“So, tell me about this,” Damon said, dangling the leather cord of the choker above her face.
Alex stretched her arms over her head, unable to shake the memory or the sensations their sexual connection roused along her body. Even now, every time she moved, she could feel a twinge of pleasure tease between her legs and echo in her lower abdomen. The sheet slid down her front to reveal her breasts.
“Well?”
Her attempt at distraction didn’t work, but she didn’t cover herself. “Do you still feel the…uh…? I’m not sure how to ask the question.” How could she put it, without sounding like an idiot? Do you still feel an echo of your orgasm?That definitely sounded stupid.
He pulled the choker into his palm and engulfed it. “Yes, I still feel the residuals teasing me, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve never felt this before, so I don’t know how long it’ll last.”
“Do you know what it is?” She bit her bottom lip, curious to hear how he’d attempt to explain it. She might not believe in magical powers, but when they’d climaxed at the same time, something strange had definitely flowed between them. It reminded her of when she temporarily felt his heartbeat and rage in the gardens.
“It’s because our magic is finally joined.”
She raised an eyebrow.
The ghost of a grin teased the edges of his mouth. “Okay, the energy building up between us when we…ah…” His voice trailed off, and he licked his lips. “Before, we were just attracted to each other, but now, the inner vitality drawing us together has connected. We’ll probably be able to feel an echo of each other’s moods.”
“What does that mean?”
He smiled. “More explosive orgasms for both of us, I suppose.”
“Oh, I can definitely live with thattype of magic.”
Damon nodded. He’d made his way over to the other side of the bed and was now sitting beside her. He was still naked as well, so she tried to keep her gaze off his groin area, which was difficult when she still felt the buzz of what they’d done to each other at daybreak.
“Now, tell me about this key of yours.”
She took a quick breath and released it. Avoiding his eyes, she turned to look out the window. The sun was setting already, and she couldn’t help but feel a chill sweep through her. Even though the room was warm and Damon sat so close, a sense of foreboding washed through her.
As much as sex with Damon had numbed her body to everything else, her mind was still filled with things that didn’t make sense-some of which she wanted to stay in denial about.
If Ulric had managed to get into this room once already, what would stop him from doing it, again? Did he know she was with another man right now? She couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if he did. No, I know exactly how he’d react. He wouldn’t like it at all.Ulric had seemed so focused on his admission of love, to the point of obsession.
There’s nothing I can do about it.At least she’d slept for most of the day without having to deal with any of this.
“Look, Alex. I know this was found near the dead bodies for a reason. I don’t want to push you, but I need to find out what’s going on.”
She glared at Damon. He misunderstood her silence, but his sudden pushiness still irked her. “Is it because you’re starting to doubt me as well?” She toyed with the new bandage around her hand. The skin was starting to itch underneath.
“No, that’s not it. But-”
“I don’t know what to tell you, because I have no idea how it got there.” Okay, so that was a blatant lie, but it wouldn’t make it any better if she said: Oh, yeah, Damon. I think one of my former lovers stowed away on my ship to surprise me, because I left my lucky necklace behind. While he was at it, he somehow managed to turn himself into a beast thing. Why don’t we meet with your Priestess and discuss it? That would notgo over well.
“Okay, fine. You don’t know how it got there, so why don’t you start by telling me what it is?” His green eyes were shiny, curious but not angry.
“It’s a key.”
Damon shook his head, setting his dreadlocks on a frantic dance around his face. “Yes, it is, but what is it for?”
“It opens something, of course-”
He moved before she registered what he was doing. With his face inches from hers and his eyes glowing like matching jewels, he stood over her. She hadn’t seen this hard edge to him before. He sighed-in obvious frustration-and dumped the choker on her chest. It slid between her breasts and stopped at her stomach.
“If you want to keep playing games, that’s fine. Unless I know some truths, I won’t be able to help you when Elroy moves on the attack,” he finally said.
His sudden anger burned beneath her skin. How did he go from calm to thisso quickly ?She’d obviously underestimated him. “He can’t prove anything. He didn’t even see…”
“He didn’t see what?”
Alex shook her head. She grabbed the bronze key and held it in her hand. It now fit inside her palm, not like the night Louis first gave it to her. Her life had changed so much since then.
Five years after taking over the ownership of Promise, she’d spent a lot of credits to have a new security system installed on the ship. While she was there, the technician had suggested she also change the locks to get in and out of the ship. She’d agreed but left the original warded lock this key fit into on the outer hatch. It would always remind her of where she came from and provided a way to get inside if the electronics malfunctioned. Even though she’d also, eventually, upgraded the ignition, this key could still be used as a backup if the automatic controls on the dash failed.
A lot of good it did when I was passing this stupid planet. Of course, that’s because she’d forgotten it.
“Look, I’m sorry. You’re right.” She might not have to go into all the nitty-gritty details about Ulric, but she did want Damon to know about the key she valued as much as her ship. “This used to be the key to my ship.”
He cocked an eyebrow and sat down on the bed, his back pressed against the pillows. “Used to be?”
She tried for a chuckle, but it came out a little wrong. “Yeah, the ship belonged to my father. My ship’s name is Promise, and my father gave it to me when I was just a kid. I won’t bore you with the family troubles that led to a kid running away from a planet she despised, but I willtell you it means the world to me.”
“So, your father gave you the key?”
She nodded, tracing her fingers over the uneven scrawl of her name. “It was his way of helping me find freedom.”
“That’s interesting.” Damon rubbed his chin.
“What is?”
“You told me neither one of your parents were magic users.”
“That’s because they weren’t.”
“Yet, I can read some sort of magical impression on this key,” he said with a frown. “Which leads me to believe…you probably inherited your magic from your father.”
She shook her head. After what they’d shared and experienced together, as well as the healing he’d performed, she didn’t want to get back on this topic. “I would’ve known if my father could do freaky things like healing. I lived with him most of my life.”
“Where did you live?”
“We mostly lived on the ship, but we travelled all over the place. Why, does it make a difference?” She stared him in the eye, daring him to answer with some ridiculous claim. If my father could do any sort of magic, he would have told me. He wouldn’t have hesitated to use it to keep her away from her mother’s clutches. I’m sure of it.“Are you telling me magic can only be used in certain places within the galaxy?”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know about that. I’ve never been anywhere else but here.”
“That’s right. No one ever leaves this planet or has any way of contacting anyone outside it. Yet, your Priestess knew when I crashed. Did you ever find out why?” With every new detail she found out, Alex’s suspicion of Aleena grew. Just what was that woman hiding?
He didn’t answer. Instead, he focused on her chest.
“What’s wrong?”
He rubbed his fingers up and down her arm. “I’m just trying to understand why your presence makes me question everything.”
“What’re you talking about?”
He sat up, leaned over toward the end of the bed, and handed her a thin book.
She read the title and said, “ Priestess amp; Goddess.What’s this about?” Alex looked up and found him staring at her.
“After you asked me which deity Aleena worshipped, you got me thinking.”
“You bought this to answer your question?” She leafed through it quickly. It was nothing more than a children’s reference story with pretty pictures and flowery text in a flowing font. She hadn’t seen an actual book outside of her ship for a while. She had about a dozen stashed away in Promisebut hardly saw anyone else handle something that wasn’t electronic, anymore.
“I borrowed it from our library,” he said with a shrug.
“A kid’s story isn’t going to answer your questions.”
“It’s the only book I could find mentioning the terms Goddess andPriestess.”
She raised an eyebrow. Maybe Aleena didn’t want any of them to know the truth, but what could the truth be? It had to be something pretty important for her to do such a petty thing as control their library. “Did it help you, or did it confuse the issue?”
“Everything’s been confusing since you arrived.” His fingertips were causing havoc inside her body. Almost as if his touch was reigniting everything still rushing around within her. How long would the aftereffects last?
She didn’t know what to say. Instead, she tried another question, one that might piss him off even more. “I don’t want to offend you, but there’s something I’ve been wondering about since I entered your village.”
He laughed. “You’ve called me a liar since the moment we met, because I believe in using the arcane. You’ve accused our leader of keeping things from us, and refuse to answer a direct question…now you’re worried about offending me? Just ask your question, Alex.”
“Okay, then. Why don’t you look like everyone else?” As soon as she blurted it out, she felt like a total idiot and held her breath. Did she sound prejudiced?
Damon’s eyes looked a little sad. “Your question doesn’t offend me, but I don’t know the reason. I never thought it to be important before, but I think it might have something to do with my use of magic.”
She stopped herself from rolling her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him. Instead, she said, “Wait a second.” Alex jumped off the bed and headed for her bag. She quickly grabbed the photo tucked into the front and rummaged inside until she found a few energy bars and two bottles of water. She carried everything back to the bed and threw one of the bars at Damon before rolling one of the bottles along the bed until it hit his thigh.
He caught the bar but ignored the water. “What’s this?”
“It’s a VEB.”
“Which is?” He inspected the foil wrapper suspiciously.
“It’s a vitamin and energy bar.” She shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
“I’m sorry. I should have arranged for food to be-”
“Don’t worry about it. Just take a look at this. It’s a picture of my father and me. I was about ten when this was taken.” As soon as he took it, she split open the packaging and scarfed down most of the energy bar in less than a minute. Then, she washed it down with the water. That’s better.
Damon scanned the photo with curious eyes. “You were a cute kid.”
Now, she rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not why I’m showing you. Look at my father’s skin, at his hair, at his eyes…”
He lifted the photo a little closer. “He has darker skin than you and green eyes, so you must take after your mother. It looks like you got his curly, dark hair, though.”
“Exactly! My father has green eyes and dark skin…just like you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t know what I’m saying, except that the first time I saw you, I remembered the color of his skin. When I looked at his photo again, I couldn’t help but wonder how much your skin and eyes resembled his. I think you might be from the same race as my father.”
He shook his head. “No, that can’t be. I was born here, on Eden.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Where was your father from?”
“See, that’s the problem.” She sat down on the bed, not caring about both of them being completely naked while having this conversation. “He never spoke about his home planet or people. He never liked to talk about it. The only thing he ever told me was that he came from a place where everything was pure…and magical.”
“Magical?” Damon echoed.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean-”
“How can you be sure? He actually used the word?”
Alex thought back to the memory, and nodded. “Yeah, he did. I always assumed he meant it was a lovely place, though. Not magical in any literal way.”
They were both silent for a moment.
“Are you going to eat that?”
Damon shook his head. “No, here. You have it.”
She took the foiled energy bar from him and ate it as fast as she had the first one. They might not taste as good as real food, but she was famished.
Damon continued to stare at the picture as if he was looking for some sort of answer.
Alex decided to put the choker back on. Things always made more sense and felt better when it was around her neck. She secured it and let the key dangle down her breastbone. Suddenly, all the fuzzy sensations rushing around her body stopped.
“Whoa.”
Damon’s brow furrowed. He winced.
“What’s the matter?”
“I can’t feel it.”
“You can’t feel what?” she asked, confused.
“I can’t feel your magic, anymore.” He stared at the key. “Can you remove the key from around your neck?”
“I just put it on!”
“Please, Alex.”
“All right, all right,” she said, untying it. As soon as it was off, the rush of warmth hit her hard. She dropped it and fell back against the pillows. Something very close to an orgasm began between her legs and intensified as it spread, leaving her breathless. “Wha…what was that?”
He’d closed his eyes, too, and an erection had lengthened between his legs. “I can feel your well of magic, again, but when you put the key on, I couldn’t. I think that might be…”
“Might be what?” Her nipples were so hard, they hurt. All she could think about was crawling over to him so they could get it on, again. When she felt the same response from him, she nearly rushed him.
He sounded breathless when he answered. “I think your father might have put a protection spell on the key to keep others from feeling your magic. By doing that, even youcan’t feel it.”
Her heart sped up. Her father had told her to keep the key on her at all times, claimed it would protect her. She’d always assumed he meant because of Promise. Oh, gosh. This was getting a little too confusing, but there was no way she could believe all this hocus-pocus talk. Yet, how could she deny it now that she’d actually felt it? No amount of illusion could make her feel things the way she just had.
Wondrous William had shown her a lot of tricks, and while they fascinated and excited her, none had ever had thisintense, physical effect on her.
Damon looked down at the photo. “Your father might not have told you about it, because he wanted to keep you safe, maybe even hide you from someone. Is that possible?”
“Well, we did hide from my mother for a while…but he didn’t give me the key until just before I ran away from her planet.” When she saw his concerned face, she shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s a little complicated. We’ve got a very dysfunctional family unit.”
“Your father is the only one who knows for sure. Is there any way to contact him?”
“Well, considering we’re on a planet, which according to youhas no form of communication, and I haven’t seen my father in over ten years, nope. I’d say I can’t contact him.” She looked away. “I don’t even know if he’s alive.”
“I’m sorry.”
She heard the sheets rustle and felt his warm fingers on her chin. He lifted it, and she couldn’t help but stare into his beautiful eyes. “Talking about Daddy always makes me sad. He risked his life to give me back mine…”
Damon kissed her lips, just a light caress. His green eyes stared into hers, and the compassion inside them made her stomach flip. He seemed like such a complicated man. Someone who on one hand was gullible enough to believe in things like magic, but on the other hand, had enough sense to research his own leader because of a simple question.
“I think your father tried to protect you even when he wasn’t with you.” He took the key and leather cord from her hand. “I think this was always meant to be more than just a key to your ship.”
She nodded. Of course, that sounded like something her father would do. Teaching her how to use a blaster, how to navigate Promise, and becoming familiar with the controls by the time she was 13 had all been part of the same plan. How long had he known that Lorraine would chase after them when she wanted something?
“I want to continue what he began. I want to take care of you, Alex.” Damon held the key in one hand and pressed the other against her cheek.
She closed her eyes at the heat surging from his touch. “Damon, I don’t need you to take care of me. Besides, we just met-”
“I know. This seems very strange to me, too. I’ve never connected to a woman on this level before.”
She opened her eyes and stared into his.
“Alex, I’m not going to lie to you. I enjoy sex, a lot. I’ve never shied away from it and have had many lovers since my sexual awakening, but I’ve never had this sense of wanting to look after them, to be with them constantly, and protect them.” He paused, releasing a breath. “From the first time I saw you, I felt it. I know you don’t want to believe in magic, and maybe that’s not even the right word for it. For all I know, and like you’ve pointed out before, there could be a scientific explanation for all of this, but I only know it as magic. It’s what I feel when I’m with you. The explosive climax you drew out of me is still rolling around inside me. That’s not a reaction I’ve ever felt after a sexual encounter with anyone.”
All she could think to do was lean over and kiss him. She pressed her lips against his, as his hand slid from her face to caress her hair. He could never understand what he’d done to her by admitting this. It’s exactly how she’d lived her entire adult life. After she lost her virginity-just shy of turning 20-she hadn’t been able to stop. It was the only way she’d ever felt close to someone, even if only for that one moment. To know Damon had lived the same way made something inside her calm down and feel connected to him.
All the worries and knots Ulric’s admission and suggestions had caused her had smoothed out, finally.
“I’m not making you a proposal or pushing you into a commitment, because we need to get to know each other first, but I do want you to know that I reallyenjoy being around you.” He kissed her lightly. “I would love to do more of what we did earlier today. I can’t lie about it.”
Alex nodded. “I can definitely live with that.” Although, she had no idea how thatwas going to work out. She still had no intention of staying on this planet.
I can think about that when the time comes.Right now, she’d finally met a man who wanted exactly what she did without acting like he owned her, or she owed him something-which had been a constant problem with the string of lovers she’d accumulated along the way. The only time she hadn’t encountered a problem was with one-night stands, but if she intended to hookup every time she was in their area, they’d soon start getting possessive. Not in the way Ulric had-by foolishly admitting love-but just a sense of ownership she found suffocating.
“Good.” He kissed her, again. “As much as I would love to lie you down right now, I think we’ve got some other things to discuss first.”
Before he could ask her any questions, she beat him to it. “Yeah, speaking of which, did you find out anything else about whatever killed those people?” Changing the subject seemed like a safe choice. So far, everything they’d thrown up in the air made her uncomfortable. Discussing Ulric wouldn’t help, but Damon didn’t know what she knew. Though, one look at the other books he’d piled at the end of the bed told her he had his suspicions.
“Nothing yet, but I have been reading about werewolves. Have you ever heard of them?” He sat back, watching her face.
She shrugged. Everyone had heard some version of the story at one time or another. Actually, her father used to tell her a bedtime story about a little girl who wore a red jacket and the werewolf that stalked her, until one day she figured out it was actually her grandmother. The story freaked her out when she was a kid, but never induced nightmares, so she’d asked her father to tell her many times.
Ulric would definitely induce nightmares, though.
Would his condition have any physical effect on her? Sure, she was totally protected against pregnancy and every sexually-transmitted disease known to humans, but did Ulric’s situation surpass the procedure she’d endured? Like most responsible adults in the galaxy who wanted to have sexual relationships without killing themselves, Alex had paid a hefty fee to have a microchip embedded into her wrist. I hope that’s enough protection.
“I know they’re both human and animal,” she said.
“Did you know most werewolves change with the phases of the moon?”
She shook her head. “What’s the moon got to do with it?”
“According to the book I read, every satellite affects a werewolf differently. In some locations, they won’t ever change, but other places can drive them batty and force a change so violent, they lose total control of themselves.”
“Oh.” She peered out the window and could see the huge orb of the moon already out and shiny. “Does your moon change phases?”
“No, it’s always full, which is the other peculiar thing. According to legend, that’s when a werewolf changes from a man into an actual wolf.”
“Yeah, very peculiar.” She refused to concentrate on the fact that Ulric lived inside a space station situated nowhere near a moon. How long had he been hiding this secret from her? “So, how do you think any of this relates to what you saw in the girl’s head?”
Damon shrugged. “I’m not sure. This is folklore, and I didn’t actually see the creature change into anything. I’d assumed the killer was just an animal.”
“Then, why are you reading about werewolves?”
“It was just something Elroy said.”
Uh-oh. If that bastard suspected something, did it mean he knew? Had Elroy actually seen Ulric change like she had? She bit her lip. As much as she wanted to keep what she knew from Damon, for fear of implicating herself, she had to admit what little she knew. The last thing she wanted was to cause a rift of mistrust between them.
“Does he know something you don’t?”
“Elroy always thinks he knows something the rest of us don’t.”
She looked at the key in his hand. “So, what should we do with the key?”
Damon handed her the photo and the leather choker. “Why don’t you put them away in your bag for now? No one on this planet has access to the arcane but me, so you’ll be safe.”
“Okay.” That made sense. She definitely didn’t want anyone else to get their hands on it. She headed over to the armchair and tucked both things into the bottom of her bag. While she was there, she grabbed some clothes and dumped them on the end of the bed. As much fun as it would be, she suspected they wouldn’t be able to walk around naked all night.
“I really should’ve arranged for someone to bring a fruit platter up to your room. I just got so distracted by everything.” His eyes were on her breasts. “One look at your body can really stun a man and make him forget about everything else.”
“Are you trying to distract me?”
His eyes glowed, and he nodded. “I think I am.”
Alex crawled onto the bed and knelt in front of him. She grabbed both of his hands and pressed them against her breasts. He had big hands, but they weren’t big enough to cup her entirely.
“Do we have to leave the room, tonight?” She traced her lips with the tip of her tongue, watching his groin for a reaction. “Maybe you should get some fruit brought up here…”
A groan escaped between his gritted teeth as he made a move toward her.
The door opened, and someone rushed inside. Levi slammed the door behind him and pressed his back against it. His blonde hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. His eyes were wide when he glanced their way. When he noticed they were naked, he lowered his gaze.
“I am so very sorry to barge in like this.”
“Do you ever knock?” she asked, still naked and kneeling in front of Damon.
Levi’s cheeks colored, but he didn’t look up.
Damon stood. “You can go and get dressed if you like. I need to speak to Levi.”
“I’ll get dressed, but I’m not going anywhere. Something’s obviously spooked him.” Alex couldn’t care less if she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on, and there was another man in the room. Moreover, Levi was more embarrassed than trying to catch a glimpse of what she had to offer. “Besides, he’s already seen me naked.”
Alex backed off the bed and grabbed the skin-tight pants she’d dumped on the end. As she stepped into them, she couldn’t keep her eyes off Levi.
“What’s going on?” Damon asked him.
She slipped her bra on next and covered it with a black tank top stopping just above the low-ride waistband of her pants.
“Another person has been killed,” Levi said.
“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why you’re so worked up.”
“Elroy found the person and claims the victim wasn’t mauled this time but shot.” His chest rose and fell a little too fast. Was he hyperventilating?
Damon shook his head. “We don’t have access to guns. Aleena makes sure of it. Not even security has access to weapons.”
“Why’s that?” Alex asked.
“Because we don’t actually have any,” Damon answered without turning to face her.
She stared at his broad shoulders and watched the muscles twitch as he tensed.
Levi pointed a finger at Alex. “She does.”
“Yeah, but it’s always with me.” As she crawled back onto the bed to reach for the bedside table where she’d place her holster and blaster, she found only the holster. She grabbed it. “What the hell? I left it here. Where did it go?”
How many times had her father told her to alwayshave her blaster nearby and to never take her eyes off it? She’d suffered so many careless moments lately-starting with her panic when she’d first seen the key, followed by sleeping for however long before Ulric paid her a visit, then ending with her long, hot session with Damon, and more sleep. She couldn’t pinpoint when anyone could’ve gotten their hands on her weapon, but they obviously had.
Her heart sped up. She’d never lost her blaster before.
“He says he has the weapon,” Levi added.
“That’s not possible. I always make sure it’s with me. No one’s been in this room but us.” Ulric had, but he’d been totally naked, so he hadn’t taken it. She headed for the armchair and quickly rummaged through her bag. Nope, it wasn’t in there.
Alex dumped the bag and made her way to stand beside Damon. He was watching Levi with narrowed eyes.
She stared at the empty holster in her hand for a long moment, before strapping it around her thigh.
“What are you leaving out?” he asked.
The teenager swallowed but met Damon’s eye. “When you left me to watch over Alex, someone else didcome by.”
“Who was it?” Damon’s voice sounded deeper.
For a moment, Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. She held her breath, wondering if Levi knew about Ulric’s bizarre visit.
“Milo hung out with me, but we were outside the whole time.”
“I don’t understand what the problem is, then.”
Sweat ran down Levi’s face. “Well, he and I are…we’re sort of in a…um…in a…relationship.”
“I don’t understand what any of this has to do with Alex-”
“I swear. I didn’t leave the building. I only ducked around the corner with him. We just wanted a little privacy and found it down the corridor.”
“Did you see anyone get in or out?”
Levi shook his head.
Alex couldn’t stop a shiver from running through her. If Levi had been with his lover around the corner to get some privacy, there was no way he would have heard someone sneaking into her room. For all they knew, two people could have sneaked in while she slept and was dreaming about her father’s last visit.
Things just get freakier around here.
“Afterward, Milo told me that Elroy knew about us. He sent Milo to distract me, so he could sneak into the room. If Milo didn’t agree to do it, Elroy told him I’d be the next person to die-”
“So what you’re telling me is that Elroy sneaked into this room and took Alex’s weapon to kill someone, and then planned to frame her?” Damon looked furious.
Levi nodded, and he looked so much younger. It didn’t stop Damon from closing the distance between them and slapping him in the face.
“You lied to me! I thought I could trust you.”
“You can.” Tears streamed down Levi’s face, and his cheek had turned red.
“Where’s Elroy, now?”
“I don’t know.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Levi jumped, as if it suddenly burned his skin.
Damon held a finger over his lips.
“Damon, I know you’re in there, so you might as well open the door before I tear it down.”
He headed for the door, but Alex called his name. When he turned to look at her, she tossed him his pants. It took him seconds to slip them on, and tie up the cord. Damon opened the door, slowly.
The security guy stood in the doorway. “Well, it’s about time you opened up. You know I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
“What do you want, Elroy?”
“I want you to stop protecting a criminal.”
“I don’t know of any criminal.”
“Very well, then.” Elroy stepped into the room, pointed the blaster at Damon, and shot him point-blank.