Mystic

by Cheryl Brooks

  She’d found relative safety in the mountains, feeling more at home hiking across that barren, rocky terrain than she ever had in the city. At first, she’d done most of her traveling at night, sleeping during the day in any secluded nook she could find. Once she reached the higher elevations, she switched back to a normal routine, waking with the Rhylosian sun and only bedding down after it set. She’d always preferred to let her body follow the natural planetary rhythms rather than allow herself to be governed by the dictates of artificial timekeeping, and living off the land had struck a resonant chord with a deeper part of her character. Even the solitary nature of her quest had its appeal—until she’d been careless enough to break a leg.

  Despite her willingness to go it alone, she might’ve asked for help if there’d been anyone available whom she felt she could trust. Aidan might be the right person for the task. He was proving to be more trustworthy with each passing moment, and a man who had visions would be a useful cohort in almost any endeavor. He hadn’t exactly disagreed when she’d accused him of having nothing better to do than take care of an injured woman for several weeks, which seemed to indicate that he had plenty of time on his hands. As far as she could tell, he didn’t even have a regular job. He’d only said he helped out at the orphanage from time to time, not that he was officially employed there.

  Thus far, he struck her as an idle rich man who made a habit of volunteering to help the needy. Plus, unlike other wealthy people who tended to own planes or starships, he could actually fly. Some rich people might give their entire fortune to possess that ability—along with Aidan’s incredibly handsome face.

  The sudden heaviness of her eyelids made her wonder if Aidan had put a sleeping potion into the lemonade he’d given her. As she drifted off, she realized she didn’t care if he had slipped something into her drink. Sleep was as welcome as he had been when he came to her rescue.

  My hero…

  * * *

  Was the way to a woman’s heart through her stomach? While Aidan had his doubts, he saw no reason to leave anything to chance. If she liked his chicken korma, that would be one step up in her esteem.

  You idiot. You’ve already rescued her from hungry condors, set her broken leg, and brought her into your home. You even washed her feet. What more do you need to do to earn her favor?

  Perhaps he should put on some less-revealing clothes. The tight, stretchy pants he used when flying were similar to the kind Val always wore, but if Sula’s scent were to contain even a trace of desire, his resulting erection would be embarrassingly obvious. Plus, having honest-to-god wings, Val rarely wore a shirt. Aidan, on the other hand, didn’t have that excuse and deemed it prudent to put on something more…normal.

  Opting for a T-shirt and jeans, he dressed quickly and headed for the kitchen. After taking a peek in the living room and assuring himself that Sula was indeed asleep, he selected two chicken breasts from the stasis unit and cut them into chunks. After combining plain yogurt with the masala paste he always kept on hand, he stirred in the chicken and set the mixture aside to marinate. Since he planned to serve it over brown rice, he started cooking that first. He could’ve used one of his insta-cook appliances, but the old ways were still the best. Besides, with Sula asleep, he wasn’t in any hurry.

  While growing up aboard the Jolly Roger, Aidan had always enjoyed being the cook whenever his turn rolled around. It was the “cooking for one” thing that he didn’t like. He missed the camaraderie of mealtimes with his family and Tshevnoe clan—the boisterous boys and the one solemn, empathic girl stuck amid the chaos. If he hadn’t felt the need to shield every emotion his talent for fortune-telling triggered, he might’ve developed a closer relationship with Althea, the lack of which he deeply regretted.

  Althea had never hidden her talent as an empath, nor did she mask her ability to use the power of suggestion with many of the lower life-forms or her power over earth, which was her primary element. She hadn’t needed to hide her control of fire, an ability that hadn’t come to her until after she’d left the fold at the age of twenty-one.

  There’d been times when Aidan wished he’d been a bit more forthcoming about his own gifts—if they could be called that. In many ways, he considered them to be more curse than blessing. In retrospect, he probably could’ve told Larry and Althea that they would eventually become mates. However, as with many of the more pleasant twists of fate, he preferred to allow those events to unfold without interference. Any meddling on his part usually backfired anyway.

  A glance out the kitchen window proved that the storm had followed them from the mountains. Dark clouds scudded across a sky that had been perfectly clear when they’d arrived, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. Before long, rain pelted the glass in heavy, drenching splashes, making him very glad that Sula was already safe and dry inside his house, even if she was cooped up with a strange man she had no real reason to trust.

  With a heavy sigh, he tapped the comlink that hung on the wall beside the window and said, “Call Onca at the orphanage.”

  Moments later, the image of an auburn-haired Zetithian man appeared on the viewscreen. Onca was in his midforties, but like others of their species, he looked much younger than his chronological age—one of the many perks of being Zetithian. “What’s up, Aidan?”

  Another long breath escaped him. “I’ve acquired a female houseguest who has a broken leg. Think one of the older girls would like to earn a few credits as her caregiver?”

  Not too surprisingly, Onca responded with a snort of laughter. “Let me get this straight… You have a female houseguest who doesn’t want you to take care of her every need?”

  “She’s a little shy,” Aidan explained. “We only met today.”

  “I see.” Onca’s doubtful expression suggested that he didn’t “see” anything at all.

  Explaining why Sula was staying with him was going to be harder than Aidan had imagined. “She didn’t want to go to a hospital, and since she had nowhere else to go, I brought her home with me.”

  Onca’s “Uh-huh” sounded even more suspicious, prompting Aidan to explain further.

  “I-I…found her. In the mountains.” As if the location made any difference. “Her business there is very…private.”

  Onca arched a brow. “A secret mission?”

  “Maybe. She won’t say exactly.”

  “I’m not sure—” Onca stopped as his eyes narrowed in a frown. “Wait a second. What were you doing in the mountains?”

  “I go there a lot,” Aidan replied quite truthfully. “It’s very peaceful.”

  “I can’t argue with that.” Onca appeared to consider this for several moments. “The girl wouldn’t be in any danger, would she?”

  “None that I know of,” he said—again, quite truthfully. “But there is a need for secrecy.”

  Onca still seemed hesitant. “I’ll ask around,” he finally said. “If I find a volunteer, I’ll have Rashe bring her over in the speeder.”

  “Tell him to come in the back way. I’d rather no one knew anyone was here besides me.”

  Onca grinned. “You’re thinking Qinta might do it, aren’t you?”

  “I was kind of hoping she would.”

  “So…you need a girl who can keep a secret and disappear?”

  “Well, yeah,” Aidan admitted. “That’s about the size of it.”

  “The plot thickens. Rashe doesn’t need to cloak the speeder, does he?”

  A cloaked speeder could cause all sorts of nasty accidents, which was why such modifications were illegal. Onca’s had come in handy a few times, but in this instance, using the cloaking feature would probably put the occupants in more danger than Sula’s adventure, whatever it was.

  “No. As long as they keep a low profile, they should be fine. Su”—Aidan nearly bit his tongue trying to keep from saying the rest of her name—“My guest wo
uld really appreciate the help—and the sooner the better. She’s been hiking through the mountains for a while, and she’s anxious to get cleaned up.”

  “Okay. Like I said, I’ll ask around. If none of the girls volunteer, I’m sure Kim would be willing to lend a hand.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate your help on this.”

  “No problem,” Onca said. “You’ve helped us out plenty of times. I’m happy to return the favor.”

  Aidan had never accepted a paycheck for his work at the orphanage, even though he’d done a fair amount of cooking and cleaning, not to mention catching some of the kids before they did something they would almost certainly regret. Because children’s actions often originated from sudden impulses, such interventions were usually successful. Adults, with their tortuous thought processes, were another story. He might thwart one attempt only to have it repeated in his absence with even more serious consequences.

  That was the best part about flying. Alone in the open sky where there were no fortunes to be told and no dire outcomes to contemplate, his mind was free and uncluttered. He was more himself during those flights than at any other time. Being with Sula had a similar effect, despite his constant concern for her welfare. She obviously intended to return to the mountains as soon as her leg healed, and the suspicion that she intended to do it alone filled him with foreboding.

  It was times like these when he usually tried to divert his thoughts by volunteering at the orphanage. He could lose himself in menial tasks or explore his creative side by taking on some of the cooking duties.

  Like I’m doing now.

  After ending the call, almost without thinking, he’d pulled out the necessary ingredients for his favorite lemon spice cake. Simple, delicious, and quick, the cake was one of the most requested desserts at the orphanage, and he knew the recipe by heart. As he worked, it occurred to him that he’d never stopped to think about why he enjoyed cooking so much. Perhaps it was because food had no fortune to be told. He could focus on creating something delicious without fear of being pelted with premonitions about what might happen to anyone who ate it. Whether anyone would love or hate what he’d prepared also remained a mystery. Perhaps that was the reason he liked cooking for a crowd. It was one of the few times he could actually be surprised.

  Sula’s potential to surprise him was refreshing. He just hoped she wouldn’t suddenly decide to take off in the middle of the night. Dismissing that eventuality as unlikely, he returned his focus to the task at hand.

  The cake was baking, and he had just started on the korma sauce when the doorbell rang. The house computer had been programmed to play the first few bars of “La Marseillaise” to announce any visitors, a peculiarity Aidan had never seen fit to alter, mainly because he was usually the only person in the house whenever anyone came to the door. With Sula there to hear it, the melody seemed as pretentious as the house itself.

  When he answered the door, he was confronted by not one, but two volunteers for the job, along with Rashe, a handsome Terran man from the Comanche tribe. Rashe and his wife also helped out at the orphanage, albeit on a more regular basis than Aidan.

  “When they heard who needed help, we couldn’t talk them out of it,” Rashe said as Aidan glanced back and forth between the two girls.

  Qinta inhaled deeply. “Oh my god. He’s making the lemon spice cake.”

  “And chicken korma,” Abuti added with a sigh. “We’re just in time.”

  Aidan stared at them in disbelief. “You volunteered because of the food?”

  “You bet we did.” Qinta’s vigorous nod sent her mass of red curls tumbling over her forehead. Although similar in appearance to Terrans, Treslantis had the ability to blend in with their surroundings by projecting the scene behind them to any onlooker. The only things they couldn’t mask were their eyes, especially Qinta’s, which were a sparkling emerald green. “Nobody at the orphanage cooks as well as you do.”

  Somewhat taken aback by this, for a long moment Aidan couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

  Abuti broke the silence. “Besides, we figured if this lady has a broken leg, she might need two of us to help her to the bathroom and such. Or we could work in shifts. We’d be willing to split however much you were going to pay one of us.”

  “See what I mean?” Rashe threw up his hands. “I thought it might be because you’re such a looker, but they insisted that wasn’t the case.”

  Abuti snickered and waggled her sucker-tipped fingers at Aidan. “I might’ve lied about that part.”

  Qinta punched her cohort on her skinny, grayish-green arm. “Hush up, or you’ll make him blush.”

  The Norludian girl licked her fishlike lips and fluttered her eyelids in an openly provocative manner. “I like the way he blushes.”

  With a cursory nod toward her companion, Qinta said, “That’s another reason why we both volunteered. I didn’t figure she could be trusted alone with you.”

  All of this was news to Aidan, even if he had noticed that every time he spotted Abuti, her bulbous eyes were usually aimed in his direction. Considering the amount of hype regarding the sexual prowess of Zetithian males, he wasn’t surprised to discover that at least one of the girls had a crush on him. He just hadn’t expected it to be a Norludian, even though they were a highly sexual species on the whole.

  He was about to disclaim when the recollection that Norludian sex was exclusively oral made his cheeks prickle with the predicted blush.

  “See what you’ve done?” Qinta exclaimed, giving her companion another punch. “Now he probably won’t hire either one of us.”

  Aidan cleared his throat with difficulty. “I think we should let the patient decide who her caregiver will be.”

  “Good idea, dude,” Rashe said. “Wouldn’t want to make that decision myself, which is why I brought both of them.”

  “She’s asleep on the sofa right now, but—”

  “Hey, Aidan!” Sula’s voice rang out from the front room. “If you’ve found a girl to help me, I need her now!”

  Chapter 8

  In desperate need of a trip to the restroom, Sula didn’t care whether the female voices she’d heard coming from the kitchen belonged to her prospective caregivers or not. At that point, any woman would do, and only the most uncaring woman imaginable would’ve turned her down.

  Unfortunately, the slap-slap of flipper-like feet on the hardwood floors heralded the approach of a Norludian.

  Great.

  She was in no position to be choosy. However, she was surprised when two girls and a Terran man who appeared to be a Native American entered the room along with Aidan.

  The tall, redheaded teenage girl waved a hand, dismissing the two men. “You guys can skedaddle. Abuti and me, we got this. Just point us in the direction of the nearest bathroom.”

  Sula giggled. “How did you guess?”

  “The urgency in your voice was a dead giveaway,” the girl replied. “I’m Qinta and”—she pointed toward the Norludian—“this is Abuti. We’re here for the job if you’ll have us.” Qinta’s hopeful expression was accompanied by a broad grin from Abuti.

  I’m probably gonna regret this…

  “You’re hired,” Sula said with a decisive nod. As she sat up and swung her legs off the couch, she was pleased to note her lack of light-headedness. “I should be able to walk with one of you on each side.”

  Abuti laughed. “Hop, maybe, but I doubt you’ll actually walk.” She glanced at Aidan as she took Sula’s hand. “Where’s the potty?”

  Aidan’s expression hovered somewhere between amusement and dismay. “That way,” he said, pointing. “First door on the left. You should have plenty of room to maneuver in there.”

  With the assistance of the two girls, who were both deceptively strong, Sula was able to stand. However, as Abuti had predicted, even with their assistance, all she could do was hop
.

  “If you guys want to make yourselves useful,” Qinta said over her shoulder, “this lady needs a couple of nightgowns and a hoverchair to start with, and maybe some crutches for later on.”

  “Nonskid slippers too,” Abuti added.

  “You two act like you’ve done this sort of thing before,” Aidan said with a hint of suspicion.

  “When we were living on the street, we did lots of things you guys don’t know about,” Qinta retorted. She glanced at Sula. “Although this is the first time we’ve ever had access to the right equipment and been in such a nice house.”

  “Guess I’d better get more food while I’m at it.” Aidan was starting to sound a little overwhelmed. “After dinner, maybe.”

  “I’ll give you a hand,” the Terran man said. “I’m Rashe, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Sula said. She stopped short of introducing herself. “You all know my being here is a secret, right?”

  “Mum’s the word,” said Qinta.

  Abuti mimed zipping her lips shut. Sula didn’t believe there was such a thing as a close-mouthed Norludian. However, at the moment, she was willing to believe almost anything if it meant not peeing down her leg in front of a bunch of strangers.

  After traversing the rather lengthy hallway at an excruciatingly slow pace, Sula made a mental note to summon the troops before the need became imperative.