Shadow: Alien Castaways 4 (Intergalactic Dating Agency)

by Cara Bristol

  He braced for an argument, but she ate her slice of pizza. As she reached for a second, she said, “You never did answer my question about how humans and Vaporians can be compatible.”

  That question circled around to the other one. Buying time to decide how to answer, he took a long pull of his beer.

  “How am I supposed to find your genmate if I don’t have all the necessary information?”

  “I doubt it will make much difference,” he replied.

  “It might!” she disagreed, dropped the pizza on her plate, and locked her gaze on his.

  Having the info hadn’t helped the IDA, but he conceded, “Finish your pizza, and I’ll tell you.” She should eat. One piece of pizza couldn’t fill her.

  “Promise?”

  He nodded.

  He finished his second piece about the same time she did, and then she pushed her plate away and folded her hands. As frustrating as her persistence was, it was endearing. He liked that she would hold her ground. “You must keep what I tell you in confidence.”

  He and his fellow castaways did not broadcast who they were or where they had come from. Other extraterrestrials remained in close contact with their home worlds. If word got out and spread through the galaxy that there were ’Topians on Earth, the Xenos could hear of it.

  “Of course.” She nodded.

  “We were genetically engineered by the Xeno Consortium, an alien master race who collected DNA from many worlds and used it to create life-forms that they implanted on terraformed planets. We were one of their pet projects. Earth happened to be a donor world.

  Her eyes widened to saucers. “You mean the Xenos came here? They stole human DNA?”

  He nodded. “Not only human but also animal, plant, and protozoan. That’s why some ’Topians have some human DNA. Chameleon suspects when the Xenos visited Earth eons ago, besides extracting DNA samples to take with them, they tinkered with your genetics—inserting diseases, maladaptive traits, implanting a little alien DNA, and, most likely, grafting the genmate marker.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh my goddess. I’m picturing some poor Homo erectus or Neanderthal being beamed aboard a spacecraft and waking up in a Xeno laboratory.”

  Her assessment hit close to the truth. It could have happened that way—or the consortium could have set up a temporary lab on Earth. The specifics of where it happened didn’t matter at this point.

  She scowled. “What right do they have to play god?”

  He twisted his mouth humorlessly. “They think they are gods. To their way of thinking, might makes right. They’re the most powerful entity in the universe and don’t get challenged often, so struggle entertains them. Earthlings have reality TV; the consortium has reality planets. After seeding a planet with life, they watch it grow and try to adapt to the obstacles they throw in its way.”

  She pressed a hand to her throat. “They’re not going to come back to Earth, are they?”

  He shook his head, unwilling to worry her with an unlikely scenario. “Chameleon erased references to Earth from the consortium database. There might be Xenos who recall reading about Earth in an old dataset, but the information no longer exists. They might think they’re omniscient, but their memories are fallible like everyone else’s. Without the coordinates, they wouldn’t know where to search or how to find your planet again.” Unless intergalactic chatter pointed the way—hence the need for discretion.

  Her brows drew together in a frown. “How was Chameleon, a ’Topian, able to wipe the Xeno database?”

  “He’s a Xeno, a former member of the High Council. He helped us escape, so we made him an honorary ’Topian.”

  Cheers and shouts sounded in the bar as one of the sports teams on the TV scored. Shadow waited for the noise to subside before continuing. He’d told her most of the story; she may as well hear the rest. He trusted she would keep it confidential, and maybe the information would help her find his genmate.

  “You asked what happened to our planet. After taking Earth DNA, the Xenos never returned here, but they did follow up on their ’Topian project. Avians, Luciferans, Saberians, Veritals, and Vaporians advanced far faster than the consortium had anticipated, and they feared we would become more powerful than them, so they decided to destroy us.

  “They bombarded ’Topia in a firestorm that killed every living thing. I had been working with Chameleon to secretly evacuate people to other planets. I don’t know if the Xenos conducted a population scan, but they got suspicious and moved up the bombardment. They struck without any warning. Inferno, Chameleon, Wingman, Psy, Tigre, and myself were the last ones to get off the planet.”

  Mandy sprang out of her chair, rounded the table, and hugged him. “You’ve been through hell. I’m so sorry.” Soft breasts pressed against his shoulder, and silky hair caressed his cheek and neck. Despite the horrors he’d shared, her embrace heated his blood and made him ache with the fervent wish she could have been his genmate.

  She drew him like no other female ever had. He rubbed his throat, feeling for even a hint of swelling, but there was nothing. His mating glands remained inactive, and if he’d required further proof she wasn’t a match, well—he’d sublimated less than an hour ago. That never would have happened if she’d been his match.

  She squeezed him tight then released him. When she took her seat again, she wiped away a tear.

  He regretted his story had saddened her. He would never minimize the genocide that had claimed so many lives; however, thousands had found a haven on other planets, and Mysk’s people and the castaways were living happily on Earth. “It’s okay. We’re safe now,” he said.

  “You’re not! Not if you don’t find your genmate!” She fingered his father’s chronometer.

  “There is that,” he admitted, “but I’m not giving up.” At times, hopelessness did overwhelm him, but he would pull himself out of the pit of despair and forge on. Surrender was not an option. Giving up guaranteed his demise. Yes, the odds of finding a genmate were slim, but the chance of slipping past the Xeno armada and escaping during the bombardment had been impossible, yet two ships had, the Castaway and Mysk’s ship.

  Though damaged going through jump space, the Castaway had made it to Earth. Counting Inferno, four brothers had found human genmates. He clung to the belief that one more miracle could be possible.

  “What if I can’t help you?” Her eyes were haunted.

  He covered her cold hand. “Remember, I still have a spaceship. Maybe you can help, but if you can’t, I still have that option.”

  “Can I get you another beer? Another wine?” the waitress interrupted, and Mandy pulled away and folded her hands.

  “No, thank you,” Shadow said.

  “We’re done,” she replied.

  The waitress brought them a box for the leftovers, they paid for the meal, and left the bar. He didn’t need to be a mind reader to sense her dispirited mood—her bowed head and hunched shoulders communicated her emotions loud and clear. He regretted burdening her with his tragedy, that his sadness had become a weight for her to carry.

  “I’ll walk you back to the shop.” His breath expelled puffs of vapor into the cold air.

  “You don’t need to.” She tucked her hair behind her cute ear. Everything about her was attractive—her expressive eyes, her brown curls, her upturned nose, her stubborn little chin, womanly curves, the free-spirited, colorful way she dressed.

  “I know I don’t need to. I want to.” Maybe in the short distance between the Whitetail and Inner Journey, he’d find the words to comfort her.

  “All right.” She gave a little smile then, and, although it appeared forced, it emboldened him to reach out and thread his fingers through her chilly ones. He needed to touch her, craved the contact. Her smaller hand fit perfectly in his larger one, as if they were meant to fit together.

  “It’s cold,” he said.

  “It is cold,” she agreed.

  She scanned the street and then peered up at him with a frown. “Where d
id you park your car?”

  “I don’t have a car.”

  “Tell me you didn’t walk.”

  “No, I rode a scooter.”

  “A scooter? That’s not any better! You’ll freeze!” She swiveled her head. “I still don’t see it.”

  “I won’t freeze.” He chuckled. “It’s a hover scooter. A refraction field protects the rider from the weather. Because of its tech, I hid it around the corner with the invisibility screen up.” Unlike an Earth vehicle, which would crash if he sublimated while driving, he could set the scooter on auto propulsion.

  They crossed the street and stopped outside her shop.

  “If it’s invisible, why not park outside the store?”

  “Somebody could still run into it.”

  “Oh.” She chuckled, and the lighthearted sound shot to his heart.

  He gave her hand a little squeeze and reluctantly released it.

  “I promise to do everything I can—I’ll meditate day and night to find your genmate.”

  “I know you will,” he said, wishing more than ever he had a choice. If he could have requested a specific woman, he would have asked for one like her. No, he would have asked for Mandy herself. Survival depended on a genetic match, but he wanted her, he realized. At a time when every moment was precious, he had wished the weekend away, counting the minutes until he could meet her on this evening. He couldn’t stop thinking about her smile, her voice, her scent.

  His gaze drifted from her expressive eyes to her inviting mouth. One taste, just one…would never be enough.

  Her lips parted, and her eyes widened.

  He stepped back, away from temptation. Kissing her would make parting harder, and one way or another, that’s what would happen. “Thank you for coming out with me tonight and for helping me. You’d better go inside where it’s warm.”

  “All right. I’ll call you if I sense something.”

  He waited until she had locked the door before striding up the street.

  Chapter Nine

  Shadow almost had kissed her. She had read the intention in his eyes but also his hesitation. She’d been on the verge of making the first move and laying a lip-lock on him when he’d told her to go inside.

  Fortunately, he was smarter than she was. She rarely drank, and the single glass of wine had been enough to lower her inhibitions, but that was no excuse. When it came to him, she had little willpower. One look, one touch melted her resolve and common sense. If he hadn’t pulled away when he did, she would have kissed him—and then gotten her heart shattered when she found him somebody else or he left Earth. They had chemistry but no future. The Xenos had fucked him over royally.

  She kept watch through the window until he disappeared around the corner and then closed the blinds. With a heavy heart, she trudged upstairs to her apartment.

  I did it again, she chided herself. I can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Or maybe trouble came looking for me. Maybe I’m supposed to help him. Maybe that’s why the universe led me to Argent.

  His situation was tragic. After the last missing person case, she’d sought a haven where she could be anonymous and live a peaceful, boring life. So much for that! She had no one to blame but herself, and once again she’d embroiled herself in a life-or-death situation. If she’d kept her mouth shut and not mentioned her abilities to Kevanne…

  A bell couldn’t be unrung, and, knowing what she knew, she would never opt for ignorance. She had to help him. He’d suffered terribly. There were billions of women on Earth. Surely one of them would match him!

  I can’t fail this time! I can’t!

  She shrugged off her coat, filled a kettle, and set it on the stove. While the water heated, she washed off her makeup and changed into pj’s. Then, with a mug of hot tea cupped in her palms, she sat cross-legged on the sofa and tried to clear her mind.

  What if the universe didn’t speak to her? What if she couldn’t find a match? What if no match existed anywhere? What if he took off to galaxies unknown and faded into nothingness? She’d never heard of the Xenos before today, but she hated them. She shuddered, remembering how his arm had disappeared. He’d tried to act upbeat and sound reassuring, but she could see through the brave front to the fear.

  She rubbed her weary eyes. Foreseeing the tragedies about to strike people didn’t bring peace of mind. Satisfaction came when matters worked out, heartache when they didn’t. Sometimes the visions came too late, or she figured them out too late. Like the last time.

  She set her mug on the end table and unclasped the heavy timepiece from her wrist. Even the band was high tech, automatically adjusting to fit. She had a hunch it was more computer than watch. A clear shield protected the chronometer’s dials and buttons, thank goodness. She would hate to accidentally reset it or erase the operating drive. He had suffered enough without her wiping his data, his one link to his dead father.

  Carefully, she examined the back. There was an inscription she couldn’t read. She didn’t recognize a single symbol but assumed his father had written the message.

  Holding the chronometer, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, to become an inviting receptacle to the universe’s wisdom. Would the spirits speak to her after she’d spurned her gift? They’d shown her Inferno’s genmate, and she’d acted on it. Had that been a test? Had she passed? Had the spirits forgiven her?

  Please help me. She sent a futile prayer to the universe. The second sight didn’t work on demand. Didn’t work for her at all. Her visions always involved other people, never herself. If she’d gotten an inkling of what had been in store, maybe she could have protected herself. Instead, she’d been blindsided.

  After dreaming of a little girl for several nights, she’d gotten a vision of the child in an alley, but when her tip led the police to the location, they’d found the child’s body in a dumpster. The little girl had been suffocated by her abductor. While Mandy had grieved for the loss, beating herself up for not understanding the information sooner, word had been leaked that she’d been assisting the police department.

  Rumors and accusations had sprung up in the press and on social media insinuating she’d been involved in the kidnapping. She’d been hounded by reporters, her reputation had been savaged, she’d received death threats, and her customers and suppliers had been harassed. She’d been cancelled by Flutter, a social media site, its flits demanding her landlord evict her, the city revoke her business license, and vendors stop selling to her. No statement, not by her or the police chief, had been able to stop the hate. Thankfully, Shane had his father’s last name, not hers, and he’d been spared the notoriety.

  Devastated by the tragedy, cursing the spirits for showing her too little too late, flagellating herself for her own failures, she’d shut herself off, packed up, and moved to Argent, vowing never to use her second sight again.

  And here she was.

  The universe had had other plans for her.

  But that wasn’t why she was determined to help him in any way she could. Having gotten to know him, to care for him, she would fight for him all the way. Even if her feelings hadn’t been involved, if he’d been a total stranger, her conscience wouldn’t allow her to let a man die without trying to save him.

  She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, envisioning fears and doubts as chattering birds contained in a cage. I clear my mind of worries and doubts and open myself to the wisdom of the universe. In her mind’s eye, she unlatched the cage door and shooed the birds out.

  She gripped the timepiece, rubbing the back, the engraving slightly rough against her thumb. Shadow and his people had suffered so much. Please, she begged, help me to help him.

  Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. I clear my mind of worries and doubts and open myself to the wisdom of the universe. I am an empty vessel to be filled. Reveal to me what Shadow needs to know. She pictured his broodingly handsome face.

  What if I fail? What if his genmate doesn’t exist? What if he has to leave? Wh
at if he dies? Failures and fears continued to peck at her, refusing to fly away.

  This isn’t working.

  She’d give it another go when she wasn’t wound up, when the stakes didn’t weigh so heavily on her mind. She set the chronometer on the end table and picked up the lukewarm tea. After reheating it in the microwave, she phoned her son. She hadn’t checked in since the move.

  “Hi, Mom! How’s it going? Are you settled in?”

  “Yep. I had a big crowd for the grand opening today.” She tried to sound upbeat.

  Shane wasn’t fooled. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. It went great,” she insisted, reluctant to unload on him. As his parent, it was her job to protect him.

  “But…?”

  But, he’d inherited a touch of her second sight. Intuitive, he could read her like a book, and she never lied to him.

  “I, uh, kind of got myself involved in a case.”

  “Another missing child?”

  “No, nothing like that. Kind of a missing…uh, girlfriend.”

  “Is it another kidnapping? Are the cops involved?”

  “No, thank the goddess. There are no media involved, either. Not yet anyway. I’m just bummed. The, uh, girlfriend isn’t the one in trouble. The man is. He’s, um, ill.”

  “Like cancer? Is he terminal?”

  “Yes.” Close enough.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m afraid I won’t find her…in time.”

  “You can only do what you can do. The outcome is out of your control. You’re the vessel, not the actor. The universe calls the shots. The best you can do is to do your best. A wise woman once told me that.”

  She’d told him that when he’d been discouraged. “Nothing like a pep talk of my own words.” She smiled.

  “How is everything else? How do you like Argent?”

  “I love it. The people are so friendly, and the response to the store has been incredible.”

  “I knew it. Argent has that feel.”

  “Like the vortexes in Sedona, Arizona,” she said. Argent vibrated with palpable energy.