“I never thought of it that way, but you’re right, Con,” Landor said.
“Is there no hope, then?” Ari asked.
“Yes, I think there is,” Landor replied. “Despite what we’ve heard, I really don’t think Rayne is the type to hold a grudge.”
“No, I don’t think so, either,” Con said. “But I can’t think of a single reason why she should forgive us.”
“And yet, I think she will if we give her a reason to.”
“Then we better get busy finding a reason,” Con said.
“I agree, but I want to make one thing clear,” Ari said. “Whatever we do, it has to be to her benefit, no matter the cost to ourselves.”
“Agreed,” Landor said. “If she is to be our Arima, she has to know us, and want us for who we are. And we have to know her, too.”
***
When Rayne stepped out of the shower she caught her reflection in the mirror over the sink and flinched, then looked away. It wasn’t just her hair, though it was certainly startling to see shoulder length, straight brown hair in place of her long red gold curls. Or the scars that covered her from head to toe. Literally. It was how thin she was. It was almost painful to look in a mirror and see what appeared to be every bone in her body poking sharply against her pale skin.
She dried off quickly, then pulled on her favorite underwear, not doubting her feeling that it had been a year since she’d worn something as basic as panties. Then she reached for her jeans and a chocolate brown sweater, smiling at the feel of her own clothing on her body even though everything was far too loose. She combed her damp hair out, reminding herself that if she followed the Tigrens’ directions, she’d be back to her normal size and health very quickly.
She opened a drawer and reached for the box of brown contacts that one of the med techs on the Ugaztun had created for her mother using the medical tele-fabricator. She popped them in, not really minding the feel of them, though she was startled anew to see brown eyes looking back at her rather than the blue green she was used to. Then she reached for the make-up case her mother had brought along with her other things from the Ugaztun.
She looked through the different bottles and jars for a minute, then glanced at herself in the mirror again with a sigh. Her cosmetics had been chosen for her usual complexion, which was several shades deeper than the pasty white she now saw in the mirror, and her natural hair and eye colors. She’d look ridiculous if she followed her old makeup routine. She almost closed the case and walked away, but another glance in the mirror changed her mind. The Bearen-Hirus had seen her at her absolute worst, and while there wasn’t enough makeup in the Thousand Worlds to make her look good, there had to be something she could do to improve her appearance. At this point, even a little self-confidence would go a long way.
She emptied the makeup case onto the counter and took a closer look at what she had. A few minutes later she studied her reflection critically and concluded that the makeup helped a great deal more than she’d expected. At least she now appeared to have a little color in her cheeks. She looked like a stranger to her own eyes but, she reminded herself as she applied some tinted moisturizer to her lips, that was the whole point.
She put everything away, hung up her towel and left the bathroom, then stood for a moment, nonplussed, uncertain what to do next. She was really hungry after her long walk, and she had a distinct craving for another glass of sasuna. She hesitated before remembering that Cade had told her to drink as much as she wanted as often as she wanted, so long as it was no less than four glasses a day. She went to the chiller and poured herself a glass while trying to decide whether or not to go to the cafeteria alone. As much as she wished otherwise, she reluctantly concluded that it wouldn’t be a good idea. At least she had a voice now so she could call the cafeteria and ask for a tray to be brought to her room.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and set her heart racing. It was the Bearen-Hirus. She knew that without a doubt. She took a deep calming breath, checked her shield, and reminded herself that she needed to get to know them, and that meant actually spending time with them. Then she walked to the door and opened it, not at all surprised to see all three of them standing in the corridor. She was surprised, however, by the strength of her visceral reaction to them.
They were just so beautiful in their black jeans and snug t-shirts, their black hair gleaming, their brightly colored eyes fixed on her. Even though she knew she was too thin and pale, the way they were looking at her made her feel…warm. And wanted. It also caused a strange tingling sensation deep inside of her.
“Good morning, Kisu,” Landor said.
“Good morning,” she replied, not quite meeting their eyes. “I’m really sorry about last night.”
“Don’t be,” Landor said. “You needed time. It was a small thing to ask for, and we do not regret giving it to you.”
“Thank you,” she said, relieved. “Um…would you like to come in?”
“Thank you, but no,” Ari replied. “We came to ask if you’d like to have breakfast with us in the cafeteria.” She looked up in surprise. An invitation to breakfast was the last thing she’d expected.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” she asked, unaware of the hope that lit her face.
“We think it’s an excellent idea,” Ari said. “It’ll do you good to get out a little.”
“There’s no reason to worry that you’ll be recognized,” Con said. “You don’t look anything like yourself. I barely recognize you myself.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” Landor said.
“In that case, yes, I’d like some breakfast,” she decided. “And coffee.” She stepped out of her room and pulled the door shut behind her.
Landor moved to stand close beside her while Con and Ari took up positions behind them. She bowed her head, hiding her rush of pleasure when they began walking up the corridor in the traditional, protective formation used by all male-sets when walking with their woman.
“Is this your first glass of sasuna today?” Landor asked, gesturing to the tall glass she carried.
“No, it’s the second,” she said. “I was told it was fine to drink as much as I wanted.”
“As were we,” Landor said, wincing inwardly at the defensive note in her voice. He changed the subject. “Even though we prefer your true hair and eye colors, you do look beautiful this morning.”
“Thank you,” she said shyly. “I think it’s an overstatement, but I’ll take it anyway.”
“It is not an overstatement,” he said. “You have a bit of color in your face.”
“That’s either makeup, or from walking this morning. Probably a combination of both.”
“Walking?” Ari asked in surprise.
“Yes, I went down to the gym after I woke up.” She saw Landor’s jaw tighten and her eyes narrowed. “I went slowly and stopped at half a mile.”
“It’s not the exercise that concerns us,” Landor said. “It’s knowing that you were wandering around the ship alone that worries us.”
“The alarm on your door should have gone off when you left your room,” Ari added, frowning.
“Alarm?”
“Yes, I told you we added security to your room, remember?” Landor said. She nodded and looked down, not wanting him to see the blush that heated her cheeks. “It went off twice this morning, but we saw no one in the corridor either time. Now you tell us you went out, but the alarm didn’t go off. There must be a malfunction, which is not acceptable.”
“I’ll go over it after breakfast,” Con said. Landor nodded his agreement.
“Oh gula,” Rayne muttered softly. She’d never told anyone outside of her family about her partial shield, not even her sisters, so she didn’t feel guilty for not sharing the information with the Bearen-Hirus. But, she couldn’t let them waste their time trying to fix something that she knew wasn’t broken.
“What’s the matter, Rayne?” Landor asked as they stepped into the eleva
tor. “Is it about last night?”
“That’s not what I’m thinking about at the moment, no.”
“There’s one thing we want you to know, and never forget no matter what happens,” Landor said.
“What’s that?”
“You can trust us. Always.”
Rayne stared into his eyes for a long moment, then nodded as something inside of her relaxed. She really could trust them. They would never, ever betray her, no matter the circumstances. “I have to tell you something, but it’s very important to me that you don’t share it with anyone.”
“In that case, we shouldn’t discuss it now,” Landor said as the elevator door opened. “After breakfast, we’ll go somewhere private. Unless you want to go back to your room now?”
“No, after breakfast is fine,” she said. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For taking me seriously when you don’t even know what the subject is.”
“You needn’t thank us for that,” Con said. “We ask that you trust us and in return, we trust you.” Rayne looked back over her shoulder and smiled warmly at him, causing his breath to catch. Then they turned into the cafeteria, ending conversation for the moment.
It was past breakfast time, so there were few people in the cafeteria, leaving the majority of the tables free. She noticed several quick glances from the other diners, but no one stared for more than a moment before quickly looking down again. She didn’t have to look to know that Landor, Con, and Ari were glaring warnings at their crew, which helped her to relax. Landor selected a table in a far corner away from everyone else, and they all sat, one on each side of a square table, Rayne with an inward sigh of relief that she was careful to hide. The walk from her room to the cafeteria wasn’t terribly long, but added to her walk on the treadmill, and going down and up a couple of flights of stairs, and it left her feeling a bit shaky.
Rayne finished the sasuna after they placed their orders, then took a few minutes to savor the first cup of coffee she’d had in she didn’t know how long. “Have we left Garza yet?”
“Yes, we made the jump to Earth last night, several hours ahead of schedule, which is good since it will be another couple of hours before we’re able to jump to Teira,” Con replied.
“Will we still reach Buhell in time?” she asked worriedly.
“Yes,” Con replied. “Even accounting for the possibility of more jump point delays, we’ll arrive with no less than two days to spare. Three isn’t out of the realm of possibilities either.”
“That’s great news,” she said. “What about the Gryphons and Salene? Did they get off all right?”
“Yes, they left Garza shortly before we did,” Landor replied. “Don’t worry, Kisu, everything is going smoothly so far.”
“We have something for you,” Con said, sliding a small, flat box across the table toward her. She looked at him in surprise, then reached for the box. When she picked it up she felt something slide inside of it, raising her curiosity. She took the lid off the box, revealing a blue-green briolette crystal that exactly matched the color of her eyes, hanging from a platinum chain.
She lifted the necklace from the box, smiling as the light caught on the multitude of facets, flashing blue-green fire. “It’s so beautiful,” she said softly, her eyes sparkling more brightly than the crystal.
“I’m glad you like it,” Con said, smiling at her reaction. It had been even better than he’d hoped. “But it’s more than a pretty necklace.”
“It is?”
“It has a micro-dot cam inside that’s virtually impossible to detect. And, if you press firmly on the bottom where it comes to a point, it will set off an alarm on each of our voxes and our hand terminals.”
Rayne placed her thumb on the bottom of the pendant where Con indicated and pressed. All three of their voxes began beeping immediately. She smiled happily as they turned off their devices. “When you do that, we’ll get more than an alarm,” Con continued. “We’ll also get a signal identifying your exact location, no matter where you are, or how far away from us you’re taken.”
Her eyes teared up so fast she had no chance to stop them. She opened her mouth, then closed it, unable to speak.
Con looked at Landor, horrified by her tears. “Rayne?” Landor asked uncertainly. She looked up at him, her tears overflowing. “We just wanted to be able to find you if something happened, and we thought it would help you feel better knowing we could. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.”
“Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head as she wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “I love it. I really do. I’m just…overwhelmed.”
“Overwhelmed?” Landor asked.
“That you…,” she hesitated, realizing what she was about to say, and changed her response. “I’ll just feel safer with this. Knowing that you can find me if…well…if you need to. Like you said.”
“What were you going to say?” Landor asked.
Rayne dropped her eyes to the crystal in her hand. “I was going to say that it tells me that you care about what happens to me.”
“We care more about what happens to you than anyone, Rayne,” Ari said quietly. Then he smiled. “Would you like some help putting it on?”
“Yes, please,” she said. He stood up and she handed the necklace to him. A moment later she felt the cool metal against her skin and reached up to wrap her fingers around the pendant.
“Thank you, Ari,” she said, smiling up at him as he returned to his seat, then smiled at Landor and Con, too. “I love it. It’s absolutely perfect.” She tilted her head at Con. “You made this, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. How’d you know?” She smiled at him, then dropped her eyes to the crystal once more.
The waiter arrived with their breakfasts just then, diverting all of her attention to her stomach. The food looked and smelled and tasted so wonderful to Rayne that she barely knew what to start with. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hold nearly as much as she wanted, and had to stop before she’d done much more than taste. She set her fork down and reached for her coffee, watching absently as the Bearen-Hirus ate.
“Rayne?” Ari asked. She looked at him in surprise. “You appear to be trying to make up your mind about something.”
“I am,” she replied. “I just remembered a few things.”
“Just now?” Landor asked curiously. She nodded.
“It’s odd, but as I was eating I suddenly realized that I had some memories that I didn’t have before.”
“Do you want to share them with us?” Landor asked.
“I’m not sure if you’ll want to hear them. They aren’t really…significant.”
“Significant?” Ari asked. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean by that.”
“I didn’t remember any more about those messages I wrote on the shift, and I didn’t remember how I was sent back in time, or by whom, or even who abducted me or why.”
“What did you remember?”
“The first few weeks after I was taken,” she said. “I don’t know if it would upset you to hear about it, and I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”
“If it concerns you, it concerns us, Rayne,” Landor said. “We want to hear everything you remember. It’s all significant to us because it happened to you.”
Rayne was surprised, and touched by his words, but she was still concerned about their reactions. “What if you get…upset?”
“We had some bad moments after we found you that first night,” Landor admitted. “Since then, we’ve been taking turns running off our emotions, so we should be all right. If necessary, we’ll go to the Roar Room. It’s on deck five, at the opposite end of the corridor from where our staterooms are located.”
“All right,” she said, nodding. She was still a little worried, but if they thought they could handle it, she wasn’t going to contradict them. “The first thing I remember is waking up in a small white room.” Con, Ari, and Landor all stilled, watching and waiting for her to go o
n. She waved at them to keep eating, and continued. “The only object in the room aside from myself was the cot that I was lying on. I was wearing a gray shift, like the one I was wearing when I returned. All of my hair was gone, my clothes were gone, and my wrist communicator was gone. Everything was gone. It was just me, alone, in that small room.”
The Bearen-Hirus nodded, but continued eating their meals for fear she’d stop talking if they didn’t. “I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t completely paralyzed. I could turn my head, I could talk, I could move my eyes and fingers, but that was all. I couldn’t lift my head, or move my arms and legs.”
She raised her cup, proud of how steady her hands were as she sipped her coffee. “I was terrified. I had no idea where I was, why I was there, or even how I got there. After a while two male humanoids entered the room. I’d never seen anyone like them before. They were short, three and a half to four feet tall, had abnormally large heads, pointed ears, no hair, bright blue skin, and oval black eyes so big that they took up half of their faces.
“I started asking them questions. Where was I, why was I there, who were they, but they ignored me completely. They spoke to each other in Standard, so I knew they could understand me, but they never acknowledged my presence in any way. I gave up asking for information and focused on what they were saying to each other instead, hoping I could learn something that way.”
She set her cup down with hands that had suddenly begun to tremble. “They were discussing various methods of forcing me to shift. One thought that burns would cause the most pain, and would therefore be the most effective. The other one favored the idea of using a scalpel on specific nerve centers. I told them that I couldn’t shift, rather stridently in fact, but they continued to ignore me. After another minute or two they left. I told myself that they were just trying to scare me, but about an hour later I discovered that wasn’t the case at all. They’d been completely serious.”
Rayne's Return (Hearts of ICARUS Book 3) Page 12