Beyond Blue Frontiers

by Cecilia Randell

  Felix’s eyes widened, and he stiffened, shifting restlessly, like he wanted to run. What was that? “Maybe… not good idea?”

  “You don’t want me to get to know your friend?” Blue wasn’t sure if she was amused or resentful over his reaction, maybe both, but she settled on the first. Seeing the giant mercenary in a near panic over something as simple as a lunch was worth a chuckle or two.

  As he opened his mouth to reply, his comm let off a low ping. His relief was obvious. “This it. We go.”

  “Just have to pay for what I’m wearing. Also, we should get new coats. That was not just an excuse to get out.” If that had been Phillip, he was already gone. No reason to freeze unnecessarily.

  They hurried to pick out new coats for Blue, Forrest, and Levi, who decided he, too, needed something warmer. He picked the brightest thing in the store, though it still wasn’t as bright as his own coat. They also bought the two sets of long johns for Blue.

  Catching the first transport back to the inn, they rode in tense silence. It was a long route, going from the main road in the lower shopping district, over to another that connected to the warehouse district, and finally to the traveler’s section. A trip that should have taken fifteen minutes took over an hour due to the convoluted layout of the streets.

  When they reached the inn, Felix bolted for the entrance. Mo’ata signaled the others to hold back, and they strolled through the common room. Blue kept a tight grip on Garfield. Levi paused and ordered a meal to be sent up.

  Keep it calm, keep it normal. The closer they drew to Felix’s room, the more anxious she became until her skin crawled under the layers of clothes. Some sense told her that had been Phillip, and he had been watching her. The plan had worked.

  But now, that feeling of being watched wouldn’t go away. The crawling became a painful itch as an image of crazy, brown eyes haunted her. Garfield purred in her arms, and it helped, but she still felt… dirty.

  “I’m going to take a quick shower, you guys.” She cut over to her room, barely noting the concerned looks cast her way. She’d just go get cleaned up, then they’d dive into that footage.

  She stripped and jumped into the cleaning unit, setting the mode to water. It had a sonic cleaning, and she’d used that last night, entranced by the novelty. But right now she needed to feel clean, and nothing beat the sensation of water washing away… everything.

  She knew it was silly. Taking a shower just because some guy may have been watching her? It was exactly what they had been going for, the goal of the outing. By the time she switched off the water, she was ready to continue, to tackle the next step.

  Whatever works, right? She pulled on her new long johns and bound her hair back in a sloppy bun. She added the clothes to the pile in the corner and pulled on her last clean set.

  Garfield stretched up and waved a paw at the control for the connecting door. She rapped lightly, then pushed it open. Forrest sat on the bed, feeding Vivi little slivers of meat.

  “Done?” he asked. When she nodded he continued. “Felix started on the surveillance, and he thinks he found a good shot of the guy we spotted earlier. I said I’d wait for you and get the cubs fed.”

  When Garfield and Vivi had had their fill and were tucked away for a nap, Blue and Forrest headed across the hall. Felix, Mo’ata, and Levi sat around a small table, plates of food and pitchers of water spread over it. Two empty chairs were pulled up to one end. It was crowded, but the significance was not lost on her. They were including her and Forrest.

  One of the comms, propped up against a glass, projected an image at the wall. Despite the rough setup, it was clear. Phillip.

  He looked awful. His face was pale and his hair was wild. She couldn’t see his eyes very well—the shot was from too far away—but they looked sunken. He wore clothes similar to those they’d seen on the warehouse and factory workers.

  “It’s him.” Forrest’s voice was tight. Blue’s heart ached for him.

  Felix nodded and bent back over the comm. “I look more.” His food sat untouched next to him, a small curl of steam rising from it.

  She drifted closer, watching the images as they flashed by, and came to a halt near Felix. A tug on her sleeve pulled her away and over to the chairs saved at the other end of the table. “Come on, time to eat,” Mo’ata said.

  She sat and took a few bites. Felix continued to skim through the images, ignoring his meal.

  “Felix.” She waited until he looked over. “Eat.” They needed all the clues they could get, but she didn’t want him to neglect himself either.

  He didn’t say anything but wore a grin as he pulled the plate closer.

  As they waited, Blue thought about everything that had happened so far. It had mostly been traveling and waiting and shopping—the shopping she didn’t mind—but it wasn’t what she’d expected. Before, everyone else had worked to find her friends and stop the kidnappings, and she’d tried to stay out of the way. Now, she and Forrest were helping, being kept in the loop. It was a lot less exciting than she’d thought it would be.

  “Is this how all your missions go?”

  “What do you mean?” Mo’ata shifted his attention to her.

  “I don’t know, I just expected there to be more fighting and spy stuff.”

  “What do you know about fighting and spy stuff?” Forrest asked, teasing.

  “About as much as you,” she shot back.

  “Are you always like this with each other?” Mo’ata drew their attention.

  Blue widened her eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.” Then she shot her tongue out at Forrest, startling a laugh out of Mo’ata. “Really, though, is this how they go?”

  “Each is different, but if you are asking if there is usually so much sitting and… watching, then, yes. A lot of the work we do is information gathering.” He tapped a finger on the table in front of the mercenary. “Felix, do you want one of us to take over? I would still like you to talk to the innkeeper, see what he knows. It may just be that he recognized the Faust name, but it may be more.”

  Felix grunted. “Almost done. Then go down.” He didn’t move his gaze from the screen.

  “Anything I can do?” Forrest asked, and Blue nodded in agreement. She would love a specific task.

  Mo’ata rapped his fingers against the table, his brows pulling together. “No, not yet. You have both already been a big help. I admit, I do not think we would have gotten as far as we have if you had not been with us. We would still be lurking around in shops and the guard stations, looking for any word of suspicious people.”

  “Yes. Sora give more than think. She like Blue.” Felix tapped the screen of his comm a few more times then sat back. “Done.”

  A new image popped up, from the same angle as the first, of a figure leaving the doorway they’d seen Phillip in and heading down the road. Felix paused the video, then pointed to another figure, this one small with a blue scarf over her head. Dread filled Blue as Felix started the video again.

  They watched Phillip follow the girl, who must be Gabriella, down the street. They moved out of range, and Felix paused it. “We no have more.” He switched to Common, then, frustration in his voice.

  Mo’ata translated. “The camera for the area they moved to was malfunctioning, so we can’t see what happened next. As you saw, Sora sent not only the recordings from today but also the ones from the day of Gabriella’s death. If we’re right, Phillip used the same doorway both days. We can not tell where he went from there, but it is a place to start.” He spoke again in Common, this time to Levi, who nodded and rose. Levi stopped in front of Blue, gave a small bow, then left.

  Blue sent Mo’ata a questioning look. “He is going to investigate the area.” He looked at the four of them and sighed. “I wish we could call in more people.”

  “Why can’t you?” It hadn’t occurred to her, but if they simply needed to search until they found Phillip or Etu, it would definitely be easier with more feet on the ground.

 
“It is not my decision. Felix and I are… on loan. To Levi and the Prizzoli.”

  “Forrest and I can help. Two more sets of eyes out on the street.”

  “We have talked about this.” He crossed his arms and leaned back, partially blocking the projected image, its light winking off the metal fastenings of his coat. “No. I will not allow it.”

  She clenched her teeth at his domineering tone. Baby steps, Blue. Baby steps.

  Forrest didn’t let it go. Cough. “Asshole.” Cough.

  “Idiot,” he shot back.

  Felix’s gaze darted between the three of them. “I need agree with… asshole, on this.” He focused on Blue, who worked to suppress her grin. “I help. We practice knife.” He tilted his head until he could look Forrest in the eyes. “We practice too.”

  “Dude, major brownie points for that one,” Forrest said, then sent a smirk to Mo’ata.

  Blue spoke up before things deteriorated further. “Mo’ata is correct. We have a lot of learning still to do. And we have time. Well, not for this, but for future operations.” Mo’ata’s eyes widened, and his arms tensed against his chest. Ha. “We’ll do patrols then. You know, after we’ve learned the language and proven we can hold our own in a fight.”

  “Ass…hole…” Forrest whispered.

  A corner of his mouth ticked, and he relaxed, sitting forward and propping his forearms on the table. “Agreed.”

  “I go down now, then out.” Felix stood and moved to Blue, bending down to pet her. She didn’t quite have it in her to play their game, but she did smile up at him.

  “Be careful, okay?”

  He patted her one more time and took off. Her eyes followed him out the door. She really did want to be out there tracking down Phillip. She looked to where Forrest sat, also looking toward the door. This must be even harder on him.

  “I need to go as well.” Mo’ata stood. “Please return to the room across the hall and do not leave. I am trusting you to stay there. We need to know you both remain safe.”

  He pulled out their comms and quickly reviewed how to send and play voice messages. “I will try to check in with you, but do not worry if I do not. I will most likely be in an area where I need to remain silent.”

  He turned away and was almost to the door when Blue rose. “Wait.” She hurried to stand before him. After only a slight hesitation, she reached up and pulled his head down, raising up on her toes to meet his lips with hers. After the first press of their lips his own parted. She matched him, allowing their tongues to touch. She tried to put everything she was feeling into that kiss. Her frustration, her fear. Her desire for this to work with them, her longing to have him near her. And her need for him to come back safe.

  She pulled back, and Mo’ata rested his forehead against hers. He was breathing heavily, and Blue realized she was as well, taking in deep gulps of air. Finally, he touched his lips to hers once more and turned away, walking out the door and down the hall without a word.

  “Wow.” Forrest, who also hadn’t made a sound, moved to her side.

  She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t read the expression she saw there. “You okay?”

  “You’re asking me that?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “I’m gonna call ‘coconut.’ Maybe even ‘octopus.’ I need a kiss like that.”

  Blue laughed and grabbed his hand. “Come on, let’s get back across the hall and check on the kids.”

  “I’m not kidding Blue. ‘Coconut, coconut, coconut.’ Seriously.”

  Forrest allowed her to pull him along. Once they were back in their rooms, Blue collapsed on her bed, where the cubs found her, climbing up and snuggling in.

  “Blue?” Forrest stood in the connection doorway.

  “Yeah?”

  “I really wasn’t kidding.”

  “I know. Get over here.”

  Forrest, careful to shift Vivi out of his way, climbed into the bed with her. They turned onto their sides, and he pulled her in until her back was snuggled tight against his chest, his arm firmly around her waist.

  She needed to be the one to start. “It’s weird. We’ve talked about this. Well, it’s more like we half talked about this. I’m so used to you being right there, right beside me. I love you. I’ve said it before, but I really love you, Forrest. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.” Blue stared at the wall opposite her. Beside them, the cubs stilled. Gathering her courage, she continued. “I just don’t know how to… break through whatever it is that’s sitting between us. I’ve gone a year without kissing you, without really touching you in… that way. I don’t know how to start.” She blinked, feeling a tear slide out of the corner of her eye. Where it came from, she didn’t know.

  Behind her, Forrest relaxed, further molding his body around hers. “You kissed me back at the camp.”

  “I know. And it was a relief to finally do it.”

  She felt the rumble of his laugh. “You’re telling me.” He moved, pulling back just enough to roll Blue onto her back. The cubs grumbled and made their way to the end of the mattress. He looked down at her, his expression soft but eager. “I think we just need to practice.”

  “You just want an excuse to kiss me.”

  “Well, yeah. That’s kind of the point. But I don’t want to need an excuse to kiss you, Blue. I just want to kiss you and, when you’re ready, more.” His voice lowered on the last word to almost a growl. Forrest’s eyes, their bright blue drilling into her, held a heat that she’d not seen until now. Had he been suppressing this part of himself?

  His head lowered to hers, and she trembled. He partially covered her, his lips a bare inch from her own. He held himself there, waiting, until she couldn’t take it and closed the gap.

  Kiss two. Not that she was counting, but this was a relief in its own way. The first kiss had been special. It was the first.

  This was just as special because it showed her these feelings weren’t only the anticipation and suspense. No, this was all Forrest.

  She burrowed closer to him, wanting no space between them. She embraced him, alternately caressing and pulling him close. She worked one hand under his shirt, loving the feel of his warm skin against her.

  Forrest was propped up on one elbow with one hand buried in her hair and the other kneading her side. She pulled back, gasping in a breath, hating the need to breathe. It must be a design flaw. As he moved his mouth down her neck, he alternated small bites and licks with kisses. A small portion of her mind wondered where this had come from, this heat, but she knew. They had both been holding back so much.

  “Forrest. Oh God.” She moved her hand up to clench his neck, holding his head to her.

  He chuckled, then groaned. “Are there no seams on this damn thing?”

  Only then did Blue realize he had been trying to get the long johns off her, and she came back to herself, just a little. She pushed on his shoulder, and he froze.

  “Blue?”

  “I think that’s enough practice for now.” She hated that her voice shook.

  He took a breath and moved off her, cautious. “You okay?”

  The heat from earlier was gone, replaced by concern and maybe a little regret. She reached up to cup his cheek. “Oh, I am peachy-keen fine. I’m just not sure I’m ready for the… rest. We should definitely keep practicing, though.”

  Forrest grinned. “Oh, I’m up for practice whenever you want.”

  It took her a moment, then she felt the blood rush to her cheeks and lower. She slapped his arm and pushed him off her all the way. “Hush.”

  They lay there together, Forrest playing with her hair. It was a comfortable silence.

  “Why don’t you go get ready for bed. Then… maybe you can come back? I’ve gotten used to my cuddles at night.”

  Forrest tugged her hair. “Oh, I noticed.”

  “Jealous?” Blue’s tone was light, playful. A little teasing would be good at this point.

  “Oh, terribly. And I’m n
ot above taking advantage of that clansman’s absence to get my own cuddles in.”

  She gave him a nudge. “Then go get ready and get back here.”

  He eyed her long johns-turned-pajamas. “Are you going to change?”

  “It’s this or nothing. I have to figure out how to do some laundry.” She frowned. “Damn, I forgot to ask about that.”

  “Nothing?” The heat returned to Forrest’s eyes.

  The blood rushed to her face, and she swallowed. “I’m thinking clothes are a good idea right now.”

  Forrest laughed, but the heat was still there. He gave her a quick kiss, then bounded out of the bed. A bare minute later he was back, wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants that didn’t smell too bad, and climbed in next to her. She snuggled back, ignoring the firm length she could feel against her back, and closed her eyes. The small weights of their cub-babies nestled close, and Blue let the comfort of having Forrest beside her sweep away the weariness and stress, sliding into sleep.

  Chapter 9

  ETU

  Etu slammed his hand down on the table, catching that idiot Phillip’s attention. If the crystal hadn’t managed to connect to this fool, he would have left the kid behind long ago. Unfortunately, he needed him now. He couldn’t even kill him; things had gotten to the point that the crystal wouldn’t let him.

  He’d tried once to use the traitorous thing since they’d found this boy, and it was not an experience to repeat. The crystal had rebelled, reversing the flow of energy so that it was draining Etu, and he’d had to hand the task off to Phillip.

  Phillip jumped, and his eyes shot to Etu. The shadowed room they were staying in was filled with the scent of unwashed bodies and stale food. He’d been trying to remain undetected in this city, far from the prying eyes of the Order and the agent he knew the Elders must have sent. Now, Phillip had ruined that.

  “Do you know what you’ve done?” Etu’s teeth were clenched so hard he could barely get the words out.