by S. E. Smith
Tempers flared easily among them. Core rotated his stiff shoulders, and winced. He’d relieved some of the strain through sparring, and this morning a first-year warrior from the village had struck a good blow to Core’s shoulder when thoughts of Avery had diminished his focus. He couldn’t seem to do anything without thinking of her, and the others were not much better. Tension among the men had grown since they learned that there was a planet where a bond mate could be found. He swore that every single one of them had a crush on the Bell women—especially Tilly!
Her weekly Chick-flick movies had become a must-see. She was doing a Romantic Comedy, or RC, marathon this weekend. For once, Core was glad that he had the entire village to himself.
“Core, where are you going?” a young voice called out from behind him.
Core slowed to a stop and closed his eyes. A soft groan escaped him. He’d almost made it without being seen. With a sigh of resignation, he slowly turned to face his excited sister, Nadine.
“I have work to do,” he answered.
Nadine scowled at him and placed her hands on her hips. “You are always working! Mother said you should have balance. We are going to Lady Tilly’s RC Festival. Won’t you please come?” Nadine begged.
Core shook his head. “Not this time. I want to work on my new home,” he gently replied.
“I really want you to come,” she begged.
Nadine’s face fell. It was hard to resist the disappointed pout on her lips. He almost gave in until he saw the glimmer of amusement in her eyes. He flashed her a suspicious look.
“What are you up to?” he asked.
Nadine’s expression changed, and she grinned at him. “Did you forget that you promised that I could drive the glider?” she asked.
He groaned, and ran his hand over his face. Yes, he had forgotten. Lately, he had been forgetting a lot. Between Merrick’s abduction and rescue, dealing with the clan’s troubles, and being haunted by Avery. He was lucky he remembered to do the simple things in life like eat and sleep.
His gaze softened when he looked up and saw his mother. She had taken over organizing and running things here while he and Merrick were gone. She smiled at him in understanding.
“I can show her, Core. The village will be empty this weekend. Why don’t you enjoy the peace and quiet?” Nadu offered.
“Make sure that she keeps it in low gear. Tink and Tilly modified my glider while I was at the palace,” he warned.
Nadu laughed and shook her head. “We’ll take mine,” she replied.
“But, Nadu, I wanted to go fast!” Nadine complained.
Nadu reined in her smile with some difficulty and put on her stern face, though her eyes were dancing with merriment. “You can go faster once you know how to control the glider. Now come or we will miss the previews,” she ordered.
“Thank you,” he called out behind his mother.
“Thank me by bringing home a bond mate so I can have another daughter,” Nadu teasingly called over her shoulder.
Core dryly chuckled before he tiredly ran both hands over his face. He would love to give his mother a new daughter to dote on. He even knew exactly who the woman would be!
The problem was convincing the hard-headed human female. For months now, he had been trying to get close to Avery. Every time he got within a few feet of her, she would suddenly find a way to elude him.
Core watched as Nadine excitedly climbed into the older model four-seater glider. He really needed to purchase a new one for his mother. He winced when he saw the glider rock from side to side as it lifted off the ground.
He stood there until he could no longer see the glider. It took him several more minutes to realize that the forest was unusually quiet. Gone were the sounds of laughter and the chatter of people going about their daily chores. He looked around the deserted village, feeling both a sense of pride and a touch of panic.
“Is this what my life will be like? Quiet, lonely—empty,” he murmured despondently.
He slowly turned and resumed walking back toward his construction, his thoughts inevitably returning to Avery.
When he reached the path that led to his home, he paused and studied his work in progress. He had picked a tall tree near the river. His home had four levels at the moment. The lower level consisted of a deck that looked out over the river. A winding walkway ramp led to the next level, which held the living area, kitchen, two bathing units, a guest bedroom, den, library, and sun deck. The inner staircase wound around the tree to the upper level that consisted of four bedrooms with individual bathing units—still under construction—and a common living area with a smaller deck that overlooked the river on one side and the village on the other. The staircase continued up to the topmost level which contained the master bedroom. He’d been thinking of Avery when he added that level. The room was open, airy, and it was made for enjoying the beauty of the surrounding forest.
The sitting room on that level’s hexagonal deck overlooked a waterfall cascading into the river below. Wild, exotic birds in a variety of colors rested on the deck railing. Their songs mixed with the sound of the wind through the trees and the splash and gurgle of the water below.
A large bathing unit wrapped around the trunk of the tree. He had used the minimum amount of solid walls, preferring to leave the view as unobstructed as possible. Clear double-pane glass would automatically rise and protect the room from the rain or shield them from the sun if they wished.
Doors led out onto the tree’s thick branches and to smaller covered areas meant for lounging. He was also constructing bridges from his home to the village so there would be no need to descend to the ground below.
Each tree lived thousands of years. He had picked one that was nearly three hundred years old and still growing. Each tree trunk was hollow, which made an inner lift system possible, and certain branches had large, naturally occurring openings, which he could use to access each level of the home.
His clan carefully monitored the trees for signs of disease, and the bark contained a natural insect repellent. There were only two things from which his people’s trees died: old age and intentional destruction.
It was against the law of his clan to purposely damage any of their trees, because it only made sense to preserve what gave them shelter. The fruit from the trees also gave them food and a source of income.
The highly sought after and very nutritious palm-sized fruit varied from tree to tree. Some produced a nut while others produced a sweet, meaty fruit. The decaying fallen leaves from these trees also contributed to the fertile soil, allowing the Eastern Mountain Clan to grow staples that their replicators had a difficult time reproducing.
It took him a moment to realize he was trying to see his home and village from a different perspective. He was imagining what Avery would see when—if—she ever saw it. Would she think them primitive? Her city had hard streets and buildings everywhere. Bright lights lit up the night sky and outshone the stars.
His people had learned to live with the world around them, and tried not to change it too drastically. He thought it was a harmonious and logical way to live, but would Avery feel the same? He had never seen her looking anything but cool, calm, and elegantly dressed… and of course she would be armed to the teeth. Just like that, Core was vividly imagining removing the weapons she kept hidden under her clothes. Her eyes would be filled with passion as he unwound her hair from its neat twist.
He sighed and shook his head. Before I can do any of that, I need to get close enough to touch her—not to mention the part where I ask for her permission. I don’t want to end up with a knife in my gut or a hole in my head, he thought with sardonic amusement.
Realizing that he’d been standing lost in thought for long enough, he strode down the path to his home. He needed another cold shower.
He swept his gaze through the woods to the river, and grinned as an idea formed in his mind. It had been a long time since he’d gone swimming in the basin below the waterfall. Hot spring
s fed into it. He could soak his sore muscles before cooling off.
He detoured, and several minutes later, he was near the hot springs. The water flowed over the basin’s edge and gushed downstream. A cool mist from the surrounding waterfalls provided a refreshing contrast to the heat. This area was a favorite among warriors and families alike. It was strange to have it all to himself.
“I may have to ask Tilly to do more programs,” he mused as he removed his belt.
Within minutes, he was undressed and stepping into the hot spring. He groaned as the warm water covered his legs, then he sank down into the healing depths, letting the heat pull the soreness out of his neck and shoulders.
“Now, if only Avery were here,” he murmured, leaning his head back against the basin’s edge and closing his eyes.
* * *
*.*.*
* * *
“Are you sure this is it?” Avery asked, looking around the beautiful interior.
“Of course, honey. I’m never wrong; just ask DAR,” RITA2 brightly replied.
“Like I would ever admit that you could make a miscalculation, my dear,” DAR dryly remarked, suddenly appearing.
Avery gave herself ten points for not jumping when the holographic image changed and became more corporeal. These AI systems were advancing so rapidly that she was wondering if mankind’s existence was on the threshold of being replaced.
RITA2 was almost an exact replica of Cosmos and Tilly’s creation back on Earth. So much so that Avery had to search hard to find the barely discernable difference and reassure herself that she was indeed talking to a completely different system. One thing the two AIs definitely had in common was that sweet but mischievous smile that made the hairs on the back of Avery’s neck stand up.
“This is Core’s home,” RITA2 replied, walking around the room with a curious expression.
“And you just happened to open the portal into his bedroom,” Avery observed.
RITA2 turned and looked at her with an innocent expression. “Well, it is where you were hoping to spend the next three days, wasn’t it?” the curvy AI inquired.
“Thank you, I think I can take it from here,” she said, pocketing the portable gateway device.
“Avery… perhaps you should—” RITA2 started to say. She sighed when Avery shot her a warning look.
“I’ve got this,” Avery quietly interjected.
RITA2 looked up at DAR when he silently wrapped his arm around her waist. Avery couldn’t believe that a computer program had the ability to make her feel a tinge of guilt. She must be getting soft.
“The gateway device is programmed to return you to the location you departed from,” RITA2 instructed.
“Thank you,” Avery replied.
“Oh, and before we leave I should tell you that you and Core are alone. Tilly is putting on a wonderful romantic comedy film festival if you get bored,” she chuckled before fading.
Avery released a short laugh. Only Tilly Bell would think of having a romance film festival on an alien world filled with horny men and not enough women. Now that she was alone, Avery looked around the room again.
The room was masculine, but nothing seemed too overwhelmingly ‘Man Cave’. She walked across the room and placed her bag on a chair before stepping close to the low wall that ran the length of the room. Her lips parted in amazement. The house was situated high in a tree.
A startled gasp escaped her when a bright purple bird, at least she thought it was a bird, landed outside the window. The creature had wings and flew like a bird, but it also had four legs. The bird had a bright yellow crest that fluttered up and down when he bobbed his head.
“Don’t mess with me. I like to eat chicken,” she warned with wry amusement when the bird tilted his head and looked at her.
The bird emitted several deep-throated notes and Avery chuckled as it took off. She leaned forward to watch it fly through the branches, then gasped again and froze, amazed at the sight beyond the bird. She would have missed the movement if she hadn’t been following the flight pattern of the bird.
A soft, approving whistle slipped from her lips. Core was climbing out of a small, dark blue pool of steaming water. He stood and stretched before rolling his shoulders. Avery thoroughly appreciated every movement. Her imagination had not done justice to Core’s chiseled physique.
“I swear the man has muscles on top of muscles,” she admired.
She narrowed her eyes and a thoughtful look came into them. Her gaze followed his graceful movements when he climbed onto a rock before he dove into the larger pool of water. Turning on her heel, she retraced her steps to her bag. Unzipping it, Avery dug to the bottom and pulled out a sarong that she had picked up in Indonesia.
She stripped out of her clothing, exchanging her short boots for a pair of slip on sandals. Her hand wavered as she reached for her gun and two knives, and paused. She decided to compromise—she kept on the knife strapped to her ankle before wrapping the sarong around her and tucking the end to keep it secure. She placed the other two weapons back into her bag.
Peering out the window, she saw Core casually swim across the wide pool. She strode to the center of the room, and placed her hand on the panel near a door. She was relieved when it opened to reveal a lift. Stepping inside, she looked around. There was no interior panel that she could see.
“Down,” she instructed.
“Welcome, Avery. Which level would you like?” RITA2’s voice asked.
“Are you serious? You’ve taken over their home computer system?” Avery asked in disbelief.
“Of course! How else can I assist you if you need help while you’re here?” RITA2 cheerfully replied.
Avery shook her head. “I want to get to the ground so I can go to the waterfall,” she stated.
“Very well; Forest Floor,” RITA2 said.
“You can’t see what happens on each level, can you?” Avery asked, suddenly wondering if this was such a good idea after all.
“Of course not! I’m not programmed that way,” RITA2 retorted in an indignant tone. “Forest Floor. If you go to the right, there is a path that will lead you directly to the falls.”
Avery stepped out of the lift, amazed at the spacious, clear tubular elevator hidden inside the tree. Excitement filled her. The realization that she was on an alien world and about to have the hottest affair of her life was finally sinking in. She followed the path through the forest and along the river, secure in the knowledge that she would not deviate from her plan. Three days was the limit. Any longer, and she would be tempted to push for one more day and then another one until the days became weeks and the weeks became months and her heart became inextricably entangled.
Her mother said that was what had happened with Avery’s father. They’d met on opposing missions, were drawn to each other, and one thing had led to the next. Avery had later come to the conclusion that her parents had been selfish and greedy. They had wanted something that they knew was impossible and had tried to have it all.
If they had loved each other and lived with the risks, that would have been fine, but they’d had her, and their desire to have a life filled with true happiness in a dark and dangerous world had led to their deaths, had made her an orphan, had almost killed her, and it had caused the death of another innocent child.
She would not make the same mistake. Three days was as much as she knew deep in her heart that she could give Core. If she stayed any longer, she would begin to think selfishly.
As far as greed went, Avery knew she didn’t have to worry. Any desire to take more than she should have had left her when she lay covered in blood that day on the soccer field.
Avery pushed the morbid thoughts away. These were her three days. There would be no thinking of the past or what the future would hold.
She took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air. All around her were beautiful plants, colorful birds singing in harmony, and the soothing sound of flowing water. She paused at the edge of the forest near the hot
springs where Core had first emerged, searching the pool for him.
She parted her lips on a sigh when he climbed up onto a set of rocks on the far side, and she was greeted by the view of his very firm and muscular buttocks. She barely had time to admire them before he turned around and gave her a frontal view that she knew would be forever burned into her mind.
Her gaze caressed him from his short hair to his strong jaw, over his broad shoulders and flat stomach, lingering there before following the patch of dark hair to his groin.
“Sweet alien encounters, but that man is.... Please let him agree to the three days! Please!” Avery muttered under her breath.
As he dove back into the pool, she stepped out of the forest, walked across the sandy ground, and dropped her sarong on top of his pile of clothing. She pulled the rubber band from her hair and dropped it on top as well, then walked to the edge of the crystal clear water and began to wade into its warmth. Once she was deep enough, she dove forward and began to swim toward him.
4
Core turned on his back and floated. His body was relaxed, even if his mind refused to calm. He stared up at the sky, watching the clouds as they passed by, and following an occasional bird as it swooped from one tree to another on the other side of the river.
He moved his arms and legs back and forth to keep his body from sinking while his mind swirled with an endless list of arguments to get Avery to accept their destiny. His latest thought was that he could try kidnapping her.
And end up dead. Still, it might be worth the risk if I can at least touch her just once before I die, he mused.
No, kidnapping was out. He’d learned a very painful lesson when it came to kidnapping human women: they fight back and they don’t do it fairly. When he and his cousin, Merrick, had impulsively decided to kidnap Hannah Bell to learn more about her species and where they had come from, she had knocked him out and escaped out into the forest. His heart still pounded every time he remembered her running through the trees. His groin still hurt every time he thought about how it had felt when her knee had rammed into it.
