Chapter 23: Returning
John
"What happened? Did the humans attack? Is he well?"
Adam Jones of Communications needed to find his way back to the council. John gave him an inhospitable look as he crouched beside Tom to try to gain his attention.
Clark ushered the Communications aide away while John fought to get Tom to focus on him.
"Tom? We're aboard Guardian. We need to step off the lift. There are others who might need it. You'll be taken back down to the surface if you're still on when it's called."
Tom seemed to have retreated to somewhere else inside his mind; John could sense only distress from him when he tried to touch his mind voice.
It was the first time John felt helpless in the face of his mate's shortcomings.
"Tom?"
John positioned himself to steady Tom by his arm, supporting his back with his other hand. He attempted to rise from the floor of the lift and was gratified when
Chapter 24: PactTomHuman bodies were fragile in ways which made Tom nervous, vulnerable to so much more than Zen bodies, yet they were amazing.Tom felt as if he could feel everything John could feel as he held his hardness in his hand. They were made the same in this form. Every time he could squeezed the rigid flesh, John responded a little differently: a sigh, a groan, a buck of his hips or a sharp inhale of breath.Human flesh was responsive and alive."I can feel you. Can you feel me?"John nodded as he moved to kiss Tom's mouth. Their lips were soft against each other in contrast to all the ways their bodies were hard; Tom could have given up breathing if only to kiss John for a few minutes more."I can feel you. I can always feel you."John could, too. He was true Zen in ways Tom wasn't capable of being. His bloodline granted him strong tethers to all the best gifts of
Prologue: Guardian RisesGuard ran as fast as his Xuhelion legs would allow him while searching for Reader. Heat rose up from the ground as his home baked under its dying sun. Every breath was a struggle in the thick air.
Chapter 1: ArrivalA warm weight pushed Guard further into the berth; the smell of heat and clean male skin told him the identity of the other man before he even opened his eyes. Reader had a scent Guard would recognize anywhere. It was always Reader who captured his attention.
Chapter 2: Rules"Yes?" Guard prompted again, impatience coloring his mental voice enough to have Security straightening their stances t
Chapter 3: Being HumanLearning all Security was meant to be privy to took longer than Guard had imagined. He was kept off-balance as he tried to incorporate all the new words, turns of phrase, and human expectations into his mind alongside the knowledge he already had of dozens of other worlds.
Chapter 4: Human Anatomy"I have read their texts. Seen their biology as you have learned it from me. I don't know all the ways to be human."John couldn't stop staring at the red staining Tom's lean cheeks. Blood flowed through the body as a result of emotions as much as biology. He couldn't think of a reason for Tom to be flushed. Sickness wasn't possible. Their kind rarely became ill. Heat was unlikely. They were both sharing the same berth with the same temperature flowing over them. What caused his face to flush?"I don't like it when I can't hear your mind voice. You seem too far away. I'm human now. Your voice won't change me. You know I can hear you."Tom reached out to stroke his hand down John's arm, squeezing his bicep gently before letting his hand fall to his side once more."It's hard to speak with my mind. For me. I do not have the talent for it you do.""I can hear you."John freed himself from the security lashe
Chapter 5: Kissing LessonsJohn breathed him in before instinct drove him to seek Tom's taste with his tongue. The slight difference in their height allowed their mouths to meet with a tilt up from John and a tilt down from Tom. Kissing was an entirely new experience for them both."Is this allowed?"Tom nodded his answer even as he bit at John's lips, angled his head to the side and tried to get closer, taste more of him, feel more of him."Humans kiss this way?""Lovers kiss this way."John felt the words down into the very marrow of his bones.Their pact had kept them together throughout their lives as they grew up, changed, took on the roles of their bloodline rather than their choosing. If they had remained on Zon, this moment would never have happened. Zen took lovers for procreation, rarely for recreation. John could not name a pair of lovers who were same-gendered.
Chapter 6: Guardian DescendedTomRecords were left to their own devices. Most Zen chose not to associate with the historians of their race without just cause. It was disconcerting to think of someone remembering every single word or action without effort.Perfect recall was the one gift all members of Records shared in their bloodline.In exchange, Records were unable to connect to the rest of their kin with the ease all other Zen families possessed.Guardian descended with the stately grace of a much smaller vessel; alarms were sounded to signal Zen to begin their descent protocols. Everyone had a job. Except Tom. Avoiding the thought to spare John any discomfort, Tom focused all his energy on feeling calm, cool, and collected.Earth was going to be their new home. Earth was a new planet. Earth would need all of Tom's focus for a time as he tried to learn its history to place it alongside the