“And what if someone sees us?”
Caitlin’s answer was to reach between them, grasping his hard member and pulling her underwear to one side. She rubbed the tip of his cock into her overflowing arousal and he grunted.
“Caitlin.”
“I meant what I said just now,” she warned him before biting at his lips.
Ranael’s eyes glowed golden and he thrust home. Caitlin jerked, her head thrown back and biting her bottom lip hard to stop her moan. They moved hard and fast against each other, transforming fear into a very different feeling. Ranael caught Caitlin’s scream of pleasure with his lips as she was launched over the edge. With her body milking his, he followed soon after. As the haze of lust started to clear, she heard him curse softly. He gathered her in his arms, quickly and silently lowering her until her feet touched the floor and setting her clothes to right.
“I’ll get you safe,” he promised to her as he picked her up again, bridal style.
CHAPTER SEVEN: Explanations
Ranael was walking through the streets of East Boston, carrying a passed out Caitlin King in his arms. It was still early enough that no one was about to question their positions. But the archon knew this would change very quickly and he had already ordered for Tiamat to bring his ship out of orbit. Ranael heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar shimmer of a refraction field. The near invisible and silent ship hovered over them then Tiamat ported them aboard and within two minutes, deposited them inside Caitlin’s flat.
The sight of overturned chairs and ripped furnishings was expected by the space warrior. With a shake of his head, he set about the flat to find Caitlin’s bedroom. Her bed was unmade and the pillows scattered on the floor, but they were not planning on staying long. Careful not to awaken his charge, Ranael laid the woman in his arms onto the mattress. He lingered over her for a moment, his fingers trailing over her face and pushing back a long lock of chestnut hair away from her eyes and behind her ear. Her lips were still slightly swollen from their frantic kissing, and the archon caught himself leaning forward, about to kiss her again. With a soft growl to himself, Ranael straightened. He checked that all the windows were securely locked then left the room. The archon knew he had endangered them just now, succumbing to Caitlin’s allure and bold charms. He was not about to do anything more to compromise the mission.
Back in the living room, the archon let himself drop onto the ruined couch that stood in the middle of the room. He slouched forward, forearms against his knees and hand hanging between his legs. Everything had gone downhill fast since last night. Not only had he had to make contact faster than he expected, but now he also had to deal with the fact that someone was after the girl. Ranael pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slowly. He then pushed to his feet and made for the kitchen. He needed coffee. Lots of it. He’d just finished making a cup for himself when he heard Caitlin shuffling about in the bedroom.
“We need to talk,” he called out at her.
Everything went silent in the flat for an instant. Ranael gulped a large mouthful of his caffeinated beverage and waited. He heard more shuffling, a few drawers opening and closing, and finally Caitlin stepped through the doorway. Ranael took in the sight: long chestnut hair falling free down her back and over her shoulders, a tight, deep forest green t-shirt clinging to her curves, and a pair of navy skinny jeans completed the look. The space warrior had to suppress the tingle of awareness that shot down his spine. He turned away to prepare a second cup of coffee.
“You need to grab the essentials. Pack light, so it’s not noticed you’ve gone straight away. Changes of clothes, whatever spare cash you have lying around. Leave the toiletries; we can get that while on the road. And leave phones and computers as well. Anything electronic can be tracked easily enough.”
Ranael put the second cup of coffee on the kitchen counter by Caitlin. She looked at it then back at him.
“What are you on about?”
“I’m going to help you disappear until we know who’s after you.”
“You mean, aside from you?”
Ranael looked up to see Caitlin glaring at him from across the room.
“Tell me what’s going on. Who were you speaking to this morning? And what the hell is that thing?”
Caitlin said those last words as she tugged on her necklace. The jade pendant hung between her breasts, and Ranael felt the pulse of potential as her fingers graze the green, stone-like device.
“I’m Ranael Pahadron, a seraph and Archon of Jeduthun, currently detached to the Third Mercy Fleet, based in the Xeinus solar system. I think you call that star Tau Ceti.”
Caitlin blinked. Then she shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
She made to turn around but Ranael was faster. He grabbed her good wrist then thrust his open palm forward. A pulse of kinetic energy burst from his skin, willed into existence by him. The rush of power crashed into her already broken couch, splintering the wood into fragments no bigger than a finger and burning through the materials that had covered it. Ranael turned back to watch his lover gaping at him. The archon went to release her hand then remembered her injury. He tugged on her arm, trying to bring her closer. Caitlin frowned and went to take a step back.
“I just want to take a look at your wrist. I’m no doctor, but I do know first aid.”
Caitlin was obvious reluctant but she let Ranael guide her to the kitchen table. The archon took some ice from the freezer, wrapped it in a kitchen towel, and packed it on his lover’s wrist. He then stood to survey the flat. With a shake of his head, he took off his t-shirt and started to tear it in strips. He wrapped the makeshift bandages around the ice pack.
“You need to keep your arm elevated for now.”
Ranael took in the look in Caitlin’s eyes, part defiance and part fear. She knew better than to argue with that piece of medical advice. But she still viewed him as a dangerous lunatic, a stranger.
“Look. I can help you. Whoever is after you, they probably want the same thing I did.”
The archon nodded, indicating the necklace she still wore.
“Why?”
“Because it’s not just a piece of rough gemstone. Look, I will explain what I can when we get to a safe place. Please trust me when I say you’re in danger. And right now, I’m the only one who can help.”
The look she gave him told him everything he needed to know: she didn’t really trust that he wanted her safe, but she’d go along with him. For now.
*
**
Caitlin sat at the table, head in her hands. She could hear birds twittering in the trees beyond the open window. They’d driven through part of the day to get here. They’d stopped a few times to buy food and other supplies, such as a bandage for her arm and some pain meds. Ranael had driven her to this quaint little cabin in the woods. And they’d been staying for the last few hours. Or rather, she had been. Ranael had come and gone, patrolling the area and watching for those who wanted to kill her. At least, she was pretty sure now that the archon — as he called himself — didn’t want her dead: he’d had plenty of opportunities.
The young woman’s gaze was drawn to a glint of green on the table. Her jade pendant lay on the table, looking inoffensive and innocent as any piece of rock. Only it wasn’t. After her first failed attempt at getting rid of the stone, Caitlin had tried to ‘lose’ it in the forest as they’d driven through. It hadn’t worked. Ranael had only laughed and shaken his head. The archon still hadn’t given her all the details.
Speak of the devil, Caitlin thought as the door was thrown open. Ranael came in with an armload of logs and kindling. Caitlin watched him from the corner of her eyes. He kicked the door close before stepping further inside. Despite the cold, he’d forsaken his shirt and the art student watched the play of muscles under the smooth, bronzed skin of his back. He piled the wood by the fireplace.
“That should keep us warm for a few days,” Ranael said as he finally straightened.
He mad
e to go back out, but this time, Caitlin was faster. She pushed away from the table and stood between the man who had effectively kidnapped her and the door.
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me more about what the hell is going on.”
“Now’s not the time, Caitlin.”
“Oh, I think this is perfect timing actually,” the art student said, as she pointed to the television set sitting in a corner of the cabin. “I’ve watched the news. Apparently, I’ve been reported as kidnapped by a dangerous alien. Both our faces have been put on the news. Police are looking for us.”
She watched as Ranael threw a dark look at the set. “You don’t want to get too involved.”
“Look, Ranael. I know very well you’ve saved my life. And that you’re right about some of these people out there, wanting to kill me. I get I’m safer with you at the moment. But here’s my problem. You’ve been watching our backs for the past couple of days. We know those guys out there are good enough that they could pick up our trail in the middle of the city. If they were on to us, they would have been here already.”
“You know nothing of war, girl,” Ranael growled. “Now step away.”
“No.”
Ranael growled and stepped forward with a mean smile on his lips. Caitlin swallowed hard but refused to give ground. And suddenly, her back was pressed to the door, her body flush against Ranael’s. She inhaled a shuddering breath even as her center was flooded with warmth and moisture, but she avoided the archon’s searching lips. She buried her head in the crook of his neck.
“For starters,” she whispered, “I want you to explain this.”
“What? This?” Ranael asked as he ground his nascent erection against her. “Well you see, when a male finds himself in close range of an attractive female…”
Caitlin gave her lover a half-hearted punch on the shoulder.
“Why do I react so strongly to you?” she mumbled against the skin of his neck.
“It’s physiological,” came Ranael’s reply, his tone dark and smooth, and Caitlin knew it was affecting him nearly as much as it was her.
The space warrior sighed then took Caitlin’s hands in his, sending a shiver racing down her spine and it settled into a ball of crackling electricity low in her womb.
“We seraph,” Ranael continued, “release quite a higher concentration of sex pheromones than a typical human male.”
“So what? You’re a sex machine?” Caitlin whispered into his ear.
“You could say that, although you seem able to resist me just fine.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Caitlin huffed with a breathy laugh.
She couldn’t resist running her tongue along the skin that taunted her so much. Ranael’s reaction was instant, pressing against her more insistently. Squeezed between the hard wooden door and the warm length of Ranael’s body, Caitlin couldn’t stop the long moan from escaping — even as her right leg moved and hooked itself around his hip in an effort to bring him closer to where she needed him.
“I thought you wanted to talk.”
Caitlin’s moan was one of frustration this time. She made no move to lower her leg, but she didn’t press on with her wanton seduction either. Ranael sighed and picked her up off the floor. He crossed the room in three long strides and dropped onto the couch, Caitlin straddling his lap and facing him. She made no move to change her position at first. She then moved just enough so she could look her lover in the eye.
“So. Seraph? Like an angel?”
“According to our historians, our ancestors visited Earth five or six millennia back. There were several reasons. But the locals considered them messengers of God. And yes, that’s where the origin of your word ‘seraphim’ comes from.”
“Do you have wings then?”
“No,” Ranael laughed. “Although many seraphs can fly through the careful use of kinesis.”
“Can you?”
“No. My talents rest elsewhere.”
Caitlin had seen a small demonstration back in her flat, she supposed. And since Ranael didn’t seem incline to share more about this subject, Caitlin redirected the conversation.
“And the rock? What did you call it again? The ‘Potential’?”
“It’s not really a rock, for starters. More like a cross between a super computer and a power source.”
“And those guys want to kill me because I have it?”
“Yes. And no. A Potential can only work when linked to a living being. The closer the bond, the more power can be released. And once bound, the only sure fire way to free the Potential is for the previous owner to die. Only I think that whoever wants it doesn’t realize what they stand to lose by killing you.”
“What do you mean?”
Ranael paused, regarding the woman sitting on his lap. Caitlin thought he wouldn’t continue but he huffed a long hard breath.
“It is a highly unusual situation you find yourself in. Not unheard of, but still quite bizarre. You see, most of the time, a Potential will be claimed pretty quickly after their owner has passed away…”
“Or has been killed,” Caitlin interjected in a laughing tone, which only drew a dark look from her lover and an answering smile from her.
“I prefer to laugh about it while I can, Ranael. I’m scared enough as it is of what could happen tomorrow.”
“Yes, well… one of the reasons my ancestors came back was the belief that a long unclaimed Potential was somewhere on Earth.”
“Wait. Came back?”
“That’s a different story,” Ranael dismissed with a wave of his hand. “Thing is, it’s not entirely impossible for the Potential to choose a new master.”
“Choose? How? I thought you said the Potential is just a computer?”
“Not ‘just’,” Ranael sighed. “The Potentials are the remnants of a highly developed star empire, more ancient than even the human space civilizations out there.”
Caitlin blinked and made to ask but Ranael waved her question aside before she could even formulate it.
“Suffice to say that humanity was taken to the stars a long time ago and we’ve evolved into more over the ages,” the archon said by way of explanation. “What’s important here is that the Potential chose you. Those things are semi-sentient. They will link with whoever comes along if claimed, but if a better match happens across them they can attempt to attach themselves to that other being.”
“What, so that computer decided it liked the look of me and bound me to it?”
“In a way. But it’s more than that. The Potentials can only offer their full powers to those they match the closest. And they learn as they go along. When I registered your match the first time, it was 98.76%. In and of itself, that’s already incredible.”
“And now?” Caitlin asked with a tremor in her voice.
“Let’s just say that the Potential can no longer find a better match than what it has in you.”
Caitlin took a moment and a deep breath. “And is that good or bad?”
Ranael hesitated and Caitlin grabbed his head to force him to look at her. The archon sighed.
“There are those who, with that knowledge, will seek to enslave you.”
“Enslave…”
“You have no idea what the stories circulate about the powers of the Potentials. Others have them. This one is just one of ten known units. Rumor is, more exist.”
“And what can they do?” Caitlin whispered.
“The greatest match I know of is a seraph by the name of Telantes Conah. Last I’ve heard the wave match between him and his Potential was about 60%. And I have seen that guy level a city with just a thought.”
CHAPTER EIGHT: Love and Duty
Ranael watched Caitlin as she prepared their dinner. He’d been quietly surprised at how well she was taking her current situation. They’d been stuck in this little cabin in the middle of the woods for just over a week now. And she hadn’t tried to run away. She’d also stopped asking questions after what he told her on the
second day. She hadn’t asked about how to use the Potential, not even to protect herself. Ranael thought she may be more than a bit scared of what she would be able to do with it. The archon knew that Caitlin was a sweet young woman with a sunny disposition. Discovering that she probably had enough power to destroy her home world stored in the ‘stone’ of her necklace had frightened her more than she was willing to admit. Sitting at the table, he tried not to worry, but he knew that time was running out for them. Too many odds were stacked against them.
“What’s wrong?”
The space warrior looked up to see Caitlin just standing there, an empty plate in each hand.
“Nothing.”
Ranael saw the Potential glow green for a second. But Caitlin shrugged and put the plates on the table before going back for the cutlery. And the archon sat back in his chair as he observed her. She continued setting the table for them, throwing him a look or two as she went. She then went back to cooking. And Ranael carried on watching her.
He wondered if she knew that she was tapping into the powers of the Potential at times. She had no training — and Ranael was not authorized to change that fact, never mind how much he might want to. But she was learning to get along with her Potential. And she was using some of the basic energy waves already. After all, it was the beginning of winter and they were staying in mountainous territory. And yet, they were not cold. Less than half the wood Ranael had fetched over the first few days of their stay was still by the fireplace, untouched. But the archon had noticed that the Potential around Caitlin’s neck was glowing at pretty regular intervals. In the same way, Caitlin was an intelligent and well-read young woman but most of her knowledge dealt with art and history. Somehow, she had still managed to understand and retain all the information he had imparted to her. And he believed the Potential had done its part in that too.
“Here, taste.”
Ranael looked up as Caitlin shoves her wooden spoon under his nose.
Romance: Yes, Stepbrother! Page 57
