Parallel Heat

by Deidre Knight

  He nodded, replacing the K-12 on the shelf where he’d found it, and then turned to face her again. ‘‘That was our plan, yes.’’

  ‘‘That’s good. I spoke with Jared about utilizing his natural abilities to extract the data,’’ she volunteered with a brisk nod. ‘‘I think you chose a wise course of action.’’

  ‘‘One would think so,’’ he agreed miserably, hanging his head.

  ‘‘You no longer do? What happened?’’

  He released an anguished sigh and began to explain the entire scenario to her. How he’d slipped into their bond, the feelings it had elicited. His fears about his empathy. He held nothing back from his unit leader— in fact, quite the opposite, agonizing at length over what he’d inadvertently heard after he’d slipped into their bond, the ensuing headache. He left nothing to supposition—except the part about Thea following him to his quarters. That part he kept entirely to himself. Only he and Thea would ever know how close they’d come to bonding for life.

  ‘‘You know how dangerous this is to you,’’ she told him when he’d finished. ‘‘You certainly don’t need me to tell you that.’’

  ‘‘This is the last thing I wanted—I didn’t bring it on!’’ He realized how defensive he sounded, but he couldn’t seem to help himself, his anxiety was too intense.

  ‘‘That’s not what I said,’’ she told him carefully. ‘‘You know better than that.’’

  ‘‘I’m sorry,’’ he grumbled, turning to face the rack of weaponry once again. He traced his fingertips over luminators and pulse rifles and rounds of ammunition; anything felt more comfortable than staring into the eyes of the woman who had raised him. The woman who knew and understood, more than anyone else, how bitter his struggle had been to tamp down his terrible gift.

  ‘‘I know you’re upset, but let’s talk about this rationally.’’

  A tight headache had begun to pulse insistently behind his eyes again; he pressed the heels of his palms against his forehead, working to suppress the nauseating pain.

  Closing his eyes, he confessed, ‘‘I’ve got the headaches too, Sabrina. Really have them. I haven’t felt sick like this in years.’’

  She clasped him by the shoulder. ‘‘You must block all of this, Marco. Do you understand?’’ she insisted in an urgent tone. ‘‘Do you? You cannot allow this problem an inch of ground, not with all that you’ve overcome.’’

  He felt her gaze bore into him, but still refused to look at her; he was too ashamed. ‘‘Even you sound frightened.’’

  ‘‘No.’’ She drew his large hand within her own. ‘‘I’m not frightened. But when my adopted son suffers, I feel it too. And I don’t want you to hurt, Marco. You’ve waited too long for this moment, trained too hard for it. I refuse to see your gift overtake you after so many years.’’

  ‘‘Then tell me what to do,’’ he whispered, turning to face her.

  ‘‘Block their connection out. You’ve been blocking for years—you will do what you’ve always done: Block.’’

  It was a skill she’d helped him develop at a very young age; it had been the only resource that had saved his sanity and his life. ‘‘I’m supposed to work with them again tonight when Jared returns from Base Ten. Maybe someone else should do it. Anika or Riley—’’

  ‘‘You are their Madjin, Marco. You. Not Anika or Riley, as devoted as they both are—but you, son. You have the strongest gift, and you’re the one who must train them. Too much rides on this: The retrieval of the mitres data depends on your teaching them how to utilize their bond and their gift. And we both know it’s more than the mitres data at stake—it’s the queen’s life.’’

  He bowed his head in shame. ‘‘My curse shouldn’t be her vulnerability. Why would the council have chosen someone as dark as me to protect them?’’

  ‘‘Marco!’’ Sabrina barked, protective as always. She never let him call his empathy what it really was. She always insisted that he describe it as his ‘‘greatest gift.’’

  With a sigh, he amended his words: ‘‘Any weakness in me should not be to the queen’s detriment or peril.’’

  Sabrina gave him a half smile, but he could see she wasn’t fully satisfied. Like any mother, she urged him toward self-respect and healthy pride, not self-flagellation.

  ‘‘Block. You’ve done it your whole life,’’ she reminded him. ‘‘That’s what you will do. You’re much stronger now. You overcame this as a child and it’s going to be all right.’’

  ‘‘Yes, Sabrina,’’ he agreed dutifully.

  ‘‘And if you get into trouble, cut it off—come for me. I think it’s important that you face this, not run from it.’’

  He gave an obedient nod, but inside he prayed his leader was right this time.

  Outside the windows of Jared’s upstairs study, darkness cloaked the mountainside. There was a full moon causing the patchy snow to glimmer, and as Marco stared at the world below, it seemed to glow. He took deep breaths, stilling his energy and senses before he turned to face Jared and Kelsey where they sat on floor pillows by the roaring fire. It was time to train them, and he would not allow himself to repeat his previous misstep. The assignment was too critical, both to the queen’s ultimate safety and to the revolution as well. She couldn’t be the linchpin for operating the mitres—and more than that—without the ability to freely man the weapon, they might never defeat the Antousians. As Jared had pointed out moments earlier, perhaps the mitres could be used as leverage with the humans—perhaps even to free Lieutenant Dillon.

  Drawing several deep, settling breaths he turned to face his king and queen. ‘‘Are you joined now?’’ he asked, though he needed no confirmation. The lustrous radiance on their faces revealed how deeply they were connected.

  ‘‘We’re ready, Marco,’’ Jared told him with a brisk nod of his head.

  ‘‘Good. Then we will begin, my lord.’’ Marco closed the distance between them, kneeling beside them both. ‘‘I am going to guide you through an exercise, one meant to hone your intuition.’’

  Keeping her eyes closed, Kelsey smiled. Clearly his queen was open and curious to this new side of herself; it seemed nothing ever daunted or frightened the human, a trait he always admired, but especially in her. He felt a swell of pride inside—Sabrina was right. This was the moment he’d spent his life training for; it caused a strange rush of love inside him toward his king and queen. On his wrist, he almost felt his protector’s brand burn in answering recognition to the feeling.

  Marco placed one hand on Kelsey’s shoulder, allowing some of his energy to spiral across her senses. His intention was to spark her gift, but instead there was an immediate and electric answer inside his own spirit. Shuddering, he withdrew his hand, uncertain.

  I can’t go down this path again!

  But he knew no other way to awaken Kelsey’s nascent gift than by prying it open a bit—both by this exercise, and by applying some of his own energy as a kind of kindling to the fire. I’ll be careful; there’s no other way. I will block. I’ve blocked most of my life. I can do this.

  Slowly he slipped one hand on Kelsey’s shoulder again, placing his other on Jared’s. Drawing in a deep breath, he plunged ahead, working to coach them into a basic skill with their capabilities.

  ‘‘Go slowly and open your minds,’’ he advised. ‘‘Open up your spirits, your essences, and then we will begin.’’ He had several very basic movements planned, but first he had to tease them to a higher plane or the training would never work.

  ‘‘Now,’’ he began, ‘‘I’ve brought my backpack with me. There’s something inside it—I want each of you to try and tell me what that item is.’’ He dropped his pack between them on the floor. ‘‘I’ll give you a head start: You can even touch the outside of the pack if it’ll help you.’’

  Marco watched as his king reached tentatively toward the worn pack, slowly trailing his hand over its surface; Kelsey imitated his gesture. Marco studied her features, the way her clear blue eyes narrowed
seriously then widened with surprise as she seemed to discover something through her intuitive work. She had beautiful eyes, his queen, sensuously shaped, with sparks of green amidst the blue. For a moment, his thoughts wandered to Thea. Her blue eyes were not unlike Kelsey’s, yet ringed with a violet color that made them totally unique.

  He glanced at Kelsey again, sensing a thought of Jared’s as it lightly danced on the periphery: Something about the queen’s eyes being gorgeous and sexy.

  Hush, Jareshk, we’ve got to focus.

  Then stop looking so damned beautiful all the time!

  They smiled at one another, and Marco knew it was true—he had inadvertently slipped into their bond again.

  Trembling, he formed a block; or at least he tried to. But he still quickly found himself swimming against a lusty torrent of emotion once again. Their passion. Their desire. Their love.

  He braced for more, struggling to block, but all of a sudden, before he even anticipated it, he was assaulted by the most intense series of sensations he’d ever experienced—even more overwhelming than what he’d felt between them earlier in the day. And, as shocking as it was, deeper emotion than he’d yet experienced with Thea.

  Because she’s not my bonded mate and wife. This is what should belong to us, this kind of connection.

  Warm, swirling love; intense arousal; keen soul-binding. Gods, he was drowning in it! I’ve gotta get out of here, he thought murkily, yet he made no move to break away. Instead, he allowed himself to sink deeper into the experience of their bond, couldn’t stop himself from tasting of what he’d never have in his own life. This is wrong! I have no right to be here! Got to block this!

  ‘‘Is it a CD?’’ Jared asked hopefully.

  ‘‘That’s exactly what I got!’’ Kelsey announced joyously.

  He dropped onto his haunches. Oblivious to his struggle, they were waiting for his guidance—but he had none to give. He was lost, utterly awash in their soul-bond.

  The headache began to hammer again behind his eyes, driving sharp, prickling pain down the bridge of his nose and up into the crown of his head, as if someone had taken daggers and driven them into his forehead.

  ‘‘Marco, we’re ready,’’ Jared prompted and he managed to gasp his assent.

  Pull yourself together, man! Break it off.

  Wrestling back to his knees, he prepared to physically separate himself from them. I will confess everything—tell them exactly what a blight I am!

  But he could not make the break; the experience was too beautiful. He ached until he was raw inside, breathing in and out, longing for Thea like he’d never wanted her before. He had to mate with her!

  Oh, God the way they need each other, love each other. So strong . . . so undeniable. Thea . . . it was everything he felt for her, only his own feelings had been stymied, corked inside. But now, let loose! His love, his beautiful Thea. Every direction he turned, it seemed he was fighting an unbeatable current and it suddenly made most sense just to swim with it. At that precise moment, he detected Thea’s scent. Perhaps down the hall, he thought dazedly, or somewhere else in the cabin. His empathy was opening wider and wider like a great yawing hunger that couldn’t be denied.

  No! Here! Beside me. My love is here, near to me, closer than close. Ah, how I long for her.

  He thought someone said something, there in the room, some question that he couldn’t make out, but the headache beat harder, driving him back down to the floor. She can be mine . . . what should stop me? he wondered, the blinding pain making clear thought almost impossible. He tightened his hold on her shoulder, reaching for her. Thea should only belong to me; my life mate, my love. No more fighting.

  He opened more fully, picturing Thea’s gorgeous blond hair, flowing freely across her shoulders, caught briefly by the mountain wind. He kept his eyes pressed shut; someone’s hand brushed across his forehead, as she whispered words to him that he couldn’t quite hear.

  ‘‘Marco?’’ Jared prompted. ‘‘Are we right about the CD?’’

  He nodded, though his head thrummed harder with the blinding headache as it exploded like white-hot light just behind his eyes. This was what he hadn’t been able to share with Thea last night, the part he’d held back . . . how insane this all made him, how jumbled his thoughts became. After all these years, the madness had come back upon him—and never so fully as at this precise moment, as his head hummed with every emotion passing between them.

  Yet it was only Thea he kept wanting, sensing . . .

  And wasn’t she the one right in front of him? He burned for her as the headache intensified, became unmanageable, and he knew that only one thing could end all of this.

  He had to kiss his sweet, beloved Thea . . . right now.

  Thea reached the top story of the cabin, heading for the library in search of more of Prince Arienn’s writings. She had a hunch about something that might help Jared and Kelsey with their procreation issues, but wasn’t certain. As she rounded the turn in the hallway just by Jared’s upstairs study, she heard a sound that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end: The sound of her commander roaring in anger. Jared rarely raised his voice, and when he did it was always with controlled intensity. Right now her leader was shouting in a state of unmitigated fury.

  Something had happened! She broke into a sprint, knocking on the door frantically. From within she heard Jared thunder, ‘‘You kissed my wife! Did I misunderstand that?’’

  She knocked again, but there was no answer, only the quiet rumbling of voices competing to be heard. Without waiting for an answer, she barged in.

  ‘‘What’s going on?’’ she demanded, her gaze sweeping the dimly lit room. Marco stood by the fireplace, both hands held up in a defensive posture of denial. Jared towered upon him, stabbing the air with his forefinger. None of them seemed to even register her presence.

  ‘‘My lord!’’ she interceded. ‘‘Tell me what has happened!’’

  Kelsey turned pleading eyes upon her, silently begging her for some sort of assistance. Thea crossed the room to her side as Jared roared again: ‘‘Tell me why you kissed my wife!’’

  Oh gods, no. Thea’s heart grew sick within her. Not this, no, no.

  ‘‘Commander, you must listen to me,’’ she reasoned in the calmest voice she could muster. ‘‘It’s not what you think.’’

  Jared whirled upon her. ‘‘Not what I think? How could I have misunderstood him kissing Kelsey before my very eyes?’’

  ‘‘I repeat, cousin, it is not what you believe. There is an explanation.’’ She spun to face Marco, urging him to confess his true nature. ‘‘Tell them,’’ she said. ‘‘They need to understand.’’

  Marco’s black eyes were wide and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. ‘‘I should leave,’’ he muttered, fixing her with his stare. Transmitting every fear he bore about his gift.

  As he pushed past her, she caught him by the arm. ‘‘Don’t let him send you away like this!’’

  ‘‘He should leave,’’ Jared pronounced with chilling calm. ‘‘It’s evident that he’s not the man I believed him to be.’’ His words were like an arrow, clearly hitting Marco’s heart like a killing bull’s-eye.

  Marco stopped in his tracks, then slowly pivoted to face Jared one final time. Dropping to his knees, he bowed his head, thrusting his fist over his heart. ‘‘You are my lord, my king, and I serve no other but you and my queen,’’ he swore in a low voice. ‘‘I beg you to listen—to find it in your heart to forgive me. To understand.’’

  For a long moment there was only the crackling sound of the fire, the whining wail of wind against the windows. Thea’s heart threatened to burst forth from her chest, it beat so loudly and rapidly. Yet no one spoke. She met Kelsey’s eyes across Marco’s bowing form and again thought her queen was pleading with her visually for some sort of intercession. That one glance propelled her into action.

  ‘‘Marco, tell them.’’ Thea took a step toward where he knelt before Jared.
<
br />   Marco’s chest heaved with quick pants. ‘‘Jared, I’m begging you,’’ he beseeched. ‘‘Please don’t do this. Let me explain.’’

  Yes, tell them about the connection. They must know . . . he’ll understand. Just tell them, she transmitted silently.

  Jared shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘‘No, I want you to leave tonight,’’ he demanded again in a tight voice. His behavior was so uncharacteristic, even at a moment like this one, that Thea couldn’t help staring at him aghast.

  ‘‘Won’t you even hear him out?’’ she demanded hotly.

  ‘‘Jared, think,’’ Kelsey interjected in measured tones. ‘‘Think about what you’re doing here. Think about the letter.’’

  ‘‘What letter?’’ Thea asked, but the question hung suspended in the air, unanswered.

  Their king stared down at Marco’s prone form, his face a mask of derision. Everything hung in the balance. Thea held her breath, and prayed that Jared would tell Marco to stay. At last he blew out a disgusted sigh and shook his head, sealing Marco’s fate. ‘‘I want you to leave. Tonight.’’

  Marco nodded, rose to his feet, and left the room without another word.

  ‘‘Where do you think he’s going to go?’’ Thea stared at her cousin in disbelief. ‘‘He has nowhere else, Jared. He’s your Madjin, for All’s sake.’’

  Jared stared at the empty doorway as if Marco might reappear. ‘‘He betrayed me.’’

  ‘‘He did not!’’ Kelsey snapped. ‘‘You are so ridiculously stubborn. Go after him, Jared.’’

  Jared glanced between them both, clearly seeing hot anger in both their eyes. His shoulders slumped and he rubbed a palm over the top of his head. ‘‘You saw what he did, Kelse—hell, you felt it.’’

  Kelsey turned to face her. ‘‘We were working with our intuition,’’ she explained, and Thea’s heart plummeted to her stomach. ‘‘He was helping us learn about our gift, and then . . . he kissed me. Just like that.’’