Page 49 of Xel: Broken Bond

“On an unrelated note, though… I did have an idea about Rohinavon,” I continued, hoping I wasn’t about to make a mistake. “In the short term, it would probably be very stressful. But in the long term, it might end up being something that worksvery well.” I waited for him to look up at me, a wry quirk of his eyebrow prompting me to continue. “You were looking for something useful to do with the old barn. And the paddocks at the back of the property. And we’re very isolated here – there’s little local traffic and the only visitors are looking for new pets. So no one would have any reason to suspect there’s anything interesting going on here. So perhaps we should turn the barn into a nursery for the Vangravian children?”

“Turn the barn into… You want themhere?” my master asked, sounding aghast. “But that would mean so manymorepeople. How does that solve anything?”

“In the beginning, there would be a lot of people,” I agreed. “But the vast majority of those people would stay the same. The same soldiers, the same nannies, the same families. Aiden said he would want as few people knowing about the colony as possible, which means finding people who are willing to commit to it long-term. So for the first couple of months, yes, it would be very stressful. But then everybody gets to know you, and gets used to you, and then they stop asking stupid questions. And if there are any particularly rude ones, then Rohinavon and I will make sure they learn to be polite to you, like I did with the vet,” I promised him, and I was relieved when that got him to smile just a little.

“Yeah, I could see her doing that,” my master agreed. “She doesn’t seem like the type to back down if she feels strongly about something.”

Thank goodness he wasn’t dismissing the idea outright. I was aware that there was a long way to go before we could actually do any of this, but at least he was entertaining the idea. “We could build cabins in the paddocks for the children to live in as they get older. And some for the soldiers. And I was thinking… When I lived at the hotel, I spent a lot of time pretending to be a Solof. If I turn my scales purple, few people look close enoughto tell the difference. It wouldn’t be difficult to teach the children to do the same. By the time they’re about ten years old, they’d be able to do it well enough that we could take them out in public. In the long run, they would need to learn about Alliance society, and how to go shopping, or how to catch public transport. How to live in the real world, not just inside their own little bubble. That’s the ultimate point of all of this; to prove that they’re able to blend seamlessly with a fully functioning society.”

“It would probably be good for them to be around a few of the dimari,” my master mused. “Firstly so you can teach them stuff like changing their colours – I know Rohinavon could do a certain amount of that, but depending on how many children we end up with, she can’t do it all. But also, if the children learn about how the dimari are trained, then hopefully they’ll grow up understanding why freedom is so important. I hate to say it, but they’re not going to be able to just choose whatever vocation they like and forget about the rest of the galaxy. They’re going to be political ambassadors. Whether they like it or not.”

“But we must also make sure they have time to be children, as well,” I insisted. Then, to my surprise, I felt a trickle of nausea, and it was familiar enough that I realised it was due to the fact that I had just forcefully contradicted my master. I’d felt it once or twice back at the hotel, early on, when I’d been learning what my master liked and disliked, and it took me completely by surprise now. Cole wasn’t… But hewasmy master now, wasn’t he? It was my duty to obey him, not to force my opinion on him.

“I really like the idea of being part of something this important,” my master said, oblivious to my internal disquiet. “I’ve been looking for something to do with the barn that will make a difference. And this certainly qualifies. And if you’re keen to be a part of that too, then it’s worth suggesting it to Aiden. I can’t wait to hear what the Parliament has to say aboutthis.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “It’s turning out to be rather an eventful week, all things considered.”

That pulled me up, though perhaps not in the way that my master had intended. I felt a rush of light-headedness, and I swayed on my feet. Only four days ago, I’d been working in the hotel owned by my master. I hadn’t met my new master, or Mr Beans, or Bribie, or Huckleberry, or Leesha. So many things had changed…

“Woah, are you okay?” my master asked, standing up and steadying me by the shoulders. “You’ve gone almost green.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, the words coming out slightly slurred. “I think I’m just tired.” It was definitely something more than just tiredness. My master’s hands were warm against my skin, and it felt like little electric shocks were running down my arms from his touch. I looked down and saw that my hands were shaking.

My master saw that too, and he took hold of them, his grip reassuringly firm, his hands calloused. “Do Vangravians get sick?” he asked, sounding concerned. “Rohinavon couldn’t have given you some kind of infection, could she?”

Rohinavon hadn’t looked the slightest bit unwell, and I had a strong suspicion that this was something else entirely. “I don’t think so,” I replied. I felt hollow inside, much the way I had done before I’d met my first master. The master who was now dead. “I think I need to… need to get some sleep,” I mumbled. But the idea of going back to my own bedroom alone filled me with an odd sort of alarm. Furry companions aside, I would be alone in there. Alone in a big, cold bed, with the hollowness inside me, and the nausea…

“You should stay with me tonight,” my master said, firmly but gently. “You don’t look well.”

“Mr Beans…” I muttered, concern creating a tight band of pressure around my skull. “Where’s…?”

“Mr Beans can come and sleep on the bed with us as well,” my master said, stepping around me to open the door. He propped it open a few inches, then made a kissing sound. A moment later, Mr Beans came darting into the room, making a happy little trill as he jumped up onto the bed.

“Bribie can come in as well, when he decides he wants to,” my master promised. “Come on. Clothes off. In bed.” He stripped himself down to his boxers, pausing to carefully stack the clothes over the back of the chair in the corner. Then he looked me up and down, moved deliberately over to the bed and climbed under the duvet.

Now that I was taking the time to think about it, I was rather startled by the sudden invitation. Up until now, he’d been so skittish about touching me, about being at all unclothed around me. And now he was inviting me to just climb into bed with him? What the heck had happened today that had somehow changed his mind? And how had I missed something so monumental? Okay, so he wasn’t inviting me to haveintercoursewith him, but this was still a huge leap forward.

Not willing to turn down such a delightful opportunity, I removed my own clothes, folding them into a neat pile, and then I slid into bed beside him, nudging Mr Beans a little to get him to give me room. He made a low grumble of complaint, but obligingly rearranged himself to lie tucked up against my stomach, his purring loud in the quiet room.

My master switched off the lamp, then put his hand on my hip. I held my breath… and then wriggled backwards just a fraction. He was cagey about touching me, but I wanted him to so very much. Slowly, tentatively, he spooned himself up behind me, and I almost melted at the sublime feel of so much warmth against me. Oh heavens, I hadn’t felt this good since I’d left the training centre, shipped off to meet the colossal fuckwit who had been my…

Ooooh shit. I mentally panicked, cutting off the words that were floating around at the edge of my consciousness. My previous master had most certainly not been… Well,that. That was a highly inappropriate way to be thinking about a man who had owned me, had made use of my body, and controlled my every waking hour.

Except that… he hadn’t really, had he? He’d controlled about fifteen minutes of each day, and the rest of the time had been organised by Kathy or one of the other supervisors at the hotel. So he’d only been my master for about one per cent of the time. And that was so fucking messed up, that he hadn’t even-

My master’s arm tightened around my waist, and I deliberately made my body relax again. My master was here, with me, wrapped around me in a way that Mr Ronson had never bothered to try. My new master was superior to the old one in every way. I felt a faint buzzing in my head, and my breathing pick up its pace as I tried to figure out what that meant.

“Just relax,” my master breathed into my ear. “Go to sleep.”

Relax. Go to sleep. The buzzing increased, and then faded out to a peaceful silence. I closed my eyes, and a moment later, felt the relentless tug of sleep pull me under.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

COLE

Iwas awake long before dawn. I’d slept like the dead, which came as a huge surprise as I lay in the darkness, listening to Xel’s slow, even breathing. With so many things on my mind, I hadn’t been expecting to sleep at all.

But I woke at four in the morning, feeling surprisingly refreshed, unable to remember any of my dreams. Mr Beans and Bribie were both still cuddled up with us, Mr Beans in front of Xel, and Bribie having squished his way in between us. Thankfully, I had a queen-size bed, so although it was a tight fit, there was just about enough room for all of us.

But I was very much awake, with no chance of going back to sleep, so I slid carefully out of bed, trying to jostle Bribie as little as possible as I did so. It was still reasonably warm, so I just pulled on a pair of shorts. I automatically reached for a t-shirt as well – it had been years since I’d voluntarily wandered around without a shirt on, even when I’d been here alone. But after yesterday – afterallof yesterday – I decided to leave it behind. Iwould put it on when I went to do the early morning check of the animals, but until then, I was just going to sit on the porch and watch the sunrise.