“Yup.The Nyvalli drop off.”
“That is a fantastic area.”
“You have seen it?”
“I did research for an underwater romance.It was lovely.”
Hemma smiled.“I think I will enjoy seeing bits of the world one day.”
“You just need someone to stand behind you, or in front of you.Either way, you need backup.Keska is an amazing shield, but you need a life of your own.”
Hemma nodded.“I know.Sorooth is also offering to vet all candidates, and he can, since he has status with a number of governments as a minder of integrity.”
Ival smiled.“Then, ask them the questions with Keska, Sorooth, and Kessie there.See how they respond to you having family.If there is a favourable response, you have another piece of the puzzle.You aren’t looking to get laid; you are looking for a partner.Make sure they feel like one, act like one, and that you can breathe with them next to you.Fast pulse is fine, but make sure you can breathe.”
Hemma smiled.“Can you breathe with Riimal?”
“Yeah, breathe, gasp, moan, laugh, we do it all.”Ival smiled.
“Do you go into heat?”
“Nope.”
“Oh.You aren’t an omega?”
“I have a chemical activation.I am differenty.”She smiled.
“Riimal knows?”
“He checked fairly thoroughly.His beast keeps muttering that it isn’t time yet, so something is going on because he is also a chemical activation but with a shifter bias.”
“Have you seen his other form?”
“I have.Yes.Himera has said it is considerably larger now.”
“Is it a big, gold dragony thing?”
“Yup.He likes to check on me during the day, and I pretend I don’t notice.”
“You might want to; he’s getting closer.”
Ival sighed and turned around.“Oh.Riimal.You look bigger than the last time I saw you.”
The huge gold-and-scaled head was looking at her, turning its head from side to side.If this version of him had bitten her, he would have sliced her in half.He moved in through the open floor-to-ceiling window.He swayed in toward her, a snake that extended across the courtyard and coiled in the practice area.
He pressed his head to her.She murmured, “Aren’t we just the biggest boy?”She stroked his scales and rubbed between his eyes.
There was a muffled laugh from the com unit behind her.Riimal didn’t care.He just let his lids droop, and he pressed his muzzle to her.His head was wider than she was.
She patted him.“Coming home for lunch?”
He nodded against her.
“Okay, then you go and stop scaring your trainees and come here, and we can have lunch and then dessert.”
His eyes flared open, and she heard the happy hiss as he backed out of the window.
Hemma had her hand over her mouth.“Wow.”
