by Laura Kaighn
Levering herself up onto her own elbow, still wrapped in his blanket, Dorinda cleared her throat. “Are you going to leave now?”
From his downy cradle, Vesarius arched an eyebrow at her. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No.” Dori frowned and dug her hand out from the covers to rub her eyes. “I don’t want you to go anywhere.”
“Then I will not.”
Her focus now clear of the night’s stupor, Dorinda swallowed. “So, you’re not leaving me? We can be together.”
Vesarius’ lips tightened at the truth. “My father has restored my honor, Dorinda. I no longer need to deny my feelings.” With that he reached up to caress her loose hair. “I no longer need to remain alone.”
“Then I guess, neither do I.” Dorinda’s velveteen eyes drifted to the Vesar’s bare shoulder wrapped only in her makeshift dressing. Her hand, too, moved to caress. She traced the bony ridges beside his neck. Her touch was silk against their hardness. “You use these to fight off rivals?” Her voice was hushed, her breath light against his bare chest.
“We used to,” he admitted. His fingers slid to trace her jaw then her neck. Vesarius sensed the woman’s pulsing compassion there.
Dorinda’s digits drifted to his solid pectoral muscle and the pounding organ just centimeters below his skin. “Do all Vesar have such strong heartbeats?” she whispered.
“The pulse races when we anticipate battle ... or love.”
Dorinda met his eyes. “I do love you, Vesarius.” Leaning forward she pressed her lips against his. The joining was tentative, like a glazelh bloom bursting forth amid winter’s final frost. Her mouth was cool and supple. He marveled at the human gesture, his first kiss.
When they parted, Vesarius smiled slightly at her hooded eyes. He asserted his truth. “And I you, since you first defended me aboard the transport.” To her epiphanic gape he expounded, “Your heart is pure, Dorinda. It has healed me.” Vesarius placed his palm against her bosom and held it there. His own gaze was penetrating and full of trust.
In response Dorinda’s breathing quickened, shallow beneath his hotter hand. She swallowed then slid her fingers to the pulsing skin of the Vesar’s chest ridges with their rippling scar. She returned that caress. Vesarius shivered at the contact. “You’re cold,” she assumed almost ashamedly and pushed the blanket back over his half exposed body.
“No. It is not cold,” he explained timidly crumpling the blanket aside. “It ... it is your hand, your touch.”
Dorinda grinned at the confession. “Oh? You mean if I do this ...” With a fingertip she traced the vertical row of hard bone. Vesarius’ eyes dipped shut. He trembled again the tingling sensation coursing along his abdomen to his loins. When the warmth faded, Vesarius considered her curious stare. Eyes twinkling with sudden mischief, Dorinda leaned in to him and pressed her mouth against his crest. She kissed it tenderly. Vesarius inhaled. His hand rose to stroke her auburn hair. Then Dori pushed her tongue out through her lips to lick the ridges teasingly. Vesarius moaned and leaned away from her. His head sank further into his pillow.
Now Dorinda beamed. “This is going to be very interesting.” She scrabbled onto her knees. “Let me show you where you can get the same response from a human woman.” Crossing her arms along the trailing edge of her soiled sweater, Dorinda tugged the garment up over her head. She tossed it across the room. Vesarius’ dark eyes widened with his smile as she reached back to unhook her brassiere.
* * *
The sun was almost over the cottage when Vesarius was roused by Noah and Tundra. The Kinpanions rushed into the bedroom fussing about their stomachs. “All right, all right,” Dorinda grumbled beside him. “I’ll get you some food. Noah, why haven’t you caught yourself a lake trout?” Vesarius blinked then yawned as Dorinda sat up in bed. With fiery eyes he watched her clutch the blanket against bare skin to address her Kin. Noah chirped questioningly. “Of course, silly. Only humans need permits to fish. Go catch us some lunch, Slink, and I’ll smack you a big kiss.” Squeaking excitedly, Noah led the malamute back outside. Dorinda sighed and considered her bed partner. “They’re a handful. It’s like having two little kids around all day. I don’t know if I’m ready for motherhood.”
Vesarius tilted up onto his elbow and good-humoredly rubbed Dorinda’s bare belly beneath the sheets. “You do not want children?”
Placing her hand over his, Dorinda turned jade eyes on the Vesar’s compassionate gaze. “I never had the chance. My husband and I talked about it, but he wasn’t able to give me children. Then he was gone.”
Sitting up also Vesarius bent to kiss the base of her neck. “I will provide you children if you want them,” he mumbled under her ear.
Dorinda leaned away pushing him from her throat to lock stares. “What? Are you going to kidnap somebody’s kids or something?”
Vesarius’ brow narrowed at the comment. “Is it not human custom for two people who love one another to have children together?”
“Yes, but ... It’s not that simple. Vesarius, yesterday you were going to just walk away from our friendship. Now you want me to have your children?”
Straightening Vesarius blinked. “Forgive me. I must be missing something.”
Dorinda laughed without humor. “Yeah, I think so.” Then her eyes softened as did her voice. “I do forgive you. It’s only natural that we need to learn more about each other. Any relationship’s like that. Now, are you hungry?”
“No. I am starving,” he answered deadpan, though his mouth twitched into a half smile.
Dorinda grinned back. “I suppose you’d like more pancakes and bacon.”
“And hot baked apples,” Vesarius rumbled. He drew her to him. Their bodies pressed beneath the covers. With a little moan, Dorinda reclined her head when Vesarius kissed her throat passionately.
Then they were sharing a shower, Dorinda playfully popping the Vesar with a damp towel and chasing him from the bathroom. Raising his arms defensively Vesarius quipped, “And they call Vesar violent. Uuch!” He braced his side. “I think you will need to bandage my ribs again. I believe this activity is not aiding my recovery.”
Dorinda’s face fell. She dropped the towel. “Oh, I ...” Then, seeing his smug grin, she stomped toward him. “I just want to ...” In mock anger, Dorinda tiptoed against him. “Kiss you.” She finished by resting her hand against his crest and pressing her cooler lips against his dark, wide mouth. In response, Vesarius pulled her to him and lifted her to his height. With a grunt he set her down again. “Sit,” she said. “I’ll dress your ribs. You’re right. This activity’s no good.” Dorinda kissed him tenderly once more and left to retrieve another strip of sheet. But as she tried to wrap his torso, Vesarius kept distracting her with his hands. “Will you stop?” She giggled and dodged out of reach. “I guess I should’ve gotten dressed first.”
Smiling broadly at her Vesarius ventured, “I never understood what humans saw in art – in a painting or sculpture. To me it simply represented something else.” His coal eyes softened as he raised them from her slender figure to her emerald gaze. “But art represents the soul of that something else.” He grasped her forearm and pulled her down onto his lap. “It is beauty and kindness, and compassion. You are my art, Dorinda.” First kissing her lips, he then kissed her as a Vesar would satisfied in the racing warmth he felt beneath his palm.
“Let’s try this again,” Dorinda breathlessly suggested when their caress ended. She retrieved the bandage and recommenced her ministries. “We should go into town today, order you some more herbs,” she suggested. “We’ll call Michael. He can probably get them for you faster than some mail order catalog.”
“Coty, huh?” Vesarius challenged as Dorinda tightened the sheet about his torso. He grunted. “You grow tired of my company already?” His brow rose in sarcasm.
Dorinda bent to glare at him. “Coty’s our friend. He’ll get you your medicine because he cares about you.” Smiling slightly, Dorinda lowered her defenses to add, “
Just like I do.” She pinned the bandage in place then nodded her satisfaction.
Vesarius relaxed his ribs and caught his breath. “My father has truly restored my honor. He has gifted me with so much company.” As if on cue, Tundra bounded in from the kitchen a slimy fish in his jaws.
“Ugh! Get it out of here,” Dorinda chastised. “This is a hospital bed.” She waved the dog away. “Leave it in the kitchen, and make sure it’s not wriggling.”
Vesarius laughed heartily then stood to retrieve his leather trousers, now cleaned. With a tug he slipped them over his buttocks and twisted to lace the side fasteners.
“I wish my old jeans were that durable and easy to clean,” Dori observed. She pulled on a fresh sweater from her duffle bag. “I think they’re permanently stained, and now the knees are torn.” From the satchel Dorinda next retrieved a pair of brown, twenty-second century pants. She held them before him. “I don’t like these new-fangled jeans. They’re just not as soft or breathable. They’re not the same.” Frowning she bent to step into the denims. “If I knew I was going to get stuck in this century, I’d have bought out a GAP store before I left.”
“What is a gap store? One with missing merchandise?” When Dorinda scowled at his questions, Vesarius chuckled. “You could present a sample of your jeans to a Vesar seamstress I know in Arizona,” he suggested in earnest. He finished tying his second boot. “She grows many kinds of plants for fabrics and dyes. Kyrohnii could weave you whatever you need.”
Dorinda’s eyes widened. “A new wardrobe? New jeans and a jean jacket to replace the one I lost? Yes, I’ve some strips of it left. It’s what I tied that lock of hair I gave you with. Couldn’t see them going to waste. I’ve been using the rest in my own hair.”
“Do you have some with you?” Vesarius asked as she tugged on a shoe.
“What? Denim ribbon?” She popped a hand against her duffle. “Yes, right here. Why?”
Vesarius smirked. “I will braid your hair as Vesar women do. Then you can do mine.”
First fastening her Coleman hiking boots, Dorinda next retrieved two lengths of denim from her bag, handing him one.
Silently Vesarius stood behind her. Drawing a length of her hair from the left side of her scalp he braided it into a thick swatch from Dori’s right, just behind her ear. This left much of her auburn length loose but restrained from her face. As he neared the end of the braid, Vesarius folded and wove in the denim strip. He then tied the hair using a double-sided square knot, leaving the tails dangling. “If we were on Vesar, I would use a longer length of leather cord and weave in beads from your family totem stones like the ones on my medallion.”
Dorinda felt the braid with her right hand and beamed. “I’ll be right back.” From the bathroom mirror she called out to him. “It’s wonderful. Your hands are amazing in more ways than one.” Then she was back and motioning the Vesar into the kitchen. “I’ll brew us some iced tea and lunch.”
Following her, Vesarius grabbed up his leather tunic. Dorinda set a kettle on to boil while he gently tugged on his shirt. He drew the lacings tight along the left side and tied a double bow at his hip. When he sat at the table, Dorinda moved to stand behind him. “Now I’ll do your hair.”
Vesarius leaned back and allowed Dorinda to pull her fingers through his thick black locks, separating the last of his tangles. “Your hands, too, are very talented,” he offered. “I am alive only because of your medical prowess. Even in this century you would make a formidable field nurse, Green Eyes.” The Vesar paused before asking the one question that required an honest and immediate answer. “Have you yet decided what you wish to do?”
Dorinda did not reply directly. “I’m still not sure. This century’s so different. I haven’t yet a clue where I’d fit in.” She finished braiding his hair then tied the end with her second denim ribbon. “Michael and the others all told me I was welcome on the Pompeii, but what would I do there? You don’t exactly need an English teacher on an exploratory vessel. I’d be out of place. Obsolete.”
Vesarius reached back for her hand and pulled her around beside him. “Dorinda. You have many talents. And literature is still a vital tool. I realized that while I awaited your arrival.”
Sitting down beside him, Dorinda’s eyebrows mountained with interest. “You mean those works of Thoreau and Whitman?” She leaned her chin on one curled palm, elbow resting on the table. “So, Mr. Warrior. What’ve you gleaned from us weakling humans so far?”
Vesarius’ lips twitched into a fleeting smile. “Whitman was a seeker of self.” With a thumb poke at his concealed heart, the Vesar explained. “Like me, he attempted to define his place in society. Whitman said, ‘for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you’.” The warrior considered his leather-clad lap and slowly blinked. “As Vesar, my place has always been defined by duty. By honor. Without it, I had no home, no identity within warrior society. That is why you found me in no hospitable mood, Dorinda.” Vesarius glanced up, his scowl deepening. “But unlike your Whitman, I am still searching. Like you, I am just as misplaced in this world. Perhaps worse, for I am not welcome with my people as you are with yours.” Lowering his gaze, Vesarius next felt her cool hand on his hot cheek.
“Sarius, a family can be defined as a grouping of people in relation, either by blood or companionship. Noah and I are family just like Casey used to be. Tundra, Coty, everyone on the Pompeii accepts you as family. That’s your place.” She lowered her hand and nodded. “You’ve done much good there. The Orthops may be ready for peace now because of you. I’d say that’s a great track record, especially for one who thinks he has no family ties.”
“And you, Green Eyes? Do you believe you have family ... in this time? There are blood relations here on Earth. I checked the records.”
Dorinda lurched her shoulders, straightening in her chair. “You checked?”
“Yes. Since you bore no offspring, I first researched your maiden name. There are McDaniels living in seven districts in North America who can claim kinship with your brother, Francis. Another five family lines are once or twice removed. I am not sure, but there are probably more off-world. You would need to check with your family here for their names. There is even a relative of Michael Tanner’s here in Old Forge.” Vesarius nodded at her incredulous expression. “Yes, I have records of your husband’s family as well.”
“I ... I don’t know what to say. Vesarius, why’d you do this?” Dorinda’s hand was on his, tightening in gratitude.
Shrugging Vesarius offered, “It was a simple process of computer cross-checking. I had time and clearance to run a family profile while I was at Central Command. I have saved my search to a disk for you. It is in my pack.” Vesarius jerked his wide shoulders once more. “You may wish to claim yourself a distant relative.” His lips curled crookedly. “On Vesar, distant relations are welcomed with honor.”
Her gaze cooling contemplative, Dorinda said nothing for several moments. When she did, her voice was feathery and noncommittal. “It’s good to know there’re members of Frank’s family alive here. Perhaps someday I will visit them ... as a distant relative and traveler.” Then Dorinda’s sincere eyes rose to consider his darker stare. “But I feel no kinship to them, Sarius. Noah’s my family now, and Tundra ... and you, if you’ll have me.”
A sardonic smile widened the Vesar’s pensive mouth. “Green Eyes, if family is what you want, I will oblige eagerly.” He leaned toward her in his chair, palm patting the tabletop. “We will return to the Pompeii, and I will start your training in search and rescue. We will make an honorable team.”
“Me? The Pompeii? I thought Tlant was your SAR officer.” Dorinda grimaced and waved an arm at him. “He’s a little green around the muzzle, and he’s got no Kinpanion yet. But Tlant’s an eager student. He’ll do fine.”
Rising from his seat, the Vesar glared down at her. “Do you propose that I teach him? Why can you not return with me to the Pompeii?” His fingers twisted tight at his thighs.
&n
bsp; “Vesarius,” Dorinda started rising also. “I just got here. This used to be my home, remember?” She clutched the back of her chair, a wooden anchor beside his steely frame. “I may want to stay a while. Why are you in such a rush to get back to the ship?”
“A while? What of family?” Vesarius felt the temperature rising in his rumpled forehead. “Did you not just imply that you were returning with me?”
“Vesarius, please. I’m ecstatic that you found peace. And I do love you. But I need to find myself too. My peace. Like Whitman, I need to know who I am – now, in this century – before I can commit to a new home, a new life. Especially on a tin can like the Pompeii.”
Vesarius gulped at her words, his ears ringing. Had he not just committed to this woman? Did she not understand their pledge? “You are Dorinda Tanner, woman of many talents. My family,” Vesarius declared poking his heart for emphasis.
“No, not Tanner ... Not anymore. I’m a visitor from a colony world, a traveler here on Earth. My name’s Dorinda Jade now.”
“A new name? Why?” Vesarius’ brow furrowed. What of honesty?
“Coty and Gen. Chan both agreed that it’d be best I not let anyone know where I came from. The time machine’s still a secret. For my own protection, I’m Dorinda Jade. That’s my new history.”
“You agreed to this lie?” Vesarius demanded. “Coty allowed you to come here, to stay here?”
“Of course.” Dorinda nodded slowly still gripping the seatback. “Michael understands. He knows I need time to choose. Vesarius, you make it sound like I have no choice. Why’re you insisting I come with you now? You … don’t own me.”
Vesarius’ temples thrummed. He fought his rising Fury for a legitimate reason. “We … are ... mated, Dorinda. This morning we -”
“That was a wonderful closeness. A special sharing,” Dori explained taking his arm. “Vesarius, I’ll never care for anyone as I love you. Why can’t you stay here with me until -?”