Chapter 1
Kaia Phillips stared out of her friend Tessa’s SUV and wondered just what she’d let herself be talked into. She saw no coffee shops, no clothing stores, no bars or clubs, just a building that resembled an overgrown log cabin with a lot of windows in it. Pretty but not what she thought of as vacation material. But here she was feeling like a lost city girl in the country. She wasn’t going to act like the stereotype, however. She was going to give this place a chance. Even if it might bore her to death. There wasn’t even a daiquiri shop like she’d found in Louisiana. Now that was a vacation to remember. Or not, she thought with a smile as they pulled their luggage out and went into the resort.
Joined by her two friends, Tessa and Cora, Kaia came to the Singing Stones resort in the northern mountains of Georgia for a two week stay. Tessa suggested it as a way of getting Cora’s mind off of her troubles before she gave birth to her daughter, and Kaia had balked but thought it was a good idea in the end. Some hiking through nature trails instead of parks might be good for her too. Tessa loved nature so it was a natural choice for her.
Kaia had never really left the city, though. Her parents were from Atlanta, they’d always lived there, and she grew up there. Nature was as foreign as going to another planet for her. The suburbs of Atlanta had been as close to nature as she’d ever come, or wanted to come. Kaia loved Tessa and Cora and knew Cora needed this getaway before the fall semester at the school where they all taught started so she’d agreed to it. Pushing her and Cora’s suitcases into the main office Kaia listened as Tessa dealt with the woman behind the check-in counter.
Kaia caught her own reflection in a mirror over the desk and checked herself before turning away. Still the tall, slim, biracial women with black hair and blue eyes that she’d always been. Even as a baby Kaia had been long and gangly, never quite the small delicate child people wanted her to be. Kaia was built for a different purpose in life but she’d still ended up in teaching. She loved her chosen path and though she had the body of a woman made to be a warrior, without all of the bulging muscles, she was fit and intelligent. Her mind thrived at the tasks she was assigned and she wouldn’t change her job for anything.
Kaia’s brain focused on the conversation going on in front of her and as she heard the rude dismissal of the woman at the desk Kaia felt a sudden urge to climb over the desk and punch the bitch in the mouth! How dare she talk to Tessa that way, telling her to get out just because the dates were wrong on the computer!
Normally a calm woman that settled disturbances by merely raising an eyebrow, the rude way in which the worker was talking to Tessa really flew all over Kaia. She’d taken a step closer to the woman, preparing to yank her over the desk, when a tall man walked up and sent the woman on her way. The man was handsome, very handsome, but he seemed to only have eyes for Tessa.
Kaia stepped back into the background, allowing the man to speak with Tessa. The offer of upgraded rooms as an apology suited Kaia just fine and when she got to the room and seen champagne and an invitation for all of them to come to dinner, Kaia thought the place might have something to offer after all, especially if the other men were as handsome as that fella. He’d said his name was Hale. There was more to the man than he let on, Kaia knew that instantly, but said nothing. She had her own secrets to hide. One of them being that Cora was pregnant, but that was just scratching the surface of it all.
She dismissed her friends’ discussion about shifters as Cora finished getting ready and watched the other two women. A watcher of people by nature, Kaia could come off as cold and reserved but she wasn’t, she just let people talk while she listened. She smiled inwardly as she wondered what would happen if her friends actually met up with real shifters, of any variety. They’d probably faint straight away.
Kaia had already unpacked, showered, and her thoughts shifted to food now as her friends continued to chatter on the way to the elevator. Wondering what kind of food the restaurant might offer, Kaia hoped they had something besides the country cuisine she expected. Barbecue and cornbread were fine at times but she wanted something a bit more elegant tonight. When the elevator door dinged Kaia prepared to step out but stopped. She wasn’t expecting what greeted her when the doors quietly glided open.
Four rather gorgeous men stood there, waiting on the doors to open. Every one of them was a shifter. Kaia didn’t need to be told that, she knew it instinctively, the same way they could sense her own secret. None of them were strictly human, not even Kaia. That was a story for later, though, Kaia wanted food and to learn about these handsome gentlemen. She’d also spend time trying to find out what they knew. That could come later as well.
Taking the arm of the darker man, the one that didn’t swoon for Tessa or Cora, Kaia smiled at the man and introduced herself.
“I am Kaia; it’s nice to meet you.” She offered.
It’s lovely to meet you, sister.” The man spoke low and deep, the words falling into Kaia’s ear. “I am Zed.”
Kaia stood back for a moment, pulling away to look into his watchful eyes. Yes, they were quite similar, she thought. She smiled at the man as he escorted her into the restaurant and sat down beside her at their table.
Zed was the watcher of his friends. Hale was also a watcher but talkative. The other two, Knox and Rhys, were jokers and boisterous, often loud as they vied to hold Cora’s attention. As the night wore on Zed engaged her in very little communication but she was fine with that because she could watch her friends and ensure their safety. Zed did the same but Kaia caught his eyes on her as often as she looked at him.
The man was gorgeous, well over six feet tall, with a dusky skin tone that was either Native American or testament to a heritage similar to Kaia’s. His dark eyes, a dark brown that was almost black, were almond shaped and kept drawing Kaia’s attention. Her own very dark blue eyes seemed to enchant Zed. Kaia would smile at him, perhaps say something about the antics of their friends, and would turn away. She knew she was being obvious about her attraction but couldn’t help it.
She’d met shifters in her lifetime, even people like her, but none had instantly attracted her the way this man had. His strong hands drew her gaze and she imagined how they’d feel on her smooth skin. They weren’t work roughened hands so she knew the gentle glide of his flesh against hers would be sensual and pleasurable. His strong face, long neck, and powerful looking body attested to a high level of activity that would serve him well. His endurance must be high to have that kind of a body.
But even his physical appearance wasn’t enough to draw her the way he had so far. Even his quiet nature wasn’t enough. Kaia looked over at him once more, later in the evening, after dessert and another bottle of wine had been emptied and knew why she was so attracted to him. Seconds upon meeting him her body had made a decision. From the look in Zed’s eyes now, an intense longing mixed with desire, Kaia knew he had made the same decision. They were mates, and no matter what they did now, they would long for each other for the rest of their lives.
Kaia felt a moment of panic as she looked into Zed’s eyes. She wasn’t ready for this yet, she still had several years before she had to settle down. She looked away from him and considered leaving but she could see Cora wasn’t ready to go just yet. Reminding herself that she was a modern woman Kaia took a deep breath and sipped at her wine. She didn’t have to act on anything, she reminded herself further, but Zed was her mate.
“Hey Zed, can I ask you a personal question?” Cora spoke up, breaking into Kaia’s inner panicked dialogue. Cora hadn’t been drinking but Kaia wouldn’t have expected what she asked if Cora was flat-out drunk.
“You may.” Zed answered with a smile.
“What are you?” Cora looked utterly confused as she looked at the man, examining his features closely.
Kaia looked over at her friend with shock, her mouth falling open.
“Cora, you know that’s a very hurtful question. I’ve told you how often I get asked that question myself and how I hate it!” But Kaia looked over at Zed, wondering once more about Zed’s heritage. It was still a rude question though.
“It’s fine Kaia, as you said yourself, people are curious. I think it just comes from a need to understand. It’s not really rude; we just hate answering it so often. The truth is I don’t know what I am. I was placed in an orphanage as a child with no information about me available. I was adopted and have never been able to find anything out about my heritage.”
Kaia looked at him once more, seeing a man with a well-proportioned face, a slim nose with full lips, and silky looking eyebrows. He was handsome but there wasn’t anything that stood out to identify him as one race over the other.
“With the way we’re all mixed now it’s hard to say what I am.” He continued. “It doesn’t really matter, I suppose.” He looked at Cora with a smile and she thanked him for answering his question.
“I’m sorry if I hurt either of you with my question.” Cora said after a moment. “I didn’t mean to, you’re just so beautiful, the both of you. You’d make beautiful babies.”
Cora looked aghast as the words came out of her mouth but this time Kaia laughed. That did sound like something Cora would say. She usually spoke her mind, even if she didn’t mean to. The trait was one Kaia loved the most about her friend.
Kaia had to fight off a yawn suddenly and even Cora finally looked tired. Kaia stood and when Cora joined her Kaia smiled. They all needed to rest tonight. She turned to Zed, who had stood and smiled as he held his hand out to indicate that she lead the way. Tessa and Hale had disappeared already but Kaia didn’t plan to invite the man into her room tonight. Even if it was the only thing she wanted to do.
Rhys and Knox proved entertaining in the elevator but the noise quietened down as they walked Cora to her room. Kaia stopped at her own room and slid the key through the door before turning back to Zed. He stood there, no expectations on his face but he smiled before speaking.
“It has been a lovely evening, Kaia. I hope we can repeat it tomorrow if you have no prior plans.” Standing there in his dark suit, his eyes burning into her own, Kaia felt a warmth begin to spread throughout her body.
“I’d love that.” She leaned towards him as she spoke, as if drawn to him by an invisible rope. Her breath shook as he leaned into the doorway, his arm braced against the frame.
Kaia thought he’d kiss her then but he only brushed a finger down her creamy smooth cheek, past her lips, and down to her jaw before standing up straight.
“Tomorrow it is then; I’ll see you sometime after lunch. I’ll be busy until then but I’ll definitely see you after that.” Then he walked away and Kaia was left standing in the door, watching him walk away.
Putting her left hand over her heart and smiling broadly, Kaia walked into her room and straight for the Jacuzzi tub centered in front of the balcony. Pouring in some soap Kaia watched as bubbles formed and stripped down. As she slid into the hot water she sighed deeply, feeling tense and tired muscles relax.
Looking out at the view of the moon as it crossed the sky she now understood why the tub had been put in such an awkward place. She could sit here all night watching the moon as it journeyed through the sky. She sighed and looked over at the nightstand, knowing it contained a device that could take her beyond the moon to her own planet. The planet her parents originated from.
Kaia sunk under the water once before popping back up to watch the sky once more. She felt uncomfortable with the knowledge she had. Her whole life had been a farce, a lie to blend in. Kaia was biracial, her father was white while her mother was a dark shade of coffee but that was because these were the shapes her parents took to blend into the alien world of Earth. They really came from a planet called Talerion, a place that spawned the shifters; the race of beings that could shift into anything.
In their current forms Kaia’s parents appeared as humans, as did Kaia. Their bodies were physiologically and biologically human but they could shift into whatever animals or beings they wanted to. They would then be exact copies of the animals they looked like. Children of these aliens, however, could only shift into one animal, most commonly bears and wolves, but sometimes large cats, or even mythical creatures. Over time, some of the children weren’t able to shift at all, becoming anomalies among the alien community. Nobody understood what caused the shifting to fail but they knew that as each generation was produced the chance of creating a child that could not shift, even from two shifter parents, increased.
Sent here over the last thousand years the Talerians, as they called themselves, all had a mission, even those that had family ties that were generations old. The men at the resort, for example, had Talerian ancestors that came so long ago their descendants no longer knew who they were, accepting their existence as some ancient race of humans from Earth. People such as Kaia’s parents had been sent over the last few decades to instruct the old shifter groups, to teach them their mission, but Kaia hadn’t been assigned a group yet. She assumed she’d soon be assigned this one.
Getting out of the tub Kaia dried off and walked over to bed, slipping between the pristine white sheets to feel their silky texture against her bare skin. The Talerians all had a mission here, to observe, to record, and to send data back home. There were Talerians throughout the universe, watching, observing, and recording the rise and fall of civilizations.
Kaia had not been to Talerion since she was a small child but could go if she wanted to. Her parents had taught her about the place, had taught her about their mission, and about who she was. A peaceful race, the Talerians only observed, never interfering if it could be helped. Kaia wondered if she could get some answers about Zed there but decided against the idea for now. She had far too much on her plate. Things to tell him and his friends, things to teach them. And a mating to put off, or not.