by Lea Kirk
She narrowed her eyes in the most threatening manner possible. “Don’t mess with an attorney. I will take you down feather by feather, and laugh the entire time.”
Technically, she was retired, but only for two years. She’d kept up with the changes in the laws—on Earth at least. Intergalactic law would require some research, but she could figure it out if necessary. He didn’t need to know that, though.
She turned away and stomped across the neighbor’s lawn. The dew that glistened so beautifully in the lawn seemed to leap onto her canvas sneakers and soak through.
Aw, yuck. Nothing like squishing all the way home. Good thing she lived only a block away.
Chapter 8
Kyzel eyed the long, tall archway. It appeared to be made from a green-toned metal, woven like entwining vines. Beneath it many passed, mostly Earth fledglings who seemed unaccountably excited. The adults accompanying the fledglings appeared less enthusiastic, and focused on keeping their young flocks from merging with other young flocks.
He turned his gaze to the female at his side. In her eyes was a mix of pride and apprehension. Coming to this place had been her recommendation. Did she fear he would not like it?
Truthfully, he had no opinion yet, but he did have questions. “Do all these fledglings belong to one family unit?”
“No. They’re from different schools, taking what we call a field trip.” She nodded in the direction of a boisterous group going by. “That’s like a learning excursion. They come here to learn about different birds, some which they’ve never seen because they only live in other parts of the world.”
One little fledgling stopped to stare at him with wide dark eyes. Another behind her, also staring at him, walked right into her. Both toppled over and sprawled on the ground.
“Annabelle.” One of the adult females hurried over. “What have we said about staring?”
“Yeah, Annabelle,” one of the other two fledglings mocked as he scrambled back to his feet. “Haven’t you ever seen an off-worlder before?”
Annabelle picked herself up and dusted herself off. “You were staring too, Ben.”
The adult took them each by a hand. “Enough, you two. Let’s go.”
Both of the fledglings kept pace with her, craning their heads around so far to continue staring their necks must hurt. And then they were gone, melting into the crowd.
Kyzel met Robyn’s gaze. “Ah.”
“Yes. Ah.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“People staring.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and shrugged. “You’d think after so many years of off-world visitors, people wouldn’t do that so much.”
“I do not mind. The wings are an unusual feature on most worlds. Even I recognize this.” He made a sweeping gesture with his hand toward the archway. “Global Avery Sanctuary?”
Robyn’s eyes widened slightly. “You can read English too?”
“It is a multi-media translator.”
“Oh, neat.” She grinned. “It’s Aviary, not Avery.”
“A-vi-ary.” He gazed down at her. “A home for birds? Is this why you brought me here?”
“Uh.” An attractive pink tinge dusted her cheeks, visible even though her glasses. “Not exactly…sort of. It’s just that you remind me of a bird of prey—like an eagle—and I thought….” She covered her face with her hands. “Oh, my gosh, it sounds so silly now.”
He moved to stand in front her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Robyn.”
She slipped her hands down enough to peer over her fingertips at him.
“I would be honored to view the creatures of your world that are so similar to my people.”
“You would?” She lowered her hands to chin level.
“Of course.”
Relief sparkled in her blue eyes and her smile was all his. “That’s great. Ready, then?”
“Yes.” In so many ways.
Robyn pursed her lips together. Ever since entering the aviary, Kyzel’s eager expression had faded bit by bit. And now…well now he seemed to be MIA, even though she’d left him in front of the hummingbird window directly across from the women’s room.
Who lost a seven-foot-tall winged alien in under three minutes? Just you, Robbi. Just you.
He had to be around here somewhere.
Two security guards ran past her, their expressions grim. Mild concern fluttered in her stomach. That couldn’t be good. Kyzel didn’t seem like the troublemaking type, but what did she know? She’d only just met him. She moved to follow the guards, jogging and weaving between kids and adults toward the huge exhibit cage along the back wall.
One of the raptor enclosures. The one with an ever-growing crowd in front of it.
“Sir, come out of there, now.” The words came from somewhere ahead.
A heavy weight sank into her stomach as she pushed through the crowd. Then she saw him. Kyzel. He was inside the cage, arguing with another security guard, and looking gloriously righteous. Something about the way he held his wings, high and partly unfurled, expressed such visual passion. Like an eagle prepared to defend his nest.
What he didn’t seem to notice were the two guards she’d followed entering the cage through an access gate behind him.
Next to her, a young woman dressed in goth-black, with matching hair, fumbled with an expensive-looking camera. And she wasn’t the only one. Others had their cell phones out to record the…the…the incident. Visions of videos being shared on the local evening news danced before her eyes and a long, low groan escaped her.
Expensive Camera Girl jerked her head up and narrowed her eyes. “Do you know him?”
Not really, apparently. She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a word, a long, muscular male arm reached passed her and the attached hand closed around the girl’s camera, plucking it neatly from her hands.
“Hey.” ECG tried to snatch back her equipment, hopping repeatedly and in vain. “Give that back.”
“In due time,” a deep voice responded.
Robyn turned, and tipped her neck back to get a look at the huge man at her shoulder. The guy was as tall as Kyzel, but much younger. Not a single crinkle at the corners of his black-as-night eyes, nor a hint a gray in his glossy black wings or headfeathers. What was another Bezchian doing here?
“No,” ECG protested. “That’s mine. Give it.”
“Meet me under the archway in ten of your minutes.” The black-feathered Bezchian met Robyn’s gaze. “Come with me, Ms. Robyn. We must perform an extraction.”
“A w-what?”
The newcomer cupped her elbow in his giant hand and guided her through the crowd toward the access gate. Apparently, the conversation was over and it was time for action.
They arrived at the gate, and Robyn folded her arms under her breasts. “Well? Now what? Are we going in too?”
Wouldn’t that just boost the broadcast ratings?
“No,” the stranger replied. “I will take it from here. Please stay in place.”
That was interesting phrasing, but he had said please.
“Kee mohap.” Black Wing’s words meant nothing to her, but they did get an instant reaction from Kyzel. He whipped his head around and blinked.
Black Wing rattled off a string of words, then tipped his head in her direction. Kyzel’s attention was instantly on her—and so were many of the cell phones, until one black wing curved around her. The new Bezchian had blocked her from the crowd’s view. She gave him a grateful look, then turned her attention back to Kyzel.
It appeared that all the anger had drained from him. He lowered his own wings into what she recognized as their resting position.
He turned back to the guards. “I apologize for my actions. I will leave now.”
“Damn right you will,” one of the guards replied as the other made a shooing motion at a turkey vulture that had hopped closer to check out the commotion. “Move along.
We’re gonna go have a word with the director.”
Oh, great.
Kyzel nodded, and the entire group headed toward the gate. Once the group exited, he moved to stand in front of her, curving his wings forward to create a sense of privacy as Black Wing stepped back.
“I am sorry, Robyn. I behaved rashly.”
“Why—”
“Hey,” one of the guards snapped. “Let’s go, buddy.”
She gazed up at Kyzel. There was something in his eyes that seemed to reach out to her, willing her to understand. And, she wanted to understand; wanted to give him the chance to explain.
All right then. She’d follow her heart…this time.
She turned to follow the guards, Kyzel close behind.
Chapter 9
The director’s upstairs office was sparsely furnished—a desk, a credenza, two filing cabinets, and a pair of chairs arranged in front of the desk. A large dry erase board took up most of the left-hand wall. All in all, nothing spectacular, but the view was fantastic. The entire back wall was one-way glass that gave an unobstructed view of the main aviary building. Including the cage Kyzel had trespassed into.
“Here they are, Ms. Taylor,” the guard who seemed to be the boss announced.
Ms. Taylor, aka the director of the aviary, could easily be summed up in one word: severe. From her high cheekbones and sharply defined jawline, to her intense dark eyes. Even her hair was pulled back, her tight curls tamed smooth into a bun at the nape of her neck. The only thing that might be soft about her was the deep brown of her skin tone.
This was a woman who took her job seriously, who’d probably fought hard to earn it. Which meant Kyzel’s lack of judgement would have them dumped on the sidewalk outside the facility in less than five minutes. Minus a refund of their entrance fees.
Ms. Taylor eyed Kyzel with suspicion. “Thank you, Fred. Please wait outside.”
Fred looked like he’d protest, but Ms. Taylor gave him a scathing glare. Then it seemed he couldn’t get out of the office fast enough.
Yep. Severe. Even the employees didn’t mess with her. Besides, there wasn’t a lot of room in the office, even though Kyzel held his wings close to his back. Black Wing stood in the corridor, ECG’s camera around his neck, and wearing an unhappy frown.
The door closed with a soft thump, and silence settled into the room.
“So.” Ms. Taylor’s narrowed gaze was focused on them, the promise of a good dressing down in the depths of that gaze as she leaned back in her chair. “You broke at least a half dozen rules, committed as many safety violations, and created a stressful atmosphere for not only the birds in the habitat, but also my employees. Explain yourself.”
Kyzel shifted, standing a little straighter. “I do not understand why.”
“Why what?”
“Why are they caged? They should fly free.”
The director frowned. “You mean the birds?”
Ohh, so that’s the problem. He didn’t like the birds being caged. Which meant…. Oh, gracious. He had intended to free them.
“Yes,” Kyzel confirmed. “Why are they kept here? And do not tell me it is for educational purposes.”
The dawning of understanding lit Ms. Taylor’s face too, and she actually smiled. It was a nice smile that softened her features a bit. “What are your names?”
Robyn took a step forward. “This is Kyzel Raptorclaw, visiting from Bezchi, and my name’s Robyn Donahue. I’m really sorry we upset everyone. I thought this would be a good place for a, erm, first date. I didn’t even think it’d upset him to see the birds.”
Ms. Taylor nodded, her gaze traveling back and forth between them. “Normally, what you did would get you automatically ejected from the premises. But before I do that, the Global Aviary Sanctuary is an educational center, and I sense here an opportunity to educate.” She pushed back from her desk and stood. “Come with me. I have something to show you.”
A few minutes later, Ms. Taylor led them into an unobtrusive building in the farthest corner of the facility. The scent of industrial disinfectant tickled Robyn’s nose as they walked through a wide, airy room lined with observation windows. The place smelled a lot like a hospital.
Kyzel was alert, taking everything in with wide eyes, as if he might miss something. “What is this place?”
“The bird rescue medical center.” Ms. Taylor guided him to a window. The room on the other side of the glass was empty, save for a young woman setting up trays with packaged surgical instruments. “This is our surgical room, where injured and sick birds are brought. We deal with everything from broken wings to being shot with arrows, and worse.”
Robyn squished her nose in sympathy for the unknown birds. “That’s awful.”
“Yes, well, there are awful people in this world.” Ms. Taylor sighed. “And we haven’t been able to save all the birds, but we do what we can.”
Kyzel frowned. “I do not understand. Why do you keep them here?”
Robyn gave him a smile. “This is a bird rescue sanctuary, Mr. Raptorclaw. We try to save birds of all types here. Then, if a bird is healthy enough, it’s returned to the wild. Freed. Not kept here in a cage.”
“Then why are there caged birds?”
Ms. Taylor gave a nod. “Those are the ones who can’t survive in the wild anymore.”
Kyzel’s expression cleared, and the corners of his mouth crept up into a small smile. “I see. You give them sanctuary.”
“Exactly,” Ms. Taylor said. “My gut tells me that what you did was simply a cultural misunderstanding. I’m going to cut you some slack, as long as you promise to stay out of the birds’ habitats.”
“That is very gracious of you, Ms. Taylor.” Kyzel gave the director a bow. “I will respect your rules, you need not worry.”
“Oh, I’ll still worry, but my gut is rarely wrong. So, I’m going with it, this time.” She nodded to each of them. “Please enjoy the rest of your day, and the sanctuary.”
Kyzel gazed up as he passed under the sanctuary’s beautiful archway. There was no denying that this was an institution of honor. He understood that now, although the air current to that enlightenment had been rough. For a time, he had feared Robyn would part ways with him over his misguided, rash actions.
Yet she had stayed, defended him, taken responsibility for her part, and, most importantly, was still at his side. She carried honor within her soul, as a monarch should. At some point he would have to tell her, but it was too soon. His agreement with Rol would be honored until the time was right.
He turned his gaze toward Robyn. The top of her head barely reached his elbow, yet she walked with the confidence of a warrior. She would be respected for that on his planet.
She glanced up and met his gaze. “Do you feel better about this place now?”
“Immensely. I still regret any embarrassment I caused you.”
She waved one fine-boned hand. “It’s all forgotten.”
Apprehension gripped his insides. “You do not remember?”
Robyn slipped the same hand into his larger one. “That’s a way of saying it’s in the past and I have forgiven you.”
Sweet relief. She did not have the early stages of the mindlessness. And, she was holding his hand of her own volition. The simple connection sent a flood of effervescent warmth through him, and his heart soared on currents of joy.
He wrapped his fingers around her hand as they strolled into the green zone—the park—surrounding the sanctuary. “Thank you. I will be more careful in the future.”
“Don’t.” There was an earnestness to the word. “I mean, just be you, Kyzel. Don’t worry about what I think. I can tell you, from personal experience, that always trying to live up to someone else’s expectations does bad things to a person’s self-esteem.”
“Personal experience? Would you explain?”
She huffed a laugh. “I was married for thirty-five years to a man who expected me to fit his image o
f me. Once our youngest daughter graduated college, she moved out, and I walked out the door with her.”
“You have a fledg…no, she is not a fledgling any longer, is she?”
“No.” She grinned. “She’s a twenty-seven-year-old tech geek.”
“Tech geek?”
“Computers. And I tell you, ever since the Galactic Alliance of Planets made first contact, there’s so much new stuff, more than I can keep up with. But you’ll see when you meet her, she gets it all.” Robyn pointed to a large red and yellow cart at the bend of the path. “Are you hungry?”
It had been many hours since break-fast. “I am.”
“Great. Connie has the best sausages in the park...oh, wait. Do you eat meat?”
“Not all Bezchians do, but I am of the raptor clan, and we prefer meat.”
“I should’ve known.” She seemed intrigued by his revelation. “Come on.”
He allowed her to take the lead. Soon they had their “Polish sausages” in hand, and found seating on the rim of a large fountain. He bit into the first sausage and the casing popped, flooding his mouth with a juicy, spicy deliciousness he had no words to describe. All he could do was close his eyes and savor the unusual alien flavors.
“Do you like it?” Robyn asked.
He swallowed the food down. “I have never tasted the like. It is outstanding.”
She appeared incredibly pleased by this, then bit into her sausage…and he could not draw a breath. How could chewing be so mesmerizing? Then she swallowed, and her throat moved with the action, sending his thoughts in the most inappropriate direction possible.
That was, of course, the moment she turned her blue eyes on him and smiled. He should feel the stinging heat of embarrassment, but it was oddly absent. Instead, contentment filled all the aching, dark corners of his soul. Corners Careene had never touched.
Robyn cleared her throat. “So, do you have—”
A cry of frustrated anger drew his attention to a thicket of bushes several paces away. A female Earthling with short-cropped black hair stood gazing up with her hands on her hips. Hovering above the bushes was Fyad, something rectangular with a cylindrical appendage dangling by a strap from his hand.