kept his grip on her hand and kicked deeper into the water. Niika took his other hand, and they slowly explored the world under the lake’s surface.
With Vehn’s hand on hers, she was careful to monitor her thoughts. The skirt allowed her to slowly kick as they approached a glowing expanse.
The Lahash city of Yeri. I have a home here as well. It will be where Niika goes to school.
What about your properties in the oceans?
My father still takes care of them. Ocean living is treated as a retirement of sorts. It keeps the Lahash fit and independent from their grown children. Lakes are for families.
I see.
Not yet, but you will.
Their path took them next to other groups of water folk. The other groups nodded their heads in greeting, but everyone swam to the same place.
It looks like we are schooling. Everyone here has a child.
That is because Niika has been enrolled in classes here. She is a year late entering so will have to catch up, but she is bright, and I have no doubt that she will manage just fine.
Does she know?
She does. I have been speaking with her while we made our way here. She wants to meet other Lahash children.
Meri looked around. They seem to be all boys.
She will sort them out in no time. Vehn laughed in her mind, and she gave a genuine smile without the normal grimace that came with it.
Meri had to ask, Did you explain the purge to her?
I did. She knows how to do it, and the teacher is standing by to help her out of the water.
Out of the water?
Our cities are bubbles. We live in air, only using our gills for swimming. I am surprised that you didn’t know this.
I sort of got stuck on the mating behaviours. The idea of the spawning freaks me out.
We will discuss it later. Here is the school.
Meri hung back as he swam to the airlock with Niika, waving at the little one as she turned to flap her hand with a huge grin on her small face.
Meri floated in place, the water in her body providing the neutral buoyancy she normally lacked. Family after family swam up and the couples left without their little ones. A few fathers brought their children alone, and Meri watched those men carefully bring their little ones into the school just like the other families.
Meri saw several couples leave and swim off into the distance, and she waited, knowing that the first purge was the hardest. Negotiator Kao had been there for her—on Monareth —talking her through the expulsion of water from her gills as she gulped air in through her mouth. It was not a comfortable process, but it took her from water to land in seconds. The negotiation had been simple and she was now beginning to suspect she had been set up to get the gill implants.
A few of the single males turned toward her and looked as if they were going to approach, but a blue streak whipped around them and caught her around the waist, pulling her into the depths in an instant.
When they were away from prying eyes, Vehn slowed and came to a halt with her body pressed to his, floating in a crevice.
She pressed her hands to his chest and looked up at him expectantly. Please explain the sudden flying tackle?
I wanted to get to you before some of the other males tried a seduction.
Jealous?
Yes. He stroked her cheek and pressed a kiss to her forehead, another to her brow, another on her right cheek and then her left, finally kissing her lips with a slow gentleness.
He was warmer than an amphibian had any right to be, and she threaded her fingers into his hair, holding him to her as she pressed her body close.
His hands remained around her waist as they floated, but she caressed his outer thigh with one knee and tried to get closer.
In her mind she heard a low groan, he broke their kiss, flipped her so that her back was pressed against his chest, and he kicked off, aiming for the city and the bright, glowing lights with his erection pressing against her ass.
Chapter Seven
This is the Kao family home. His swimming pattern changed as he approached
With Vehn’s hand on hers, she was careful to monitor her thoughts. The skirt allowed her to slowly kick as they approached a glowing expanse.
The Lahash city of Yeri. I have a home here as well. It will be where Niika goes to school.
What about your properties in the oceans?
My father still takes care of them. Ocean living is treated as a retirement of sorts. It keeps the Lahash fit and independent from their grown children. Lakes are for families.
I see.
Not yet, but you will.
Their path took them next to other groups of water folk. The other groups nodded their heads in greeting, but everyone swam to the same place.
It looks like we are schooling. Everyone here has a child.
That is because Niika has been enrolled in classes here. She is a year late entering so will have to catch up, but she is bright, and I have no doubt that she will manage just fine.
Does she know?
She does. I have been speaking with her while we made our way here. She wants to meet other Lahash children.
Meri looked around. They seem to be all boys.
She will sort them out in no time. Vehn laughed in her mind, and she gave a genuine smile without the normal grimace that came with it.
Meri had to ask, Did you explain the purge to her?
I did. She knows how to do it, and the teacher is standing by to help her out of the water.
Out of the water?
Our cities are bubbles. We live in air, only using our gills for swimming. I am surprised that you didn’t know this.
I sort of got stuck on the mating behaviours. The idea of the spawning freaks me out.
We will discuss it later. Here is the school.
Meri hung back as he swam to the airlock with Niika, waving at the little one as she turned to flap her hand with a huge grin on her small face.
Meri floated in place, the water in her body providing the neutral buoyancy she normally lacked. Family after family swam up and the couples left without their little ones. A few fathers brought their children alone, and Meri watched those men carefully bring their little ones into the school just like the other families.
Meri saw several couples leave and swim off into the distance, and she waited, knowing that the first purge was the hardest. Negotiator Kao had been there for her—on Monareth —talking her through the expulsion of water from her gills as she gulped air in through her mouth. It was not a comfortable process, but it took her from water to land in seconds. The negotiation had been simple and she was now beginning to suspect she had been set up to get the gill implants.
A few of the single males turned toward her and looked as if they were going to approach, but a blue streak whipped around them and caught her around the waist, pulling her into the depths in an instant.
When they were away from prying eyes, Vehn slowed and came to a halt with her body pressed to his, floating in a crevice.
She pressed her hands to his chest and looked up at him expectantly. Please explain the sudden flying tackle?
I wanted to get to you before some of the other males tried a seduction.
Jealous?
Yes. He stroked her cheek and pressed a kiss to her forehead, another to her brow, another on her right cheek and then her left, finally kissing her lips with a slow gentleness.
He was warmer than an amphibian had any right to be, and she threaded her fingers into his hair, holding him to her as she pressed her body close.
His hands remained around her waist as they floated, but she caressed his outer thigh with one knee and tried to get closer.
In her mind she heard a low groan, he broke their kiss, flipped her so that her back was pressed against his chest, and he kicked off, aiming for the city and the bright, glowing lights with his erection pressing against her ass.
Chapter Seven
This is the Kao family home. His swimming pattern changed as he approached
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