Reclaiming Mystique (SpaceStalker Saga Book 2) (20 page)

He imagined her body felt as wet and sated as his and amazingly felt his body stir at those thoughts.

Naria felt his passion flare against her and looked down at him with curiosity.

“Jace?” she asked. “I have never before felt such pleasure,” she admitted. “Is what we have shared normal?”

Jace immediately shook his head, knowing that his life had irrevocably changed the instant he’d met Naria. “No, it’s not. And it’s something we’re going to have to deal with very soon,” he promised darkly, his eyes flashing. “But for now, Naria, let’s go back to our inn so I can get cleaned up.”

Naria smiled and linked her arm through his as they left the alley. “That sounds right,” she said. “Jace?”

“What?” he asked, looking around him. He felt a tingle at the back of his neck that told him they were being watched.

“Has that not happened to you before then?” she asked quietly, as if not wanting to know the answer.

He turned to her and stopped in the middle of the highly trafficked street. “Naria, you may not believe this. But I rarely make love in so public a place.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry for that. But I’m not sorry for what we did. No, Naria, what is between us is most unusual and very, very welcome.” He smiled down at her and lowered his mouth to kiss her sensually. “And there’s so much more to show you. I’m only sorry I didn’t begin this properly. But no matter, we’ll get to that soon,” he promised as he stared down at her. “Very soon.”

-12-

Naria sighed as the next few days passed in surprising normalcy. If not for memories of that amazing dalliance in the alleyway, she would have thought it had never happened. Jace had been unfailingly polite as he escorted her back to the inn and distant since.

She couldn’t understand him. But then, the rest of the men had become as remote as he. Perhaps she or Carinna had done something to offend the others? Had they given themselves away somehow?

“Carinna, what do you make of this?” she asked her sister as they watched the men looking over the repaired ship. Nesham watched them from a short distance, his menacing body and glowering stare a neat reminder to all nearing the two females to steer clear.

“I don’t know,” Carinna said as she stared at Nesham looking thoughtful. “One minute Nesham is almost on top of me and the next he’s acting like I don’t exist.”

Naria blinked. She had refused the dark glasses today as her eyes had finally adjusted to the early Rovi sun. Carinna, however, still wore them. “On top of you, you say?”

Carinna blushed as she grinned. “Yes. You know, Naria, there is much to sex that the Incubus did not teach me. When Nesham touches me there is so much pleasure,” she sighed and Naria echoed the sentiment silently. “He calls it ‘love-making’ and I have to admit it feels very odd. There is an attachment to him that goes beyond the darkness in his soul,” Carinna admitted, confused. “And I know he desires me.”

“As he should,” Naria smiled. “You are a beautiful woman, Carinna.”

“A demon,” Carinna corrected quietly, her grin fading.

“No, a woman,” Naria shook her head. “Both of us have more of Mother in us than Father. And Mother was an Offworlder. Carinna, does it not strike you as odd that neither of us had a problem leaving Dark World?”

“Yes, I had begun to think that perhaps Father didn’t care that we left. I felt that surely by now we’d have heard strange tales of dark ships and creatures haunting the nights. And I’ve been listening.”

“No,” Naria shook her head. “I meant have you noticed that neither of our souls protested our escape? Regular Dark Worlders cannot bear to leave the planet. Something in their systems causes them much pain to be parted with that world. But neither of us has had even a glimmer of regret at leaving.”

“No,” Carinna said thoughtfully, her dark eyes crinkling into a smile. “You are right. Perhaps we didn’t belong there after all.”

“I disagree,” a deep voice whispered behind Carinna, the emptiness before them taking on a dark shape that shimmered into a protectively wrapped devel.

Carinna gasped and tried to flee but the large creature had her in his claws. Naria stared in surprise, not understanding how she could have missed his presence. Normally very astute, Naria could feel darkness way before others of her kind could. But she had neither seen nor sensed the devel’s presence.

“A shield cloak,” she nodded as she stared at the plain black cloth surrounding his body. He also wore a headwrap that completely shielded his eyes from the Rovi sun. However, his pointed ears and the lower half of his jaw remained visible.

Naria heard cries from around them but her attention lay focused on the devel holding Carinna. Suddenly the air around her shimmered and she stared as four more devels and three demons appeared. All wore the shield cloaks and all looked extremely displeased to find her and her sister away from Dark World.

Suddenly Naria became aware of the
SpaceStalker
crew surrounding the Searchers. Outnumbered and obviously uneasy at this dark presence staining the light of Rovi, they nevertheless circled the creatures with weapons extended.

Jace stared at Naria and Carinna briefly before his attention centered on the tallest Searcher, clearly guessing correctly that he led the others.

“Come, Naria,” the lead devel said soothingly. “Tell these Offworlders that we wish them no harm. You and Carinna are to come with us back to Dark World. You know you cannot stay.”

“I will not go back,” Naria scowled and urged Carinna with her eyes to phase into a Wraith shape. Carinna’s eyes widened and then she disappeared.

The other Dark Worlders cursed even as the leader hurriedly spoke. “Quickly Memne, after her,” he commanded in harsh voice and Naria watched as the demon phased out of mortal flesh.

But Carinna’s disappearance served as a timely distraction and soon the battle commenced. The devels made a small circle around her and used both fire and ice to keep the others away. The elements carefully kept the crews’ weapons from harming them while the demons latched onto Naria’s arms quickly, knowing what harm she might do.

Concerned for Carinna and the men, Jace most of all, Naria’s focus was torn and her fight proved most ineffectual.

Jace, however, had immediately seen that the devels could not be defeated conventionally and remembering Naria’s descriptions of the creatures, opened his mind.

“Stay back,” he commanded as he moved forward. He felt Nesham dart around him and away, saw Koneru and Castor protect his flanks as he neared the wall of darkness around Naria.

He unleashed the full force of his mind on the devels, commanding them to turn against one another. They did so with shocking results. Apparently their dark powers had more effect than a blaster for they cried out in pain, causing the demons holding Naria to drop her and focus on Jace.

The minute they let go of her Jace commanded the devels to turn on the demons. He felt a strange compulsion to turn away but ignored it. Talons ripped into his mind causing pain and he barely felt a lick of ice as it surrounded his leg.

Koneru quickly stepped forward to break the ice and grabbed one of the devels in an unbreakable grip that crushed the devel to death. They watched in astonishment as the devel cried out in a foreign language and faded away into nothingness. The others in the invading party yelled in anger and advanced with more determination but Naria soon joined the fight and watched as the others did, in amazement.

She spoke to them in some language that they understood, and then she did something that confused him. She laughed and chanted under her breath, the lyrical words blazing in his mind as he began to add his strength to hers, not knowing how he did so.

Then the party burst into flame and ice before they vanished like their fallen comrade. Castor finished off a remaining demon with a steady slice from his sword, the demon’s head vanishing along with the rest of his body. Nesham returned carrying Carinna close to his chest, the small woman looking very pale and worn out with whatever had occurred.

“Are they gone?” Jace asked breathlessly, his body bent over to regain some of the strength that had suddenly left his body.

Castor and Koneru supported him while Nesham brought both Carinna and Naria along and the group hurriedly made for the ship.

“Thank the Stars Mikhel was already safely on board,” Koneru grunted and grabbed Jace in his arms. He faced the affronted Castor with an apology in his white eyes. “Sorry, Castor, it’s faster this way.”

They moved as a unit, ignoring the shocked stares and loud whispers growing into a cacophony of amazed shouts and detailed accounts of the battle. Jace could only think that the
SpaceStalker
had just achieved legendary status once again as its crew defeated dark creatures never seen before by Offworlders.

“Get us out of here,” he told Castor wearily. “And make way for Vembi,” he sighed.

Castor maneuvered the ship and they took off quickly, entering hyperspace with ease, the ship moving smoothly as it should.

Koneru had deposited Jace in his captain’s chair and left the control room to check on Mikhel. Nesham, however, had left Naria in the control room and disappeared somewhere with Carinna. Apparently the mighty Fenturi didn’t relish putting her down as yet, a thought that made Jace, as tired as he felt, smile.

Then he caught Naria staring at him worriedly, but with a cautious gleam in her eyes. His good mood faded as he knew more questions needed to be asked, sure to be followed by lies.

At least she wasn’t in league with those of Dark World, he thought. He’d seen true fear in her eyes and in that of Carinna’s when the dark creatures had captured them. And though Carinna had been a true Dark Worlder, she apparently didn’t want to return to the dark planet anytime soon. He couldn’t blame her.

Naria however, knew more than she told. The dark ones had called her by name and she spoke their language. A sudden thought consumed him and try as he might, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility.

He stared at her, seeing again her exotic eyes, pale skin that had begun to darken under days of the Rovi sun, and the sheen of power that surrounded her.

“Naria?” he asked softly, feeling Castor’s attention even though his Second kept his eyes on the screen before him. Koneru reentered with a report that all was well. He sat next to Jace and stared at Naria curiously, awaiting Jace’s words. “What exactly happened down there?”

She opened her mouth to speak and closed it abruptly. She swallowed, nervously he thought, before she finally spoke.

“I’m not exactly sure. I believe the Dark Worlders came after Carinna and myself.”

“Carinna because she’s a Dark Worlder and you because?”

She shrugged innocently but her eyes shifted from his to stare at her feet. Not up to dealing with her evasions and half-truths, Jace sighed. He would get to his answers one way or another, but not tonight.

“Koneru? Put her in my cabin and set the special field. So you know, Naria, the Rovians equipped the ship with a new and improved security measure, one designed to stop any type of being from escaping a secured room. The field is electrical in nature, reacting only with a live spirit or energy. We might want to tell Carinna that,” he motioned to the Rovi.

“Right, Jace. Come on, Naria,” Koneru said quietly and escorted her gently out of the room.

“You think she’s one of them, don’t you?” Castor asked after the pair had left.

“Yes,” Jace sighed and leaned his head back against the chair. “It still makes no sense, but I think she might just be one of those we defeated today.”

Castor shook his head. “Well, in any event, she hasn’t done anything wrong to any of us. She in fact helped Nesham, if you’ll recall,” he reminded his captain. “Try not to be too rough on her,” he said.

Jace looked at Castor in surprise. “Since when are you so taken with Naria?”

“Since I’ve seen how you watch her. It’s good to know that you can obsess about something other than Mystique,” Castor grinned. “And when you’re done digging at the truth, find out if she has a sister, would you?”

Jace grinned and returned to his contemplation of this new situation. He needed the information Naria had and now knew he wouldn’t find it on Seven. His crew needed a stop at Vembi, and Stars knew he could do with a bit of mindless pleasure as well. He groaned inwardly at thoughts of Naria’s body tightening around him.

Why now, he asked himself? And why a demon woman from Dark World, of all people?

Nesham left Carinna half-asleep in his room, ignoring the fact that she had her own place to rest. Seeing her in that demon’s clutches had nearly done him in. He didn’t question it, but he had somehow been able to see her even when she turned into that ghostlike form she seemed so fond of.

He hadn’t been able to see the demon chasing her but had seen the demon reel back from a blow she gave him, had watched the creature shriek and turn into nothingness. Then he’d caught Carinna in his arms before she’d fallen to the ground.

Unable to shake the adrenaline still coursing through his body, he left Carinna to check on Mikhel. He passed Koneru leaving Mikhel’s room and nodded to the large Rovi.

He stepped into the room to see Mikhel the picture of glowing health as he reclined on his bed.

“Mikhel,” he said softly with the ghost of a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m going to tear someone apart the next time they ask me ‘how I’m feeling,’” Mikhel frowned. His poor attitude at being confined gave Nesham a huge sense of relief.

“Good, good,” Nesham murmured as he took a seat next to the irritated Fenturi. The large man’s blue eyes glowed with irritation and his body had nary a scar to mar his perfection. A full-blooded Fenturi, Mikhel had more energy than a normal human, even more than Nesham.

“So tell me about the scene I missed earlier,” Mikhel urged. “I heard it outside the ship, so loud was the commotion through the open portals. I would have joined you but Jace stopped me in a way that I don’t quite understand,” he said puzzled.

Nesham shook his head. “I too saw Jace do something rather odd too, to you,” he said and explained how Jace had seemed to heal him. “I think in fact our captain has secrets that none of us are privy to.”