by Biance D'Arc
They talked for a few more minutes before Callie went to check on Rick. She didn’t like that he’d overextended himself and the worry she felt surprised her. Rick had wormed his way into her heart and she hadn’t even realized it.
When he woke, Rick was in a luxurious bed, in a private suite. The soft linen was very different from that in the barracks where he was used to sleeping. But even those barracks were a major step up in the world from the accommodations he’d been subject to as a prisoner in the pens. As promised, Davin had brought him and the others here and given them a fair shake. They lived above ground now, in sunny, well-supplied buildings, though they were still under guard.
Davin truly wasn’t like the other Alvians. He had feelings and was closer to human than anyone would have guessed. Little by little Rick was coming to respect the alien man who’d stepped in and helped quite a few humans and never treated them badly, but Rick also realized the limitations put on the Chief Engineer. Davin could only do so much. He was watched just as closely—maybe even more closely—than the human prisoners. The guards were a fact of life and even as Rick kept up his insulting barrage, the Alvian soldiers never reacted, just did their jobs like good little unfeeling robots.
“How are you feeling?” Callie’s soft voice floated to Rick out of the darkness at his side. A moment later, she flicked on a bedside lamp and he could see her sitting in an old rocker next to his bed. Suddenly it all came back to him.
“You should be resting.” He tried to sit up, but the effort required was beyond him. He was too weak.
Callie placed her hand on his shoulder, stilling his movement. “I’m fine. You gave me too much of your energy when you healed me, Rick. You’re the one who needs looking after now. Not me.” Her gentle smile touched him deep inside. He fought against the pull he felt—had always felt—for this special woman. “Thank you for saving me. I didn’t know you were a healer, but it explains a lot.”
He scowled up at her. It was either that or pull her into his arms for the kiss he so desperately wanted. “How so?”
She sat on the side of his bed, watching him with an almost-tender expression he’d never seen from a woman before. “It explains why I can’t read you. You’re very adept at hiding your emotions from me and I’m a strong empath. But I’ve heard healers can develop a sort of emotional camouflage. Who taught you that, Rick?”
“My dad. He had a gift too. He was a doctor…before.”
She touched his hand, taking it in her own and squeezing softly. “I was born after the cataclysm, but my parents told me what it was like before. Do you remember any of it?”
Rick shook his head just once, watching her carefully. “I was young. We had a nice house. I was in school with other kids, then all hell broke loose. My mother died in the initial attack and my dad took me into the mountains. We lived off the land for a long time and he taught me as I grew.” He tried to pull his hand free. His energy was at its lowest ebb. He wasn’t sure he could continue to hide his attraction much longer. “Callie, you shouldn’t be here. You need to go.”
She smiled and shrugged. “I would, but you’re in my bed.”
“Oh, God.” He groaned and tugged his hand free. “Where’s Davin?”
“Just outside. He’s sleeping on the couch, I think.”
“Damn.” He nearly whistled through his teeth, but couldn’t work up the energy. “He brought me here? To his private apartment?”
She nodded with an angelic smile. “He carried you. I wanted to make sure you were all right. You gave so much of your energy to me, Rick. I was worried.”
He tried to look away, but her pull was too strong. “I’m fine, Callie. Go get some rest. I just need to sleep it off. My energy will return in a day or two.”
“You’ve done this before.” Her tone was accusatory and he had to suppress a smile.
“Once or twice.”
“Never again, Rick. You need to draw back before you give too much. Promise me you’ll never drain yourself like this again.”
The intensity in her eyes confounded him. “I can’t promise that, Callie. But I can tell you I didn’t do it lightly. I’ve only gone this far a few times before. Only when it was important.”
“You shouldn’t have done it this time, Rick. I’m not that important.”
“I beg to differ.” Davin’s voice floated out of the darkness of the doorway as he walked into the room. “Thank you, Rick, from the bottom of my heart.” Davin placed one broad hand over Callie’s shoulder in a possessive gesture. Rick understood the other man’s prior claim and respected it. Slowly, he nodded, using what little energy he had.
“You’re welcome.”
“Callie,” Davin bent down to speak by her ear, “why don’t we let Rick get some rest?”
She stood, smiling at both men. “Try to sleep, Rick. If you need anything, we’ll be right outside in the living room.”
Rick nearly died when Callie leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He couldn’t help but inhale her delicate scent and a wave of lust hit him before he could control it. She pulled back, her expression startled, searching his eyes, but he kept them carefully blank. He hoped she’d just shrug off the momentary lapse in his control. It was late. She was tired. Maybe he could convince her that jolt of desire she’d undoubtedly felt coming from him was all in her imagination.
Yeah, right.
“Good night, Rick.”
“Night, Callie.”
She lingered by the door, looking toward Davin. “Are you coming?”
Davin sent her a smile. “In a minute. I just want to talk with Rick for a moment.”
She left, her expression troubled.
Davin ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign of the other man’s frustration. “I’ll be blunt. I’m pretty sure you’re attracted to Callie.”
Rick hated this. He had no intention of coming between Callie and the man she loved—the man who’d done so much good for the human prisoners he’d given shelter. Rick owed Davin his loyalty and the truth, at least. He decided to level with the Chief Engineer.
“Look, I have no intention of poaching, Davin. It’s clear she’s yours.”
“She is.” Davin’s piercing alien eyes bore into Rick and he felt like an amoeba under a microscope. Then Davin relented, sighing deeply as he sank into the chair at Rick’s bedside. “But she might also be yours.”
“Come again?” Confusion clouded his thoughts.
“Remember the things I told the class about resonance mating among my kind? Callie is my true resonance mate. But she also Hums with you. I hear it every time you touch her.”
Rick was shocked, but granted the idea was conceivable. “I don’t hear anything.”
“You wouldn’t. It isn’t audible to most humans. But to Alvians it’s clear as a bell.”
“But you told us there was only one mate for every Alvian.”
“That’s true. Or at least it was in the old tales.” Davin sighed again. “There is some precedent for there being more than one true mate in my people’s history and on this planet as well. Callie’s parents, for example. Her mother is true mate to three men.” Davin stared into the distance. “I have my theories as to why this is so. I think our attack on your planet and the resulting shortage of females has a lot to do with it, but it’s only a theory.”
“Look, Davin, I’m not here to steal your woman. She loves you. It’s obvious to everyone. And you love her in return. I won’t mess with that. I’m old enough to remember how things are supposed to be. My folks were happily married. I remember how they looked at each other—just the way Callie looks at you. You have nothing to fear from me.”
“I don’t fear you, human.” In that moment Rick remembered he was talking to an alien who literally held the power of life or death over him. Davin was so human sometimes it was hard to remember he was one of them. The enemy. “I feel sorry for you. And I feel deep guilt for what I helped my people do to your planet.” The hard edge was gone from Davin’s
voice, just like that, and Rick relaxed a tiny bit. “I don’t deserve the happiness I have with Callie, but without her I would have descended into madness. She is my sanity.”
“I didn’t realize.” The tormented look on Davin’s face couldn’t be faked. Rick was getting a harsh look at the reality of this man’s—alien’s—existence, and it wasn’t pretty.
“Few do, but you needed to know. I can’t give her up. Without her, I truly don’t know what I’d do. Or rather, I’m afraid of what I’d do.”
“I told you, Davin. I’m not here to mess with that.”
“But you could. And I wouldn’t blame you. If Callie is your true mate, it would be criminal of me to keep you apart.”
“But—”
Davin held up one hand. “Like I said, there is some precedent for a multi-partner union.”
“You mean share her?” The thought both tantalized and outraged. Rick never would have even considered such a thing before meeting Callie. Hell, he knew better than to listen to the little devil on his shoulder, tempting him with something that just wasn’t right. If he really cared for her, he’d leave her in peace with Davin. Rick had to be strong. Treating Callie like so many other human women would be as wrong for her as it was for those other women.
Davin sat forward in the chair and his expression wasn’t happy, but rather, resigned. “I’ve done a lot of research on the matter. Under extraordinary circumstances, males have had to share females before in my people’s past. Before they bred emotion out of us, Alvian males had to find their resonance mate or lose their sanity—like I almost did. I think by doing what we did to your planet, we’ve unwittingly created the same circumstances here on Earth.”
“But we’re human, Davin. We’re not like you. I won’t go crazy without a mate.”
The look Davin shot him was almost frightening. The man knew something. Rick could almost taste it. “Are you so sure about that?”
“What are you not telling me?”
Davin sat back, watching him like a bug. “Your last name is St. John, right? Sometimes pronounced Sinjin?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“What if I told you that among the first Alvian explorers lost here on Earth a few centuries ago, there was a rather highly-ranked warrior called Sinjin? The leader of the expedition was named Hara. There was a biologist named Mara, an explorer named Riley, a cartographer named Roarke, and many others who seem to share common names with many of the human survivors of our retuning.”
Rick was floored by what Davin was implying. “You mean to tell me you think I’ve got alien blood in me?”
Davin nodded, completely serious, stunning Rick further. “It’s not generally known, but Harry O’Hara’s existence and abilities pretty much confirmed the theory that our exploration team settled here and bred with humans. The Breeds—those who survived—all have psychic abilities like you, Callie and Harry, and I believe must have some Alvian DNA. That’s why we call you Breeds—or half-breeds, to be more formal about it.”
“Holy shit.” Rick closed his eyes and tried to absorb all this information. “So if I’m part Alvian, then you think this resonance mate stuff could apply to me?”
Rick opened his eyes to see the resignation back on Davin’s face as he nodded again. “It definitely applies to Breeds, but I’m not certain if not finding your mate will cause a descent into madness as it would have caused me. Chances are, your human side evens you out a bit emotionally. Alvians—before the scientists changed us—were given to more emotional extremes than I’ve observed in humans.”
Silence reigned for a long moment before Rick spoke again. “You’ve given me a lot to think about, Davin. Thank you for your honesty.”
Davin stood, looking down at Rick. “I won’t give her up for anything, but I will consider other options if she should happen to discover another true mate.” The alien man sighed, looking like a heavy weight had settled around his shoulders. “It’s only fair. I helped my people steal your entire planet, though I didn’t realize the enormity of the crime I was committing at the time. That I found Callie at all is a miracle. I can’t deny that same miracle to another when I’m the cause of such misery for your people.”
Rick’s jaw firmed. “Your guilt is misplaced, Davin. You’ve been better to us than any of your people, but the fact remains, I won’t poach on another man’s territory. It isn’t right. Callie is yours. You need her way more than I do.” Davin would never know how hard it was for Rick to say those words, but it was the right thing to do.
“You’re tired.” Davin’s shoulders slumped. The poor guy looked defeated, which Rick had never seen in him before. It was humbling, and a bit alarming. “We’ll discuss this when you’re better.” Davin paused at the door, one hand on the frame as he faced away from Rick. “I can never thank you enough for what you did. Without Callie…” Davin’s voice broke, giving Rick a glimpse into the man’s deep emotions. “Without her, I’m lost. Your sacrifice to save her means more than I can ever say, and will never be forgotten.”
“You don’t owe me a thing, Davin. I’d do it again. I was born a healer, it’s what I am. I couldn’t let her die.” Rick wanted to ease Davin’s burden. The man looked so beat down, even Rick’s hard heart went out to him. He was learning a great deal here and the emotions riding him were more turbulent than anything he’d felt in years. He’d kept himself free of emotional entanglements for the most part. Life was easier that way.
But Callie and this enigmatic alien had sucked him in and now he felt concern for them both creeping into his mind even as he fought against it. He had to stay out of their lives as much as possible. They were a couple. He had no right to expect to be let in on the happiness they’d found with each other. Perhaps happiness wasn’t for him. Rick wouldn’t be surprised if that was his lot in life.
Davin left without another word and Rick was relieved. He had a lot to think about, but for right now, he needed sleep more than anything. His problems would still be there when he woke and had more energy to deal with them.
Councilor Troyan turned to his colleague. “Davin must be dealt with.”
“I’m afraid you’re right. The way he defied the Council cannot be tolerated.”
“I agree.” Troyan’s mouth firmed into a line that was almost angry. “He must be elminiated.”
“But what about the grid? Half the major crystals on this planet are tuned to him.”
“The problem will only grow worse the longer we wait. We must be prepared for initial power interruptions. In time, the grid will stabilize with new caretakers. With Davin out of the way, more suitable crystallographers will be forced to step up and do the job.”
“If we proceed, we must do it in a clandestine way. He has many supporters, though they are quiet about it. Most of the crystallographers are in awe of the man. They just might rebel if we act outright.”
“Then assassination is called for. Discrete, clean and final.” Troyan made a slicing motion with one hand.
“I concur.”
“I’ll set someone on it. He’ll be dead within the week.”
“Good. It can’t be too soon for me. The throwback has been a thorn in the side of the Council for too long.”
Rick woke to comfort. A comfortable bed, soft linens and a soft, decidedly feminine touch on his face. If he were dreaming, he wanted to stay asleep, but daylight tugged at his eyelids until he opened them.
“Good morning.” Callie’s voice floated to him as she sat on his bedside, her hand touching his cheek gently. The look on her face nearly stilled his heart. No woman had ever looked at him in just that way.
“What time is it?” He had to stop thinking about dragging her down so he could kiss her lips the way he’d dreamed of doing since the first moment they met.
“A little after noon. I just came to check on you and see if you were up for some lunch.” At that moment his stomach rumbled and she laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She stood from the bedside and picked up a tray f
rom the dresser near the door.
Callie stopped a few feet away from the bed, the tray still in her hand and just watched him, her head tilted to the side, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Rick started to sweat under her scrutiny. She was so beautiful and she’d never looked at him quite that way before, concentrating on him, on his comfort.
“Something’s different.”
Rick sat up and rested back against a pile of pillows. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Callie placed the tray on the bedside table. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him as Rick tried to stay calm. He’d always been careful to school his thoughts around this woman.
She reached out to touch his face, but he shied away. Immediately he regretted the move when he saw hurt cross her face.
“You know I’m empathic.” He nodded, not liking where this conversation was heading but helpless to stop it. “Well, you’ve always been blank to me, Rick.” She spoke in a low voice, her hands cradled in her lap. “But you’re not anymore. I’m starting to pick up…things…from you.” She blushed and looked down at her hands.
Rick swore under his breath. “Ignore it, Callie. Just forget all about it.”
She looked up until her gaze met his. “What if I don’t want to forget it? What if I can’t?”
“Dammit, Callie.” Rick looked away in frustration, but she drew him like a magnet and he found himself staring deep into her eyes as his emotions bubbled over. “You belong to Davin.”
She nodded. “We’re mates. I’m his and he’s mine.” Her expression turned shy, but determined. “But…what if…”
“Forget it.” He took her hand. “It’s not right.”
She laughed in his face. “If you only knew my family, you wouldn’t say that. Besides—” she took his hand and pressed it to her heart, “—I know what you’re feeling, Rick. I feel your conflict, your desire to protect, and your attraction. I feel it too.”
He pulled away, shaking his head. “It isn’t right, Callie.”
