Authors: Alyssa Ezra
“Let’s review the facts, shall we,” she said in an acidic tone. “One, you kidnap me against my will because you got wasted and some woowoo vision told you I was your one true love, two you perform a medical procedure on me
without
my consent and three,” she paused. “I haven’t worked out three yet but I’m sure as hell whatever it is, it’s your fault!”
“Enough!” Storm Kar exploded with sudden ferocity. Now it was Simone’s turn to back away. His eyes burned with savage fury and he bared his fangs. “I did what I felt was right! You do not understand the torment I have suffered! You think I wanted any of this! I did it because it is my destiny!
You
are my destined mate!”
“My destined mate is dead!” Simone retorted, raw with pain. Her heart pounded like a jackhammer in her chest and tears ran down her face. “My destined mate is dead,” she repeated, her voice breaking as her emotions tumbled free.
Storm Kar stood watching her, the muscles of his toned body tense and trembling. He half raised his arms as if to embrace her before stopping himself. He balled his hands into fists and, his scarred face a stoic mask, he turned and stalked out of the chamber.
Simone, shaking like a leaf herself, lost the last of her self control. She sank back into the chair and began crying uncontrollably.
Chapter 4: An Uneasy Agreement
Simone sobbed for hours, or maybe it was days. She had no idea of how to tell. Whatever the truth, it felt like forever as her wounded heart poured out every drop of the pain and grief it had been carrying.
Eventually, the crying stopped, and alone and exhausted, Simone decided to make her way back to the chamber where she’d first woken up in.
Storm Kar and Grazing Elk Woman were nowhere to be found, and she lay down on the mat in an exhausted heap. Closing her eyes she slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When she woke, she felt at once refreshed and disappointed that Storm Kar and his planet were not some kind of hallucination. Speaking of the man of the moment, there was still no sign of him or his sidekick, and with nothing else to do, she moved back down the passageway to explore.
Returning to the balcony, the bizarre view of the living forest and its rock-like denizens was still there but now a transparent dome had formed over it effectively sealing her in. Maybe Storm Kar was frightened she’d try and escape or just end it all there and then by jumping over?
Whatever the reason, she was effectively locked in so headed back to the wooden chamber where she’d eaten. A cold breakfast of strange looking fruit, small bread rolls and assorted meats had been laid out on the table, along with a jug of darkly colored juice and a clay cup.
Simone’s stomach growled for sustenance, and she set upon the breakfast with relish. If they had intended to poison her, they would have done it already, so she figured it was worth the risk. That was, unless, Storm Kar had realized he was wasting his time trying to convince her that they were meant to be together and had decided to dispose of her. Whatever the case, it made a tasty last meal.
After she had sated her hunger and enjoyed a couple of cups of the delicious tasting juice that had been provided, she took another look around. This time, she discovered a second room leading off from the dining chamber, which served as a kind of bathroom and water closet.
Feeling grubby and eager to get out of her clothes, she managed to work out how to work the elaborately looking faucet and poured hot water into the huge half oyster shell that served as a bath.
Stripping off her clothes, she sank gratefully into the water. The tension and stress of what happened with the fearsome alien began to ebb away and she closed her eyes. Her mind replayed all the crazy events up to when she investigated the strange noise in the reserve.
She pictured Storm Kar again, before she’d pulled off his hood, and her imagination lingered over his smooth, sculpted torso and broad arms. His tattoos were wonderfully exotic and the scars on his arms spoke of secrets and struggles.
She remembered the deep timbre of his voice, and though he had been gruff and intimidating, she found that she liked listening to it. It had a sultry, erotic quality to it that pressed all her buttons. The more she thought about him and his powerful voice, the more her pulse quickened.
She felt the tingling swell of her breasts and a blossoming heat gathered between her legs. She stretched out her arms and rested them on the sides of the bath, luxuriating in the sensual feelings that were gathering inside her. She hadn’t felt like this in such a long time.
As soon as she realized that, Dean surfaced in her mind like a ghost and the feeling was suddenly lost. Simone opened her eyes and sat up in the bath. Her heat began to cool and she experienced a pang of guilt at her previous sexual fantasies. It seemed that she was somehow betraying Dean just by thinking about Storm Kar in that way.
No longer in the mood, she started washing herself with the vanilla smelling block of soap that had been set out by the side of the bath. Once she was sufficiently refreshed, she got out of the bath and searched for a towel. She found a clean and soft animal pelt that looked like it was meant for the same job and once she was dry, she also discovered an outfit of buckskin designed specifically for a woman.
Not really wanting to get back into her old clothes, she opted for this conveniently provided outfit. The one-piece skirt fitted perfectly and using a nearby pyramid mirror, she was pleased to see that it showed off the curves of her hips and complimented her large breasts.
The outfit came with a pair of knee high boots decorated with tassels, and once she put them on she felt a spark of confidence. She always got like this when she felt she was dressed well and coupled with the bath and breakfast, she was ready to take on Storm Kar.
The trouble was he still hadn’t showed up. Wandering out of the bathroom, she ambled around between the sleeping chamber and balcony, but could find no other doorway to take her further into the building. She was essentially trapped until somebody showed up.
Feeling despondent, she went back to the mat and lay down. She was about to close her eyes and drift off to sleep again, when she heard something flittering up above. Looking up, she spotted a tiny golden bird flying in a circle just below the ceiling.
Sitting up on the mat, Simone watched perplexed as the bird came down toward her head. When it got closer, she saw that it was kind of intricate mechanism rather than a living thing and it tweeted happily to itself before it moved into the centre of the room.
As Simone stared at it, a golden light began to emerge from its beak and as it darted around in the air, she suddenly realized it was using the light as ink and was writing a message in front of her eyes. She began reading the glowing, floating words as the bird composed them;
‘
Simone, I am deeply sorry at how we left things last night.
I should have handled the situation better and truly respected your emotions, considering how frightened and confused you were. I know it is a lot to take on board but know that I am completely convinced that we are destined soul mates, and I can make you very happy if you will let me. I let my temper get the better of me last night and for that I will be forever chastising myself, but it has taken much trial and error to bring you to my world.
I do not expect mere words to make you think different but I ask that you give me a chance to prove myself worthy of your affection. To that end, I humbly ask that you remain here in the Vision Land for one earth month.
During that time, we can get to know each other and if your feelings towards me have not changed by the end of that allotted time, you have my word, I will return you to Earth and you will never see me again. I await your decision.
Yours, S. K.’
Simone finished reading the message, trying to grapple with the surreal quality of the situation. She had to admit it was rather sweet of him to write to her to apologize, but when she thought of his ruined face and burning eyes, her skin went cold. She could not imagine returning his feelings for her in the way that he wanted, but she did not think it right to reject him out of hand.
He seemed to be on the level and how many people got the chance to spend a month on an alien world? There was nothing to suggest that he wouldn’t honor his side of the agreement if she consented, so she had nothing to lose really. Besides, she did not want to rouse his temper again. If she did and he realized he was never going to get anywhere with her, things might get very bad.
She sighed heavily and looked at the mechanical bird. Once it had finished writing Storm Kar’s message, it hovered next to the mat, looking up at her with shining black eyes.
“Hey, little buddy,” she said with a wry smile. “Can you understand me? If you can, you can tell your boss, I agree. Doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice anyway.”
As soon as she had spoken, the little bird shot off out of the chamber and down the triangular corridor linking the dining chamber and the balcony. Simone watched it go and a few moments later, heard a rumbling sound. She yelled in surprise as a gaping hole opened in the swirling floors a few feet from the mat.
A staircase of white stone hugged the sides of the hole and moved in a spiral downwards. Simone got off the mat and walked over to the opening. It looked like this was the way out.
Psyching herself up, she started walking down the steps, an excited anxiety gathering inside her as she wondered what she getting into now. She soon reached the bottom of the stairs and found herself in a second room made of quartz.
The sounds of voices came from an open door at the far end of the chamber and warm sunlight streamed in to warm the flagstones. Feeling apprehensive, she headed to the doorway and peered out.
An open-air arcaded courtyard greeted her, where people who looked similar to humans and dressed in buckskin outfits went about their business. Simone supposed these were the Mystic Folk of whom Storm Kar was one of.
Looking round, she spotted Grazing Elk Woman sitting at the far end of the courtyard, talking and laughing with a small group of men and women. They were engaged in the process of weaving baskets, while other members of the Mystic Folk made clothing or jewellery.
As Simone started to walk gingerly across the courtyard, she gazed around at yet more Mystic Folk who were playing music on drums and flutes, or were sitting motionless on mats in Yogic poses with their eyes closed and appeared to be meditating.
In a partitioned part of the courtyard, a group of younger men and women were training in combat with bizarre looking weapons carved from born that flared with spectral light when they made contact with each other. They fought with a savagery and grace that sent a shudder through Simone, and she decided she would like to get on the bad side of these guys.
As she passed all this activity, most of the Mystic Folk did not acknowledge her or make any move to speak or stop her. As she reached Grazing Elk Woman and her group, the elderly woman looked up from her work and smiled sardonically.
“You look better in the daylight,” the Chieftess said bluntly.
Simone frowned, unsure how to respond. A couple of the Mystic Folk sniggered and she started to bristle. “Storm Kar sent me a little love letter,” she said in a caustic tone.
Grazing Elk Woman nodded. “That one was always better with written words than with his tongue. You consent to his terms?”
Simone shrugged. “Do I have a choice?”
“More than you will ever know,” the older woman replied and a sad expression stole across her face.
Simone shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. “Whatever,” she said gruffly, feeling defensive. “I think I can survive a month at any rate. So, where is he then?”
Grazing Elk Woman pointed to an archway at the end of the part of the arcade closet to him. “Go through there and it will take you out to the meadow, he’s waiting there,” she said with a knowing smile. “Play nicely with him.”
This elicited ribald laughter from the nearby Mystic Folk and Simone blushed furiously. Deliberately ignoring the sly remark, Simone marched toward the archway, glad to be able to get out of the courtyard.
Going through a covered walkway, she emerged outside again, this time in a wide, lush meadow of long blue grass. Maroon colored flowers studded the alien landscape and the rich scent of jasmine filled the air. The warm sunshine draped over her neck and shoulders and she started to feel better in herself.
A rough trail wound its way through the grasses, and Simone started to walk down it. Up ahead was a cluster of what looked like weeping willows, though they were orange in color, and from their direction, she heard the sound of children laughing.
Moving towards the sound, she came to a stream of diamond bright water, where several little boys and girls were running around and playing.
Storm Kar was with them, leaping about and roaring, chasing the children and making them laugh. Simone stopped walking and watched the scene, pleasantly surprised at how playful the fierce and intense Storm Kar could be. He homed in on one giggling little girl and scooped her up in his arms and swung her round, making her shriek hysterically.
Despite being mad and suspicious of him, Simone felt a grin spreading across her face. The scene of innocent joy reminded her of the summers she spent on her Aunt Marie’s farm when she was a kid. That had been one of the happiest times in her life, next to meeting Dean of course.
As Storm Kar put the girl down on the ground again, he turned his head and spotted Simone. He instantly became self-conscious. His face became closed and he tensed up. His reaction put her on edge, and the moment of joy she experienced evaporated. Subconsciously brushing down her dress, she headed over to join them.
“Good morning,” she said, giving him a stiff smile. “It is morning on this planet, isn’t it?”
“The sun has not finished its transit in the House of the Skylark, so it is technically still morning,” Storm Kar said portentously. He fell silent and looked down at his moccasins.
“Well, that’s great I guess,” she replied in a deadpan voice and went quiet too, not sure what else to say either.
As soon as she’d joined Storm Kar the children had stopped playing and gathered into a close group behind the Shaman Scientist, and peered at her shyly. Simone gave them a friendly grin and bent down to speak to them.