“All right, Corth, it’s not your fault.” Tedra moved over to the dining area that had been ordered up, but the several selections waiting for her didn’t look all that tempting just now. “I think I need to work up an appetite, babe. Come and defend yourself. With a full ship, it might be better if we do our workouts in here for the time being, and I’ve missed them.”
The android obliged and Tedra attacked. The fembair ran for cover when the first body hit the floor. Tedra rebounded quickly, grinning. Corth had the strength to demolish her, but he wouldn’t use that strength against her. For workouts, he was programmed to her skill level, which meant she took as much punishment as she gave. She couldn’t beat him, but that wasn’t the purpose of the exercises.
When the door slid silently open, Tedra was in the process of blocking a high kick and swung around for one of her own. Seeing Challen standing there looking like something a thunderstorm might deliver threw her timing off, and the arm Corth raised to block her caught her in the back instead. She went stumbling, Challen went berserk, and Corth, naturally, defended himself. By the time she turned around, her barbarian was fighting for breath. Corth had him in a bear-hold, and was having to expend extra, strength to hold him. But hold him he did, much to Challen’s confusion.
“Release him, Corth.”
He obeyed her instantly, of course. Challen, on the other hand, couldn’t be controlled like that. No sooner was he released than he drew his sword. Tedra had never moved so fast as she did to get between them.
“He’s a machine, Challen. You’re not going to kill another machine, are you?”
That didn’t do it, if Challen’s expression was any indication. Corth didn’t look like a machine, that was the problem. And Challen wasn’t looking at her, but at Corth, still with every intention of hacking him to pieces, which would have been done already if she weren’t in the way.
In a firmer tone, she tried explaining. “Now, look, warrior, you can’t go around destroying things just because you don’t understand yet how they work. Corth wasn’t doing anything I hadn’t told him to do. We were exercising, something I like to do daily. You understand practice-makes-perfect? You exercise with your sword, don’t you? Well, I have to exercise my skills, too, and Corth’s the only one I can do that with where no one gets hurt.”
He took his eyes off Corth only long enough to say, “You were getting hurt, woman.”
“No, I wasn’t. And you’re wasting that look on a machine, Challen. He couldn’t care less that you’re angry. He’s programmed only to please me. And since when do you show anyone that you’re angry? Where’s your control gone lately?”
That got her a grunt and a disgusted look, though he did sheathe his sword. “A warrior cannot be expected to maintain his control when he has such a one as you for his woman.”
“Oh, that’s cute. Blame me for every-”
His hand caught her face suddenly. “What have you done to yourself?”
“I changed-”
“You will change back, and you will do it now.”
“Now just a-”
“Now, woman!”
“And leave you two alone in here? Not on your life,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest in an I’m-not-budging pose.
He looked around until his eyes caught the bed. “Is this not the place where I will sleep?”
Her arms uncrossed. “Challen!”
“You will do as you are told, kerima, will you not?”
“All right!” she snapped. “I’m going. But I’d like to know what you’re going to do for kicks when my challenge service is over and I no longer have to jump when you say jump.”
“In a lifetime, think you that you will never challenge me again?”
She started to deny it, but what was the use? At the rate they were going, she’d be challenging him every other month at least!
Fortunately, it didn’t take but a few minutes to get her own coloring back. She decided Corth could hold his own that long, especially since Challen got distracted by his first encounter with movable walls, walls that enclosed completely and were without doors. By the time he had figured out that there was no way he could get into the room that had just formed itself, Tedra sent the walls back out of sight.
“Convenience, Challen, remember? Getting a lot out of a little space is just another aspect of it. And don’t worry, we’ve got lots of time to show you everything so things like this don’t throw you when we get to Kystran.”
This got her another grunt. “Best you bring those walls back, woman. You have not finished changing.”
“But I did,” she protested.
“You will also remove those clothes and wear what is appropriate.”
She smiled now. “I didn’t bring any chauri with me, babe.” But an “I did” got rid of her smile. “If you think I’m going to step one foot on my world wearing one of those-”
“When you needs be a Sec 1, you may dress accordingly.”
“Stars, who’s the captain around here, anyway?” she grumbled.
“Martha claims to be.”
“Well, Martha is still answerable to me, though she likes to pretend otherwise. And I know farden well you haven’t had time to unpack anything yet, so how about compromising a little and letting me wear what I want to until you do?”
“When a warrior begins compromising-”
“Challen! Be reasonable for once, dammit!”
“If the Challen is displeasing to you, Tedra De Arr, I will-”
Tedra rounded on the android. “Stay out of this, Corth!”
“No,” Challen said menacingly. “I would hear what the man would do.”
Tedra rounded back on the warrior. “He isn’t a man. Why can’t you grasp that simple concept? He’s a machine, a companion, an entertainment android. He’s here to amuse me, and nothing else. He’s like a pet, Challen. Does that make sense to you?”
“I am also a fully functional sex-sharer,” Corth pointed out, much to Tedra’s horror.
“Now, Challen…” she said when he started toward the android again. “I’ve never used him in that capacity. You, more than anyone, ought to know that.”
“Nor will you be able to when I am finished with him,” the warrior growled.
“Will you stop! You can’t be jealous of a machine.” And then Tedra’s eyes widened at what she’d said. “Can you? Are you jealous, warrior?”
The look he gave her was priceless, full of chagrin, exasperation-and bewilderment. Warriors weren’t supposed to experience jealousy. That was a woman’s emotion. Yet he felt it, and couldn’t deny it, and Tedra was so delighted, all she wanted to do was shower him with kisses.
“Why don’t you go visit Martha in the Control Room, Corth,” Tedra suggested, doing her best to keep an idiotic grin off her lips. “I think she’s just got the results she masterminded and needs someone to crow to. Don’t you, Martha?”
“Sure do,” came the smug voice out of the large audiovisual console against one wall.
The voice and turned-on screen temporarily distracted Challen, and Tedra shooed Corth out while he wasn’t looking, then came up behind the warrior to wrap her arms around him. “You know, I swore a long time ago that one day I’d get you into a solaray bath. But you aren’t dirty, not even a little sweaty. But I know a way to get you sweaty. Wanna hear about it?”
He turned around so he was the one doing the holding. “Best you show me instead.”
That idiotic grin got loose as she unbuckled her blouse to drop it over the console screen. “Just remember, babe,” she said as she wrapped herself around him and was picked up in his arms, “if the bed moves-ignore it.”
Chapter Forty-four
“Oh, my Stars, they’ve brought in the big guns and haven’t even bothered to dress them appropriately,” was Rourk Ce Dell’s alarmed comment before it dawned on him that the giant was standing in his living room. “Wait a minute. How did you get in here?”