Artemisia picked up the new mug with liquid hotter and darker than her own. His mug was thick, manly pottery of dark green. He looked at her pretty floral mug with light-colored caff, then his own. His lips quirked deeper but flattened into a line when their fingers brushed. aThanks.a Did he feel the same sizzle of affinity that she did? She thought so, and he didnat welcome it. She didnat, either, though if head been at least nice the previous day, she might have. Shead noticed his slights but ignored them.

He was her patient, forbidden to act on any attraction, though a less vulnerable man shead never seen. But that was now. Tomorrow head be at the mercy of the sickness . . . and her. She swallowed. She didnat want to watch him suffer.

aArtemisia, about that matter we discussed yesterday?a The House addressed the Healer in rich tones while Garrett sipped the best caff head had in days. He watched her over the rim of his cup; obviously she and the House had bonded more after head left. He shouldnat have been irritated that the House might prefer her, but was. Compet.i.tive and stupid.

aYes?a she asked. She was aware of him; even though she turned and walked to the window, her body angled toward him.

aI have decided to offer Garrett an invitation. No doubt he has kept many secrets.a aOh,a she said, her glance sliding to him. He remained impa.s.sive, but curiosity began to itch along his skin.

aYeah, no doubt I have secrets and keep them.a Garrett was antsy enough to pull out a coin and run it between his fingers. Showy to others and fun for him, the action did double duty.

The Healer stared at Garrett with wide emerald eyes, studying him, measuring him for the first time. His body reacted to her scrutiny, his chest expanded, his abs tightened. His feet shifted to widen his balance a littlea"women could deliver the most awful blows. And his c.o.c.k grew heavy. He didnat want that and was d.a.m.n well going to keep her focus on his face. So he smiled.

Her eyes widened and her mouth curved, but she compressed her lips. As if she didnat believe that smile of his. Smart woman.

aDo you keep secrets?a she asked.

aLove secrets. I keep them if I think thatas the right thing to do. And for the right person.a He let his voice chill.

Her chin lifted. aFine. TQ, you deal with this guy. I want to check on the furnishings.a aI will explain to Garrett.a TQas voice was smooth on top, with a warning underneath. The House had learned to use its actoras voice well. aArtemisia, the furnishings are fine, exactly as ordered, and Clover Fine Furniture delivered on schedule.a aMaybe I want my own pillow,a the Healer said.

aIt would have to go through decontamination often, Iad think,a Garrett said. He continued to roll the coin. Occasionally it would flash and her gaze would go to it.

aMy pillow wonat be harmed, I donat think. Itas a feather pillow.a Artemisia walked from the room.

There was a slight hiss from TQ. aYou have irritated your HeartMate.a Yes, that he knew Artemisia was his HeartMate was one of Garrettas secrets. He flinched. aHow do you know?a aEverything my inhabitants have whispered of, I know,a TQ said.

Which made Garrett want a list of those whoad lived in TQ. Must be a record somewhere and head find it, later. But now he was stuck for a week with the Healer.

aI keep secrets, too,a the House said. aAnd I know youare a discreet man.a aDonat suppose youad give me a list of the people whoave stayed with you?a aNo. And I have my own secrets, naturally.a The House made a sound like clearing a throata"which he didnat have, and which the actor whoad given him the voice wouldnat have done at this moment. It showed weakness. TQ was definitely his own ent.i.ty, and not a human male. aMy HouseHeart chamber needs maintenance. I asked Artemisia to help. I want this done before the Healersa project.a aWhich is why you arenat ready today.a Garrett slipped the coin into his pocket. His l.u.s.t had subsided. Good. He could still smell the woman in the room, though.

TQ said, aCorrect. I had considered requesting your help, too.a Fascination blazed through Garrett. He nearly trembled with it. Head never been in a HouseHeart, the most important place of a sentient House. The HouseHeart reflected the Family. But the Turquoise House had no Family, so Garrett himself might be able to infuse a bit of himself into the long-lived being. That would be a satisfying goal in itself, a tiny legacy of himself in stretching infinity.

After his loss of Dinni, head discovered that head needed to make a mark on the world. Something more than just surviving the disease. This could be a true contribution.

aYou are reconsidering your offer?a His throat was hot with desire to learn, to see, to discover.

aYou do not treat Artemisia well, though she is your HeartMate. Humans are very odd.a aHeartMate and HeartBonding is odd.a aI have seen HeartBonded people.a Garrett wondered if the House had actually had a HeartMate couple exchange the bond s.e.xually within its walls. How much could the House sense? Garrettas mind veered to an image of a naked Artemisia screaming her pa.s.sion. Shut that down!

aWhy do you treat Artemisia as you do?a aMy business.a aHow am I to help my people, help you during this time, if I donat understand you? How am I to learn?a The plea socked Garrettas gut.

Dammit, now he couldnat speak because his throat had tightened. He coughed. aWeare private here?a aArtemisia is making arrangements to get her pillow.a There was a slight pause as if TQas attention focused elsewhere. The House wasnat omnipresent, then. aI do not think that her pillow will survive the decontamination processes. When the pillow arrives I will measure it in all ways. If the object does not last, I will replace it with an exact copy.a aThings arenat always interchangeable. The pillow you provide, no matter how it seems like a match, wonat be her pillow.a The air around him pressed against him, TQas attention sharp. aDid you lose someone dear and irreplaceable? A woman?a Garrett didnat answer.

Silence throbbed. Garrett shook off the rough mood and went over to the window that looked out on the rear gra.s.syard. Beautifully landscaped, of course. One or more of TQas residents had been a gardener. Smooth green turf, colorful flowers shifting in the slight breeze before bushes staggered in front of small trees, then tall trees, keeping the yard private. All of the feral cats he knew, and others he didnat, snoozed in the sun.

The yard looked too manicured, as were the formal gardens and fountain of the inner courtyard of MidCla.s.s Lodge where he lived. He preferred a natural tangle of plant life like head found on his travels outside cities.

aThe records of the Gael City HealingHall state a young woman with a baby asked you to accompany the driver of the quarantine vehicle to the isolation clinic in the mountains.a He jerked, remembering. Dinni had begged. Her husband had been one of the men to find the infected fish and had died. Her baby had been sick. Shead looked fine except for sorrow and worry.

Garrettas throat closed. He couldnat answer, pretend this didnat matter.

aHer records at that HealingHall state that she had told the Healers she would scry a frienda"an old lovera"who she was sure would help with the driving, and that you grew up together.a There wasnat even a st.u.r.dy chair he could sit on, only two little rickety ones. He hitched a hip on the wide windowsill. His chest hurt.

aI have lost people, too,a TQ said softly. aOne or two died here despite all I did to save them. You lost the woman, Dinni Spurge Flixweed.a aYes,a Garrett forced out. aI lost my first love, my first girl.a Footsteps echoed in the quiet and the Healer paused at the door, expression irritated. Then her head tilted as she picked up the atmosphere. The woman seemed more sensitive empathically than most.

Why would it take so long to get a pillow? A messenger service could aport anywhere in moments if she gave them visual clues. Another thing for Garrett to figure out later.

She crossed her arms. aHave we considered the situation?a Garrettas past swept away with the lure of seeing a forbidden place, a HouseHeart.

aI will allow GentleSir Garrett Primross into my HouseHeart with the usual proviso that a spell will be applied to his memory so it will fade, and if he gives us his Vow of Honor that he will record no details.a Not so easy an access as Garrett had expected. Disappointment shadowed his thoughts, but he would know that head been in a HouseHeart, had made a contribution that would live after him. Head know it in his very bones, and that would be good. aI agree.a aThis experiment will be stressful for all of us, but especially you two humans. I believe time in my HouseHeart will be good for you before we begin this process.a Artemisiaas arms uncrossed and her shoulders lowered, a genuine smile lightened her eyes. aItas wonderful you will allow me in your HouseHeart. Thank you.a aYou are welcome here, Artemisia. You will always be welcome,a TQ responded. The House didnat add permission for Garrett. He shrugged the caring away.

A chuff of air came, followed by TQas words. aThere is a secret pa.s.sageway from my southwest corner. At the end of that hallway, there is a trapdoor in the floor, under the carpet. I will tell you the secret poem. I am very good at telepathic communication, but my people must be better attuned to me than you currently are.a After all the information, the woman let out a long breath.

Garrett said, aRight.a When they reached the first hallway, she turned the wrong direction.

Gritting his teeth, knowing it was a mistake, he took her elbow in his fingers. Pure desire flashed through him. Maybe the more he resisted temptation, the more his l.u.s.t would mount, would rage within him. Too bad; he wasnat going to change. She wasnat the woman he wanted.

But three years had pa.s.sed since Dinnias death and his grief and loss were waning, like bright moons coming from shadows that had been cast upon them.

Artemisia stopped and looked up at him.

aWrong way.a aOh.a Her smile was quick and meaningless. She turned and Garrett had to force his hand to drop. Her elbow wasnat even that s.e.xy.

He lied.

She hesitated at the cross corridor.

aLeft,a he said.

aThank you.a There was a good-sized window at the end of the hall. No one would expect a hidden entrance to the HouseHeart to be there.

aThe moles of Celta and Captain Ruis Elder of the starship Nuadaas Sword helped me excavate a proper concealed pa.s.sage and secret HouseHeart,a TQ said. aThen Mitch.e.l.la DaBlackthorn and I decorated it ourselves.a aSounds wonderful,a Artemisia said.

aIt is!a TQ said.

The Healer caught sight of the change in the plush and patterned carpet before Garrett. He searched with his Flair and he found that the hole was narrow. aYou have a problem with claustrophobia?a he asked.

aNo, nor darkness or dankness.a aI am not dark or dank!a TQ objected.

aNo. You arenat,a she agreed absently, pa.s.sing her hands over the area covered by the rug.

Garrett was struck with the idea that she knew about HouseHearts, this woman who was not one of the twenty-five FirstFamilies who had most of the intelligent Residences. From sheer curiosity, head made a list of sentient buildings and there werenat more than a dozen that didnat belong to the FirstFamilies, descendants of the colonists who had funded the trip to Celta. What did she know? And how?

Taking a moment to clear the desire from his senses, shutting down even the thin thread that pulsed with molecules between them, he used his Flair and caught tendrils of mystery wisping around her like fog.

aWhatas the spell and the pa.s.sword?a she whispered.

Following logic, he understood that TQ knew more about the woman than he did, and so must the Healers. He was being left out. Nearly intolerable.

On an inner breeze, TQ recited: Home is where the Heart is My HouseHeart is Home, Is Me, Home, Home, Home For the right Family Us Garrett had expected a cheerful little jingle. aThat doesnat make sense.a aI wrote it,a TQ said with dignity. aI like it.a aIt makes sense to him,a the Healer murmured.

aYes, Artemisia,a TQ said.

Softly, repeating the emphasis exactly as TQ had, she said the spell.

The carpet and floor lifted straight up, the rectangle attached to the ceiling, then illusion covered it.

Illusion on the floor, too, as if the carpet remained. The spot rippled, and Garrett figured if TQ didnat want them to see that warning, he wouldnat have. aGood safety measures. Even if someone knows the words, they wonat see the opening unless you allow them.a aThat is correct,a TQ said.

The Healer stepped forward, frowned as she peered down. Garrett came up until his body almost touched hers, looked to the floora"and beyond to a dark hole. aLight?a he prompted.

It shot in spears from the opening. The walls of the very steep stairwaya"large enough for a big mana"were painted pale yellow.

aI should go first, in case you fall,a Garrett said.

aI do not let anyone fall on my staircase,a TQ said.

aBy accident,a Artemisia said.

aBy accident,a TQ agreed.

Without a glance at Garrett, the Healer began descending.

aThese are my only stairs. I was very young when the HouseHeart was made,a TQ said.

aAnd that was?a Garrett asked. The stair treads were only a centimeter or so larger than his feet. The steps themselves angled around corners and he couldnat see Artemisia. That tw.a.n.ged his nerves, because they were HeartMates. But right now he didnat care that the bond between them was strengthening; he wanted her in sight. He picked up his pace.

aThe HouseHeart was made fifteen years ago,a TQ said. The House had actually given him information.

aNice,a she said, farther down.

aThank you,a TQ said.

Garrett jumped the last stairs and found himself in an oval natural cave with rocky ground ringed by stalagmites. A couple of huge stalact.i.tes descended from the ceiling that TQ could drop on unexpected visitors. Maybe use as missiles. aExcellent defense.a aThank you. This s.p.a.ce is such that people can teleport into it, as long as I donat change the light or my rocks.a aI donat see a door.a aTouch the point of the lowest stalagmite,a TQ said.

aA challenge and a riddle.a He scanned the room for the lowest upthrust rock. The smallest reached his shin and he touched the top. The point fell off; a grinding echoed. One of the large stalact.i.tes moved into the ceiling, the illusion of rock behind it shimmered, then dissipated. A turquoise pointed-arched door with black hardware and surrounded by dressed stone appeared.

aLovely.a The Healer strode to it, touched the latch. A spark arced and she yelped, shaking her fingers. aDonat you think this security is a little excessive?a aNo,a TQ and Garrett said together.

aI am the best-known House-becoming-a-Residence and famous. I donat often have a greatly Flaired person living within my walls. I need all my shields.a aAll right,a she soothed.

Garrett eyed the door. aGood spellshields there.a aYes, needing spell Words. Palms on the door,a TQ instructed.

Garrett slapped his palms on a smooth surface that felt like metal. TQ could run electrical current through the door. aWhatare the spell Words?a aTogether we weather,a TQ said.

A quick image of sleet hitting the windshield of the quarantine bus, the frigid cold around him, as he slogged through the storm to check on the vehicle flashed before Garrett. He shuddered.

Then there was the scent of summer and sweet woman and mysteries beside him. If he opened his lashes that head clenched shut, he could look down on her head. But it would be a dark head instead of blonde.

Lord and Lady, this whole situation stirred up grief at losing his Dinni.

aTogether we weather,a the woman said with a thickness to her voice indicating her own tough memories.

The door slid into the wall and the HouseHeart beckoned.

Seven.

Wonderful smells and sounds wafted from the HouseHeart, teasing Garretta"cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, burning wood.

aI have flatsweets on the table by the fire,a TQ said.

Garrett couldnat move. The woman was too close, the dim chamber beyond stirred a great yearning inside him, as if he knew once he set foot in it, the true essence of home would seep into his bones and head never get it out of them and forever miss it.

Ignore that.

Artemisia entered first. Keeping his steps lighta"head wanted to leave something of himself here in TQas HouseHeart, not have something imprinted upon himself forevera"Garrett walked into the room.

It had brackets near the top of the walls with spell-lights that looked like flames. The door slid shut. On this side it appeared to be a seamless wall covered with pale yellow paper with red and blue flourishes. Artemisia stooped. aWhat a lovely cat!a aI made her and am making her and she is becoming. She can move her tail, look!a The painting of the gray and black tabby cata"who also had red and blue flowers tinted on hera"moved. The round tip of her gray and black tail extruded from the wall, flicked, then disappeared again.

Meewww. Tiny, as if it took great effort.

aHow do we feed her?a Artemisia asked.

aI can draw the Flair and energy you naturally emit throughout the day, like body heat, to her,a TQ said.

aHmm.a The woman sat with crossed legs, stroked the catas painted forehead, then left her hand there. Closing her eyes, she stilled. Garrett sensed her gathering Flair.

Her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s rose as she took a deep breath, the cloth of her tunic shaping over them. As she exhaled, golden motes of Flair-magic spun around her.

aWhatas she doing?a Garrett asked.

aSheas sending love to my cat!a whispered TQ.

Garrett wasnat sure how that worked.

aYou know Fam animals,a TQ said.

Garrett did. They were drawn to him, maybe because he could speak to them all, and sometimes they had plenty to say.

aThink how you feel about them,a Artemisia said. aHow you care, and send that feeling to them. When you do that, you send love. As I do to this cat who belongs to TQ and herself.a Garrett watched Artemisia breathe deeply a few more times. He should have been examining the first HouseHeart head ever been in but couldnat take his gaze off the woman.

MEEWWW. The sound was stronger and followed by a short and rumbling purr.