Elemental Mating

by Milly Taiden

  Melinda’s face reddened. “I—I was going to write it up tonight. The extra brain nodes allow for mental abilities beyond normal. Telekinesis, precognition, clairvoyance. That’s all we’ve found so far.”

  Mr. Kintu nodded again. “I was afraid of that. Go on; what else?”

  Melinda answered a previous question. “When I was in Dembe’s lab with one of the mice, I spilled a drink and he came in to clean it up. We probably said a lot of things we shouldn’t have in front of a non-vetted person.”

  Mr. Kintu waved his hand in front of him. “That’s neither here nor there. Did he . . .” Kintu sighed as if he didn’t want to say what he had to. “Do you think Walog could’ve been possessed?”

  Hamel and Melinda shared a look, silently telling the other to answer. Hamel caved to his mate with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll say it. He had red eyes, a voice that didn’t belong to him, and when he died, a vapor rose from his body then disappeared.”

  “I’d call that possessed. A witch doctor would, too,” Kintu said. He wiped a hand over his face. “When I first started here at the lab in 1960, I was matched up with two guys who had been here a year. They were top notch with their research and procedures.

  “During that year, word got to us that a farmer had seen strange things happening—stuff disappearing, things moved to different locations, and more. Then he found two dead, very young monkeys. Both bleeding from the ears. Since our threesome was at the bottom of the barrel, we were elected to visit this farmer to see what we could see.

  “We brought the monkeys back, did normal workups. As you can imagine, our technology back then was nothing compared to today’s. But the images did show unusually high synaptic connections. Since the animals were deceased, we had no idea what this meant.

  “In the blood work, we found the virus. Since the animals had just died, the virus was still alive. From there, we made a serum for testing. When we discovered what the virus did, as you have, Melinda, we were ecstatic.” Kintu swiveled his chair to look out the window behind him.

  “Things get blurry here. I was sent on a fieldwork assignment, so this is what I’ve pieced together from others. One of the guy’s grandfathers was a witch doctor or voodoo priest or whatever. The grandfather overheard the boy talking about this discovery. To gain favor from the ‘other side,’ he peddled it to a supernatural entity.

  “That entity had the grandfather doing whatever he had to to get the serum. I have no idea why. But when the grandson refused to help him, the grandfather killed him and went about his own plan. Somehow he got in touch with my other team member. And all I know is he destroyed the serum, and he had quit before I returned.

  “I’ve been here ever since, watching and waiting for this virus to pop up again. We knew it would sooner or later. It wasn’t the kind of thing that just went away.” He went quiet.

  Melinda frowned. “So when you learned of the dead monkeys and that I’d found a virus, you suspected it was the same?”

  He turned his chair to face them. “I looked at the brain scan you and Dembe took and put on the network for download. When I saw the additional synaptic connections, I knew it was. But even before that, I called a contact in the CIA and told him the basics and that we needed someone who could safeguard you and your work.” Kintu looked to Hamel. “That was apparently you.”

  Hamel pulled the gate card and a key from his pockets and laid them on the desk. “Thanks for letting me use the back entrance. It’s much quicker to get here. And your master key is next to the card.”

  Kintu’s eyes got big and his face showed fear. “You’re leaving? That’s it? What about the serum and Melinda?”

  He gave a calming smile. “Mr. Kintu, I feel sure the janitor was working alone—well, besides the demon inside him, which has been banished to where they go. I think the threat has been neutralized and there is no further threat, if Miss Caster destroys the remaining serum.” His eyes slid to her.

  She slapped a hand over her chest. “Me? You want me to get rid of the serum? I can’t do that. Do you know what this serum can do?”

  “Yes, Miss Caster,” Kintu cut in. “I am fully aware what it can do, and the world isn’t ready for that kind of power. It would be abused and used for evil purposes. The children with the abilities would be hunted down and killed, just like Frankenstein. Different isn’t tolerated long among humans. If you like, I’ll destroy the specimen.”

  She jerked in her chair. “NO.” She looked to Hamel and back to Kintu, taking a calming breath. “It’s my responsibility, my research—which is still missing, by the way. I’ll take care of it.”

  “It’d be a good idea for you to take off tomorrow, Miss Caster,” Kintu said. “It’s late as it is, and without the virus, you’re unassigned. Come back Monday all bouncy and cheery.” He gave her a big smile.

  Melinda rolled her eyes. “I’m never bouncy and cheery, Mr. Kintu. You know that.”

  “I do. That’s why I said it.” He stood from the chair. “Let’s go home. Except for the body, and buying you new equipment, Miss Caster, there isn’t much else to do to erase all evidence. I appreciate your cooperation. Remember, it’s vital this never gets out.”

  Hamel helped Melinda from her chair and walked her to the door, then turned back. “Mr. Kintu, what happened to your research partner after he quit?”

  “I don’t know. Never saw or heard from him again. He’s probably passed away by now. He’d be fairly old as he was several years my senior at the time.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Kintu. Either I or someone from my team will be in touch.” With that he walked Melinda out the door. He could tell she was tired. Her feet dragged and she slumped. He played with the idea of weaseling into her bed tonight. With one mission done, he could now focus on getting into his mate’s pants. God, he was horrible.

  She looked at Hamel. “Do you think it’s really safe now?”

  Not if he went by his jaguar. His animal prowled under the skin, aware and alert. “I’m not totally sure. Maybe I should stay at your house tonight. You know, just in case.” He kept it light so she knew he was being playful.

  Her eyes narrowed as she stared him down. “Rushing things a bit, aren’t you? I haven’t even agreed to go out with you.”

  He laughed. He loved that she could bring out his light side. He hadn’t seen it enough lately. “Maybe a bit, but I was being serious about the threat. How about I come over in the morning and help you put your house back together.”

  Melinda groaned and dropped her head back. “I forgot about that. Shit. I’m so tired. It can wait, even the food stuff. I just want to go to bed.” She quickly added, “Alone, for now.”

  For now?

  He sobered his expression. “Of course it’ll be alone. You are a modest, beautiful woman who doesn’t need a big, bad ca—” Fuck. He almost said ‘cat.’ “Guy like me, cramping your style. I’ll come over in the morning and help. With both of us, it’ll get done faster. I can fix the balcony doors, too.” He didn’t voice all the other stuff he wanted to do to her tomorrow. “Are you okay to drive home?”

  “Hamel, it’s two miles. I could walk it.”

  “I know.” He shrugged. “Just wanting you safe. That’s all.”

  “That’s very kind of you. But I’m good. You go back to your hotel, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning around eight.”

  His heart lit up like a bonfire. “You got it. Not a minute later.” He watched her walk to her car and get in. He lost sight of her after she passed the guard shack. Now it was time for his cat to take over while he “slept.” They’d sit outside her balcony and keep a loving eye out.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Tingles ran up Melinda’s back as she waited for the security gate arm to rise in the lab parking lot. Being so close to that man drove her crazy. He smelled so good all she wanted was to lick him from forehead to feet. With a pause somewhere in the middl
e area. Her stomach lurched. Was that a scared or happy thing? Shit, she wasn’t sure. Maybe both.

  It’d been so long since she had physical human contact of any kind. That was no way to live. People needed touch as much as food and water. People needed sex, too, but thanks to her toy, she had been able to go without for two years. And now with the possibility so close and so good-looking, so tight, so hard, she really didn’t want to say no. But good girls didn’t do that kind of thing.

  Good god. That was her parents talking—always telling her what good girls did. She was an adult. She could do anything she wanted. Who cared if she slept with someone? It wasn’t like he was the twentieth person in two years; he would be the first. That had to count for something.

  Decision made, maybe, a full body shake came on. Giddiness crept into her heart. One thing she was not was giddy. What was this man doing to her? She took a deep breath to get her emotions under control. He was doing nothing to her. She couldn’t allow her heart to get involved. For all she knew Hamel was like James Bond—a new girl each assignment. Never doing one twice.

  It would just be sex. That’s what she had to tell herself. He was going back to the States. There could be nothing between her and Hamel. But she felt so good in his arms, so secure.

  She made it home and parked her car in its designated spot. She unlocked her front door, hoping all the mess was a dream; it was perfectly clean and nothing was wrong. The door popped open, and her heart fell. Still a complete disaster. Well, it could friggin’ wait until tomorrow.

  She dropped her purse on a chair and saw the balcony doors. They were off-kilter. How did he know? She had to have told him. God, she was losing it. Couldn’t even remember what she said during the day.

  She thought back to Walog. Demon-possessed. That’s what it had to be, right? The man had red eyes, a weird set of voices—not like the one she’d heard from him before—and that smoke. Plus, he was old, skinny, and weak. So how had he shoved a big, buff Hamel across the room without batting an eye?

  Her instinct told her there was more at play there than things she could understand with facts. Demons. Fuck. If she believed that then she might as well believe in the tooth fairy and vampires. She could hear Hamel in her head. Stop trying to understand everything. Sometimes you need to just accept things. Nope. Not unless she had further proof. And she needed to stop imagining his voice in her head. It was messing with her mind.

  Propping a balcony door up and open, she let the soft breeze into the house. It felt so good to take a breath and relax. She wondered about her guardian jaguar. Was he out there, watching, keeping her safe?

  Letting her guard down for a second, she opened herself to the night. Welcomed anything directed her way. Her conscience reached out, begging for what she desperately needed. And she found it, connected with it. She felt something inside her snap, and unknown peace and love flowed into her. It was so powerful, it brought her to her knees.

  Where was this coming from? She had to have it. Her emptiness inside was filling, slowly disappearing. Someone loved her with so much of themselves, they had enough to share. The small ache in the middle of her chest was gone. She hadn’t even known it was there. It’d become a part of her waking hours.

  Then she realized what she was doing. She was opening herself to ridicule and making herself vulnerable again. She’d spent so long closing off her feelings, determined to not let the past happen again. But the love felt so good. She’d forgotten how good. Who was gifting her with such compassion?

  Only one new life, except Hamel who didn’t count, had come into hers. The jaguar. Was it silly to think she could feel emotions from an animal? Maybe she wanted to be loved so badly that she projected onto the beautiful creature what she wanted most. Maybe she was giving herself permission to love again. Maybe she bonded with this animal. She sighed. Maybe she should just go to bed.

  Mate.

  ***

  Just like her sex dream with gorgeous Ham—Beach man—she knew right away she was in a dream world.

  She stood at the edge of a small village, a village so far from civilization they probably didn’t know modern people existed. Several straw-and-mud huts laid out in a circle surrounded a barely flaming bonfire. No sounds reached her ears, which was weird. Usually crickets, critters, and birds were always chatting, mating, or calling to a mate. She felt like she was in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Creepy.

  A thatched door to one of the huts opened by itself. Great, this was a nightmare. Like in every other horror movie she’d seen, she walked toward the hut with the intent of going inside. She could hear the audience screaming, “Don’t go in there!”

  She pulled the door open wider and peeked inside. She wasn’t dumb enough to just walk in without looking. To her surprise, the space was large and like a snow lodge high in the mountains. What the hell?

  From an entryway across the room, Buga the medical technician’s grandfather walked in, holding a tray of food.

  “Good afternoon, Melinda.”

  “Good afternoon to you, sir.”

  “Call me Sefu. Come in, come in. Close the door behind you.” She did as told, but didn’t move too far. “Melinda, this is a dream. You cannot be physically harmed in a dream. Please, have a seat.” He gestured to a large saddle-brown leather chair. “We don’t have much time.”

  “Time for what?” she found herself saying. Inching forward, her eyes darted to all corners, looking for anything dangerous.

  “Your training, child. You must learn the chant.”

  “What chant?” Now she was curious to know what Sefu meant. He was dressed the same as he had been in the medical facility. A witch doctor didn’t come to mind.

  “And that’s how I want it,” he said. “‘Witch doctor’ has a bad connotation these days, and I wish to be no part of that. I work with white magic. But at times, that white dips to gray. That time comes soon. This is why you must learn quickly.”

  The tray he placed on the coffee table between the leather sofa and chair was filled with homemade chocolate-chip cookies. Her favorite. Her mouth watered. They smelled so good.

  “Have some, child. Obviously they are meant for you. I don’t eat such sweets.”

  “It’s only a dream,” Melinda said.

  “It is,” he said. “But the mind is a powerful tool. The brain controls the body’s functions, but the mind controls reality. Your mind is saying those cookies are real. Your brain is telling you that you smell cookies. The part of your brain that controls smell is kicking in as you dream, even though no cookies are in your real surroundings.”

  “That’s quite interesting. So I can’t be physically harmed in this dream state because in ‘real life,’ my body is lying in bed. I’m totally in my head. Cool. But what has that got to do with this dream, though?” she asked.

  “Patience, young one. Patience.” He sat on the sofa catty-corner to her. She huffed at his scolding and grabbed several cookies, then sat back in her chair.

  “I won’t be talking down to you, as you put it. I will be teaching you what you need to survive where you are going.”

  “Where am I going?” Alarm-fueled adrenaline rushed through her. She didn’t want to go anywhere. She was happy where she was.

  “You don’t have a choice. You will go as fate has dictated.” Melinda noted he answered her unspoken words rather than her direct question. It was a dream; why not throw in mind reading?

  The old man smiled. “Yes, now you are understanding.”

  “Understanding what?”

  His smile turned to a frown and he shook his head. “Child, things are going to happen that will rock your little world. It’s important you be accepting and take all at face value. Don’t analyze it to death. Just believe.”

  Now she frowned. “I don’t believe blindly. I get the facts then make a decision.”

  He raised his brows
and stared at her deeply. “What do you do when there are no facts?”

  “What do you mean? How can there be no facts about something?”

  He sighed. “This will be most difficult for you. We do not have time to argue semantics. Close your eyes and listen. Learn.” The old man began chanting. His voice was smooth, warm, comforting. It put her at ease. Her eyes closed and her body relaxed into the soft leather chair.

  Huenda sisi kujiunga ukweli wetu kweli.

  Kuziba ulimwengu huu milele kwa yake mwenyewe.

  The phrase repeated over and over in her head. What it meant or what it was for, she didn’t know. But it was her dream, so what the hell? A sharp sting burned on the underside of her wrist. She snapped her arm up and rubbed the area. Black lines emerged from under her skin as if coming to the surface.

  When the pain stopped, a pretty curlicue design with intertwining vine-like lines decorated the skin below her hand. It reminded her of a tattoo. She rubbed her finger over it. Nothing smeared.

  This would help trap the demons, she heard in her head.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  The next morning, Melinda woke with a sense of confusion. She lifted her wrist, twisted it over to stare at the underside. It looked normal. Why was she concerned?

  She looked at her watch on the bedside table. Hamel would be there soon. She showered and was ready just before a knock sounded on her door. She opened it to see a breathtaking stud who made her knees and tongue not work.

  He wore jeans that fit snugly in all the right places and a white T-shirt that was snug everywhere. She wondered if he did that on purpose. He had to have known the effect he had on her. Hell, probably on every woman. In his fingers he twirled a single wildflower. He flipped it up and nestled it behind her ear. Bringing himself closer in the process.

  “A beautiful flower for my beautiful flower.” He kissed her temple. “Did you get some sleep after getting home last night?”

  She thought back to the dream with the old man and cookies. Those were the strangest theoretical, esoteric ideas she’d ever heard. It seemed like he was talking about out-of-body experiences. She had no idea what the hell her dreams meant. She was glad she normally didn’t remember them. What a strange week. And last night was the worst of it. Sometimes she could be so dumb.