“As a matter of fact, I do find you quite tolerable,” she replied, even as her cheeks burned with embarrassment at her own boldness. She was a bit horrified to acknowledge even to herself that it was true. She found him more than tolerable. She was also feeling very lightheaded and had a difficult time suppressing a giggle. A general feeling of well-being flowed through her at stark odds with how she’d begun this day.
Gorzo’s expression didn’t change much, but his wings twitched behind him, extending slightly away from his back, where before they had been tucked in so tight they might have been glued to his skin. He stared at her in silence that went on for so long that Jessa could sense unease even through her buzz.
Expecting him to do something wild and barbaric—though still unsure how she’d feel about that when the alcohol wore off—she was extremely disappointed when he sketched the umbrose version of a bow to her, bringing her hand up to press the back of his lips very lightly against her skin. That merest brush traveled down into her skin and shot directly to her core. Still holding her hand, he lifted his head from the kiss to lean in and speak in Jessa’s ear in DC Common. “Do I have your permission to call upon you at your residence?” His accent and teeth mangled some of the words but the message was clear.
“You would do that? Go through all that trouble getting into the domes, just to see me again?
“For you? It’s no trouble.” He bowed again over her hand. Only this time, he didn’t kiss it. He didn’t release it either. It seemed that he was undergoing some sort of internal argument, which must’ve been the reason for the alarming and hair-raising growl he suddenly released, less than an inch from Jessa’s hand. She snatched her hand back from him, wondering if she should run, or if that would only make her appear to be prey. After a moment where it seemed like he was composing himself, Gorzo formally bowed to her again.
“Please, do not be frightened. I would never hurt you. What you witnessed was a disagreement with my primal nature. You should know that I always win these rare arguments.”
After his words, he seemed to be expecting chastisement.
Though it had been unnerving, there had also been something exhilarating about that brief moment of uncertainty. The champagne might have helped with that too. Not much was bothering her at the moment. Although she did get a little fired up when she saw the way the other, inferior males cast snide glances at Gorzo after his growl, thinking themselves safe because his back was turned.
Noting her sudden anger and the direction of her gaze, he didn’t bother to look behind him. “Do not worry. I will reawaken their sense of humility in the arena when we return home.” His smile was more terrifying than his snarl. He seemed to sense that it made her uncomfortable and dropped it. “Tell me, Jessa. After all you’ve seen, do I still have your permission to call upon you at your residence?” He sounded doubtful, and his wings were pulled tight against his back again in the way she was starting to suspect was defensive on his part, but from emotional assaults rather than physical assaults that he looked well-equipped to handle.
Do I want this unpredictable, growling stranger who’s polite one moment and beastly and barbaric the next to come visit me in Dome City? Her neighbors—who’d made friendly overtures she’d politely declined—would be scandalized by his visit, but her reputation in DC, her job, her neighbors, none were important. “Yes. Tomorrow if you can make it that soon. If not, just set it up with the matchmakers.”
His heavy brow lifted, and a small smile crossed his lips that barely revealed his massive fangs. Gorzo looked cautiously optimistic, as if he wasn’t in the habit of ever being truly pleased with anything. Jessa understood that feeling, all too well. How many things that had pleased me had been taken from me in the orphanage? How much more had been taken from me afterwards? She’d learned to guard herself from disappointments and heartache. It seemed Gorzo had also learned such difficult lessons.
Once her agreement was secured, Gorzo bowed over her hand quickly the second time and announced that he was needed elsewhere, but that he looked forward to their next meeting. Then he turned on his four-taloned foot and strode out of the room before Lady Lilith could reach his side. Since Jessa clearly heard Lilith calling his name, he must have also. He was merely choosing not to respond.
Once Gorzo left, the party was over as far as Jessabelle was concerned. She was still a bit tipsy, but it had only been one glass of champagne so it was starting to wear off by the time Ms. Flores got her settled on the party shuttle that would take her back home. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing for her to see anymore. Gorzo, with his barbaric appearance and massive muscles, made it impossible for any of the other umbrose to compare to him. So she didn’t see any point in wasting time. Time she didn’t have.
Chapter 4
During the long shuttle ride home, Jessa had plenty of time to regret her impulsiveness. The champagne had not helped her decision-making process, but in truth, Gorzo had drawn her to him from the moment he’d entered the room, before she’d gulped down the drink.
Was it some seductive power the umbrose had? If so, she hadn’t felt anything for the other males. Besides, she’d been fully capable of walking away. She hadn’t felt compelled by any outward force, only her own desire to get closer to him.
While she was trying to work it all out in her mind, her wrist communicator flashed with a message. Trepidation filled her as she opened the cache. A heavily encrypted file had been attached to the message which gave only a time and a location within Gemini Dome, in a rundown merchant district known for black market dealing.
*****
Jessabelle was on time to the meeting. She hadn’t dared to be late. Just after nightfall, she landed the rental cruiser on the roof of a dilapidated grocery store. Sulfur-yellow lamps illuminated the landing area, revealing that only two other cruisers dotted the rooftop. One was a battered one-seat personal cruiser, dents and pockmarks in the paint clearly visible even in the jaundiced light. The other was a much newer delivery cruiser with the grocery store’s name, TwinsDome Eats and Treats, emblazoned on the side. The newness of the delivery vehicle was in stark contrast to the condition of the actual grocery store. Either they did a much better business than it appeared, or that cruiser was occupied by the ones she’d come to meet.
She stepped out of her cruiser and onto the concrete landing pad, bracing herself for the upcoming meeting. A couple of deep breaths filled her with determination.
She couldn’t tell which vehicle held occupants because both had their solar shields down. That wasn’t unusual. Most cruisers parked that way automatically. Instead of approaching either one, she leaned back against her own cruiser. It was a few minutes before she’d been told to be here. Perhaps they were waiting her out, making sure she’d come alone.
As if I wouldn’t. The thought was accompanied by bitterness.
Finally, just as her communicator beeped softly to signal the meeting time, the headlights on the delivery van flashed twice. It was the canopy of the beat-up personal cruiser that actually slid back, revealing a dark-clad shape.
The slender woman stepped out of the cruiser, and Jessa recognized her immediately. She almost called her name aloud in pleased surprise but bit her tongue before the sound could escape. Instead, she ran towards the other woman, only stopping when she was close enough to see her friend clearly.
Ellana Reese looked much older than her twenty-three years. Stress had carved lines into a face that had once been flawlessly smooth. Her caramel skin-tone looked sallow, no doubt made worse by the parking lot lamplight. But it was her eyes—a startling light green—which showed the worst change as she met Jessa’s stunned stare.
“Is Micah okay?” It was Jessa’s first concern when she saw the simple despair in Reese’s eyes.
Reese put up her hands. “Micah’s fine.” Her tone was probably meant to be reassuring, but Jessa heard an undertone to it that suggested Reese had cut off her words before saying, “for now.”
> She opened her mouth to ask more about him, but Reese’s nervous glance at the van froze her voice. They were watching. Listening. Just like always.
“You know we need an update.” Reese was getting right to business. That didn’t bode well. She hadn’t seen her friend in over three years. Apparently, there was no time for catching up.
Jessa felt sick. She wanted to blame it on the champagne but knew better. Still, she choked out a response around the lump of bile rising into her throat. “I found one. He’s interested. He’s going to visit me, possibly as soon as tomorrow.” It was not the memory of Gorzo which made her feel suddenly ill.
Reese pulled a disgusted face, and Jessa resented her for it. It was easy for the other woman to judge. She hadn’t been the one asked to do this. Reese also still believes. That was a thought Jessa kept very closely guarded, not allowing any hint of it to show in her expression. They didn’t know that she’d lost faith. They didn’t realize that she only did this because of Micah. To Reese, Jessa was sacrificing herself to the ultimate sin and would be consorting with a demon.
“Do you think this one is a good candidate?” Reese’s lips twisted on the words, as if she didn’t want to say them.
Jessa wondered why they’d sent Reese. She was supposed to be with Micah. She shouldn’t even be a part of this mission. Usually, they sent one of the Displaced Ones. The low-level Diakonos had escaped the purge of the Order because the Commemoro didn’t know about them. The Diakonos had managed to expunge all personnel records prior to escaping the Primary Temple during the rebellion. Those who’d remained behind—fearing every day that somehow they’d be discovered—were called Displaced Ones, separated from the remains of the Order.
Reese was a higher-level Diakonos. She’d once served Diakonos Hendrin directly. Now she had a new calling. The calling that had once been Jessa’s. The calling the Order had turned over to Reese three years ago because Jessa had allowed it to become too personal.
“Jessa,” Reese whispered urgently.
Jessa snapped to attention, realizing that she’d allowed her mind to wander and hadn’t answered Reese’s question. They were waiting. They would want to know the answer. She couldn’t afford to hesitate. “I think he’ll claim me.”
That wasn’t what Reese had meant, and Jessa knew it. Reese proved Jessa’s suspicion by asking the more direct question. “Can you manipulate him?”
No. “Yes.” She was foolish to lie to Reese. She was also scared. Once again, she was letting things get too personal. She was supposed to choose an easy target, but she’d chosen the one she’d preferred instead.
Reese didn’t seem to realize she’d lied. She nodded approval, though her expression said she pitied Jessa.
“Why’d they send you, El?” Jessa asked, using the name she’d called Reese when Jessa had been the big kid in the orphanage where little Ellana had looked to her for protection from the others.
Reese sighed and looked down at the concrete. “They’re concerned… about you.”
Shaking her head, Jessa clarified. “Not about me—about whether they can trust me.” She crossed her arms over her chest to hide her clenched fists.
Nodding to acknowledge that correction, Reese met Jessa’s eyes again. “You’ve lost perspective before. They want to make sure you don’t do so again.”
“So they sent you? It still doesn’t make sense.”
“I know you the best.”
Do you? “You’re evaluating me. To report back.” It hurt. Reese had been as close to family as Jessa had ever gotten, until the Diakonos had taken them both from the orphanage. Perhaps because she’d been so young when they’d taken her, Reese had accepted her new calling readily. Jessa had been older, nearly able to leave the orphanage on her own when they’d come. She’d been a last minute choice. As they’d both progressed through the Order, they’d maintained a friendship of sorts, but it had grown apart over time. Now Reese was here to judge her faith. Perhaps it was a good thing Reese no longer knew her well.
“I’m sorry, Jessa. It’s just a precaution.” She did look sorry, and the despair was still casting a shadow in her eyes.
“What about Micah? Shouldn’t you be with him? Who’s with him now?” Perhaps that was the reason for her despair. Perhaps Reese had also allowed it to become too personal.
When Reese refused to meet her eyes, Jessa knew she’d guessed correctly. “I’ve been given a new mission. Another has been assigned to Micah.”
A cold feeling settled in the pit of Jessa’s gut. She knew and trusted Reese, as much as she trusted anyone. But Micah had someone else watching over him now. Someone she didn’t know and most certainly didn’t trust. She’d hoped by doing this mission, she could earn her way back into the good graces of Diakonos Hendrin and be reunited with Micah. Now that he didn’t even have Reese looking after him, Jessa was even more worried about his fate.
She had to succeed at her mission to convince Hendrin she could be trusted to see Micah again. As much as she dreaded what she must do, and as much as the thought of playing Gorzo for a fool both frightened and surprisingly depressed her, she had no choice. Micah needed her.
Chapter 5
Lady Lilith had been beyond thrilled to arrange Gorzo’s visit to Dome City to visit Jessa. As it happened, four of the other males would also be going along. To avoid appearing like a squadron of warriors descending upon the heavily guarded domes, Lilith had insisted they take a cruiser. No one was happy about that, but it was simply an unfortunate reality. If they were going to claim human concubines, they would have to get used to human modes of transportation and technology. The warriors had already committed to the idea, and they were too eager to back out of it now.
Gorzo was willing to deal with the discomfort of being wedged into the metal airboat with four other full-grown males, Lady Lilith and her handmaidens, and Duke Ranove—who never allowed Lilith to return to DC without him there to protect her. Gorzo’s journey across the sea had been within the confines of a wooden boat not much larger than the cruiser. He’d spent many days crammed inside a small cabin, wondering if he’d go mad from the constant battering of the waves on the vessel, until exhaustion from steering the boat by clinging to the mast and flying towards his destination had him passing out until nightfall—only to awaken and do it all over again. Compared to that, riding in an air cruiser was almost comfortable. It was certainly a small price to pay to see Jessa again.
As they flew towards Dome City, the males talked quietly among themselves, careful to remain respectful towards Gorzo but also excluding him from their conversation. He was content with that. They were young pups with nothing of interest to say. Their speculations were as immature as they were.
Fortunately, he suspected the females they’d come to visit were equally as vapid and would be suitably impressed by what they had to offer. Jessa had been something altogether different. He’d felt it when he’d been close to her. A sense of gravity surrounded her. She was a female of substance, despite her ethereal beauty. She was someone he could respect as well as desire. He was eager to see her again, just to reassure himself that he hadn’t only dreamed her.
“I am surprised to see you on this transport,” Duke Ranove said to Gorzo as he entered the passenger hold from the cockpit.
Gorzo’s smile was rueful. “Not as surprised as I am, my lord.”
Ranove chuckled as he approached Gorzo’s seat. His passage through the transport had looked to be as difficult for him as it had been for Gorzo, since they were of a similar height.
Built by Dornan Industries for Princess Stacia and Lady Lilith, the cruiser had also been designed to accommodate the larger size of the umbrose, but it was still cramped, and both Gorzo and Ranove still had to duck when walking through the passenger hold.
When he’d taken the seat beside Gorzo—left empty by the other males—Ranove studied Gorzo, who respected the duke enough not to take offense at his steady regard. “So you really found a human female you like?”
“You think that so unusual?” Since he felt the same surprise at himself, he didn’t take offense.
Ranove shrugged. “I am happy for you, my friend. My lady has been a true pleasure in my life.” He looked momentarily uncomfortable, as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t certain he should.
Gorzo leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “You have something on your mind.”
“Just let me know if you have any questions about the humans.”
It was Gorzo’s turn to chuckle. “You’d prefer I go to you, rather than your lady, for answers?”
Ranove growled and then bit back the sound as if he hadn’t intended to make it. Of all the males Gorzo had met since he’d come to Sanctuary, Ranove had the most control over his primal. He held it in check with an iron will that Gorzo had to admire, even though he abhorred the practice. It seemed, though, that even Ranove’s primal was starting to break through the mental chains that bound it. “I would prefer that you ask your questions of me. My lady has enough to occupy her attention.” He glanced back at the cabin where Lilith must have wrested the controls of the cruiser from him. Unlike most umbrose, Ranove liked human technology and liked flying the cruiser. However, an umbrose-operated vehicle approaching DC was more confrontational, according to Lilith.
“She gave me an information packet.” Gorzo still couldn’t believe some of the things he’d read in there. He’d actually gotten uncomfortable, and uncomfortably aroused, reading about human mating habits and techniques. They had strange customs. Picturing the lovely Jessa doing some of those things had nearly sent him over the edge.
Ranove looked embarrassed at the mention of the packet. Apparently he was well aware of some of the more interesting sections. “Right. The packet. It should answer most of your questions, but it doesn’t cover all situations.”
Jessabelle's Beast (Shadows in Sanctuary Book 3) Page 4