Return of the Ascendant (The Ascendant Series) (10 page)

No!

Kyra jerked as the thought roared through her mind. The package of muffins flew from her hand. She looked over and caught Ty’s eye. He looked pale, but his expression hadn’t changed.

Sem stood up and hurried over to her. “Are you okay, Kyra? What did he want to try?”

She had no idea how Ty’s thought had entered her mind, but she knew quite clearly that he didn’t want her telling Sem about the kissing. She took a moment to bend down and pick up the muffins to try and collect herself.

“Sorry,” she said in a shaky voice. “I think I’m having a hard time with everything. Every shadow makes me jump.”

Sem didn’t look convinced. Since the kitchen was flooded with daylight and there wasn’t a shadow to be found, she couldn’t blame him. She hunted for the toaster and a plausible explanation.

“I decided to try a form of hypnotherapy,” Ty said. “It seemed to help.”

“Hypnotherapy?” Sem repeated. His expression eased. “That seems like a good idea, actually.”

Kyra thought he sounded grudging in admitting as much, but she wasn’t going to worry about that. At least he bought it.

The real question in her mind was why Ty had panicked when she had been about to tell Sem what really happened. It was a question she intended to put to him the first opportunity she had.

Chapter 16

“Sem, it’s time for another exterior sweep,” Ty said as Kyr finished her muffin and a glass of orange juice at the breakfast table. “I would like you to conduct this one. Fresh eyes will ensure nothing is overlooked.”

His cousin rose from the couch and stretched. “All right. Let me know if you get a signal.”

“Of course.”

He waited until Sem left the house and then turned to Kyr. She set her glass down and met his gaze. Although he tried to read her thoughts, he couldn’t.

Damn it.

“How did you speak to my mind?” she asked.

He hadn’t expected her to be so direct. “I have no idea. That’s never happened before.”

“It hasn’t?”

“No. I can share thoughts with other Mynders like Sem, but not usually with anyone else. I can only assume that I somehow opened up a path to your thoughts last night. If the thought is intense enough, I can apparently communicate it to you.”

She stood up and carried her dishes to the sink. Turning on the water and wetting the dishcloth, she asked, “And why didn’t you want me telling Sem about what we did last night?”

Guilt poked at him, especially because he detected the hurt that she tried to conceal from her voice. He walked over to a window to watch his cousin conduct his search. Keeping his tone level, he replied, “Because a relationship between us is expressly forbidden.”

“
What?
”

Her gasp had him glancing back at her. She held her plate and the soapy dishrag without regard for the water pouring from the faucet. He walked over to the sink and took over washing for her.

“I am never, under any circumstances, supposed to touch you in the way that I did last night,” he explained.

She didn’t move or bother to rinse her soapy hands, so he turned the spigot so he could clean them for her. Her eyes remained steady on his face as he finished rinsing her glass and setting the dishes in the drying rack on the side of the sink.

“Why?” she asked at last.

“According to the Guardians, such a relationship would prove too distracting for me and potentially put you in harm’s way.”

She dried her hands when he handed her the dishtowel. “That’s crazy,” she said. “I’ve seen you doing your thing. You’re meticulous. Focused would be an understatement.”

“On the contrary, they have reason to be concerned. You do distract me, Kyr.” Stepping closer to her, he reached up to stroke the side of her face. “But it’s a distraction that I welcome.”

Her head tilted into his touch. She reached up to cover his hand with hers. “Ty, I’ve spent the past eight or nine hours remembering most of our past together. Although I don’t understand why or how, since I really was a rude and ungrateful bitch, I know that what we have goes beyond just physical attraction.”

He stopped breathing as he held her earnest gaze. Before he could respond, she continued, “Can’t we just tell them how we feel? Maybe someone else will have to become my Mynder, but at least we could be together. Right?”

Lowering his hand, he shook his head. “You apparently don’t remember how relationships between males and females are formed on Alametria.”

A line appeared between her dark brows. “No. I’m guessing it isn’t a simple matter of two people falling in love?”

In his mind, falling in love was anything but a simple matter. But he let that lie. “No. A relationship match, called an amanti, is made by a female Mynder and must be sanctioned by the Guardians. Only once the Guardians have given their blessing may two Alametrians engage in a romantic relationship.”

“Romantic?” she scoffed. “That doesn’t sound romantic at all. Two people being forced into a relationship with someone they don’t know?”

“I never said the two Alametrians were unknown to each other. Many factors go into a Mynder’s decision about an amanti. Compatibility, amount and quality of social interaction between the pair, physical attributes…”

“Wait a minute,” she said, as though she was just remembering something. “The repression.”

He frowned. “What about it?”

“I had a memory resurface.” Her cheeks turned pink and she avoided his gaze. “I wasn’t going to mention it, but, well, I remembered when we decided to prevent my repression.”

“Ah.” He didn’t react, knowing she was embarrassed. “I see.”

“So how do people—Alametrians—enter into relationships if they don’t feel that kind of attraction to each other?”

“All repression is removed from a couple when the Guardians have given their blessing on an amanti.”

“Oh, that’s right. I remember saying something like that in my last memory. But what about these life lessons we’re all supposed to be learning when we’re old enough? I don’t understand how Alametrians can have really effective lessons if their sexuality is repressed.”

That impressed him. “You’re correct. Some lessons can only be learned by tapping into that part of an Alametrian’s psyche. Your lesson in humility before you came to Earth, for example, would not have been as effective if you hadn’t been attracted to the male who taught the lesson.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Seriously? You’re bringing that up
now?
”

“My point,” he continued, “is that the repression is eased while an Alametrian is learning those life lessons. Even Sem and Avana had theirs removed before traveling here so that they could interact more naturally with everyone. The repression is reintroduced once an Alametrian returns home. A ritual is performed by a high-level Mynder to ensure the male or female no longer retains any memories tied to specific individuals encountered during their training. This prevents Alametrians from suffering any acute loss if they formed attachments on other planets. The Mynder leaves behind only the knowledge imparted by the lessons. Negative emotion is purged and positive emotion is enhanced.”

She nodded slowly. “The Ruvex Rite.”

“Yes.”

“That sounds like an awful lot of mental and emotional manipulation. It seems to me like it takes an Alametrian’s individuality from them.”

This was boggy ground. The truth was, he happened to agree with her. To say so, however, was the equivalent of treason.

“You feel that way so strongly right now because of the planet we’re on,” he said. “Humans are millennia behind us in terms of evolution. They have only managed to tap into a fraction of their mental abilities, whereas most Alametrians have fully opened their minds. Such advancements come with great responsibility and risk, however. Over time, Alametrians developed the Ruvex Rite to maintain the right balance.”

She made a face. “It still sounds like mind control to me. They make the decisions about what each Alametrian retains from their lessons? What if…what if they decide that I shouldn’t remember our experiences together?”

Sensing her growing alarm, he once again reached out to touch her face. “You have nothing to fear, Kyr. As your Mynder, I will conduct the Rite for you. I would never remove the memories we share.”

In fact, feeling much as she did on the subject, he didn’t intend to repress anything at all. But he didn’t share that.

She relaxed, reaching up and twining her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. A familiar burn started in his forearms as she stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his. The faint taste he got of her wasn’t sufficient in the least, but he knew Sem would be back any moment.

“Is this what you meant by these markings being a constant reminder of your place?” she asked softly, running her hands along his faintly glowing forearms.

“Yes. A penalty for overstepping myself.”

Her expression clouded. “I guess it’s safe to say the Guardians wouldn’t sanction an amanti between us, then.”

Something tightened in his gut. “No. They don’t see me as a suitable match for you. I’m fated to be your protector, nothing more.”

A sound outside the front door had him stepping away from her. He drew on his years of training to subdue the pain and glow of his markings. Kyr blinked rapidly and took a deep breath as the front door opened and Sem strode in.

“Anything to report?” Ty asked.

“As a matter of fact, I’ve been trying to get you to come outside to look at something,” Sem responded with a frown. “You didn’t answer.”

Ty cursed silently. He’d been so intent on Kyr that he hadn’t received Sem’s thoughts. This was exactly why he wasn’t supposed to be involved with her. He saw that she understood, as well, when a guilty flush filled her cheeks.

“Apologies,” he managed to say in a brisk tone. “I was working with Kyr again on memory retrieval. My mind must have been too caught up in that to pick up your thoughts.”

Sem pursed his lips and glanced at Kyr. “Did it work?”

“A little,” she said.

“Well, that’s something.” He turned back to Ty. “Come on out and take a look.”

Ty didn’t argue, knowing his cousin wouldn’t be bringing him outside without a reason. He walked past Kyr and took her arm, guiding her out of the house after Sem. His eyes moved constantly around the property as they walked to a portion of the woods on the far left side of the house. Nothing unusual disturbed the peaceful quiet.

“I noticed these,” Sem said, pointing to a patch of dirt and leaves well within the tree line. “I don’t know what made these markings, but I wondered if you noticed them before?”

Frowning, Ty shook his head and took a closer look. “These are fresh.”

“How do you know that?” Kyr asked, looking around the shaded area and rubbing her upper arms. “You wouldn’t have noticed this in the dark last night anyway, right?”

“He went out this morning while you were still sleeping,” Sem explained.

“Oh.”

Ty ignored the conversation as he tried to analyze the markings on the ground. He was actually a skilled tracker on Alametria, but their planet’s soil composition was different than Earth’s, as were the types of animals that roamed the environment. He wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to determine the source of the disturbance.

And that meant that they could all be in danger.

Chapter 17

A beam of sunlight filtering through the curtains woke Kyra the next morning. She blinked slowly, disoriented and groggy. It took her a full minute to realize she was sprawled over Ty in bed.

Memories rushed through her, inundating her. If she hadn’t been lying in bed, she probably would have stumbled. The impact of her resurfacing memories was almost physical in nature. She struggled to integrate the Alametrian she used to be with the young woman she’d become. There were still gaps and holes that worried her, particularly regarding the way of life on Alametria. Ty had spent more time the night before kissing her—that is, helping her recover more memories. His efforts were appreciated on every count, but they had taken their toll.

Now, her mind slowly settled, leaving behind a dull ache. She knew she hadn’t slept well again. The stress about a possible intruder and wondering whether they’d ever reconnect with the Alametrian ship had them all on edge. She hadn’t been able to eat much either, due to the ball of anxiety twisting her stomach.

Looking up at Ty’s face, she took a moment to study him while he was unguarded. It made her lips curve up to realize that even in sleep, he looked intent and serious. He was startlingly handsome, she thought, but not in a pretty-boy way. The hard line of his jaw, sharp angle of his brow, and firm set of his sinful lips made him more devilish in appearance than angelic. The light scruff lining his jaw added to that impression. His skin was a few shades darker than hers. That, combined with the caramel tones in his hair, told her he spent time in the sun. And his body…well, from what she’d seen so far, his body belonged on the cover of a men’s fitness magazine.

His eyes were shadowed by fatigue. She saw the evidence of a nearly sleepless night in the dark smudges beneath his lashes. He had probably spent much of the night swapping watch duty with Sem.

They had no idea what had left the tracks in the woods. The house had sensor alarms, Ty told her after they returned to the house, but the tracks were outside of the sensor zone. That was hardly comforting, especially since the tracks were inside the fence surrounding the property. The one thing that eased their minds somewhat was that the tracks hadn’t appeared until after sunrise, which meant they hadn’t been made by a Shelvak.

So had the tracks been threatening, or harmless? She wished they knew for sure. The not knowing was more stressful.

“I can feel you thinking,” Ty said, his voice a rumble in her ear as she lay on his chest.

Her lips twitched. “Is that right? Did I wake you?”

“No. I haven’t really been asleep.”

She lifted her head. “I’m sorry. I wish you had gotten more rest.”

His eyes opened, making her breath hitch as the silver irises caught the sunlight. “I got enough.”

He looked so stern. Unable to help herself, she pushed up and pressed her lips against his in a quick kiss. He blinked in surprise.

“What was that for?”

“For bearing this weight,” she said. Seeing his continued puzzlement, she went on, “I know watching out for me is a huge responsibility. If I could keep you from dealing with all of this stress, I would. The kiss was a form of thanks.”

“Ah. And you think that kiss was thanks enough for protecting you from all harm? It is a rather stressful undertaking, you know.”

The warm gleam in his eye had her face flushing. “I firmly agree, but I’m not about to do more than that without brushing my teeth first.”

He sighed. “Very well.”

She contradicted herself by giving him one more kiss before rolling off the bed. His raised eyebrow made her laugh as she closed the bathroom door.

What would Ty look like when he smiled? She could only guess, since she hadn’t seen him do it…not even in her memories. Was he capable of humor? She had to believe so, since he’d just joked with her about the kiss in an effort to get her to kiss him again. Maybe it was just the strain of everything they were dealing with that kept him so somber.

“Can we go to a store today?” she called out after she brushed her teeth and started washing her face.

“Why?”

“Because we’re wearing the same clothes we arrived in. There isn’t any clothing in this house, and I didn’t see any laundry detergent. I’d trade my bra for a stick of deodorant right about now.”

“An interesting proposition,” Ty said through the door. “Makes me wish I had some deodorant.”

She laughed. Yes, he definitely had a sense of humor.

“Please, Ty. I feel gross. We have no idea how long we’ll be here.”

“Very well. Sem should have some means of purchasing the items we’ll need. But we can’t be gone long.”

She did a small victory dance. “I’ll be quick as a wink,” she assured him.

It took them another thirty minutes for Ty to get ready and both of them to eat breakfast. Sem had a credit card that he gave them, along with a short list of items he wanted. He would stay behind to watch the house and contact them if needed.

They used the sedan’s GPS to locate nearby stores that would suit their needs. Fortunately, there was a Walmart just over ten miles away. Ty drove, keeping a close eye on the rearview mirror. Kyra didn’t speak to him, not wanting to distract him. His level of hyper-alertness made her paranoid, though. Every car looked like a threat out here in the middle of the country.

Ty turned to her once they parked at the store. He held something in his hand.

“Do you know what this is?” he asked her.

She looked at what he held. It was a curved device no bigger than an average keychain. The slim case looked oddly luminescent in the sun’s rays. Swirls of color moved across its flat surface. After a moment of trying to tap into her memories, she shook her head.

“This is a luvesta,” he explained. “It contains a blast of pure solar energy. This is one of the rarest weapons on Alametria because they are so difficult to create.”

He reached out and took her hand. His touch sent a pleasant shiver along her arm. She had to force herself to focus as he placed the luvesta in her hand.

“I want you to carry this. Only use it if you have no other choice. It won’t harm you, but it’s obviously an effective weapon against the Shelvaks. In order to activate it, you have to press your thumb here.”

She nodded as he pointed to a small, clear disc about the size of her thumbnail embedded in the luvesta’s surface. Although the weapon was as light as a credit card, her hand trembled under its figurative weight. She might as well have been holding a hand grenade.

“It’ll be all right, Kyr.”

Her gaze lifted to his. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Swallowing her fear, she nodded and shifted so she could put the luvesta into her pocket.

He got out of the car and walked around to open her door. She realized that she hadn’t even considered opening the door herself and wondered if this was a new or old learned behavior on her part. Things were starting to blend.

He took her arm and walked with her through the store’s front doors. As they headed to the shopping carts, a blast of cool air struck them, making her skin break out in goose bumps. The greeter, an older woman with leathery skin and poofy blonde hair, welcomed them with a tobacco-stained smile. Her gaze moved between Kyra and Ty with undisguised curiosity. Kyra tried not to feel self-conscious about the fact that she hadn’t showered in three days and looked like she’d slept in her clothes for a week. Then she looked around and realized they kind of fit right in with the rest of the store’s clientele.

The pharmacy was their first stop. She grabbed a new hairbrush, deodorant, disposable razors, shaving cream, her preferred brand of facial cleanser, and some moisturizer. She considered getting some makeup, but decided that was a frivolity she really didn’t need. Besides, Ty seemed to like her well enough without any.

His gaze moved to her as that thought entered her head. Whether he’d intercepted it or not, her face warmed. The look in his eyes made her knees feel wobbly. She was suddenly grateful for the cart offering her additional support.

Shopping went smoothly until they reached the women’s undergarments. The back of her neck felt like it was on fire as Ty stood right behind while she looked through bras for styles in her size that would be pretty but comfortable. The selection was rather picked over, but she finally found one that would work. She tossed the matching panties in the cart. If they stayed longer than one more day, she would do laundry with the detergent she had picked up.

She didn’t take long grabbing a couple of T-shirts, a pair of pajamas, and a second pair of jeans. Ty was equally quick collecting items of clothing for him and Sem. While Kyra ran through a mental checklist of the items in their cart, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Careful not to move too quickly, she lifted her gaze from the cart. She spotted a light-haired woman across the aisle, half-hidden by a rack of dresses. There was nothing overly ominous about the woman outside of the fact that she wore large, dark sunglasses indoors.

Maybe she’s legally blind
, Kyra tried to rationalize.

Then why is she staring right at you?
her consciousness rejoined.

Forcing herself not to overreact, she turned to touch Ty’s arm. He looked up from the pile of jeans he was sifting through. Whatever he saw on her face had him stiffening and looking around.

Kyra glanced again at the woman. She was gone.

“What in the world…?” she murmured. She stood on her tiptoes, but didn’t see the woman anywhere.

“What is it, Kyr?” Ty asked.

“There was a woman. She had on dark sunglasses. She was right there, but now she’s gone.”

Something crossed over his features at the mention of the sunglasses. “We must go,” he said, grabbing her arm and prompting her forward with the cart.

Kyr’s pulse raced. She realized her intuition had been speaking to her when she first felt the woman’s gaze, and judging by her raised neck hair and Ty’s reaction, her intuition was telling her that they were in trouble.