Lawked Flame (6 page)

Khayden crossed large arms over his chest.
“We offered payment, it was declined.” He remembered specifically
telling the Gramiers to pay Nature’s Mother. He never wanted to be
indebted to anyone on this planet.

“Yes, you did. But she never named a price.
We continue asking for assistance, we have been here over two
hundred years, never mingled with humans, and never reproduced.
What does that tell you?”

Khayden looked at her, his response
rehearsed in his mind. They had many of this type of conversation
in the past. “That I need to be unlocked.” At his dry tone, Addie
and Benicke snickered.

“No,” she snapped, showing signs of anger
for the first time he could remember in years. He straightened.
“She is Nature’s Mother. There is no way she could allow this
barrenness to continue on Earth. Once we identified the reason
there was no reproduction—“

“Because I am locked,” Khayden said,
listening intently.

“Yes. And no other Lawke can reproduce when
you cannot. Therefore, I believe she is making Kees and one of them
is yours.”

Khayden’s mind immediately rejected the
idea. As Master Lawke, his Kee would be equally powerful, no human
could handle that type of energy. “It would never work. The
unlocking process would kill the human.”

Clotho grinned. The light hit her gray eyes
making them appear translucent. “We do not know that. I believe the
fact that this Kee was able to enter the Harven speaks volumes. She
is probably a mixture of something.”

That idea had potential. “A hybrid? Part
Lawkmerian, part human?”

She shrugged. “I do not know. But you are
right, no human can withstand an unlocking. So if she is a Kee
there must be something added that will allow her to function in
that position. Whatever she is, it is not one hundred percent
human. The only problem is she is totally unaware of it.”

A partially human Kee was more appealing.
His mind whirled with the possibilities. If he were unlocked, he
would no longer be dependent on his people for energy. Many were
weak and could not afford it. That had always bothered him. They
had weakened as a race over the centuries.

He paced the floor, his thoughts racing. “If
I were unlocked, everyone would come into their full potential.” He
looked at Addie and smiled at the small man who had seemed to stop
growing once they came to Earth. “Including you.”

Addie bowed. “Whatever your will, I
abide.”

Khayden nodded, his mind tabulating what
could be accomplished once he was in possession of his full
strength. His connection to each Lawkmerian would intensify. If a
Geleet talked to any of his people, he would know immediately. That
way he could catch the spy and wipe out the Minthians. Nature’s
Mother would be happy and would increase the number of Frejyn
plants.

“Khayden? Khayden.”

He stopped his inner monologue and looked at
the four pairs of eyes watching him. "What?"

“I asked permission to meet this human,”
Royce said.

“Me too,” Benicke said, standing next to
Royce. Khayden thought it interesting that the two men seemed to
agree on this point and oddly enough, over a human female. Not a
female, a potential Kee.

“Yes, you may go.” Addie left with them,
leaving Clotho alone with him.

He sat on the heavy brocade chair and leaned
back with his eyes on the ceiling. “There is more you wish to say?”
He spared her a glance and returned to his pensive gaze.

“Yes. Although I feel certain she is a Kee,
I am not certain she will be easily persuaded to function as one.
Human females require a different kind of handling. It will take
time, energy, and one’s best efforts to get her to a position where
she will be comfortable.”

His eyes widened as he stared at her. What
was she talking about? He just wanted to free his people, make them
strong so they could leave this place. He cared nothing about human
requirements. “Comfortable? I don’t understand what you are saying.
No one has ever spoken of a Kee needing to be comfortable.”

Clotho waved him down. “No one has ever had
a human Kee before. Now, I am not sure she is your Kee. In fact, I
doubt it. She is feisty and opinionated. Even the good Mother would
not send you one such as her.”

He caught the teasing glint in her eyes and
groaned.

“But, no one will unlock until you do. So
even if she is for Royce or Benicke…”

He tensed not understanding why he did not
care for the idea.

“You still need to find your Kee as soon as
possible.”

There was something nagging at the back of
his mind. Something he could not reconcile. “Why? Why would she
want us to merge with her people? She knows how different we are.”
It still made no sense to him. In all this time, he’d never been
drawn to humans. To make one his Kee seemed profane.

“Perhaps it is as simple as meeting a need.
You need a Kee.”

“I need
my
Kee,” he corrected, as she
had so many times in the past.

“True and I believe that is the reason the
Geleet have stepped up their attacks. They cannot afford for you to
become unlocked.”

Khayden snapped to attention, all thought of
the good Mother’s possible ulterior motives forgotten. “Do you
think they are hunting Kees?”

“For all they pulled a coup on our home
planet using trickery and deceit, they are not fools. We have
survived here against the odds. You are still a strong threat
against them. Unlocked and with the added energy of your Kee, they
would lose. They cannot allow that to happen. I believe they are
aware of the conversation we had with the good Mother and have been
watching closely since then.”

Khayden nodded. “That would answer many
things.” He looked at her and met her stare without backing down.
“Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“I thought you would have realized it as a
possibility when you allowed us to petition her for help fifty
years ago. How else could she provide Kees? She works with what she
already has and that would be a human female.” Her look said so
much more than her words. For once, he was glad she respected his
position and kept the insults of his mental capacity to
herself.

When she and the other Gramiers had sought
permission to ask Nature’s Mother’s assistance for locating Kees,
he'd never expected it to happen. In fact, he thought the whole
idea crazy at the time. It took Clotho’s continued petitioning for
him to acquiesce. Somehow he did not think she would appreciate
that bit of information. Instead he said, “I did not think much of
it at the time.” He smiled at her glare. “Although I must say I am
pleased with the prospect of more Kees. I grew tired of the same
ones.”

“Of bedding the same ones you mean,” she
grumbled under her breath.

He laughed. “No harm done. I cannot
reproduce with anyone other than my Kee. I have simply been
practicing.”

“No one needs one hundred or more years of
practice.”

“My Kee will appreciate it once we mate. She
will sing rapturous songs of my manly skills and all will be well.”
He smirked at her dropped jaw.

Clotho smiled slowly, a teasing glint in her
eye, which made him sober. “I hope Alayna is your Kee. It will be
the humbling experience you need.”

What kind of person was this Alayna? How
would any human, half-breed or otherwise, humble him? “What makes
you say that?” he asked, curious for the first time about this new
Kee.

“Let me just say this, you’ll have to work
to for your Kee.”

He frowned, trying to understand. “She does
not care for sex? Is that what this is about, the fact that I have
a strong sexual appetite?”

“You do realize having sex is not the same
as unlocking you, right?”

Her instructional tone grated his nerves.
“Of course I know that,” he snapped.

“Well, she may have sex with you. You are a
nice male specimen after all. But unlocking requires genuine
intimacy. The sharing of souls, the two interweave as they unlock.
I believe humans call it falling in love. It is more than
Lawkmerian Kees require, be forewarned.”

He had no intention of giving or doing more
than was necessary to save his people. If this Alayna was his Kee,
then he would make sure she understood what he expected and that
she did her job. Despite everything Clotho said, he zeroed in on
the good Mother’s rationale. Kees were created to unlock Lawkes. “I
need a Kee to unlock me. Nothing more.” He stared hard at her,
trying in vain to erase the smirk on her face.

“So be it, Master Lawke.” She
disappeared.

Chapter 5

Unobserved, Clotho stood silently in a dark
corner of the boarding house's gathering room, listening to the
conversation between Alayna and Lorenzo. Intuitively she knew the
appearance of this Kee at this point in her people’s lives signaled
major change on the horizon. They had been the benefactors of
Nature’s Mother’s graces for so long they had taken many things for
granted.

Their destiny would be threaded with human
intervention or perish. The good Mother was not giving them much
choice. She watched the various expressions cross the human’s face
as she talked with Lorenzo.

Few people paid sullen, somber Lorenzo much
attention, yet Alayna appeared to enjoy his company, laughing at
some comment he made. The bark of sound startled Clotho. It had
been years since she heard such outbursts. She smiled at the
unrestrained repetitious snorting sounds and glanced at the clock.
Time was a gift they did not have. Lorenzo’s complexion appeared
dull. He, along with all the Lawkmerians, needed their Master
unlocked so they could flourish. The Geleets were growing more
desperate and bolder by the day. As she headed to her room, Clotho
prayed that Alayna was the Master’s Kee.

Alayna met Lorenzo’s gaze. What was it about
the man? One minute he glowed, the next he was dull as an old
penny.
Seriously, that man has no right to pull the engine from
my truck.

She glanced at her jeans and shirt; small
splotches of dirt licked the bottom near her boots and dotted her
shirt from when she got too close to the engine earlier. She sure
hoped the store took credit cards, given her last five dollars
wouldn't be enough to get the basics she needed. “How late is the
department store open tonight? I need to get a few things.”

“They are still open. Do you know what you
shall need?” Lorenzo stood and followed her to the entryway.

“Basic toiletries, maybe a shirt and a pair
of pants, we'll see when I get there.” Looking down to watch her
step, she patted her wallet in her back pocket.

Lorenzo's breath hitched.

Chuckling, she glanced back at him over her
shoulder, the smart comment forming on her lips died at the look of
concern on his face. Considering his face had rarely changed the
entire day they'd spent together, she figured something important
must have happened. Moving toward the street, she glanced around,
saw nothing unusual, and looked at Lorenzo again. He met up with
her and they walked in silence toward the shopping area.

The well-lit street was full of patrons.
People chattered with a sense of excitement and moved at clipped
paces. Many stopped and stared at them as they passed. “What kind
of store is that one?” She pointed to the large building with the
Zayre sign.

“It is hard to explain, but I believe you
will find all that you need in that place.”

His voice sounded listless, tired, and a
wave of guilt rolled over her. She touched his arm. “Listen,” she
said softly. His eyes widened as he stared at the small connection.
Embarrassed, she removed her hand. “You look tired. Go home and get
some rest. I'm going to get a few things and then go to my room at
the boardinghouse. You've been great all day, hanging with me. I
really appreciate it.”

“N-no, I will see you back to your room. I
am not tired as you think. I have many things on my mind, that is
all.” He stepped to the side of her and pulled open the glass door.
“Come, you need to pick up the things you require.”

Well, she had tried to do the right thing,
even though she was glad he hadn't left her alone. The entire time
she had made that little speech, her mind had tried to stop her
mouth. Lorenzo had swept her from the wrath of Mr. Silent when
she’d said a few words he hadn't appreciated. He'd found her a room
to rest in and refresh herself. He also shared dinner with her,
offering general information about his life and the town. He'd made
her day bearable; she wasn't ready for him to leave her just
yet.

The department store was huge and rivaled
any Big-Mart she had ever shopped. Stepping inside she froze,
concrete floors, bright-colored cinder block walls, hanging sale
signs, and the smell of new merchandise permeated the air, pulling
her inner deal-finder to the forefront. Her fingers itched to touch
her plastic. Quickly, she calculated what she could comfortably
spend and was pleased. With her inner radar, she headed toward the
table in the lingerie department.

Lorenzo called out. “Alayna, the women's
section is over here.”

She waved him off and headed toward the
brightly marked section with her favorite word, “Sale.” The scarves
on a nearby table were beautiful silk creations with color
combinations she would never have put together. Mint green and
reddish-orange. Lavender and pewter grey. She stared at the wild
collection and realized there was something harmonious in the
lines, the way the colors meshed and blended. She had no idea how
long she stood at the sale table picking up and disregarding
merchandise, although her basket was filling up.

“They are beautiful, are they not?” His deep
voice startled her and she jerked back, dropping the scarf.

Heart racing, she glanced at the tall man,
surprised to see he wore tinted glasses. Swallowing hard, she
looked around for Lorenzo and saw him talking to a large man with
red hair in the middle of the store. She wasn't sure how she knew,
but the conversation made her new friend sad.