Kaia sunk under the water once before popping back up to watch the sky once more. She felt uncomfortable with the knowledge she had. Her whole life had been a farce, a lie to blend in. Kaia was biracial, her father was white while her mother was a dark shade of coffee but that was because these were the shapes her parents took to blend into the alien world of Earth. They really came from a planet called Talerion, a place that spawned the shifters; the race of beings that could shift into anything.
In their current forms Kaia’s parents appeared as humans, as did Kaia. Their bodies were physiologically and biologically human but they could shift into whatever animals or beings they wanted to. They would then be exact copies of the animals they looked like. Children of these aliens, however, could only shift into one animal, most commonly bears and wolves, but sometimes large cats, or even mythical creatures. Over time, some of the children weren’t able to shift at all, becoming anomalies among the alien community. Nobody understood what caused the shifting to fail but they knew that as each generation was produced the chance of creating a child that could not shift, even from two shifter parents, increased.
Sent here over the last thousand years the Talerians, as they called themselves, all had a mission, even those that had family ties that were generations old. The men at the resort, for example, had Talerian ancestors that came so long ago their descendants no longer knew who they were, accepting their existence as some ancient race of humans from Earth. People such as Kaia’s parents had been sent over the last few decades to instruct the old shifter groups, to teach them their mission, but Kaia hadn’t been assigned a group yet. She assumed she’d soon be assigned this one.
Getting out of the tub Kaia dried off and walked over to bed, slipping between the pristine white sheets to feel their silky texture against her bare skin. The Talerians all had a mission here, to observe, to record, and to send data back home. There were Talerians throughout the universe, watching, observing, and recording the rise and fall of civilizations.
Kaia had not been to Talerion since she was a small child but could go if she wanted to. Her parents had taught her about the place, had taught her about their mission, and about who she was. A peaceful race, the Talerians only observed, never interfering if it could be helped. Kaia wondered if she could get some answers about Zed there but decided against the idea for now. She had far too much on her plate. Things to tell him and his friends, things to teach them. And a mating to put off, or not.
Chapter Two
The next day found the ladies hiking. It wasn’t long before Kaia realized they were lost, though she tried to hide it for a while as she tried to backtrack. Her thoughts kept drifting to Zed and before she knew it, her little ducklings had followed her onto an unknown and unmarked path. Now she had no idea how to get them out.
She heard Cora and Tessa talking, the peevish tone of Tessa’s voice unusual and holding her attention for a moment but then she slipped back into concentrating on her surroundings. As Cora’s tone changed to her own peevish tone Kaia finally stopped replying in an offhand way and turned to them to break up the slight argument.
“The men may find us, yes, let’s go back to the river and wait there.” Kaia quietly followed the women down the hill they were on and quietly waited for the men. She knew herself that Zed was on the way. Already their bond had formed and it was disconcerting, knowing that it had already grown to include this vague form of communication.
Kaia had spent most of her life forming vague, casual relationships with sexual partners. She hadn’t “taken a chance on love” because her parents told her she’d know when she found the one, their souls would bond. She’d never felt anything more than affection for a partner, never the knowing her mother and father described to her. Not until now anyway.
Tessa was assuring Cora that the men would find her but Kaia, taught to always blend in and deflect talk about their race, attempted to talk the women out of the notion of some kind of mystical connection with the men they suspected were shifters and paced around the clearing. Her words of denial were a lie, however, because she could feel Zed. She knew Zed was getting closer, she could feel a warmth in her abdomen, around her stomach, that spread as he drew near her. By the time she saw the headlights of the ATV her whole body felt warm, but not unpleasantly so.
As the ATVs approached, Kaia stood in the clearing, her arms crossed over her stomach as she observed the men. Each looked relaxed, as though they weren’t concerned, just picking up the ladies as though this had all been planned. Yes, they seemed to have formed bonds with her friends, this was good. Nodding her head in approval Kaia waited for Zed to pull up near her.
She grinned at him and he held his hand out to her. Taking his hand Kaia climbed onto his ATV, her bare legs pressed into his jean-clad ones. Before she knew it they were speeding away, her arms around his waist despite their being a backrest, she wanted to be close to her mate. Her life-mate with the broad chest and the tight abdomen full of rigid muscles that seemed to jump beneath her fingers; the man so close she could smell the scent of his skin and feel the heat burning through his clothes.
Kaia settled in, her head resting on Zed’s back as they drew closer to the resort. Soon enough they were standing at her door, Cora down the hall grinning happily up at Knox and Rhys. Kaia smoothed her hair down on the top of her head and licked her lips, hoping she didn’t look too much of a mess. The long rope of her braided hair slithered around to lay over her shoulder as she moved, the end coming to rest at the button of her jeans.
“You have such beautiful hair.” Zed said, his eyes on the portion resting at the button. “Not many women let their hair grow out now.”
“I’m not the usual female, am I?” She said, a teasing gleam in her eye.
“No, I know for a fact you are not. I believe you’re far more than you know you are. Or that you let on, at least.” His eyes bored into hers and Kaia’s grin deepened.
“Are you taking me to dinner then? It seems we’ve been abandoned.” Kaia used her chin to point at her friend down the hall.
“I promised you we’d see each other today. I didn’t realize it would be in quite that way but it wasn’t enough. Do you want to have dinner in your room, downstairs, or somewhere else”
“I think a quiet night would be nice, we could stay here, sit out on the deck and watch the stars come out.” Kaia suggested. She might not be a country girl but she loved the view of the sky here. She could even see the Milky Way it was so dark here, with only a couple of lights over in the parking lot.
They had dinner in the warm air of the deck on the back of the resort, a table set up just for them. Zed had the lights turned down so they could stretch out on two loungers and gaze up at the sky. Dinner had been a quiet affair, both just comfortably eating and being with each other. Kaia liked that they didn’t have to fill the time with chatter but she did want to know more about him.
Turning to face him on the lounger, a hand under her delicate face, she looked over at him. He was looking back and holding his hand out. She took it and gasped when he kissed her knuckles, his warm lips sending a bolt of pleasure through her arm, straight to her heart. They’d avoided touching for most of the night and now their skin was together, intimate and warm.
“I don’t think we need to play around, do we? We know what we are, we know what’s happening, and I’m happy with that.” Zed looked at her imploringly, asking her to understand.
“Are you? I’ve heard men of our kind don’t always want to settle into a mating. Sometimes they fight it.” She answered, enjoying the feel of her hand entwined with his.
“I’m ready. In fact, I believe I’ve been waiting on you my whole life. I suppose I have, in actuality, but I mean that I’ve been ready for you my whole life. Family is important to me. I never really had one until I fell in with these guys in college. They took me in. They’ve known each other their whole lives and took me in like we were brothers from the start. Now, it’s time to expand on that famil
y.”
“Are you serious?” Kaia asked, her mind whirling with possibilities. Possibilities that she was ready for but she still needed time to think, time to get it all straight in her head. Her family wouldn’t be a problem; they knew how mating worked. It was her own life that needed to be sorted, and his. He might not like the truth of what they were and she had to tell him about that before she let this go any further. He deserved to know. But first she had a trip to make.
“Well, yeah. We’re mated; I can feel it, can’t you?” Zed asked her with a confused look.
“I can but I think I need to take this slower than that. There are things you don’t know, things you should know.” Kaia pulled her hand back, cushioning her head with it once more.
“Do you mean about my family? My heritage? I don’t care about that.” He insisted.
“No, about what you are. What kind of shifter I am?” She asked, sitting up to take his hand once more.
Kaia could see him closing his eyes, concentrating deeply, his head moving as though he were catching signals or a scent that was too elusive to fully understand. He finally opened his eyes, his confusion deeper now.
“What are you?” He finally asked his voice awestruck.
“I’m a Talerian. I will explain at some point but not right now. For now, I think it’s time to get to bed. The rum in this cola is making me woozy.” Kaia put a hand to her head, the world really spinning around her. It was more from the presence of Zed than the rum though. She’d been fighting her own instincts all night, instincts that told her to climb onto that lounger with him and strip him naked. Since she’d met the man she’d been fighting that instinct.
“Shall I walk you up?” Zed offered, standing up to help her up.
“That would be nice. You know that song you were talking about earlier? What’s the name of it?” She asked as they walked back through the resort and to the elevators. It was getting late and only the night clerk was at the desk, just in case they were needed.
“Oh, I’ll text you a link for it. There are two versions of it, one is better. So, when are we going to see each other again?” He asked as the elevator doors closed.
“Tomorrow I expect.” Her grin made his heart melt and he really wanted to tell her about how he felt, how she made him ache to touch her, and hold her near to him. He didn’t want to let her go but she’d made it clear she wanted to go slow. He’d respect that wish. Even if he did want to pull her to him and kiss her senseless.
Kaia looked up at him with a thankful smile and walked to her door with him. She turned as they reached the door and came close to him. Lifting her head she kissed his cheek. Her lips didn’t want to leave him and she stood, only a breath away, before he moved his head and their lips came together. Soft flesh met soft flesh and Kaia breathed in deep through her nose, the excitement rising quickly.
Zed was near; Zed’s lips were on hers. She inhaled him as their lips moved, and when his tongue found hers she opened her eyes, shocked at what she sensed from him. He wasn’t just the normal shifter to be found on Earth today, he was far more than that. He just didn’t know it. Kaia pulled away, her hand going to his face to caress the smooth skin before she turned to open the door. Turning back she kissed him once more, the need growing stronger as the warmth she felt when she was near him now growing into a pulsing sensation that only drove her to take the kiss further.
Kaia stamped down on her own need and stepped back. His breathing was ragged, as was hers, but she stepped through the open doorway, putting distance between them.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Just let me know where and when.”
“Goodnight, Kaia. Sweet dreams.” Zed gave a small wave before walking away, a sad smile on his face.
Kaia closed the door and changed her clothes, taking off the thin but long sleeved shirt and replaced it with a thicker one she’d brought in case her room was cold. Adding a pair of jeans and her hiking boots Kaia took the device out of her bedside drawer. Closing her eyes Kaia pressed the black button on the device and felt the world fall away in a rush.
Unused to the sensation Kaia yelped and opened her eyes to a world of darkness with pinpoints of light. The sensation of solid ground beneath her feet suddenly made her look down. She was standing on pink sand. Looking up she saw a large white moon filling the sky and a city in what appeared to be a clear bubble.
“Excuse me sister, do you need assistance?” A droid stood beside her making a low humming noise as it shifted into a square shape with handles. A voice came out of the machine once more. “I can carry you into the city if you’d so desire.”
“Thank you, I need to go to the Hall of Records please.” Kaia knew this droid was a messenger from the fact that it could carry people. Not all androids were the same on Talerion. Each was designed to carry out certain functions, this one transported messages, sometimes messages carried by humans and so it could change into a shape to carry out that duty.
“Has it been a while since you’ve been home sister?” The android asked, making small talk.
“Yes, I was six the last time I was here. It’s been twenty one years now.” Kaia was awed by that fact. There’d just never been a reason to come back, though she could have at any time.
“Welcome home then.” In the blink of an eye Kaia and the machine were in front of the building she’d requested and she thanked the machine.
“No, it was my pleasure sister. I hope your stay here is enlightening and joyful.” The messenger said before it walked away, now returned to its humanoid shape. Most Talerians took on a humanoid shape when outside of their own homes; it was the easiest form to take for running errands.
Kaia looked around at the people passing by her, a variety of shapes and colors, even purple and blue on display, before she walked into the building. It had been a long time since she’d been here but she knew where she was. All Talerians had a memory of where things were on their home planet and though Kaia had been gone for a long time she could still remember. She could remember almost every moment of her life, if she chose to.
Looking around furtively Kaia headed into a department that most weren’t allowed into. It was the area where children were chosen to be sent to Earth. One of the ways the Talerion government decided to “seed” the Earth was by using children from parents that already had two children. Any subsequent children were sent to Earth. Only the government staff and the ruling family were exempt from this rule.
This was one of the reasons so many families went to Earth without a qualm, they could keep their children and their families together. Kaia suspected Zed was one of the children. Sneaking into the main room of the department, now unmanned, Kaia headed into a research room in the department. She took the strand of hair she’d furtively removed from his head and placed it into a DNA analyzer. All Talerians, and the first generation of those born on Earth, gave up their DNA profiles so that identifications could be made.
If Zed was a second generation Talerian or later his DNA would not be found in the system. Kaia chewed at her thumb knuckle as the machine did its job, looking through the door every few seconds to make sure she was still alone. The machine beeped and the results popped up. Kaia hurriedly hit the print button, ran to the printer and took the paper, removed the strand of hair, and cleared the machine before leaving.
She didn’t want to be caught in the department and quickly left, shoving the paper into her back pocket. She’d read it once she was back in her room. Cracking the door Kaia saw the only people standing in the hallway were looking up at a painting being put up on the other end of the hall and snuck out the door, quietly closing it before she casually walked out of the hall. Heading for a bathroom Kaia found a stall and pressed her way home. The fewer people that saw her on Talerion the better.
Chapter Three
The next day Kaia found herself on her own, which was fine because she needed to do some thinking. She wandered around the resort and learned that the resort got its name from the singing ston
es to be found around the area the resort was built on. Rather than sounding like a stone when struck the stones made the ringing sound of metal. The stones had their own unique, individual bell-like tones and came in a variety of pitches. Kaia decided to head out to look for some.
There were no signs of Tessa or Cora so Kaia went on her own, hoping the trek would give her time to make a decision about what the paper had revealed. The information was too big to ignore but Kaia wasn’t sure Zed would really want to know. And the revealing of that information would reveal a lot about who he, and his friends, were.
Kaia hadn’t been notified about taking over this group for instruction and normally you had to wait until you were given official notification. But her soul had mated with Zed’s, this was a special situation. She felt he needed to know before she took this any further. Revealing the truth without official notification had consequences though, consequences that could cost Kaia her freedom. And she’d be in trouble for the way she gained the information she now had, only ministers were allowed that information but she’d snuck in to get it.
Pushing her endurance Kaia climbed a high ridge then went down to the valley below. She could see a waterfall from the top and wondered if there was a pool she could relax in before heading back to the resort. Following a path that looked like a deer trail Kaia was soon at the waterfall. She soon discovered she was no longer alone.
Zed was in the water, standing beneath the flow of the small waterfall, his naked body glistening in the sunlight as the water pounded down onto his shoulders. His head was bent down to his chest as he allowed the water to massage the muscles in his neck and shoulders, the water making his skin appear slick and succulent. Kaia felt her body react and her clothes disappeared before she knew it.
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