Small black bruises were around her nose and eyes from broken blood vessels. Her eyes were still blood shot from the hemorrhaging and her skin was pale due to blood loss. He was sure they gave her transfusions that would eventually bring back color to her cheeks.
Starc could not take his eyes off her face. A sudden feeling of protectiveness he had never felt consumed him. He knew he would protect this woman with his life. True, it was his job, but he knew deep inside, there was something more. He just could not figure out what their connection was.
There was nothing sexual regarding how he felt about Shirl, any feelings he once had related to sex were destroyed by Elzbeth Southam’s betrayal. Rationally he knew it had not been her fault, but there was never anything logical when it came to matters of the heart. He walked up to the woman and placed his hand on the small of her back. He caressed the soft material of her tunic. Together they moved toward the dining table where Tolfer was delivering the dishes he prepared.
“Sit here, Shirl,” Alex said, indicating to the chair next to hers. Starc accompanied Shirl to the seat her friend had reserved and took a chair on the other side of Tarsea. “The purple stuff is keen. It is a grain only grown in the Troyk universe and it’s yummy. I don’t know why, but food tastes better here.” Starc could not help but smile. Alex loved to eat and never seemed to gain an ounce. He imagined it had something to do with her soul mate’s constant attentions. They always seemed to be escaping to Tarsea’s bedroom.
“What more can you tell me about my brother?” Shirl inquired. Starc knew her brother. They had never been on assignment together and only had conversations in passing. Darden was more acquainted with Cianan Thork.
“I cannot say he is a friend,” Darden replied. “He is bitter and unpleasant. I honestly do not know how he is going to react to you. Your presence has only recently been recognized by the communal pathways. As soon as your name is revealed, he will know of your existence. I will help keep an eye on you, as will Starc, since he is your personal guard.”
Starc could see the hurt in Shirl’s eyes as Darden spoke. The woman had grown up without a family. Now she discovered she had a brother who would be less than thrilled to meet her. Family could sometimes drive you crazy, but Starc always knew his had his back. There was nothing he could do that would stop them from loving him. He only wished he could find a woman he could feel the same way about.
Shirl peered at him. “How does the whole guard thing work?” Her question startled Starc out of the thoughts distracting him from the conversation.
“I will follow you through the portal wherever you go. Some crystal telepathic gatherers work alone, like Darden. Others like to have a guard with them for protection. When we are not guarding an individual, we guard the portal. If the portal opens and something comes through, we go out and investigate. It was Raine Narmouth and Kelog Potts who found you on the mountain trail.”
Alex stood, outraged by the news. The chair dragging against the wooden floor grabbed Starc’s attention. His mind kept shifting to thoughts of Shirl. “They let that snake Narmouth go after he stabbed Tarsea the other night,” Alex cried. “How is that possible?”
Most of the men present had found Alex after Narmouth had abducted her. When they caught up with the two of them, Narmouth was on top of Alex, forcing himself on her. Tarsea wanted to personally punish the asshole for attacking his soul mate.
Since Narmouth had no honor, rather than having a fair fight with Tarsea, Narmouth pulled a knife. He proceeded to stab Tarsea and had been arrested for assault. Since Troyk medical technology was so advanced, Tarsea was healed by a med-tech within minutes of his arrival.
“Calm down, Alexia,” Solfa said. “Since he caused a concussion, you could not communicate through the communal pathway when Raine attacked you. As far as anyone knew, you were with him on that gathering place trail of your own free will. Tarsea’s presence could be viewed as threatening and Raine claimed self-defense when he stabbed him. Since Tarsea’s injuries were healed, no one wanted to go through the hassle of charging him. We could not use you as a witness, since as far as anyone is concerned you are from this world. We did not want you coming back to the attention of Jeryl Jarlyn. Your cover story is working so far. I do not want to tempt fate.”
“Well, crap! That sucks! You sure we cannot accidently send him to another universe?” Starc had to grin again at the expression on Alex’s face. There was an endearing mischievous smile on her face. It never ceased to amaze him how resilient Alex was. He only hoped that Shirl shared that same characteristic.
“Sorry, baby, not going to happen,” Tarsea replied. Starc watched as Tarsea tightened his grip around his soul mate’s hand.
Alex addressed her friend. “As far as everyone is concerned, my name is Alexia Montiff. I am from Starling Province. Since they know you are from Ginkgo Terra, you don’t have to watch how you talk. They do not use contractions in this world. So I cannot say ‘don’t’ but ‘do not’ in public. I constantly have to watch myself. When I talk telepathically to Tarsea I just talk the way I always speak.”
Shirl gave her friend a radiant smile. Starc wished he had caused that smile upon her beautiful, if not currently ravished, face. “Alex, I am just happy to be here with you. I will watch my language as well, so we can go through this together.”
“Tomorrow we will introduce you to your brother,” Darden informed Shirl. “Either Starc or I will be present anytime you are with him. Koel, you will be our back up.”
“I will be happy to play nurse maid to such a lovely lady.” His cousin got up and went over and kissed Shirl’s hand. “Although it pains me, I have an appointment this evening and have to leave.”
Starc did not know why, but he wanted to punch Koel for kissing her hand. Everyone else generally desired to hit his cousin because of his smart mouth, not Starc. But tonight for the first time in his life, he wanted to do some serious damage to Koel.
“I will walk with you, cousin,” Starc said. He knew he needed to leave Shirl’s presence for the time being. “Darden, we will coordinate what time to meet tomorrow to deal with Cianan.”
As he wished everyone a good night, he thought he saw disappointment in Shirl’s eyes. He did not know if he was taking a leap hoping that look had been caused by his departure. One thing was clear, he needed to determine what his feelings were for this woman.
Chapter 5
The roar of male voices overwhelmed Shirl as she walked into crystal telepath headquarters. She was glad that both Starc and Darden were at her side. Had she come alone, she did not know if she would have continued into this male dominated room. Darden had explained the crystal telepathic gene primarily appeared in male children. It was rare for a female to have the ability. Since her mother was a crystal telepath, it was generally believed that all her children would be born with the power to manipulate portal energy. Shirl had an ability out of legends, the rare female crystal telepath.
Once again, she wished Alex was by her side. Although Alex tended to fade into the background, her presence generally invigorated Shirl. She spent most of the night catching up with what had happened to her best friend since coming to this parallel world. She could not believe the changes in Alex. There was a confidence about her that she never had. They would have talked all night, had Tarsea not come in and carried Alex out of the room. Shirl had never heard Alex giggle like she did as Tarsea absconded with her.
Her eyes surveyed the room and stopped on a tall male about thirty feet away. She would have recognized him anywhere. There was no question, the man was her brother. He had the same champagne blond hair and light brown eyes she had. They could have been twins. His face was alight with a broad smile, sharing a joke with whomever he was talking with. As soon as he made eye contact with her, the smile was replaced with a frown.
She must have made some kind of noise because Starc placed his hand on her shoulder. Through the t
unic’s material, she felt the heat generated from his touch. Shirl wondered what it would feel like if they touched skin to skin. Regardless, his touch brought her renewed confidence.
“Let us get this over with,” was all Starc had to say as the three of them walked toward her brother. She could not agree more. With all the things she heard about her brother, she was not excited about meeting him.
Shirl heard various comments about her appearance through the communal pathways as she made her way toward her brother. There was nothing communicated she had not already heard. She was grateful that Tolfer had spent time with her last night. Shirl had no issues navigating from pathway to pathway. Alex said he was a great teacher and she had not been exaggerating.
Leenea kept pumping the herbal beverage down her throat, relieving what pressure she felt in her head. Shirl was migraine free since coming to this world. It appeared she had an easier time managing the communal pathways than Alex. Although she listened to what was being discussed in the pathways, she did not join any of the conversations. Alex was still recovering from her ordeal and did not join her and Tolfer as they surfed through the different channels.
“Cianan,” Darden addressed his fellow crystal telepath, “I want to introduce you to Shirl.” He had not bothered to explain she was his sister, Cianan already knew. Shirl stood a little taller, not knowing what to expect from her brother.
There was an awkward silence between the siblings. She did not know if she should hug him, shake his hand or just stand there. If looks could kill, there was no doubt she would be dead. She figured a hug was out of the question. Things were going as badly as she expected.
Darden let out a frustrated loud sigh. “She was a baby when your parents left. Do not be an ass. Say hello to your sister.” Shirl could tell that Cianan did not appreciate Darden’s involvement or opinion. She had never seen such a look of aggravation cross anyone’s face, as she saw reflected on her brother’s.
Cianan merely looked her square in the face and turned around to leave. He had not gotten far when Starc stopped him. She could not hear what transpired between the two men. Shirl was generally the center of attention wherever she went. Men flocked to her like flies to honey. She did not necessarily like being judged by her looks, but she had never experienced the hostility that her brother directed toward her.
“This is not about you,” Darden told her. His words did little to soothe the hurt of her brother’s rejection. She could not admit she secretly hoped her brother would be thrilled to see her. “He has always been a moody son of a bitch. On the rare occasions I had been paired with him, I would count the minutes until our mission was over. Unfortunately, Jeryl Jarlyn wants you paired with your brother during your training. I have no idea why, but it is not my place to countermand his orders. I doubt you are in any physical danger from him. Starc or I will be with you at all times, so you have nothing to worry about.”
The first of a flock of men approached to be introduced to her. Darden did the honors, but she was too distracted by the conversation still going on between her brother and Starc. Shirl heard blurbs of speech as different men came up to her. She saw Cianan’s face go from anger, to disbelief, and finally to acceptance.
“Let us head to meeting room 108,” Starc communicated through the communal pathway. Shirl saw her brother walk along with Starc. At least their first words to each other would not be in public, but the confines of a secured room. She was grateful that both Darden and Starc were there to support her. Alex had told her they were trustworthy and everything that had happened so far confirmed Alex’s belief.
Shirl walked beside Darden. She admired the various crystals worn by the people she passed. It was hard to believe these beautiful gems controlled portal energy, taking her anywhere she desired. As they approached the room, she knew her reprieve related to dealing with her brother was over. She took a deep breath and walked into the conference room. This was worse than entering a dental office for a root canal. Once again she grabbed her crystals to give her courage.
Although there was a table and chairs in the room, everyone continued to stand. She had never felt more awkward in her life. This was her brother, her flesh and blood. Although she had Alex and Candy, she had always wanted a brother. It shattered any dream she may have had when she stared reality in the face and it spit at her.
Enough of this silence! Shirl approached her brother and extended her hand. “I am Shirl, your sister.”
If it was possible, Cianan looked even angrier. He took one step toward her and slapped her. “I do not have a sister and I do not want one.” The power behind the blow sent her flying back into Darden’s arms.
A rage the likes of which he never experienced came over Starc. Although Cianan was his height, Starc had a good forty pounds of muscle on the crystal telepath. He grabbed Cianan and slammed him into the wall. He felt the contact tremors come off Cianan’s body.
“Do not ever touch that woman again. You so much as look at her the wrong way, I will make sure you are not able to lift a hand again as long as you live.” Starc had his left arm bracing Shirl’s brother’s chest and his right forearm against his throat. Just a little more pressure and he could crush the bastard’s neck. He could imagine the sound of the bones breaking in his mind. It would be so easy.
Without releasing the pressure he used to pin Cianan against the wall, Starc called over his shoulder to Darden. “Is she all right?”
To his surprise Shirl came up right next to him. He now saw determination on her face. It was the same look on Alex’s face when she faced a challenge. There was a lot more to this woman than he originally thought.
“Listen, you piece of shit, I want nothing to do with you. I am going to chat with Solfa Theffar. I will ask her to talk Jeryl Jarlyn out of this insane idea of us working together. You may be my biological brother, but you are a coward.” Shirl leaned toward her brother and whispered in his ear and then walked away. She brushed against Starc’s shoulder, once again not making skin to skin contact with him.
Starc could see Cianan pale as she walked away. “Wait,” Shirl’s brother cried, as she continued on her way out of the room.
“Let him go, Starc,” he heard Shirl call to him. She then addressed her brother, “What do you want?” She stood taller than he had ever seen her. The woman looked invincible, nothing could touch her. He was afraid she was going to cower in response to her brother’s rejection. That slap shook something out of her.
“It is not true, what you said. They did not leave me behind because I was a bastard.” Her brother looked crushed as he said those words. He could not imagine what Cianan had been through growing up. However, there was no excuse hitting Shirl. It appeared his sister was considering how to respond to her brother’s statement.
“No, they left you behind because they did not know what they were walking into leaving this world. What they got was a world with an atmosphere that attacked their brains and brought about their ugly deaths. It is my understanding the gatherers shy away from Ginkgo Terra because of the headaches short exposures to the atmosphere cause. I was heading in the direction of dying the way our parents did before I accidentally opened the portal. That still does not change the fact I don’t want to have anything to do with you. From Darden and Starc’s response, smacking a woman is not the norm here.”
“Please, give me another chance. I have had so much built up anger toward our parents. You were just a convenient outlet.” He started to walk toward his sister but Darden got between them. Cianan raised his hands in surrender.
“I will sleep on it and have Starc give you my answer in the morning. In the meantime, Darden can start my lessons on how to use our mother’s crystal to navigate within the portal.” Shirl proceeded to take a seat at the table. She had a regal bearing about her. Shirl had dismissed her brother from her presence.
“Time to leave,” Starc said, as he shoved Cianan out th
e conference room door. He then joined his twin and Shirl.
Shirl sat, holding her crystals in her hand. The bravado that she showed standing up to her brother was gone. She looked wiped out. And she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He cursed himself for not stopping Cianan from hitting her. Starc had not expected that response from him. Regardless of Shirl’s decision, he was going to have to keep an eye on Cianan Thork.
“How can I navigate the portal?” Shirl asked Darden. There was fire in her honey brown eyes as she questioned Darden. The gold next to her irises seemed to shine. Starc continued to examine her face. She had a mole just below her right eye, which only added to her beauty. Her lips were full and kissable. His eyes perused the left side of her face that was a light shade of red from the slap she had received. Everything about Shirl captivated him.
“We will start with you learning the different pitches energy will emit within the portal. There are simulators that will allow you to adjust the sound frequency to navigate different worlds. They are located in this facility. You will need to master those frequencies before you can enter an event horizon alone. I will take you with me on some test runs. This way you can hear and adjust the energy within the portal.” Shirl’s eyes became more golden as Darden explained how to manipulate sound.
“Can you hear the frequencies, Starc?” He was a little surprised when Shirl directed the question to him.
“I hear the different pitches. I just cannot manipulate them through crystals. I am just a Crystal Telepath Guard.”
“Just,” Darden laughed. “You always had my back as we were growing up and as I started my training. I do not think I would have been able to go through my first solo trip without you by my side. For some reason, you always discount your role in our lives and what you do for Aster Province.”
The Crystal Telepath Page 4
