Mystic Militia

by Cyndi Friberg

  She nodded. Lor hadn’t frightened her when he’d moved through her mind. Allenton, on the other hand, had felt intrusive and uncaring. She closed her eyes, waiting for Lor to establish a physical link. She sensed a faint stirring, but it withdrew nearly as soon as she registered the sensation.

  “I thought you had to touch me.” She blinked a couple of times then looked at him.

  “Disappointed?” His lips bowed but didn’t part. “They were speaking Rodyte. I’ll have to find someone who can translate it.”

  “We’ll have to find someone. You’re not going anywhere without me.”

  “What about your sister? If I take you with me, who will warn her about Nazerel?”

  Ashamed that she’d lost sight of the danger for even a moment, Tori glanced away. “You’re right. Angie is more important than my curiosity.” She angled her head and looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. “Are you going to your ship or back to Ontariese?”

  “I’m a Master Level mage. We seldom travel on ships.” He rolled his shoulders and rotated his torso as if something were bothering him. “Is there any chance your sister has male clothing stashed in a closet somewhere? This shirt is rather disgusting.”

  No doubt. The fabric was shredded and caked with blood, the majority of the back panel gone. “I’ll see what I can find.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be out there.” He made a bland gesture toward the apartment’s main room.

  She crossed to the closet and slid the door to one side. All of the garments hanging on the rail were meant for a female, so she checked the dresser and found an oversized concert T-shirt. It was faded, the decoration unreadable in places. One of Angie’s boyfriends had likely left it behind and Angie probably wore it as a nightshirt.

  Boyfriends. There was no way Angie took off alone. She was always with a guy when she got into trouble. She often instigated the trouble, but there was always a man involved. Angie might have forgotten her phone, but what about the boyfriend?

  Invigorated by the possibility, Tori rushed into to the living room and found Lor had moved to the kitchen. He was naked to the waist and twisting in an effort to clean his back with a wad of paper towels. Wow. Even dressed it had been obvious that he was well built, but her imagination hadn’t done him justice. His shoulders and chest were ridiculously broad given the leanness of his hips. Those curved pecs would perfectly pillow her check as they snuggled after sex. The naughty thought brought heat to her cheeks as her gaze continued its exploration. His abdomen was dramatically defined, and the vertical ridges of his hip muscles peeked out from beneath his jeans made her want to follow their tantalizing contour farther downward.

  “Here. Let me.” She hurried across the kitchen and took the damp towels from his hand. He turned around without argument and let her clean the blood from his back. Except for the slightly puckered scar, there was no trace of the horrendous wound. She lightly scrubbed his skin until the caked blood dissolved and then she wiped it away. His waistband was stained in a couple of places, but there was no help for that right now.

  He turned and took the wad of towels from her hand. “Is that for me?” He motioned toward the forgotten T-shirt still clasped in her other hand.

  “Yeah.” She held out the shirt. “Do you live in a gym or does magic keep you looking like this?”

  He put on the shirt before he answered her. “A bit of both actually. I train several hours a day, but my mystic abilities play a part in my appearance. Shapeshifters have naturally high metabolisms.”

  “Shapeshifters?” She swallowed hard. “Not only can you throw fire and speak with your mind, you can change shape?”

  “Shapeshifting is not my primary gift, but yes, for a short period of time I can take on other shapes.” A slow, sexy smile parted his lips. “With everything else you’ve seen, why does this surprise you?”

  “It shouldn’t. Is that how you made your eyes look normal? I thought maybe you’d blinked out your contacts or something.”

  “My eyes look ‘normal’ now. I could no longer spare the energy it was taking to maintain the disguise.”

  “The Shadow Assassins had blue rings in their eyes, but they didn’t spin. Is that their natural appearance or was that as close as they could come to human eyes?”

  “Neither Allenton nor Nazerel can change their appearance. Their eyes do not rotate and the blue rings are a characteristic of their Rodyte blood. They are each only half Ontarian.”

  “Rodyte is another inhabited planet?”

  “There are many inhabited worlds in my star system. And the planet is called Rodymia. Its people and their primary language are Rodyte.”

  She wasn’t sure what to do with this information. Lor had been worried about discretion when Allenton first clued her in, but no one would believe her even if she did start running her mouth. Instead of dwelling on the fantastic, she refocused on the practical. “I might have thought of a way to contact Angie, tell her to stay away from Las Vegas.”

  “That would be a wise precaution.”

  She reached past him and unplugged Angie’s phone. It wasn’t finished charging, but it had enough juice to turn on. She navigated through the menus and found the call log. She hadn’t been the only one worried about Angie, Jeff had called four times, and several of Angie’s friends had called as well. Tori switched to outgoing calls. The last outgoing call was labeled “fuck buddy”. Tori cringed. Angie’s attitude about all things sexual made Tori feel very old-fashioned.

  “This is probably the man Angie is with.” She explained as she activated the call. “If he picks up, it could be a break for us.”

  “Hello?” The voice was deep and the man sounded confused.

  “This is Tori Logan. Is my sister there?” She allowed just a hint of impatience to crackle through her tone.

  “Yeah, hold on.”

  After a pause and some muffled conversation, Angie’s voice came across the phone. “Hey, Tori. Did I leave my phone at your house? I thought I’d left it at home.”

  Rather than berate her for being so incredibly insensitive, Tori took a deep breath. “Are you all right? Half of Las Vegas thinks you’ve been kidnapped.”

  “Kidnapped?” She laughed. “Why would they think that? I even made my bed before I left.”

  Tori rolled her eyes. It was so like Angie to completely miss the point. “You blew off work without calling Jeff. What was he supposed to think?”

  “I don’t care what Jeff thinks. He works us to death and doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

  He was trying to manage a business, which required a level of discipline and organization Angie would never understand. “You should have called in at the very least.”

  “I’ll find another job. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  Tori rubbed her eyes and tried not to scream. Angie could be exasperating and this could not spiral into an argument before Tori warned her about Nazerel. “Do you remember the man you met in the casino? Really buff, mean-looking, with blue rings in his eyes?”

  “Sure. Naz something or other. Why do you ask?”

  “He is extremely dangerous. A special ops team from overseas is trying to catch him, but you have to stay away from Las Vegas until they do. Understand?”

  “Yeah, I get it. Stay away from Naz.”

  “Not just Naz. Stay away from Las Vegas until I call you and let you know it’s safe to return. I’ll use this phone. If someone who sounds like me calls from any other number, just hang up on them.”

  “Wow, you are really freaked out about this. What did Naz do?”

  “It doesn’t matter. He’s not going to do it to you as long as you stay away from Las Vegas.”

  “O-kay. I’ll hang out here and wait for your call.”

  Angie hung up and Tori powered down the phone.

  “You should have asked where she was and found out more about the man she is with.” Lor stood in the opening separating the kitchen from the living room.

  Tori
shook her head. “If I don’t know, Nazerel can’t find out. It’s safer this way.”

  Lor seemed to consider her position for a moment then he inclined his head. “A valid point. Nazerel has retreated for the moment, but you realize he won’t give up.”

  “Neither will I.” This would be where he thanked her for her help and slipped away into the darkness. Or in his case, he’d probably flash out of sight in the blink of an eye. Either way, she had no intention of being left behind. “What’s our next move?”

  He smiled, obviously understanding her use of the plural. “I need to return to Ontariese. Warning Angie has bought us some time, but it doesn’t protect other potential victims.”

  “I want to come with you.” Her voice rang with conviction.

  “I know.”

  Was Angie her only link to this case? If she could figure out something she knew or possessed that would make her important or even useful, maybe he’d… Maybe he’d what? She had no idea what she wanted him to do, only that she didn’t want it to be over. She’d been terrified and threatened, shot at and intimidated, and still she’d felt more alive in these past few hours than in the rest of her life. It was as if she’d been sleepwalking and she was finally awakened to what life was really about.

  And it wasn’t just the amazing orgasm. Though she was seriously curious if sex with Lor would always be that intense or if it had been caused by the mysterious “stimulant”.

  She had to keep him talking until she figured out a way to make herself indispensable. “Was it just you and Allenton or are there others here on Earth? He said he commanded some sort of militia. Will he still be in command of those men?”

  “That’s a damn good question. Varrik and Overlord Lyrik need to know of Allenton’s treachery.”

  “We don’t know for sure that his actions were treacherous. It’s possible that he went with Nazerel to protect us.”

  “Possible, but unlikely.” Lor obviously had issues with the Shadow Assassins. She didn’t understand the cause of his hostility, but his resentment was unmistakable. “What did you do with my audiocom?”

  Should she claim to have lost track of it? It was the only tangible evidence she had that any of this was real. Still, it felt too much like stealing and she didn’t want to unleash the US government on someone like Lor. No one deserved that kind of attention. She reached into her pocket and held out the audiocom.

  “Hoping for a souvenir?” She just smiled as he took it from her and pushed it into his ear.

  “Why do you need that thing? Allenton said it was a prop.”

  “I can contact the Shadow Assassins without benefit of the transceiver, but their signals aren’t strong enough to reach me without benefit of technological amplification.”

  He was silent for a moment. Apparently no one was responding to his attempts at communication. “No one home?”

  “Worse. They’re blocking my signal. I could teleport to their headquarters, but where Allenton goes his men will follow. I’d likely flash into an ambush.” He left the audiocom in his ear, but returned his gaze to her face. “The wisest course is to retreat, regroup, and launch a fresh offensive.”

  Without explanation he gathered up his ruined shirt, the nasty paper towels and the blood-soaked bath towel, then he went to the bathroom and dropped everything into the tub. Of course, he couldn’t leave alien DNA lying around for humans to find. He moved the shower curtain out of the way then unceremoniously incinerated the contents of the tub. The flame was so controlled and so intense that there was barely any smoke. In less than a second all evidence of his injury was reduced to ash. He casually washed the ash down the drain and returned the shower curtain to its original position.

  Tori’s heart began to pound. He was getting ready to leave. It was now or never. Let the campaigning begin. “I know Las Vegas. It might be helpful to have a human consultant. I understand how things work around here.”

  “You already know more than you should.” He checked each room to make sure he was leaving nothing behind. The apartment was tiny, so it didn’t take him long.

  “Which is another reason you should take me with you. The only way to make sure I don’t call the press is if you keep an eye on me.” He turned to face her, but his expression was hard to read with his eyes slowly rotating. It drew her in, made her feel sleepy, almost drugged. So she shifted her gaze to his mouth and desire spiraled deep into her body. She wanted to feel those lips moving against hers again. She wanted to experience his touch without the stimulant’s frenzy.

  “That sounds almost like a threat.” He moved closer, allowing her plenty of time to retreat.

  Retreat was the farthest thing from her mind. “That’s not how I meant it.” Her voice had grown breathy, reflecting her need.

  “I know.”

  His hand gently cupped her chin and tilted her face until she looked into his eyes. “If I take you with me, there will be no turning back. Your life will change in ways you can’t possibly anticipate.”

  She started to point out the potential victims and Nazerel’s fixation on Angie. But they were just excuses. She wanted more time with him. Instead, she just whispered, “I know.”

  He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers. She let him set the pace, curious to see where he’d lead. His lips pressed then slid then pressed again, all the while their breathes gently mingled.

  “We’re creating needless complications,” he whispered against her parted lips.

  “I don’t care.”

  One of his arms slipped around her waist as he moved the other to the nape of her neck. He angled his head and urged her mouth open as his tongue teased her lower lip. She shivered, craving his aggression yet intimidated by the enormity of what this meant. She was kissing an alien and longing for a whole lot more than a few fevered kisses.

  His tongue eased into her mouth and she slid her tongue against his. He held her firmly, his arms supporting without crushing. Though a little crushing would have been nice. She returned the kiss with equal fervor, though she sensed they were both holding back, each gauging the other’s response.

  He deepened the kiss and she pressed closer, wrapping her arms around his back. Urgency built, easily as intoxicating as the stimulant had been. It wasn’t just the energy transfer. Lor was exciting and unique and she wanted to know him better.

  Suddenly, he pulled away and framed her face with his hands. The rotation of his eyes slowed and the color brightened, blue gradually consuming the green. “No one can know where you’ve gone. Even after we return, you won’t be able to tell anyone.”

  She hadn’t thought about that. It would be incredibly hard not to share this with her friends and family. “I understand. But we are coming back, right? You still intend to catch Nazerel and the others?”

  “Of course.” His thumb sneaked up and caressed her lips. “It’s likely the Shadow Assassins will be emboldened by our efforts to stop them. It’s imperative that we return as quickly as possible.”

  He’d said we. She smiled. “Then let’s do this thing.”

  “I can’t Summon the Storm here. It would cause too much damage. I’ll flash us to a remote location.” He pulled her back into his arms and pressed her firmly against his chest.

  The first jump happened so fast, she barely felt it. In an instant Angie’s apartment disappeared and cool air ruffled Tori’s hair. She raised her face from Lor’s chest and looked around. The sun had set, but it was not yet fully dark. They stood in the middle of a dusty field, Las Vegas in the distance to their right. She could see a highway maybe half a mile away, likely I-70.

  Lor released her and spread his arms to the side, his eyes tightly closed. Apparently, “Summoning the Storm” required his complete concentration. She watched him silently, afraid to distract him and fascinated by the power at his command. He could send and receive thoughts, sort through memories like video files, manipulate fire, teleport, and… Her restlessness turned to uncertainty as the list grew.

/>   What the hell was she doing? She knew nothing about this man. She shouldn’t agree to go out to dinner with him much less leave the planet.

  Wind whipped around them, stirring up dust and making it hard to stand still. She backed up a step and widened her stance. How would he react if she chickened out now? She’d foolishly pointed out that she was a security risk. Would he even let her change her mind.

  Lightning flashed in the air and the wind built in intensity. Her hair streamed out around her and her body swayed. No wonder they called this Summoning the Storm.

  Lor shifted abruptly, making a violent gesture with his hands. The sky seemed to split, opening slowly until a dark, churning tunnel spread out before them. Had he just created some sort of wormhole? Fear paralyzed her muscles and crippled her mind. All she could do was stare.

  Six bolts of lightning struck at exactly the same time. The ground shook and thunder roared. The sound was so loud her ears ached. A wavering circle of light formed around them and the air crackled with excess energy. She hunched down and covered her ears, still too terrified to do more than cower.

  Lor stared into the vortex, his features twisted by effort and concentration. He seemed to be moving the portal, maybe choosing the destination. Even having witnessed his other abilities, this left her breathless and trembling.

  Once he’d finished adjusting the portal, he released a breath and looked at her. “Still want to ‘do this thing’?”

  Here was her out. All she had to do was tell him no and he’d step through the portal without her. She’d be safe and… The Shadow Assassins were still here. How safe was she? This was the opportunity of a lifetime. She would visit another planet, be exposed to wonders she could barely comprehend. Was she brave enough for this adventure? Was she foolish enough to trust a man she barely knew?

  “I can’t hold it forever, sweetheart,” he shouted over the roar of the wind. “Now or never. The choice is yours.”

  * * * * *

  Sevrin circled the two alpha hunters with her hands clasped behind her back. “I sent you to solve one problem. Instead you’ve created several more.”