by Lucy Kelly
“You have wings?” she asked wide-eyed, reaching out to rest her hands on the dogs’ heads on her lap.
“Our backs begin to itch as the wings approach the surface. The wings are in three parts, and from what I’ve seen of the wildlife of this planet the best way to describe them is a cross between the wings of a bird and that of a butterfly. They are thin and filmy, the feathers so small that they can’t be discerned as such until you get close. Each wing-set comes in colors and each color represents a bloodline or lineage. The top wings represent our parents’ lineages; the middle represents our grandparents; and the lower wings, our great-grandparents and another three generations,” he said
“If they’re thin like butterfly wings, how do they hold you up?” Suzanna interrupted because she always liked to know things.
“I’m not sure, they are also quite strong, underneath the feathers is not skin precisely, not like what you have on your body but a strong clear film-like skin over fine hollow bones. The gravity of HeVan is very slightly lighter than here so we may have more trouble gaining flight in your atmosphere. For Addie, we flew in the Arboretum,” he said, “I’m sorry, I can’t explain it better than that, you will have your own Ankida’s wings to examine. As after the flight they are sloughed off, and the custom is to hang them in your home.”
“Thank you for explaining,” said Suzanna. “Go on, I’m as interested as Heidi to find out the rest. Just let me grab another cup of coffee. Would either of you like another cup?” At Heidi’s nod, she offered to bring in the pot. She walked into the kitchen and came back right away with the coffee pot.
“Go ahead, Arjun, what happens next?” she said as she took a sip and Heidi added cream and sugar.
“Once the wings emerge and dry, we have an uncontrollable urge to fly for our female. Rather like a peacock flashing his feathers, you could say,” he said with a smile. “When the wings emerge, they are coated in a chemical that increases arousal in the female Join, the beating of our wings pushes it into the air and the movement of our flight swirls it around her. If she were not our true Join, the chemical would not affect her.
“If you are around when Gaius and Gael’s wings emerge, you will be Joined with them. If you wish to have a formal wedding ceremony, I’m sure they will agree. They’ve been told of your existence and would lay down their lives for your happiness. You’ve already brought them more joy than they ever thought to have just by being. Though Jalen mentioned that it would take some days for his and his brothers’ wings to emerge, Gaius and Gael have already seen your image. I would not be surprised if their wings burst forth at first sight of you. That is what happened with us and Addie.”
“I’m glad you didn’t lie to me. I’ll have to think about everything that you said. Do you think Addie would let me take Boris and Bella with me?” asked Heidi.
“Why don’t you go and ask her,” he said with another smile.
She got up to leave, the dogs following, and he turned to Suzanna.
“Suzanna, after you bring your mother here, I’ll speak with Rapha about treating her. Addie is familiar with him and his brothers so I think they would be the best choice to have watching over her pregnancy. We don’t have this disease you spoke of last evening on HeVan. I’m not a medical, but if there is a possibility we can do something for her, we won’t hesitate to help her. I’d also like you to help set up these satellite phones you spoke to Jalen about.”
“I’d be happy to. If you purchase satellite cell phones, we’ll set up a link on the actual satellite so it appears you’re speaking to another satellite cell phone. I’ll just need their individual codes. I’m sure Jett will know what to do at this end.
“Do you think I’ll ever find the men who are supposed to be mine? I’ve been dreaming about two men ever since I first met Addie,” said Suzanna.
“I apologize,” said Arjun. “We meant to tell you last night. Yes, Suzanna, Miranda has matched you also. Addie meant to tell you this morning—I guess it slipped her mind. I’ll tease Addie later about forgetting,” he joked.
“Your matches are Jeze and Tyr, two good men from our Navigator Cluster. They’ll be working closely with you on this satellite issue.”
“Jezzie and Teer? Would you spell those for me?” she asked and he did.
“Now I’m really looking forward to the future. I see how happy Addie is with you three, and I’m jealous. All my life I’ve been looking and finding things for others. Now I want to have something for myself.
“Can I ask you a question?” she asked.
“Of course, what is it?”
“Why do you put your men in ‘Clusters'? Why do you use that description?” she asked.
“For a long time, males were only allowed in certain traditional jobs. We had warriors, farmers, builders, and other jobs that required greater physical abilities. When the population began to change, the Regent of the time made the Clusters. They were meant as temporary duty designations, except the population never evened out between females and males, it grew even more imbalanced. Now the word has gone into general usage. An archaic remnant of an earlier era,” he said in a quiet voice.
He shook himself off. “I’m going to check on Addie. Jalen and Jett should be back momentarily.” And he left.
Fifteen minutes later, Suzanna, Jalen, and Jett were on the road.
Chapter Three
Grace finally went into the store where she was meeting Becky. She’d been mostly window-shopping for the last hour; she couldn’t forget that the Department supplied the credit cards she was using. She’d purchased one pair of shoes and one outfit. Now she was heading to the lingerie department. Hopefully, instead of stalling, it would look like she was being really picky about what she’d wear for her boyfriend’s return.
She couldn’t see Kadyrov’s men because she wasn’t looking. She knew they were there because she’d been pushing her powers to the limit ever since she got out of bed. She used to think that using her powers would weaken her, like burning up energy. Now she realized that it gave her more energy, like she was tapping into a source. Last night, while she sat on the couch, her powers told her the kitchen and living room had a higher level of surveillance that her equipment had not picked-up. It was her gift that let her know that she had audio and visual surveillance in every room except the bathroom. Luckily, in there she only had audio, she didn’t know why they hadn’t added video; she was just glad they didn’t. When she got up, she’d taken her clothes into the bathroom to dress in jeans and a t-shirt. She could get away with dressing comfortably because this was her regular day off.
She started going through the racks of bras, trying to find the right color for underneath the outfit she bought. She chose two and then headed to the dressing room.
Anton Kadyrov made his grandfather proud. They were equally sadistic and without care for any human life but their own. He picked up his phone and dialed. “Grandfather, she’s gone into another dressing room. I should have brought a woman with me. Send one over, will you?”
“Patience, my boy; patience is always rewarded.”
“If she’s a cop, I’m going to take great pleasure in retiring her. And if she isn’t, then she’s alone in the world. I’ll take her for myself. I’d enjoy training this one on how to please a man.”
“Anton, you know I cannot say no to you. Of course, you can have her if you want, unless she’s a cop. Then you will need to set an example. Just remember, she has the boyfriend, and he has brothers, after all.”
“I’ll let you know what I find out. And I’ll be careful to eliminate any threats against us,” he said to his grandfather and hung up.
Grace walked into the dressing room, saw a familiar blonde head, and hurried over to the dressing room next door to her. As she walked over, she saw that, for the moment, they were the only two people there.
“Becky, what did you find out?”
“You're all set. I’ve been on the phone to your Captain, I razzle dazzled him. I explained
why you contacted me instead of him and told him I had a couple of Interpol agents nearby, who were also investigating the Kadyrovs. I convinced him it was better to combine operations and it would be easier to avoid detection. Interpol has been working the European side of the operation to cut off any assistance or international criminal enterprises he may have going; they suspect human trafficking. I got all their files on Kadyrov and downloaded them onto this flash drive,” she said, and handed it over.
“He wasn’t too happy. Wow, that bra is cute, cute, cute. Do they have it in other colors?” Becky asked, fingering the soft material.
“Yes. Do you think it goes well with this outfit?” Grace asked, opening her shopping bag and dropping in the flash drive Becky passed to her as she pulled out the dress she’d bought. They both had heard the click of high heels.
“Yes, it should go well with that dress. Interesting pattern,” Becky said with a grin.
The saleslady walked in with another customer.
“Are you finding everything you need, ladies?” she asked.
“Do you have that bra in a pale yellow?” Becky asked her, handing over three rejections. “I didn’t like any of these three so much. I’ll be keeping the other two.”
And she walked back into her dressing room. The saleslady took the rejections and said she’d bring the requested bra right in. She turned to Grace.
“I just walked in and haven’t tried these on yet,” said Grace. “I’ll let you know if I need anything else. I’m taking my shopping slow today. My boyfriend is coming back into town late this afternoon, and I’m trying to keep myself busy ‘til he gets here,” she said with a smile.
“No problem, dear, I’m happy to help. With your looks, I’m sure he’ll be speeding to get to you as quickly as he can.”
“Thank you, what a sweet thing to say,” said Grace, before she turned and also entered her dressing room.
She tried on the two bras, then she and Becky were walking out at the same time. They were both aware that they were being watched.
Becky said, “I couldn’t help but overhear what you said to the saleslady. If you need a time waster while you’re waiting for your boyfriend, hit the spa over by the hair salon. I think they’re having a mani/pedi special today.”
Grace turned to her with a smile. “Thanks, I didn’t know that. I was just going to head back to my apartment and stare at the walls until he called. That’s a much better idea. And since I’m expecting him to ask an important question tonight, I better pull out the plastic ‘til it melts at the salon, I want to look like a million bucks.”
“You go, girl! It was nice meeting you. Good luck tonight,” said Becky, as she turned and placed her things on the counter to pay.
Grace smiled and walked over to the panties display. She wanted a pair to match the bra she’d chosen. She saw many nice things, but in her role, she was supposed to be on a budget. Now that she was committing to charging services in the salon, she had to be more economical here.
Grace didn’t even glance up as Becky took her larger purchases away and walked over towards the shoe department. Grace found what she wanted, paid for it, and then asked the saleslady for directions to the in-store spa.
While Grace was deciding on spa services, Becky tried on shoes. She made a point of commenting on the choices of another shopper. Then she looked at her watch and seeing the time, acted as if she were in a hurry. She quickly paid for the one pair of Kelsi Dagger snakeskin peep-toe stilettos she had found and then rushed out of the department store. She exited the mall at the cabstand and hopped a cab. She had him drop her off on the other side of the mall at her car. Then she drove to the convention center as fast as she could. She didn’t want to be late for her meeting with Valerie about the upcoming Sci-fi Convention.
Anton Kadyrov was still watching the spa when his phone rang. “Hello?”
“The blonde had a cab drive her to the other side of the mall to her car. Then she drove like a maniac to the convention center. She met up with another woman at the office of the event coordinator. The only thing I caught before they went out of earshot was that she was sorry she was late. Then the other woman asked her if she’d been shopping again.”
“That’s enough, Gregor, you can drop that subject. We’re clear, then; she was obviously just a random shopper and not a contact. I saw her chatting up another woman in the shoe department. Come over and relieve me at the department store. I can’t believe how much time this woman has spent here,” said Anton before hanging up. He looked up and saw the waitress he’d been fucking lately coming down the aisle. He stepped out into her path.
“She’s in the spa; find out what she’s doing and anyone she talks to,” he ordered.
“Sure thing, Anton; you know I’d do anything for you,” she said with a smile. Running a hand up his shirt, she leaned forward and gave him a kiss, and then walked over to the spa.
Grace had finished up a thirty-minute hot stone massage, and was moving back into the main treatment areas to get her manicure and a pedicure. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d become since finding all the passive surveillance in her cover apartment. Now she was all loose and relaxed.
That was a great idea of Becky’s having me come here, she thought. I also feel safer being in a public place. I wonder why?
She walked over to the special chairs designed to massage your back while your feet were pampered when she saw a friend from work in the next chair.
“Hey, there, Betty Boop. Is this your day off, too?” asked Grace.
“Oh, yeah, but it’s my first time here. A friend mentioned the special today. I’m on a budget,” she answered.
“Aren’t we all,” Grace said with a sigh, “Only I’m splurging today because my boyfriend is coming into town, and I’m hoping he’s planning on popping the question. So, I’m doing the buff, wax, and polish routine.”
“I have to work tonight. If you bring him by the club, introduce him. Right now, I’m going to lay back and let the chair, and this lovely lady with the magic hands take care of my feet. Those uniform heels at work are killers!” she said.
“You said it, sister. I'm absolutely picking up those gel inserts they make for high heels,” agreed Grace, and she settled into her own chair to relax. When they moved over to the manicure stations, they gossiped a little more because those chairs made you sit up straight.
They were both sitting in the reception area in their foam flip-flops when her phone rang. “Hello?”
“Grace, Kasharra, I’ve arrived in town. I had a couple of stops to make. Where are you?” asked Jalen.
“Jalen, I’m so happy to hear from you. I’m at the mall. They’re making me all pretty for you.”
“Don’t go home. We’ll pick you up there. Just let us know which mall and the entrance where to pick you up,” he said.
She gave him the information, and he spoke again. “Traffic is heavy, so we’ll be there in about an hour. Actually, don’t wait outside for us. I don’t want you to have to stand around waiting. Jett will drop me off, and I’ll come in and get you from the Food Court, okay?”
“Alright. See you then. If I’m not at the Food Court, don’t come looking. Wait for me. My spa treatment may take longer than I expect. I want to be beautiful for you. I hope you like the outfit I picked out. You said you wanted to go out on the town tonight, right?”
“Absolutely. I want to show off my beautiful woman. And you are beautiful, you know. You don’t need a spa treatment for that.”
“Flatterer. Look, they’re waving at me for my next spa service. See you in an hour or so,” she said, and hung up the phone. She turned to her friend who was reading a gossip magazine.
“He’s coming in an hour. Now that I’m fully relaxed from all the pampering, I’ve got to go get my Brazilian next,” she said with a grimace, “see you later tonight. Mr. Kadyrov asked me to bring Jalen by the club.”
“Okay, good luck with the wax job, and with the proposal,” she answered wi
th a giggle, as Grace walked away with the technician. She continued to read her magazine, allowing her nail polish to become perfectly dry. She left just as she saw Grace emerging from the treatment room.
Ouch, she must really love this guy, she thought. Good, then Anton will forget about her and I’ll have him to myself.
Grace was really nervous, and not just because she knew she was under surveillance. Tonight she was meeting two of the three men that she’d been dreaming about. And after what happened to Addie—well, she was nervous about it.
She was sitting in the Food Court sipping a diet soda through a straw when awareness spread throughout her body. She looked up and saw him. He was one of the tallest men she’d ever seen. Her cop training took over.
Seven foot one or two, two twenty to two forty, black or dark brown over blue, she thought.
She admired his lean body as he cut through the crowd with long strides instead of plowing through like a tank.
He looked just like in the dream, from his wavy, dark hair, slight widow’s peak and light eyes, to the three day-old stubble on his face. She couldn’t help the grin forming on her face. And she liked the way his eyes lit up when he spotted her. Like her, he was wearing jeans. He had a loose cotton shirt on over his jeans that matched his dark hair.
Sexy, sexy man, she thought.
He walked right up to her, totally oblivious to the stares of the people around them.
“Hello, Grace. I missed you,” he said instantly going down on one knee.
There were exclamations of the diners around him and the gasp from Grace herself. Jalen went on as if he hadn’t heard them.
“Grace, when I went out of town I told you I had an important question to ask you.” He took a deep breath, “Grace, will you marry me?”
She sat there for a moment, stunned. Then she pulled herself together and gave him a shove in the chest, which did no good because he was planted solidly in front of her.