Darkling (2 page)

Chapter Two

The brilliant sun poured through the tall windows of Niles’
office. Though Vega could hardly tear her gaze from the dashing man, she tried
not to gape at the mounds of paper or the tall silver cabinets behind him. Most
of this world was alien to her. At least she knew what windows and an office
were. While she might know the word “paper”, she had no clue what it might be
used for.

She shrank into the recesses of her clothes, seeking to stay
out of the sunlight. A fallen star had no place on Earth at any time, let alone
at midday during a heat wave. But she had exactly two weeks to accomplish her
mission. If she didn’t burn up first.

As a celestial being, she was accustomed to high
temperatures. Of all the stars in her constellation, she was the brightest in
the velvety southern sky. But the difference was just that—she hung in the night
sky.

When she’d slipped through the atmosphere and collided with
Earth’s crust, she was stunned by the rising sun. For her entire life, she’d
faded into the distance when the first sparks of sunlight pierced her dark
realm. The rays were like shards of glass in her eyes and her flesh broiled.

When she and her twin sister had come across the ancient
text written by Nira, the only star ever to have fallen before, Vega had merely
skimmed the information about how to survive in human form beneath the debilitating
heat of the sun, more interested in the idea of how
to
fall in the first
place.

At the time, Vega had wondered how a simple thought to rise
or fall could ever do the trick, but it had.

More than anything, she longed to be back up there again,
hanging amongst her people. On Earth, she was of the Darkling species, or a
star that had fallen, but she wished she were in her true place. In the winter
and spring, she was viewed by the peoples of the north. However, she loved
summer the best, because she hung over the Southern Hemisphere and was able to
hear the whisperings of the Earthlings in those exotic lands of Argentina,
Paraguay and Brazil. Everything about those humans thrilled her, from their
customs to their language. In fact, it was too bad this man before her didn’t
speak those tongues. She knew little English.

There’s no use bemoaning your situation. You got yourself
into this mess.

She blinked rapidly to dispel the tears that threatened to
fall. The unfamiliar burn against her eyelids annoyed her. Stars didn’t weep.

You are part of the great constellation Gemini. You’re
strong.

Her mental pep talk did nothing to stop the salty drops from
falling down her cheeks.

Niles’ voice was clogged with concern. “Oh Vega.” He jumped
off his chair and strode around his big wooden desk. He grabbed a rectangular
object with a bit of white fluff sticking out of the top and waved it beneath
her nose.

She stared at it through blurred vision, wondering what she
was meant to do with it. Reaching out, she accepted it. It felt different from
anything she’d ever touched before. She prodded the white substance with a
fingertip, fascinated by the way it fluttered.

Niles reached over and pulled a piece from the box. And very
gently, he stroked her face with it. The instant he did so, she recalled seeing
people do this same thing. All this time, she’d thought the white squares to be
cloth.

His nearness overwhelmed her. A deep, musky scent made her
head spin. And his black eyes burned into her from behind dark-rimmed glasses.
Glasses she knew, but she didn’t understand the expression he wore. The glimmer
of emotion seemed to scorch her with a heat all its own. This physical form
she’d assumed when she entered the Earth’s atmosphere stirred to life. Warm
tendrils threaded through her limbs and took up residence low in her belly.

Using his fingertip covered by the white papery stuff, he
dried her tears. Each touch sent new sparks of warmth through this human form.
Suddenly she wondered why she hadn’t tried to fall before. The feelings she was
experiencing were altogether new. And exciting.

As she studied Niles’ face close up, she tried not to focus
on his heavy black brows or the stubble on his square jaw that she longed to
touch. While hanging in the night sky, she watched a lot of human lovemaking,
and knew stroking a man’s face would lead to more.

Remember why you’re here, Vega.

The name jarred her. In her language, Vega meant Fallen
Star. Here she was a fallen star, and so her name shifted to Vega while she
remained a Darkling. If she were shining in the night sky still, she’d be
Pollux, twin to Castor.

She struggled not to gasp even as her tears fell faster. Oh
why had she been careless with the starscale—a dragon’s scale that had been
enchanted by the Old Ones? In two weeks, the starscale would be used to bring
light to newborn stars.

And she’d dropped it.

To Earth.

If she didn’t find it, no more stars could be brought to
light.

Each year the brightest star of a constellation was given
the honor of keeping the starscale safe until the lighting. The glory of
carrying the treasured object to the ceremony was almost as exciting as
becoming a newborn star. In her time, the constellation Gemini hadn’t had
possession of the starscale and Vega had been thrilled with the
responsibility—a responsibility that she’d flubbed with her carelessness.
Dropping any object through the atmosphere would result in the worst sort of
punishment—let alone an item of such distinction.

Right about now her twin sister would discover she and the
starscale were missing. She anticipated the blistering her ears would receive
upon her return.

If you return. Between the sun and the look Niles is
giving you, you might be turned to ash first.

A fresh sob choked her.

Niles’ brows crumpled at her distress. He set aside the
rectangle with the fluff and pulled her roughly into his arms.

The initial contact stunned her. A dark heat wove through
her core, shocking her with pleasure. The pressure of his hands on her spine
affected her new body in ways she’d never dreamed possible, and his scent
filtered into her psyche. These sensations blocked the tumult of her
surroundings. The chaos of the space, dozens of objects she didn’t know the
names of, trilling phones beyond the walls and horns blaring from the street
below. In her soft pillow of darkness, she was isolated from such noise. She
longed for her world.

“I don’t even know if you can understand me, Vega. I feel so
badly that you’re crying. What can I do to help if you can’t tell me?”

Her lips were pressed against his shoulder. When she spoke,
a shiver ran through him. “I understand you, Niles.”

He tightened his arms around her. “I’ll help you, but I need
information from you.” He pulled away but she followed him, loving the contact
of his flesh against hers. It was the most centered she’d felt since her fall.

And he looked so much like those dashing men she watched
from her perch near her sister. Dark skin and hair and flashing black eyes…

“Oh sweetie,” he rasped. His hands convulsed on her waist.

“I can’t tell you much about why I’m here except that I do
need help. I’m not from this land and I’m looking for something.” She tilted
her face up to his and found his lips inches away. How would it feel to touch
her lips to his? While she’d watched plenty of people kissing, she’d never
experienced it for herself.

His breath was coming harsh and fast now. It washed across
her face and instilled a yearning in her she couldn’t explain.

“All right, Vega. You’re not from this country. Do you have
paperwork? Are you allowed to be here?”

She shook her head. If her sister didn’t quickly find
someone to hold her place in the constellation Gemini, she’d be found out and
maybe banished from her world forever. When she’d made the decision to fall and
go after the starscale, she hadn’t dared to let anyone know her secret.

And she had no idea what paperwork was.

He smoothed his palms up her back and held her shoulders.
Now this she knew was a kissing pose. The fire in her belly blazed hotter.

“No paperwork. I knew it.” He spoke under his breath but she
heard him well enough. “There isn’t a bed anyhow. There’s only one answer
really.”

She fixed her gaze on his mouth as he rambled, wondering if
his lips were as hard as they looked.

“Vega, I’m going to take you to my place.” His voice
faltered and he shot a glance at the closed door. “I’m not supposed to do that,
but I don’t know what else to do with you. I can’t allow you to stay in the
park again. I promise not to do anything unseemly.”

Confusion fogged her. She didn’t know that word. She copied
him, mouthing the word “unseemly”.

He ran his long, strong fingers through his hair. “Damn, I
know you don’t understand what I’m saying.”

No, she did. Well, a little bit. She shook her head and her
hood fell back. Cool air trickled over her scalp. She gasped and jerked her
hands to right it, but Niles caught them with a soft moan. His rough fingers
gripped hers and, very slowly, he drew them down.

“It’s a hot day. No matter what your customs, you must have
a bit of cool. Here.” He released her and snagged the drink from the corner of
his desk, pressing the cool cylinder into her hands. “Drink, then we’ll go.
I’ll sign out early. Oh shit!” He nudged his glasses up his nose and whirled
toward his desk.

While she twisted off the top of the bottle the way she’d
seen him do, he picked up a telephone and punched a button.

“Brady, I need you to see Mischa today. Can you do that for
me? Yeah, I know it’s short notice. She’s due in,” he looked at his watch,
“half an hour. But I really need to go home early. It’s an emergency. I’ll run
home then come back halfway through the session. If you could just start for
me… You know about Mischa’s attempt two weeks ago. I’ve spent a lot of time
with her at the hospital and at her treatment center. It has to be today, and
you’re the only other person she’s ever opened up to.”

He listened for a long moment, alternately fiddling with a
pen and clenching his hand into a fist. He gave his thigh a hard whack, making
Vega draw up straight in her chair. She noted the brackets around his mouth and
the tense set to his shoulders. Then suddenly, he eased.

Collapsing against the desk, he pinched the bridge of his
nose between his thumb and forefinger. The lines of his body entranced her.
Ropes of muscle bulged beneath his white cotton shirt, and the fabric of his
pants stretched tight across the big muscles of his thighs. The dark hair
sprouting around his wristwatch drew her like a flame to a wick.

Glancing up, he caught her gaze. And held it.

In her realm, when two celestial beings would fuse and
become one star, a shirring noise occurred like electricity humming through
lines. She swore she heard that now. Yet he wasn’t celestial and she’d shifted
to a human form to find the starscale.

As she recalled that her reason for being here wasn’t a six-foot-two-inch
muscled male, she started to cry again. She had to locate the starscale so the
magic the Old Ones had infused into the object could light the newborns. Over
the millennia, that magic had diminished in the elders until their powers were
a faint glimmer in comparison. That meant there was no possibility of creating
a new starscale if she was unsuccessful. And no more stars would be born.

“Thanks, Brady. I’ll call you tonight to see how it went
with Mischa.” Niles dropped the phone to the receiver and sank to his knees
before her. He captured her hand. She marveled at the way his broad fingers
spread hers slightly farther than was comfortable.

“Everything’s taken care of. Are you ready to come with me?”
He caught her gaze.

She nodded. What choice did she have? Though she came from a
vast galaxy, this world seemed bigger and more frightening. There was little
chance that she could find the starscale without help. And there were the added
problems of contact with the sun and the fact she needed water. Lots of it. If
she didn’t have it, her human form would burn up.

She chugged the rest of the cool fluid, her tears falling
all the time. What a watery mess this body was, but she was stuck with it until
she found that starscale.

As Niles helped her to her feet, electric tingles surged to
her fingertips again. She might not like this land or her present form very
well, but she did enjoy the scorching pulsations in her lower belly.

Her tears fled. She gripped his big hand and gave him what
felt like a funny grimace. He paused with a hand on the door, gazing down at
her with a half-smile on his face. She suddenly realized that’s what the
grimace had been—her first smile.

Letting it broaden, stretching her features, she watched his
grow too, spreading upward to crinkle his eyes.

Yes, he was a beautiful man, one of the most striking she’d
ever seen in all her centuries hovering above the Earth.

For the time being, she was stuck here and in the company of
a sexy Earthling. She could struggle with her new situation or completely give
up control. Hadn’t she always wondered what it would be like to be in the arms
of a lover?

Without much contemplation, she knew her decision. If she
had to be trapped in the body of an Earthling, she wanted the experiences to go
with it.

Chapter Three

Niles leaned against the doorframe between the living room
and kitchen of his apartment and stared at the sleeping woman on his sofa. In
repose, her face was more striking than ever. Who was she and where had she
come from? For two full days she’d been sleeping and downing glasses of water.
After so many hours of this behavior, he was starting to get alarmed and
wondered if he should call medical personnel.

He crossed the room to the sofa and attempted to shake her
awake.

She flung out an arm and twisted her head hard to the side,
but didn’t open her eyes.

“Vega, wake up!”

Her full lips worked as if she were trying to speak.

He laid his palm on her forehead, relieved to find she
wasn’t hot. At some point during the night, she’d stripped off the outer layer
of clothes, leaving her in only a thin chemise. It clung damply to the outer
curve of her breast and the slope of her hip.

He tore his gaze away. “You’ve got to wake up and talk to
me, Vega. I’m worried.”

“Pollux from Gemini. Earth is too hot, but I’ll grow
accustomed to it. More water please…”

He straightened with surprise. What the—? Chafing a hand
over his face, he bumped his glasses. He yanked them off and massaged his eyes.
What the hell was he doing? There was something seriously wrong with her. The
best thing to do was call the shelter and fight to secure a space for her. He’d
been wrong to bring her here. He couldn’t start harboring the homeless in his
apartment.

Sure you don’t need her to leave because you want her,
Niles?

His body hummed at the sight of her curves. In fact, every
long glance and touch he’d exchanged with her loomed up in his mind, as sweet
and soft as a day in the country. Wiping her tears and holding her as she cried
did things to his insides he hadn’t felt…well, ever.

He stared at her again without his glasses. Besides the
facts that she wasn’t from this country and was searching for something, he
knew little about her. When he’d gotten her into the apartment, she’d fallen
instantly asleep and had awakened only to drink or to stumble to the bathroom.

Reaching down, he brushed a glossy raven lock from her
velvety cheek. A lone wave pooled in the hollow of her collarbone and he longed
to follow the length and learn the feel of her flesh. In fact, he fought to
keep from gathering up that glossy lock and dipping his tongue into the
delicious depression at the base of her throat.

Get a grip, man. Find out where she’s come from and what
she needs, then turn her loose on the world.

Bold thoughts for a man who collected down-and-outs as if
they were stray kittens.

He jammed his glasses back on his face and spun toward the
kitchen. The tile floor cooled his bare feet but he was still hot. The
inadequate air-conditioning in his apartment didn’t help his already
impassioned state.

Reaching into a high cupboard, he pulled down a glass and
filled it with iced tea. His apartment was his refuge from the sometimes
depressing outside world, and now he’d brought one of the sad situations home
with him. For two days, he’d been passing the bulk of his caseload off on
Brady. Except for Mischa. In her delicate state, Niles couldn’t afford to upset
the balance of their relationship. Their talks might mean the difference
between life and death for this special young girl.

But he had to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding
the sleeping woman on his sofa before he broke down and touched her the way he
longed to.

For the fiftieth time, his mind raced with questions. Who
was she? Where had she come from? What did she need help finding, and how was
he going to get any information from her? Between their obvious communication
problems and her heavy sleep, he wasn’t likely to learn what she needed soon.

He braced his feet wide and sipped the cold brew, wishing
she was awake so he could talk to her. The faster he figured out how to help
her, the faster he’d be able to return to his life. Tiptoeing around a
heart-stopping woman asleep on his sofa and keeping his racing thoughts in
check was putting enormous pressure on him. In the two days she’d been there,
he’d done little more than gaze at her. He’d even missed his boxing practices.

She needs help finding something. What? A person?

A sliver of dread sliced through his chest as he realized
she might have followed someone to this country. Someone she may be in love
with.

Not your business, guy. Focus. She didn’t shed all those
tears because she’s all right.
It was his job to uncover her troubles and
help her solve them.

Just like he should be doing with Mischa right now.

He flipped his wrist and checked the time. She’d be arriving
at the office in half an hour. A street kid with little love in her raw
existence, it was no wonder she’d given in to her debilitating depression and
bipolar tendencies and tried to take her life.

But it gutted him that she had. If only she’d called him.

A quiet noise in the other room yanked him from his
melancholy thoughts. He set down his glass and strode to the door. Peeking into
the living area, he fixed his gaze on the stunning beauty on the sofa. She was
curled on one side. One slender forearm hung over the side of the sofa, her
knuckles almost brushing the floor.

She drew a snorting, hitching breath and released it in a
wheezing gasp.

A rumble of laughter threatened to burst out of his chest.
He pressed a fist to his lips to suppress it. His goddess was snoring.

Quickly his struggle to keep from laughing gave way to a
battle over his emotions. A deep need to protect her overwhelmed him. Maybe the
intimacy of watching her sleep hour after hour or her guile-free gaze fed his
need to shelter her.

It’s probably the tender point of her chin driving these
passions in you, Niles. Get hold of yourself.

Still, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. With each snoring
breath, the soft upper bow of her lip fluttered in and out. Her lashes were
long and curling and lay against her smooth cheeks. He longed to stroke them
with a fingertip to discover if they were as unbelievably soft as they
appeared.

His cock throbbed heavily in the confines of his pants.
Yeah, this idea was turning out worse than he imagined. His regular caseload
was stressful, but throw in a hot illegal sprawled on his sofa for two days
plus the fact that his morals didn’t allow him to hook up with just anyone, and
he hadn’t had sex in close to a year, and he was ready to hit something.
Literally.

In a few hours, he hoped to have made some decisions in
regards to her welfare. He needed to sneak away to the gym to get a few rounds
in with his opponent Darien. He was expected in the ring at seven o’clock for a
big fight, but if Vega didn’t wake up, he couldn’t exactly leave her here
alone. She might be frightened.

He flexed his fingers into fists and then released them.
If you miss that fight, you’ll manage. You’ll do what’s best.

He went back to the kitchen and retrieved his iced tea, then
returned to take up the chair across from Vega. The old cushions sank beneath
his weight. As his head filled with her natural perfume, he relaxed back with a
sigh.

He’d drawn the curtains to keep the room cool. A single
piercing sliver of light escaped the thick cloth and fell across the arm of the
sofa. It didn’t touch the sleeping woman, yet she seemed to glow. For long
minutes he watched the odd golden lights play over her skin, thinking it one of
the most beautiful tricks of the eye he’d ever experienced.

Quiet snores became lulling music and pretty soon his body
tuned into it. The knot between his shoulder blades loosened and some of the
constant ache behind his eyes ebbed away. He removed his glasses and rested
them on his knee.

Man, you’ve got it bad.

As he watched the rise and fall of her chest beneath the
thin gown she wore, he knew beyond a doubt something wasn’t right with her.
After more than a decade of working with the needy, he’d developed a sixth
sense. And it told him Vega harbored a deeper secret.

Determination filled him. When she awakened, he was going to
ask her some very hard questions. If he was to help her, she’d need to confide
in him. By nightfall, he would have those answers.

* * * * *

Vega awakened to find Niles kneeling beside her, stroking
her hair. A crinkle of concern was carved between his dark brows as he studied
her. She licked her lips and his gaze flashed to her mouth.

“You all right, sweetheart? You were crying out in your
sleep.”

Her throat was as dry as moon dust. She nodded.

Seeming to understand her needs, he reached for a pitcher of
water and a glass on the end table. She scooted into a sitting position and
propped herself on the sofa cushions. Her limbs felt heavy and hot. Stealing a
glance at the window, she realized it was still day. While the curtains were
drawn, beads of light speckled the hardwood floor.

Thank goodness. I must be gaining a tolerance to the sun.

The crisp sound of the liquid tipping into the glass made
her mouth water. “Thank you.”

He watched her drink, his gaze solemn. “I’m worried about
you, Vega. Can I get you a doctor?”

“No. I’m better now, see?”

He brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone and then nodded.
“Cool. Good.” The wrinkle on his forehead disappeared, replaced by smile lines
around his eyes. “You snore.”

Confusion danced through her mind. “Snore?”

“Uh, yes.” He did a series of grunts, snorts and wheezes
that set her face aflame.

She touched the droplets of moisture on her forehead,
wondering if she was able to glow in this body. It felt like it.

“Sounds like a dragon,” she said.

He laughed. “You’re interested in dragons? Let me show you
something.” In one fluid motion, he gained his feet. She watched his muscles
bunch and roll as he strode out of the room. A minute later, he returned
carrying a wooden box.

She sat up straighter as he set it gently on the low table.
What could he have?

He flicked the small brass catch and opened the hinged lid.
She glimpsed a flash of gray. Her heart tripped, flipped and sped out of
control.

In a flurry, she dropped to her knees before the table and
peered into the box. Small discs—the same shape as starscales.

“Are they dragon scales?”

His smile broadened. “No, they’re fossils. See this one?” He
placed one in her hands. “Right here is an imprint an animal made thousands of
years ago.”

She stared at the claw marks. Tears of disappointment burned
behind her eyes, and suddenly they were falling, dropping fast. Rivulets ran
over the disc in her hand, cutting tracks in the dust.

“Hey, hey, hey. What is it?” He gently removed the fossil
from her hand and set it aside to take her into his arms.

“It’s just so beautiful. It reminds me of the object I’m
looking for.”

She heard his throat click as he swallowed. “I’ll help you
find it, Vega. You only have to tell me what I’m looking for.”

Turning her face into the soft cotton of his shirt, she drew
a deep, gulping breath of his clean scent. An overwhelming urge to touch him
scorched low in her belly. She understood little about this body, but knew that
fire needed to be sated.

Before she could lose her nerve, she lifted her face, leaned
in and pressed her mouth over his. A surge of passion flooded her limbs, making
them heavy yet pulsing at once. She wriggled closer, needing more as his scents
swirled through her brain.

A low groan sounded from his chest, igniting her further.
The sweet pressure between her thighs grew. Instinctively, she angled her head
to gain better access to his mouth.

And was shocked when he parted her lips with the point of
his tongue. She gasped and he took full advantage, sweeping the recesses of her
mouth until her mind whirled.

She looped her arms around his neck and clung to him,
mimicking the flipping and stroking movements of his velvety tongue until his
muscles vibrated beneath her hands. Against her belly, his cock stiffened. A
spike of need captured her. She wanted to see it, touch it. From her vantage
point in the night sky, male parts looked hard as stone. But Niles’ didn’t feel
that way.

She ran her palm over the flat of his chest, reveling in
each dip and swell of muscle. Her body responded by releasing a flood of cream
between her thighs. She shifted restlessly to ease it and raised another groan
from him.

He plunged his tongue into her mouth again and again,
drinking from her almost forcefully. The delightful bruise of his lips set her
aflame and she forgot about her need for water or the fact that the sun was
trickling through the draperies. The fire inside her would soon consume her if
he didn’t touch her.

She caught his hands and lifted them to her aching breasts.

He stilled his kiss, his lips motionless against hers. He
opened his eyes and they stared at each other close up. A shiver ran down her
spine. She’d never felt as right as she did in his arms.

The knot in her belly tightened as he lightly rubbed his
palms over her sensitive nipples.

“Baby, you’re so beautiful. So soft.” He glided his
fingertips around each pebbled nipple until she threw back her head and cried
out at the exquisite torment. He plucked them until she quivered, and then
slowly lowered his mouth to her arched throat.

White heat stabbed her. Her muscles were limp yet straining
for his touch. Suddenly she understood the lovemaking she’d witnessed from her
home in the sky—all those lovers experienced this pleasure and that’s why their
faces glowed.

He kissed a rough path up her throat to the crest of her
chin, which he nibbled delicately. He pinched her nipples hard and slow and she
writhed against him.