She had stopped the flames.
He stood and bowed, recalling that dragons expected a measure of deference.
And rightly so.
“I apologize, Princess Thalina,” he said. “My conclusion was deeply flawed, although it was a reasonable one, given the data available to me. It appears that I have been provided with incomplete information.”
“I think you owe me a boon,” Thalina said, and he found a correlation between her voice and that of the woman he’d pleasured. It was deeper and louder while she was in dragon form, but the inflections were the same.
“I would suggest that you might owe me one for breathing fire at me,” he dared to say.
Thalina laughed. “That was just a warning.”
Acion might have argued about the stringency of her warning, but it seemed to be a poor choice diplomatically. He’d wait until she was no longer a dragon before tabulating and presenting a list of his injuries.
His rejuvenation bots were still doing an inventory, which indicated that the damage was extensive. That he needed them for a second time in rapid succession was less than ideal, as they hadn’t multiplied to their former numbers just yet.
“A warning for what?” he asked instead of pursuing that line of reasoning. He might have to complete his mission at less than complete functionality. He tabulated the effect of that upon his success and found it to be—unsurprisingly—diminished by thirteen per cent.
Thalina’s gaze brightened and she took a step closer. She leaned down and Acion found himself treacherously close to those teeth. His back was against the wall and there was no option of retreating. He resolved that it was better to look confident and hold his ground rather than turn and run.
It was also easier to see what she was doing.
And he had nowhere to run, much less to hide.
“For daring to suggest that my favors are for sale,” Thalina said, her gaze running over him. She frowned and he braced himself for another assault of flames. “You’re more badly hurt than I expected,” she continued softly, to his surprise. “Why are you so flammable?”
A miscalculation? How intriguing. “It is not in my programming to question my maker’s choices.”
If a dragon could look contrite, this one did.
“I apologize,” Acion said again, because it seemed wise. “I have never encountered a woman of such passion as you showed and the conclusion I made about your role was erroneous.”
“Maybe you haven’t met the right kind of women,” she murmured, then smiled. That only displayed more teeth and was less reassuring than she might have intended. “I apologize, too. I meant only to frighten you.”
Acion found the husky tone of her voice alluring. Suggestive even. It made him think of her issuing an invitation as a woman and his body responded with an enthusiasm he found irrational, given his situation. He felt that heat again, even though his circuits should have been repaired. Had something changed?
He felt conflicted, which was entirely new.
Still, the dragon was waiting for his reply.
“There is a high probability of that premise being true, given that I have mostly been dispatched to serve Warrior Maidens on Cumae,” Acion acknowledged. “They tend to be practical women, who like their pleasure delivered promptly and efficiently.”
Thalina laughed again, surrounding him with a cloud of hot dragon breath. He smelled fire on her breath and noticed that what remained of his shirt—mostly in the front—was sparking again. He patted out the flames with his right hand, noting that the circuits were visible on that hand. The membrane had been fried away.
“I like to linger,” she confided. “I think pleasure should be savored.”
“An entirely reasonable perspective, given how rare pleasure is in our times.”
She tilted her head to study him and her gaze brightened. “Is it rare?”
“In my experience, yes. I have been assigned to serve sexual pleasure only seven times since the completion of my manufacture, approximately once every two Cumaen years.”
“Poor Acion,” Thalina said and he was puzzled.
“I am neither lacking in funds nor fortune,” he said. “I exist to serve and the schedule is not mine to determine.”
The dragon glowed blue then, and he recognized the hue immediately. He kept his eyes open wide, determined to witness her transformation completely, and still, he barely saw it. In a flash, Thalina stood before him once more, a woman.
An enticing woman.
Who wasn’t a siren or an android.
Who smiled at him as the flames in her eyes faded and died.
Relief flooded through Acion and his estimation of more peril to his shell diminished considerably, at least for the short term. His ratio of relief was irrational, given that she could become a dragon again at any moment, so he analyzed it.
He was glad to see her in her human form again.
Acion couldn’t consider that unexpected response, because something about the glint in Thalina’s eyes fed his arousal.
Again.
He had no capacity to read thoughts, but he could only conclude from her expression that she wished to be intimate again.
And he was more than willing.
Thalina closed the distance between them and swept her hand over him in one smooth caress. He watched her graceful movement, wishing that he had sensory input on more than his hands and face. Thalina frowned as she turned him and considered his back. “You need some repair, and it’s my fault. I am sorry. What can I do to make it right?”
“Nothing. My system carries nanobots that are already being dispatched to assess and repair all damage.”
“You did that already, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” Acion was impressed that she’d realized what was happening. “It was required after our intimate relations, though I cannot reason as to why.”
“I don’t understand.”
Acion weighed the merit of confiding in her, and couldn’t see why he shouldn’t. “I felt a surge of unprecedented heat during our union.”
She smiled and the sight made his heart skip. “Me, too.”
“And it seared some of my circuitry. Repairs were necessary.”
“That never happened before?”
Acion shook his head.
Mischief lit Thalina’s eyes. “Perhaps it’s a hazard of exceeding a pleasure factor of ten.”
“That seems most reasonable.” Acion found himself smiling in return. Their gazes clung and he had the curious sense that time had stopped. He was less aware of his injuries and more intent upon observing every detail of the princess Thalina. Her lashes were long and dark, and her hair had a slight curl. Her lips were full and he knew they were soft.
Welcoming.
Thalina’s gaze returned to his back and shoulder, and he watched her fingertip run over the length of the damage. “But this is much worse. Can the nanobots repair it?”
“They will restore functionality to the best of their powers. The rest will have to wait until I return to the Hive.” Acion already knew that functionality in his fingertips was impaired, which meant that the vibrator favored by the princess was inoperable. He didn’t have a full range of motion on his right arm, and its strength was compromised to forty per cent of his usual power.
He launched calculations on the probability of success in his mission, given these constraints.
Thalina was watching him. “I can help.”
Acion was astonished both by her conviction and her offer. “That is improbable.”
“No.” Thalina’s confidence was complete. “I’ve been working with a clockmaker and building automatons under his supervision.”
“I saw the dragon and the tower.”
She smiled. “Did you like it?”
“It was clever. The children were pleased with it.”
Thalina wrinkled her nose. “I think it’s primitive, but the clockmaker can’t see really tiny gears. We’re working on a much more intrica
te one as a gift for my father. My idea. I have to do a lot of it myself, but it’s very satisfying.”
“How is the creation of an automated dragon satisfying?”
“It’s predictable. It’s logical. It does what it’s programmed to do. I like that.”
Acion realized they had something in common. “But you can see the small workings?”
“Dragons have superior vision.” She sighed and considered his damaged arm. “If only I had my tools, I’d get you repaired.”
Acion calculated her desire to fix his workings to be extremely high. Even better, he trusted her, a most curious sensation and one he couldn’t fully explain. He tapped the hidden panel on his right thigh, which opened to reveal a full tool kit.
Thalina’s eyes lit with pleasure and Acion felt pleasure in her surprise. “You are prepared for everything!” she exclaimed, then bent to examine a small screwdriver. “There are even spare parts.” She led him back to the couch and urged him to sit down, moving with purpose. She surveyed the damage on the back of his shoulder. “Don’t go into rejuvenation mode just yet,” she warned. “I might have questions.”
That was so perfectly reasonable that Acion could only agree.
Chapter Four
The king was displeased.
Ector, Captain of the Guard, knew the signs well enough. The cheerful mood of their last encounter was banished and the king’s eyes had a telltale glitter as he reviewed the security video. The king was still, so still he didn’t seem to be breathing, but Ector felt the tension rise in the small room that was the Vault.
Salvon was clever enough to stand behind Ector and keep quiet, for once.
“The princess proposed a plan, you said,” the king invited, turning his attention from the recording and fixing it upon Ector.
Ector bowed and stepped forward, fighting his sense of unease. His royal overlords weren’t unfair or cruel, but they did sometimes lose control of their tempers. With a dragon king, such a slip could result in great damage, however unintended it might have been. Ector feared that the well-documented temper of King Ouros would be roused to fiery splendor by the revelation that any of his daughters were imperiled.
“She did, your majesty. The plan was for her to interrogate the intruder in that first chamber, without any record or witnesses.”
“How curious,” mused the king.
“She implied that torture might be required,” Ector added. “And that it would be wise to have no record.”
The king arched a brow.
Ector stepped forward. “If I may be so bold as to show you, sir, the thief came first to the gates, insisting that he had a gift for you.”
“And was turned aside for lack of credentials,” King Ouros said. “Presumably he found another way in?”
Ector nodded. “The princess was watching the security information from some other cameras.” The king had responded to the summons so quickly that the Captain of the Guard hadn’t been able to review them first. He replayed the sequences she’d watched for the king, then froze the image of the intruder crossing the river.
The king leaned forward as the sequence played again, emitting a low growl when the thief cut open the grate. He tapped the controls, zoomed in on the thief’s fingertips, and replayed the sequence one more time.
“An augmentation, sir?” suggested Salvon. “I hear they are easily bought on some planets.”
King Ouros magnified the image more and more, leaning close to the screen to examine a detail that Ector couldn’t discern. “Not exactly,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “I believe this thief is an android. Look at his eyes.”
“That would explain the princess’s interest,” Salvon said and Ector wished his subordinate would remain quiet.
King Ouros gave the junior sentry a look so cold that he flinched. “She is very interested in automatons, but this situation is perilous.” His voice hardened. “Scintillon’s Law cannot be defied, even by a member of the royal family who is curious.”
“Of course not, your majesty.” Ector glared at Salvon, who dropped his gaze.
The king replayed Thalina’s capture of the intruder, then spun in the chair, drumming his fingertips. Ector wasn’t reassured by the faint glimmer of blue around his royal person. “She changed the plan,” the king said, his words clipped.
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Then she must have had a reason. Thalina is practical.”
“Because he was an android?”
“She would need more of a reason than that. An android might be able to threaten her person. If Thalina took a risk, she calculated the odds of survival to be in her favor. Why?” The king rose with purpose, evidently not expecting an answer. “Scintillon’s Law is absolute and she knows it. Why did she spare the android?”
“Perhaps she wished to investigate his abilities before his annihilation,” Salvon suggested. “Professional curiosity.”
Ector closed his eyes as the king’s gaze locked on Salvon. He expected little good, but Ouros cleared his throat and stood.
“I will go down there,” he said.
“But, sir! I can send a guard and spare your majesty the inconvenience…”
Ouros silenced Ector by dropping a hand to that man’s shoulder. “Not one who will see and smell everything I will see and smell, Ector,” he said and the Captain of the Guard had to admit that was true. The king squeezed his shoulder a little. “You will accompany me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Salvon’s relief was palpable that he was to be left in the Vault. Ector gave him some instruction on monitoring the situation, then followed the king, who was already striding down the corridor to the lower levels at a brisk pace. He brought a lantern, although the king didn’t appear to need it.
“Did you memorize her direction, sir? Because I can link to the main system…”
“I recognize Thalina’s scent, Ector,” Ouros said. “Just as I recognize the scent of every citizen in my kingdom.” He spared the Captain of the Guard a glance. “I could find any one of my children in the darkest night and locate my wife in the deepest abyss.”
“Of course, sir.” Ector couldn’t smell anything except damp stone. He called up the link on his personal screen anyway, curious to see whether the king could follow Thalina’s path unerringly. In fact, Ouros followed it so closely that he might have stepped in Thalina’s every footstep.
The king halted in the storeroom, examining the wet mark on the floor, inhaling deeply and scanning the space. Ector shone the light around the empty room, noting the extinguished candle. He smelled the snuffed wick and thought the candle looked as it had been ground underfoot.
The king turned to Ector with an unexpected smile. “The Seed,” he whispered, his eyes shining. “I will be a grandfather again, Ector.”
Ector’s mouth opened in surprise. “But you suspected he was an android, sir. Is that possible?”
“It must be. The scent of the Seed does not lie.” Ouros moved quickly then, heading toward the sealed treasury. He leaned his ear against the door and smiled, just a little, then placed the flat of his hand against the smooth metal.
Ector couldn’t see or hear anything, but the king’s smile broadened.
“I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl,” he said with undeniable pride.
“Is she safe, sir?”
“I feel the heat of recent dragon fire, Ector, and the stone still carries the resonance of a roar of pleasure. I believe my daughter is well and even pleased. How long has she been secured in the treasury?”
“Roughly an hour, sir.”
“And her original scheme was to interrogate him for a day and a night?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I wonder if she could smell the Seed even at such a distance as the Vault,” the king murmured, then sighed rapturously. “I remember how beguiling the scent of my partner in the wind was.”
“If you will excuse me, sir, if the princess had known about the Seed from the outset, there would
have been no reason for her to create and then discard her original plan.”
“You’re right, of course, Ector. Thalina may have had a sense that it was imperative to intercept him. She might even have believed she could further her own fascination, at least until she was closer to him and smelled the truth.” Ouros nodded. “Then she did the only responsible thing under the circumstances.”
Ector frowned. “To take him into the Hoard, sir?”
“To isolate and sequester him until she obtained the Seed. Scintillon’s Law commands that all androids shall be destroyed on sight.” Ouros scanned the door. “He cannot be her HeartKeeper. He must be simply a vehicle for the Seed. Perhaps he delivers it for the HeartKeeper.”
“Yes, sir.”
“He cannot harm any of us, and he cannot be harmed, so long as he is in the Hoard. He is at her mercy. I suspect this is her plan.”
“Except by you, sir.”
“Exactly.” Ouros nodded with satisfaction and left the portal then, heading back to the palace with confidence as Ector hurried behind him. “We will leave Thalina in her love nest for the night, to ensure that the Seed is harvested, then we will intervene at first light.”
“That is less than the day and night she commanded, your majesty.”
“It is, but I believe it would be best to surprise Thalina. My daughters can be stubborn and I don’t want any complications. Ensure that there are tranquilizers prepared, Ector. Thalina will be protective and may need to be subdued.”
“Full doses, your majesty?”
“No, she mustn’t be injured. Requisition one dose sufficient to put her to sleep and divide it between three launchers. Even if only one hits, she will be slowed down.”
“Yes, your highness.”
The king smiled. “Fortify yourself, Ector. Thalina will not take well to a challenge to the Carrier of the Seed, and I don’t doubt that his own power is considerable.”