As she lay peacefully, he caressed the line of her jaw, the slant of her cheekbones, the skin of her shoulders. She was quite lovely, and he felt privileged to know her. He admired her. Although reckless and sometimes misguided, she had a good heart. He wished he knew her better.
Despite all the violence and the warnings, he still wished to explore the universe outside Azura. He wanted to know the truth about her world. If it had produced a person like her, it could not be all bad, and there must be hope for it, yet. It would take courage to face such a world, especially if by leaving his world he lost his Azuran abilities. But for her, to have her in his life, he would face any danger.
Yet he had failed to protect her when it mattered the most. She could have died. For the first time in his life, he experienced frustration. He hated what he was. Hated? Yes. But unlike the foreigners, he did not have the luxury of acting upon his impulses. He did not have free will.
The rules of Azura bound him physically, and he wanted to escape their influence. How could he know whether he was a good or a bad person, if he never had a choice in the matter?
He’d expended so much energy in the healing, his body threatened to collapse. The irresistible call of the mattress pulled him down, and he lay at Fianna’s side, spent and unable to move. He’d never experienced that level of fatigue before. He closed his eyes and felt himself fall into a bottomless black pit.
“Sheba watch, Sheba protect.”
* * *
Fianna kept her eyes closed, enjoying the reassuring purr of Sheba, somewhere at the foot of the bed. Her mouth felt dry and the mattress under her skin caressed and molded her body in a strange but comfortable way. She turned and met warm, soft skin. She did not remember hiring a lover last night. He smelled like cinnamon. Where was she anyway? Her itinerant life took her to so many places.
Casually, she laced her arms around the man’s torso and rubbed her head against his shoulder. A delightful frisson of pure bliss coursed over her skin. He must have been a really good lover. A white feather tickled her nose. Was there a bird in the bed with them, or did they have kinky sex?
She opened her eyes, surprised at wearing her synthleather pants and short bustier. Then she glanced at her partner and gaped at the spectacle.
Acielon! Fast asleep next to her, in soft abandon. He looked so peaceful. He had beautiful, white feathered wings... like the statuettes of the Guardian Angels of the universe sold in the souvenir shops of space ports and space stations. Like the one in her cargo pocket.
She must be dreaming... she didn’t want to wake up.
With the memory of Acielon she recalled the fight at the cave entrance. She’d been shot... and poisoned. But she felt no pain at all. She probed for traces of gunshot, or cut from a throwing star. None. How strange.
On the contrary, she’d never felt so vibrant in her entire life. As she checked her arms, and belly, she noticed even her scars from previous skirmishes had vanished, including the childhood burn on her hand from a red hot poker. She opened the rip in her pants to check the recent shrapnel wound in her thigh. Also gone.
Her body vibrated with life, and Acielon felt solid and alive at her side. If this wasn’t a dream, only one other possibility could explain it. She was dead. Although she never practiced religion, she must be in heaven, and she didn’t mind at all. After all, she always tried to live a good life, despite all the obstacles.
Sunlight filtered through the many holes of the spacious dome. The tropical breeze, heavy with blossom fragrance, cooled her body. She stretched and yawned. She liked this afterlife.
Acielon did not stir when she stepped over him to get off the bed. She walked through an open arch, onto a flat terrace. It offered a panoramic view over the jungle, all the way to a wide sandy beach, and a deep turquoise ocean. She’d never seen so much open space, or anything so beautiful. She definitely was in heaven, a tropical paradise... and it looked strangely like Azura.
Large plants with concave leaves, leaned over the side of the terrace. They still held rainwater from the nightly showers. Fianna drank her fill. How could simple water taste so refreshing?
Large orange fruit dangled from the overhang above. She reached and picked one, then bit into it. Such a soft texture and delicious taste. She licked the sweet juice running down her chin. Definitely paradise.
Sheba joined her on the terrace and sat on her haunches.
“Did you die, too? I thought you could not be killed.”
“Sheba not die.” The cat rubbed her head against Fianna’s thigh.
Fianna scratched the puma’s head. “I don’t feel dead either, but maybe that’s just what it’s supposed to be like.”
“Sheba hungry. Hunt rabbit.” The cat leapt off the ledge and disappeared in the green jungle.
Hunting rabbit would be Sheba’s version of heaven. Fianna chuckled. She turned toward the inside of the dome. What about Acielon? Was he dead, too? Or was he a true Guardian Angel of the universe, shadowing her all along, even in death?
She returned to the bed and sat on the mattress to watch him sleep. How strong and handsome. Such a fierce brow, perfect muscles on a smooth chest... she caressed his wings. So soft and light. A delightful sensation scurried across her skin. Would he wake if she kissed him? Was it a sin to have impure thoughts about an angel?
* * *
Acielon opened his eyes and froze. Two turquoise Azuran eyes stared at him, so close he could feel the sweet breath on his lips.
“Fianna?” When did her eyes change color? Could it be the healing? Or the crystal on her chest? Was she turning into an Azuran already? Green or blue, he still loved her gaze.
“I like your wings.” She moved back languidly, with a strange little smile.
Acielon missed her close proximity. He wanted to touch the lovely bare skin of her shoulders and belly. Rising on one elbow he retracted his wings. “How do you feel?”
“Never better.” She squinted at him. “Are you a Guardian Angel of the universe?”
“We are called angels, but we are not guardians. If you refer to the mythology of ancient religions, we are not those beings.”
“Yet you resemble them.” She furrowed inside her pocket and pulled out a small statuette of a winged being.
Acielon could not help staring at it. It looked like him. “What is that?”
“A Guardian Angel of the universe.” Fianna pocketed the trinket then crossed her legs in a meditation pose. “How do you know you are not the very beings who gave birth to the mythology?”
“I do not know all the stories. Only that they do not refer to the Azurans. We never leave this planet... we cannot.”
“So, you don’t believe in heaven, or hell, or life eternal?” She gestured toward the open terrace. “This looks like heaven to me, and you seem to be immortal. You have incredible abilities, you can’t bear violence, you help people in need.”
“That is who we are, and what we do... among other things.” Some strange force prevented him from saying more. His own will? Or that of Azura?
“Sounds like the Guardian Angels of the universe to me. How many of you are there?”
“Many.” Again his tongue refused to form a more specific answer.
She stared up at the ceiling, hugged herself and smiled. “I’m liking this afterlife business.”
“Afterlife?” Acielon frowned at the strange concept.
“No pain, no scars, a clear mind, a joie de vivre... the two of us waking in the same bed. It took me a while to figure it out, but I think I’m dead and we are in heaven. That’s the only logical explanation.”
“Dead?” Acielon frowned. What was this heaven she kept mentioning?
“I only have one regret. I couldn’t help my brother before I died. I fear he will have to face a difficult life on his own from now on. It’s sad, but maybe the Dragons will help him walk again. After all, it seems he’s still one of them, and they are fiercely loyal. Not what I wanted for him, but there is nothing I can do about
that, now... or is there?” She trailed a light finger along his arm.
Acielon closed his eyes briefly under her delicious graze and enjoyed a frisson. Then he shook his head struggling to focus his thought. “You are not dead, but you almost died.”
“Shot and poisoned? With no medical facility around and no cryogenics lab?” She shrugged. “I was beyond saving.”
It bothered him that she doubted his abilities. “Yet, I brought you here, and my healing saved your life.”
“You? How?” She rubbed her arm above the elbow. “I don’t even itch or show any scar!”
“I healed those, too.”
“Really?” Her shoulders dropped. Her smile faded.
“Are you disappointed to be alive?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “I guess I should thank you, but such a debt of gratitude is almost impossible to repay.”
“There is no need to do so.” Acielon wondered whether he chose to heal her, or simply followed Azuran rules by helping one in distress. Who was he, deep down, other than what Azura made him?
“I never owed my life to a stranger before. I’m not sure how I feel about owing you so much. I don’t know how to repay you.” She smiled and caressed his arm again.
He shivered under the light contact wishing it would never end. “You don’t owe me anything. You were in need of healing. Any Azuran would have done the same.”
“Really?” She scooted closer to him. “Since you do not use money, I could repay you in kisses.”
“Kisses?” Heat rose to Acielon’s face. He swallowed hard. “I never...”
“Don’t tell me you never kissed a girl before.” Her eyes widened and a devilish smile curled her lips.
Oh the new sensations she awoke in him. Did she do it on purpose? “I never even thought about kissing a girl... until I met you.”
“Well, color me impressed.” She leaned her head toward his.
Their eyes met, so close. Her hand rested on his arm, and he mirrored her movements, caressing her round shoulder. Such smooth skin.
The contact of her soft, pliant lips made him shudder with pleasure. A warm wave flooded his entire body. Her warm and plump lips tasted sweet, like a ripe fruit picked in the sun. He closed his eyes to savor the moment. She deepened the kiss and he let her ravage his mouth. Then she disengaged him gently.
“Do you like it? You want more?” She grazed his shoulder with one nail. “How do you make babies on Azura?”
“We do not. We are immortal.”
His manhood ached like never before. Strange thoughts invaded him. He understood the mechanics of conception, but hadn’t thought about them since that odd, private class many decades ago. Besides, Azurans did not mate.
He ventured a hand around her back, touching the bare skin below the wide band holding her lovely breasts. He brought their bodies close enough to touch. Oh, the glorious sensation... even better than flying.
The ground under them shook. A low vibration, like underground thunder, ripped through the mountain, again, and again, and again. Then nothing.
Was this a natural part of courtship, or did something else happen? “What was that?”
Fianna sat up and chuckled. “Did we make the earth move, or what?”
Sheba rushed in from the jungle onto the terrace and leapt into the dome. She halted in the middle of the room, eyes wide. “Sheba not like rain.”
Acielon sensed the fear in the cat. “It only rains at night here, kitten.”
Fianna scooted to the edge of the shelf. “This is not thunder.”
Sheba sat, but her tail twitched.
Fianna moved away and Acielon reluctantly let go of her arm.
He missed her embrace. “If not thunder, then what is it?”
“Are there earthquakes in these parts?”
“Earthquakes?” He frowned at the word.
She kissed his shoulder, then stepped off the bed and reached for her boots. “If it’s not an earthquake, then Tarkan is using explosives to break up the crystal in the cave.”
“Explosives?” Acielon had read about such horrible things. The underground thunder that shook the mountain sounded ominous.
Chapter Six
Boots in hand, Fianna sat at the edge of the bed. Then she pulled the protective gear over her bare feet. She must stop Tarkan from destroying the crystal with his infernal explosives.
Acielon’s shoulders sagged. “Where are you going?”
“To the cave.” She found it difficult to focus on anything other than his heavenly body.
The big cat, in the middle of the dome, sat at attention. “Sheba go, too.”
Acielon’s face closed and he bit his bottom lip.
“What?” Fianna didn’t understand his passive attitude. “You want me to stay here, while Tarkan and his Dragons destroy and steal the crystal?”
Acielon looked away. “It is not my responsibility to protect the crystal.”
“What is your job, exactly? What do you do on this isolated rock, anyway?” She adjusted the small blades holstered inside her vest.
“What I do is not the issue... but we have strict rules.”
“Stupid rules! Do you always follow them, even when they threaten your world?” She snatched her weapons belt from a shelf in the wall. “Grow up and take some responsibility.”
He paused and shook his head sadly. “The Council was very clear on the matter. I cannot intervene.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Fianna cinched the belt over her hips.
More explosions shook the ground underfoot. Small objects fell from the shelves carved in the smooth stone and clattered to the floor. Fianna lurched. Acielon leapt to her side. His arm came around her waist to prevent her fall, and he bent over her as if to protect her from falling debris.
The tremors relented.
Wide-eyed, Sheba stood on the smooth stone floor, legs apart, braced for another tremor.
“You cannot go to the cave,” Acielon whispered close to Fianna’s ear. “If Tarkan knows you are alive, he will come after you. He will not rest until you are dead. I cannot resurrect the dead.”
Fianna reluctantly detached herself from his embrace. Why did his contact affect her so much? “As soon as Tarkan has his crystal loaded, he’ll take off. Since my ship was destroyed when I crashed, I need one of his to get back home and help my brother.”
But she also wanted the bastard to face justice and pay for his crimes.
“You want to go home, now?” The frown on Acielon’s brow pulled at her heart.
“Yes.” She picked up her crossbow rifle from the floor. She didn’t want to leave Acielon, but she had to get home and help her brother.
He narrowed his turquoise eyes on her. “You would be going with Tarkan, I assume?”
Could he possibly be jealous? “Yes.”
He flinched. “I cannot let you leave... and certainly not with him.”
Did he think he could keep her here? She struggled to sound detached. “Why? Because we had a moment?”
“Because...” His eyes widened as if at some realization. “Because I want a chance to know you better.”
“I don’t have that luxury.” Fianna steeled herself against the temptation to grab him and make crazy love to him. Why him? Why now? “My brother needs me, and my lifestyle is not conducive to relationships with sedentary men.”
“You want me to leave this planet with you?” The candid hope in his open face was almost too much to bear. “I was told I cannot, but for you, I would try.”
“I don’t want you to do anything for me.” She lied. She was getting tired of her lonely life. She wanted to belong, to be cared for. Be happy, for a change. But she had an obligation to her brother.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to take control of your own life, and make up your own mind... not just follow stupid rules.”
“I see...” But his confused expression suggested he didn’t.
“No, you don’t understand. An
d that’s the problem.” She scanned the room and caught Sheba at the foot of the bed, patiently grooming herself.
Acielon stood, facing her. “Then tell me why we cannot be together.”
“We are too different.”
“And you feel closer to Tarkan?” A knot jumped in his clenched jaw.
“There is no love left between me and Tarkan... but there was an attraction once. We were born in the slums of the same space station... Byzantium-5. We had the same values. We liked and hated the same things. We used each other, but we also understood each other’s needs.”
His brow furrowed. “And you and I... we do not?”
She forced a chuckle. “You try to bend me to your rules, prevent me from doing my job, from helping my brother. And your actions baffle me at every turn. You vanish when I need your help, then you appear out of nowhere and save my life? You never even kissed a girl before me.”
“And that is bad?”
“Yes.” Triblets! She hated having to explain. “I’m going to the cave.”
Sheba stood at attention. “Sheba ready.”
Acielon sighed. “And do what, exactly?”
She might as well tell him. “First, I’ll spy on Tarkan to see how the extraction is going. Then, I’ll sneak aboard the Silver Angel with Sheba and hide. Since he believes I’m dead, he won’t expect me there.”
“Then what?”
“Knowing Tarkan, he won’t invite his stinky Dragons on his shiny new ship. He is particular about his digs. Once he’s off the planet, I’ll make sure he is alone, or neutralize whoever is onboard with him. With Sheba’s help, I’ll capture Tarkan and lock him up in his own convenient detention cell. Then I’ll high-jack his ship and change course to deliver him to the authorities.”
“That sounds simple to you?”
“Very simple.”
“What if other Dragons follow him on his ship?”
“They won’t. I know them. They’ll stay on the Monalisa and celebrate.”
“You still might need help.”
No matter how much she would enjoy his company, Acielon was too innocent. He would constitute a hindrance in her world. Fianna didn’t need the responsibility. “How could you possibly help?”
Angel Mine Page 7
