That was definitely at the top of her list. She knew virtually nothing about this man who was supposedly her soul mate. Alex glanced at Tarsea and gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Maybe if she knew him better, she would be more relaxed in his presence. Better able to handle the attraction she felt for him. It was not lost on her that every time he touched or held her, those fears and reservations disappeared.
“So, what is first on the agenda gentleman?” She pushed back her plate and was ready to dive head first into the choppy waters she was having to navigate in a short period of time. She was taken aback by how excited she really was to get to know about Tarsea and her new world.
“We all have places to be, so we thought you should have some time alone with Tarsea before your aunt arrives.” Darden then faced the man in question. “We will all be back later this afternoon. You also have an appointment today that you need to handle as well.”
Alex noted Tarsea gave her an uncomfortable look before he left to escort his brother and friends out.
Tarsea saw his friends and his brother to the door as Alexandra cleared the table. He saw the questioning look in her eyes when Darden mentioned the appointment he had later this afternoon. It would not have surprised him to have Alexandra leverage the soul mate telepathic channel and ask him about the appointment. He was now dealing with his soul mate and he made a pledge to himself right here and now he would not hide anything from her.
He made his way to the kitchen as Alexandra finished clearing the dishes. Tarsea liked how Troyk fashion looked on her. The tunic melded to her curves up top and the leggings brought out her shapely legs.
He wrapped her in his arms and whispered in her ear, “We should go to the couch, I need to talk to you.” Although he could have used their channel, he liked the feel of being so close to her ear. He started nibbling on that delectable part of her anatomy and felt her immediate response to what he was doing.
Feeling ever so romantic, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the common room. She weighed virtually nothing. He smiled, remembering one of his first thoughts on the mountain was about feeding her. He started thinking about all sorts of ways he would feed her. Let us see, in bed, naked, lips to lips and so on.
She giggled and nuzzled his neck. Once he reached the couch, he let her down. They both got comfortable, entwined together on the sofa cushions.
Alexandra broke the silence and finally asked the question he was waiting for. “What appointment do you have this afternoon? You had a look of terror on your face when Darden mentioned it.” She looked so concerned, it warmed Tarsea’s heart.
“Our government is run by the Prime Council and is ruled by a man named Jeryl Jarlyn. A faction that uses mind control is in power, a faction that my father and friends have been secretly fighting. We must appear to support this faction in the work we do that is visible to all and the relationships we have. One of the most powerful members of the council is Prime Adholm.”
Tarsea took a deep breath, ready to share with Alexandra the piece of news he knew would not make her happy. “I have been dating his daughter Chartail.”
“Dating,” Alexandra asked, “as having slept with her?” He noted her stern expression, which did not surprise him.
Tarsea nodded. “Yes,” Tarsea confessed, “we have slept together. She is a nice girl who I used for her connections. I knew it was never going to turn into a serious relationship, but my cover was critical to mine and others’ safety. There was no question she was not my soul mate. Frankly, I did not believe soul mates existed until you came through the portal yesterday.”
“Describe her to me,” Alexandra demanded. She was not going to just let this go. He was kind of flattered by her jealousy.
Before he had the time to respond, she got within an inch of his face. “If she is tall and blond, you are in serious trouble.” She was ferocious and as sexy as any woman he had ever encountered.
He pounced on her, pushing her back into the couch. Tarsea started kissing her lips with an urgency he had promised her last night their next kiss would possess. His right arm caressed the curves the tunic covered, while his left arm went down along her leggings. He continued to ravish her succulent lips while she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“She is tall and blond,” Tarsea shared with her, “but she never made my blood boil the way being with you does.” He knew she would ultimately meet Chartail, so the sooner he addressed the question, the better. Alexandra appeared to have issues with tall blondes. He continued to assault her body and he could hear little noises coming out of her.
“Tarsea,” Alexandra pushed through the link, “I have to come up for air.”
He backed off for a minute, while she caught her breath. He licked his lips, savoring her taste. She tasted of herbs and something uniquely Alexandra. The taste was addicting.
“Wow!” Alex sighed. “You are really good at this. As a stalling mechanism, that was commendable. Plus the kiss wasn’t bad either.” She took another breath, smiled and then it was her turn to go on the offensive.
A wave of cold water hit him and Alexandra when his father’s voice broke into their lust filled conscious. “We made better time than we had expected and the shuttle was early.”
Tarsea and Alexandra released each other in a split second and sprang to their feet almost simultaneously.
He looked at Alexandra, whose eyes were transfixed on the stranger who stood between his father and mother. The woman was of short stature, like his soul mate, and had her coloring. There was a strong family resemblance between the woman who stood next to him and the one across the room.
He heard a stifled cry from Alexandra. Tarsea watched her run across the room, to be met half way by her aunt. The two women embraced, both crying uncontrollably.
Alex held her aunt as if she was drowning and the woman was a piece of wood, keeping her from sinking into the dark depth of the ocean. She felt the dam of emotions break that every orphan experienced when they found out they were not alone in the world. Alex started to cry along with the woman who was shaking in her arms.
She did not know how long she and her aunt held each other. It appeared that neither woman wanted to break the embrace that was a lifetime in the making.
“Oh, my little Alexia,” her aunt cried. “You are finally home.”
Alex released her aunt, took a step back and wiped the tears from her face. “Alexia?” she asked her aunt.
“Your mother Starta must have named you Alexandra after our mother Alexia,” her aunt explained.
Alex looked at her aunt. She had the same shade of green as Alex’s eyes and her hair was a little lighter auburn with streaks of gray. Never in a million years had Alex ever believed she would find out why she was named Alexandra.
“My friends call me Alex,” she shared, “that’s pretty close to Alexia.”
Her knees were shaking and she needed to sit. She took her aunt’s hand and led her to the couch.
Leenea came in with a couple steaming mugs of the wonderful beverage that always made Alex feel better. She handed one to each of the women, while Zane gave his son another beverage and joined them. The men were probably drinking something stronger than herbal tea, Alex thought.
“They mentioned you were my aunt,” Alex said. “I guess you were my mother’s sister.” She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but did not want to overwhelm the woman. It also dawned on her that she did not even know her aunt’s name. “I now know what my mother’s name was, but I don’t know yours.”
Her aunt smiled and shared with the group, “My name is Norri. I still cannot believe you are finally home. What happened to your mother and your father, Blaylot?”
Alex had not known her parents’ names until today and truly felt their loss. She tried to hold back the tears that started to ro
ll down her cheeks.
“They died before I even had any memories of them. I was born on Ear-- in the Ginkgo Terra Universe and I understand there is something in the air that attacks our telepathic brains when we reach our mid-twenties. Although I cannot know for sure, but I believe that killed them. I was told they died in a car accident.”
Norri nodded her head. “I expect it was asking too much to get Starta back as well. She was my twin sister. We were so close when we were growing up.”
Alex could see Norri was trying to come to grips with a loss that occurred so long ago, but a hope that had lived for so many years.
Alex concentrated on her aunt and attempted to push a thought to her. “I know I cannot replace my mother, but you have me now.” There was no additional static or nose bleed from her first attempt at using the familial link. She noticed her aunt’s gaze fell back on her and a sad smile graced her face.
“Yes, I have you now. It has been a long time since someone used the familial pathway to communicate to me. My parents died ten years ago. I had no brothers or sisters, other than Starta. We have extended family somewhere, I had not bothered to maintain a relationship.”
Alex did not want to take any chances after the telepathic push through the familial link. She took several large gulps of the herbal beverage. Hopefully, it would counteract any negative impact on her brain and she would not get a bloody nose.
“You are welcome to stay with us as long as you like,” Leenea said to Norri. “You are part of our family now, although we will not be able to link into your familial channel.”
Norri looked confused. “I thought the plan was for me to take Alexia home with me. After Darden contacted me originally I started mentioning a distant relative that would be moving in with me. I was surprised to hear from Darden so soon. I had thought it would be another year or so before he would bring her back.”
Tarsea spoke up. “Fate intervened sooner than planned. Alexandra fell through a portal that Darden opened yesterday. We were all taken aback, especially when I found out she is my soul mate.”
Tarsea moved closer to Alex. It appeared he was staking a claim and it amused her. She had found her aunt and her supposed soul mate. Alex hoped she would not have to choose between them any time soon.
Some of the tension Alex was feeling was relieved when her aunt smiled. “I figured that was the case when we walked in here and saw the two of you together. There was a magic about how you two fit together, almost like an energy emitted from you. Fortunately, my employer has their main office here in the Aster Province. They had been pressuring me to move here for years.”
There was a commotion at the door as Darden, Koel, Starc, and Tolfer entered. Introductions were made and the four men joined the group. Alex noted how comfortable her aunt was with the men and started to actively participate in the conversation. It would appear her aunt had found a new extended family, one that welcomed her, as they welcomed Alex.
Leenea brought in more of her luscious beverage and the group came up with a cover story that would explain Alex’s presence here, as well as her aunt’s. Norri was considering taking her employer’s offer to relocate to the Aster Province. Alex was a distant cousin who had lived with Norri and had come here to check out the area. In the process of hiking she fell and was found by Tarsea, as he was meeting up with Darden. They brought a hurt Alex to Tarsea’s parents’ where he started to fall for her. There would be no mention of being soul mates, but they could mention the strong first attraction that impacted them both as she started to recover from her fall.
Now that they had the cover story figured out, it was time for Alex to try and hook into one of the communal channels. Tolfer spent a little additional time with her, giving her pointers on navigating the channels. She concentrated on the static and caught one stream to focus on. It took several tries, as she just had the connection and then lost it. Her hand continued to find its way to her nose, making sure she was not bleeding.
Finally, she got a clear communication, “Leenea, how is the girl doing”…”She is doing much better”… Alex focused and pushed her thought into the conversation trail “Thank you for your concern, I am feeling much better”…”Have the headaches gone away?”…”No, I am still suffering from them”…”Alexia, you should rest”… Alex heard Zane enter the conversation and pulled out of the communal pathway.
It was a strange experience, but she felt comfortable that she could manage going in and out of the streams. She had the excuse of headaches caused by the fall that would allow her to go in from time to time and practice. All the mugs of the herbal beverage she had consumed must have worked. Alex did not feel any negative effect of her first trip into a communal pathway.
Later in the day, Tolfer made dinner and Norri volunteered to help. Turns out her aunt loved to cook and was excited to prepare a meal for such a large group. Alex knew as more time passed, Tarsea would have to leave to make his appointment. She could feel him getting more and more anxious. From his words earlier, he knew he was going to hurt the girl and was not looking forward to the task. Alex was not comfortable with Tarsea meeting with the woman, but there was nothing she could do about it.
She leaned over and gave him a sweet kiss, like the one he first shared with her. “You have to go and see her. Do what you have to do. When you get back we can continue what we started before your parents showed up with my aunt. Come see me in your old bedroom, if we have all retired by the time you get back.”
She knew what she was offering Tarsea. For once she was attracted to a man and she had to trust her instincts and her body. She just wished she could trust Tarsea. He was going off to meet his gorgeous blonde girlfriend, leaving her behind.
Chapter 8
Alex leaned back on the sofa in the common room, sipping the herbal mixture that reduced the static in her brain. She had spent the last hour getting to know her aunt and working on her telepathic abilities. At one point she was able to leverage the familial link with Norri, joined in a conversation within one of the communal channels, and orally conversed with Leenea.
Norri was getting comfortable in the guest room that would temporarily serve as her room until she found a place near her employer’s office. She was vacillating whether her aunt should get a one or a two bedroom apartment. There was a definite connection between Tarsea and herself, but she did not want to rush things. The fact that he was meeting with his girlfriend should have caused red flags and alarms to go off. For the time being, maybe she should live with her aunt. Perhaps they should get a three bedroom apartment to provide space when Shirl and Candy came.
There was a knock on the door and she heard Leenea go to see who had come to visit. She could hear voices and then footsteps coming toward the common room where she was perched.
“Alexia,” Leenea announced, “this young man is here to see you.”
In the cover story they created, her name was Alexia. It had been her grandmother’s name and she was named after her. As she got familiar with people, she would start having them call her Alex.
Alex looked past Leenea and saw a tall, well-built man with sandy brown hair and light brown eyes. This universe was certainly full of good looking men!
The man came forward and extended his hand. “Hello,” he said, “my name is Raine Narmouth. I was on the mountain yesterday when you were carried off it.”
Alex had no idea who this man was, so she was going to play ignorant. That was going to be easy, since she had no idea what was going on. She had a hard time believing that Leenea left her alone with this unknown man.
“Thank you,” she responded, “for any assistance you provided. I cannot believe that I fell when I was hiking. It was really embarrassing when I came to and found out what happened.” The cover story seemed to be working. She was comfortable telling the story and it had a ring of truth about it. Alex also knew this type of con
versation between strangers would be done orally, even in a telepathic world.
“Well,” Raine continued, “I must have taken a spill myself, since I cannot remember the last three days. When I came to yesterday morning, I was on the mountain. I heard through the communal pathway that you had been there as well. Did you see anything?”
“I must have been taken off the mountain before you had your spill. Neither Tarsea nor Darden said anything about anyone else being there when they brought me down. I do not remember seeing anyone as I was making my way up the trail either.”
“Interesting,” Raine responded, “I was told I was dispatched to the mountain because a second mass came through the portal shortly after Darden exited.”
Alex did not know what to say. She remembered being warned that a patrol would be coming because of a second body coming through the portal.
“I am not sure what happened. Tarsea met Darden at the portal, and shortly thereafter heard my scream as I fell. Did Darden explain what the second mass was?”
“Yes,” Raine replied, “he said a rabbit was dragged into the portal before it closed.”
“Wow!” Alex exclaimed, “Your sensors can pick up something as small as a rabbit?” She wanted to kick herself for saying that out loud. Darden would not have reported something that could not have happened.
Raine Narmouth stared at Alex for a moment and then started laughing. “The sensors are sometimes so sensitive, they can pick up a butterfly. Most of our trips to the portal are a waste of time. I keep telling them they should adjust their sensors to detect a mass big enough to create a threat.”
“How would you be able to determine the mass was a person versus a large animal?” Alex probably should not be so interested in the intricacies of the portal, but she was fascinated. After all, they still had Shirl, Candy, and Jo Jo to bring through. Her new friends also had hopes that Benko Jarlyn and his daughter would also be returning to this world.
The Chameleon Soul Mate Page 5