Close Obsession (21 page)

After the imprinting, a whole new world opened up to Mia, and her second week in Saret’s lab was significantly less stressful than the first. Instead of feeling like a bumbling idiot all the time, she actually knew how to do all of the simple – and many of the more advanced – tasks that Saret required from his assistants. The three other apprentices in the lab – who had initially looked amused at her presence there – began to treat her as more of an equal, letting her share some of their tools and equipment. They were still reserved around her, as if uncertain about a human in their midst, but Mia didn’t let it bother her. There had been plenty of Krinar applicants for her position, and she was only there because of Korum. It was understandable that the other apprentices thought she didn’t really deserve this opportunity. Mia was determined to prove them wrong.

Now that she had a solid foundation with the imprinting, she became much faster at learning and was even able to offer some suggestions to Adam about potential improvements in the imprinting process. He had already thought of most of them, of course, but he nonetheless told Saret about Mia’s progress, and her boss said that she appeared to have a natural aptitude for his field – words of praise she would’ve never expected to hear from a Krinar.

She loved working at the lab so much that she wondered why the previous assistant had left.

“I’m not sure,” Adam told her. “Saur just up and left one day. He told Saret he was quitting, and the next day he was gone. He was always a little strange, kind of a loner – none of us knew him that well. But he was really smart. He did a lot of work with mind manipulation, which is the most complex part of what we do. Nobody has seen him since he left. I don’t think he’s in Lenkarda anymore.”

On the home front, her relationship with Korum had undergone a significant change. After her first, rather unwilling confession of love, she felt like she had nothing left to hide, and the words now came quickly and easily to her tongue. Korum seemed to revel in the new situation, frequently demanding that she tell him how much she loved him, and there was a constant warm glow in his eyes when he looked at her. At times, she thought that he had to love her back, at least a little bit, but she didn’t want to ask for fear of spoiling the fragile truce that now seemed to reign between them. Instead, for the first time in her life, she chose to live in the moment and not dwell on the past or worry about the future.

Korum’s own days were occupied with the trial and all the associated politics, and he would often tell her about it over dinner. The Council had commissioned an investigation into the supposed memory loss of the Keiths, and various mind experts – including Saret – had to testify as to the validity of these findings. It was beginning to seem that the memory loss was indeed real, and the final verdict was put off until the Council could find out what exactly had happened and who was behind these strange events. Korum still suspected that Loris was the culprit, but he didn’t have enough evidence to sway the rest of the Council. As a result, the Keiths enjoyed a temporary reprieve while the investigation was ongoing.

Every night, Korum made dinner for them, constantly introducing her to new and exotic foods from Krina. Afterwards, they would either go for a walk on the beach or sit in his office, quietly working side by side. Whenever Mia allowed herself to think about her life in Lenkarda, she was struck by just how different – and amazing – it was compared to her initial expectations. Far from feeling like Korum’s human pet, she woke up every morning with a sense of purpose, excited to face the day ahead and learn everything her new job could teach her. Her evenings were spent enjoying the company of her lover, while her nights were consumed with passionate sex.

In bed, Korum was insatiable, and Mia realized that he had been holding back in New York. His hunger for her seemed to know no bounds, and he would often fuck her until she was completely worn out and literally passing out in his arms. Surprisingly, her body appeared to have acclimated to his lovemaking, and Mia no longer had to worry about internal soreness or achy muscles in the morning. Even on those occasions when he took her blood, she recovered with unusual ease.

He also began to introduce virtual reality into their sex life. Now, at least a couple of times a week, they had sex in a variety of public and private settings, ranging from the stage at a Beyonce concert to the top of Mount Everest (which had been far too cold for Mia’s taste). After that first time in the virtual club environment, he didn’t push her too far beyond her comfort zone, although she had no doubt that he’d just begun to scratch the surface of everything he ultimately planned to do with her in bed.

On some days, she marveled at her own seemingly inexhaustible energy. While she definitely tired more easily than her Krinar counterparts in Saret’s lab, she managed to work ten-plus hours a day and then spend several hours more with Korum, of which at least a couple were in bed – or wherever they happened to be when the mood struck him. She should’ve been exhausted and dragging all the time, but she felt great instead. She chalked it up to the fresh Costa Rican air and the general excitement of her new job.

She called Jessie after a week and told her how happy she was.

“Really, Mia? You’re happy there?” Jessie asked disbelievingly. “After everything he’s done to you?”

“It’s different now,” Mia explained to her roommate. “I was wrong to be so frightened of him in the beginning. I think he truly does care for me –”

“A blood-drinking alien who pretty much kidnapped you? Are you suffering from some weird version of Stockholm’s Syndrome?”

Mia laughed. “Hey, I’m the psych major here. And no, I don’t think so . . .” She didn’t go into all the details about her improved relationship with Korum – it still felt too fragile and precious – but she did tell Jessie about her internship and described some of the cool new things she was learning.

“Oh my God, Mia, you’re going to be an expert on the Ks when you come back,” Jessie said jealously. “Okay, I can see that he’s not exactly mistreating you –”

“No, far from it,” Mia told her earnestly. “I actually think I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”

“But you
are
coming back to New York, right?” Jessie asked worriedly. “You’re not just going to decide to stay there, are you?”

“No, of course not,” Mia reassured her. “I have to finish college and everything . . .” Even if the thought of returning was not nearly as compelling as it had been just a few days ago.

She called her parents a couple of times as well, telling them that all was well and that she would be arriving home on Friday, almost exactly two weeks after she was initially scheduled to be there. Korum had cleared her vacation with Saret, telling him that Mia needed to see her family. Her boss had been less than pleased that Mia would be gone for an entire week, but he accepted it, particularly after she promised to stay in touch with Adam and keep up with the latest developments on her projects.

“What flight will you be on?” her mom asked eagerly. “We need to know so we can pick you up.”

Mia winced, glad that her mom couldn’t see her. She had no idea how she was going to get to Florida, and she’d been so busy at work that she’d forgotten to ask Korum about the specifics of their trip.

“I’m currently on a waitlist for an early morning flight,” Mia lied, cringing internally at yet another falsehood she had to tell her parents. “But it might end up being in the afternoon, so I really don’t know at this point. But don’t worry – the professor arranged a rental car for me, so I don’t need to be picked up at the airport.”

“Okay, honey,” her mom said, sounding surprised. “If you’re sure . . . We truly don’t mind. Are you flying into Orlando or Jacksonville?”

“Orlando,” Mia told her. It sounded plausible enough.

* * *

On Thursday evening, right before their departure for Florida, they were scheduled to attend a celebration. Korum’s cousin Leeta had apparently been with her mate for forty-seven years – a major milestone in Krinar culture. In Earth time, it was actually closer to fifty years, as Krina traveled around its sun at a slightly slower pace than Earth.

It was Mia’s first public event in Lenkarda.

“We don’t have marriage and weddings in the human sense,” Korum explained, watching her get dressed in a beautiful dress that he had created for her. “Instead, when a couple wants to make a permanent commitment, they come to a verbal agreement and then document that with a recording. At that point, it’s really no one’s business. They don’t have a party or anything like that, and their union is not considered permanent until they are together for at least forty-seven years –”

“Why forty-seven?” Mia asked curiously, sliding her feet into a pair of sparkly sandals that went with the white shimmery material of her dress. The dress itself was form-fitting, showing off every curve of her body. It was also incredibly sexy, with her back entirely exposed. Around her neck, she was wearing Korum’s beautiful necklace, and her hair was decorated with a fine silvery mesh that had somehow worked its way into her hair, carefully defining and separating each curl. She looked as good as she could possibly look, and she was grateful that Leeta had taken the time to send her recorded instructions on what to wear. Korum had apparently insisted on it, wanting to make sure that Mia didn’t feel uncomfortable at her first big party in Lenkarda.

“Because it’s a number that we consider special. It’s a fairly large prime number, and several important historical events on Krina happened in years that ended with forty-seven. Plus, it’s considered to be a sufficient length of time for a couple to know if they are compatible for the long term or not. Before the Celebration of Forty-Seven, it’s very easy to walk away from the union; however, the event we’re about to attend tonight makes the union binding. After that point, a couple whose union falls apart loses some of their standing in society. Of course, if one person cheated or did something else to cause the union to end, his or her standing suffers the most, while the innocent party is less impacted.”

“So divorces are rare among the Krinar?”

Korum nodded, smoothly rising off the bed where he had been lounging. He himself was wearing a pair of fitted white pants tucked into knee-length grey boots and a sleeveless white shirt that was made of some kind of stiff, structured material. It was apparently the traditional Krinar attire for such celebrations, and he looked simply stunning in it.

“Yes, divorces – or union dissolutions – are uncommon. However, permanent unions are also unusual. Many Krinar don’t find the person they want to be with for centuries or even thousands of years, and some never enter into a traditional union for a variety of reasons. So, you see, the Celebration of Forty-Seven is a major event for us, and it will be widely attended. We can’t be late.”

“Of course,” Mia said, following him toward the bedroom door.

Leaving the house through the usual dissolving wall, they climbed into the aircraft that Korum had sitting next to the house in preparation for their journey. The celebration was here in Lenkarda, but not within walking distance. Over the past two weeks, Mia had learned that the Krinar traveled in two ways – on foot or via small flying pods. There were no cars or ground transportation of any kind.

Sitting down on the intelligent seat, Mia enjoyed the sensation of being completely comfortable. Although it was already 10 p.m. and she’d had a long day at the lab, she was feeling quite hyper at the thought of attending this celebration. Tapping her foot on the floor, she watched as the ship took off, swiftly carrying them toward the center of the colony.

A minute later, they landed in front of a large building Mia had never seen before. Instead of being planted on the ground, it floated in the air a few feet above the tree tops. A long pathway connected one wall to the ground, serving as a bridge of sorts.

“It’s the Celebration Hall,” Korum explained as they exited the aircraft and walked up the pathway toward the imposing structure. The building looked to be about twenty stories high and the size of a city block. Mia was surprised she hadn’t seen it on the virtual map of Lenkarda earlier.

“Is this building always here?” she asked, seeing other ships landing all around them and hundreds of Krinar stepping out.

“No,” Korum answered, leading her toward the building and ignoring all the stares in their direction. “It was constructed specifically for this purpose, and it will be unmade after today. There is a much larger Celebration Hall on Krina, and that one is permanent, but there are too few of us here on Earth to justify having such a large building around all the time. The Celebration of Forty-Seven is one of the very few events that brings together the entire Krinar population of Earth. Many from Krina will also be watching virtually.”

The entire Krinar population of Earth? All fifty thousand? Mia hadn’t realized the full scope of this event. Nervous and excited, she clutched at Korum’s arm as they entered the building.

The noise inside was nearly deafening. It appeared that thousands had already gathered, and Mia couldn’t help gawking at the gorgeous creatures all around her. The females were dressed in shimmering, light-colored dresses similar to Mia’s, while the male outfits resembled Korum’s. Even the shortest Krinar women were several inches taller than Mia, making her wish she were wearing high heels. The building itself was beautifully decorated, with flowers and glittering surfaces everywhere. The walls were not transparent, as was usual for Krinar structures; instead, they seemed to be reflective, making the already enormous hall seem even larger.