Conflict (3 page)

He nodded. “You would have died on that station. They were gathered around you to destroy you completely.”

“How did you know?”

“I felt it. Something in you called to me across space.” He caressed her cheek. “How did your skin get so pale? Gathika said something about an experiment.”

If she could have blushed, she would have. “It wasn’t an experiment. It was an accident on one of my first assignments.”

“Tell me.”

Kaia leaned back and closed her eyes. “I was guarding a relay in transition. He had been the transfer point for some very sensitive information, and many folk do not believe that a relay cannot retain knowledge of their transferred data. We were walking him to his physiotherapy appointment when five men surrounded us and stunned the relay.

“He dropped instantly, and I was left for the viciously fatal portion of the attack. Three stunners struck me, blades sliced into me, and though I managed to take down three of them with the weapons I was allowed, I was dying.”

She inhaled sharply at the memory. “The relay I was escorting woke up and dragged me to medical.”

Bael Norwen stroked her palm with his thumb as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and oddly enough, it was.

“They didn’t have blood that would match my species, so the relay offered his. His system was still mostly full of injected nutrients, and when they transfused me with his blood, I bleached out completely.”

“Did the relay survive?”

She opened her eyes and smiled. “Yes. He currently has three little ones and five mates. Relays are fairly wealthy when they leave service.”

“What species was he?”

Kaia shrugged. “It was classified. He didn’t say, and I never asked, but he sends me updates on his family every few months.”

“What about your hair?”

She laughed. “After about a year, I got tired of being solid white. I paid a hefty price and got nanites implanted in my scalp that alter the colour of the hair growing based on my mood. I like the blue and green.”

“I am beginning to believe it suits you.”

She smiled and wished that she could blush. His eyes were intent on the colours of the strands he rubbed through his fingers.

He slowly let the lock of hair he was caressing slip across his skin.

She shivered and he smiled.

“I believe that you have had enough exercise for one day. Sleep, and I will bring you something else to eat and drink in an hour or so.” He got to his feet and left her alone, using the door instead of just popping out.

Kaia looked at the door with longing, but she decided that a little nap might not be out of the question. It had been quite a day, and more folks had seen her naked in one day than in her entire lifetime to date. It was a sobering thought that she carried with her into sleep.

Chapter Four

She sat up when he came back into the room. “Bael Norwen.”

It may have been the healing or it may have been the Heshi but she was feeling remarkably better.

He grinned. “You look well rested.”

She stretched and quickly reached for the sheet to cover her breasts again. “I am well rested. It is amazing what an hour’s nap can do for you.”

“You were asleep for two days. It is common when a Heshi is introduced, but an infant is an easier patient than you were.” He chuckled and put a tray of food across her legs.

“Two days?”

“Yes, the Heshi needs time to bond with your nervous system, but it keeps you alive and healthy while it does its work. Now, have something to eat, and call me Thaxis.”

“Thaxis?”

His eyes closed slightly with pleasure. “It is nice to hear my name on your lips. I look forward to it being repeated.”

Kaia could feel her eyes widen, and he kissed her quickly before nudging her into eating her meal.

She found that most of the foods were quite pleasant, and the wine that she had with the meal was pleasant, fruity and just a little on the dry side.

The moment that she was done, he took the tray away and walked out through the door that she was so curious about.

He returned and took her by the hands. “Come along. Time for a shower, and then, we will get you dressed.” He sighed regretfully.

She was embarrassed as she staggered to get her balance. Her hair swung around her in a bright tangle, and she couldn’t meet Thaxis’s eyes while she was vulnerable.

The shower relaxed muscles in her neck and back that she had been tensing. With her hair limp and straggling down her back, she wrapped herself in a linen sheet, sighing in relief at her clothing.

“Your friend, Bael Hislar, wears clothing that suits her location. We are in a slightly cooler climate and sadly, you will be covered a little more thoroughly for day-to-day wear.” Thaxis was watching her, leaning against the wall. He straightened and walked to the wardrobe in the bedroom.

She followed, and he pulled clothing out that was unrelieved black in colour, but definitely smaller than anything else in the wardrobe.

He handed her a pair of boots, and she pulled them on. Curiosity ran through her. “How can these fit?”

“You were measured while the Heshi did its work.”

She stood, and he handed her a black leather dress that fell to her ankles. It had slits up the sides that met the top of her knee-high boots.

“The lacings should improve the fit. May I?” he moved behind her and tugged at the leather ties, drawing the bodice of the dress tight across her breasts.

The neckline was wide and showed off her chalky cleavage to advantage. When the laces up the back and sides had been properly tightened, she took a deep breath, confirming that she could still move in the gown.

He held out a small shrug that would cover her from shoulder to wrist, and when she was dressed, he led her to a dressing table that she hadn’t remembered seeing the first time she was awake. He pressed her down onto the chair and lifted a brush. “I am definitely getting used to this hair of yours.”

She sat while he expertly divided her locks and ran the brush through her tangles until her hair lay in a smooth blue-green curtain. She looked at herself in the mirror and winced at the contrast between his inky darkness and her paper-white skin.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled at her in the mirror. “I want nothing more than to throw you back onto that bed and slake my thirst in you, but for now, I believe you should be introduced to your new home.”

She took the hand that he extended to her and let him tuck it around his arm. His skin was warm under her hand, and she took in the feel of velvet and muscle against her palm. “Why don’t you need to wear a jacket?”

“Being Ikanni means that I am a little more robust than you are. Bael Hislar recommended that you be encouraged to wear more insulating clothing.”

They walked out of the bedroom and into a living room that was well organized and snug. “I thought your house would be bigger.”

“It suits my needs. I do not require more.”

She looked around. “Where did the food come from?”

“Gathika. She still considers you a patient.”

He opened the door to the outside, and a blast of autumn air struck her in the face. “Oh, wow.”

The village was made of stone and wood. The streets were paved, and all roads appeared to lead to a marketplace.

“Where do you normally get your meals?”

“There is a small kitchen off the back of the house. I cook when I need to.” He chuckled.

“Interesting. Can I try my hand at cooking? I used to enjoy it.” They walked to the market, and with the crispness of autumn came the salty tang of the sea. She couldn’t see anything because of the compression of houses, but she could definitely smell it.

The amount of fish in the market proved their proximity to a large body of water. The fish were peculiar looking, but they had a familiar body shape that she could deal with if necessary.

“Can you really cook?”

“Well, I will have to learn what these fruits and vegetables are, as well as the taste of the fish, but I should be able to manage.” She sniffed, touched and squeezed her way through the displays. The vendors were helpful, but Kaia knew it had something to do with the presence of their leader immediately behind her.

Samples were offered, and whenever she smiled with enjoyment, the vendor jerked his or her head slightly. She whirled to stare at Thaxis a few times, but he had an innocent expression fixed on his features.

The clothing vendors had several options for clothing but nothing like what Kaia was currently wearing. “Thaxis, where did the design for this dress come from?”

“Bael Hislar. She was most insistent that it would ease your discomfort to be completely covered. I drew the line at trousers.”

“Why?”

“Because you are my lady, and I wish you to be dressed as such. Bael Hislar and Bael Lerock had the misfortune to meet over a funeral. It was bad for them but excellent for forcing an intimate connection. You and I will have to do things the old fashioned way, minus the transporting of you down from the station.”

She blinked. “What does the old fashioned way entail?”

Thaxis walked with her out of the market and down a wide, sweeping set of stairs. He quirked his lips. “There are many methods. One involves stealing you away from your people.”

“Already done.”

“Another involves taking you by force.”

“I know you haven’t seen what my Heshi brought, but it is not recommended.”

“The third I can think of involves making you a part of the life of the village here. That will include you learning to go out on the fishing vessels and harvesting and planting in the fields. It will be boring and exhausting, but you will earn your place here through sweat and camaraderie in the fields.”

“Wow. That does sound fascinating. What other options are there?”

They were on a wide landing, and she could see the waves beating against the shore and an open expanse of water as far as the eye could see. The land was covered with a thick golden wave of grain.

He stood behind her as she looked out over the waves of water and grain. “What would you suggest?”

“Do I need to be part of their lives or part of yours?” She remembered the many moments in her tank where someone was with her. Those moments helped her get through her time alone.

“Oh, I would definitely prefer that you be in my life, my house, my bed.” He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.

She sighed and let years of abstention build up in a wave of lust that shivered through her. When he gnawed gently on her skin, she moaned and reached behind him to grip his hair.

“That seems like the better option until I learn how to live on Ikanni and be the best one of me that I can. Whatever I have turned into.”

He spun her in his arms and took her lips in a savage kiss that left her breathless with her blood pounding in her veins.

When he leaned back and traced her lower lip with his thumb, she asked him, “Why me? Why not an Ikanni?”

His red eyes warmed, “Because you were the one that I was called to. Your mind was meshed with mine. We are bound together, you and I. The Ikanni embrace destiny when it strikes us.”

She smiled and drew a finger along the line of his jaw. “Usually, Terrans run from ours.”

“No running, Kaia. You have nowhere else to go. I am not saying this to be cruel, but to make sure that you know, whatever happens next, I am not letting you go.”

His arms were implacable. If she didn’t want to hurt him, she was going to have to embrace the hormonal whirlwind that he was generating.

The wind tugged at her skirt, and she felt the coil of it wind up her thigh. The cool air had the feeling of a hand as it moved along her skin.

Kaia shivered in his arms, and her breath caught as the caress of the icy air continued, chilling as it climbed until only her posture with her thighs close together kept it from advancing any further.

He had a smirk on his face, and she connected the movement of the air with his intent. “So, that’s your Heshi-brought talent?”

“Weather.” He stroked his hands down her spine and pulled her tightly to him.

She could feel his erection against her belly through the clothing that separated them. “Weather?”

“Yes. I am able to use my talent to control the sun and rain on the crops.”

“So, you were really mad the other day. The lightning and storm was yours.” She bit her lip as her body warmed rapidly at the contact.

“Yes. Bael Hislar should not have removed you from my home. How she got in is another mystery.”

Kaia frowned. “I thought she just popped in like you do.”

“We can only pop when we know where we are going, preferably when we have been there before.” He sighed. “We are not going to have a passionate evening, are we?”

“Not until you tell me more about teleporting from one place to another.”

He sighed, and his arms tightened a moment before he gave her a demonstration of how to get from one place to another. Unsurprisingly, they were in his bedroom.

“So, what do you want to know?” He undid the fastenings of his vest, exposing a strange, twisting scar that almost seemed to move across his chest.

“What the hell happened to you?” She reached out to trace the mark, and he pressed her palm to his skin.

He smiled. “That is a story for another day. I am sure that your own body has tales to tell, and I look forward to hearing every one of them.”

He took her by the hands, and there was a small pop. She was suddenly facing the other side of the room and her clothing had been left behind. “You have to show me how to do that.”

He grinned and pulled her against him once again. “I look forward to showing you all the things your body is capable of.”

Chapter Five

She wrapped her arms around his neck and followed her body’s lead. She inhaled deeply, letting the scent of Thaxis seep into her memories. As she inhaled, she realized that he had always been there.

Kaia leaned up and tasted him, making the choice to learn his taste without his being the aggressor. She tasted honey and almonds in the curve of his lips. The longer she kissed him, the more the wild scent came off his skin. It was enthralling. She leaned into him with increasing fervor as the musk acted as an intoxicant.