The Price of Discovery

by Leslie Dicken

  Father’s gaze lifted with hope. “Tell us about the one who came here today.”

  “Find someone else.” Someone who would not torment his body, confuse everything he ever learned.

  “She seemed very nice.” Ankra pushed Sitora off her lap. “Drakor is angry because he did not have control of the situation.”

  “I had control.” But did he? The moment his gaze landed on her at the doorstop, Drakor’s strength dissolved into a pool of lava. Every cell, every hair, every sensation came alert, pulsated. How the helta could he spend more time with her?

  His father rubbed his back. “You will have two assignments on this mission, Drakor. To find any useful inventions for our home world and to seek out ways the humans keep their bones strong.”

  “This is suicide. Just like Alaziri, we will—”

  “You will do it.” Father reached for Mother and helped her to stand. “I have spoken, my son. It will be done.”

  Drakor bit his tongue to hold back his argument, but his pulse thundered in his skull. No, they wouldn’t listen to him. Alaziri disappeared on his mission to Earth and he had kept minimal contact with the humans. Not only must Drakor integrate himself with these people, he now had to spend time with the painfully tempting Erinprice.

  Drakor’s gut clenched. His erection poked uncomfortably at the zipper. He stormed from the room and raced up the stairs, taking two at a time. Didn’t they realize he didn’t have time for these foolish endeavors? The anniversary of his birth was only a few weeks away. He’d be thirty sun-cycles and still without a Mharai.

  Because of that Erinprice’s nosiness today, he could end up an Unmhar. And be alone forever.

  Chapter Two

  “I’m telling you, Greg, something was really strange about these people.”

  Erin’s brother lifted the remote from the armrest of his leather recliner and changed the channel. “Journalists are always looking for a story. You’ll invent one if necessary.”

  “Are you saying you don’t believe me?”

  “All I’m saying, Erin, is that you’ve been searching for a big break for years. You’d believe the moon was made out of cheese if it could be your exclusive.”

  She rolled her eyes and glanced around the impersonal décor of his family room. Decorated by an interior designer, the art and furniture matched perfectly and yet said nothing about who her brother really was.

  Erin tucked her hair behind her ear. “Sure, it’s easy for you to say. You have your own company, your own house.” She stood up from the couch. “I need a huge story, more than you realize…”

  He looked over at her. “Oh, I realize how much you’re pushing to prove yourself. Just because—”

  “Don’t go there.” Past regrets swirled like sour milk in her gut.

  Greg shrugged. “Whatever, but you know I’ve offered you a job many times. You’re too damned stubborn to take it.”

  “I don’t know anything about designing software and I’ll be damned if I’m going to be my brother’s secretary.”

  Besides, she went to school for journalism. Searching for facts, uncovering human interest stories, telling compelling tales was in her blood. Ever since she could ride a two-wheeler, Erin had been riding up and down the street looking for stories. A lost cat, a scratched up car, a missing toy—nothing could get by her.

  He flipped off the television and stood. “You could learn a lot, you know, and maybe enjoy something other than snooping around.”

  Erin growled. This was not working out as planned. She wanted to bounce some thoughts off of him, to see if he thought that house and family were odd. But all he did was argue with her. As if it was his job to look out for her.

  She was surprised he wasn’t freaked about her going inside the Victorian alone. Of course, Greg didn’t know about her immediate attraction to Drakor.

  Her breasts tingled as she remembered the sculpted planes of his chest. Strong hands like his could cup her bottom with a swift ease as his sensual lips nibbled their way down to her navel. Oh God, the dreams she had last night. It had been a long time since an orgasm had wakened her up like that.

  Erin guzzled her soda, but it didn’t do much to cool her down. “Well—” she wiped her damp palms on her shorts, “—don’t you think it’s strange that they don’t have anything in their kitchen?”

  “It’s not like they didn’t have one.”

  Erin rolled her eyes and headed into the cooler air of his kitchen. She sat on one of his metal barstools and tapped her fingers on the tile countertop. “You have an answer for everything. It’s really annoying.”

  Greg followed her. “That’s why I’m your brother. I can tell you how crazy you sound.”

  She shook her head. “They’re the ones that sounded crazy. I’m telling you, I have an intuition about this one.”

  He raised an eyebrow and opened the fridge. “Want a bologna sandwich?”

  “Sure.” She took another swallow of soda.

  “Didn’t you say something about the guy’s sister?”

  Erin grinned. “Yeah. She’s gorgeous. Beautiful dark eyes and black hair that goes all the way down her back.”

  “Oh? Hot, huh?” He turned from spreading the mayonnaise and stared at her.

  “Very shapely. Soft-spoken.” She sighed. “Just the kind of girl worth marrying. Oh, but I forgot, you’ll never make a commitment. Not when there are so many fish in the sea.”

  Greg shoved the sandwich in front of her. “I can make a commitment when the right person comes along. And, at least I enjoy the fishing.” He leveled his eyes on her. “You haven’t had a boyfriend, in what…three years? Not since that Evan guy—”

  “Lay off, Greg.” She suddenly lost her appetite.

  “It’s been a really long time, Erin. Give yourself a break.”

  A break from what? From her failures? She’d lost more than just her heart with Evan.

  Erin pushed the rest of her sandwich away and reached for her keys. “I’m outta here.”

  “Wait.” Greg put a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry I pissed you off. Am I going to meet these strange people?”

  “Perhaps.” She shrugged him off and went outside into the mass of sticky air. She slid her sunglasses on and stared up at Greg’s end-unit brick townhouse.

  Someday she’d have a house like that—or better. She nearly lost her job once due to idiotic, overzealous ideals and one worthless guy. Mixing business with pleasure had been the biggest mistake of her life. She was damn lucky to have this job in spite of it. But she could do bigger things, she could escape the blunders of her past. All she needed was one huge story.

  Erin wiped her forehead with the back of her arm and started the car.

  Something bizarre was going on in that majestic Victorian in the woods. She’d spend the next two days digging deeper into her John Doe and his burned-down cottage, but then, come this Saturday, she was going back to investigate.

  Boredom added to their torture. It wasn’t enough that they were a million miles from home, or that they were faced with a possibly hostile population, or that Drakor was only weeks away from losing the chance at a Mharai, or that a human female tempted him even in his dreams. No, they also had hours—days—of boredom.

  On the bed opposite Drakor, Brundor tossed a ball of paper into the air and caught it. The house was still, the air motionless. A beam of sunlight sliced the room in half.

  Outside the window, birds twittered in the trees.

  Abruptly Brundor sat up. “I hear something.” He moved to the window. “That small vehicle is coming.”

  Drakor leapt up from his bed. She was back. Helta, he had prayed the Earth female would not return. Despite Father’s demands, this stranger signified trouble—to the mission, to his family, and to himself.

  He joined his brother at the window and watched the vehicle roll to a stop near the front steps. The sound died away, leaving only the birds once again.

  The door of the Earthen vehicle opened. Erinpri
ce emerged, her white skin glowing under the bright Earth sun. She wore yellow pants today that skimmed just past her knees, showing where her calves curved to the delicate bump of her ankle. A striped shirt hugged her firm breasts. But her arms were bare, other than some circular jewelry around her wrists that clanked as she walked.

  She slid dark spectacles off of those sky-colored eyes and turned to shut the vehicle’s door.

  Drakor tried to fight it, but he could not stop the heat snaking its way through his veins. It circulated through his limbs before settling with a blazing snap in his groin. Perspiration tickled under his hair.

  A knock sounded on the front door below them. Brundor turned away from the window, his smooth, unlined face eager. The Crossing, the years of searching for a lifemate, had yet to take its toll on him. “I want to meet her.”

  Drakor’s gut knotted. “That would not be wise.”

  “Why not? You and Ankra have met her.”

  They heard voices below. Ankra must have let Erinprice into the house.

  “This human cannot be trusted.”

  Brundor narrowed dark eyes. “You don’t think you can trust me.”

  “I’ll not deny that. You are at the age to start your Crossing. It can happen at any time. Even on Earth.”

  “I can control it.”

  Drakor clenched his jaw, his rapid pulse evidence that he could not control the workings of his body. “No male can control the urges. I’ve been through it, I know what it’s like.”

  “This isn’t fair!”

  “That’s why Father should have left you at home.” But no one listened to him. Brundor was like that ticking clock on the mantel. Sometime soon the bell would ring and they’d all pay the price. An Elliacian male needed to be secluded during his Crossing into manhood. He needed a master to show him how to dominate the sexual urges rampaging through his body.

  Helta, Drakor couldn’t even control himself around this Earth female. He hated this place, this cool atmosphere and strange creatures.

  Drakor crossed the room. “I’m going for a walk.” He had to get out of this house and away from Erinprice. “Stay here.”

  His brother tied his long hair back with a leather string. “I’m going to get out of this house one day.”

  “And I hope it will be when we all go home.”

  Brundor flopped down on his bed again, reaching for the balled up paper. “Hey, Drakor, why is your face damp?”

  “It’s warm.”

  Without waiting for a retort, Drakor left the room and hurried down the steps. He expected to see Ankra and Erinprice on the couch in the front room, but saw neither. The room was empty.

  With a sigh of relief, he headed outside and down the wooden porch steps, his gaze fixed on the ground. He’d wander the creek in the back woods, cool down his face with the chilly water.

  “Hey!” a female cried, right before he crashed into her.

  Their contact stopped him cold. Great Sun! In an instant, his skin burned, his arousal stiffened. He looked down into the pale eyes of Erinprice and backed away. The railing pole blocked his retreat.

  Her pupils dilated. “Are-are you okay?”

  Drakor nodded his head, but could not speak. A tingle began at the base of his spine and raced downward to his toes before circling up to his nipples.

  She touched his forehead, her round jewelry tinkling in his ears. “You’re hot. I think you might have a fever. You should go inside and lie down. Have something to drink.”

  His mouth dried. “No.”

  She licked her lips then traced her fingertips down his face, wiping the increased gathering of perspiration. “Your face is flushed. You really should go in and rest.”

  The longing amplified inside every cell, every fiber. His hands prickled with the need to grab the swell of her hips.

  Clenching his jaw, Drakor grabbed her wrist and thrust it away from his face. A blaze sped from his palm to his groin, sparking a near explosion. Great Sun, she almost unmanned him!

  “I-I am not ill,” he choked. “Leave me.”

  “Oh, okay…I just had to get something from the car.” She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, exposing her throat. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get a cool cloth or something?”

  Drakor wet his parched lips and shook his head.

  “You should consider wearing shorts in the summer,” she continued. Why the helta wouldn’t she stop this talking and leave him alone? “It’s really hot out here and those pants look heavy.”

  He swallowed and squeezed his eyelids closed. Shadowed dreams of the past several nights swam before his eyes. He saw her writhing beneath him, her skin glistening. Then her mouth was on him, nipping his neck, kissing his abdomen, moving downward…

  Great Sun!

  Drakor squeezed his hands into fists, fighting the painful throb of his flesh. He must take control over his body’s impulses. Why couldn’t he remember his teachings, his mind control knowledge?

  A gentle breeze cooled the dampness on his skin, but it also brought her scent to him. His mouth watered.

  “Are you really sure you are okay?”

  Drakor opened his eyes, tried a fierce stare, but raw lust zapped his intensity. “Go. Now.”

  He watched as she swept past him and up the porch steps. With her hand on the door, she turned back. Her sky-colored gaze swept down the length of him. Did she notice the swelling at his groin?

  “You really are wearing far too much clothes for June.”

  His dream…her naked body…his naked body hovering over her …Drakor’s stare lingered on her bare ankles, then rose inch by inch to her gleaming white neck.

  He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t stop the voracious hunger. Restraint slipped, then disappeared entirely.

  Breathing ragged and lips parted, Drakor started up the steps toward her.

  Erin stood immobile.

  An instinctive fear blasted through her as she watched him approach, his dark eyes smoldering. But then she realized his intent and her breath caught in her throat. Muscles weakened. Pulse intensified. Breasts ached.

  Noises of insects and birds vanished. She heard nothing but the whoosh of her heartbeat and the creak of the wood under Drakor’s weight.

  What would he do once he reached her? Her mouth watered with anticipation, but she could not permit this attraction—no matter how much she craved it.

  Erin dashed inside the house and slammed the door shut.

  “Is everything okay, Erinprice?” Ankra smiled at her from the bottom of the stairway.

  “Um…” Should she tell her Mr. Sexy was heading up the stairs with a distinct look of lust on his face? Somehow, Erin doubted a sister wanted to hear that. She sure didn’t want to hear it about Greg. “Everything is fine. But why do you call me Erin Price?”

  “You told us that was your name.”

  Her breathing finally slowed. “My first name is Erin. Last name is Price. Just call me Erin.”

  “Two names?” Ankra pushed her hair over her shoulder. “Ah, yes. Forgive me. Come.”

  Erin’s reporting instinct kicked in. First, they had that odd unused kitchen and now they assumed her two names were one? Those little things, combined with Drakor’s tight need for secrecy, burrowed under her skin. Erin was beginning to believe there might be more of a story in the present owners on this land than the previous one.

  She followed Ankra into the front parlor room and sat on the lovely striped couch, her pulse not quite normal. This agonizing desire for Drakor reminded her of a crush she had her senior year of high school. It was one-sided, just her lusting after the substitute teacher, but she couldn’t stop thinking of the guy.

  “Erinprice…um, Erin.” Ankra’s long finger tapped on her leg. “I would like to ask you something. A favor.”

  Ankra’s dark eyes reminded her of a doe. Sweet, innocent, beautiful. This girl was a sheltered treasure, hidden away from the real world, perhaps waiting for just the right man to rescue her lik
e a knight in shining armor.

  “Of course, anything,” Erin replied. Anything that would get her closer to this family, bring her closer to finding her answers. Maybe these people didn’t know a damn thing about her John Doe. But then again, maybe they were a story onto themselves.

  A long, black strand fell across Ankra’s eyes. “I want to meet a man. Will you help me find a boyfriend?”

  This girl needed help meeting a man? No way. “You can’t be serious.”

  Ankra only blinked, looking completely serious.

  Where would she find a knight in shining armor in this town? If one was here, she would have known about it long before now.

  The front door creaked open. Erin tried to prevent herself, but she couldn’t stop glancing up.

  Drakor stood in the doorway, his face shining and damp. Dark hair slicked away from his jaw and curled over his collar. Raw, male power radiated from long powerful legs, the muscled strength of shoulders and arms. His wild stare drew her in, seized her breath, curled her toes.

  Awareness charged.

  Suddenly, that knight shining in his armor took on a whole new meaning.

  Chapter Three

  Erin slowed the car as they approached the rainbow façade of the Victorian. “You sure you want to go to a dance club?”

  Ankra gathered her bags. “Yes, please, very much so.”

  Unfortunately, large, crushing crowds were never Erin’s thing. All that smoke and sweat and lame propositions just turned her stomach. But Ankra had begged to go to a place where she could meet other men. Besides, Erin had done far worse things for a story before. Far, far worse.

  Erin swallowed against her tightening throat and forced the memories away.

  Going to some stupid techno dance club really wasn’t that big of a deal. Although Erin sensed the true mystery lay within Drakor, not Ankra. He was the one who was so secretive. He was the one who originally did not want her entering the house. He was the one whose words told her to leave but whose steamy eyes asked her to stay.

  She should ask him to come to Mickey’s tonight. Then she could gauge his reaction to the place, as well. See if he would make the same odd comments Ankra had. The girl had no idea about what clothes to buy, what types of music there was, or even what a wine cooler was.