* * * *
Brianna frowned, thinking. She’d always known the stone had some inner power. There was an energy she’d always felt, which was easily perverted when exposed to the wrong element. “This is what the bad guys want?” She put a hand to her breast, closing her hand around the pendant, as if that action alone would protect it.
Niklas shook his head. “They want both of you. They know only you can wield the power contained within its depths.”
“Me, why me?” she gasped, her eyes wide with alarm. Her body stiffened with shock, and she began to sway back and forth.
He rushed to her side and thrust his arm out to steady her, before she toppled over. “You are a direct descendant of Morwyyn. He also had the power to wield the stone.”
“Why didn’t you just get another stone? Why didn’t they?” She took a deep breath, shaking her head. She backed away from Niklas, her eyes wide, floored by the realization that she wasn’t just plain Brianna anymore. Was she some strange sorceress who could save their world merely by waving her arms and her wand? The idea was mind-boggling. Brianna opened her hand, looked at the pendant she’d loved for so long and looked up into his eyes. “How could something so harmless looking cause so much trouble?”
He shrugged, a casual movement which rippled the muscles beneath his shirt. Brianna turned away, trying to ignore the sight.
Even Niklas didn’t understand many things, yet he had to try to explain them to her. He took her arm and gently led her from the huge room. “No one knows where the stone came from or how Morwyyn was able to charge it with his power. Even on my world, some think it’s just a legend, still others believe he engineered it somehow. Perhaps he did.”
Brianna nodded and followed Niklas into an express lift. He spoke something in his language and the small room shifted slightly. “The materia prima,” she whispered. Her hand closed around her pendant and felt it pulse against her palm. The energy radiating from the stone strengthened every time Niklas got near it.
What had Morwyyn done? What was it Morgaine said about him? Something about him having enough power to escape this world during the time of persecution or something like that? Morgaine had also said that her grandfather would be pleased. Present tense. The thought that he could still be alive was totally insane. Yet hope flared within her. Family.
The lift doors opened and she followed Niklas out into a familiar hallway. “How do you think Morwyyn could have created such a thing? Was he really so powerful?” Had her family retained possession of the legendary philosopher’s stone all these years?
Niklas turned, slowing his gait when he realized she had a hard time keeping up. “It is said his mother was human, his father Fae. Morwyyn received the frailty of the human body, but he was able to live in the realm of the Fae where he would not age.”
Brianna shook her head to clear it. “What is that supposed to mean exactly?” Looking up at him, Bri hoped she didn’t sound stupid, but she couldn’t help it. She still wasn’t quite herself after she lost consciousness. Surprised to see they’d already reached the door to his suite of rooms where he’d insisted she sleep, Brianna looked up with shock. She’d been unaware that they were even heading in that direction. She’d been so preoccupied with her thoughts.
Niklas punched a complex code onto the keypad and the door opened quietly. “To put it simply, he was half-human and half-faery.” Niklas threw her an odd look.
“I understood that part,” Brianna said dryly. “So stop looking at me as if you think I’m dense.” She crossed her arms and glowered at him. “I meant the part about his being able to live in their realm.”
He ushered her into the room, then closed the door behind them and led her to the far corner. “Most stories about Morwyyn border on the fantastic. Some rumored him to be hundreds of years old.” He chuckled. “Some even rumor him to still be alive, living in the faery realm.”
“Why is that so hard to believe?” She walked across the room to sit down. She jumped up with a squeal when the seat began to conform to her size and shape.
“Relax, Laharra, it moves to make you more comfortable. There is no reason to be frightened.”
Niklas crowded her back to the chair, holding her hands as she sat down. Enduring her death grip, he held her wide-eyed gaze with a smile as the seat conformed to her size and shape.
“How am I supposed to get used to that?” Brianna looked down at the chair. Bending from the waist, she put her head between her legs to look under it. She wanted to figure out how it worked.
Niklas shrugged. “It has been thus all of my life.”
She shrugged. “Of course, you don’t know anything different.”
Niklas shook his head. “But of course I know things are different in different places. I have the experiences of being on other worlds. Your world, for instance,” he said matter of fact.
“Of course. You have experienced other cultures.”
He nodded. “As, in time, you shall experience other cultures. Then perhaps our way will not seem so foreign to you.”
Brianna nodded thoughtfully. She could understand that. A country with no understanding of computers might think a computer was strange. A world without space travel would think a spaceship was strange or magical. It made sense, although for him, it most likely worked in reverse.
Everyone thought his things were magic, and he probably thought everyone else was strange. Brianna giggled at the thought. She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. She didn’t want to have to explain that to Niklas. Carefully, she took the chain from around her neck and held it up to the light, watching the peculiar glow shine through the milky depths of the stone. “What should I do with this? I don’t think I should be wearing it like it’s nothing if it’s so powerful.” She dangled it out in front of her.
He reached out to take it, his hand palm up, waiting for her to trust him.
How could I not trust you, Laharru. You wait for me to give you the stone when we both know you could easily take it.
* * * *
Niklas inclined his head. He knew he didn’t deserve her. He would spend the rest of his life trying to be worthy of his Brianna. Still, he waited for her to place the stone in his hand. When she hesitated for a single moment, he gave her a knowing look. He raised a brow, waiting.
She smiled softly and slowly lowered the chain until the stone rested in the center of his palm, then closed his fingers around it.
He felt the energy flow through them both.
“You should put this away before the power affects us. I don’t know about you, but I can feel it inside of me, making me feel…” A blush dusted her cheeks.
Niklas felt it, too. The stone amplified their energy. Right now it amplified their frustrated sexual energy, and they were both becoming very aroused. He turned to the corner and waved his hand, using his DNA to open a closet. The lock clicked open. Niklas reached inside and took out a box. He turned and motioned for Brianna to join him.
Niklas showed her the plain looking metal box. Brianna could see the drawers and wondered if it was the safest place for her pendant.
“If you press here on this side, then here on the top, this door will swing open.”
Brianna watched with interest as Niklas hid the stone in a secret compartment.
He opened one of the drawers, showing her it was a toolbox.
“How clever.” Anyone looking for it would either assume she was wearing it or check the jewelry box. Or some other place to keep valuables. Who would look for it in a toolbox? Brianna cleared her throat. “Niklas, why do you have a toolbox in your room? I don’t mean to offend you, but you just don’t seem like the type to repair things,” she asked, curiously.
“There are times when I do my own repairs.” He looked affronted.
She grinned, her eyes, showing her mirth. “Excuse me, I didn’t mean to offend your masculinity. You just don’t seem like the type, that’s all.”
He crossed his arms over his chest an
d frowned. “Just what type do I look like, Brianna?”
Shrugging, her sense of humor kicked into high gear. She walked past the table in the corner, sliding her hand over it as she walked. “Oh I don’t know, you have this…presence or something. You have an authoritative attitude, like you’re used to people doing everything you tell them to do.”
He snorted. “Like you do?” he asked, trying not to let the way she caressed the table have an effect on him, but he was having a difficult time controlling himself. He watched while Brianna’s hips swayed gently as she made a slow circuit of the room.
She turned, smiling over her shoulder. “I might. You just haven’t asked me in the right way. Yet.” She winked and gave him a sultry look that left Niklas steaming.
“Would you care to elaborate on how I should proceed? Will you tell me the right way?” He was stalking her now.
* * * *
Brianna laughed. “I didn’t mean right now, Niklas. You have a lot of explaining to do. And I want to see this ship.” She backed away with her hand flung out in front of her.
The look in his eyes was hungry, predatory.
“I’m sorry for teasing you. I don’t know what came over me.” The smile melted from Brianna’s face. She watched him, wary. “I don’t know if I can just pick up where we left off. I don’t even know if I can even trust you anymore.” She tilted her head to the side, pinching her lip between her teeth. “I need some time.”
Niklas’s expression changed, became shuttered. He stopped his pursuit, leaned toward the wall, and pressed a button next to a blinking yellow light on the communication panel. “This is Niklas. What do you need?” he asked in English. Pausing, he stared at the wall in front of him while he waited for the answer, his head tilted to the side as he listened to the exchange in Terrnan. He turned his head and lifted his gaze to look into her eyes. “I have to go. There seems to be some trouble on the bridge.” He turned and left the room.
Brianna watched him go with mixed feelings. Part of her wanted him so badly she ached from it. Another part knew she couldn’t trust him. She sat on the huge bed and waited for it to change size. How in the world was she going to get used to that? Furniture wasn’t supposed to move on its own. Shaking her head, she looked out through the window. Stars streamed by as she watched, like long streaks of light in the darkness of space.
What in the world was she supposed to do on this ship? She had no job, no real function other than chief complainer and head bitch. The damn thing even cleaned itself. She walked over to the replicator, deciding to figure out how to use it. Brianna watched Niklas use one at lunch to make her iced tea, but she wasn’t sure how they worked. She wasn’t really all that hungry anymore, but a nice piece of pie would help or chocolate. Brianna licked her lips at the thought. She loved chocolate. She brightened, chocolate pie sounded like a good compromise. That would hit the spot.
She walked up to the replicator slowly. Reaching out with no small degree of trepidation, she punched a few buttons. The thing beeped and bleeped, which didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary. She waited a full minute before she realized it was going to take a while to learn how certain things worked around here.
Her stomach grumbled in protest. She put her hand on it and scowled. “Oh, shut up.”
Chapter Fifteen
She was going crazy! There was nothing for her to do here. Brianna tried to find something to do, even offered to help the cook, but no one would let her lift a finger. They treated her much the same as they treated Niklas. She scowled at no one in particular, thought of their conversation the other day, and nodded to herself. She’d been right, Niklas did have presence. Everyone on this ship deferred to him. She figured that was normal since he was their Captain. But did they have to treat him like some sort of God? Sheesh.
It was obvious he was used to getting his way. He answered to no one while in space. “Spoiled rotten brat,” she muttered. She wondered how well he followed orders from his superiors when he was home. Niklas didn’t seem the type to bow to anyone else’s judgment. Yet he made her feel like his partner, as if she’d had a choice in coming on this journey. She had to love him for that. He never treated her, or anyone else, as if they were beneath him. He was a man with an abundance of power, yet he didn’t abuse it.
Niklas began sleeping in the regular crew quarters since he’d brought her on board. Brianna still didn’t know how she felt about that. Although she knew she would have been horrified had he demanded some sort of conjugal rights since he said they were married in the eyes of his people.
It was strange, though. Everyone treated her like his wife even though they made no pretense of sleeping together. Niklas didn’t even eat with her half of the time. The thought made her fret. “Why is he avoiding me? You’d think he’d want to patch things up.” She paced the room, wondering what she could do to make him spend more time with her. After all, no one liked spending all of their time alone.
The crew acted strange around her, too. None of them wanted to call her by her name, even though Brianna had given permission to them several times. They all called her Ma’am. It made her feel like her mother.
Brianna left her quarters, determined to find Niklas. She couldn’t stand it anymore. The sexual tension between them was tangible. It had to stop and so did this Ma’am business. She caught up with him just outside the cafeteria. “Niklas, we have to talk.” Her hand on his arm, she stopped him from following Cholo into the room.
He smiled and took her hand. “We can talk over lunch.” He seemed genuinely happy to see her, although it seemed he had been avoiding her for the last few weeks.
She held fast. He wasn’t doing this to her again. “No, Niklas, we cannot talk over lunch. I need to talk with you alone.” Brianna watched him intently. If she didn’t know better, she would swear he was nervous. “Now.”
“That would be wonderful, Laharra. Would you care to join me for lunch first?”
She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed convulsively. He turned to enter the door, about to leave her in the hallway.
Brianna held tight to his sleeve. “Oh, no, you don’t, mister. The last time I pinned you down, you wanted to have lunch. Then you conveniently had an emergency on the bridge. You told me to wait for you, and I waited for two hours before I finally gave up, damn it. You’re coming with me. Now!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, falling into step behind her.
“Stop calling me that,” she smacked him on the arm. “Everyone on this ship calls me ma’am. I’m sick of it.”
“I’m sorry, Laharra, I didn’t realize it made you uncomfortable. They do not feel comfortable calling you by your name.”
“Why? Because I’m the captain’s wife?” Brianna watched his reaction. The color rose from his neck, and his face turned red. What was it that he was afraid to tell her?
“No, it is not because you are the captain’s wife.” Niklas sighed. “Come with me.” He took her hand and pulled her behind him to his quarters. She almost had to run to keep up with him, his stride was so long, and he walked quickly. He spoke the pass code, pushed the door open, then shut it firmly behind her. When they were finally alone, he sighed looking down at his feet. He actually looked nervous.
“I wish I could have told you everything before I had to force you to come with me. You have been wonderful, considering the circumstances,” he said as he paced in front of her. “You could have spent days, weeks, ranting and raving, cursing me and my people, but you have been everything that is gracious.” Niklas turned, put his hands in his pockets and heaved a sigh.
She listened, half bemused. Was he saying she was being too nice? She wished she had the power to read his thoughts when he didn’t want her to. He was very good at setting up barriers. Besides, during the past weeks of separation, it seemed that she lost what little ability she’d had to read his mind. She swallowed, not at all sure she was ready to hear what he was going to say next. “What are you saying
?” She walked to the bed and sat down. It had adjusted itself to her size earlier, so it didn’t move.
He raked a hand through his hair as he paced from one side of the room to the other. “I doubt you will like this. but I have put this off long enough. We are only a month from Terrna now, and you must come to terms with this before we arrive.”
Niklas was nervous. She’d never seen him like this before. He actually looked frightened. But what could he be afraid of?
“The way my crew treats you is very different from how the rest of my people are going to treat you. The members of the crew are getting to know you. Soon, they may call you by your name as they call me by mine. It took forever for them to do that by the way. Months.” He smiled ruefully. He walked to the window, looking out into the darkness of space. “I need to ask you a question. Your answer will hopefully give me the courage to continue.” He turned to look over his shoulder. At her questioning look, he asked, “Do you love me, Brianna?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “Yes, of course I do. How else could I have forgiven you or come to terms with all of this so quickly? My love for you overshadows the rest.”
Niklas sighed with relief. “Then hopefully, that will help you with this also. The people on my world will treat you differently. You must expect that as your due.”
“I don’t understand. How will the rest of your people treat me? Will they resent me because I am an off-worlder?” Expect their disdain as her due? Well that hurt. She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.
Niklas ran his hand through his hair again.
Briannas Prophecy Page 17