guardianofparadise_260-1e3.htm

by Guardian Of Paradise (lit)

  “Thank you,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. The man nodded his head as he placed the glass on the nightstand. He turned to look back at her. She noticed that his eyes had softened and there was something about his gaze that did things to her insides that she didn’t understand.

  “Do you remember what happened?” he asked calmly as he watched her struggle to recall. A crease formed in the center of her forehead and she frowned.

  “No.” Shana merely whispered as her gaze held his.

  “May I ask who you are and where you’re from?” he asked as he took note of the perfect English that she spoke. A lot of races in this part of the galaxy could speak perfect English with the help of a subliminal vid.

  Shana couldn’t understand the question that he was asking. Do you know who I am? She wanted to ask. She glanced away from him to the Bot that was busy cleaning the already clean floor, then she turned back to him.

  She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to remember. Her mind was a total blank. She made a sound of pain and frustration. She opened her eyes slowly as she gazed back at him with sad green eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said bleakly. There was a deep lump in her throat that made it hard to form a word.

  “I don’t know who I am.” She cried out, covering her face with her hands and beginning to sob.

  Kai stood up from his chair, giving her a hard look as he walked out of the bedroom. As he walked down the hallway, he raked his fingers though his hair and the leather strap that held it back fell to the floor.

  The Robo cleaner came out of the wall in the bedroom, startling Shana.

  When he heard her scream out, he turned in mid-stride and ran back to the guest room.

  Three

  “Great. This is just great. This is the last thing that I need right now,” Kai muttered to himself with a frown as he sat in the medical room of his house. He typed on the keyboard of the med-unit regarding the woman’s condition. He waited for several seconds as the answer came to him on the computer’s screen.

  “Amnesia.” Kai muttered under his breath as he stared at the computer screen in front of him.

  He read about the condition. He lowered his head into his cupped hand and sighed.

  “What am I going to do with this woman until she gets her memory back?” Kai asked no one in particular.

  A beeping sound at his side made Kai turn to look down at the Bot.

  “What?” he asked in confusion. Beeps and whirrs were the Bot’s answer.

  “What do you mean that she ran off?” Kai stood up from his seat quickly and dashed out of the medical room, his heart thudding against his chest. He asked, “Where did she go? She couldn’t have gone very far! Where would she go?”

  The Bot had no idea where she had gone.

  One by one, Kai searched every room in the house. He raked his hands through his long hair in agitation when he couldn’t find her.

  “Where the hell is she?” he asked under his breath. Darkness had fallen moments ago. There was only one place that he had not checked for her yet. Outside.

  Kai threw open the door, and there she stood, gazing out toward the dusky sky. She turned and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

  “Where am I?” she asked. Confusion filled her expression as she looked at him.

  Kai stood there looking at her with an odd look on his face.

  “This does not look familiar to me.” She indicated before her as she turned to look at the horizon once more.

  “You crash landed here yesterday. You had a slight injury to your head.” Kai pointed to her temple. She reached up with her hand and rubbed at the spot he indicated.

  “It doesn’t hurt.” She spoke so softly that it sent chills down his spine.

  A Bot appeared at Kai’s side and began whirring at him. He looked down at the Bot, then to the woman who also stared down at the Bot curiously. “Dinner is ready,” Kai spoke to her.

  “You can communicate with that thing?” She pointed at the Bot but was looking at him. He nodded his head.

  “How?” she asked. Her eyes looking warily at the machine that stood at his side. She glanced from the Bot back to him, her eyes wide open.

  “I have a computer chip implanted in my brain that gives me the ability to be able to communicate with it,” he explained as he placed a hand on her arm to lead her back inside the house.

  She looked down at the Bot once more before she turned her gaze back to the man. She looked puzzled at him, searching her brain for his name but came up empty.

  “I don’t remember if you told me what your name is,” she said as she took a seat at a very long wooden table.

  Kai lifted his head and stared at her. “It’s Kai. Kai Morgan.” A whirring sound at his side made him look down and away from her. His heart was doing little flip-flops in his chest whenever he gazed into her green eyes. His hands itched to caress her smooth skin.

  He had left out one piece of important information. That he was the ruler of Paradise and this part of the galaxy that his ancestors had long ago discovered when they were sent out to colonize.

  That name sounds familiar to me. Why? Shana turned her head to look at an abstract painting on the wall. Her thoughts were at war with one another. She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at the painting, not really looking at it.

  What is he to me? The thought went through her mind. She moved her gaze down at her plate. The food that was placed there was unknown to her. Nothing is familiar to me, she told herself in a confused voice.

  Shana lifted the fork that was next her plate and speared a piece of meat. She lifted her fork to her nose and sniffed. The smell was unknown to her. Strange smell. She sniffed again. Spices tickled her nose. She took a bite and her mouth was on fire. Shana quickly put her hand to her mouth and swallowed the bite, then grabbed the glass of water. She quickly drained the glass of water in one gulp.

  Kai stopped chewing and watched Shana. Another hint that this woman was not from his planet. The woman had never eaten wild hare meat or anything spicy. He should have told the Bot not to put any red pepper on the meat, since she was just getting over her injuries.

  He pushed his chair away from the table. “Let me get you something else that is not too spicy for you.” Kai grinned down at her and quietly left the dining room.

  “Our guest does not take spicy food that well. What else do we have for her?” Kai asked the Bot.

  Beeps and whirrs were the answer.

  “That sounds good. Just put it on a tray and I’ll take it to her,” Kai said. The Bot went to the fridge and loaded fruit and vegetables on the tray.

  “Thank you,” Kai said as he lifted the tray and carried it out of the kitchen.

  “What’s this?” Shana asked as she picked up a piece of purple fruit off the tray after Kai placed it in front of her.

  He stopped chewing as he looked at the fruit that was in her hand. “It’s a virdana.” He said. “It’s imported from Romainia.” He watched her face for a sign that she knew of the planet. Her face remained without expression.

  “Romainia is in the Cansir quadrant.” Kai spoke softly, testing her.

  “Should I know that quadrant?” She turned her eyes to him.

  Such innocent eyes, he thought. He wasn’t sure if he should trust her or not--even if he was hardening by just being near her. His thoughts were always about her lately.

  “I don’t know. You tell me,” he said in a demanding but soft voice.

  Shana tried to think if she should know this place that he was talking about. She placed an elbow on the table and cupped her head in her palm. Her eyes closed as she tried really hard to remember. A headache began in the back of her neck. She raised her other hand and began to rub at the spot that was throbbing uncomfortably.

  “What’s wrong?” Kai asked as he pushed himself away from the table and knelt down at her side. He placed a gentle hand on her back and began to caress her spine.

  “Headache,” Shana answ
ered with a sigh as she lifted her head and turned to look at him.

  Kai could see the pain in her green eyes as he stared into them deeply. Something pulled his heart to this woman. He hated to see the pain in her eyes. His hand lifted on its own and tugged a strand of her hair, placing it behind her ear.

  Shana’s heart pounded at the tender look in his eyes. Her heart constricted and expanded. She could feel the blood pound through her veins. Her lips parted as her breathing became shallow and fast, her headache almost forgotten. She could feel the pain only slightly.

  Her gaze dropped to Kai’s lips, then back to his blue eyes. His eyes seemed hot and yet cool at the same time. They began to turn into a hazy blue within seconds.

  Kai’s eyes dropped to her lips. His lips parted as he slowly moved them toward her mouth. He strongly felt the urge to kiss her.

  Their lips were a mere centimeter apart when he heard the familiar beeping at his side. He sighed as he pulled away from her.

  “Yes?” Kai said a little too roughly. A series of harsh beeps and whirrs came from the Bot.

  “I’m sorry for sounding rude.” Kai spoke in a contrite voice. He placed a hand over his heart, and stood up as he looked down at the Bot as it continued to beep and whirr. Its lights flashed at a fast pace and the Bot turned in a circle three times before it went quiet and the lights stopped flashing.

  Kai turned to look at her and spoke in a rapid voice. “I have to go. There is an emergency on The Shadow’s Edge.” He all but ran out of the dining room. “I’ll have the Bot bring you some aspirin and a glass of water for your headache.” Kai had paused by the door, then turned and walked away.

  Shana turned to look at the quiet Bot. “What is The Shadow’s Edge?” She asked with a frown. She had never heard of the place. At least, I don’t remember knowing about the place. Or if it is a place.

  The Bot remained quiet.

  Shana sighed as she stood up from the table. Tugging the hem of the long shirt down to her thighs, she pulled the shirt sleeves over her hands and began rolling them up past her elbows.

  “Is there something else that I can wear?” she asked.

  The Bot remained quiet at her side.

  Shana tossed her hands in the air and went in search of Kai’s room. A dark-wood bed stood in the middle of the deep-blue carpet, against a beige wall. A rich green couch sat underneath a soft blue curtained window that filled an entire wall. Pictures of mythical creatures and scenic pictures of Paradise were placed in various places along the walls. A deep color dresser stood next to a beige wall next to a closet, and Shana slowly made her way toward it.

  She began to dig through his dresser until she came across another dark colored short-sleeved T-shirt. She quickly pulled the shirt she was wearing off and donned the new shirt that reached down and covered her thighs. Shana walked over to the dresser and picked up a brush, vigorously brushing her hair until it shone. She twisted her hair into a braid and tied the end with a small scrap of leather.

  She sighed as she walked out of his room.

  She stood in the hallway and gazed at a portrait of a dark-haired man. He looked to be about in his mid-thirties. Shana noticed a touch of sadness in his eyes. She shrugged her shoulder and walked into the library.

  ~ * ~

  “What do you mean that Kai Morgan is still alive?” President Grogan asked, his voice hard and lethal. His eyes were even harder. He stared down at the man whom had just given him a progress report.

  “Sir, the ship that Shana was on disappeared from the radar screen. Her ship’s whereabouts are unknown at this time.” Richa spoke as he watched the President across the desk. “It is rumored that she crash-landed on Paradise, sir.”

  President Grogan thrummed his fingers on the desk. “That’s too bad, she could have become my next wife,” he said sadly, but his eyes were hard.

  Richa stared at the President with his head tilted to the side wondering what he meant by that comment.

  “Oh well,” President Grogan said as he sat up in the chair. “Who else can we send to eliminate our unfortunate problem with this so called Guardian of Paradise? Who do we have on hand at the moment?”

  “I am not sure who’s available right now. I have to do some research. I’ll have someone write up a file of the possibilities as soon as I have the results.” Richa rose from the chair and walked out of the office.

  The President also rose from his chair and walked over to the window. He grinned into nothingness. He placed his arms behind his back and continued to stare at the scene below him.

  Hovercrafts flew past him below, as they made their way around in the city. The New World was beginning to flourish once more under his command--unlike the presidents before whose only goal was to try and make the People happy.

  Unlike the past presidents, he made trades with other worlds. They might not have been the best trades, or the most ethical, but they were making The New World a profit.

  He turned from the window as the door opened and a green-skinned man walked in his office.

  “Did you get her?” Grogan asked as he walked back to the desk and sat down in the chair.

  “We could not reach her. The virus we implanted on her ship before she left the planet was activated too late. She was almost to Paradise when her ship caught fire. It was just too late to get her off the ship.”

  Grogan nodded his head and grimaced. No money was going to exchange hands this time.

  Slavery was a tricky trade in which to get directly involved, anyway.

  ~ * ~

  Shana tossed and turned on her bed late that night. Disturbing dreams filled her mind.

  She wore black clothing and danger was all around her as she ran for the cover of safety in the darkness.

  Lasers were being fired at her as she ran. She ducked her head as a laser blast came too close for her comfort. Another blast barely missed her head and Shana ducked to avoid being hit.

  Voices screamed for her to stop. She wouldn’t stop, no matter the cost. The cost was her life. Someone ran past her. She tried to calm her fast breathing as she ran further into the darkness with the urgent need to leave this place, hoping that it wouldn’t be in a body bag.

  Shana dashed behind a wall and returned fire as she dropped a black bag on the ground next to her. “What’s in that bag?” her mind screamed at her.

  “I should know what’s in that bag. I don’t.” Her mind screamed out as she ran and ran. She made it to the ship. The hatch lowered as soon as she stepped inside the craft. She dropped the bag as she ran toward the bridge yelling at the computer to take off immediately.

  She sat up in the bed breathing heavily as sweat poured from her body, dampening the sheets and the thin blanket. Her heart was pounding at a fast rate along with her pulse. She wiped a shaking hand over her forehead before she lowered her head on her bended knees.

  She heard the sound of beeping next to her bed and she turned to look at the ever-present Bot.

  “It was only a nightmare,” she said in a trembling voice to the Bot. She tried to laugh but failed when the sound came out as a low moan. Her smile turned into a frown and she turned away from the Bot.

  She knew that it would not understand her. Shana eased herself off the bed and walked over to the window. She looked up at the star filled night and gazed at the three moons.

  Three moons? she asked herself as her frown deepened.

  “I don’t remember home having three moons,” she told herself in a wistful voice that held a touch of sadness. She sighed as she dropped to her knees beside the window and continued to gaze out into the night, trying to figure out where she was--and what Kai Morgan meant to her.

  ~ * ~

  Kai’s heart constricted when he heard her speak about her home not having three moons. So how many moons does her home planet have? Kai asked himself. Where is her home? His hands made fists at his sides.

  He turned and walked out of her bedroom.

  Kai had this sudden urge, deep in t
he night, to see her.

  He had awoken and sat in the bed for several long moments before he had lost against the urge to see her face. Kai walked softly down the hallway and eased into her room. He had noticed that she was in the grip of a nightmare. Shana had screamed out several times. He was about to go to her, when she suddenly jerked herself awake.

  Kai stepped into the shadows of her bedroom and watched as she eased out of the bed and walked over to the window, staring out into the night.

  Shana was beautiful standing at the window with the moons’ light shining down on her.

  Kai couldn’t forget the urge that he had wanted to kiss her earlier that evening. He still had that urge. It’s too soon, his mind reminded him.

  No, it’s not, his heart argued. She needs this more than you. Why keep fighting against it? He shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind.

  Sweat began to show on his forehead as his heart and mind warred with one another. Kai mentally shook himself as he stepped back out of the bedroom and left as quietly he appeared.

  “Keep an eye on her for me,” he told the Bot softly as he walked back down the hallway to his own room. Weariness overcame him and he realized he should get some much needed sleep--which would be impossible with this unknown woman in the same house.

  ~ * ~

  The following morning, Kai awoke to the sound of his alarm going off loudly. He reached over and turned the alarm clock off with a groan. He rose from the bed and did his morning stretches in the gym. His body was tired from his late night vigil of watching over her.

  Kai’s body was covered in sweat as he did his katas on the mat. His breathing was hard and fast. His body ached from the exertion as he was driven to chop and kick the woman out of his mind.

  A slight noise came from the doorway. Kai looked over and found the woman watching him, as if she wanted to join him in his morning exercises.

  “I am sorry for disturbing you,” she said after her gave her a look that said she had no right to be in his gym. Her face held a look that told him he had hurt her feelings.

  “Would you like to join me?” Kai said as he wiped off a bead of sweat that streamed down his forehead. His look had softened toward her.