Alien Attachments (13 page)

“Yes, of course.” Dani hoped so anyway. She finished nearly half the bowl when her arms started to get heavy.

“After you’ve met with Mordo,” Healer Kane said, “we’ll let the others see you. The entire Earth crew have been clambering for a visit. It’s quite extraordinary having humans here, let alone so many.”

Dani took a few more bites and let Koora take the tray away. She wanted to ask how long she’d been there and to see outside, but sleep claimed her first.

* * * *

The room was dark and silent the next time Dani opened her eyes. She propped herself up on her elbows, taking in her surroundings. Koora slept on a couch by the curtains. She listened to the girl’s breathing, slow and steady. Something was wrong. A bad feeling tugged at her insides. She sat up, relieved to find her head not pounding for once. Koora was the only other person in the room, but—
Ian.
A ghost of his essence echoed through her but faded fast. If she didn’t get to him, he would die.

Okay, now I’m just paranoid.
The part she was learning to recognize, her psi, ached. She knew it was the truth. She rubbed her face and watched Koora sleep. An eerie green light seeped through the the curtains behind the woman. Much as she wanted to see the alien landscape, she had to do something for Ian. She slid out of bed. They’d dressed her in white cotton pajama bottoms and matching shirt. Quietly, she plumped up the bedding to make it look like a body underneath and crept toward the door. Like a fish being reeled in, she couldn’t resist. The knob was cool in her hand and her heart skipped a beat as Koora mumbled something in her sleep. She pulled the door open a crack, listening for any sound. Nothing. She checked both ways down a long, wide corridor. The place seemed deserted as she stepped out and closed the door behind her. Deserted and very posh. Cream-colored carpet prickled on her bare feet. End tables and flowers dotted the hallway. Portraits of different sizes adorned the walls. To the left was a stair case leading down, to the right an ornate window with hallways going off in both directions.

Ian, where are you?
A mental nudge.
Right, it is then.
She navigated carefully between areas of shadow and light, listening. Her muscles ached, like when she had the flu.
What the hell am I doing? I’m probably not even allowed out here.
She stopped, thinking to go back when she sensed him again. She had the distinct impression he needed her, but didn’t want her. There was definitely something wrong with him and it scared her. She struggled to understand. The impression was thin, almost ghost-like.
He really is dying.
Fear clenched her heart.

This is seriously messed up.
She moved as quickly as she could. She reached the end of the corridor, turned left and there it was. Ian’s door. Whatever it was she picked up from him was behind its smooth polished wood. She stood still, closed her eyes, and reached out to him. He was aware of her presence, in some part of his mind, but his body was shutting down. There was something terribly wrong with his body-psi connection. She heard the chime of a clock somewhere in the distance.
Time is running out.
Knowing there wouldn’t be another chance, she silently opened his door and slipped inside.

Thank God.
On a couch on the far wall, a male figure slept while Ian lay in the center of a bed, much like the one in her room. She closed the door, trembling both from fear of being caught and from her proximity to Ian.

“Stop.”
His voice in her head, weak and empty. “
No closer, Dani.”

“Ian, I can help you. I know I can.”
She sensed his conflict again. For some reason, he both wanted her and resisted her. She took another step.

“You’ll die too. You’re not strong enough for this.”

Is that why he was conflicted?
“You’re wrong.”
She didn’t listen anymore, she simply climbed under the covers and pressed against him. His body, both familiar and foreign, smelled like the Ian she remembered. His heat permeated her soul and her physical world shifted. She was falling, or more like sliding, down a large, smooth tunnel. It wasn’t freefall but it was close. Ian’s arousal washed over her again, but this time it wasn’t her body that responded.
Like on Lago Como.

“You shouldn’t have done this Dani,”
Ian whispered in her head.
“I can’t stop it now.”

“Stop what?”

A pleasure so intense it terrified her flowed over them.
“Ian?”

Impressions danced across her mind. She had no words to describe what was happening, but there was a terrible problem. Her psi was connected to her on some level, not physical but somehow equally secure. As their psi caressed and folded together, she found only a tenuous link between Ian and his own.

I can fix this.
Using her psi, she experimented with different movements and motions. Finally, she imagined dipping their combined psi into Ian’s body and back out again.
Yes.
Over and over, she wove through him until she was sure it was working. Like string dipped in wax again and again, each time the connection between his psi and his body grew stronger. Little by little she backed off and simply guided his psi in and out. Time was impossible to measure but slowly her strength waned.
Have to keep going.
Her thoughts became increasingly disjointed and incoherent. Images flashed in her mind. Places she’d never been, people she’d never met. Healer Kane was there, younger. A young couple, the male carrying a woman in his arms and laughing. Then, they were arguing over humans.
That can’t be right.
Confusion filled her with fear. The smooth motions of their psi became sporadic and uneven. She couldn’t control it anymore, couldn’t stop. She wanted to scream, needed to scream. She fell instead, into nothing.

* * * *

A deep rumbling voice penetrated the fog in Dani’s brain. A one-way conversation, something about Ian. Phone.
Bed!

Dani bolted upright in a panic.

“What the hell are you doing here?” A shorter, stockier version of Ian stood near the bed, glaring at her. Words escaped her. She sat and stared at the man, waiting for her thoughts to line up. They weren’t cooperating.

Ian sat up next to her, groggy and confused.

“Good God, son, you’re awake!”

The man’s booming voice worked like a slap in the face to sober her up. She grabbed the covers and looked down, intensely grateful to find she still wore her pajamas. Her head swam with disjointed memories of last night.

Ian rubbed his eyes and glanced at the figure towering over the bed, then back at her.

For a fraction of a second, something akin to sadness glazed his eyes, but anger immediately followed. The look stabbed her like a knife. Why would he react like that?

He flung off the covers and stood. His shirt and briefs, damp with sweat, clung to his muscled body. The man on the couch rushed over, looking thoroughly perplexed. Dani wasn’t sure if it was because of her existence in the bed or Ian’s being awake. Probably both.

Ian swayed a little, and the man moved to help, but Ian waved him off and told him to fetch his clothes.

“Father,” Ian said with a gravelly voice. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, he staggered through a door and slammed it shut.

Ian’s father stood bolted to the floor, his face a mask of disbelief.

Join the party.
She looked back at the closed door. The servant, or whoever he was, rushed in with a bundle of clothes. Steam billowed out around the sound of running water.

Dani placed her hand over her heart. The pain was real.
Bastard.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood. The room spun a little, but she was better than before. Her brain finally got the message nap time was over.
That was no nap.
Dani shivered. She pulled her shoulders back and lifted her head. “If you will excuse me,” she spoke through clenched teeth, “it appears I am no longer needed.”
And I’m sure as hell not wanted.
She headed for the door. Her clean exit marred only slightly when the door frame moved four inches to the left and pegged her on the shoulder. “Son of a bitch,” she said under her breath. She made her way back to her room, clutching her arm.

* * * *

Ian emerged from the bathroom to find his father waiting. The moment the door opened, Rucon grabbed him in a rare embrace.

“We thought we’d lost you. Your mother’s on her way.” He grinned broadly and with one last hug, he let Ian go.

“How long—”

His mother burst into the room before he could finish. Her hands flew up to her mouth. Ian opened his arms and held her while she cried.

“Mother, it’s all right. I’m fine, really,” he said, patting her on the back. Compared to his father’s mass, she was a veritable waif with flowing black hair.

Mara Cavacent straightened up, but kept her palm on Ian’s heart. She gazed at him and shook her head, fighting more tears.

“How long have I been here?” Ian asked.

“A bit over forty-eight hours,” his father said.

“We were terrified when your team arrived without you,” Mara said. “They told us what happened.”

“We tried to send help, but the villa had collapsed around the portal entrance. We summoned the Portal Masters to move it, but there was no time. Mordo discovered it was already moving.” His mother looked at him with awe.

Ian nodded. “I remember. A bit of a surprise, that.”

Rucon cleared his throat, stiffening. “He sensed the Standich woman immediately. Just now”—he motioned toward the bed—“what happened?”

Ian took his mother’s hand from his chest, kissed it, and turned toward the windows. He flicked a finger and the thick brocade curtains slid open. The city below sparkled in the morning sun. He turned back to his parents. “She healed me.” That much was true. His parents didn’t need to know he had started bonding with a human.

Mara frowned. “Who?”

“The Standich woman,” Rucon said.

“But she’s in bed herself. Healer Kane has been taking care of her.” Mara glanced between her husband and son.

Ian paced. “She was here. Just now. She arrived some time last night.” Ian wasn’t going to take this conversation any further than he had to.

“Ian,” Mara looked confused. “I realize a human with psi represents certain problems for our family, but clearly healing is one of her abilities. I should think you’d be grateful.”

Of course his mother would think that. She didn’t know he was fighting to resist the one thing every Sandarian wanted. And he wanted her very much, but not at the price he’d have to pay. The price they would all have to pay.

“That woman…” Ian said, not sure where he was going with this. “Let’s just say, we don’t get along.”

“We had the portal moved,” Rucon said, changing the subject. “The villa is destroyed. Crews are setting up now to clear the area and start rebuilding.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ve put a near ground cloak up so it will look normal on Earth’s satellites. Your team has been back to check the other bases. Your SAs are still here. I didn’t want to chance it until we get a handle on the Torogs.”

“And?”

“And,” Rucon said, “no trace of them. I’ve added security to the mines, and your team’s placed DNA sensors by your bases and random places around the globe. If any of the Torogs are still on Earth, we should know about it. So far, nothing.” His father hesitated. “Ria checked in with the mine’s supervisors. They have no idea anything is out of the ordinary, so I’ve not reported this to anyone.”

The thought of those
crags
getting away with this made him furious, but he saw the logic. The fewer waves they made, the better chance they stood of not attracting the attention of the council, or worse, the Emperor.

“Are you still convinced they were after the Standich woman?” Rucon asked.

“Her name is Dani.”
Shit. Where did that come from? “
If I had any doubts before, they’d be gone now. They tried to abduct her in Bellagio, and they were hell-bent on capturing or killing her on the Island.”

“Maybe,” Rucon said.

“What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know about Bellagio, but as far as Cat Island goes, they may have wanted their device back. They weren’t exactly trying to keep you alive there, son.”

“You could be right.”

“The EPs have been rotating shifts on Earth,” Rucon said. “I’ve agreed to let your support agents stay for a few days. I imagine seeing another planet must be an extraordinary experience. They deserve it.”

“That’s fine.” Ian rubbed his stiff neck.

“Armond has been working with the mystery box. He’s made some progress, but I’ll let him give you a full report.” Rucon crossed his arms. “Your team has been instructed to keep both the device and Miss Standich’s abilities quiet.”

“Agreed,” Ian said.

Dani burst into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Koora jumped and dropped the blanket she’d been folding. “M’lady! But…” She glanced at the bed, which appeared to be occupied. “I thought you were still sleeping?”

“Yeah, well, I got tired of that so I took a walk. Right now I need a shower. And clothes. And I’d like to see my friends. Can you manage all that?” She’d never been so angry in her life.

Koora sputtered, taken aback. “I—yes—of course, m’lady.” She bowed three times and scurried from the room.

Dani peeled off the pajamas and climbed into an oval-shaped shower. The floor was soft and springy. After some fiddling with the controls, she managed to get a strong, hot stream going. She closed her eyes and let the water pummel her skin. Why was he doing this? She resisted the urge to cry. There’d been enough tears already. She figured anger was better and pounded the spongy wall a few times. She was on another planet. Aliens wanted to kill her back on Earth. She had some weird psi connection with a man, strike that, with an alien who hated her.
The jerk didn’t even say thank you for saving his life.
She punched the wall a few more times. It helped.
I can handle this.

Emerging from the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and found fresh clothes laid out on the made bed. On the floor were new leather boots.
Sweet
. She got dressed quickly and sat on the bed to put the boots on. That done, she glanced at the curtains.
Finally.
She took a step toward the window when there was a knock at the door.
Are you kidding?
The urge to rip the curtains open nearly won. “Come in,” she said.