Mage

by Cyndi Friberg

  “There’s no one special in my life. I would never indicate my interest in one female while I was involved with another.” He reached over and ran his index finger along her arm. “I am very attracted to you. If you’re reconsidering your position on romantic relationships, I would be happy to explore our options.”

  For half a second she pictured herself in his arms, supported by his strength, surrounded by warmth and affection. Then she dragged her gaze away and shook her head. “The chaos thing is real. All of my relationships have been train wrecks. You seem like a really nice guy. You don’t deserve what would happen to you if we indulged this attraction.”

  His sensual chuckle drew her gaze back to him. “I am not afraid of a little chaos. In fact, I welcome the challenge.”

  Chapter Three

  Vox watched emotions scroll across Emily’s face. It was doubtful she meant to be so transparent, but he found her incredibly easy to read. The attraction was mutual, and yet she was afraid. They’d just met, so he had to assume she was reacting to something that happened earlier in her life. She hadn’t been afraid when she realized he was an “alien” or when he’d successfully teleported with her. This was more intimate, more personal. Someone, perhaps more than one person, had hurt her badly. But through some twist of reasoning, she blamed herself.

  “The chaos is starting already,” she warned. “Don’t you think it’s strange that the first time you teleport alone with me, you lose control of the vortex? You said that hasn’t happened for years.”

  Her conclusion was so absurd, it made him smile. “I lost control because I didn’t want to admit I was too weak to continue. I wanted to impress you, not strand you in the wilderness. Besides, that wasn’t the first time I teleported with you. It was the third. The first two times were flawless.”

  “Maybe, but it’s still typical of the sorts of things that happen whenever I get involved with someone.”

  His smile broadened and the need to touch her grew into an overwhelming urge. Carefully, he reached over and took her hand. “Are we involved?” As he feared, she pulled her hand away, but that one moment of skin on skin was worth her annoyance.

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She stood and brushed the grass off her pants. Even the mannish garb couldn’t conceal her feminine curves or the grace in her movements. “Do you want more raspberries or should we look for something else?”

  “What I really need is meat,” he admitted. “Will you be offended if I hunt?”

  “Death is part of life. It’s impossible to ignore that fact while one is studying apex predators. I have no problem with hunting to survive. It’s trophy hunters, and needless slaughter, that pisses me off.” Then her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head. “Are you going to build a snare or do you have a knife tucked inside your boot?”

  “I seldom bother with conventional weapons. Generally, I have more efficient ways of defending myself or accomplishing my goals.”

  “Aren’t those options offline at the moment?”

  “The food I ate at Stargazer Ranch has finally kicked in. I don’t want to squander the energy, but I can spare enough to locate game and provide meat for our meal.”

  “Any chance you can locate some sort of shelter while you’re at it?” She looked at the hazy sky with obvious trepidation. “Even a lean-to is almost impossible to construct without a few rudimentary tools.”

  “I will see what I can find. Would you mind gathering some more of those berries? Once I got used to the unfamiliar flavor, they were really quite enjoyable.”

  “Happy to oblige.”

  His gaze lingered on her flushed face. What was it about this human that drew him so powerfully? She wasn’t the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. She was just interesting and unique. He wanted to know her better. “I will meet you back here as soon as I find dinner.”

  “I might scout around a bit, but I’ll stay within shouting distance.”

  He frowned, not wanting her to wander around alone. She clearly understood the dangers of this environment. Still, she was human, and female. His culture, his training, even his instincts demanded that he protect her. And yet, he had no claim over this female, so he had no right to object to her actions. Instead of starting a fight, he nodded and jogged off into the trees, determined to finish his tasks as quickly as possible.

  A wealth of information was carried on air currents if one knew how to interpret them. Conserving his energy as much as possible, Vox drew air into his lungs. He could smell water on the pine-scented breeze, but he sank deeper, allowing his gift to decipher other scents, subtler information. It didn’t take long to locate a creature of adequate size to feed him and Emily, yet not so large as to be wasteful. Using a concentrated pulse of energy, he instantaneously ended the creature’s life before it even realized it was in danger. Preparing the animal was tricky without a blade, but Vox seared a large enough hole through the pelt to start the gruesome process. Once he’d stripped the carcass and removed the entrails, he incinerated all of the nonedible parts and found a stick with which to skewer the meat.

  Satisfied with his efforts, he returned to the stream and quickly washed his hands. Emily was not in sight, so he scanned the area. She wasn’t far away, which allowed him to relax enough to scan farther afield. Again, he kept his scan simple, utilizing as little energy as possible. He sensed a structure to the west and started to analyze it. No. They could hike over and find out what it was without burning through precious energy.

  He was about to call out to Emily when she returned on her own.

  “I hope you had better luck than me. There’s nothing around but more hills and more trees.”

  He held up his prize. “Dinner, as promised. And I might have found shelter for the night. There’s some sort of building a moderate distance in that direction.”

  She accepted his statement with a nod and they started off toward the mystery structure. They hadn’t gone far before her curiosity engaged again. “When you’re at full strength, how far can you sense things like that?”

  “Bilarrians call it scanning, and as with any search it’s more effective if you search for something specific.”

  She glanced at him then away. “That didn’t answer my question. Can you scan for a few yards or a few miles?”

  “At full strength, I can accurately scan for several hundred miles. Scanning is one of my secondary abilities. Those whose primary element is air are much stronger. My mother, for instance, has scanned things on other planets. But then many of her abilities are unusual.”

  They crested a hill and he spotted the structure in the narrow valley below. “Damn,” he muttered. The building was nothing more than a dilapidated shack. One section of the roof had caved in and the rest looked like it wasn’t far behind. However, a stone chimney protruded from the intact portion of the roof. Maybe they could still use the fireplace. “I’m not sure it’s habitable.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Rather than heading straight for the door, she went to the front window, which was remarkably unbroken. “The support beams over here still look all right.” She tested the stability of the wall by shoving against the aged logs. “Not bad. If we stay away from the cave in, I think we’ll be all right.”

  Vox wasn’t so easily convinced. He handed her their dinner and carefully opened the door. The inside of the cabin was gloomy and smelled faintly musty, but Emily was right about the roof. A thick support beam dissected the room and all of the crossbeams that had given out were on the far side of the cabin. The floor was dirt, but the stone fireplace was a definite temptation.

  “I say we risk it.” She moved up beside him and gazed inside.

  The warmth of her body sank through his clothes and he shivered. “Let me do one more check, then we’ll settle in. All right?”

  “Fair enough.”

  He quickly found a branch long enough to test the roof and took it inside. The cross beams on the left side of the cabin were still so
lid, so he motioned her to join him. There was a bare bedframe, an overturned table with a broken leg and four three-legged stools. “Not much in the way of amenities, but it will help block out the wind. Have a seat and I’ll go gather some firewood.”

  She walked to the fireplace and set the skewer down in the scorched iron bracket clearly meant for that purpose. “Or I can come with you.”

  “I welcome the company, but you need to stop using that arm. Your wrist is horribly swollen.”

  “I admit it has felt better.” And still she held her injured arm close to her body and followed him back out into the yard. Stubborn female.

  He picked up fallen branches for a time, then found a dead tree and broke off the rest of what they would need for the night. In the end, Emily had to help carry some of the wood, but she did her best not to use her injured hand. His strength had returned enough for him to heal her, but it would delay their departure. Still, he should give her the option. She really did look like she was in pain.

  Back inside the cabin, he arranged a small pile of kindling then ignited it with several sparks.

  “That’s handy.” Her smile was tight and purple smudges now shadowed her eyes.

  He fed sticks into the flames, then larger pieces of wood, and finally a couple of branches. The hungry flames lapped at his offering, quickly expanding into a crackling fire. Satisfied that the fire was not in danger of sputtering out, he turned to Emily. “Let me see your wrist.” Reluctantly, she held out her injured arm. “I’m not a strong healer, but I can at least back off your pain.”

  She tried to retract her arm, but he curled his fingers around her elbow and kept her arm resting on top of his. “You’re trying to build up your energy. Don’t waste it on me,” she objected.

  “It’s not wasted. You are not going to spend the entire night in pain.” Before she could argue with his decision, he ran his free hand from her wrist to elbow, saturating the area with healing pulses.

  “It tingles,” she whispered.

  “That’s normal.” He increased the intensity as he hovered over her swollen wrist. He wanted to do more than ease her pain, but he didn’t dare use that much energy. “Does that feel better?”

  “Yes, much.”

  He shot her an impatient look. She’d answered too quickly and with too much conviction, so he continued to heal her until the swelling began to subside.

  “Enough.” She snatched her arm away. “It really does feel better now. Let’s not undo all we’ve accomplished.”

  He let her go, reluctantly agreeing with her point. If he healed her completely, they could be stranded here for days. A wicked impulse sparked inside him. She was comfortable here and he had her all to himself. Maybe being stranded wasn’t such a bad idea.

  Forcing aside the temptation, he turned back to the fireplace. “Let’s get busy on dinner. I’m famished.” He built up the fire until heat radiated outward and a steady wall of flame danced just below their meal.

  “Don’t suppose you know what that was?” She stood beside him, arms crossed, hands rubbing her upper arms.

  “I was not familiar with the creature. It had long ears and very soft fur.”

  “Sounds like a rabbit.” She looked at the carcass more closely. “Yeah, the body shape fits.”

  He arranged two of the stools before the fire and motioned her toward one. “Fire roasting might be healthy, but it takes time. We’re going to have to entertain each other.”

  “My pockets are full of raspberries. If I sit down, I’ll smash them.”

  “Grab another stool,” he suggested.

  She did and smacked it against the hearthstone to dislodge as much of the grime as possible. “What I’d give for a basket, even a napkin.”

  He looked at the filthy surface and nodded. “We just won’t eat the bottom layer.”

  With no help for it, she carefully unloaded her pockets onto the stool. Then she sat and extended her hands toward the fire. The sun hadn’t fully set, but already the temperature was dropping. “What do you suggest for entertainment? I’m not good with people, remember?”

  The insult narrowed his gaze. Why did she persist with this nonsense? She had no trouble talking to him and he was impressed with her competence and ingenuity. But then, this was the secluded environment she preferred. Her behavior would likely be different if they were surrounded by people.

  Thinking of the people who should have been surrounding them made Vox think of Rachel and Lexie. “I’m going to update Rachel. Give me a moment and then I’ll entertain you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He accepted her answer with a nod, then shifted his gaze to the fire. Distances were hard to judge when it came to telepathic communication. The ease of connection and clarity of thought had more to do with the participants’ abilities than their locations. Still, he scanned as he searched for Rachel, determined to gage the area separating them.

  Her mind accepted his signal with a surge of relief. Vox, thank the gods. Are you still doing all right?

  We’re good. He cringed at the exaggeration, but worrying Rachel and Lexie served no purpose. We’ve located food and a crude shelter that should suffice for a few hours or even the night.

  Half of Tandori Tribe will be here in the morning to start a grid search for you. Can you give us any idea where we should start?

  Don’t give up on me so easily. I’m still confident a couple of hours of sleep and a protein-rich meal will solve our problems for us. I suspect the search party will not be necessary.

  If you’re back by morning, I’ll feed them all a good breakfast and send them home. No harm, no foul. I’m not calling them off.

  Her tenacity made him smile. How is Lexie holding up?

  Kaden is here now, so she’s doing better.

  The couple was newly bonded. Kaden undoubtedly had all sorts of ways of distracting his human mate. I’m glad. Try not to worry. We really are doing well.

  Oh, I almost forgot. Tell Emily that Lexie was able to contact the two men Emily works with. They were told she had a family emergency and flew back to the States for at least a week. We figured we didn’t need people on two continents worried sick about her.

  Good call. Did they believe her?

  Lexie seemed satisfied with their reaction. Rachel paused and Vox was about to end the conversation when she added, Get some sleep and get back here. We’ve all had enough adventure for one night.

  I’ll do my very best. He pinched off the connection and turned back to his pensive companion. “I told her we’ve found food and shelter, and asked them not to worry.”

  “Lexie doesn’t worry about things. She goes on crusades. If we don’t return soon, she’ll have the National Guard out looking for us.”

  “Rachel has Tandori Tribe ready to search the entire state come sunrise. Hopefully, we’ll be back in time to head off the overreaction. She also said Lexie got ahold of Larry and Stan. Apparently, she told them you had a family emergency and would likely be gone for at least a week.”

  “Sounds like Lexie. She’s always planning ahead.” Emily sounded annoyed rather than relieved.

  “She didn’t want them to worry.”

  “I know. She also wanted to explain my absence while I’m at Lunar Nine. When Lexie wants something, she can be ruthless about getting it.”

  Wanting to keep the conversation light and positive, he asked, “How did you meet Lexie?” He arranged himself on the other stool, having to spread his thighs wide to accommodate his long legs.

  “We’re cousins. My mother and her father were brother and sister.”

  “Then you have been close your entire lives?”

  Her head moved subtly from side to side. “Off and on.”

  “Do you have siblings?” He reached over and carefully rotated the rabbit. Fire wouldn’t hurt him if he shielded his flesh, but—despite all of the exceptions—he was trying to conserve energy.

  She shook her head. “It was just me and Mom. That’s on
e of the reasons I spent so much time with Lexie, Connie and Libby. We had frequent sleepovers as kids, but sort of lost touch in our teens. I’m two years older than Lexie, so she seemed really immature in high school. Connie and Libby are even younger.” She smiled as she stared into the fire, clearly lost in memories.

  “What made you smile?”

  “Lexie has always been more outgoing than me, but I had a car and was old enough to drive. We both had a crush on this guy named Victor. As usual, Lexie got his attention first.”

  “But you lured him away with your automobile?”

  She nodded then looked at him. “That was the one and only time I was able to steal a boy away from her.”

  Again insecurity threaded through her words and it made his chest ache for her. She was lovely, but clearly didn’t see the beauty she possessed. He reached over and brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “How often did you try? Males can be vain and self-absorbed. We love attention and tend to respond to anyone willing to give it to us.”

  “I’m not good at that sort of thing.” She didn’t jerk away from his touch, but her gaze shifted back to the fire.

  He sighed and lowered his arm. If she kept up this self-deprecating attitude he was going to have to kiss her senseless, and he really didn’t want to introduce intimacy until they knew each other better. He had no doubt they would be intimate. Their attraction was simply too real. But he was willing to bide his time, wait until she felt more comfortable with him, and more comfortable with the thought of being close to someone.

  Rather than risk her complete emotional shutdown, he chose a less personal topic. “Lexie told me you have worked together before. Tell me about that.”

  She immediately perked up. “I graduated from high school two years before Lexie, but we crossed paths again in college. We were both interested in photography and the age difference didn’t seem as glaring. We were in different photography classes, but had the same instructor, so it gave us a common ground.”