Grady's Awakening (21 page)

Jim was silent a long time, watching the railway ahead. She could almost feel his thoughts flashing through his mind.

“It’s an ingenious idea if this Patriarch of yours is interested in creating a monarchy or a dictatorship. He’ll hold a lot of power if and when he pulls off his coup.”

“It won’t be like that,” Gina said quietly. “If you knew him like I know him, you’d understand. He guides. He protects. He never dictates, and he doesn’t seek power for power’s sake. He knows the Alvian people are driving themselves toward extinction, and he has some comprehension of the horrors his race has visited on humanity. Soldiers feel more than any other Alvian line. He has echoes of emotion—not much—but enough to tell him something’s terribly wrong with the status quo.”

The pod started decelerating, and Gina realized they’d been talking for close to an hour. Wally had told them it would take some time for the pod to come to a complete stop as it slowly lowered toward the rails as the magnetic field became weaker toward the turning point. The first leg of the journey was the shortest according to the maps. Once they got the pod onto the next set of rails, there would be a few hours before they had to stop again.

“I’ll be honest, Gina, I don’t understand how you can be so close with Alvians, no matter what kind they are.”

“We have time.” She watched the rails in front of them, illuminated by an overhead string of bulbs that created a flashing effect as they passed. “I want you to understand them, Jim. I want you to realize why I think they’re vital to our survival as a race—as a joined race.”

“I’ve heard rumors of a human woman who married an Alvian, but I still don’t understand how it’s possible. They said that guy had emotions. I’ve never met an Alvian yet who did.”

“You’re talking about the Chief Engineer and his mate. Funny, I was just talking to someone who knew them both rather well before I came here—a warrior named Grady Prime.” She felt warm thinking of the serious man who’d learned how to cope with new emotions. “He said Davin—that’s their Chief Engineer’s name—had always had emotions. He was what they call a throwback. He was born with emotions and was considered a bad experiment genetically, but he was so talented with their crystals, they let him live, though they would never let him reproduce. Then he found Callie, a human girl. Grady Prime said they were true Resonance Mates, which is something rare and special among Alvians.”

“What’s a Resonance Mate?”

“You probably have realized by now that the Alvians planned the crystal bombardment from space to change the resonance of our planet so they could survive here. They resonate on a higher level than us. We can’t hear it, but their voices, their brains, their bodies, their very cells, operate on slightly different frequencies than we do. That vibration is something they need to survive. They chose our planet because we had a lot of what they call
untuned
quartz crystal deposits. The bombardment was the fastest, dirtiest way they had to sort of wake up our crystal deposits and get them resonating to their frequency. People like Davin take the raw crystal and tune it so it can be used for everything from powering their cities to communicating over long distances. Almost all their technology is based on crystals. That’s why Davin has so much power and was able to defy the Council and take a human mate.”

“I heard they tried to kill him not too long ago.”

“You heard right. Rogue members of the Council activated a
Zxerah
assassin. They wanted him to take out Davin, but the man they sent had recently retired so he could take part in a genetic study. He was the first to be treated with a gene-altering agent that changed his DNA on a molecular level. He gained emotions. When it came time to pull the trigger, Sinclair Prime—the assassin who’d been sent to kill Davin—couldn’t do it. He missed on purpose and has not been seen since.”

“So that’s what happened.” Jim watched the rails carefully as the pod continued to slow. His thoughts were racing though, if the look on his face was any indication. “We only hear disjointed reports of what goes on with the Alvians. It’s something I’d like to remedy, but we have to be careful to keep a low profile.”

“Good tactic, but if we’re successful, perhaps new avenues of information will be open to you.”

“There is that.” One side of his mouth lifted in a slight grin as he looked over at her. “So tell me more about their experiments with emotion.”

“The man I told you about before¾Grady Prime¾he was part of the next group to be given the treatment. He has feelings, and he was…”

“What?”

“He was different from any other Alvian I’ve ever met. He has feelings, Jim, and he isn’t nearly as cold or indifferent as they always are. He was actually nice.”

“Just nice?”

Was that jealousy in his tone? She couldn’t be sure.

“More than nice, if you want to know the truth. He was warm and gentle and considerate. He had a quick mind and when he touched my hand, he had this look of wonder on his face. He said we—” She broke off as she realized she was saying too much. She still didn’t understand her feelings for Grady and it was hopeless anyway, given her mission, but he held a place in her heart, nonetheless.

“You what?”

She’d gone too far, she realized, to stop there. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she swallowed and answered.

“He said we Hummed. It’s one of their ancient tests for Resonance Mating. I didn’t hear it, but human hearing is less sensitive than Alvian. All the other Alvians at the table heard it, and they remarked on it.”

“So you’re his mate?”

Oh, she definitely heard the growl of disapproval in his tone that time, but she wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. Was he staking some kind of claim or was he only objecting to the idea of her being with an Alvian in a general sort of way?

“No. It’s only the first of the tests, they tell me. It just means that we have the potential to be mates, not that we really are. Besides, he’s on a mission and so am I. I’ll probably never see him again.”

“Why do you sound sad about that?”

“Damn it, Jim!” She rounded on him. “You can stop right there if you’re going to go all judgmental on me. I liked Grady Prime. He was nice to me. He treated me with respect, and he was the first man in decades that sparked my interest. There’s no shame in that.” He’d sparked a whole lot more than just her interest, but she figured it wouldn’t be too smart to tell Jim
that
.

“He’s an alien, Gina. You deserve better.”

She couldn’t believe his nerve.

“He’s a good man, Jim. Don’t judge him. You’ve never met him. And there isn’t exactly a parade of men knocking on my door. Frankly, with my past experiences of human men and the barbarians most of them have become, I might be better off with an Alvian. At least I know they won’t act like starving savages.”

Jim became quiet, his eyes penetrating her very psyche as he held her gaze.

“Who hurt you, Gina?” His words were whisper soft in the darkness of the pod interior, inviting her to share confidences, to tell him of her most harrowing experiences—the events that haunted her dreams at night.

“It was a long time ago.”

“Apparently not long enough if it still bothers you. If it’s given you a distrust of your fellow man.”

“You know what men have become, Jim. You know how they hunt women. I’ve done my share of fighting
my fellow man
.” She nearly spat the words. “I’m safer with the
Zxerah
. At least I know the males in the clan won’t attack me in my sleep and try to rape me.”

“Fuck.” The strength of his curse brought her up short. “I’m sorry, baby. No woman should have to live in fear of rape. It’s one of the first and most important rules of society—of the society we’ve built in the old NORAD bunker. Violence against women is not tolerated. Anyone attacks anyone else, they’re either locked up or out on their asses in the snow. I won’t allow that kind of behavior in my house.”

“Not all men are like you, Jim.”

He was silent a long time.

“You don’t know how sorry I am for that.”

The pod coasted to a stop shortly thereafter and they set to work silently, side by side, coaxing the vehicle onto the next set of rails. The turn was sharp—almost ninety degrees—and Gina got a feeling for why they’d designed the system this way considering the sharp turns that could not be taken at speed. She made note of the well marked escape tubes leading up to the surface but wasn’t comforted by the fact that when she looked upward into one of the tubes, she couldn’t see the sky. They were deep underground, and the realization of that fact gave her the willies.

Jim, sensitive as he was, picked up on it of course.

“Don’t like it down here, do you?” He pushed the pod onto the track spur in preparation for putting it onto its new course. Gina was at the console and had powered down the previous section of track and was ready to power up the new section as soon as Jim was clear.

“Can’t say I like tunnels much,” she allowed. “And we’re down pretty deep. I don’t think I’ve ever been this far below the surface before.”

“It’s not bad once you get used to it. It’s quiet and still, and a nice constant temperature.” Jim shook his arms as he moved clear of the pod. “Cold, but constant. As long as you have heat, you can do pretty well down here. Purified water isn’t usually a problem, and we’ve learned to cultivate mushrooms as well as the hydroponically grown produce. We even managed to get some livestock to live below for at least part of the time. We let them out into protected pastures a few at a time, but we can’t risk a herd being seen. The sheep are best at living at altitude but the other animals have fared reasonably well as long as we keep a sharp eye on them.”

“It’s amazing what you’ve built, Jim. You deserve a lot of credit.”

“Not me.” He stood next to her as they powered up the next section of track. “The folks who were already there figured out most of it. There were a lot of scientists in that installation, and some of the things they came up with to survive were ingenious. By the time I got there, General Yeager had already set up a thriving community.”

“Wally was telling me about him. He sounds like a great man.”

“That he was. I had nothing but respect for the general, and I miss him every day.”

“You and Wally both. Your general must have been an impressive man to stir such loyalty. Of course, an outsider looking in might say he sounds like some sort of cult leader.” She looked up at him as the hum of electricity filled the chamber and the pod began to levitate once more. Bumpers held it in place for now, but they’d be withdrawn once they boarded the craft.

“
Touché, mademoiselle.
”

She liked that Jim was quick enough to realize she was echoing his earlier words about the Patriarch. She nodded her head in acknowledgment and would have left the console, but Jim took her hand, spinning her around to face him.

He stood much too close, and her hand was imprisoned against his chest. She could feel the pulsing beat of his heart against her palm as her mouth went dry at his nearness.

“I’m reserving judgment on your Alvian friends, Gina. I won’t lie to you about that. I don’t understand it and maybe I never will, but I’m willing to try.”

“That’s all I can ask.” Now why did her voice sound so breathy and hot? She really had to have more control around him than this. It was embarrassing.

Jim shifted closer, his free arm going around her waist and drawing her into his warmth. His head drifted down, his lips angling along hers until he was kissing her for all he was worth.

He didn’t coax. He didn’t ask. He just took her on the ride of her life. She was with him though, and she didn’t object. Not at all. She’d been wondering where she stood with him all day and this was a definite answer. The most delicious answer possible.

His tongue dueled with hers, eliciting a response that lit a fire in her womb. She couldn’t hold out against him. He was too tempting, too commanding, and he knew just what to do to make her moan. A sound tore from her throat and it seemed to bring him back to his senses, drawing him back. But he didn’t go far.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day.” His forehead rested against hers, their breathing matched in raggedness and tempo. Both had been affected by the tumultuous kiss, she was glad to see. She’d hate to be alone in her uncontrollable response to this man and his stirring passion.

“You could have fooled me,” she muttered, glad when he backed away. He searched her gaze with questions in his eyes.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m getting mixed signals from you, Jim.” She valued honesty and wanted it from him. “You tell me you want to protect me, you want me to live with your people in Colorado, but what do you want from
me
?”

He ran a hand through his hair and looked away. “Hell if I know.” He turned back to her and she could see the confusion in his expression, feel it coming off him in waves…along with the undeniable attraction and heat. “I want you near, Gina. I have all these protective feelings for you, but they go deeper than normal. I want to watch over you. I want
you
.”

“But you don’t want to want me, is that it?” The thought hurt more than it should have.

“Right now? Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t understand your relationship with the aliens, but when I touch you it doesn’t seem to matter. Nothing matters but you in my arms. But when I have a clear head, I worry about it—about you—about the aliens and what they mean to you. I want to mean more to you than they do, but I fear I’ve already lost too much ground. You’ve been with them a long time and from all appearances they’ve been good to you, but you’ve got to know it’s been hell for me and my people out here with the rest of them. Pure hell. And I’m not so sure I’ll ever be able to forgive…or forget.”