Chapter 2
The next day found the ladies hiking. It wasn’t long before Kaia realized they were lost, though she tried to hide it for a while as she tried to backtrack. Her thoughts kept drifting to Zed and before she knew it, her little ducklings had followed her onto an unknown and unmarked path. Now she had no idea how to get them out.
She heard Cora and Tessa talking, the peevish tone of Tessa’s voice unusual and holding her attention for a moment but then she slipped back into concentrating on her surroundings. As Cora’s tone changed to her own peevish tone Kaia finally stopped replying in an offhand way and turned to them to break up the slight argument.
“The men may find us, yes, let’s go back to the river and wait there.” Kaia quietly followed the women down the hill they were on and quietly waited for the men. She knew herself that Zed was on the way. Already their bond had formed and it was disconcerting, knowing that it had already grown to include this vague form of communication.
Kaia had spent most of her life forming vague, casual relationships with sexual partners. She hadn’t “taken a chance on love” because her parents told her she’d know when she found the one, their souls would bond. She’d never felt anything more than affection for a partner, never the knowing her mother and father described to her. Not until now anyway.
Tessa was assuring Cora that the men would find her but Kaia, taught to always blend in and deflect talk about their race, attempted to talk the women out of the notion of some kind of mystical connection with the men they suspected were shifters and paced around the clearing. Her words of denial were a lie, however, because she could feel Zed. She knew Zed was getting closer, she could feel a warmth in her abdomen, around her stomach, that spread as he drew near her. By the time she saw the headlights of the ATV her whole body felt warm, but not unpleasantly so.
As the ATVs approached, Kaia stood in the clearing, her arms crossed over her stomach as she observed the men. Each looked relaxed, as though they weren’t concerned, just picking up the ladies as though this had all been planned. Yes, they seemed to have formed bonds with her friends, this was good. Nodding her head in approval Kaia waited for Zed to pull up near her.
She grinned at him and he held his hand out to her. Taking his hand Kaia climbed onto his ATV, her bare legs pressed into his jean-clad ones. Before she knew it they were speeding away, her arms around his waist despite their being a backrest, she wanted to be close to her mate. Her life-mate with the broad chest and the tight abdomen full of rigid muscles that seemed to jump beneath her fingers; the man so close she could smell the scent of his skin and feel the heat burning through his clothes.
Kaia settled in, her head resting on Zed’s back as they drew closer to the resort. Soon enough they were standing at her door, Cora down the hall grinning happily up at Knox and Rhys. Kaia smoothed her hair down on the top of her head and licked her lips, hoping she didn’t look too much of a mess. The long rope of her braided hair slithered around to lay over her shoulder as she moved, the end coming to rest at the button of her jeans.
“You have such beautiful hair.” Zed said, his eyes on the portion resting at the button. “Not many women let their hair grow out now.”
“I’m not the usual female, am I?” She said, a teasing gleam in her eye.
“No, I know for a fact you are not. I believe you’re far more than you know you are. Or that you let on, at least.” His eyes bored into hers and Kaia’s grin deepened.
“Are you taking me to dinner then? It seems we’ve been abandoned.” Kaia used her chin to point at her friend down the hall.
“I promised you we’d see each other today. I didn’t realize it would be in quite that way but it wasn’t enough. Do you want to have dinner in your room, downstairs, or somewhere else”
“I think a quiet night would be nice, we could stay here, sit out on the deck and watch the stars come out.” Kaia suggested. She might not be a country girl but she loved the view of the sky here. She could even see the Milky Way it was so dark here, with only a couple of lights over in the parking lot.
They had dinner in the warm air of the deck on the back of the resort, a table set up just for them. Zed had the lights turned down so they could stretch out on two loungers and gaze up at the sky. Dinner had been a quiet affair, both just comfortably eating and being with each other. Kaia liked that they didn’t have to fill the time with chatter but she did want to know more about him.
Turning to face him on the lounger, a hand under her delicate face, she looked over at him. He was looking back and holding his hand out. She took it and gasped when he kissed her knuckles, his warm lips sending a bolt of pleasure through her arm, straight to her heart. They’d avoided touching for most of the night and now their skin was together, intimate and warm.
“I don’t think we need to play around, do we? We know what we are, we know what’s happening, and I’m happy with that.” Zed looked at her imploringly, asking her to understand.
“Are you? I’ve heard men of our kind don’t always want to settle into a mating. Sometimes they fight it.” She answered, enjoying the feel of her hand entwined with his.
“I’m ready. In fact, I believe I’ve been waiting on you my whole life. I suppose I have, in actuality, but I mean that I’ve been ready for you my whole life. Family is important to me. I never really had one until I fell in with these guys in college. They took me in. They’ve known each other their whole lives and took me in like we were brothers from the start. Now, it’s time to expand on that family.”
“Are you serious?” Kaia asked, her mind whirling with possibilities. Possibilities that she was ready for but she still needed time to think, time to get it all straight in her head. Her family wouldn’t be a problem; they knew how mating worked. It was her own life that needed to be sorted, and his. He might not like the truth of what they were and she had to tell him about that before she let this go any further. He deserved to know. But first she had a trip to make.
“Well, yeah. We’re mated; I can feel it, can’t you?” Zed asked her with a confused look.
“I can but I think I need to take this slower than that. There are things you don’t know, things you should know.” Kaia pulled her hand back, cushioning her head with it once more.
“Do you mean about my family? My heritage? I don’t care about that.” He insisted.
“No, about what you are. What kind of shifter I am?” She asked, sitting up to take his hand once more.
Kaia could see him closing his eyes, concentrating deeply, his head moving as though he were catching signals or a scent that was too elusive to fully understand. He finally opened his eyes, his confusion deeper now.
“What are you?” He finally asked his voice awestruck.
“I’m a Talerian. I will explain at some point but not right now. For now, I think it’s time to get to bed. The rum in this cola is making me woozy.” Kaia put a hand to her head, the world really spinning around her. It was more from the presence of Zed than the rum though. She’d been fighting her own instincts all night, instincts that told her to climb onto that lounger with him and strip him naked. Since she’d met the man she’d been fighting that instinct.
“Shall I walk you up?” Zed offered, standing up to help her up.
“That would be nice. You know that song you were talking about earlier? What’s the name of it?” She asked as they walked back through the resort and to the elevators. It was getting late and only the night clerk was at the desk, just in case they were needed.
“Oh, I’ll text you a link for it. There are two versions of it, one is better. So, when are we going to see each other again?” He asked as the elevator doors closed.
“Tomorrow I expect.” Her grin made his heart melt and he really wanted to tell her about how he felt, how she made him ache to touch her, and hold her near to him. He didn’t want to let her go but she’d made it clear she wanted to go slow. He’d respect that wish. Even if he did want to pull her to him and kiss her senseless.
Kaia looked up at him with a thankful smile and walked to her door with him. She turned as they reached the door and came close to him. Lifting her head she kissed his cheek. Her lips didn’t want to leave him and she stood, only a breath away, before he moved his head and their lips came together. Soft flesh met soft flesh and Kaia breathed in deep through her nose, the excitement rising quickly.
Zed was near; Zed’s lips were on hers. She inhaled him as their lips moved, and when his tongue found hers she opened her eyes, shocked at what she sensed from him. He wasn’t just the normal shifter to be found on Earth today, he was far more than that. He just didn’t know it. Kaia pulled away, her hand going to his face to caress the smooth skin before she turned to open the door. Turning back she kissed him once more, the need growing stronger as the warmth she felt when she was near him now growing into a pulsing sensation that only drove her to take the kiss further.
Kaia stamped down on her own need and stepped back. His breathing was ragged, as was hers, but she stepped through the open doorway, putting distance between them.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Just let me know where and when.”
“Goodnight, Kaia. Sweet dreams.” Zed gave a small wave before walking away, a sad smile on his face.
Kaia closed the door and changed her clothes, taking off the thin but long sleeved shirt and replaced it with a thicker one she’d brought in case her room was cold. Adding a pair of jeans and her hiking boots Kaia took the device out of her bedside drawer. Closing her eyes Kaia pressed the black button on the device and felt the world fall away in a rush.
Unused to the sensation Kaia yelped and opened her eyes to a world of darkness with pinpoints of light. The sensation of solid ground beneath her feet suddenly made her look down. She was standing on pink sand. Looking up she saw a large white moon filling the sky and a city in what appeared to be a clear bubble.
“Excuse me sister, do you need assistance?” A droid stood beside her making a low humming noise as it shifted into a square shape with handles. A voice came out of the machine once more. “I can carry you into the city if you’d so desire.”
“Thank you, I need to go to the Hall of Records please.” Kaia knew this droid was a messenger from the fact that it could carry people. Not all androids were the same on Talerion. Each was designed to carry out certain functions, this one transported messages, sometimes messages carried by humans and so it could change into a shape to carry out that duty.
“Has it been a while since you’ve been home sister?” The android asked, making small talk.
“Yes, I was six the last time I was here. It’s been twenty one years now.” Kaia was awed by that fact. There’d just never been a reason to come back, though she could have at any time.
“Welcome home then.” In the blink of an eye Kaia and the machine were in front of the building she’d requested and she thanked the machine.
“No, it was my pleasure sister. I hope your stay here is enlightening and joyful.” The messenger said before it walked away, now returned to its humanoid shape. Most Talerians took on a humanoid shape when outside of their own homes; it was the easiest form to take for running errands.
Kaia looked around at the people passing by her, a variety of shapes and colors, even purple and blue on display, before she walked into the building. It had been a long time since she’d been here but she knew where she was. All Talerians had a memory of where things were on their home planet and though Kaia had been gone for a long time she could still remember. She could remember almost every moment of her life, if she chose to.
Looking around furtively Kaia headed into a department that most weren’t allowed into. It was the area where children were chosen to be sent to Earth. One of the ways the Talerion government decided to “seed” the Earth was by using children from parents that already had two children. Any subsequent children were sent to Earth. Only the government staff and the ruling family were exempt from this rule.
This was one of the reasons so many families went to Earth without a qualm, they could keep their children and their families together. Kaia suspected Zed was one of the children. Sneaking into the main room of the department, now unmanned, Kaia headed into a research room in the department. She took the strand of hair she’d furtively removed from his head and placed it into a DNA analyzer. All Talerians, and the first generation of those born on Earth, gave up their DNA profiles so that identifications could be made.
If Zed was a second generation Talerian or later his DNA would not be found in the system. Kaia chewed at her thumb knuckle as the machine did its job, looking through the door every few seconds to make sure she was still alone. The machine beeped and the results popped up. Kaia hurriedly hit the print button, ran to the printer and took the paper, removed the strand of hair, and cleared the machine before leaving.
She didn’t want to be caught in the department and quickly left, shoving the paper into her back pocket. She’d read it once she was back in her room. Cracking the door Kaia saw the only people standing in the hallway were looking up at a painting being put up on the other end of the hall and snuck out the door, quietly closing it before she casually walked out of the hall. Heading for a bathroom Kaia found a stall and pressed her way home. The fewer people that saw her on Talerion the better.