"So they trust him."
Jax rolled his eyes. "Of course."
"And you?"
His lips twitched before he glanced back to the bacon he was frying. "Yes. With my life."
Sitting on a black kitchen stool, I leaned on the bar. "So you're bonded as deeply as a normal Vaq. Even though you're Human?"
"We are." His shoulders lifted and fell easily. But he cursed when a spray of oil caught his hand.
"Jax?" Stiller shouted loudly—abruptly—from the other room.
Jax glanced over his shoulder at me. "See?" Then, he leaned toward the doorway and answered in a normal tone, "I'm fine. Just the perils of cooking."
"Be careful," Stiller shouted, sounding relieved, before his low voice could be heard once more speaking quietly with the Plumas. It sounded as if they were arguing, but respectfully, about what to do with me. I couldn't pick up any exact words, except for my name every so often.
I played absently with my shirtsleeves—or rather, Pluma Creo's oversized shirt that I had slept in as a nightgown that smelled vaguely of the Pluma. Like lavender soap and spiced cologne. My voice was quiet when I finally stated—in English, "You're changing so much." I shook my head, my black locks of hair tangling around my shoulders. "I've lost so much, Jax. I don't want to lose you, too."
His gray gaze bore into the side of my face. But with my stomach in knots, I couldn't look at him.
"Braita, you won't lose me," Jax whispered, also in English. His familiar tone and patient promise made my throat tightened painfully. My eyes burned when he walked to my side and gently placed two fingers under my chin—touching my skin. When I started to pull back, he raised both hands and quickly cupped my cheeks, holding my face steady. He bent at the waist, placing his face directly in front of mine. Still speaking softly, he murmured, "You'll never lose me. Never. We both live on this planet. We're only a borderline away from each other, and since we don't wear the mark of the west or the east, we can cross it easily. I planned to come and see you. I had already talked with Stiller about it."
So close, he breathed, "I couldn't lose you either."
My chin trembled at his honest words. "I'm sorry how I acted yesterday. I've just missed you."
His gray eyes softened further, and he leaned forward an inch. And he kissed me.
I stilled completely, my entire body shocked solid as his warm lips landed on mine.
It was quick. Just the barest of a brush. But I didn't know what to do. With my eyes wide, I gasped, and my cheeks burned with heat. "Jax ... "
His thumbs brushed my cheeks in a soothing motion while his eyes gazed directly into mine. "There's nothing wrong with a sweet kiss," he whispered, keeping his lips only an inch away from mine. "We are friends—"
"Aw, shit," Stiller's voice rumbled from the doorway.
I jerked, and we quickly glanced in his direction.
Stiller's expression was utterly blank, but his gleaming violet eyes were large on his face.
Both Plumas were just there, abruptly standing behind him. Glowing dark and crystal blue eyes peered at us with such intensity that my cheeks flamed even further. Their gazes instantly narrowed, turning death-like in their strength.
Jax quickly pulled his hands away and straightened to his full height. "This is not what it looks like. I swear it."
I jumped from my chair when the Plumas started charging into the room. I threw my hands up, wondering how the hell I had even gotten into this mess. "He's telling the truth—" I grunted, when Pluma Creo instantly blurred behind me, slipped a muscled arm around my stomach, and picked me straight up off the ground, holding my back against his chest. "Wait a damn second."
"Shut up!" Pluma Moir barked, standing now between Jax and I. In the next second, he turned his glare on Jax. Stiller took three steps forward, pulling Jax a step behind him, but kept his expression as blank as it had been, even in the wrath of his fuming Plumas. Pluma Moir ignored Stiller and bent ever so slightly, putting his face at Jax's level, hissing, "Her Plumas will feel her emotions, you fucking idiot."
I blinked but wiggled inside Pluma Creo's hold. "What?" I couldn't feel theirs.
When neither Plumas spoke, both still staring daggers at Jax, Stiller cleared his throat and stated quietly, "The rings they wear from your Cold Mark allow them to feel your emotions." He took another step in front of Jax when Pluma Moir took a threatening step forward, but he kept his tone even. "So what my half did was ... unwise." He bowed his head respectfully to his Plumas. "Which I'm sure he is now regretting."
Jax didn't appear like he was going to apologize any time soon. He proved as much, muttering, "Dammit, it wasn't that type of kiss. I was just ... " His dark brows puckered. "Well, I just missed her. And she missed me. That was all."
I cleared my throat, trying to hold on to as much dignity as I could, being held as I was. "And my Plumas no longer wear their rings. I have them." Hidden. I had wondered what those damned things did. Now I knew.
Comically, all of the Mian inside the room jolted and stared at me incredulously.
"What?" I asked, noticing the hostility had immediately lowered with my previous words.
Pluma Creo peered down at me, blinking repeatedly and mumbled in complete shock, "Did you cut off their fingers?"
On their own, my eyes lowered to the ground, and my lips thinned. "I didn't hurt my Plumas."
They had hurt me. My breath still caught at the thought, my stomach even churning with nauseous acid at being duped as I had been. They had each other. Loved each other. I was merely a plaything to them.
Stiller gaped. "Then how did you get their rings—"
"Enough," Pluma Moir commanded in the gentlest, but most demanding, tone. "I believe Ms. Valorn has had enough excitement for now."
I didn't raise my gaze. His words were true—and surprisingly appreciated.
It was quiet for a few beats until Jax turned and marched back to the old fashioned stove, stating loudly, "She and I still need to have our breakfast." He paused and sniffed the air. "If it's not burnt by now."
Pluma Creo grunted, gently setting me on my feet. "Not alone, you won't." He peered at Pluma Moir, his voice a deep timber. "We're staying in here."
Pluma Moir nodded once, not speaking, but agreeing while he silently watched Jax.
"What are you two doing?" I asked.
My curiosity had piqued two hours after breakfast when Pluma Creo had produced vials of liquid from his bedroom closet. It was now almost dinner time for Jax and me, and he was still taking up the entire kitchen mixing these liquids together with extreme care. Pluma Moir had joined him, bringing what appeared to be a clear piece of engineering adhesive strip with him, which was about the size of half my hand. Together, they were sprinkling the cooled mixture on the adhesive material.
Studying his work, Pluma Moir stated evenly, "The medication in your system is almost gone."
I fisted my—slightly—shaking hands. "How did you know that I was taking medicine?"
Absently, he sniffed the air. "We can smell it on you." He shrugged when I continued to gape at their sense of smell. "It's understandable, being as far away from your Vaq as you are. Before Killeg and I invented this, many Vaq and their Soul did the same to handle the pain." He paused thoughtfully and then chuckled quietly. "Don't worry. We'll bill your Vaq for the cost."
"Uh ... " I stared at their handiwork. "That's for me?"
"Yes," Pluma Creo answered, lowering his face to stare as he coated the outer edges.
I blinked. "You two invented a way to reverse the side effects?"
Again, Pluma Moir shrugged, and then blew lightly on the material, drying it. "I'm an engineer. Killeg's a botanist. We enjoy creating items to help our people." His dark eyes peeked up at me, capturing my gaze as he blew once more on the drying liquid. When I didn't glance away, unable to, my very being caught on his, his lips curved in a sensual manner. He gradually straightened as my cheeks heated. "When we're not killing people, that is."
> I jerked my attention away and stared at the stove. It was safe there. Bland and boring. "You two are a muddle of unparalleled contradictions."
"We are who we are," Pluma Moir stated simply, humor lightening his tone.
I glanced his way and snorted. My lips even curved into a slight smile. "That you are."
Pluma Creo caught my attention when he lifted the adhesive strip—with delicate care—and walked toward me. "Lift your hair."
I eyed the strip. "You're sure it's safe? For a Human, that is?"
He chuckled quietly. "If the Mian medicine that you ingested didn't kill you, then this is safe."
I guess that was true. "What do you two call it?"
"We named it Solo."
"That's fitting, I suppose." I lifted my hair into a high ponytail and dipped my head forward, showing my coded bars of the Cold Mark plainly. "Slap it on."
His tone was quiet as he stepped directly behind me, bringing a wave of his scent and heat. "We do not slap women on this planet, Ms. Valorn." Ever so softly, he placed the strip against my Cold Mark. It rapidly adhered to my skin, providing instantaneous relief that had my shoulders sagging, my head no longer throbbing, and my limbs free of festering weakness. His fingers traced the strip, just grazing my flesh, making goosebumps rise and a shiver of ... heat ... run down my spine. He leaned forward, resting his muscular frame against my back, and whispered in my ear, "We live to please our females, and in return ... they love to please us."
My chest warmed with a feeling unlike I had ever known. It was a yearning. I wanted to press myself back against him. To lower my hair, and drop my head back, and allow him to hold me.
I ached for his hands to be on me.
I sucked in a harsh breath. The raw emotion was enough for me to lurch away. I dropped my hair, and even though I knew what this was ... it was dangerous. I swung my fingers between the two of them when they advanced a step in my direction. "You said this was a bad idea. Remember? You said my Vaq wouldn't appreciate it." I tilted my chin up and eyed them. They appeared like they wanted to take a bite out of me—in the most erotic of ways. Like I was a tasty treat they wanted to savor. "You were right. They wouldn't." It was best to put on a false face when I was shaking now ... and not in pain. I didn't want to feel this way. It wasn't Human no matter what Jax said. It was barbaric.
Pluma Creo's lips twitched almost playfully. "They would never know."
Ah, shit. I had said my Vaq didn't wear their rings anymore. "No." I shook my head. It wasn't going to happen—whatever was roaming inside their heads. "No matter what, no matter that I ran from them, I am their Soul. Not yours."
At my words, specifically at the word 'no', both stopped in their tracks. Good.
Inhaling and exhaling a large breath, I muttered into the stifling silence, "Okay ... so I'm just going to go watch a flicker show with Stiller and Jax." I pointed to the parlor. "I'll be in there." Moving as quickly as I could without sprinting from the kitchen, I headed toward the parlor.
Pluma Moir's quiet words almost made me trip. "You may be their Soul, Ms. Valorn, but it is Killeg and me that you want. That much is obvious." He paused. "No matter your words."
"Dragon!" Stiller shouted.
I gaped, turning my attention from Pluma Creo, who was imitating some type of flapping bird, to the purple haired Mian sitting next to me. "You have dragons here?" I had read about them in the few remaining children's book from Earth. "I want to see one!" The lingering amusement I'd had because I was playing Charades with aliens, was now gone. Now ... I wanted an up-close-and-personal view of a dragon! Hell yeah ...
Pluma Creo, still mute since he was the individual acting while we played our game in the living room, dropped his arms. His shimmering eyes rolled grandly. He sighed heavily, but by the twitch of his plump lips, he appeared to find my outburst humorous.
"Oh." I huffed and crossed my arms, sitting back further on the couch. "He said it. I thought maybe you had them here." I rolled my own eyes. "This is an ass-backward planet."
"So you've said." Pluma Moir chuckled softly. He glanced at the halo-clicker. "You three had better hurry up. You only have thirty seconds left before it's Jax's and my turn."
I glared at him but quickly sat forward when Pluma Creo started flapping his arms once more and turned slowly in a circle. Mutely, he eyed the ground below him, like a flying ... "Predator!" I thumped Stiller's arm. "It's some kind of bird of prey." I had no clue what type of animals they had here, but that was definitely a bird he was imitating.
"Hush," Stiller mumbled, his eyes avid on Plume Creo. "I know that. I already guessed dragon."
"And what a fine guess that was." I snorted but fell silent when Pluma Creo fell to the ground ... and started crawling like some sort of insect. His glowing eyes scoured the each of us, and then he lunged right at me.
I shrieked, throwing my hands up in front of my face just as he wrapped his arms and legs around me, holding me tight against the couch in the silence. When no further attack happened, I slowly pulled my hands down, enough to peek above my fingers at Stiller. "You better know what type of damn animal—"
"Lavano!" Stiller slapped his leg in victory, cutting me off. A huge grin etched his handsome features. "That's definitely a Lavano."
The halo-clicker sounded an alarm, announcing our turn was over.
Pluma Creo squeezed me in his arms, then quickly jumped up. He was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Yes." He walked to the halo-screen, flicked his finger so the screen rotated to our line of vision. The word 'Lavano' was clearly visible. He smirked at Pluma Moir. "Three points for us. Two for you."
Pluma Moir actually scrunched his nose in annoyance, a scowl gracing his distinguished features. "You have two other people on your team. I only have one, and he's not from Triaz."
Readjusting my clothes—my oversized borrowed clothes—I asked, "What's a Lavano?"
Pluma Creo ran a quick scan on the screen and produced a picture.
I could only stare. It was Charlie. "You ... um ... acted like a Lavano was a bad creature."
Pluma Moir stood from his chair, getting ready to take his turn. "They are. They're nasty beings that hide in the depths of the underground but take flight occasionally. Their wings hide under a tough scaling that makes it near impossible to clip the wings. But, not only that, the males have a horrid habit of abducting our females."
My palms were sweating. I didn't really want to know. "Why?" But I had to ask.
"When the Lavano male is ready to breed with a Lavano female, he takes the weakened Mian woman as a present. The female Lavano uses the Mian body as a hatchling cocoon for her offspring." He paused thoughtfully. "Of course, that happens after the mother kills the Mian, guts her, and feeds on her organs. Once the offspring hatch, they eat the remaining bones of the Mian as their first meal."
The blood drained from my face, leaving me lightheaded. "That's ... disturbing." This unwanted revelation would make visiting Charlie's lair again problematic. It just goes to show that I would never know who, or what, to trust on this planet. I waved a hand when all the men in the room eyed me like I was going to puke—which I was precariously close to doing. "Keep playing. I'm fine."
Stiller grumbled quietly, "You're a terrible liar."
I shuddered, my mind still reeling over a Lavano's reproduction processes, and then motioned again with my hand. "Perhaps I am, but it's much better playing Charades than thinking about a revolting creature like that." And what could have happened to me.
Pluma Moir watched my hooded gaze a moment longer, but then he nodded. "True enough." He set the halo-clicker for the countdown. "This is much better than that."
Not to mention, I was feeling a hell of a lot better now that I wore the Solo over my Cold Mark. It had only been on for three hours, but it was working wonders. All the pain I had felt was gone. My moods swings from the pain had diminished. I felt like me again. It was a damn miracle of inventions. The last thing that I wanted was to think about my 'friend' Ch
arlie giving me as a 'present' to his lady-bug-friend. That was bone-crunching gross.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
My eyes flew open, instantly alert at the new, lively noise. I surveyed the parlor where I had fallen asleep while sitting on the couch and watching a flicker show. Jax's head was resting on my lap while his feet rested on Stiller's thighs. Stiller had slumped slightly, so his head of rumpled hair was resting on my shoulder. Both were completely out, snoring softly in the subdued light.
I stayed quiet when both Plumas streamed from the kitchen into the parlor. They moved on silent feet until they stopped in front of the halo-screen. Someone was calling them.
Pluma Creo glanced over his shoulder and stared directly into my eyes. He knew I wasn't asleep. "I need you to stay silent while we speak with your Vaq." He raised a white brow when my expression went completely blank. "Can you do that, Ms. Valorn?"
I nodded once, my stomach rolling with unease. I still whispered, "I don't want to go back to them." Please don't make me.
His crystal blue, gleaming eyes narrowed. "What did they do to you?"
I snapped my mouth shut. They wouldn't understand. They would think me childish.
Pluma Moir ground his teeth together, but when he spoke it was gentle. "We'll need to know eventually, Ms. Valorn. You will have to tell us." He shook his white, long hair back behind his shoulders, showing the tops of his pointed ears in sharp relief. "Earlier, Killeg didn't lie. Mian cherish females. The fact you are Human doesn't change this—as long as you live on our planet. We will protect you rather than negotiate if we feel it's warranted."
That was the problem. My pain was a matter of the heart, not a physical ailment from my Vaq. It definitely wouldn't warrant their protection—shelter that could possibly start even more conflict for the east and the west. I sighed heavily when the halo-screen buzzed again. "It's not anything to start a war over."
Stiller woke abruptly at the noise and sat up slowly, staying mute as he ran his fingers through his purple hair. Gently, he placed a caring hand on Jax's feet, merely observing us in the quiet.
Cold Mark Page 9