Fallen Star (4 page)

“So it’s in my best interest to take as long
as I can to recover?”

Angie winced. That was obviously not the
conclusion she’d wanted Jillian to draw. “That’s one possible
strategy. Another is to be ready for the confrontation.”

A tingle slid down Jillian’s spine and her
pulse gave an erratic leap. She saw no hint of amusement in Angie’s
gaze. Had the men done something to her? She either honestly
believed this nonsense or she deserved an Academy Award. “This
isn’t funny. My leg is really starting to hurt. I want you to take
me home.”

Angie pressed her lips together and remained
silent for several minutes. Then she sighed and continued with
renewed conviction. “You’re never going to believe everything
that’s going on, so let’s focus on you. What have the doctors told
you about your leg?”

“You know what they said,” Jillian snapped,
no longer willing to indulge Angie’s irrationality. “They were able
to save my leg so they consider themselves successful. However, I
have at least three more surgeries to look forward to and months,
perhaps years, of physical therapy. I’ll be lucky if I can walk
without a cane and I will never dance again.”

“What if you could change that diagnosis?
What would you be willing to risk?”

“It can’t be changed so what’s the point of
this conversation?” Angie rubbed her eyes and pressed back against
the headrest as she tried in vain to find a more comfortable
position. “I don’t have the energy for the ‘what if’ game.”

“This isn’t a game. Odintar can heal you.”
She waited until Jillian looked at her then added, “I know his
power is real. He healed me.”

She sounded so sincere, so matter-of-fact.
It was hard not to believe her. “What was wrong with you?” Her leg
pulsed, echoing her agitated heartbeat.

“I was seriously injured during a fight with
Nazerel. If it hadn’t been for Odintar, I would have died.”

Angie looked at Jillian so often it was
making her nervous. And Angie’s earnest expression was burrowing
through Jillian’s disbelief. “Watch the road. I’d rather not be in
another accident.” Angie obediently switched her gaze back to the
highway and Jillian sighed. Healers didn’t exist. Angie might think
this was harmless fun, but this game was just plain mean.

“Your disbelief is understandable. I
wouldn’t believe me either, but you need to know that Odintar is a
trusted friend and coworker. He won’t hurt you and he will heal
you. At least let him try. What do you have to lose?”

Hope flickered in the distance, mocking her.
This was so unfair. “Where are we going? My apartment is way back
there.”

“I’m taking you to Odintar. He’ll take you
to a safe house equipped with shields that will prevent the Shadow
Assassins from locating you.”

The Shadow Assassins again. Jillian shook
her head. Why was Angie persisting with this wild tale?

“Grab my phone.” Angie motioned to the slim
devise stuck in one of the cup holders. Jillian picked it up and
Angie said, “There’s a video clip called Tori. Play it.”

Jillian found the video and activated the
file. Tori’s image came to life with a friendly smile. “Hey, Jill.
By now Angie has probably told you some wild story about psychic
healers and outlaw aliens. Hate to complicate your life, hun, but
it’s all true. I dragged Angie into this mess and unfortunately
you’re a target too. I don’t want to say too much just in case baby
sister loses her phone again, but you need to understand that she
hasn’t lost her mind. You know me. I would never lie to you and I’m
telling you to believe what Angie tells you. This could be a really
good thing, but you have to trust us. Hope to see you soon.” The
video ended and Jillian just stared at the phone, numb and
uncertain.

“You okay?”

Jillian couldn’t think past the roaring in
her ears. “Where’s Tori?”

“She left the hospital a few minutes before
we did with your double. By now they should be in your apartment,
convincing everyone that the double is you.”

She powered off the phone and returned it to
the cup holder. Focusing on each mundane task kept her from feeling
so overwhelmed. “You hired a double for me?” She shivered. This was
starting to feel real. “Doesn’t that put her in danger?”

“Nazerel wants a mate worthy of him,
not…”

“An invalid?” It might be a temporary label,
but the description fit. She could barely dress herself and walking
without assistance was a distant goal.

Angie nodded. “If you let Odintar heal you,
you won’t be an invalid. You’ll be better than you’ve ever been
before.”

Her head was throbbing almost as powerfully
as her leg. She rubbed her temples as she tried to compose a
rational response. “If Odintar can do what you say, won’t that
encourage Nazerel to come get me?” Why was she encouraging this
fantasy?
Because Tori would never lie to you
. They’d known
each other for years and, unlike her free-spirited sister, Tori was
practical, logical, honest. She would never be part of such a cruel
prank.

“First things first, remember?” Angie said
softly. “Let Odintar heal you and then we’ll all work together to
make you less vulnerable.”

Before Jillian could react to that bit of
nonsense, Angie pulled off the highway and into a rest stop.
Jillian looked around. Were they still on I-95? This seemed too
secluded. As the conversation had gotten more unbelievable, she’d
stopped paying attention to their location. There were no other
cars in the small parking lot and the nondescript building offered
restrooms, tourist information and nothing else. She knew Angie
wouldn’t hurt her, but what about Odintar. Was he even real or
simply a figment of Angie’s overactive imagination?

As if to answer her question a tall,
dark-haired man strode toward them from the far side of the
building. Did he have a vehicle parked back there or had someone
dropped him off? He hadn’t come out of the building. It was more
like he’d been waiting behind or beside it. How odd.

His clothing was unremarkable, jeans and a
solid black T-shirt. Like the other two men Angie claimed were
aliens, this man’s features were sculpted to masculine perfection.
With his strong jawline and high cheekbones he could make a fortune
with his face.

“Are all the men on Atari good looking?” she
muttered under her breath.

“Ontariese. Their planet is called
Ontariese.”

Jillian didn’t look away from the
approaching stranger. His hair was short on the sides and just long
enough on top to reveal its tendency to curl. He inclined his head
as he noticed her stare, but his steps didn’t falter. He stopped
beside the car and reached for the door handle. Paralyzed by the
absurdity of the situation, she just watched him open the door.

“Jillian, that’s Odintar. Odintar,
Jillian.”

Framed by thick brown lashes, he had the
darkest eyes Jillian had ever seen. Black, yet incredibly
reflective, his gaze seemed to capture and caress her. “How did you
get here?” It was an irrelevant question, but she couldn’t think of
anything less absurd.

Odintar looked at Angie and displeasure
creased his brow. “You didn’t tell her what to expect?”

“She doesn’t believe you can heal her.
Telling her you can teleport would have been a waste of time.”

“T-teleport?” Jillian scoffed. “A psychic
healer who can teleport. Seriously?”

Without warning, Odintar reached across her
lap and unfastened her seat belt. The straps retracted with a noisy
clatter as he slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other
behind her back. “Grab my neck.”

“Why?” She tried to move away from him, but
she had nowhere to go. And her useless leg made escape impossible.
“Don’t touch me! What do you think you’re doing?”

He lifted her out of the car, carefully
angling her body until her injured leg was free. Then he
straightened and looked into her eyes. “Hold on. I don’t want to
lose you in the vortex.”

Vortex?
Determined not to sound like
a parrot, she let the word echo through her mind. What if it wasn’t
all nonsense? Was it possible he could fix her leg? Hope surged
through her uncertainty, though the uncertainty remained. She
trusted Tori and Tori trusted this man. Like Angie said, what did
she have to lose? Reluctantly, she rested one arm across his
shoulders and left the other in her lap.

He chuckled. “Are all Earth women this
stubborn?”

His arms tightened and reality blurred.
Jillian cried out and rolled toward him, wrapping both arms
securely around his neck.

Odintar smiled as his passenger clung to
him. He’d imagined Jillian in his arms ever since he saw her in the
hospital, so helpless and miserable. She had classically beautiful
features, delicate yet distinct. With pale blonde hair and bright
blue eyes, she was captivating.

He materialized in the living room of the
safe house and waited for her to notice that they were again on
solid ground. Her face was pressed against the side of his neck and
her body trembled.

“You’re safe,
genarri
. There’s
nothing to fear.” Rather than pry her away from him, he moved to
the sofa and sat down with her still cradled in his arms.

The safe house wasn’t large, two bedrooms,
each with a private bathroom, the living room, and an eat-in
kitchen were all on the main floor. The command center and
detention cells were tucked away in the basement. He knew Elias was
monitoring the situation from somewhere nearby, but he’d insisted
on privacy for the next few days. At least the illusion of
privacy.

Jillian relaxed enough to settle on his lap
then slowly raised her head. “You’re really from another planet?”
She whispered the question as her gaze locked with his. The color
drained from her cheeks, making her eyes appear massive and
luminous.

“I am, but you have nothing to fear from me.
I’m here to help you.” Wiggling backward, she scooted off his lap
and tried to swing her legs to the floor. He gently caught her
uninjured calf and held her in place. “I didn’t grab your crutches.
You can’t walk without them. Just relax.”

“Relax?” She laughed, looking anything but
amused. “Where are we? How long have you been on Earth? Does my
government know you’re here?”

“It’s better if you don’t know exactly; not
quite two months; and certain government officials if not the
government as a whole.”

Her arching brows drew together as she
matched his answers to her questions. “Did you teleport all the way
from Ontariese or do you have some sort of ship?”

“Is that really what you want to know?” He
moved his arm to the back of the sofa, resisting the urge to touch
her. She wasn’t ready for his touch and he wasn’t here to seduce
her, a fact his body hadn’t quite registered. “Didn’t Angie tell
you why I brought you here?”

“She said you could heal my leg.” Her lips
pressed together then her voice tensed as she asked, “Can you?”

“I can and I will, but not until you’re
ready to let me.”

She averted her gaze and fell silent. He
didn’t need to scan her mind to understand the conflict raging in
her gaze. Things like this didn’t happen on Earth. She was
scrambling for an explanation that remained within the confines of
her reality.

“I have to be dreaming,” she whispered.
“This can’t be real.”

“This is real and it’s important.” He
allowed an authoritative edge to sharpen his tone. Unless he took
control of the situation she might slip into hysteria and he didn’t
have the time to waste or the patience to deal with that. “You
can’t return to your life until you’re strong enough to protect
yourself. It’s as simple as that.”

Her gaze snapped back to his and she slowly
licked her lips. “How do I know anything you tell me is true? For
all I know, Angie and Tori could be brainwashed or under the
influence of some psychotropic drug.”

He couldn’t help but smile. Her
determination to cling to the familiar was understandable, but he
couldn’t allow it to go on indefinitely. If she continued with
these pointless denials, he would have to find a more direct path
past her reservations. “That’s easier to believe than the
possibility that I just want to help you?”

“What do you expect in return?”

Her bitterness surprised him. She’d seemed
dejected and frustrated when he’d observed her in the hospital. The
anger was new. “Why would I expect anything?”

“Everything comes with a price. I want to
know yours up front.”

Annoyed by her presumption, he muttered,
“I’m a man. Surely I could only want one thing from a beautiful
woman.” Her suspicion wasn’t completely unfounded. He did find her
incredibly desirable. Still, he would never extort sexual favors
from someone who needed his help.

Her nostrils flared and her lips trembled.
“Are we talking one night or—”

He caught her chin and gazed deep into her
eyes. “I will heal you because I can. I expect nothing in
return.”

“I don’t believe you.” Her voice was barely
a whisper and she twisted out of his light grasp.

“You don’t believe I’ll heal you or you
don’t believe my assistance comes without a price?”

“Both.” She looked at him then away as tears
gathered behind her long lashes. “There’s always a price and it’s
always devastating.”

Determined to shift her focus and lighten
her mood, he guided her gaze back to his. “I’ve had many adjectives
attached to my lovemaking, but devastating is not one of them.”

“Then you don’t want sex?”

Her attitude was a reflection of the men in
her life, not his behavior, but her persistence was starting to
chafe. “When, and if, you share my bed, it will have nothing to do
with obligation. Do you want me to heal your leg or not? I offer my
abilities freely. All you have to do is agree.”