Chapter 15 #3
The dangers Leeam and Sheera had faced meant Niran was reluctant to allow his people to venture into the area again. Not that Ransom blamed him. Luckily, their stocks of stones were sufficient. For now.
“It is a good idea.” Ransom tore his gaze from the view outside his window and turned to the Incorporeal leader. “I will com the king and request a meeting, ask if they will allow you to shimmer into their territory.”
“Please request Ellard’s and Gweneth’s presence.”
Ransom nodded. “I will do as you ask. It is time.”
“Yes,” Niran said. “As much as I will miss them, it is time for a change.”
Ellard’s suite, House of the Cat castle, Viros
The determined thump on Ellard’s suite door echoed in time with his head. Bang. Bang. Bang!
“What do you want?” The black mood that hovered over Ellard burst free in a feline snarl. “Go away.”
“I order you to open the door.” His younger brother. Determined, judging by his crisp words.
“And I order you to open the door,” Lynx said in a quieter yet implacable tone. “Don’t make me order your soldiers to break down the door.”
Ellard stomped to the door and wrenched it open. His empty tunic sleeve flapped at his other side in silent mockery. “Say your piece and go.”
“Niran, the Incorporeal leader, has requested a meeting. He asks that you be present. The meeting takes place at one portion cycle.” Lynx looked him up and down. “Enough time for you to apply stop-beard and sanitize.”
Shiloh’s nose wrinkled in a fastidious manner. “You reek.”
Ellard opened his mouth to tell them to phrull off, but Lynx held up an imperious hand. His brother’s friend hadn’t taken long to get a king attitude. He snapped his mouth shut.
“You will attend. This is a chance to advance trade and public relations. We need to establish good relations with our neighbors.”
“Fine,” Ellard bit out. “Where is the meeting?”
“The morning room,” Shiloh said. “One portion cycle. Don’t be late.”
His brother and the king left, closing the door behind them. Ellard took a sec to mentally curse then headed for his sanitizer.
Two mins past the portion cycle mark, Ellard presented himself at the morning room door.
He knocked, and Lynx answered, ushering him inside.
Jannike and her friends had changed the furnishings, and the room no longer appeared cluttered.
Instead, the sparseness of it, the new warmth and richness of the red-jewel tones, the comfortable gel-seating made it a suitable, if informal, place to host a meeting.
Ellard took two steps and came to an abrupt halt, his nostrils flaring.
His head snapped up, his gaze sweeping the rest of the light-filled room.
“Gweneth,” he said and was proud of his even tone. “I didn’t realize you would be here.”
“Niran requested her presence too,” Lynx said.
Ellard gave a curt nod and walked over to the window, an excuse to rip his gaze off her enticing figure.
The city spread out below and beyond the vivid greens of the forest, but nothing about the view diverted him from Gweneth.
She looked good. Beautiful. His pulse jumped into a racy beat, and his feline stirred beneath his skin—a ripple of protest at the distance between them.
His cat didn’t understand. His handicap would drag Gweneth down, and she deserved so much more.
Unable to resist, he turned and caught the arrival of Niran as he shimmered into view.
He wore his long white hair loose apart from two thin braids on either side of his face.
Dressed in a frilly white shirt and tight black trews with boots, his white eyes scanned the room in a trice.
An instant later, Leeam and Sheera appeared, their hands clasped.
The couple wore color, so much color that Ellard blinked.
However, their smiles eclipsed the bright reds, pinks, and blues of their garments.
“Greetings.” Lynx flashed a grin of greeting. “Welcome to Viros.”
“Thank you,” Niran said. “It is good to meet you in person. This is my nephew Leeam and his mate Sheera.”
“I am pleased to meet you. We have made a point of meeting our neighbors,” Lynx said. “Closer relations benefit us all. Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
While Lynx and Niran completed the polite courtesies, Ellard watched Gweneth. She didn’t watch him back. Instead, she said something to Leeam and Sheera and the three were soon in animated discussion.
“Ellard,” Shiloh said in a sharp tone.
Ellard blinked and realized Lynx wanted him to join the discussion. He stalked over to the three men and sat.
“Ransom and I were both impressed by the way Ellard and Gweneth protected Leeam and Sheera. You joined the search and ultimately found them, facing danger to keep them safe.”
“I’m a soldier,” Ellard said.
“No,” Niran said. “Not everyone would do what you and Gweneth did. My family and friends have prospered on Narenda with Ransom and his people. We have multiplied to such an extent it is now necessary to splinter and find a new home. Now that Leeam and Sheera have officially mated, I seek your permission to allow them to live on Viros. I requested Ellard’s and Gweneth’s presence because I would like them to be our liaison. ”
Ellard glanced at Lynx and Shiloh and saw they didn’t fully understand what Niran was asking. He swallowed and led with the truth. “Gweneth and I aren’t together. We can’t—couldn’t provide sustenance for Leeam and Sheera.”
“I see,” Niran said, his pinprick glacier-blue pupils increasing in size as he scrutinized Ellard. “The Incorporeal race requires sexual energy to survive,” he said to Lynx and Shiloh.
“So Ellard and Gweneth kept Leeam and Sheera alive,” Lynx said with interest, finally understanding.
“Fascinating,” Shiloh murmured.
“If Leeam and Sheera came to live here, what would be involved?” Lynx asked. “Would they need to live in the castle?”
“That would be best, but they need to live near sexually active couples.”
Shiloh grinned. “I guess a triad would work.”
“Even better,” Niran said.
Lynx frowned. “How does this work? Do they need to be in the same room?”
“No. We are not peepers or voyeurs, but we are aware when lovers are active. We can absorb the energy from the room next door or a corridor. The lovers who feed us never know of our presence. We do not require feeding every cycle and can stockpile the energy. We can also share the energy, which is how we feed our youngsters until they’re mature enough to collect their sustenance. ”
“Shiloh and I are mated to Jannike. We have another mated couple who live in the castle, plus several other friends who sometimes bring partners back to their suites—as long as the partners can pass security checks. My brother and his mate also reside here at times. If that is acceptable, we can offer Leeam and Sheera a suite of rooms within the castle for their accommodation.”
“You would do that?” Niran asked.
Lynx nodded. “The castle was a lonely place during my childhood. I like having more inhabitants. If you are unsure, you are welcome to stay on a trial basis.”
“Your charges?” Niran asked.
“All we ask of our friends is that they help with anything that requires aid. For example, Gweneth had the idea of holding a festival. We have split the tasks and are all helping to make it a success.”
“Ellard, you haven’t told your king of our powers,” Niran said.
“No, I thought it best to keep it quiet. Not that they would spread the news or take advantage, but—” Ellard shrugged. “I didn’t want to endanger you by telling your secrets.”
Niran beamed. “I knew Viros would be a good place.” He turned to Lynx.
“The Incorporeal people feed on the sexual energy, but we are also able to conjure physical things from the same source.” He waved his hand, and a drink appeared.
He handed it to Lynx and conjured three more, plus a float table to place them on.
He lifted one in a toast. “To your good health.”
Lynx and Shiloh eyed the drinks suspiciously, but Ellard sipped his without hesitation.
“We can conjure anything, even spaceships. The items we conjure last for as long as the recipient requires them. Once they are no longer required, they will vanish. For example, if someone stole your clothes, leaving you naked, I could conjure you a suit of clothes. The clothes would remain until you reached your accommodation and took them off to replace them with another set of your own clothing. A spaceship will remain until the destination is reached. The food and drink we conjure nourishes.”
“What happens if the Incorporeal dies or is killed suddenly?” Shiloh asked.
“The item remains until it is no longer needed. We offer useful gifts in exchange for sexual energy, but we are not bottomless pits of riches,” Niran said, his tone becoming somber. “We reserve the right to conjure items as we see fit. No one may demand or order. It does not work that way.”
Lynx took a sip of his drink, then another, his shoulders relaxing.
“Leeam and Sheera are welcome to stay at the castle. I suggest a short stay—maybe seven or ten cycles—first to see if they enjoy it here. We do not require anything in return. If Leeam and Sheera want to help us organize the festival, they may do that.”
Niran stood. “Leeam. Sheera.”
The couple turned with broad smiles and approached.
“King Lynx has invited you to visit,” Niran said.
“With a view to see if you would like to live at the castle full-time,” Lynx said.
Sheera clapped her hands together. “We would like that very much. We have missed Ellard and Gweneth.”
“Ellard and Gweneth will give you a city tour,” Lynx said. “Is there any reason the stay cannot start immediately?”
“Leeam?” Niran asked.
“We would like that,” Leeam said.
“Very well,” Niran said. “May I return in ten cycles?”
“Come at the same time to this room,” Lynx said. “We will await your arrival.”
Niran inclined his head. “Thank you. In ten cycles.”
“Can we do the tour now?” Leeam asked, beaming with excitement.
Ellard glanced at Gweneth and away, a tight band of emotion forcing him to struggle for breath. “Of course,” he said. The sooner they did the tour, the sooner he could lose himself in work. It was time to check the fitness of his soldiers and guards. That would help keep his mind off Gweneth.