Determinant, a YA Paranormal Romance (Book 3 of The Guardians of Vesturon)

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Even so, you must face the facts January. Like it or not, Rykerian is yours. What you need to decide is what you are going to do with him. Vesturions connect for life.”

  “I’m fully aware of that!” I snapped. Why was it that every time I thought of Rykerian my stomach did a flip-flop and my heart began racing?

  “Because you are not being honest with yourself and your feelings,” Jurek answered my question aloud.

  “That’s rude you know! You should stay out of my head!” I yelled.

  “You are angry because you do not want to admit the truth. You know I am correct, and if you are truly Vesturion, you will stop lying to yourself and others.”

  He had me there. My mouth opened and closed several times in my quest to formulate an adequate response. No such luck.

  “Why are you so unwilling to admit this?”

  “Why are you so nosy?” I bit back.

  His eyes lightened and we stared at each other for a moment.

  “I cannot explain this but I somehow feel linked to you.”

  He just gave me the shock of a lifetime. My mind started to spin with this information.

  “Do not mistake me January. When I say connection I do not mean that in any sexual or romantic way. There is something that flows between us that I cannot name and it puzzles me. Make no mistake though, this does not mean you are in any less danger here.”

  I blew out my breath in relief and chuckled nervously.

  “Well, I’m certainly happy you cleared that one up! I didn’t know how I was going to handle that. I have enough issues in dealing with Rykerian.”

  He jerked his head in that strange angle of his and smiled...really smiled at me then.

  “Do you care to discuss it with me?” he asked kindly.

  “I’m not sure.” I gave him a wary look. This man was a huge mass of great contradictions.

  “What are you not sure about?”

  “No, I didn’t mean exactly that. I meant...” I stopped because I didn’t have an appropriate answer. “Well, I’m not sure if I want to discuss it with you.”

  Jurek moved closer to me and said, “January, has he done anything dishonorable?”

  “No! He would never...”

  “Has he shown you anything but respect and love?”

  “No!”

  “Then I do not understand.”

  “It’s me, not him,” I murmured. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “May I?” I was very aware of his intention as I gave him the go ahead. He lifted his hand and placed it on my forehead. Several moments later he stepped away, his eyes stormy.

  “This woman, your mother,” he spat, “did you great harm. I should like to destroy her!”

  “Stop that. Getting rid of her doesn’t solve my problem. Besides, I think I am incapable of being in a relationship.”

  “That is incorrect. I can feel your emotions and I have witnessed the strength of them. This female did you great damage but you are most capable of a relationship. You must trust yourself January and you must trust the Vesturion. I have seen his reaction to your disappearance. He cares a great deal for you. You must give him the chance to show you how much!”

  He was so emphatic I could only gape at him. Eventually my tongue came back to me and I responded, “Why do you care so much? Besides, it’s a bit difficult being held prisoner somewhere in the middle of outer space in no man’s land!” My tone was dripping sarcasm.

  His left brow lifted and then his booming laughter filled the room. Talk about ever-changing moods!

  He was still shaking with laughter as he headed toward the iPad looking things. His fingers raced across the middle one and I immediately found myself standing in the middle of a living room, fully equipped with sofas, tables and the like. Now what?

  “I thought it might be more comfortable if we had a place to sit,” he answered between chuckles.

  “By all means. I was wondering when we could have a little fireside chat!” I retorted.

  When would I learn to keep my mouth shut? My last comment brought out another round of guffaws. I was rapidly becoming exasperated with this man.

  I collapsed onto one of the sofas and did my best at giving him a perfected eye roll. It had no effect, except for adding to his humor.

  “Would you stop already?” I was exasperated with him.

  “Forgive me. I find myself enjoying our repartee. You are quick witted January and highly intelligent.”

  “Okay, first off, a repartee involves two people conversing. This is not a conversation. It’s me saying something and you laughing at me. Second, did you expect me to have the brains of a rock or something?”

  Don’t ask me why I said that because he was now slapping his hand on his thigh, in complete hysterics.

  My mouth clamped shut and I decided my best course of action was to keep it that way until we could have a normal conversation again.

  He finally ceased his howling and dropped himself next to me on the sofa.

  “Oh January, I suppose I need to beg your forgiveness but I cannot remember when I laughed so hard as to make my body ache.” He threw his arm around me and gave me a squeeze and a hug.

  “Okay...who is this man and what have you done with Jurek?” I should have known better.

  The snickers began again. Maybe he’d lost his mind. The stress of having your family imprisoned could totally mess with your mind.

  “No, I assure you I am not losing my mind.” His face became serious again.

  “I have not found much to laugh at in a very long time.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve turned out to be such a great source of entertainment!” I said a bit harsher than I had intended.

  “I am not. I will tell you what I am sorry for,” he said softly as he turned to face me and took my hands in his. “I am sorry I had to steal you away from your new found love. And do not dare to deny it for it radiates from you. I am also sorry I have done such a terrible deed on Earth. I regret those actions more than I can say. I am sorry that the Xanthians are holding my sister and father hostage and that I have had to seek out your Guardians for assistance. I am sorry that some will get hurt or even die in the process. I am sorry I did not meet you under different circumstances.” His penetrating glare threw me over the edge.

  I’m not sure how it happened, but I found myself wrapped in his arms, crying my eyes out. My sobs ebbed and I sniffed loudly, saying, “Now it’s my turn to apologize for turning into a blubbering mess.”

  He pulled away from me, and those intense violet eyes bore into me.

  “What’s going to happen?” I asked in a raspy voice.

  “I cannot say. I am hoping your Guardians can pull off the coup of a lifetime.” He wiped me tears away with his thumbs.

  I whispered my next question, partly because I was afraid of his answer and partly because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. “What if they can’t do it Jurek?”

  “Then that means some will die.” His response was so matter-of-fact I had difficulty processing it.

  “You have to call them back. I’m begging you.”

  “January, oddly enough, I like you. I do. It is rare for me to feel this way, but this is my father and sister I am trying to free and for them I would do anything.”

  “I see.” This was no game. This was real life. The wonder of the view from the window was replaced by a deep sense of dread.

  “I must leave for a time. That is what I originally came to tell you,” Jurek said ruefully.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have business to check on. I should not be away for too long. You need not know more than that.”

  “I am afraid here,” I whispered, admitting it to myself as much as to him.

  “There is no need to be. You are safe with my men until I command them otherwise.”

  “They don’t look safe. They look at me like they want to kill me.”

  “That they do.”

  “Then how can you leave me her
e with them?” My voice rose with panic.

  “Because I trust them to follow my orders. I pay them handsomely for what they do. I offer them a secure place to live. You are safe here. They have strict instructions to make sure you are well cared for. Anything you want or need...just ask and you shall receive.”

  Doubt dripped from my eyes.

  He grasped my hands in his and explained, “January, I am a mercenary. Do you understand what that is? I am a hired gun. I sell my services to the highest bidder. I am not the good guy here,” he explained roughly. “My men are well compensated for what they do. They have been with me for a very long time. They follow my orders to a T. Do not waste your energy on worrying about your safety. In fact, for the time being, you are safer here than anywhere else in the universe.”

  “May I ask you something?”

  He nodded.

  “If the Guardians can’t get your family, will you kill me in return?”

  “Yes, I will do what I must.”

  “If you kill me, will you feel remorse?”

  “Yes. I have felt great remorse, though, for many other deeds I have committed so it will not be something new for me.”

  “Will you at least be a bit sad?” My voice trembled with emotion. I should hate him for this, but strangely, I didn’t. I was more confused than ever.

  “Yes, it would sadden me to have to kill you,” he replied in anguish as he rubbed the back of his neck.

  I wasn’t comforted in the least by his words, and he knew it. He shrugged, rose to his feet and disappeared.

  Chapter 11

  Jurek had been gone for several days, each of them seeming to last a week. His words came back to me over and over. I had no doubt he would kill me if it came to that. I stretched out on the sofa in an attempt to get comfortable. Rykerian’s words came back to me about shielding my thoughts. He said I needed to practice to become more adept at it. Deciding to give it an honest try, I began concentrating on that place deep within my mind.

  I relaxed and let my mind roam. When I found that place before, it was with Rykerian’s coaxing. He said to hunt for the partition that I could raise. I remember it feeling more like a soft filter than a partition. I let the tendrils of my mind wander and sure enough, I could imagine the thing so vividly, it was like pulling a blanket over my brain.

  It was a bit more difficult this time because I was alone with no one to test the strength of it. I forced myself to keep at it though. Knowing I was at least doing something that could potentially help me in the future kept me satisfied for a short time.

  When I couldn’t take another minute of practicing, I arose and began to pace around the small room. I was as restless as I’d ever been. I stood for a moment in front of the iPad things. I really did need to find out what these were called.

  Now that I knew one didn’t have to pound on them, I wondered what else they could do. I ran my fingers across the last one on the right, tapping gently on the surface of the screen.

  Nothing happened at first but then the room was converted into a dining area, complete with a full meal sitting on the table. The food looked strange...it consisted of multicolored items that I didn’t recognize. The utensils were also odd. They weren’t the traditional knife, fork and spoon, but they looked similar.

  I wondered if the food was edible for my consumption. What if it was poisonous to humans or Vesturions? I hadn’t thought of it before, but Vesturions and humans must eat the same things. At least they did when I was in their company at the Compound.

  My curiosity got the better of me as I bent over and stuck my nose next to the food.

  “Eww, that stuff smells nasty!”

  No sooner had the words left my mouth, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise and I heard that familiar popping sound.

  I spun around, grinning, and said, “Jurek! I’m glad you’re...” It wasn’t Jurek standing there. It was one of his men.

  “Oh! I thought you were Jurek.” Then my anger sparked at his intrusion. Did these people never knock?

  “Please make yourself at home,” I said sarcastically.

  “Your tone does not match your words,” the man said gruffly.

  “No kidding,” I replied under my breath. “Is there something you want? Do you guys never use the door? Have you ever heard of knocking before entering?”

  He scowled saying, “You forget your place female! You are still a prisoner here and shall be treated as such.”

  He radiated hostility and my palms quickly became damp with sweat. Did I dare think that he wouldn’t harm me?

  “Fear not female. I know when and how to follow orders. I am Tak and I have come to offer you sustenance. I do not believe you should eat what you have brought forth using the transmuter.”

  “Huh?” I was lost in the weeds here. Transmuter?

  “Yes, transmuter,” he said, indicating the iPad look a-likes.

  “Ah, I didn’t know that’s what they were called. Yeah, that stuff looks pretty disgusting. What is it?”

  His faced turned a mottled shade of red before he answered in a scathing voice, “That ‘disgusting stuff’ is considered a fine delicacy to my species!”

  “Geez, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it as an insult. It just smelled bad to me.”

  “As you smell bad to me, human!”

  I smelled bad? I just took a shower. How could I smell bad?

  “You cannot wash away the odor of your species, human,” he spat. “It is inherent to you...like that of a stinking beast!”

  “What? I smell like a stinking beast?”

  “That is correct! A stinking beast of the worst kind.”

  “Of all the rotten things...well I don’t think you smell so good yourself. How can you with that rotten food you eat?”

  And so it went. We continued to insult each other until I gave up.

  “Will you just get me something to eat that won’t kill me?”

  He moved to the transmuter and moved his fingers across the screen so fast, I could barely track them. The nasty food on the table vanished and was replaced with a yummy looking pizza. My stomach immediately growled and I wasted no time in diving into it. It was delicious. For aliens, they sure could make an awesome pizza.

  “Mmm, thanks,” I said around a mouthful of food. He stood like a statue, not even blinking. After a few minutes of that, I finally uttered, “Would you stop looking at me like that? It’s completely rude you know.”

  “I care not.” That was it. No more explanation.

  “Don’t you ever blink?”

  “It is not necessary.”

  “But why not?”

  “We are energy beings. This form is simply a variation of ourselves so blinking or even breathing for that matter is unnecessary.”

  I’d never get use to this stuff. Just when I thought I had my brain wrapped around something, I’d get hit with another curve ball.

  “What is this ‘curve ball?’”

  I shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just a saying. It means something like a surprise.”

  He grunted.

  “If you’re just going to stand there and stare, you might as well have a seat.”

  He cocked his head in that strange, jerking way that Jurek did all the time and his eyes drilled into me.

  “Why would you invite me to your table when you dislike me so?”

  Okay, I so wasn’t expecting that.

  “I don’t know. I guess because it’s the polite thing to do.”

  “Why do you want to be polite?”

  “What is this? Fifty questions? Either sit down or leave. You know you can join me if you’d like. I’ll never be able to eat all of this.”

  When I looked at him, I nearly died laughing. The look on his face was so comical I couldn’t help myself.

  “Why are you laughing at me?”

  “Because you look like you just swallowed an entire lemon!”

  “I do not understand.”

  “No doubt. Look, have a seat and s
hare my food, okay? It’s very uncomfortable for me to eat with you staring at me like that.”

  His movements were stiff and awkward, as if he was unfamiliar with sitting at a table.

  “You are correct. I am unfamiliar with this. My species eats in private, as we do not think it is something to be shared. Much like bathing. It is a bodily function that is done alone.”

  “You all think eating is like bathing? That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.” I stuffed my mouth again with another huge bite of pizza.

  I picked up another piece and offered it to him. “Here, try some.”

  He scrunched up his face in distaste, like the pizza was something putrid and disgusting.

  “I’m telling you, it’s the greatest. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  He continued to shake his head in disgust.

  “So, why did you pop in? Was it to feed me?”

  “That is correct. I was left in command with orders to care for you and when I saw you had created sustenance, I knew you could not eat it. So here I am.”

  Interesting. How did he know I created this meal?

  “It is easily seen when you activate your transmuters,” answering my thought.

  “So what else can these things do?”

  “Mostly what you have used them for already. We are short on space here so each room has transmuters to enable one room to become many.”

  “Are we really in outer space?”

  I looked at him and almost fell out of my chair when I noticed his response.

  “Tell me you did not just roll your eyes at me!”

  “You are exasperating. Why do you ask such silly questions?”

  “They are not silly. I have never been anywhere in my life besides South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia before a week ago and you say I’m being silly. What did you expect? I’m sorry I’m not acquainted with space ships and fancy space stations or whatever this place is!” Okay, I was back to feeling like I was twelve again and having a bickering contest with another twelve year old.

  Silence stretched between us and he eventually nodded sharply once and said, “Yes, we are in deep space, in our headquarters. I cannot tell you more due to security reasons.”

  I stared back at him when his actions shocked me. He extended his arm and pulled me by my hair. He took his hand and twisted his fingers around it, rubbing my hair with his other hand. Then he pulled it to his nose and smelled it.