside from your parents?” She ate her nutrient soup and waited.
    They had plenty of privacy. All the academics sat by themselves, and Storic preferred not to leave the shuttle if she didn’t have to. They would see her at breakfast for the morning briefing.
    “I have met my grandparents on both sides, but they are not enthusiastic for my parents’ choice in mates. It is only my obvious power that contents them that the union was not a waste of time.”
    “So, how did they meet? I don’t have parents, so this is fascinating to me.” She smiled. It was easier to ask personal questions now, but she still was careful to ease into them. She had made it halfway through her mental list with suiting the question to the moment.
    “My parents were both at a symposium regarding genetic blending, an interest that both of them share, by the way. A colleague with a perverse sense of humour invited them both to a dinner after the symposium, and they were seated next to each other. By the end of dinner, they were finishing each other’s sentences, and the next day, they applied to be moved to a research station in the Alliance, together. I came along two years later.”
    “Have they ever expressed regret for their choice? I mean, not you, but the leaving their family and such.”
    “My father tells me that while he was very popular with the women on Jela, none of them could debate him for any length of time. He craves the mental stimulation as much as the physical. My mother bemoans her bad taste at regular intervals, then my father gets dressed up, makes her a formal high tea, and suddenly, she has the best husband in the universe.”
    Vexa laughed. “I see. It seems like a solid match then.”
    “It is. Very. I am blessed beyond measure with my parents. They didn’t stop when my talent began to flare up. They found a way to channel it and keep me safe when my own body would destroy me. They protected me without thought for themselves. They held me in the night after I had torched my own bed. They trusted me with everything they were, and they are the reason that I chose to work with the Citadel.”
    She cocked her head. “Why not the Sector Guard?”
    “Both my lineage and my talent are unstable and cause for caution. I have been more stable with you than I have been my entire life. That is one of the many little things that have proved to me over and over that we are meant for each other.”
    She twisted her lips, unsure of the next question. “I would agree with you on the being better together. I feel it too and not just when you are behind me pouring heat into me.”
    “And?”
    “Where did the patterns for your markings come from?”
    He grinned, and the marks on his face flexed. “Ancient Dhema. They are the marks used by the warriors to show family and ranking. My mother wanted to put her mark on me when she realized that I would not have horns.”
    Vexa giggled. “It must have been a shock for her.”
    “As was my lack of wings to my father. He got over it, but Mom is a little more proactive.”
    She looked at the marks that travelled down his neck, across his chest and over his arms. Dr. Argee was definitely proactive. Lovely designs though.
     
     

 
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
     
    “I want to show you something.” Burn led her toward their domes and tugged her into his.
    “What?”
    He suddenly turned shy as he extended a pouch to her. “It isn’t for use when you work, but it is a star stone.”
    She opened the pouch and looked at the stone wrapped in strands of metal work that formed a tree and tiny leaves. “It is beautiful.”
    He sighed in relief. “The Cawhiel gave me the stone, and I refined the metal in