by Lyz Kelley
“Wait!” Those mesmerizing brown eyes captured his attention once again. They were so full of emotion and need. “You can’t leave yet. I need you to help my son.” The unmasked pain in her eyes touched a spot inside his heart. His mother had the same expression when his younger brother died shortly after birth.
He felt her grief.
He wasn’t a parent. He didn’t fully understand the depth of a parent-child connection, but every time he returned home, he could see the pain in his father’s expression whenever his brother’s name was mentioned.
“I need to contain the fractured energy pod, then fix my ship,” he tightened his grip on the containment box.
“And my son?”
His muscles in his jaw ticked. She smelled like a day after a fresh rain. He shouldn’t touch her, but all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms.
“After the pod is contained,” he added in a formal and stiff manner, suspecting there was little to be done if the boy had been contaminated. “I’ll take a look, but cannot guarantee I can help.”
“If you help us, we’ll help you.” She glanced past his shoulder. “Frost, can you look over the ship and see if the damage can be repaired?”
“Sure.” Frost stood with his hands on his hips looking at the metal structure. “Lacey should be able to help me weld anything that needs to be put back together.”
She nodded and took two steps, then turned back. “Well, Waterman, what are you standing there for? Let’s go find what you came to get.”
His gills quivered with a low, vibrating hum. “My scanners were damaged in the landing. The exact location of the energy source is unknown. Finding the source will take time, and searching might be easier if I’m focused.”
“I know this area. I’ll help.” She must have read the doubt in his expression, because she added, “No more magic tricks, as long as you promise to help my son.”
He had underestimated the beautiful woman’s ability once—he wouldn’t again. He walked in the opposite direction to avoid touching her. If he touched her, he’d want to kiss her, and if he kissed her, he’d want to bed her, and once that happened, he’d never be able to walk away.
She needed him to walk away, because if he didn’t, there would be trouble.
He set the coordinates for the ship and began to navigate in a circular, outward pattern.
The female followed him in silence. He could smell her delicious lemongrass and basil fragrance, which was odd since he never preferred the earthy scents to sea smells. This richly abundant aroma, however, captivated his senses.
When they reached the gravel road, she stopped. “Searching might be faster if you tell me what you’re looking for.”
He scanned the horizon. Nothing. His lungs heaved with frustration. A tap of his visual log launched a circular holographic rock. The orb, hovering in the air between them, glowed a bluish-brown.
She studied the 3-D image. “What would a damaged pod look like?”
Myka swiped his finger in the air. When another record appeared, she gasped. “I’ve seen this stone before. It has blue and white crystals inside, doesn’t it?”
“According to ancient records, yes.”
“Follow me.” She took off running, her long, wavy hair flowing in the breeze as she ran along the road, then disappeared into the vegetation.
“Elbait,” he cursed under his breath.
He raced after her, following her markings on the ground. When he saw her waiting on the other side of the vegetation, he slowed to a walk and stopped next to her, then waited for her to catch her breath. Having two sets of lungs had their advantages.
“My son brought home a rock for his collection,” she whispered into the night. “He said he found it near our well. I suspect he retrieved the crystal from inside the well, because his clothes were wet.”
Myka held out his arm to scan for the nearest water source. If the pod was broken, fixing his ship was the least of his problems. The loud crackling of the sensors indicated he was close. “I need to go back to the ship and get a stronger light.”
A ball of flame appeared and hovered over the well. “Will this do?”
Nice. “I don’t suppose you have a ladder.”
Raine extended her hand. The rustling of the vegetation around them became louder and louder. He didn’t panic. Fascination honed his senses. A smell akin to algae expanded, and he watched while a rope of plants and roots snaked in his direction. The long strand of leaves coiled and knotted and wove up and over the wall and down the shaft.
Myka stood with his hands on his hips. “Stellar.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yes. Very good.”
He activated his bio-shield and placed one foot on the knotted rung to test its strength, then loosened his grip on the stone wall and descended with the little ball of light following him several meters down into the well water. To see better, just below the surface, he locked his eye shields in place, then tapped his scanner, carefully monitoring the sensors. A minute passed, then another, then his gut clenched.
The twenty-five-millimeter ball had been shattered into fragments. The energy leak wasn’t a leak, but a massive exposure requiring long, laborious cleanup. He retrieved the most significant chunk of the pod he could find and placed the rock in a sack. Disappointment encumbered his slow climb to the surface.
“Did you find anything?” Raine’s face appeared from above.
“The pod’s been destroyed. This whole area must be contaminated.”
“What does that mean?”
“Direct exposure would lead to vomiting, skin discoloration, hair loss, severe fatigue, or any number of things.”
Her hand went to her throat, and she appeared unable to breathe. “I must have broken the pod when I drilled the well. I did this. I made my son sick. I contaminated the land.”
She paced back and forth, mumbling. “I needed water.” She waved her hands in circles. “For the plants.” She stopped and held her head. “We live in a desert. We needed water for the plants.” She turned to him, her eyes glittering with saline. “Why didn’t I sense your energy source? Please tell me I didn’t kill my son.”
He lowered his defense shields, keeping his bio-unit on, and ran his knuckles down her cheek. The softness of her skin imprinted on his hand.
There was no denying she was his mate.
Her design danced for him.
Yet he was unable to protect her.
Not from this.
His chest filled with a burdensome ache. “We must quarantine this area before anyone else is exposed.”
“And how do you propose we do that? It’s an open field.” She threw her arms wide.
The question was relevant. He was a soldier, not an engineer or a bio-mechanic. He’d fought in the trans-nations wars. He was a highly trained fighter, but he had no idea how to defeat what couldn’t be seen.
“The only other option is to remove the fragments, but that’s impossible.”
She inched closer. “Will gathering the pieces stop the spread of contamination?”
“It will, but the land will remain impure.”
“But that thing on your arm…you can detect where the soil has been tainted—right?”
“Yes.”
The thinking and pacing and mumbling began again, the expressions on her face altering from one minute to the next, as flowing as the mating pattern on her arms.
She stopped to study him. “I think I have a solution, but we’ll have to work together.”
“Together. Like you and me?” He didn’t know why, but the prospect of working with such a woman intrigued and delighted him. She’d surprised him, more than once, and both were a rarity.
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “You need this pod, and I need a cure for my son.”
He groaned. She’d stuck him between the hopeless and the impossible. Even if he could gather all the rock fragments, there was no guarantee he could help her son. He wouldn’t make a promise h
e couldn’t keep. He’d need to find another way.
“I wish I could help you. I do, but…”
She grabbed his arm. “Listen, I’m just asking you to try. That’s all.”
He couldn’t fight her unwavering resolve. “Affirmed.”
“Thank you.” She nodded and released his arm. “Here’s what I’m thinking. The pod is a rock. More importantly, it’s organic. I just need a sample to collect the rest of them, and once I’ve collected the rock shards, then you can safely remove the crystals. Then we’ll work on the contamination. I’ll need you to use your whatsy-majigger to show me where the soil is good.”
His brow lifted. “That’s it? That’s your plan?”
“You have a better one?”
There was another serving of her sexy stubbornness. “Nope.” He reached into his pocket to retrieve the sealed sack. “Will this work?”
Her eyes lit with applause. “Perfect.” She pointed to a pile of bricks just beyond the well. “Can you place the rock on the top of that pile?”
Could he? Of course he could, but that didn’t give him a clue about what she had planned.
A few seconds later, she closed her eyes and the air sparked with energy.
Even through his bio-suit he could sense the change in the air. The currents moved in a circle, faster and faster. Then, to his amazement, particles of rock, large and small, floated up from the well and tumbled onto the field, where they rolled toward the pile of bricks. One by one the pieces began fitting together to make a solid object. The final section flew through the air and completed the pod structure.
Silence replaced the wind.
Remarkable. Step one complete. He engaged his bio-shields and gently placed the orb into the vacuum box and sealed the energy pod inside.
“Now to clean the soil.” He engaged his fivometer and trotted toward the road until the energy source no longer registered.
He grabbed a fist of untainted dirt and ran back to her.
She stood in a trance with her palm held upward. He let the particles sift through his fist onto her outstretched hands.
Her lips moved. The low hum of chanting expanded. The earth rumbled. The ends of her hair reached out from her head. On and on the chanting continued, until there was a definite popping noise.
Entranced by her beauty, at first he didn’t notice how her body swayed. Back and forth. Round and round. Then the sounds stopped. For a second she stood immobile. Then her legs gave way, and he rushed forward to cradle her in his arms, lifting her and cocooning her in his embrace.
“What the hell did you do?” The woman called Lacey came tromping through the vegetation. Her anger reminded him of the time a third-class recruit filled the commander’s closet to the brim with latrine waste. The commander wasn’t amused.
He almost laughed until she beckoned. “Hand her over.”
With a low growl, he activated his shields. Mine, his mind whispered. He widened his stance in a defensive position.
“Hold up there, Lacey.” Frost stepped in front of his wife. “Soldier. My wife is no threat to you.”
“Not my first assignment, Star Ranger.” He loosened his grip only enough to adjust Raine’s position, careful not to disturb the soft brown curls circling her face. “The energy pod has been damaged, and she contained the leak. She…” He tried deciphering what just happened. “…I believe she healed the land.” He twisted his wrist to study his sensors. “There is no more contamination.”
Lacey swooped around Frost. “Stupid woman. She’s going to have one hell of a magic hangover come morning. Why didn’t she call one of us to help?”
“My guess? She didn’t want anyone else to get sick.”
That brought the bristly woman up short. “I see. Playing the heroine. Well, come on then, hand her over. I’ll take care of her.” Lacey stepped forward. Frost gripped her shoulder to keep her in place with a squeezed warning.
“You should know I’ve fixed your ship, with one exception.” Frost held up a diamond converter. “I don’t suppose you have another one of these energy plugs.”
He might have paced in frustration if not for the woman in his arms. “I will need to build a replacement.”
Lacey studied the object carefully. “If that’s a real diamond, you won't find one that big in these parts.”
A second later two figures tumbled out of the cornfield. “Ouch. Get off of me.” Two sets of arms and legs scrambled to get to their feet while continuing to shove at each other.
“Jonah and Joseph. What did I tell you two about what would happen if I saw you out again tonight?”
“Poop pickup,” Jonah responded before his twin pulled on his shirtsleeve and whispered in his ear.
Joseph nodded and pointed. “I know where you can find one of those.”
Lacey’s eyes narrowed. “Where?”
“Area 51. They have them in a bin in the back of the storage room.”
“What have I told you two about going to that Federal Facility?”
Jonah shrugged. “Ya gotta admit they got some cool stuff stored in there.”
Frost began to chuckle.
His wife glared. “What are you laughing about, popsicle? Wait until Snow starts dating these types.” She pointed a finger at the twins.
The Frostman turned blue.
Lacey homed in on the twins. “You two. Are you sure you can get in and out without being seen?”
Jonah grinned ear to ear. “Yep—”
Joseph poked his brother in the ribs. “Too bad we’ll have to wait till we’re off poop cleanup duty in four weeks.”
Jonah’s smile sobered. “Ahh…yeah…too bad.” He tugged on the hem of his shirt.
Lacey gave them both a look Myka had seen on his own mother’s face a time or two.
“Get what Waterman needs and I’ll suspend your sentence.”
“Wo-hooooo.” The two adolescents shouted, then disappeared into the towering field of corn faster than his spaceship could jump to light speed.
Which reminded him, he’d be leaving soon.
For the first time in a millennium, he wanted to slow time. Life had become monotonous. He wanted to feel this excitement. His woman made him feel young, vibrant…alive. In a matter of minutes, she had ensnared his soul.
He recognized the mating call, although he’d half convinced himself a true mate didn’t exist. At least not for him. His raw, sensual connection to her showed how wrong he’d been. If he left her, he’d never have another chance to find complete fulfillment.
He craved her touch, but he was smart enough not to claim her.
The elite would never allow her to remain with a Protector, even if they accepted her—and she had no concept of his race. Hell, even he wasn’t accepted. Banished to a space station as penance for pissing off a commanding officer he refused to respect.
His bones ached with a need to wrap around her and protect her forever. However, the best and only way to keep her safe was to make sure they never discovered her worth.
He let her patterns soothe his soul, but she wasn’t looking at him. She wasn’t looking at anything. She’d given her energy to save her planet, compelled by her determination to save her son.
He sighed out a long breath of regret.
“We’d better find a place she can rest.”
A second later a yellow taxi came to a screeching halt, leaving a cloud of dust to drift across the field. The little man, named Vincent leaned out the cab’s window. “Anyone need a ride?”
Chapter Four
Raine held onto the doorframe to steady her aching body and give her eyes time to adjust to the soft glow of Beck’s bedside lamp. Her son’s labored breathing dwarfed all other sounds in the room.
Sleep had eased the pressure in her head, but only a little. She hated magic hangovers. The brutal thumping in her temples was similar to the ache after drinking a pitcher of margaritas, but without the buzz or the fun. She shuffled another couple of steps to Beck’s bed and greeted Mand
y with a scratch along the spine.
“How’s our boy doing?” Mandy lifted her head, then laid her muzzle back on her paws with a soft, soulful whine. “I know. You want him to play.” She ruffled Mandy’s soft fur.
Her senses jerked at a slight movement spotted out of the corner of her eye. “Waterman. I didn’t see you sitting there.”
“I didn’t want to disturb your moment with your son.” He picked up the instrument in his lap and tapped a couple of buttons, his expression tensing. He glanced at her with the oddest expression, then stared at the screen.
“Is something wrong?”
“I…ah…” He considered her several seconds. “No. Everything is fine.” He slid the sensor back onto his utility belt.
As soon as his eyes flicked away she could tell he wasn’t telling the truth. He avoided her scrutiny by glancing around the room as if memorizing the space.
What interested him the most? The blue curtains? Or the small wooden dresser? Or maybe the geometric rug. The furnishings must seem foreign, possibly a little archaic.
She pointed at Beck. “Will you be able to heal him?”
“I—”
“Please try,” she pleaded, unable to face the prospect of more bad news. She gripped the metal rungs of the bed, then looked down, refusing again to meet his gaze.
“I’ve already tried. I’m sorry,” the whispered response was like a trowel through her heart.
A small whimper escaped before she could hold the emotions back. “I refuse to believe there’s nothing to be done. Your race must have a vaccine or medication to counteract the poisoning.”
Bright blue eyes studied hers. “If I had been here right after he was exposed, I might have been able to save him, but without the proper equipment…again, I’m sorry.”
Mandy shifted to lick Raine’s fingers. “I’m okay, Mandy.” She ran a hand down Mandy’s back, then stroked her ear, trying to find a modicum of comfort in the acre of hurt. She turned on the one man she had hoped could provide the cure. “That’s it, then? I just have to sit here and watch my son die?”
Waterman rolled his neck, then pushed to his feet. “I’m sorry. There isn’t a regeneration pod on board my ship.”
