She eyed him again, then quickly dismissed the thought.
She’d heard rumors about the striking warrior, some of which had certainly piqued her curiosity, but not enough to act on it. He was, after all, an Atlantean warrior, first and foremost. Moreover, Orion was not her true-mate which, from the looks of his body, was a pity. Her gaze caressed his muscled form, focusing on the impressive bulge filling his pants.
As if sensing her gaze, Orion turned. The impact of his dual-colored eyes, one jade and one aqua, arrested her breath. His knowing assessment told Cassandra without words he’d read her thoughts. Don’t worry. He smiled. I’m not interested in you either, and I think I can contain my boredom until we reach Earth. Mirth simmered in his voice.
Cassandra laughed. His candor was refreshing. It was just a thought, not a proposition. I’m looking for something…different.
And you think you’ll find it in an Earthling?
Perhaps…
I fear you will only find disappointment. The species as a whole is somewhat lacking in size and honor.
We shall see.
Orion flicked switches, adjusting fuel in the reserve tanks. Where is it you wish me to take you once we reach the planet?
I’ve longed to see the ocean again. Cassandra sighed, picturing the blue-green water with its white foamy crests, gently lapping at a sandy shore. Queen Rachel has told me I might enjoy a place called California.
Orion frowned and punched another button, bringing up holographic maps of planet Earth. Where did she say this place is located?
The same piece of land you need to be on to find Brigit. Cassandra stared at the swirling map, her eyes widening as she saw how close the water was to this California place. If she reached out she could almost touch the wetness, feel the refreshing spray on her face. She resisted the urge to touch the spot on the map that held so many possibilities for her.
What do the glowing lights represent on the map?
Colonies. He pointed to a spot on the east coast of the North American continent. The brighter the light, the more populated the area.
Cassandra stared entranced as the colonies lit up like the stars, each one glowing brighter than the next. One stood out, far outshining the rest. I want you to take me there.
Orion glanced, then pressed a button to draw closer to the spot she’d pointed to. The place you wish to visit is called Los Angeles.
Cassandra smiled. “Los Angeles,” she murmured aloud, testing the name on her tongue. The words rolled off, easing past her lips like a gentle kiss. Her skin prickled, leaving gooseflesh behind. This was the place. The place she’d begin her search. Even the name left a shiver of excitement shimmying up her spine.
Queen Rachel has said you will need something called money. I have researched this item. It is what the humans use to barter with, in exchange for goods and food.
Do we have any of this…money?
Yes. The replicator has managed to reproduce a travel sack full of the stuff. You should have more than enough for what you need. I’ve also taken the liberty of placing a deciphering unit in your sack. You’ll be able to find any meaning or item by just thinking about it. It should help when it comes to talking to the humans.
Orion pressed a panel to his side, which had been all but hidden from view seconds ago. He pulled out a metal device Cassandra had never seen before. What is that?
A communication device. He flipped a switch on the side of the thin rectangular object and a tiny screen appeared. If you need assistance or are ready to come back home, just flip this switch and hold the device next to your head. It will pick up your thoughts, in the same way we’re having this conversation, and transport you to the ship. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of space, because the device is powerful enough to transport the objects around you. I don’t want to end up with any unnecessary baggage.
Cassandra nodded and reached for the device. Orion pulled it out of her reach.
Are you sure, you want to do this? ‘Tis not too late to change your mind. You can come with me to retrieve the Queen’s friend. His tone was serious and held more than a little concern.
Cassandra forced a smile. Inside she was terrified. She’d never been away from her people—ever. Nevertheless, she was absolutely sure this was what she wanted, so she swallowed her fear and faced Orion unflinchingly. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.
He stared for a few moments, his gaze assessing, deciding. Cassandra held her breath waiting, praying to the goddess that whatever he saw in her face would be enough to allow her this time of discovery.
Finally, he nodded. California it is.
* * * * *
They landed without incident two days later. Cassandra had never seen so many lights in all her life. It was as if the stars had fallen from the sky and lay like a blanket upon the hillsides, shining, twinkling, beckoning to her. She’d asked Orion to drop her near the water. In her black flight suit, with her blonde hair braided down her back, Cassandra watched as the first rays of light hit the ocean, illuminating its murky depths.
She took a deep breath, and inhaled the salty air into her lungs. Tears of joy burned behind her eyelids. It was as beautiful and awe inspiring as she’d remembered. The waves rolled in, lapping at the beach, their gentle roar like music to her Atlantean ears. She hugged her sides and just breathed. The peace that had eluded her so easily on Zaron engulfed her here. The muscles in her tense shoulders relaxed. She slipped her boots off and dug her toes into the sand. Warmth engulfed her feet. She flexed her toes, grabbing and releasing the powder soft grains.
Humans were beginning to awaken. A few had stumbled onto the beach, shattering the tranquility of the moment with their huffing and puffing. Cassandra had no idea why they were running. From what she could see, no predator chased them. Obviously one of the strange behaviors they naturally displayed. Dressed in baggy clothing, a few glanced her way, eyeing her flight suit. She glanced down. She didn’t think it looked that bad.
Feeling self-conscious, Cassandra reached into the sack and rummaged around until she’d located her deciphering unit. She needed to find a place to stay, since traffic on the beach made it not an option. She held the unit next to her head like Orion had shown her. It was similar to the communication device, yet. This device only activated when she pictured the object she wanted to locate. Cassandra concentrated.
The device hummed, flashing the words, hotel and motel across the screen. Ah, shelter was in a hotel or motel. She hoped. Cassandra had no idea which direction to travel in, so she decided to follow the next human who ran past.
She gazed at the shoreline, waiting, but no one appeared. Where was a human when she needed one? Cassandra glanced at the water once more, the vast openness called to her, dared her to enter its depths. She stood to ensure she was alone. A seagull squawked high above, riding the wind’s thermals. The water lapped at her bare feet. There was no sense resisting the inevitable. Stripping off her flight suit, Cassandra faced the ocean. Her naked flesh puckered under the cool morning air, relishing its cold-fingered touch. She allowed it to caress her once more, then raced into the surf with a reckless abandon that harkened back to her childhood.
She gasped as the first wave hit. The cool water momentarily took her breath away. The sea near Atlantis had been warm year around. Not so this ocean. It took Cassandra a couple of minutes to adjust to the change, but adjust she did, then dove headfirst into the frothy brine.
* * * * *
Brady ‘Buzz’ Rittner jogged harder on the wet sand. Anger surged through him as he recalled his commander’s orders. You will take your leave, effective immediately. That’s an order. He figured he had to be the only Ground Training Officer at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar ever forced to take a leave.
Well that wasn’t exactly true, he had been commanded. Unfortunately, the leave was permanent. At least that’s what the early retirement papers he’d received yesterday in the mail had said. He was too damn young to ret
ire, even if it was with an honorable discharge. Brady had immediately phoned his sister Carrie for support. She was the only woman in his life that he trusted. He expected outrage on his behalf. Maybe even a letter writing campaign, but this time Carrie’s advice had mirrored the military’s.
He growled in frustration and ran harder, ignoring the pain and slight weakness that now accompanied his workouts. At thirty-eight, he considered himself in prime physical shape. Just not good enough to go back into space. The radiation exposure made sure of that. It could be worse, you could be dying from it, the little voice inside his head whispered. He might as well be dead because it had been the fucking kiss of death to his career.
Buzz knew his attitude of late hadn’t been the best. Frustration did that to a man. He knew he was a tough guy to train under, but he hadn’t thought he’d been that bad. Asking him to leave had probably tickled the commander pink. The bastards had finally gotten rid of their damaged goods.
Screw them all!
He pushed on, eating up miles on the sand. Malibu was gorgeous this time of the morning, no people, only sand, ocean--and the naked blonde who’d just broken through the surf in front of him.
Naked blonde? Where in the hell had she come from?
Buzz nearly tripped when she turned her head to stare at him with those striking blue eyes of hers. Still quite a few yards away, he knew there’d been no mistake. Her eyes were the brightest blue he’d ever seen, the color of the ocean when he’d viewed it from space.
He glanced over his shoulder to ensure there wasn’t another runner behind him. Nope. It was just the two of them, completely alone. Every muscle in his body tightened as he neared what he could now see was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
His gaze traveled down the length of her, taking in her slim waist and perfect navel, before zeroing in on her world-class breasts. Her rose-colored nipples alone were enough to give him erotic dreams for a month.
She didn’t have movie star looks like most of the women in Los Angeles. Hers was an earthy beauty, one that didn’t need makeup or surgery to create. She had a wide, full mouth that held a hint of color he knew instinctively had not come from a tube. Her height was impressive, damn near six feet, give or take an inch, if where the surf hit her was any indication. Buzz was suddenly glad he’d taken after his six foot four father. The closer her got, the more lush she appeared. Her curves were round and firm, made for exploring. Like a Madonna from another century, she glowed with health. No starvation diet for her. His interest spiked. The woman was the walking embodiment of sex and she looked like she was just waiting to be devoured by the right man.
Buzz’s cock leapt to attention. Thank God for baggy sweats. He debated whether to stop as he neared, but the truth was, the last thing he needed was an entanglement. He had enough problems without adding a woman, albeit a beautiful naked woman, into the mix. But damn, he was tempted—oh, so tempted.
“Down, boy,” he muttered to himself as he passed the woman, giving her a quick nod and a flash of a smile. “Morning.”
Seemingly unbothered by her state of undress, the woman’s eyes lit up as she warmly returned his smile. “Morning,” she repeated.
Buzz’s heart did a little flip in his chest. He ignored it and pressed on. She probably recognized him from his cereal box cover. He frowned. Buzz hated the fact that he missed the attention being a minor celebrity brought. He must be more desperate than he thought, if one look from her had kicked his libido into high gear. Disgusted by his behavior, he was all the more determined not to wait around for her to get out of the water.
He prided himself on being a noble guy, but he was only human. One look at the rest of her and he knew that all bets would be off. There was only so much temptation a guy could take before his body ripped the decision out of his hands.
It was a few moments before Buzz realized the woman he’d seen in the water was following him. Her soft footfalls were near-silent against the crash of the surf. It had been the sensation of being watched that had tipped him off. He glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, she trotted behind him. No longer naked, she was now dressed in a black skin-tight outfit with a sack thrown across her back. The fact she was easily keeping pace with him gave him pause. Buzz’s muscles tightened, his heart rate doubled. What was she super woman? She smiled again. The effect was instantaneous. He flushed with arousal. He had to get the hell away from her.
Buzz forced his gaze away and picked up speed. Maybe it was coincidence, maybe she was crazy, most of the truly beautiful ones were. He’d encountered numerous groupies throughout the years, but hadn’t bothered dallying with any of them. He didn’t want to be on anyone’s conquest checklist.
He jogged a mile farther, trying to pretend she wasn’t there. It was nearly impossible. She’d fallen slightly further behind, but still managed to keep pace. Definitely an athlete. He glanced at her face. Her expression…well, her expression was open, like a child when they first discover a playground.
As much as he told himself to keep on running and not look back, Buzz couldn’t. He needed the attention as much as she longed to give it. Against his better judgment, he stopped, hands resting on his hips and he bent to catch his breath. She slowed as she neared him, moving with a natural sensuality that most women would kill for.
Something drew him to her, something beyond primal need. Her gaze ran over the length of him. Buzz’s jaw tightened. He hadn’t had a woman look at him like that since—well since he’d been NASA’s flavor of the month pinup boy. If she was a groupie, she wasn’t like any groupie he’d ever encountered. They always reeked of quiet desperation. Their need to brush against fame somehow believing it would change their life, their status, had always turned him off.
His cock twitched, beginning to grow under the woman’s heated stare. Despite her overt attention, she was in no way aggressive. Buzz liked that. He liked to be the one to choose a partner when it came to sex, and so far, it had worked out in his favor. He’d kept the sex casual and the women at a distance. It was safer that way…for everyone. Space was his mistress, always had been, and always would be, even if NASA never allowed him to visit her again.
Buzz’s heart damn near stopped when she smiled again. He’d been smiled at by beautiful women before and never had this reaction. Strange, very strange.
“Can I help you, darlin’? Would you like an autograph?” he asked, using his best Texas good ol’ boy drawl, the one that had worked so well on the women outside of Houston when he’d been training for a space mission at NASA.
He swallowed hard as bitterness welled inside of him. There’d be no more missions. The solar flare he’d experienced while manning the International Space Station had made sure of that. Too much radiation they’d said. No more space flights. No more hope of being on the first manned mission to Mars. He snorted, shaking his head.
She watched him, her soft blue eyes filled with compassion. Maybe it was her quiet countenance that brought his thoughts back from the dark place they so often traveled. He didn’t know. Didn’t care. He was just glad she had. Buzz had become so used to the despair, he now considered the dark place his second home. It occurred to him that she still hadn’t answered him. “I guess that’s a no.” Disappointment welled inside his voice, but he squelched it before it cut too deep. He stared at her. Maybe she didn’t speak English. “Are you lost?” he asked louder than he should have. Like it would somehow make a difference if she didn’t speak the language.
Her eyes widened and she nodded her head.
Buzz’s chest clenched. Every protective instinct he possessed, rose inside of him.
She cleared her throat. “I-I need to find a hotel or motel.”
Her words hit his gut like a sucker punch. Buzz blinked, that wasn’t exactly what he’d thought she’d say. Could you call the police, maybe? Or do you know where such and such street is located? Those would’ve been the logical questions to ask. It occurred to him that she might be propositioning
him. Yeah, like she’d be interested in a washed up, unemployed astronaut.
Her smile warmed. Buzz’s mind raced through the possibilities, however remote. His gaze took in her clothing. At first he’d thought it was some kind of wet suit, but up close the material didn’t look right. Whatever it was it melded to her body like a second skin. Odd choice for being on the beach, but hell, this was L.A.
“There are several hotels right down the road in Santa Monica. I’m staying at a place called Shutters on the Beach. I could drop you off or you could walk.” He pointed further down the beach. “It’s quite a ways from here, past Gladstone’s.”
“Gladstone’s?” she frowned, repeating his words like a child would mimic a parent.
Something wasn’t right with this whole picture. Maybe he’d been right. Maybe English wasn’t her first language. He could tell from the blank look on her face she had no idea where he was talking about. His gut told him she wasn’t stupid, only overwhelmed. Maybe she’d been injured and dumped on the beach. He’d heard of cases where people lost all memory during a traumatic event. The trouble was she didn’t look injured. An injured person wouldn’t have kept pace with his seven-minute miles.
At the height of his fame, he’d received mail from thirty countries. “You’re not from around here, are you?” he ventured.
“No, my home is many galaxies away, past the Pleiades.” Her voice was clipped and strangely accented, but her words were clear enough.
She might be foreign, but he’d called it right the first time. This chick was crazy. She didn’t need a ride. She needed professional help. Why had he offered to give her a ride? He’d never done anything so stupid in the past, especially with a crazy woman who’d probably turn out to be a groupie after all. Hell, after what she’d said, she probably thought Star Trek was real.
Atlantean's Quest Volume 1 Page 42
