Sholan Alliance - AU Bk. 02 Ch. 05

Since she knew where they had to leave the building she hurried up a bit and caught them at the entrance. "Hold on guys I would like to come with. I want some good food as well." She grinned as she caught up and snagged one of Dani's arms. "I would like your help as well. I would like to get a gift for your father and any suggestions would be nice." She knew the jewelry store she wanted. No she couldn't give him a torque but there were a number of other items she could purchase.

Dani smiled when the woman linked arms with her. "I am so not going to ask what you are going to get him but I will offer suggestions." She liked Z'Marl though she was a bit retiring for her tastes. Since Dani tended to be bubbly and energetic many of her friends were the same. Part of it she thought was Z'Marl hadn't gotten the most support from her family. From little snippets she had overheard it almost sounded like they were embarrassed by their daughter's obvious intelligence. Personally she thought that was utterly stupid but then again her father had encouraged both of his girls to use their brains and not be afraid of what others thought.

As they were approaching the gates to the guild Vangie smiled. "I am going to warn you that you are going to get all kinds of looks. You are the first new aliens we have met in almost a hundred years, or I should say space going aliens. That and both of you are very attractive. Doctor Jusdean thinks there is a cross over on pheromone responses. That is why we are attracted to each other." He had gotten that report just a few days ago.

Both girls blinked and Sally sighed. "I hate being stared at for whatever reason but I do understand." She grinned up at Vangie. "At least I have a mean ol' kitty warrior to protect me." How the hell the term kitty started working into the conversations she didn't know but found it amusing.

Vangie glowered at her for a moment. "This mean ol' kitty warrior might have to spank the evil little human." Then he leered at her. "We can take care of that before we go to sleep tonight." When Dani groaned he laughed.

When they walked out the entrance to the guild property the noise and bustle of the city went up quite a bit. He paused for a few moments for the girls to get used to it before moving down the street. As they were moving they were getting looks but nobody came up and bothered them. "This section of town is specifically designed to service the Telepath's Guild. No traffic is allowed during daytime hours. Many of the stores are aimed at the young telepaths who are here to learn about their abilities. There are clothing stores, food venders, jewelry stores, and many others."

As he was talking Z'Marl headed for a food vender who was selling meat on a stick and purchased several before coming back. She handed them out and took a bite. "Oh man I missed these. They are Rakala that have been marinated and then slow grilled." Another bite and the first stick was finished.

Dani delicately sniffed the meat and then took a careful bite since she wasn't sure how hot it might be. After chewing the bite she made and obvious mmm sound. "Oh man that was good. I am going to have to get a few for the others when we go back. I can already taste what daddy might do with the meat."

They all finished the meat quickly and tossed the sticks in the trash. "Darn it now I am really hungry." Sally said and sighed. "I am glad to see this but I wish it hadn't taken pappa to get hurt to come here." Since the Sholan's were staring at them she stared back occasionally. She figured turn about was fair play.

Even though they were hungry the settled for a relaxed stroll since hurrying would only get more attention drawn to them. When Z'Marl saw the store she wanted she gently tugged Dani in that direction. As they approached the store a group of Touiban's came out.

They stopped in shock for a moment before scurrying over and dancing around the group. Their fingers delicately touched them and felt their skin and hair till Vangie barked out a command. They froze and then scurried away.

Dani had to close her eyes and give her head a shake. "What were those?" They looked sort of like bristly apes that hadn't discovered a color they didn't like. They were also festooned with chains and gave a new meaning to serious bling.

Vangie snorted. "That was a group of Touibans. They were excited to see the new aliens. I told them that your father was ranked as the leader of several swarms which is why they vanished. They are the comm. and electronic specialists and have a curiosity that makes your proverbial cats curiosity pale." He shook his head as they followed Z'Marl into the shop.

Inside was cool and dimmer than outside which Dani and Sally greatly appreciated. The shop keeper looked up from putting some trays away and smiled. "Good Afternoon and welcome to Shola. How may I help all of you?" This was the story to tell the grandkids when he got a chance.

Z'Marl shyly stepped forward and smiled at the older male. "I am looking for something for my companion. He is one of the human's and was injured. I wanted to do something for him to make him feel better."

Dani gave her arm a squeeze. "I am one of his daughters and my name is Dani. Z'Marl asked my sister and I to help her find something." She pointed at Sally when she said that. "This is my sister Sally and her companion Vangie." She thought they were companions and didn't know they hadn't done that yet.

Sally smiled at the male. "Good afternoon to you as well sir. As far as what would be good for our father would be something fairly simple yet masculine. Nothing to heavy though. He is a star ship captain and heavy chains or necklaces can be dangerous." Vangie had let go of her arm and was looking at the selections.

The shop keeper stroked his chin for a moment. "Maybe a nice bracelet? It can be easily removed when he is working but will look good when he is wearing it. Obviously a bonding bracelet wouldn't work but... Give me a moment and I will be back." He stepped into the back and collected several bracelets.

"Take a look at these and pick one you like. Do you have any idea how large his wrist is? I can adjust the length though it will take a few days." They talked for several minutes before he filled out an order slip and tucked the bracelet and a copy into a pouch which went under the counter. "Come back in three days and I will have it for you."

Vangie came back and though he didn't purchase anything he had found a necklace he wanted to get for Sally. He would make and excuse in the next day or two and come and pick it up. "Thank you for not gawking and for that when and if other humans come I will recommend this store." That would give the shop keeper a reason to keep being polite. "Now it is time for us to get something to eat so you have a good day."

Eventually they found a out door diner and settled down to eat. There were a number of younger telepaths there who were staring. Vangie simply stared back and let a general annoyance be felt. That got a reaction and most of them turned away. It wouldn't keep them from sneaking glances but it would keep the blatant stares down.

~~~

Sandi, Jenna, Kingie, and Crystal walked into the room and Billy smiled. "It is good to see all of you. I feel so out of the loop on what has been going on with all of you." He nudged Z'Marl and she sat up and stretched before moving. Billy held his hand out. "Come here and give me a hug and peck you two frenimies." He grinned when he said that.

Sandi narrowed her eyes and growled at him. "Just for that I might not give you your mail. I might make you have to wait for a week or two." She had several packages and a small box of data crystals.

Billy looked at her hands and grinned. "I take that back. Come and give me a good hug and kiss you lovely woman. I have double fudge chocolate cake..." He knew that Sandi loved that and used it to tease her.

Jenna glared at him. "No trying to lead my wife to the chocolate side. I might make you wait for that." She started laughing at him. "Give him the packages love or we won't get his attention while he stares holes in them."

Sandi laughed and walked over to the bed and settled down next to him. "Here you go Billy and one is from the patent office." She gave him a good kiss and a light hug before handing the packages over. "There are cubes from family and friends as well as the Navy. There is even one from Bitty as well. Someone also appears to have gathered up a large number of news articles on the first contact as well about the pirates you took out."

Billy was listening while he was opening the package from the patent office. It took him a few minutes to review the documents. He started grinning. "Oh damn I am going to be rolling in the money. My re-crystallization process has been patented. Now I have to get in touch with Bobby Sue and have her get started." He was grinning like it was going out of style.

He thumbed through the other stuff and found one from Bobby Sue and opened it. He pulled out a stack of documents. As he scanned through them he had to shake his head. "Damn but she jumped on the bandwagon. She started re-crystallizing tubes on a case by case basis. When she sent this she had done 8 sets. After all is said and done I made close to sixty thousand and she made about ten grand. I gotta get this stuff reviewed and signed."

Sandi snickered at him as he was chortling at how well it had done. "Well it is nice to know a man on the rise. Maybe Jenna and I will reconsider certain arrangements..." It wouldn't happen but she had to toss that in.

Jenna frowned at her. "Not happening girl. I am rather possessive of my wife." She relaxed her face and smiled. "Good for you Billy. Don't you wish you had done this earlier? You could have a fleet of ships by now."

They talked for a while longer before Billy started yawning. "Stay if you want but I am going to take a nap." He looked fairly content with the results of the mail call. "If one or the other of you wants to join me please do." Before any of them could climb in he had started snoring.

~~~

Late that night their link day started. This link Billy was definitely feeling the draw of Satasha and not just to be with her. The sexual component was kicking in and it felt so good. It had been a while since they had last made love and he wanted to feel being inside her and to feel her around him. "Come my Leska let's relax and enjoy our day. I wish I could do more than lay here but even that is going to be good." His eyes were heavy with lust and love. The lust came from the drive to mate with her and the love was having her as his bond mate.

She melded her body to his and gave him a good kiss. *Being with you is enough but I admit I do miss the love making. Just being with you is enough. I will take it easy on you since I don't want to cause you pain.* As her hands stroked his skin she could feel the enjoyment. Satasha could also feel the enjoyment of her fur brushing against his skin. *My love and my life. I wish I could have your cub. He or she would be so adorable.*

Billy wished she could have his baby as well. That was the only thing missing from their relationship but they could work around it. He didn't say anything else as he stroked her fur with his good hand. They took their time but when they coupled there was an extra surge of power. Once they were done Billy could only lay there panting. That had been damn good and he figured the surge was because they hadn't been together like that since the link had formed.

The rest of the link day passed and they talked and cuddled and made love several more times. Billy had to admit though he was tired and a bit sore, as careful as they had been his shoulder still ached, he felt much better. "Night love and see you in the morning." He caught her lip with his teeth and gently nibbled before falling asleep.

~~~

Since Billy and Satasha were isolated due to the link day Kingie had talked to Crystal about taking her to his home. She had to think about it since she was still deathly scared of being rejected or looked down on. It took a while and some convincing before she said yes. "I will go but I am scared Kingie. I know what you said is true but part of me is just so scared of rejection."

Kingie wrapped an arm around her. "I know Crystal and I briefly talked to my parents. I didn't go into details, simply that you had suffered some severe trauma and to keep the personal questions to a minimum." He rubbed his cheek against hers briefly. "My younger sister is really looking forward to meeting you as well."

She sighed and leaned into the hug and nuzzle. Crystal felt bad for taking up so much of his time but she needed the anchor. Working with the telepath was helping but she couldn't stand to be away from him for more than an hour at most. "Well shall we go and what should I wear?"

He smiled. "That is my scary human speaking and good for you." When she asked what to wear he frowned slightly. "I would go with a tabard and sandals since it is still pretty hot out there. Pack a small bag since we are going to be spending the night." As Kingie was speaking he pulled off his warrior robes and pulled on a brown tabard that complimented his fur.

Crystal had to stop and wonder why his presence didn't bother her. He was male and was good looking but his being male should have freaked her out. With a sigh she stood and thumbed through the tabards she had and finally found a soft mauve one that she liked and quickly pulled it on.

Once she was dressed Kingie ran a brush through her hair and made sure it looked as best possible. "You have such lovely hair and it is such a rare color as well." Once done he waited for her to pack and they left the room they shared and headed to the main gate. "I have called for a public air car to take us to my parent's house."

She nodded and wrapped an arm around one of his. "I know I have said it but thank you so much Kingie for everything. You didn't need to do everything you have for me and I really do appreciate all the attention you have given me."

Kingie smiled down at her. "I know sweetie and I don't mind. Once in a blue moon I do get an urge to go out for ale with the guys but I have enjoyed getting to know you." He removed his arm from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders. Yes they looked like a couple but he didn't really care what others thought.

"I know we didn't meet under the best of circumstances but I am glad that I got to meet you. You are lovely strong girl and as I said on the ship the other warriors have seen that and respect all of you." He grinned down at her. "I just got the new patch for my robes and it is with the tailor right now."

She looked up at him in shock and then started giggling. "I R mighty scary human, be afraid, very afraid..." Crystal couldn't resist and did the claw thing with a hand and growled. Just for good measure she made it a cute little growl.

Kingie snickered and waved the air car down and helped her in. Once he had entered the address in and inserted his card to have the cost deducted he leaned back and relaxed. "I can't wait to see everyone. Oh, my littlest brother is likely to crawl all over you. He is about five in human years and is going to be fascinated by you."

She shrugged. "I think I can deal with that since most children are so cute at that age and yes I understand they are going to want to feel my skin and hair." She relaxed into him and closed her eyes and till they arrived.

When they climbed out of the air car she gave the house a good look. To her it seemed to resemble a roman villa. There was a tall adobe wall surrounding it and as they walked in the gate the house had wide open windows and a deep porch to keep the sun from shining directly into the house. There was greenery surrounding the house and a number of small nooks where one could sit and talk or read.

Moments after they arrived his family came out. She could see the resemblance between him and his father since they had the same fur color. His mother was a brindle coloring and his siblings were a mixture. There were two girls and a boy. "Good after noon."

Kingie grinned at his family. "This is Crystal and I want to treat her to a good home cooked meal and give her a chance to relax and recover from the flight." He urged her forwards and towards his family. "Remember no mauling her. If you want to feel her skin or hair ask before you touch." As he was talking his little brother ran over and Kingie picked him up. "Hello stinker how are you? Crystal this is Jong, the next oldest is my mischievous sister Amahs, next older sister India, my father Jasoom, and mother Kilath.

His youngest sister came over and looked up at her. "Hello, Kingie had said really nice things about you. Would you like to see my room?" She didn't really think before grabbing her hand and started dragging her towards the house.

Crystal couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay, slow down." Once Amahs slowed down Crystal reached over and ruffled her hair and ears. "Maybe later we can trade secrets about your brother. He is a wonderful person and has been very helpful to all of us."

Kingie had to roll his eyes as he started towards the house. His little brother was chattering about what he had done at school and other things that had caught his interest. As he walked past his parents his father indicated he and his mother wanted to talk to him when he had a chance. Kingie flicked an ear at them.

Once inside he flopped on a couch and yawned. "It feels good to be home and relax. Chances are good we will go to sleep early. The last month or two are starting to catch up with us." His brother was curled up in his arms and was petting him. "Yes little one I will shower with you later. It is good to be home and see everyone."

His mother looked at him. "What do you want or need Kingie? Do you have a few minutes to talk?" He had told them some but it was rather vague and generic.

Kingie nodded and looked at his brother. "Can you go up and tell Crystal and Amahs that I am with mom and dad but we won't be very long." One last hug and he put his brother down and stood. He followed his parents to the small office his mother kept and once the door was closed sat down.

Once everyone was seated Kingie gave them a very direct look. "This does not go beyond this room. The first thing is Crystal needs a good home cooked meal and family time. The ship she was on was captured by pirates and she was severely abused before they tried to take Yilly's ship. That didn't end well for them and they are all facing trial and death. Due to what happened her mother turned her back on her as being despoiled."

His face hardened and the warrior he was showed. "I will not have that happen again. She is a wonderful person and all the warriors who helped save her and several other women respect her for surviving." Kingie paused to take several deep shaky breaths.

His mother came over and gave him a good hug. "I will make sure the girls don't ask question for now and let her take lead as far as that goes. I do have one question for you; please don't take this wrong but what is your relationship with her?" He had looked very protective and close to her.

Kingie had to blink at her before the question penetrated. It actually caught him rather flat footed and he had to flounder for an answer. "I told her I was going to take care of her and treat her like one of my younger sisters." Beyond that he hadn't really thought about it. There was simply no way he could think of her as anything else right now. Even though he routinely showered with her he managed not to think of her as an available female due to what had happened.

His mother smiled at him. "I know that Kingie but she is also a young woman and you need to think about that before the issue comes up. When and if she turns to you in a way other than as a sister what are you going to do? How are you going to respond?" She hugged him again. "I am not saying it is going to happen right this minute but it might happen. Talk to her therapist and see what he or she recommends. Make sure you know what you want before she turns to you."