Radiance grinned in her motherly way. “It would be a start. Does she have a name?”
“Xia. Xia Noon. Now, go and run your little inquisition bots all over her name. I will talk to you soon. Love you, Mother, and love to Father.”
“And to you and your new mate as well. I look forward to the official announcement, Drov.”
He blushed and disconnected the call. Talking to his mother usually raised more questions than it answered, but in this instance, she had been helpful. He needed to meet the woman behind the dreams of fire. He just hoped that she woke up soon.
With her around, his cock was constantly threatening to rip its way through his trousers. It was getting hard to do anything but think of her pale skin and dark eyes.
Chapter Three
Xia’s first thought was fire, and it was localized in her throat. She sat up coughing and reaching for the edge of the bed. She needed water, and she needed it now.
“Here, Xia. You have been out for some time.”
She didn’t look at the man holding the water. She simply gulped it down and held the glass out again. “Please.”
Commander Drov took the glass and filled it from a pitcher on a small table near the bed. “Did you dream?”
“Water and then get me something to draw with.” She raised her arm and jerked as she noted the IV lead. “What is this?”
“You needed to be rebalanced. Your mineral and electrolyte balances were out of what is norm for the species most resembling yours. The Asku physician did the best he could with the information he was able to glean from your last landing scan.”
He handed her the glass and crossed the room to bring her a pad and stylus. “May I ask why you need this pad?”
“I am going to draw the target that will burst into flames tomorrow evening. When this imaging talent first began to follow me, I taught myself to draw so that I could hand the details to law enforcement.” She tugged at the arm connected to the IV and frowned. Xia removed the insert and pressed down with her thumb to close the puncture.
The room she was in was not the sleep lab, but she wasn’t surprised. “Did I light the room on fire or just fry out the electrical?”
“Neither. I was able to feel the disturbance and get there before the room went up. Did you know that would happen?” He refilled her glass for a third time and placed it next to her on an end table.
She shrugged and blinked. “I was a little tired, but it has happened before when I was monitored during sleep. Most of the time, there was someone nearby to mitigate the effect, because I was awake enough to warn them.”
“Why were you so exhausted?”
Xia ran both of her hands through her hair. “I didn’t want to dream of fire while on board the Latent Star. I get a little excited when it happens and tend to sow panic. That isn’t something you want happening on a space voyage.”
He nodded. “Understandable, but it almost killed you.”
She yawned and took the pad and stylus. With smooth movements, she drew the façade of the building that had lit up and blazed in her mind.
“That is an excellent representation. Do you know the time of the fire?” He was peering at the upside-down image.
“Three minutes to midnight. The fires always start at three minutes to midnight.” Xia completed the drawing and handed it over to him.
“Thank you. It is the civic centre in Kentrial.”
She sighed and did a personal inventory. “Um. Where are we?”
“In my private quarters in the city. I deemed it unsafe for you to be anywhere else, and until we solve the matter of the fire starter, I want you where I can find you.” There was something else in his expression, but she couldn’t decipher it.
“Is there a guestroom or somewhere that I could stay?”
He blinked. “Yes, of course. It was a reflex to carry you here.”
She tried to shift to the edge of the bed, but when she stuck her bare legs out and his gaze followed her, she retracted her limbs under the sheet again. “Um, where is the lav, Commander?”
He shook his head and stood. “To the left, draw your hand along the silvery panel. The door will open.”
Xia watched the breadth of his shoulders and the narrow taper of his hips as he left her alone while he took the sketch with him.
Shaking her head at the foolishness of her fantasies, she slithered from the bed and sprinted to the lav.
Her hair was a wild halo, the skin under her eyes was dark, but the colour was back in her features.
Xia slipped out of the medical gown and quickly showered, not sure how long the Asku hospitality was going to be offered.
Her explorations after her shower found a brush. She quickly pulled the tangles out one by one before weaving a long braid that she left hanging down her spine.
The medical gown slipped back on without a fuss, but she wrapped her undergarments into a small wad. Sneaking back into the bedroom, she confirmed her earlier vision that her bags were with her. Her clothing was definitely welcome.
When she was wearing a tunic, trousers and a snug vest, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her boots needed a bit of brushing, so she left them off while she explored the home of the Asku commander.
The floor they were on was round, a central column presumably held a lift or stairs. Light outside the windows was turning a blush pink, and when Xia located the sun, it was heading for the mountains in the distance. Sundown.
The view was incredible. They were at least twenty floors up. If she didn’t miss her guess, they were inside the tallest building in Kentrial. Xia pressed her hands to the glass and stared down the dizzying drop to the ground. The height of the apartment she was in made her feel that she was flying.
The remainder of her explorations yielded a kitchen of sorts, a dining room with a dozen chairs and a sitting area designed for comfort. The rooms with doors were the commander’s room, a guest room and the study where he was still speaking quietly to someone, presumably on the com.
Xia pattered into the commander’s bedroom and straightened up all traces of herself, made the bed and moved her bags to the guestroom.
After her surge of domesticity, she took the pitcher of water, the glass, and settled herself in the sitting area, staring out at the setting sun. She closed her eyes and let the joyous moment of having someone listen to her wash through her mind.
They knew about her before she arrived, knew that she would be coming here. That much was certain. Xia knew that her record was extensive. All the worlds that ejected her had—no doubt—made entries into her data files.
As she watched the blazing sun flare brightly before it disappeared behind the mountains, she let herself relax into sleep. She had already dreamed of fire, what else could possibly happen?
Fire flared around her. A man made entirely of flame stepped toward her, and she could feel satisfaction in every word.
“You have come to me. After all these years of searching, you have come to me.”
Xia looked from side to side, and in the distance, she could see Commander Drov, standing and waiting for her.
The man of flame stepped toward her, “He is not for you. You are mine and mine alone.”
Xia looked through the flame toward the Asku and back at the man made of fire. “I am not yours. I am mine alone. It is for me to choose.”
“Foolish woman. Our kind does not choose. One male to one female, that is the way it has always been.”
Xia looked at the flame surrounding her, and back and forth between the two men. “I choose.”
She jumped across the fire toward the commander and burst into flames herself.
“Xia, you are dreaming of another fire?” Drov was leaning over her.
She lunged up and clung to him, her arms around his neck. “No. It was something very different.”
His body stiffened as she hugged him for comfort. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and it shifted into a mutual caress.
She lifted her face to
his to apologize for attacking him, but his lips collided with hers.
The kiss was an accident, but it flared hot between them in seconds. Xia moved her hands to press against Drov’s chest as his lips slowly explored hers.
Electricity ran through her bloodstream, and she dug her nails into his chest as the simple kiss swept her away with sensory feedback that had never bothered her body before. Sex had never seemed all that important to her. She understood that many folk found pleasure in the practice, but when she woke in the night, sparks flying off her skin and her heart pounding, she wanted to be alone.
When sparks of light sprang up between them, and he groaned, she shoved back violently. “I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.”
He blinked slowly, rubbing at his chest gingerly, and she watched as he reached down to adjust his trousers slightly. “Why are you sorry?”
“The sparks. You made a sound. I hurt you.”
He looked at her for a moment and astonishment covered his features. While she watched, confused, he threw his head back and laughed, the fierce marks of the Asku making his aspect sinister.
Her skin was still firing off small arcs of light. She was a welter of confusion. Her body ached in strange places, and he was laughing at her. “I don’t understand.”
Drov sobered and held her hand, sparks and all. “I know, but you will.”
Chapter Four
There was a chime at the door, and Drov got to his feet, speaking softly with the person within the lift. When he returned to the sitting area, she had gathered her wits and was completely taken aback by the burden in his arms.
“While you were out, I took the liberty of ordering a gown for you. I have to attend a function tomorrow evening, and I would like you with me.” Drov’s eyes were saying something once again that his mouth didn’t give voice to.
She touched the gown that he held out to her, and her hands shook. “The last time I wore something this pretty, I was just a child. My mother was running, and I tripped and tore the lace overskirt. She was so frightened.”
Xia was lost in the memory.
Drov touched her hand and brought her out of her thoughts. “What happened to her?”
Xia quirked a sad smile, “I know it sounds implausible, but by all reports, she was struck by a meteor. I was sixteen, and she said I was finally old enough to know about my father. She went to meet him, and a meteor, according to the lawgivers on Tharthen, struck the small inn where they were meeting. There was no other explanation.”
“What did you do after she passed?”
Xia looked him in the eye, not an easy feat with that dark gaze of his. “I did what she always told me to do. When I dreamed of fire, I ran.”
“Have you always dreamed like that?” He sat next to her and kept hold of one of her hands.
“No. It started shortly after my mother died. One night, I dreamed, and the next, the town hall erupted in flames. At that moment, I knew I had to run. I took the savings that my mother had left for me and found the first private berth on a shuttle leaving Tharthen and left my home.” She enjoyed both the feel of the exotic fabric under her hand and the warmth and comfort offered by his grip.
“That must have been terrifying.”
“The dreams are terrifying. The travelling is merely a test of will. Each time I hope that I will cease dreaming, but a few days or once a whole month after I arrived, the flames return.”
He nodded as if he understood something that she did not. “Do you know why the flames beat you here to Nacroia?”
She shook her head. “No, if I had guessed that the dreams would be here, I never would have come.”
“So you fear the dreams?”
She shuddered. “I hear the screams, smell the blaze, know that death has come visiting in the most brutal of manners. I hear it all in my dreams, and then, I have to witness it all over again. It is a curse that my mother spoke of. No one wants to believe that their lives can be taken in a fire when the modern cities are set up to prevent such things. Until you, I was sure I could scream from the rooftops and no one would listen. Thank you for hearing me.”
She tightened her grip on his hand before asking the question that she dreaded. “How long has the fire been here?”
“We can confirm three weeks in the city. Five buildings, no ignition source.”
She exhaled on a low moan. “Damn.”
In a moment, she was tucked into the curve of his arm. She swallowed. This was closer to another person than she had been since her mother had died. Something about her kept folks at bay, but not Commander Drov.
Xia tried to move away, but he pulled her back against the broad expanse of his chest.
“Xia Noon, I do have to confess to a certain attraction where you are concerned. Am I alone in this?”
He put it so bluntly that she had to answer. “No, but it is not a good idea. If the dreams don’t stop, I will be on my way.”
Drov caressed her arm. “I have a ship. The fire will not come to you surrounded by Asku.”
She frowned and stared at him. “I thought you were on permanent posting here.”
He looked at her curiously. “I have more leeway than the average commander in where I end up. Why?”
She tried to imagine this man on a small farm, working the land with her. The image was bittersweet. “I want land, a farm and a family. An Asku could only give me one out of three, and even then, I crave holding a little girl in my arms, and from what I understand, girls are so rare in the Asku as to be extinct.”
He pursed his lips together and nodded grimly. “You are correct on all counts. I was born to be a warrior, not a farmer. I want nothing more than a family of my own one day, and I was hoping that you would be a willing participant.”
“Why so fast?” She was getting nervous now. A change was taking place in him, and it both frightened and excited her.
“Asku know their mates when we see them. It is our blessing and curse. The sparks within your skin draw me in and make me harder than I have ever been in my life.” Drov’s voice was low and harsh.
“Is that a basis for tying two souls together?” Her words whispered out in a genuine question.
He paused and straightened. “Of course. You are absolutely correct. I will see you in the morning. Do you wish a tour of your new city?”
Xia was not an idiot. “You are trying to draw the fire starter out, and you wish to use me to do it?”
Drov nodded. “If you will not be my mate, you will at least make yourself useful.”
His words stung. She nodded and got to her feet, holding the gown carefully. “I will see you in the morning then. It is time to have more entertaining images of death and destruction.”
He got to his feet. “Put your gown in your room and return here. You have not eaten since you arrived two days ago, and it is time that you got something into your system.”
It was an order not to be ignored. She jerked her head in a nod and stomped to the small guestroom.
The gown was lovely and mimicked flames in the gauzy layers that fluttered when air touched them. It was a one-shoulder affair that would show off her pale skin to advantage.
She sighed and stroked the fabric, it hurt to know that he was going to use her as bait, but with lives at stake, wouldn’t she do the same? She had rejected his offer of mating, or at least, she thought that was what he was offering and left him with nothing more than using her for her talent and the apparent fixation that the fire starter had with her.
If she wouldn’t be with him, she could at least help his people.
Her big problem was that she did want to be with him. She wanted it with a certainty that stunned her and that consternation had left her with only rejecting him as an option. Who would want a freak like her long term?
Chapter Five
Another wave of surprise rippled through her. “I can’t believe that you cooked this.”
Drov was relaxed again and grinning at her. “The majority of the Asku are ma
les, and we frequently find ourselves on worlds where rations are not a desirable option. We learn to cook out of self-defence to keep from eating the food of the less talented.”
She snickered. “It sounds like something my mother once said to me. It was along the lines of you cook first for yourself and then to feed those you love. If you aren’t strong, how can you expect them to be. I always thought that it was meant strictly for food, but now, I am beginning to think that there is something else missing from my life, something that I have not been consuming to feed my soul.”
He looked curious now. “What is that?”
“Companionship, friendship, affection. I need to find someone to offer me at least one of those three. Preferably all three.” She focussed on her food, forking in the neatly cut vegetables mixed with long, spiced slices of meat.
There was no sound from Drov, not even the cheerful munching that had kept her company until this moment.
“What are you asking me, Xia? Be clear.”
She looked up at him and his body was tight, muscles clenched and skin tight across his cheekbones. “Can you offer me any of those three things?”
“If I offer them, will you accept?” His voice vibrated with intensity.
She swallowed and sipped at water to clear her mouth. “I will.”
His hand clenched on his eating prong, bending it into a peculiar shape. “After dinner then, we will see what form those characteristics will take.”
Her nerves acted up, numbing her taste buds while she worked through her meal.
Drov straightened his eating utensil absently, and he finished his plate in record time. It had surprised her that he did his own cooking, but as he pointed out, it was one of the benefits to a planetary posting.
When he filled a sink and began to wash dishes, a hysterical giggle worked its way out of her throat.
Losing her virginity had never seemed like an important thing, but looking at the sheer size of Drov, it was not going to be a pleasant event. In her travels, she had heard dozens of women complain about their first time and had only seen a handful with a slow smile when the topic came up.
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