“What about your father?”
“I don’t know him, so there’s nothing to discuss.”
Baruch reached over the seat and patted her shoulder. “You’re very brave, Keely.”
“How so?”
“You made a life for yourself at a very young age, and did so without the help of family. That’s to be admired.”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” Keely squirmed in her seat. It wasn’t like her to share anything about her family, but the words had spilled out so easily. How many more revelations would it take before they started looking at her with pity? Unable to stomach the thought, Keely shifted the topic.
“So, you’ve never told me how you happen to be half-human. How’s that possible?”
Makar sighed and rested back on his seat. “When I said that Italy came to us, I was referring to the last Etruscan emperor. Our genesis happened around 300 B.C. He and his mate were expelled from Rome and as they fled, they stumbled upon the vortex that leads to our entry site. Once their feet touched Insedivertus soil, they were greeted by our core energy form, the Nubis. It wanted to have solid structures like the humans, so their essence was mimicked and incorporated. So, here we are.”
Keely turned and stared at Makar, her thoughts pinging all over the place. “Oh, my God. How old are you?”
Makar frowned and then started laughing. “No. I apologize for confusing you. Once the Nubis had solid form, they were able to have children. Baruch and I were born thirty-three years ago.”
Laughing, Keely looked back to the road. “Sorry.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.”
Makar cocked his head. “How is it that you aren’t married, or at least have a boyfriend?”
“It never worked out.”
“Why?”
“You’re getting awful nosy.”
“We told you of our mate.”
“Fine. I’m…uh…well…I’m shy. That tends to run men off faster than bad breath or a big butt.”
Baruch chuckled. “You’re not shy. The males were crazy.”
Keely let out her breath. It was time to give them a little more insight into why she kept them at arm’s length. Perhaps they’d finally get off this bonding track once and for all.
“I’m not talking about my ability to engage with people. It was in the…uh…well, shit. It was in the bedroom. I couldn’t keep their interest, so I just gave up and focused on my career.”
Baruch leaned over the seat. “Like I said, the males were crazy. Obviously, they didn’t know what the hell they were doing. Makar and I have felt your passion, Keely. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys, but you have no idea what you’re talking about. Let’s just leave it at that.” Cheeks beginning to heat, Keely tried to steer them off the subject before they could drill further into her embarrassing past.
“So, I’m assuming your race also embraced the language of the emperor since you both sound like you’re from Italy. What else can you tell me about your culture?”
Keely caught their quick glances and knew they were doing that freaky mind connection. She didn’t call them out on it this time. They were so damn honest, and she might not want to hear what they were actually thinking. She loosened the white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel when Makar nodded and said they’d be happy to tell her.
Keely listened intently as they took turns explaining their history. The Roman emperor Lucius Tarquinius helped them to establish the empire, their laws, and festivals. She was saddened to hear about the mountain caving in on the vortex causing one hundred of their people to be trapped on this side. That event also kept the Roman emperor from ever returning.
To her surprise, Makar was soon pointing out that they’d reach the entrance turn into the Chinati Mountain range. She couldn’t help but notice the posted signs emphatically warning that they’d entered private property.
The farther they moved across the expansive area, the lower the sun dipped toward the horizon. Soon the rolling hills blended into larger stones. They stood as great monoliths and cast long shadows across the fading landscape. She enjoyed the guys’ deep timbered voices as they continued to school her on their fascinating background. Keely was amazed when learning that a descendent of one of the trapped Insedi had been found, giving them hope that more had survived. By all rights, the Unfortunate One Hundred should’ve died within three months of not having access to their world. Their technology grew exponentially when they were visited by the Messorians. Once they acquired lasers, they were able to reopen the vortex two hundred years later. She was impressed that the current emperor still kept the Roman culture present to remind them of their heritage. The Insedi remained humble, constantly aware that a power play on Earth had inadvertently brought them into existence.
Baruch was explaining the tribe structures when Makar leaned forward.
“There. Take a right. We have another two miles in before we reach it.”
Trembling with excitement at finally being this close to something that could whisk her across the universe, Keely wasn’t prepared for the black SUV that shot out of a side canyon pass and cut off her progress. She narrowly missed crashing into the side. Teeth clenched, she tried to get her heart under control. Seeing a huge man leap out of the SUV and train a weapon on their vehicle didn’t help. It took her a few seconds to realize that his build and features identified him as Insedi. Of course, he was just as gorgeous as all the others she’d met so far. Baruch’s soft pats to her shoulder released some of the tension.
“Sorry about that. I see Kyros is on the ball today. We would have warned him of our arrival, but we weren’t sure which warrior was posted. That was some good driving, Keely. Come on, we’ll introduce you.”
Kyros relaxed his stance, and a wide grin split his face as soon as he saw Makar exiting the vehicle. Baruch helped her from the van, grasped her hand, and pulled her toward their friend now leaning against his SUV. Keely stared at his eyes, confused as to how they could be aquamarine. The deep black of his long hair and thick lashes made them pop like jewels in the fading light. He bumped knuckles with Makar.
“Damn, you guys gave me the first excitement I’ve had since I started guarding the vortex. I saw you coming from five miles back. The family van sort of threw me off, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Why were you coming in from this direction?” His fascinating eyes swung her way when Baruch moved her into view. The warrior immediately rose to his full height, a look of surprise on his face.
“Whoa, who’s this?”
Makar grasped her other hand and gave Kyros a beaming smile. “This is our Occasio, Dr. Keely Anderson.”
Kyros stepped forward. After a miniscule battle with Baruch to take her hand, of which he lost, Kyros smirked at him before turning back to her. “I’m honored to meet you.” He moved back two paces and shook his head. He glanced over to Makar.
“This is amazing. For years, we’ve had only a trickle of mates being located, and now it seems like it’s happening every day. There may be hope for us yet. Heat Seekers appears to be the place to be. Nierius and I just received approval from the Trejani to replace Caelius and Maxim. I can’t wait.”
Baruch chuckled. “We didn’t meet her there. It was the hospital.”
“Ah! I’ll try that if we strike out at the club.”
Keely snorted. “Do me a solid, will you? You might try laundromats, dress shops, the mall, craft stores, library, gyms, bookstores, or coffee shops first. Geez, we’re all over the place if you look close enough. Try not to overwhelm my workplace, got it? It’s already freaking me out you guys can go ghost and peek over my shoulder anytime you want.”
Everything went silent. Kyros’s brows rose high, and he blinked a few times before suddenly bursting into laughter.
“Ah, you lucky assholes. I like this one.” He reached over and popped Makar on the arm.
“Come on, I’ll drive you in. Nierius is knocking on my
skull and wanting to know what the hell’s going on. He’s about to throw a message through the vortex if I don’t clue him in real quick.”
Minutes later, Keely found herself at the same location they’d brought her earlier, except this time the place was deserted. As soon as they navigated to the top of the shadowed path, the exact duplicate to Kyros pushed away from a huge boulder. His eyes never left hers as he greeted them.
“Brother, you didn’t tell me how beautiful she was.” He did the same earlier maneuver as Kyros and succeeded in snatching her hand. He had her knuckles pressed to his sculpted lips before she could blink. He leaned in and whispered, “Do you have a sister?”
Chapter 21
Keely felt her eyes widen and her belly tighten at the unexpected question, leaving her speechless for a few seconds. Baruch answered for her.
“No, she has no other family. Now give her hand back to me before I punch you in the mouth.”
Shrugging, Nierius released her and frowned at Makar. “So, where’s the helicopter? You run out of fuel?”
Makar grimaced. “You knew we had it?”
“Yep. I saw Maxim just before my shift started. He said he was going to kick your ass if you put even a small scratch on it. I’m supposed to send a message through as soon as I heard you flying in. He wants to come out and give his baby a look-over before you could escape.”
Baruch snorted. “Well, he’s going to have to wait a little longer. We were chased down by another group of males associated with the Chinati Engagement. They damaged the tail rotor, and Makar actually landed the damn thing in the middle of a forest without crashing. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, they came back and put some more nice-sized bullet holes in it. Maxim can make a trip to Mexico if he wants to pound on something.”
Kyros chuckled. “Good luck with that. I hope Kallon’s nearby when you tell him.”
Makar shook his head and then pulled her close. “We’re going to take you into the mountain now. It’s a narrow path, and it’ll be dark until we reach the vortex. Just hold on, and we’ll get this over with quickly. You ready, sweetness?”
Keely nodded, even though her stomach decided to roll over on itself. “Yes. I stuck my nose into your business, now it’s time to see what I got myself into.”
* * * *
Baruch set the transport’s flightpath coordinates for the palace and glanced over his shoulder. He couldn’t help but chuckle at Keely’s expression. She was torn between gaping at the grass vibrating beneath her feet, the three purple moons hovering high above her head, the Great Plains now sporting the massive festival tents, and the yushta trees playing with Tana’s horses. Even as her head swiveled around to soak it all in, her dainty hand kept tapping on the side of the vehicle, as if she wasn’t quite sure it was real.
Makar scooped her up and crawled into the transport. “Come on, Keely. We’ll take you on a tour after you get some rest. It’ll still be here tomorrow.”
Reaching back, Baruch patted her knee. “Are you okay, baby? You seemed sort of wobbly after you stepped from the vortex. Reforming can be disorienting the first time through. You want me to wait a bit before we head out?”
Keely finally focused on his face and appeared to snap out of her stupor. “I’m good. Yeah. Everything’s okay. Sorry. I’m still freaking out that it’s daytime again. And what’s up with those trees? They look like they’re dancing.”
“They are, especially when the horses come near. I’ve never seen them move that fast before. The animals seem to excite them more than usual. I guess it’s because they came from Earth and are still a novelty. Those are yushta trees. If you get close to one, it might wrap you up and pull you into the canopy. They’re very curious.”
“Uh, that’s okay. I’ll hold up on that little adventure. Guys, this place is remarkable. When I wrote that line in my journal about aliens, it was more of a metaphor for something strange and unexplainable. Never in my wildest imagination could I have ever perceived of this place. Your home is beautiful. I mean really, the sky is alive with color…and those moons. My God, it’s breathtaking.”
Baruch felt pride swell his chest that she’d found their world pleasing. Makar sent him a contented look when she plastered herself to the window, eyes wide with excitement. As they moved closer to the city, she sat straight and pointed toward the flight station.
“Wow, what’s that? The workmanship is unbelievable. There aren’t any seams in the structure. Ah! Wait, the side opened. Oh, it’s a flight hangar. Geezus, those ships are outrageous. Unbelievable. I feel like I’m in a movie. Oh, look. I see two more of those bullet things coming out.”
Glancing over, Baruch recognized the small emblems on the side. The transports were carrying visiting dignitaries. When they drew closer, it confirmed his suspicions. Bellator had arrived. The transports lined up with his, and he could see the new king smiling and waving from the back. He and Makar returned the greeting. Keely sat back in her seat.
“Who’s that?”
“It’s Bellator. The one we retrieved from Messor. He finally claimed possession of his destiny. He’s the complete opposite of Basilius. Definitely a worthy male to have as an ally. I can’t tell who’s in the other transport, but I’m sure he’s towing along some more hot shots from Protonecis. They always travel in packs.”
There was another male sitting next to Bellator. It took several moments before Makar identified him as Argus, one of the Protonecian warriors that had assisted in freeing the Trejani when Basilius had captured the Filia. He was a big bastard, but friendly. Obviously, he was now the king’s second in command. Good choice.
Baruch snorted when he spotted Keos at the console. He was holding up his middle finger and grinning like a loon. He heard Makar chuckling. Returning the gesture, Baruch focused back to the city now looming majestically before them. He was sure Makar was enjoying Keely crawling back and forth over his lap each time she spotted another item of interest. She finally stilled when the palace came into full view.
“Aw, that must be where your emperor lives. It’s gorgeous. The grounds are exquisite. I can’t wait to see the inside.”
Leaning forward, Baruch narrowed his eyes and studied the area several meters to the right of the palace’s grand steps.
“The royal family’s out front ready to greet Bellator. You’re going to get to meet everyone in just a bit, Keely. Makar, I see three of the Nawiens standing next to Altair and Haemon. Looks like we’ll be doing the releasing ceremony here, after all.” Baruch startled when Bellator’s transport shot forward, outpacing them by five lengths.
“Inferni! What does Keos want to do, race me? I swear. That male has to be related to Maxim. He has no fear.” Realizing the second transport had also shot forward, Baruch grunted and caught up to them. Again, the transports quickened the pace.
“Gods damn. Idiot! He’s getting too close. He needs to slow down.” Keos’s frantic movements at the console finally snagged his attention.
“Something’s wrong, Makar. Secure Keely in her seat.” He sent a mind call out to Keos.
What is it? Why aren’t you slowing?
I have no control of the craft. Desius claims to have the same problem with his. We’re unable to shut them down, either.
Baruch sent a global blast to the guard. Immediately, Altair, Eryx, and Haemon began pushing the royal family closer to the palace entryway, yet Bellator’s transport adjusted and kept the same trajectory that would soon plow into the large group now frantically trying to reach the steps.
“Brace!” Swerving to the right, Baruch slammed into the side of Bellator’s transport. Accelerating, he made another clip to the nose and prayed the move would knock it off course. With no more room left to navigate without making himself a palace wall ornament, Baruch pulled up hard and flew over Bellator’s craft, narrowly missing the second one.
Scraping the side of the trees lining the wall, Baruch looked down and released a rush of breath as he watched the king’s vehicle miss the
royals by mere meters and bounce off one of the thick columns running alongside the steps. The craft immediately rolled, landing on its side and skidding along the ground, flinging bushes and trees in its wake. The front nose buckled as it slammed into the side of the palace. Flying debris accomplished a hard knock to the other craft, sending it into a tight spin before the trees caught the tail end and shot the transport sideways toward the lawn.
Circling back around, Baruch was relieved to see Desius bring the crippled transport to a relatively easy landing. Swooping toward the crash site, Baruch landed and glanced to the back as he fought his way out of the seat. Makar had Keely wrapped tightly in his arms. Both of their eyes were wide.
“You guys okay?”
Keely nodded, and Makar quickly answered.
“Yes, we’re fine. That was an excellent maneuver, Baruch. Exceptional flying.”
“Yeah, well. I’m not going to accept that compliment until I see if I killed Keos or the gods damn King of Protonecis. Fuck, this is a mess. Stay here.”
Leaping from the craft, Baruch hauled ass over to the downed transport. Unable to get past the wall of Nawiens and the elite guard trying to peel the door panel away, Baruch held his breath and hoped they wouldn’t find a pile of mangled bodies.
Slow minutes ticked by until he finally heard the metal grinding in agony before the door was tossed to the side. He wanted to fall to his knees when Keos’s head popped up from the doorway. Haemon reached in and scooped him out. A bright blood trail made its way down his forehead and cheek, yet he was fully awake and definitely pissed. Very good sign.
When Bellator and Argus appeared, displaying only minor cuts and scrapes, Baruch was ready to drop to his back and stay there for about a week. As he was mulling over the idea of allowing gravity to go ahead and take over, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and he was summarily whirled around.
Fueled by Lust: Makar and Baruch (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 19