Forget Me Not (4 page)

“What does that mean?” She had a crazy urge to reach up and touch him, but forced her hands to stay where they were—balled up in tight fists against his chest.

“Close your eyes,” he told her, ignoring her question. “It will make the showing easier.”

Adria hadn’t stopped to think that whatever he was going to do might not be easy until his words put that thought in her head. She’d been so overwhelmed by his presence—by what his mere existence meant—that she hadn’t given a single second of worry to
how
he was going to show her exactly what it was he needed.

She opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but it was too late. A rush of colors and lights slammed into her, making her reel back. Only his grip kept her upright.

She felt herself shift—felt a hot, heavy weight press into her, pinning her in place as the colors swept by. A low, buzzing hum filled the space behind her eyes. She sensed movement, like she was falling, and the only thing she had to grab onto was the hard wall of his bare chest.

Somewhere beyond the lights and noise she heard the paring knife clatter to the floor.

“Nearly complete,” he whispered.

Images coalesced inside her mind. She saw a giant blue sun burning in the sky for a split second before it evaporated. Bizarre, alien trees sprouted in her vision, rising as high as a skyscraper. Their yellow limbs snaked up against a green sky. Sparkling rocks stretched out for miles, and huge shards of milky white prisms jutted up from the flat, glittering sea of crystal. Clouds of diamonds no bigger than grains of sand scoured the landscape, sparkling and deadly as they passed.

The face of a beautiful woman with pale bluish skin appeared. Her black hair swirled around her hips, shining with some kind of living magic. And even though Adria had never seen her before, she knew instantly that this was his sister.

Elina.

The image shifted, blurring around the edges. Elina lay on a stone floor, purple blood pooling beneath her. Her hair lay limp and still, partially covering the damage that had been done to her body. Multiple stab wounds left her skin gaping open. Standing over her was a giant of a man, rage heaving in his chest and twisting his features into a snarl. In his fist he clutched a glossy black knife with a foot-long blade, stained with her blood.

Adria felt the horror associated with that image. She felt the grief and rage of the man who’d shown it to her. That giant man had done this to Elina, and Adria would stop at nothing to make him pay.

Anger burned hot in her gut. Tears of loss streamed down her cheeks. A low, throttled moan vibrated in her chest and tore at her throat.

“I will fucking kill him,” she vowed. Her voice was rough and strained, warbling with the grief crouching inside of her. She felt as she had in the days after William had died—consumed with rage and loss so sharp she was sure those keen edges would slice her in two. Time had muted that pain, but now it was all back, thrashing around and making her bleed all over again.

“You felt too much,” he said, a slight catch in his voice. “I am sorry for that. It was not my intent.”

Hot fingers stroked her scalp as if he were trying to soothe her. He pulled her against his bare chest, and she let him, craving any comfort he could offer.

His skin was warm and firm under her cheek. She could hear his heart pounding, slow and steady. The scent of campfires still clung to his skin, familiar and reassuring, reminding her of safe, happy times when the whole world was hers to shape to fit her dreams.

Slowly, as the visions he’d shown her faded from sight, allowing her to see her real surroundings, the strength of the emotions she had experienced eased. The knot of grief in her chest loosened, and her throat relaxed. She saw her fingers clutching his shoulder, not even making indentations in his tough skin. One of his hands cradled her head, the other wrapped around her waist, holding her in place as if he feared she might fall over. His long hair curled around her wrist, giving off a living kind of warmth as it stroked her skin. It was softer than anything on a man his size had the right to be, but right now she was grateful for a bit of softness.

Clinging to him chafed at her independence, but it wasn’t every day that a woman had her brain invaded by an alien. She felt she had a right to cling just a little.

“You should speak now and reassure me that I did no lasting damage.” He managed to sound both insecure and demanding at the same time.

She shifted muscles to move away, and his hold on her tightened—even the hair around her wrist coiled closer to her skin.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice making it sound like a lie. “Just a little rattled. You can let me go.”

“You nearly collapsed.”

“I’m better now. Promise.”

He didn’t seem inclined to let her go, and while this whole cuddling with a hot man thing was really nice, she didn’t like it that he ignored her request. She didn’t care what planet he was from. When it came to her body, she got to decide who touched and who didn’t.

“Let me go,” she ordered, making it clear she wasn’t asking.

He released her slowly, and every one of his fingertips slid across her skin in a caress she felt all the way to her toes. Singing pleasure winged through her nerve endings, making her all too aware of the way her breasts tightened and her belly fluttered. By the time he took a small step back, she felt like she’d been petted from top to bottom and back again.

It had been a long time since anyone had wanted to touch her like that—even longer since she’d wanted anyone to do so. He’d obeyed her order, but rather than feeling satisfied, she was left shaking, cold and alone, aching for things she refused to name.

Adria brushed her hair from her face, and saw her hands trembling. She tried to cover her weakness, but the way he was staring at her with unblinking intensity made it seem impossible that he’d miss a thing.

“So what now…” It struck her that she didn’t even know his name. “What do you call yourself?”

“Toren.”

“So what now, Toren?”

“Now you go and gather up the items I requested.”

“Uh. Sorry to break this to you after all the trouble you went to for the whole mind-meld thing, but I still don’t know what you need.”

“Yes, you do. All you have to do is access the knowledge I conveyed.”

She scoured her mind for something that wasn’t there before, but all she could find was that image of Elina lying dead with that evil man standing over her, murder weapon in hand. And while the memory still had the power to turn her stomach, the effects were not nearly as potent as they’d been before. Thank God.

“Nope. Sorry,” she said. “No magical grocery list.”

“It is there,” he said with complete certainty.

Adria slipped past his wide shoulder and went to her purse. She didn’t know why she suddenly needed her purse so badly, but the need flared inside her, forcing her actions. “I’m not sure how this is supposed to go, but maybe it doesn’t work with humans.” She emptied out the contents of her makeup bag and handed a pair of earrings to Toren.

He looked down at them, a triumphant smile stretching his full mouth. “This is one of the things I need.”

“Earrings?”

“Is that what this material is called?”

“Oh. Silver.” And as soon as she said the word, a huge gong and bright lights went off inside her mind, and she was filled with a sense of giddiness, like she’d won an intergalactic lottery.

Her knees went liquid, her head spun, and she started to topple to the floor.

Chapter Four

Toren grabbed Adreeahbenwah before she could damage herself. Just the thought of her delicate skin being marred had him instinctively using his magic to fuel his speed. More sparks of power dribbled from his dwindling reserves, but the prize was worth the cost.

She clung to him as if he were the only thing holding her to this spinning planet. Her cheek pressed against his bare chest, and he marveled again at how pliant and soft she was. He could feel fine tremors cascading through her body, and in that instant, he imagined what it would be like to make her tremble in another, more intimate way.

He knew almost nothing about her culture. Very few of his kind had ever escaped from their prison sentences on Obliterra. He was certain that most had tried, but he could already feel the numbing effects this place had on him. The edges of what had once been crisp, clean memories had begun to blur. It was only a matter of time before he forgot everything about his old life—including those he loved. If he forgot the scene he had witnessed of Grynar standing over Elina, weapon in hand, justice would never be found for his sister.

That could not happen. His family still wept over Elina’s death. They doubtlessly wept over his imprisonment, fed lies Toren could not contest. If he stayed here, another child would be forever lost to his mother. The idea of causing his parents more pain was more than he could tolerate.

Toren lifted Adreeahbenwah’s body and carried her to the narrow bed in front of the fire. He had intended to lay her out so she could rest and recover, but he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms too much to let her go. Such thoughts were not normal for him. He loved women, but never had he felt like the absence of one would cause him any discomfort.

He tried to reassure himself by remembering that this one fragile human was his only connection in this world—his only means of escape. It was natural for him to feel protective of her.

He sat on the bed and leaned back, arranging her in his lap so that she fit the shape of his body.

“I’m okay,” she said, though the tremor in her voice told another story. “You can let me go.”

“I did not know my knowledge would affect you like that. I am sorry.”

She started to sit up, out of his embrace, but seemed to lack the strength. After a moment, she relaxed back against his body.

Her breathing was fast, drawing his attention to her breasts. The clothing she wore skimmed over her curves, molding to them. He knew it was dishonorable of him to stare, but it was not every day that he was greeted with such an alluring sight.

The edge of her shirt had crept up, revealing a narrow ribbon of skin above her blue pants. The temptation was irresistible, and he was already fighting his natural urges to tap into his power. Combatting the urge to touch her as well seemed too much to ask of himself.

Toren traced that band of skin with the tip of one finger. The silken softness that greeted him had a magic all its own. Even the slightest pressure shaped her flesh.

The women of his kind were not so malleable. Their skin was as firm as his, protecting them from the harsh elements that surrounded them. One single diamond storm would tear the fragile skin from Adreeahbenwah’s body.

It struck him that she could not survive in his world, just as everything important inside of him would die if he stayed here. As strong a warrior as he was, he was not powerful enough with strands of magic to construct a shield that would protect his mind from this place, even for a brief time. His skill lay more in speed and aggression, rather than the more delicate intricacies of protection and defense, like others of his bloodline.

“How did you get here?” she asked.

Toren debated telling her, but if he conversed with her, she might stay in his arms—an idea he found too compelling to resist.

“My brother in marriage cast me here so that I could not give testimony to what I had witnessed. He was the one who killed Elina.”

“That’s the guy I saw with the knife, right?”

“Yes.”

“Why did he kill her?”

“He wanted a child. Elina confided in me that she worried about his lack of control. He was becoming angrier as time passed—as he tapped into more powerful threads of magic best left to those with decades more practice than he had. Elina knew he was behaving in a dangerous manner and did not want to subject a child to his anger. She wanted him to seek peace, to be content with his inherent power, but he found it inadequate. She said she was going to tell him her decision this morning. I went to her home to protect her from any backlash, but I was too late.”

“You showed up just in time to see what he’d done. Why didn’t you report him to the police?”

Thinking about those moments was difficult, but at least he could still remember them. He took solace in that, knowing that even his darkest memories weren’t eroding. “He is an enforcer of our laws—the one who oversees justice in our area. It is his job to punish the guilty, and until now, he was praised for his fair and even hand. He knew all would believe I had killed Elina if he said it was so. No one would question his authority without reason.”

“And with you here, who would do the questioning?”

“Precisely.” He turned his face away to hide his shame. “Elina and I had argued the night before her murder. Our parents heard the quarrel and knew I was furious. I wanted her to wait for me to arrive before she told Grynar she would not have his child. She refused, saying it was a private matter between her and her husband.”

“So he set you up to take the fall for what he did?”

Toren searched for the meaning of her words. “When he saw that I had entered the room and witnessed what he had done, he opened a rift and sent me here before I could raise any kind of alarm. He knew I was newly home from battle and not yet restored. He thought my weakness would prevent me from finding a way home. He underestimated me.”

“So you go home and then what? You tell the police what you saw?”

It took him a moment to translate the word
police
. “Grynar is police. Unless I go home, no one will question that I was the one at fault.”

“If Grynar is a cop, then who will you tell?”

“I will show the council what I witnessed, much like I did with you. Grynar answers to them, but acts autonomously unless accused of wrongdoing by another. I will accuse him and call for justice.”

“Will they think you’re lying?”

He was shocked by the question, allowing a trace of indignation into his tone. “Only someone with no honor would lie to the council, and as far as I know, there is no way to lie with memories. They will see what I saw, without taint.”