Chapter 26
That kiss had been a spectacular way to awaken. He could taste her lips. Thorn had kissed him.
He was alive. That was even more spectacular because he remembered being face-rammed with a bolt from a weapon fired by Fellen Zed. That whole day was there in his memory.
“I didn’t die?” he asked her after they had him standing, if wobbly. The room was very white and clinical, and he’d been lying on a stasis bed. That piece of equipment was used for both journeys through space and complicated healing procedures.
“Not quite.” Thorn smiled and took his hand. “Come outside so we can talk.”
By the time he reached the balcony at the end of a white corridor, his co-ordination had improved. A male mechbot nurse assured him he would regain all functions and skills, before leaving him with Thorn. They were two stories up and the planet below was breathtakingly beautiful.
Or perhaps it was his long sleep that’d left him vulnerable to beauty.
He looked to Thorn. She seemed changed. More confident? The female had always been one of the most solid and confident women he’d ever met, and so...
That bothered him.
There were no new lines on her face but she was young. Her stance though, she looked perfectly balanced and ready to kick out his teeth, if he’d been an opponent. She’d had time to learn new martial skills.
How much time? He wasn’t ready to hear yet.
Led sat down on one of the comfy red-cushioned chairs. The arms were made of a golden twisted timber. Thorn sat in the one opposite.
“Where are we?”
He nodded past her shoulder, at the towering forests, at the flocks of blue, crane-like birds wheeling across the green-blue sky. They seemed shinier than anything with feathers should be. Beyond them were mountains carpeted with milder blue, and faint wisps of smoke where something larger than the birds, and more humanoid, flew in multi-winged mechanical craft.
“COG 101. Isn’t it amazing? The molloks donated terraforming to the planet. Doctor S helped them salvage their terraforming code from your brain once he knew of their plight. It was damaged when you were shot.”
“I see.” The molloks were a rather generous race. “And Fellen Zed?”
“Killed by my friends. A laser from above. The s’kar were allowed to fly just in time to see what happened to you. Led...it has taken a while to fix you. They used a copy made by Doctor S, but I’m told you should have full memories, except for a few things in the distant past.”
“Good.” He drew in a long breath, let it out, and regarded her, this girl with the long white hair. So familiar, so dear to his heart, yet so incalculably strange.
She wore a black catsuit that must be a replica of the one she’d worn that final day. A girl with intricate red tattoos snaking down her arms.
“How long?” he asked, his lips compressed, his heart still.
“A long time. A very long time.”
Damn the gods above.
“I’m a level-three million, goddess-mage-mekinja with an army of minions.”
Say what? Society had clearly moved on and developed whole new terminology. A fucking long time then.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve had all those adventures?” And there he’d been figuring he was the prince going to kiss the princess and keep her. It was not to be. Sadness hovered nearby.
Instead, she’d kissed him awake.
“I married someone.” Then she shook her head and did an upward eyeroll before rapidly adding, “I can’t do it. I can’t. He wanted me to string you along, but I can’t. I’ve been in LoL almost the entire time you were healing. It was easier to reconstruct you in there, and so...I dated you, had fun, partied and we went on adventures, yes. I married you, Ledderik, only I call him Led.”
“Uhhh.” He blinked. What did this mean?
“So you can’t be Led anymore. You’re Rik.”
Stunned, he nodded. “Okay.” Hope, hope was rising like a gigantic balloon let loose from a hand. “You married me in LoL?”
“Yes. But... In reality we have not even dated. You’re not off the hook.”
He leaned back into his seat, squashing it, trying to absorb what this meant. “Give me a spokmin or a decade to figure this. How long was I under?”
“Eight point four years.”
“I see. Wow. Last time it took less. Lord Zarblu arranged it.”
He’d married her. This was about as astounding as anything could get to be. “But I don’t get to be automatically your –”
“Uh-uh. No way.”
“Then...” He sat forward and found her hand. He stroked the back of it, marveling at the weight of it, her softness, and the perfect lines of her mouth. He almost felt jealous of his other, virtual self, Led. “I will be Rik from now on. May I ask you for a date, Thorn?”
“Of course, you may.” She smirked. “The answer is yes. Where? The cafeteria here is pretty bland.”
“Hmmm.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet, then drew her to him and fitted his arm about her waist, remembering the last time he’d had sex with this teasing minx. “I remember touching you before, and tentacles, lots and lots of tentacles.” He kissed her lightly, absorbing the scent of her, pleased at how pliant she was, how willing.
“I remember those very well.” Her lips curved and she pressed her fingers into his biceps, kneading him there. “The LoL center on Lura said they’d give you free loaners, within reason. A mollok for example.”
“You had this planned.” Minx for sure.
“I did. I admit this. The one thing I told Led I would never do with him was tentacles. Those are your realm.”
“I suppose I cannot punch that bastard.” Unless he went into LoL. “I have a lot of sexual catching up to do. This first date will be long and arduous and probably involve you being upside down and screaming while you come.”
He felt her shiver and narrowed his eyes.
At which point he glimpsed something moving at ground level. Two bots that he recognized, and following them were three smaller, skipping and chortling, toddler-like ones.
“Did I just see Smorg and Jocelyn with three children? How is that even –”
“Don’t ask. Do not ask.” Thorn leaned in and bit his nipple area and growled.
Which was when he realized he couldn’t be in his original body and down below was not normal...exactly.
“What am I in? What body?”
For once he yearned for a mirror.
“Ohhh...” With her forefinger, she circled where she’d bitten, breathing warmly on him, then caught her lower lip in her teeth. “Well. Um. They gave me some choices, annnnd the doctor was happy to oblige a few modifications.” Her tail curled coquettishly about his feet.
Her breath had penetrated the wet cloth of his shirt. He leaned down to smell her, and twisted locks of purple and black swung across his face.
“Thorn...”