Mystic

by Cheryl Brooks

  He’s Zetithian…a species whose legendary sexual prowess was compounded by the fact that, as far as most females were concerned, they were irresistible. Aidan was all that and more. Dammit, he even smelled good.

  Of course, he probably had women crawling all over him wherever he went, to the point that he needed a security system on his house to keep them away. He didn’t need her.

  “Hold onto your hat, Sula. Here we go.”

  While she’d been mulling—okay, mooning—over him, he’d been busy preparing to fly her to safety.

  The wind picked up, seeming to arise from the ground beneath her feet. Aidan didn’t flap his wings. Didn’t need to. With the wind to lift them, they simply floated upward like a helium-filled balloon. As the wind grew stronger, they soared high above the plateau, swooping down the cliff face before rising again.

  She twisted around to look up at him. “How are you doing that?”

  “Guess I might as well tell you,” he said, his tone conveying reluctant resignation. “In addition to my Terran and Zetithian blood, I’m also part Mordrial. I can control the wind. Watching Val gave me the idea to try flying. As you can see, it works—up to a point. However, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone.”

  “This is your secret?”

  He sighed. “One of them.”

  Chapter 4

  A man with so many bizarre secrets could prove to be a valuable ally. Still, Sula wasn’t completely convinced she needed Aidan’s help—except for providing a place to stay while her leg healed. By that time, who knew what degree of trust or distrust might develop between them. She might decide she needed his continued assistance, which meant she would have to tell him everything. This mission was too dangerous to enter into without full knowledge of the facts as well as her suspicions.

  Time will tell.

  In the interim, she focused on the incredible adrenaline rush of actually flying with nothing more to support her than the wind and a man with a pair of what she hoped were very strong artificial wings.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “The wing rods are made of a superstrong, lightweight titanium alloy. The harness is as sturdy as I could make it without adding too much weight. I tried several materials before opting to go with full-grain leather reinforced with a synthetic mesh. Synthetics don’t break easily, but they aren’t as comfortable as leather.”

  “Why natural feathers instead of fabric?”

  “I suppose I could’ve used fabric—construction certainly would’ve been easier—but feathers just seemed the best way to go about it. Maybe I envied Val a bit.” With a sigh, he added, “He has the most amazing wings.”

  “You do sound sort of envious,” she admitted. “But then, he probably wishes he had your wind-control ability.”

  She felt as much as heard his chuckle. “Guess no one’s ever satisfied with what they have. He probably wishes his wings were detachable. Although, considering his history, he might wish he didn’t have wings at all. Sure, being able to fly is awesome, but it sets him apart from nearly everyone in the galaxy. There are only five others like him—they call themselves Avian clones—and they’ve each been genetically engineered to have wings, incredibly sharp eyesight, and a highly developed auditory sense. Unfortunately, those genetic modifications carry even more stigma than simply being clones.”

  “Which isn’t a bit fair when you consider that the clones themselves—modified or not—didn’t have any say in their own creation.”

  “No kidding.”

  Sula had studied the cloning craze from a few centuries back. The practice was rampant until lawmakers on most worlds decided it wasn’t such a hot idea, partly because of the replicative fading problem. Make a copy of a copy enough times, and mutations were inevitable. They could be fixed, but gene editing was difficult, costly, and not always successful. The legal ramifications posed the biggest drawback. Was the clone a new person or merely an extension of the original? Dozens of inheritance and property-ownership clashes cropped up. In the end, outlawing the cloning of intelligent species seemed the easiest way to deal with the issue.

  Once passed, those laws left the existing clones with no rights whatsoever. Even though that was changing, the taint remained, especially for those who had been created illegally. Sula suspected that Val and his fellow Avian clones belonged in that category. Add genetic manipulation on top of that, and it was no wonder Val didn’t “encourage visitors.”

  As they soared past the mountains and down into the foothills, Sula began to wish she’d met Aidan under different circumstances. Having him fly her into the mountains would’ve been a whole lot easier than going in on foot. She could’ve explored dozens of cliffs and caverns in the time it had taken her to find the first one. Too bad his vision hadn’t sent him to find her before she’d been foolish enough to break a leg.

  Still, it wasn’t every day a girl looked up and saw a freakin’ angel flying overhead. The only things he’d lacked were the flowing white robes, which ancient artists might’ve added merely for the effect. She’d taken a few classes in art history before deciding on anthropology as her major, and she’d never seen a single angel depicted in leggings.

  “We’ll be landing soon,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. He reached past her shoulder, pointing toward a grove of trees near a bend in the Unghela River. “My speeder is parked down there.”

  She chuckled. “You mean we aren’t going to fly all the way to Damenk?”

  “Nope. My flying ability is a secret. Remember?”

  “I remember. Just teasing.”

  “Better laugh it up while you can. This landing might be a little rough.”

  As the ground seemed to fly up to meet them, Sula instinctively bent her left knee as far as she could without kicking Aidan in the shins.

  After all, kicking one’s guardian angel could have any number of dire consequences.

  * * *

  Aidan had already landed with her once, so he’d had a little practice, with the result that this landing was much smoother than the first. Even so, balancing the amount of lift with the planet’s gravitational force was tricky. He hovered just above the ground about a meter from his speeder before slowly reducing the wind speed to nil.

  Sula clapped her hands as they touched down. “Way to go, Aidan. Didn’t even feel a bump.”

  “That was one of my better landings. Damn near broke my own legs the first time I tried it.”

  “I guess practice really does make perfect.”

  “Sometimes.” The trick now would be to get her into his speeder without hurting her.

  Think, Aidan.

  Using a tree for support had worked before. Hopefully something similar would work this time. “I’m going to carry you over to the speeder. We only have to go a few steps. Then you can hang onto the side while I get you unhooked.”

  “Sounds good,” she said.

  “Stand on your good leg for a few seconds.” Aidan wrapped his arms around her and lifted her, doing his best to ignore the way her bottom bumped against his groin and how good she felt in his arms. He inched his way over to the speeder and popped open the canopy.

  Her breath hissed through her teeth as he set her down.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I think so,” she said, although she didn’t sound terribly confident.

  He would have to hurry. “Grab onto the door, and tell me when you’re ready.”

  A few deep breaths later, she nodded. “Try it now.”

  Starting at her shoulders, he unfastened the carabiners and worked his way down to the crotch straps. “Okay, you’re loose. Now, I’m going to pick you up and put you in the front seat, hopefully without bumping your leg.”

  After adjusting the seat to allow maximum leg room, he moved in behind her. She slid her arm around his neck, and he slowly lifted her befor
e cradling her against his chest.

  Her sharp inhale made him glance at her face—a glance that lasted far longer than it should have. The beseeching expression in her big brown eyes caught him unawares, affecting him on a primal, visceral level.

  “You’re doing great,” he said, forcing a cheerful, encouraging note into his voice. That his words came out with a purr was completely unintentional.

  “I’d forgotten about the purring thing,” she whispered. “It’s very…comforting.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” Purring wasn’t supposed to be comforting. It was supposed to be sexually stimulating—to Zetithian women, anyway. He had no business purring in such a situation. But if it calmed her, what did it matter?

  He set her in the speeder as carefully as he could. Once she was settled, he was about to step back when she tightened her hold on him.

  With a shy smile, she pulled him close enough to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. You’re very kind. I’m sorry to be such a bother.”

  Aidan didn’t know what to say to that. He’d been purring, and she’d kissed him. The only thing missing was the scent of her desire. If she knew Zetithians could purr, most likely she also knew that males purred to entice females. If, knowing that, all she could do was thank him for being kind to her, she obviously wasn’t interested.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he finally said. “I’m just here to help.”

  Aidan knew his appearance was pleasing to most women, even those who knew nothing about Zetithians. He’d met dozens of women in his life—some while traveling from planet to planet aboard the Jolly Roger and others encountered more recently on the streets of Rhylos—and he’d picked up at least a hint of desire from the vast majority.

  Except the one he suspected he was about to risk his life for.

  Figures.

  Sula aroused something in him—a protective instinct or some other bond he couldn’t identify. He didn’t believe in love at first sight. He wasn’t even sure this was love. But whatever it was, it was potent and undeniable.

  And if he didn’t push her to let his pal Giklor heal her, he’d have her as a recuperating guest in his house for six weeks. By then, she might feel a little something for him beyond gratitude.

  Then again, the one woman whose future he couldn’t fathom might also be the one woman who wasn’t attracted to him.

  Better call Giklor. Now.

  * * *

  I shouldn’t have kissed him.

  The moment her lips touched his cheek, Sula remembered the significance of purring. Aidan might be the hottest man she’d ever run across, but her heart was still raw from Raj’s death. The pain of a breakup was traumatic enough. Having your lover die in your arms left a much deeper wound.

  The kiss had seemed so natural, though. And she hadn’t exactly given him a passionate, tonsil-deep kiss. It was a friendly gesture, nothing more.

  So why did she feel so embarrassed?

  Interestingly enough, he seemed a tad self-conscious himself. Perhaps he hadn’t intended to purr, or her textbook could’ve been wrong about why Zetithians purred. There might be other reasons that had nothing to do with sex.

  She certainly hadn’t imagined his blush. The type of heat that prickled her cheeks had also blossomed in his. In addition to that, he seemed to be taking an awfully long time to remove his wings and stow them in the rear compartment of his speeder. Or maybe he wasn’t. Maybe that was simply how long it took for the task to be done correctly.

  Aidan got in the speeder without a word, fired up the engine, and closed the canopy. She had several questions on the tip of her tongue but deemed it best to keep quiet and let him be the one to break the silence. For all he knew, she was ignorant of the nuances of Zetithian behavior. She didn’t have to tell him she’d scored higher on that particular exam than anyone in her class—a perfect score, in fact. She’d even considered making Zetithians the subject of her master’s thesis, and she would have if at least ten other students hadn’t already chosen that topic. Her advisor had begged her to choose something—anything—else to research.

  In the end, she’d chosen to study Norludians, a species that was about as far-removed from Zetithians as any she’d ever heard of. However, Norludians were interesting, if only because their reproductive organs shared structures with the digestive system as opposed to the urinary tract. For Norludians, oral intercourse was the real deal.

  Feeling some minor discomfort behind her knee, she shifted the splint and winced as even more pain shot through her lower leg.

  “I’m sorry,” Aidan said, proving that he was nothing if not observant. “I should’ve propped your leg up with something.”

  “No. It’s fine. It just hurt a little when I moved.”

  “I could take you straight to Giklor. He could get rid of your pain in no time.”

  “I’ll think about it.” She wouldn’t, of course. Her leg would heal soon enough without having to swallow Zerkan spit. Or maybe it was more like vomit. There were supporters in both camps. Whichever it was, she had no interest in trying it. If she’d been on death’s door, she might’ve felt differently, but not for a simple fracture.

  If she were honest with herself, she actually welcomed an excuse to rest for a while. She’d been clambering about in the mountains for months and was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Besides, she’d finally found what she’d been searching for. Now all she had to do was figure out what to do with that discovery. Aidan had found her there once. Surely, he would remember how to find that same cave again.

  Rhylos had indeed once been home to a species of primitive primates.

  And now there were none.

  That they’d died out naturally was a distinct possibility, although she’d only found archaeological evidence in one very remote cave. If there’d been other examples, she would’ve found them. For that matter, the first colonists to that world would’ve found traces of a lost civilization, and that information would’ve been documented. The entire planet seemed to have been wiped clean, like a murder weapon with no fingerprints on it.

  “Will you be able to find that cave again?” she asked suddenly.

  “I don’t see why not,” he replied. “Did you leave something behind?”

  “My walking stick,” she said. “It—it belonged to my grandfather. I’d hate to lose it.”

  “I didn’t notice anything lying near you, although I didn’t have time for a thorough search. There were some pretty nasty condors disputing the territory. I can go back there in a few days. Might need to move some rock to find it, though.”

  “No rush,” she said. “It’s not going anywhere.”

  At least she wasn’t lying. Not entirely. She did have a walking stick, and while it had never belonged to her grandfather, retrieving it was as good a reason as any for returning to the cave, even though she might end up having to explain why a stick bought at an outfitter’s store in Damenk had somehow acquired a significant amount of sentimental value.

  I’ll figure that out later.

  By then, Aidan might have some inkling as to why she’d been traipsing through the mountains alone, which would make any explanations completely unnecessary.

  I should tell him everything right now.

  From the way he’d talked, he had friends who could help. She didn’t have to do this alone. Still, the thought of putting even more people at risk kept her silent. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.

  Knowledge might be power, but it could also get you killed.

  Chapter 5

  Taking Sula to Giklor was obviously out, unless the Zerkan were to drop by for a visit, which wasn’t out of character for him. In fact, he’d been known to come knocking on Aidan’s door in the middle of the night simply to have a chat, leaving Aidan to surmise that Zerkans preferred philosophical discussions to sleeping through the night. On the ot
her hand, the possibility existed that Zerkans, being rather small with pale, almost translucent skin and a tendency to wear no form of clothing whatsoever, avoided sunlight whenever they could.

  He’d never heard it said that Zerkans possessed the knack for knowing when a friend was in need. However, he suspected they might, in some manner, for those late-night chats tended to come at uncannily opportune times. Having a recuperating woman in his home seemed destined to be one of those precipitating events.

  Aidan had met the Zerkan in a bar in Damenk when he and his brother Aldrik had gathered with the rest of the family to celebrate their sister’s mating to Larry Tshevnoe. The little alien had approached the group after noticing that Larry’s parents had each been treated by one of his species. Larry’s father, Cat, had been healed by a female, as evidenced by Cat’s glowing blue pupils, while Jack, his mother, had a reddish glow from having been bonded to Cat by a Zerkan male. This was, apparently, a peculiar enough circumstance to attract Giklor’s attention, after which he’d been drawn into the general conversation.

  Jack had later commented that Zerkans tended to butt into other people’s lives with very little provocation, but because a similar intrusion had led to her finding the kidnapped sister for whom she had been searching for six years, she couldn’t find it in her to complain. Nor did she complain about being bound to her mate. If there had ever been two people more devoted—or suited—to one another, Aidan had yet to see them, although his own parents’ connection appeared to be every bit as strong.

  Thus far, such a relationship had seemed elusive for Aidan, mainly due to his own reluctance to share his secrets with anyone. Nor had he ever encountered a woman who wasn’t interested in him sexually. Sula was different in that respect, a factor that he found intriguing, and he didn’t believe it was because he was annoyed that she didn’t find him attractive. He wasn’t that vain—at least he didn’t think so. Other women had been attracted by his appearance and his species’ reputation as lovers, neither of which had any bearing on him specifically.