Chapter Four

JAYNE

The darkened room was set up with loud music and all the alcohol one could drink. Tables and booths were strategically placed to provide areas where people could have intimate conversations. The tables were protected from noise, letting couples talk without having to yell at each other.

There were supposed to be a hundred young, sexy Auxem men here, along with fifty pre-screened Earth women. Everyone was behaving the same way they did at a bar or a nightclub. People were talking, dancing, and getting to know each other. But there was an edge to all the interactions.

These were not people looking for a one-night stand. They were looking for life-long partners. There was more at stake here than in a typical evening encounter.

I sighed and tucked myself back into the small, dark, booth I had found for myself. Bars weren’t exactly my thing.

In spite of my love for people, I was an introvert. If I had my choice, I would rather be at home curled up on the couch with a book than hanging out here. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. Even though the table provided noise protection, I was getting a headache.

With a start, I opened my eyes as I felt someone slide into the booth beside me. It was Arnon. I was so surprised that I couldn’t say anything for a moment. I had hoped he would be here tonight, but I hadn’t believed he would come.

In fact, maybe he wasn’t available. Maybe he was keeping an eye on things as the crown prince. If that were the case, it would crush me. In my fantasies, he was here, and he chose me.

I swallowed hard as seconds passed and my body began to warm up from the heat of his stare. He was wearing a suit that was fashionable on Earth, but he didn’t look comfortable in it. His jaw was square and his lips looked utterly kissable. He had short, dark brown hair that matched his mysterious eyes. I remembered that his body was exquisite. He hadn’t worn a shirt when he had sat before me on my bed. I couldn’t see any of it now, but I sensed it beneath his clothes.

“So,” I said, struggling to make small talk. “Why are you here?”

“The same reason as you, I suspect. I’m trying for one of the Earth women.” He leaned back against the booth and looked gorgeous.

“Why would you do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It looks good for us from a public relations perspective, doesn’t it? The crown prince should be part of the initial trial. It will give people confidence.” He paused. “That’s what my father said when he suggested it, at least. He never wanted me to be part of the trials before. I think something changed his mind.”

I watched him carefully as he spoke. “Is that really why you’re doing it? Because your daddy told you so?” I never took my eyes off his face.

“Maybe not.” He casually ran his eyes up and down my body. “Why are you here?”

“I’m going to be the TerraMates representative in charge of this operation. I’m doing a favor for my mom.”

He stared at me curiously and shook his head. “That’s not why you’re here.”

I wondered if he could see through me. Did he know I had been thinking about him?

He grinned. “Perhaps you’re here for the same reason I am.”

My heart caught in my throat and a tingling sensation spread through my entire body. Was Arnon saying what I thought he was saying?

“Why are you sitting here in the corner, hiding?”

“I’m not.” I was hiding, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of being right.

“Were you waiting for someone in particular?”

I didn’t answer him, looking away and choosing to gaze at the sea of bodies on the dance floor. He leaned over and whispered into my ear, making me shiver in spite of myself.

“Were you hoping I would make you mine?”

I could feel my chest lift and fall with my rapid breathing. “Why did you come into my bedroom?” I asked, turning my head and looking in his eyes.

Just like that, I saw his face close off.

“I don’t know what you mean.” His eyes looked like steel. “I’m here to get through the first round of choosing. I select you, if you’ll have me. If you make the correct decision, I propose you arrange a date tomorrow to show me more of your world. If you turn me down, I’ll have to find someone else to bump and grind.”

I was shocked at his rude comment and irritated that he was closing me out again. But I felt drawn to him, in spite of his attitude. I prided myself on my ability to read people and being able to tell good apples from bad. With Arnon, everything felt like shifting sand. I didn’t know if I could trust my feelings about him. Was he a good guy, or was I being fooled by his looks and my attraction to him?

I didn’t know why he was pretending he had never come to my room. What was so terrible about his wings that he needed to keep them a secret? I didn’t like how he kept closing down on me, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to be with him. If I couldn’t choose him, I wouldn’t want any of the other aliens in the room. I heard myself agreeing to move into round two with him.

“Come to my house. We’ll figure it out from there.”

ARNON

After we had arranged the details of our date for the next day, I was at a loss for words. “Would you like to dance?” I asked.

“Of course.” I could tell she was trying to speak in an offhand manner, but there was a flush to her cheeks that belied her apparent disinterest. “We can make a stop and let them know that we’re moving on together.”

“I guess that’s a good idea.” I was surprised to feel my heart rate kicking up a notch at the notion. We were in an entirely artificial situation, but it felt like everything was moving quickly. Saying the words ‘round two’ made things feel official between us.

It bothered me that I had revealed my wings to a human when my father had explicitly told us to keep them to ourselves. They weren’t supposed to know about them until they bore the first generation of babies. If they knew the pain and trauma associated with flight, they would never agree to interbreed with us.

My first impressions of the humans were that they were a primitive descendant of the Great Race. They had certain noble characteristics and honorable sensibilities. An intelligent savage, one might say. I doubted they would ever agree to have half-human babies that went through pain and agony in adolescence. Would the result of flight be worth the price of suffering? It hadn’t been enough for any other race up until this point.

Protocol ordered us to keep our dual nature hidden at all times. Now I had broken the rules, by revealing myself to Jayne without erasing her memories. I had been stupid enough to think we would never meet again, hoping time and rational thought would make her forget me or think I was a dream.

She was beautiful, but I didn’t know her. I had no idea if I could trust her or not. Until she earned my confidence, I would have to play a game and pretend we never met. As soon as I saw her, I started losing, though. Everything I said to her was stupid and dangerous. She was making me lose my mind.

I thought of myself as calm and in control, and in almost every other situation I was. I didn’t let people get me angry. I measured my words and spoke deliberately. I made the correct decisions and was responsible.

As soon as I kissed Jayne, something changed inside me. I stopped thinking clearly and wanted her to remember me. Instead of playing it cool when we met at the dinner, I interacted with her.

Now I had volunteered to participate in the trial. My personal reasons were different than the reasons I gave in public. I held on to a flickering hope that Jayne would take part in the program with me. If we were fated to be together, our paths would be intertwined.

Instead of wandering around and talking with a bunch of different girls, I had come straight to her. I hadn’t made small talk or bothered to charm her. I had referred obliquely to our first meeting and demanded that she move on to round two with me.

These thoughts passed through my mind in an instant.

“Are we going to dance?” I repeated, holding out my hand. She looked at it, then at my face, and returned her gaze to my hand.

Finally, she smiled and grabbed it confidently. I pulled her to her feet and moved us toward the dance floor. A slow song had started playing. I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms. She put her hands around my neck, and I held her waist. The pleasure of the single touch was indescribable.

“I don’t know what exactly you’re hiding or why you’re doing it.” Her words came out carefully and slowly. “But you can trust me, Arnon.”

It was the first time she had addressed me directly. Hearing my name on her lips felt electric.

JAYNE

Arnon’s hands rested on my hips. My eyes fluttered shut. It was a simple, innocent movement, but it was arousing when he did it. I loved the feeling of his hot palms against my waist. I wanted him to put his fingers on my back so he could pull me to him.

I remembered what his flat abs and hard chest looked like as he sat beside me on the bed. Something occurred to me now, though I didn’t think of it earlier. He didn’t have a shirt on at the time because he was flying. I stared at him, thinking about his wings and staring at his body.

He looked reluctant to say anything, but eventually asked me, “What are you thinking about?” I wondered if he truly wanted to know.

Should I say what was on my mind? I knew I shouldn’t ask, but I wanted to know everything about him, not just the polished veneer he showed the rest of the world. “I was thinking about how hot a guy with wings would look.” I held his gaze and saw his face grow wary. “It’s a shame I don’t know any.”

“I know we haven’t known one another very long, but if things go the way I hope, we’ll have many years ahead of us to learn about each other. I might have secrets I need to keep from you, but when I speak to you, it will always be the truth.”

Damn. “You should know this about me, Arnon.” I paused before continuing, trying to make sure I had his complete attention. “I can be trusted with your secrets.”

I gazed at him as he thought about my words, then rose onto my tiptoes, kissed him on the cheek, and walked away.

ARNON

I watched Jayne’s sweet ass sway back and forth as she left the room. I wanted to fuck her so badly that I ached. But there was a desire in me that wanted more than her body alone. I longed for someone who would fill the emptiness I had been living with for many years. I wanted the high that came from her presence. I craved it. I needed her. I had to have her.

If she didn’t want me too, I would have to win her heart. But how could I trust her with a secret that could cost us our treaty with Earth? Would anyone believe her story that the aliens had wings? I hoped not, especially since she had been in bed and half-asleep during her encounter.

Our planet was in a remote corner of the galaxy and, until recently, we kept to ourselves. We were far away from home now. Any stories about descendants of the Great Race with wings would probably sound like fairy tales.

We had started experiments on other planets, but we had not revealed any information about our wings. The fathers knew that they shouldn’t mention them to their offspring until the time was right. We called the time when our wings first emerged the excludunt. When the excludunt was imminent, the fathers would have to reveal everything and help their children deal with the pain.

I heard a familiar voice behind me. “Do you like what you see?”

“Mind your own business, Ayrie.” I didn’t bother looking away from Jayne’s retreating form.

“She’s just a human, you know. Are you going to bond with her?”

“Maybe.” I turned to look at him when Jayne disappeared. He handed me a beer. I took it, taking a long pull immediately. “What are you doing here? You’re not looking for a wife yourself, are you?”

My younger brother and I had always been close. There were five siblings in the family, but only two years separated us. Ever since tragedy struck our people, Ayrie and I had grown to be best friends as well as brothers.

“As a matter of fact, I am. I’ve volunteered too.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“What do you think? I’m bored.”

I shook my head. Ayrie could be frustrating at times. He was talented at everything, a fast learner, handsome, and never seemed to work hard for anything. His attitude drove me crazy. Finding a bond mate was important. His best match might not be in the first round of human volunteers. He might be better off waiting until the program was made official by the Earth government. But he decided to come here because he was bored? Unbelievable.

I didn’t bother reprimanding him. Telling him he shouldn’t do something might have the opposite effect and make him unwilling to change his mind. Maybe he wouldn’t find anyone or no woman would choose him.

I suppressed a sigh. Every woman would want him.

He watched me quietly before speaking. “What’s on your mind, Arnon?”

I wished he didn’t know me so well. “Nothing,” I said quickly.

“Right. Nothing is always on your mind when you have that pensive look on your face.” We drank in silence. “Do you want to tell me about this nothing?”

“Nope.”

“That’s an indication that you should probably spill your guts. Are you in trouble?”

“Probably. I didn’t give her a mind wipe.” Even though I blurted out the admission, it felt good to get it off my chest finally.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Arnon. What’s the matter with you?”

I struggled to explain it because I didn’t understand it myself. “I just couldn’t do it. I wanted her to remember me.”

“That’s the purpose of the mind wipe. It’s in the name. They’re not supposed to remember you! You could jeopardize everything.”

“I couldn’t help myself.”

“What do you think she’s going to do with the information?”

“She said I could trust her.” The words sounded feeble when they came out of my mouth.

“Right. Of course you can. If you couldn’t trust her, she would tell you, wouldn’t she? We’re supposed to follow the rules! You’re going to have to clean up your mess.”

“It’s too late.”

“It’s never too late. I can get you one for a specific memory.”

“How can you get something like that?” I asked. “They cost a fortune, and there’s a huge waiting list.”

“At this point, does it matter how? I am telling you I can get it. The only question we need to answer now is if you’ll give it to her.”

I hesitated. It was too late. “Yes. Of course I will.”

He glared at me. “You’re supposed to be the responsible one.” His voice sounded accusing.

“If you’ll get it, I’ll give it. But make sure it’s reversible.”

“Why would you use a reversible one? We do not want her to remember anything! You know they are unstable.”

“It doesn’t matter. If you want me to do it, it has to be reversible.”

“It’s your funeral. I’ll meet you in your room after the dance.”

“You can get it that fast?” I was surprised and unprepared.

Ayrie gave me a scathing look that made me reluctant to ask any more questions. I felt sick at the thought of the memory wipe. I felt like I would be betraying Jayne. But I didn’t have any choice. She was an unknown quantity, and nothing was more important than saving our people.

If I had to betray my future bond mate, I would. I had already screwed up once. I wouldn’t do it again.