“Really?” Sarah’s eyes widened. “What happened?”
“They grew too quickly and used resources which harmed their environment,” Sazar told her. “Those in power were warned but they were greedy and willfully ignorant. They refused to take heed until it was too late. Eventually their world reached a point of no return—their ice caps melted and the entire planet was submerged.”
“So…they evolved to live in the water? Wouldn’t that take time?” Sarah frowned again.
“This was not a natural evolution.” Sazar gestured at the males on the vid. “Their scientists developed a gene therapy which allowed them to draw oxygen from the water much in the same way fish do. They were able to survive in their new environment both on land and in the sea.”
“Wow, amazing.” Sarah’s lovely hazel eyes shone with excitement. “You know, I used to go to the library and read books about different cultures and exotic people but I never thought I’d get to meet anyone outside my own little circle in the—.” She stopped abruptly.
“In the Compound?” Sazar raised an eyebrow at her. Little by little she was letting tidbits about her past drop. It sounded extremely restrictive—who ever heard of a religion where swimming was forbidden? He wondered if she’d had to sneak away to the library—it didn’t sound like this Compound place where she’d been would allow or encourage the seeking of knowledge.
Sarah flushed, her pale cheeks getting pink.
“Well, yes. So do the Alquons live underwater most of the time?” she asked quickly. “Or do they spend more time in their indoor dry areas and just go out into the ocean occasionally?”
“As to that, I’m not entirely certain. I only know that the Alquon Minister of Cultural Studies has promised me that we will be given dry facilities to stay in.”
“Okay, that’s good enough for me.” Sarah nodded. “So where are the women—the females?” she asked, nodding at the vid. “Do they look like mermaids too?”
Sazar shook his head. “I’m not sure what they look like. The only vids I was sent are all like these. They appear to be prominent males discussing Alquon culture and laws.”
Sarah remembered that Kat had also complained the only vids she could get of Alquon fashion were all males and no females.
“Discussing it for hours on end, huh?” she murmured. “Not exactly must-see TV is it?”
“It’s not very exciting,” Sazar admitted. “But I couldn’t exactly ask for their most salacious entertainment—I had to take what was given.”
“Oh no—it’s fine,” Sarah said quickly. “I just wish we could see their version of a soap opera or a drama with both men and women. It would be nice to know what I’m supposed to act like once we get there.”
“You’ll act as though you were my mate or my pair partner as they are called on Alquon Ultrea,” Sazar told her. “The Minister specified that they do not allow singles to visit their communities—obviously this is something I hope to change their mind about if we are to make a genetic trade with them. A single Kindred male cannot call a female from a society where he is forbidden to come alone to see her.”
“That would seem to pose a problem,” Sarah mused. “So is that the only reason we’re going—so the Kindred can, uh, do a trade with them?”
“No—I’m also hoping to see if they have any technology or weapons we can copy to use against the Hive. Have you heard of them?”
“Kat told me a little.” Sarah’s face was pale. “Giant insects who want to abduct Earth girls and do awful things to them, right?”
“Essentially,” Sazar said grimly. “Any new weapon we can find to use against them will help.”
“Then we have to make sure we don’t blow our cover,” Sarah said firmly. “And for now we’re pretending we’re a, uh, a couple, right?”
Sazar nodded. “On Alquon, almost everyone is paired off at a very young age. It is imperative that they believe you are my partner.”
Sarah’s cheeks got pink again but she nodded.
“Yes, Commander.”
Sazar frowned. “You’ll have to stop calling me by my title, I’m afraid. You will call me simply ‘Sazar’ and I will call you ‘Sarah.’ Is that acceptable?”
“It’s…” She got even pinker. “It’s just fine. It’ll feel kind of funny to call my boss by his first name but I can manage…Sazar.”
Hearing her name on his lips did something strange inside his chest. No one had called him by his first name without ‘Commander’ in front of it in so long…so very long. It felt right to hear Sarah speak his name. It was…intimate.
Sazar wished he could take her hand or pull her into his lap again as he had the night before but she wasn’t dizzy so he had no excuse to hold her.
He contented himself with reaching over and brushing a strand of her long brown hair which had escaped from her bun out of her eyes. Her cheek was hot against his fingertips and he couldn’t miss the way her breathing suddenly quickened but she didn’t pull away. In fact, for just a moment, she nuzzled against him and her big eyes turned up to his.
Gods… Sazar found he couldn’t stop looking at her—their eyes were locked and he was aching to taste her sweet lips again. He knew Sarah felt the same—he could tell it by the way the warm, feminine scent of her desire suddenly filled the small cabin of the shuttle.
She feels it too. Last night wasn’t just a fluke. She desires me as I desire her.
He had to shift in his seat as his shaft hardened in his flight leathers.
“Commander…I mean, Sazar,” she whispered, nibbling her lush lower lip indecisively. “I…I’m supposed to ask you something but I don’t know how to do it.”
“You are?” he murmured, picking up on her uncertainty. “What is it, Sarah? Just ask.”
“It…it has to do with another Earth legend. Like the mermaids?”
The idea of the half human-half fish people she’d talked about turned his attention back to the Alquons and the mission they were supposed to be on. The one which didn’t allow for personal feelings or inappropriate contact with his subordinate.
Sazar had been leaning over, cupping Sarah’s cheek. Now he straightened up and cleared his throat.
“You do seem to have a lot of legends. Which one is this?” he asked, trying to sound more businesslike again.
“It’s…about Christmas,” she said hesitantly. “Do you think we’ll be back in time to celebrate it on the Mother Ship?”
“Christmas?” Sazar shook his head. “I’m not sure, to be honest. That’s your festival of giving, correct? Somewhat analogous to the Kindred Winter Solstice celebration?”
“It’s more than that,” Sarah said earnestly. “It’s a religious holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ. But there are also many legends and traditions associated with it. Like Santa Clause.”
“Santa Clause? What is that?” Sazar shook his head. “I moved to the Mother Ship just after the Christmas festival concluded last cycle so I’m afraid I’m not well acquainted with your holiday customs.”
“Not what—who. Santa Clause is this fat, jolly old man who dresses up in a red and white fur suit. He comes around on Christmas Eve, goes down the chimney, and leaves presents for all the good girls and boys of the world as they sleep. When they wake up on Christmas morning, they come downstairs and rip into the packages he leaves to see what they got.”
“Hmm…” To Sazar it sounded bizarre and not remotely logical. “How can one elderly overweight male get to every house in the world to leave presents in a single night?” he demanded. “Also, if he is overweight, how does he fit down the chimneys of the respective houses? And what about the domiciles which have no chimneys?
“He flies through the sky in a sleigh pulled by eight tiny flying reindeer,” Sarah said, with a completely straight face. “And don’t worry about the chimney thing—he manages.”
“This legend gets stranger and more implausible all the time,” Sazar complained. “How are the deer able to fly? Are they somehow genet
ically modified to take flight? Or is there some kind of motor in the sleigh?”
“No, no—it’s magic.” Sarah was laughing now and Sazar found that the corners of his own mouth were twitching though he didn’t really understand why.
“Magic? There is no such thing,” he said, trying not to laugh.
“There is at Christmas. Look—I know it sounds crazy but it’s all part of our legend and traditions.”
“And everyone on Earth believes in this ‘Christmas magic?’” Sazar demanded.
“Well, almost every country has some version of Christmas and their own way of celebrating but I’m telling you about what I grew up with. There’s so much that goes into it—trimming a Christmas tree…stuffing stockings…drinking eggnog… baking Christmas cookies, and oh…so many other things.”
Her eyes lit up at what Sazar thought must be memories of Christmases past and he couldn’t help thinking again how devastatingly lovely she was. She was made all the more beautiful by the fact that she clearly didn’t understand her own appeal.
“It sounds…enjoyable, if somewhat strange,” he admitted. “So I take it you do not wish to miss this celebration and you’re hoping our mission will end in time for us to get back to the Mother Ship so you can celebrate there?”
“Well, not exactly…” She bit her lower lip again. “I don’t mind being away for Christmas—I haven’t had a really good one since I was a kid before my parents entered The Brotherhood and we went to live at the Compound but—”
“Wait.” Sazar held up a hand to stop her. “You told me you worked for The Brotherhood of Peace from the age of eighteen, correct?”
“Yes.” She looked away. “But my parents actually joined The Brotherhood when I was twelve. My best memories of Christmas are before that.” She smiled. “My dad used to dress up like Santa and let me ‘catch’ him leaving presents out on Christmas Eve. And Mom and I always had to make double chocolate chip cookies to leave out for Santa because those were my dad’s favorite.”
Sazar sensed that yet again she was changing the subject but he decided to let her…for now.
He frowned. “I thought Santa was a mythical person. Why did your father dress up like him?”
“Because Christmas is for kids,” Sarah said earnestly. “And that’s what I really wanted to ask you about. See…” She cleared her throat but just then a voice from the viewscreen interrupted her.
“Commander Sazar of the Kindred, this is Alquon Ultrea Landing Control. We have your ship within tracking distance of our planet.”
“Yes, of course.” Sazar quickly turned off the Alquon vid which had been playing all this time, allowing the speaker to be seen on the viewscreen instead. A male—younger than the ones they had been watching—was speaking to them. He had vivid aquamarine eyes which almost seemed to glow.
“You are cleared for landing. A platform is being raised for your ship on the southeast quadrant of the planet,” the male said. “Minister Obglod will meet you and escort you to your quarters.”
“We will be there momentarily,” Sazar promised.
“Understood.” The male’s glowing eyes flickered from Sazar to Sarah and a slight frown creased his pale green features. “Forgive me for asking, but are these the clothing you and your pair partner intend to wear?”
“Well…we do have Alquon clothing with us,” Sarah said, answering since the male on the viewscreen was looking at her. “We can change before we go out to meet the Minister.”
“I recommend you do so. Proper attire is of the utmost importance—especially if you are to meet our ruler, The Lord Magnate. And I do believe you might have that honor.”
“Duly noted. Thank you for taking the time to tell us. Under no circumstances do we wish to give offense,” Sazar said.
The male nodded shortly.
“Alquon Ultrea welcomes you.”
Then the screen went abruptly blank.
“All right.” Sarah took a deep breath. “I guess it’s time to see what Kat packed us. If it looks anything like what those guys were wearing on the video you showed me, you’re going to look spectacular and I’ll look like a bundle of old clothes.”
“I very much doubt that,” Sazar murmured. Though her interview outfit of the day before hadn’t been very becoming, he now believed that no clothing, no matter how unsuitable, could hide her beauty. He still wondered how he could have missed it before…and he wished he could stop thinking about it now.
Keep your mind on the mission, he told himself. That’s what matters now. Do your job and forget about this inappropriate attraction.
He just hoped he could take his own advice.
Chapter Eight
I was right, Sarah thought, eyeing the big Kindred appreciatively. He looks amazing in the Alquon clothes. But then, he’d probably look amazing in anything.
Sazar was dressed in a pair of loose, silky black trousers and a long, flowing robe of the same color that opened at the front, leaving his muscular chest bare. There was an edge of deep red trim around the robe, almost the same color as the uniform shirt he usually wore, which made his tan skin seem to glow and set off his pale eyes perfectly.
Sarah couldn’t help thinking of how close she’d been pressed to that broad, bare chest last night—how he’d held her to him and cradled her tenderly until he was certain she could walk. That memory led to the thought of how he’d cupped her cheek earlier when they were speaking—for a moment she’d been sure he was going to kiss her. And God, she certainly wouldn’t have pushed him away!
Could it be that such a big, gorgeous man could be interested in plain little her? She had to be imagining it, didn’t she? But the way he had looked at her…
Stop it, Sarah—stop thinking like that! He’s your boss! she lectured herself.
Besides, he certainly wouldn’t be attracted to her in the clothing she had on now.
Her own version of the Alquon outfit was white and blue instead of black and red but it seemed to bunch and bulk in all the wrong places. The loose trousers looked baggy and made her too-large hips even bigger and the robe hung oddly from her shoulders. She did at least have a blue shirt to go on under it, but the material was too thin and clearly showed the outline of her bra.
Too bad though, Sarah thought. Because I’m sure not taking off my bra! If she did, the shirt was so thin that the outlines of her nipples would be clearly visible.
The effect of the entire outfit made Sarah feel like she was wearing her pajamas and bathrobe to a solemn occasion where she should have been dressed up. But what could she do? Kat had done her best copying the Alquon fashions. If this was how people dressed here, she would just have to put up with it.
At least I don’t have to be half-naked or anything, Sarah told herself. She didn’t know how her Compound-trained sense of modesty would be able to bear something like that. Though the shirt was thin, at least all her skin was covered and besides, all eyes would most likely be on Commander Sazar, not her.
Sazar—just call him Sazar, she reminded herself. We’re pretending to be a couple—can’t screw that up.
“Are you ready?” Sazar’s big, well-formed hand was poised on the latch that opened the door of the shuttle.
“Yes.” Sarah took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “Yes, I am. Let’s go.”
He turned the latch and swung open the door. Making a sweeping gesture with his free hand he said, “After you.”
“Thank you.” Pleased by the courtly gesture, Sarah smiled at him as she stepped out of the ship…and then she gasped in awe.
The Kindred shuttle was perched on a long, thin metal platform barely wider than the ship itself. Surrounding it on all sides was an ocean—but what an ocean!
Sarah had grown up in Florida and had gone to the beach with her parents before they entered The Brotherhood where things like wearing swimsuits and swimming were forbidden, but this was an ocean like nothing she had ever seen.
The waters were so pale and translucent they
almost seemed to glow in the pale, bright sunlight. The waves lapped quietly at the platform the ship was perched on, a dazzling shade of turquoise with patches of light green and delicate purple in places. Sarah thought these must be undersea plants. She could see the darting, jewel-like bodies of what seemed to be fish moving among the green and purple plants—the waters had a crystal-clear quality that made them easy to spot. They made little plops when they splashed out of the water and the air was filled with the salt tang of the sea.
Sarah thought it was the most amazing and beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“Sarah? Are you all right?”
Clearly Sazar had heard her gasp and was concerned. He came out into the brilliant sunlight wincing, his pale eyes narrowed against the blinding rays.
“It’s…very bright out here,” he muttered.
“It’s beautiful,” Sarah breathed. Being a Florida girl, she was used to bright sunlight. “But where are we supposed to go?” she added, dragging her eyes away from the mesmerizing sight of the vast, limitless ocean. “I don’t see anything but this platform we landed on. Where are the houses and buildings?”
“Down below, under the water of course,” a new voice said.
Sarah spun around with a gasp and nearly fell off the platform. Only Sazar’s big hand on her arm kept her from going over the edge. He pulled her to his side and then stepped out in front of her protectively as a stranger approached.
He had come up behind them as they stood looking over the ocean and all Sarah could think was that he must be about a hundred years old.
The stranger had the pale green, purple-mottled skin they had seen on other males on the Alquon video but it was a mass of seams and wrinkles. He was bald but he had a long white beard, which hung in thick, kelp-like strands from his chin. His shoulders were stooped but it was clear he must have been a tall man at one time—maybe almost as tall as Sazar.
“Minister Obglod?” Sazar asked.
“Indeed, indeed, yes. Obglod, Minister of Cultural Studies at your service. I’m gratified to finally meet you in person, Commander Sazar.” He bowed deeply, a gesture which Sazar returned gracefully.
Healing the Broken: A Kindred Christmas Tale (Brides of the Kindred) Page 8
