Intensity (3 page)

He grinned at her discomfort. "No, I am the original owner. I designed the resort and then went for a nap while it ran quietly, supporting itself as I slept."

A ripple of unease went through Raine. The possessiveness in his gaze was unmistakable and her last medical check had taken longer than necessary. "I see. So you are one of the Drai sleepers that have been making themselves known of late?"

He inclined his head. "I am. Centuries of silence and then you were nestled above me for weeks. How was I to resist?"

She leaned forward, a dangerous manoeuvre in her wrap gown, and glared at him. "You are not making yourself quite clear and I value clarity."

The server returned with glasses of water and wine, setting selections in front of Orell before placing hers in front of Raine.

He sipped at his wine and watched her carefully. "You are the female that the Alliance has authorized to be my wife. Your genetics are a baseline match and all alterations for compatibility have been made already. There is only one thing standing in the way of my courtship of you."

She blinked. "I thought it had all been arranged."

"Arrangements are nothing if there can be no feeling between us. Drai courtship has several stages and with you, I cannot even begin the most basic of all overtures." He propped his chin up on his fist.

"There is a certain amount of frustration to that, but I am sure that things will be settled in the end. I simply need to engage in patience and that is something my generation of Drai excel at."

She bit her lip as courses of food began to appear. "What are the stages of courtship?" She lifted her fork and began to tease her salad.

"The first contact is the dream. The second is the song that the male sings so that the female becomes used to his mental touch. The third is for the female to admit she has gotten the contact efforts from the male. Then the fourth is almost final. You must come to my home and approve of it as your own. The fifth level is consummation. That one is self-explanatory."

He spread his words between bites as each sentence gave her a bit of insight into his motivation and the actions he described.

"I see. Anything else?" She sat back as the servant removed her plate and replaced it with the next course.

"Yes. The Baku crime family has placed a price on your head. Three representatives of their organization are in the outer room and if I do not hand you over to them, they will attack Yosh with all of their available ships in an effort to retain your person for their purposes." He continued to eat the next course as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Her mind flashed her images of the Hiral with his shark-like smile, the Prial couple with their lack of eye contact, a peculiar behaviour for a curious species. "They want me? A price on my head?"

She ate absently, her mind whirling at the danger that lurked only a dozen metres away.

"Yes. Apparently, the relay stations that you have set up are impervious to attack. They want you for the purpose of either hacking into existing systems or creating systems for them. You are quite popular in certain circles." His grin showed extended canines.

Her smile was weak. "Yeah, who knew?"

He remained remarkably calm as she went into a spiral of confusion. As if there were no true danger, they ate their meal, course after course, in silence while she tried to find a way out of her one conclusion.

She was screwed.

Chapter Four

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" The aggression that burst out of her was unlike her, but the pain in her mind was growing with every moment. The static was building to a horrible pitch and since she didn't know what was causing it, the fear and confusion were taking over.

"Raine, is there something wrong?" He left his chair and was at her side in an instant.

"The pain in my implants. There has been static with me for weeks, but the pain is new."

"This static, has it been only a few weeks?"

She gritted her teeth as a wave of pain washed through her thoughts. "Yes."

Through her narrowed eyes, she saw him pale. In a second, the pain receded to a more tolerable irritation.

"What did you do?" She slumped in relief.

"I took some of the pressure off. A specialist will be here in a day or two. She will take a look at the implants for you. I have heard that for some, they act as a low-grade infection." His face was incredibly close and she couldn't help but notice the enticing scent coming from his skin.

Blushing, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "The pain hadn't reached that level of intensity before. Whatever is going wrong is picking up speed."

"Don't worry about it. Now, what shall I tell the crime family waiting in the dining room?"

She blinked. "You aren't going to collect the price on my head?"

He laughed--a low sound that crept inside her and plucked nerves that had spent too much time alone. "Of course not. I have my own designs on you. I just wanted you to be aware of what was going on. We will send them away and they will return. Hopefully, we will be ready for them when they come back to collect you."

"We?"

He took her hand in his own. "We. Whether we progress beyond this moment of partnership or not, we will definitely be a
we
while facing your enemies."

She straightened her shoulders and fought the rising nausea. "Then, I suppose we should start by telling them that they can leave without me."

He smiled and nodded to the servant hovering in the doorway. The woman bobbed a quick curtsey and disappeared down the hall.

"Denna will send the message, Tvoro will make them leave. Would you care to get some fresh air?"

She nodded, on the verge of tears. Shifting emotions had never been easy for her, even as a child. Tears were always her default for the frustration of altering direction and shocking information. She had cried when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, cried when she underwent failing treatment and had shocked her family when she didn't shed a tear at the funeral.

Raine had reacted to shock but not to the loss. She calculated the loss as part of the initial information. Calculation was her life.

"Yes, I believe that it would be nice to go for a bit of a walk."

He took her by the hand and a wall opened up for them as they left the private dining room.

"That is a lovely trick."

Orell grinned. "Most Drai can manipulate their homes. I installed the secret entrances and exits in the property when I constructed it centuries ago."

"You have been here for centuries?" They passed the gardens and slowly paced their way to the beach.

"More or less. When I was told that my true mate would not be travelling the stars for several generations, I purchased this unoccupied world, built the resort and spa as well as a home on the sea."

Raine fought the urge to freeze in place. Since she had been a child, her dreams had contained dragons and a green castle on the sea. After she adapted to the short, sharp shock that his words had sent through her, she straightened her shoulders again and paced with him toward the sea.

The ocean breezes tugged at her skirt, pulling it away from her legs as they walked on the paved stone path next to the beach.

"You have been awake here for that long?"

"No, as soon as the building was finished, I set up the organizational system for the spa and resort and went to sleep. It made enough money over the time I was sleeping to have paid for Yosh twice over."

She nodded. "A good business plan. Apparently, I am not the only one who likes to plan ahead."

He chuckled and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. Her fingertips memorized the flex of every muscle under her touch.

"Drai are notorious for collecting financial security. We crave it like some species crave air."

Raine noted that he carefully blocked the full force of wind from her by a slow flexing of his wings. The courtly action made her smile.

"So, why was I treated to a full makeover when I arrived?"

He looked her over. "You work hard. You deserve to be treated well when not on active duty."

She raised her eyebrows. "Will there be an active duty here on Yosh if your courtship is successful?"

"A woman with your talents needs to be able to use them. With a little help and organization, I believe that there is a position here for you that will challenge and occupy your intellect whenever you so choose."

She paused and looked up at him with amazement. "You are serious."

Orell leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her lips. "I am always serious."

She went up on her toes as he continued the contact, his lips firm and warm, parting hers. Her nipples scraped against the silk of her dress, her belly tingled and she clenched and unclenched her hands as they shared the one point of connection.

The static rose in her mind again, as suddenly as it had cut off before, and she cried out as she staggered back.

The spike of pain stopped and Orell cursed as he lifted her off her feet, carrying her down the beach and up the private path to her guesthouse.

Minya opened the door and he swept past her, lifting her effortlessly up the stairs to her room. As he laid her on the bed, he caressed the implants on her forehead and neck. "I am sorry. The specialist is on her way."

As he left her, the pain faded again and Minya took control of her. "Ah, Madam, you need more rest. Let me run another bath for you."

"No. No more bathing. I just want to sleep." She rolled to her side and cuddled the pillow under her head.

With Minya gone to do whatever it was that personal maids did while the guest was sleeping, Raine went over everything that she had learned that night.

There was a dragon on Yosh and he had designs on her future, she had a price on her head and she was being hunted for her mind, her implants were trying to kill her or at least give her a migraine and the dragon who wanted her future had a kiss that could melt stone. All in all, it was a little much to take.

Raine curled up in a ball, the slick fabric of her gown skidding her across the bedding. After a few minutes of trying to settle, she stripped the gown off, kicked off her sandals and crawled between the sheets with nothing on but the jewels and hairpins.

Her dreams fought her control every step of the way, but when she woke from a restless night, she knew one thing--her dreams about dragons had taken a severely heated turn.

She stumbled free of the bed and grimaced at the slickness of her thighs as she made her way to the lav. It took her ten minutes to pull all of the pins and braids out of her hair, but after a quick shower and a rapid scrub of her teeth, she felt ready to face the day.

Minya was waiting with a change of clothing for her and a polite smile on her face. "Madam, you had the worst night's sleep I have ever witnessed. You are expected in the salon in ten minutes for a rejuvenating massage."

"Seriously, after everything I learned yesterday, I don't think that a massage is the solution to my problems." She slid into the miniscule top and micro skirt, frowning at herself in the mirror.

"Madam, get out that door and to the salon. Your breakfast will be ready after your massage. Now go."

Minya's military posture was evident. There was no arguing with her, so Raine didn't even try. She slipped on her sandals and pattered down the halls, the metallic skirt swaying against her ass. She felt completely naked beneath her skirt and when the breeze stroked her, she realized that she was. What was it about this place that left underwear out of the wardrobe?

The receptionist at the salon got to her feet and quickly escorted her to a treatment room with a quick smile and a nervous gesture.

Raine removed her clothing and jewels, covering herself with a sheet. She lay down on the bed, face up, and waited.

She didn't wait long. A woman with only two arms and dark rainbow hair came in. "Hello, Raine. My name is Fixer and I am the specialist."

Raine knew the name and lay still as the most talented woman in the Sector Guard pressed her fingers to the implants and as she stroked them, the pain and static faded away leaving music in its place.

Chapter Five

Fixer worked on each implant individually, making polite conversation as she did so. "Relay speaks very highly of you."

"She has been a good resource while I set up the stations. She also speaks highly of you." The touch on her skin was cool and soothing with a slight tingle. The music in her mind was subtle now. "Are my implants causing me to have audio hallucinations?"

Fixer gave her an upside down smile. "No. That isn't what you are hearing. You know what that is, don't you?"

Raine sighed. "It's Orell. He has been trying to make contact with me since I got into this part of space. From what I have read, it is a Drai courtship ritual."

Fixer smoothed her fingers down and across Raine's forehead in an endless pattern of trickling energy. "It is. The Drai prove compatibility by touching their mate's mind. That is their biggest proof of a solid match, their mate hearing their call."

A tension that she didn't realize she was holding onto released and Raine smiled at the pain-free moment. It was her first since the implants had been placed.

"The implants act in Terrans like a low-grade infection. Your body can tolerate them for a time and then they begin to increase your sensitivity to everything. After a while, you start becoming one with the systems you work on and if steps aren't taken, you lock yourself in with the data."

"How many of us have you fixed?"

"Seven. Some have been Guardsmen, some not. There. You are done. The implants are made of a neutral material and are now sub-dermal with a valve that will allow you to jack in when you need it." Fixer smiled.

"That was…way too easy."

"Thanks. It's what I strive for. Now, get dressed so that we can get some breakfast. I am starving."

Fixer's smile was infectious and soon, Raine was dressed and they made their way to the dining hall.

Orell was sitting next to a male Selna in a uniform that matched Fixer's. The rest of the dining room was completely empty.