My Chameleon Loves [Galactic Nuptials 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (9 page)

Jeni raised her gaze. “Yes, I’d very much like to see you shift into something.”

Zin took her hand. “Do you remember the small tree we stopped to look at?”

“The one Kernz spent time rubbing on the branches.”

“Yes, that one.” Zin nodded to Kernz. “Go ahead and show her.”

Kernz stood and moved several feet away from the rocks, clasping his hands together as if in prayer. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. And then his body began to glow. It started small, almost like the sunshine was peeking around his body. Then, the glow widened and began to spread over his features. His skin changed first, turning a crusty brown. His legs seemed to grow together while his arms stretched out, his fingers morphing into tiny branches. She could hear the crunch of bones as they stretched and bent. “Oh, my God.”

Zin moved to take her in his arms. “Don’t be afraid, flower. It’s still Kernz.”

As she watched, small leaves and flowers popped out of his brown skin. The whole process took about two minutes. And there, standing before her in the white sand, was a small flowering tree. She took a hesitant step toward Kernz. “Can I touch him?” She jumped back and squealed when the branches waved up and down.

Zin chuckled. “He’s giving you his permission to touch him.”

“You mean he knows what I’m saying?” Again the branches waved up and down with a positive response. She stepped closer and ran her fingers over the rough bark, laughing when it seemed to shudder beneath her fingers.

“Careful, flower. Your touch excites him.”

“My touch excites a tree. Boy, that’s saying something.” She turned to look at Zin. “And you can do this, too?”

Zin stood, brought his hands together and gazed up at the sun. The glow began to surround him, his bones stretching, breaking and reforming. In less than two minutes, Jeni gasped and stepped back. “It can’t be.” Her attorney, Jeff Landers, raised his brows and gave her a crooked grin.

“You’re not dreaming. I shook his hand when we met on Earth. It only takes one touch for us to be able to morph into a figure.”

“That’s just weird. You even sound like him. Do you have his memories?

“No, it’s merely a physical transformation. We retain our own thoughts and memories. We’re completely sentient no matter what form we choose to take.

Jeni wrinkled her nose. “Would you please get rid of him? It’s plain spooky to see him standing here.” The bright glow appeared suddenly, and Zin began to shrink. His legs and arms shortened, while his body thinned out. Long reddish brown hair started appearing on his arms while his face elongated into a snout. Small ears formed on top of his head. Very shortly she found herself looking at a golden retriever. “Holy buckets! What have I gotten myself into?”

The animal padded over to her and rubbed his head against her knee. Hesitantly, she rubbed the top of his head, giggling when he dropped to the sand on his back. “I guess you’re wanting your belly scratched.” Leaning forward, she let her nails trail through his silky hair. “Okay, guys, this is just a little weird. Could you change back for me?” She shrieked when she suddenly found herself scratching Zin’s belly where his shirt had ridden up. A glance over her shoulder showed Kernz back to his human form.

Kernz smiled. “We didn’t frighten you, did we?”

She sat down on the rock and ran her fingers through her hair. “No, not really. Shocked me, yes. Scared me, no. I can see why you’d wanna keep this a secret. People would be afraid of you if they knew, and people that are afraid are always more dangerous.” She glanced up and smiled weakly. “Are there any other secrets you’re keeping from me?”

Zin groaned softly. “Yes, and it’s big.”

“Bigger than shifting into other things?”

Kernz sat down beside her. “We’re not the only shifters in the universe, Jeni. There are other species that can shift. We have friends that shift into large cats, what you would call lions.”

“Huh! Well, I guess Earth is really behind the times. What’s your other secret?”

Zin looked at Kernz and winced when his brother nodded. He sighed. “We can take one other shape, but only for five minutes at a time.”

“What other shape can you take?”

“A gaseous one,” Kernz said.

“Excuse me?”

Zin stood and brushed the sand off his legs. “We can become a clear gas for up to five minutes at a time. Basically, we have no form and exist as mere energy. It’s a battle tactic that allows us to go places that no one else can.”

She nodded. “Because you can’t be seen.”

Zin nodded enthusiastically. “Right!”

“Can I see?”

He laughed. “No, you won’t be able to see, but I’ll show you what I can.” Again, he stood apart, his hands clasped together. The glow started and then faded, along with his arms and legs. It was like someone was erasing him in front of her eyes. Parts of him would get fuzzy and disappear altogether. In less than a minute he was gone.

“Where is he?” Jeni asked. Kernz smiled and shrugged. She let out an undignified squeak when something swirled around her feet. She looked down but could only see the dry sand. A few seconds later something whispered along her arms and across the back of her neck. When the feeling slid up her leg she backed up quickly and found herself in Kernz’s arms.

His lips trailed up her neck. “We can make you feel so good, Jeni. We want to make love with you.”

Jeni closed her eyes and pulled away.
I want both of you, too. But I’m just not ready.
“That’s enough. Come back, Zin.”

His body materialized immediately. He looked at her and then dropped his chin to his chest. “I didn’t mean to scare you, flower. I would never hurt you.”

“I know, but it’s just too soon for me. I want you both, but we barely know each other. I need some time to work some things out in my own head.”

Zin walked over and took her hand. “Maybe we can help you work out what’s bothering you. Maybe it’s time you told us what really happened on Earth.”

Jeni frowned and tried to take a step back but Zin wouldn’t release her hand. “What do you mean?”

“We know you didn’t steal money from that company, but we also know that you’re hiding something. Tell us what’s going on, and maybe we can help.”

She lowered her eyes and licked her lips. “How do you know I didn’t steal the money?”

“One of our abilities is to be able to sense people’s emotions, and understand their deepest feelings. It’s even stronger between an eldest male child and their Laan Asawa. I can feel your innocence, but at the same time I can feel you’re afraid of something. We want you to tell us what you’re afraid of.”

Jeni sat back down and put her face in her hands.
Maybe I should tell them about Linda. If I tell someone maybe this guilt I feel will go away. It would be such a relief to tell them everything. They’d protect me. I know they would. But will they still want me if they find out I really did take all that money?
She took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I know.” For the next hour, Jeni sat cocooned in the warmth of her men on either side of her. She told them everything, everything except how to find the money.

“So, that’s the story. I know they did something to her, but I couldn’t prove it. They’ve got cops in their back pockets, and I don’t know who I can or can’t trust. I have a sneaking suspicion Rich is not one of the good guys.”

Zin pulled her close and rested his chin on her head. “Then let us help, flower. We have powerful connections in the State Department. We can ask them to look into it as a favor to us.”

“The State Department would do you a favor?”

Kernz ran his hand over her hair. “Of course, little love. How do you think we got them to let you come home with us?”

Zin stood and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get back to the house and we’ll get on the vid before the wormhole closes, if it hasn’t already. We’ll get in touch with a couple of people and see what they can find out.”

Kernz shook his head. “It’s probably too late today. I think it’s been down over an hour now.”

“Then we’ll have to get all the information written down and we can send a data burst along with our message in the morning when it opens back up.” He lifted Jeni’s chin. “What do you say we go back and do some brainstorming about what you know about your friend’s disappearance? The more we give them the better the chance they’ll come up with something.”

“What about the picnic you packed?”

Zin laughed. “You’re definitely obsessed with food. We’ll eat it on my desk. It’ll still be romantic, flower.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you call me ‘flower’?”

Zin sighed, a tiny smile turning up his lips. “Your scent is what first told me you’re our mate. When I scented you in the courthouse, you reminded me of a flower that grows on Arridia. It’s called Rrhytia. They’re beautiful, flower, and they bloom all year long.”

“Wait! You said you know me by scent. Does that mean you don’t have a choice? I mean, do you choose your mate because of some fluke of nature that she smells right?”

Zin frowned. “No, of course not.”

“Wait, Brother. Let me answer this.” Kernz walked over and took both Jeni’s hands in his. “You’re trying to say that we got stuck with you because your scent won’t let us choose anyone else.” He bent down so he could look into her eyes. “That’s not how it works, love. Only the eldest brother can scent our Laan Asawa. It’s only a tool to help identify her. I’m not the oldest, and I can’t tell your scent from another except for any perfumes you wear. And yet, I’m still finding myself loving you. You, Jeni. I love you. The way you smile, or bite you lip when you’re worried about something. All these things have worked their way into my heart as well as Zin’s. You have become my heart, love. I want you for my mate.”

Zin stepped up and pulled Jeni into his arms. “Woman, I don’t love you because of your scent. I love the person I see behind the scent. Your heart is pure, and your mind innocent, almost childlike in its enthusiasm for life. I want to protect you from everything that life can throw at us, and share in all the good times that are ahead. You’re my flower, Jenilyn, and nothing is going to make me give you up. Do you understand?”

“I…” Jeni gasped when Zin bent and covered her mouth with his. His tongue surged inside, licking over every surface. His taste was intoxicating. She pressed closer, wanting to merge them into one body. After a moment Zin pulled away. Before she could catch her breath, Kernz’s tongue was teasing her lower lip. Where Zin had taken what he wanted, Kernz coaxed her into exploring his mouth. She groaned softly when he sucked lightly on her tongue. She was dazed when he pulled away, leaving a kiss against her forehead.

“Come on,” Zin said. “We’ve got work to do.”

* * * *

“Report.” Zin stared at Rmantk. “What did you find out?”

“Not a lot. They called someone named Mr. Dempsey. Both parties were careful with what they said. Mr. Dempsey told Rich that Mr. Salloto and Mr. Zinetti would not be making the trip as planned. They’ve been unavoidably detained. Those were his words. He told Rich to proceed with Plan B. They did not elaborate as to what Plan B is. Mr. Dempsey asked Rich if he knew what to do, and Rich assured him he did. They agreed to talk again in two days’ time.”

“Damn! Dempsey is the man who’s after Jeni. He wants his money back, and he’s willing to do anything to get it.”

“Why don’t you just order your Laan Asawa to give him the money back?”

Zin threw back his head and laughed. “It’s obvious you’ve not had much experience with women. She believes she has a moral reason to withhold his money, and nothing is going to sway her decision. She won’t be safe until Rich and Danny are off Kilara.”

“Then we will have to watch them carefully for the next few days and make sure they are on that shuttle when it leaves us.”

* * * *

Kernz watched Jeni stare forlornly out the window. They’d sent messages to their contacts on Earth, but so far they’d not received any information on what happened to her friend. Each morning Jeni started the day asking if there was any news, and each day they’d watched her become more and more withdrawn. She’d tried to stay out of sight since the men from Earth seemed to follow her whenever she left the house. His love for her had grown until it filled all the empty spaces in his soul. He wanted her to smile again, and he didn’t think she would until Rich and Danny were on their way home.

“Where’s Zin?”

Kernz smiled. “He’s on the vid with our home world taking care of some business.” He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. “Is there something you need?”

Jeni shook her head and leaned back into his touch. He could hear her sigh and knew her heartbeat was accelerating. He let his hands work the muscles in her neck and stepped close enough to press his erection against her ass. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, wiggling against his hard shaft.

Kernz licked the edge of her ear. “I want you, Jeni, so very much, my Laan Asawa.”

She groaned, shaking her head. “Why are you so certain I’m your mate? Couldn’t the scent be wrong? For that matter, what exactly is a mate?”