by G. E. Stills
I think my leaving now is for the best. I wish you only the greatest of success in your goals.
Nolan
The throbbing in her skull increased and tears stung her eyes. “How could you, Nolan? You have no idea how much I need you.” She sobbed, and then her sobbing escalated. She wept loudly. “Maybe I misread him. Maybe he never cared about me the way I care about him.”
Glancing at the desk, she saw his cell phone next to her purse. Turned off. “Damn him. He’s trying to avoid talking to me.”
“Jar’san!” she shouted.
“Yes Kat,” the AI answered immediately.
“I don’t care how you do it…but find him. If he doesn’t want to be around me anymore, then he’s going to say it to my face and not in some damn note.” Hurt clutched at her heart squeezing it tight. Anger seethed and brought her blood to a boil.
“Okay Kat.”
She sat on the bed with her legs crossed. Her foot kicked and twirled as she waited impatiently for Jar’san to search.
“Kat, he filed a trip log this morning. He’s heading for Australia. That’s the place he was bound for when we first met.”
The nausea returned but this time it had nothing to do with her drinking the night before. “How long ago did he leave?”
“According to the sailing plan he filed, he left about three hours ago.”
She burst into motion. Not waiting on the elevator, she raced down the stairs, hailed a cab and fidgeted in the back seat with barely concealed irritation, while it took her to the warehouse. Rushing inside, she removed her halter top while running across the floor toward her capsule. “You aren’t going to get away from me that easy mister.”
Ripping her shorts and panties off, she donned her original panties and slapped the triangles in place. Hastily, she buckled her weapons belt around her waist. Dashing for the door, her furled wings burst into being on her back. Outside she spread them wide and leaped into the air. Flapping them furiously, she climbed into the sky and turned in the direction Jar’san instructed.
“I do hope no one sees you,” Jar’san quipped.
“I don’t care if the world sees me.” When the island fell behind, she increased her altitude. “Locate him.” She ordered, in a clipped mental voice. Her thoughts burned through her mind, riding on the waves of the anger and hurt she felt.
Accessing the GPS, Jar’san complied. After flying for about an hour, he addressed her. “Found him.”
“Good, show me.”
She followed his directions, and soon spotted the tiny speck of his boat on the horizon. Although it seemed like a dreadfully lengthy time, she gained on the boat and at last, flew directly above it. Furling her wings, she dropped from the sky like a stone toward the boat below. At the last second, her wings spread to halt her plummeting fall and she landed lightly on the rear deck.
He must have heard the swoosh of her wings, because he turned in the pilot’s seat to face her. His eyes grew wide as silver dollars and his jaw dropped open.
****
“Kat? How? How did you find me? How did you get…?” His initial expression of surprise changed to one of shock. “You have wings?”
Her wings shrank and became hidden behind her back. “I have a lot of abilities you aren’t aware of. Being able to fly is just one of them. We can talk about that later, Mr. Nolan Steelson, but right now there’s something far more important we need to discuss. Why did you leave?”
As he climbed down the ladder getting closer to her, he answered. “I thought I explained it in my note. You don’t need me around anymore.”
“Maybe I should be the judge of whether I need you anymore. I like having you around more than I can begin to tell you. Maybe you don’t like being around me. If that’s the case then say it to my face, here and now. If you do, I’ll fly away and you won’t have to deal with me anymore.” Tears formed in her eyes. She scrubbed at them angrily.
“It’s not like that…”
“Then, tell me what it is like.”
“I feel so useless. I don’t want to be a burden or someone unneeded just hanging around. I think that’s part of the reason Leah broke up with me. She believed she would have to support me. I can’t stand that thought.”
“Oh please.” She snorted. “First of all, I’m not fuckin’ Leah. You’re not a burden and you’re certainly not useless.”
“There’s something else.”
His feet shuffled slightly. He was clearly, uncomfortable, and wanted to say something but was afraid to.
“What? What else,” she snapped.
He took the remaining steps across the deck that separated them. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her on the lips. “I want more from you than just a platonic friendship,” he said, when he broke their kiss. “I don’t want to force myself on you in that way.”
“Wow.” She licked her lips and smiled. “Do that some more. I like kissing you…a lot.”
“Kat.”
“Don’t Kat, me. Reading about it and watching it in movies is no comparison to the real thing. Damn.”
Pulling her close, he kissed her again. Deeper this time, with tongues twisting.
“So,” she said, in a near breathless whisper. “You’d like our relationship to be a more physical one? I have no problem with that.” She smiled. “No problem at all.”
“Are you sure?”
“When the hell are you going to turn this boat around and head back to Hawaii? We’re getting farther away all the time. Maybe I should shoot you in both legs to keep you from running away again.”
“You’d honestly shoot me?”
“Damn right I would if it kept you near.”
He stepped back and gazed at her from head to toe. “God, Kat. You’re nearly naked.”
“Does it make you uncomfortable seeing me this way?”
“Oh yes. Uncomfortable to the max.” Turning, he clambered up the stairs. “Uncomfortable in a good way.” He said over his shoulder and chuckled. “The more I see, the more I like what I see.”
He turned the boat and headed back. The next time he looked at her, she had put on her dress. “Damn that’s too bad.” He mumbled, thinking he’d said it too low for her to hear. Her wink and smile quickly told him otherwise.
“Just wait until we get home.”
“Huh?”
“You heard me.” She giggled.
Like a couple of kids, they held hands and did not say much more. Hawaii came into view late that evening. He radioed and was pleased to hear that the slip he’d rented was still available. Docking the boat, he said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve already returned the car. I’ll walk to the end of the pier and use the phone there to call you a cab. After it picks you up, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Oh no. Lock your boat up mister. I’m not taking the chance you’ll change your mind and leave again. You’re coming with me back to the hotel.”
“Kat, I can’t afford a room there. Especially, not for an extended stay and I won’t let you pay for one for me.”
“I’m not going to get you a separate room. You’ll be staying in mine.”
“Kat, I really don’t think that would be wise.”
“Don’t argue with me. I’m still wearing my gun, I’ll remind you,” she teased and grinned at him.
****
Alone, behind the closed door of her room, they came together once more. Breaking their kiss, he gasped. “Need to…need to get some blankets brought up, so I can sleep on the couch.”
She brushed his shirt from his shoulders and started working on his pants. “If that’s your wish but I’d much rather you slept in bed with me.”
“God. You’re not making my resolve to go slow easy.”
“Nor do I intend to.” She glanced into his eyes while her hands unbuckled his belt.
His pants dropped to his ankles. She pulled her dress over her head and tossed it across the room. The two of them, still locked in embrace, stumbled to the bed. “I’ve researched what we are about to do, but I can’t wait to try it for real.”
“Whoa.” He slid back from her arms. “Are you telling me you’ve never…”
“You’ll be my first, yes.”
He sat up on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. “I don’t think I can do this. I can’t take this away from you. I’m not worthy of taking what you offer. I’m simply the first man you met. It doesn’t mean I’ll be the best. There may be another that is much better for you. Someone that can offer much more than I can. “
“Nolan, do you love me?”
“Yes. But that doesn’t mean…”
“I love you too.”
“But you know very few people. There may be someone out there you’ll discover that is more suitable.”
“I want you. Not someone else.”
“But…”
“It is mine to give, not yours to take.” She hoped he sensed the sincerity and frustration in her words. “You know I can fly. I have other powers. Believe me when I say this. If I did not wish to give this to you, there is no way you could take it.”
“Kat, I failed at my other relation…You may come to regret…”
She watched his shoulders stiffen at her next biting words, and hoped it did not destroy the mood. “I’m not Leah, damn it! If things do not work out between us, so be it. I don’t foresee that happening though. One thing is for certain, I will never regret. Perhaps you don’t love me as you say.”
“I do love you.”
Climbing to her knees, she melded against his back and trailed kisses on both of his shoulders and the nape of his neck. Her voice softened and she said between kisses, “You are placing great importance on this. That alone tells me that you care very much. I wish to give my virginity to you. Are you refusing to accept it?”
He groaned. “No.”
“Please Nolan. Just go slow. Be patient with me. That’s all I ask. Remember the only thing I know about sex is what I’ve learned online. And I’ve learned that not everything there is the truth.”
He turned to face her. His eyes glistened with moisture. She pressed her lips to his and they melted together in embrace.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Nolan woke and looked at the woman sleeping beside him. Reaching out, he gently brushed stray locks of silver-blue hair away from her eye, hooked them behind her ear, and gazed at her beautiful face.
Friendship, Kat? Our friendship has risen to a whole new level these last few days. I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with you. For a moment he thought of that first night. In the heat of passion they had unprotected sex. Did I get her pregnant? A baby would complicate things. She is alien and ape. Is it even possible for me to get her pregnant? Worry faded to a smile. No matter. Kat is the woman for me. The one I want to spend my life with.
He started when the phone rang. Her eyes flashed open. She smiled at him, yawned and reaching behind her, took her phone from the nightstand.
“This is Kat,” she answered, in a sleepy voice. He watched her eyes grow wide. “You’re here? Where at?” Abruptly, she sat in bed, all drossiness gone from her voice. “We’ll be down to the dock as soon as we can get there. Thanks Tom. See you soon.” When she hung up, she gave him a kiss.
“Don’t tell me, let me guess. Tom’s here with the ship.” He grinned.
“Smarty. I’m sure from my conversation you could figure that out.”
He did not answer. He was too busy looking down where the sheet had fallen, baring her to the waist.
“They’re here. Get up, get dressed, my handsome man. It’s time to go to work.” She jumped out of bed.
He lay there, inhaling her wonderful scent from the sheets and watching her naked body dash toward the bath.
“Get up hon, stop watching my butt. You shower next…or you’re welcome to join me.” Her giggle reached him just before she closed the door.
****
Katrina stood on the bow of her fishing trawler looking out over the waves. A warm breeze wisped through her hair, sending her silver-blue locks fluttering behind her. So much had taken place over the past several weeks. It was a relief to finally be at sea where she could start her mission.
Unexpectedly, a pair of strong male arms circled her from behind. Lost in thought, she had not even noticed his approach. Gazing down, she relaxed, recognizing the two rugged, yet gentle hands laced together on her belly. She settled back deeper into his embrace, snuggling against his chest and resting her head on his shoulder.
“Daydreaming?” Nolan asked.
“Yes, lost in thought.”
“Are you happy to be at sea?”
“More than you can ever imagine. It seems like forever since I awakened. So much has taken place.” She reminisced how she had first met Nolan. He was angry at that time and determined to never enter another relationship with a woman. He would not risk being hurt again. Their relationship had progressed from him being her captive, to her friend, and now her lover. I will never hurt you like she did, my love. You are the man I was destined to be with for life.
One look in his eyes told her that he felt the same. His actions and what he said to her confirmed it. “You’re beautiful. I love you more with each breath I take,” he often said.
He has changed. He’s not the bitter, broken man I first met. I know he is rugged but he is always so gentle and soft spoken around me. He accepts me for what I am, even though he is awed by it.
“Daydreaming more my dear,” he whispered in her ear.
Jolting from her warm thoughts, she said, “Captain Parker did an excellent job on picking this ship.”
Nolan laughed. “And then, from ideas in that pretty little head of yours, you gave all of us the task of completely refurbishing and remodeling the Seeker. I really wonder where all those ideas of yours come from? A few months ago, you were a woman from the past that knew nothing of the present and now…”
“Nolan, I can tell you now.” She chuckled. “Now that we’re out to sea and you can’t run away again.” She teased. “There are other things about me that you should know…”
“Besides you being able to grow wings and fly? I still see a picture of you standing on my boat with wings, looking like a magnificent angel. And now with them tucked away, no one would ever suspect their existence.”
“And unless circumstances dictate differently, I don’t want anyone else to know about them… or the other things I’m about to tell you and show you.”
“What other things?” His voice was filled with wariness. “Can you morph into a two headed, fire breathing dragon, or something equally frightening?”
She giggled and ran her hand over his forearm affectionately. “Nothing that radical…although.” She felt his arms stiffen.
“I’m just kidding dear. You remember when I said I had other means of protecting myself, than my pistol and knife.”
“Yes.” His wariness increased.
She glanced around to see that no one else was watching. Two crewmembers were about midway behind them on the weatherdeck. Their backs were facing them and their attention was concentrated on something aft.
Removing his hands, she stooped quickly and retrieved the half empty water bottle at her feet. Stretching her arm, she hurled it as far out among the waves as possible. The plastic bottle bobbed to the surface.
“You know that is called littering,” he teased.
“Indulge me.” Quickly, the bottle was drifting to the rear. Through narrowed eyes, she focused on the bottle and pointed her finger at it. A bolt of lightning burst from her outstretched digit and struck the bottle vaporizing it.
Turning, she faced Nolan. A look of shock and awe washed across his face.
>
“Damn. Remind me to never get you pissed off at me.”
“Too late. I’ve already been pissed off at you. You’re lucky I didn’t burn your ass when I was.” She smiled. “Just kidding. I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“Comforting to know.” He gave a fake sigh relief and grinned.
“That’s not everything.” Spotting a sharp looking piece of metal, she scraped her arm over it, making a deep gash.
“Oh my god,” Nolan cried out in panic, when blood began to gush out of the cut.
Before he could react, she ran a finger along her arm. The wound closed and healed, leaving only dried blood as evidence it ever existed.
“You are truly frightening and amazing, but I still love you more than life itself.”
“I love you too.”
They turned and hand-in-hand, strolled toward the stern. “Oh, there’s something else.” She grinned at him.
“There’s more?” He looked at her incredulously.
“I have a computer implant. An AI, really. Its…his name is Jar’san. He’s helped me learn about this world of yours. She snickered. “Among other things.”
The room they entered below deck was filled with electronic devices she had assembled. Against one wall, a large screen depicted a map of the world. Five red dots and one green one slowly flashed at different locations on it. Touching the screen, she narrowed the focus to one red dot in particular. The green indicator representing the Seeker, slowly moving, approached it.
“That’s our first objective.” She pointed at the red marker. “The green dot is us, the Seeker.”
“We’re in mid-ocean, halfway between Hawaii and Japan, Kat. What are we going to find when we reach that location?”
“On the surface, nothing, but on the ocean floor is another capsule like mine. Once my scanning equipment locates it, I’ll send a signal down to activate the capsule and bring it to the surface.”
“And inside the coffin?”