True Believers (13 page)

Rachel jumped back when a flurry of servants stampeded into her room with armloads of bedding and clothes. They rushed in like bees, transforming her stately suite into something softer and more feminine. She stumbled toward an unfettered corner to watch the swarm at work.

Jessit had said little to her. At first she mistook his dismissal for disapproval. Nothing had prepared her for this sudden change in attitude.

The man was almost penitent and she didn't know why. Everything changed the moment his assistant rushed in waving that little ticking machine.

That little ticking machine…

Her mouth dropped open.
Was it possible?
Jessit, Senit and Kalya never once looked at her directly after Senit called Jessit aside. Their gaze remained downcast, submissive, almost…reverent.

Did they know she wasn't human? Could that machine tell? She'd been so used to the humans and their naivety. She never anticipated these aliens would have technology sophisticated enough to see through her.

Rachel inched over to Kalya who barked one order after another that kept the servants hopping. The old man reveled in his tiny dictatorship.

“Sir, you don't have to go through this much trouble.”

Kalya nearly jumped out of his skin and tapped his chest and forehead in rapid succession. He muttered something that sounded like a mantra, bowing his head and repeating the gestures.

“Lord Kalya.” She sniped at him, hoping it would snap him out of his groveling.

“Apologies, my Lady. We want you to be comfortable.”

So it was
Lady
now. What had happened to change their manners? Even Senit, who had been entirely dismissive since their meeting, kowtowed to her. Suddenly she was the most important person on board. The extra attention made her nervous. “I am quite comfortable, really. The only thing I'd like to know is when I can see Taelen again.”

The old man flushed to a crimson glow. “He is at your command.”

“My command? He brought me here as his concubine.”

Kalya's eyes bugged out, horrified. “Anu forgive us. Not at all, my Lady. If you'll give me but a moment—”

Kalya never got to finish his sentence. A servant rushed up to him, announcing that Commander Jessit had summoned him. He turned to Rachel, his hands palm side up in service. “Should I order Lord Taelen into your audience?”

Rachel glanced over at the servants now standing stock still with heads bowed. Kalya, too, dared not raise his eyes. She couldn't afford to see Jessit yet. She had to find out how much they knew—and what they suspected.

“That won't be necessary. If you don't mind, I'll just go to bed. It's been a long day.”

Kalya dismissed the servants then bowed low, his old back complaining with a series of painful-sounding clicks. “We should not have taken so much of your time.” He pointed to a heavyset steward who stayed behind. “Nevar will stand outside your door tonight, should you need anything.” The round-bellied servant nodded with grave duty.

The door closed gently. At least nobody locked it this time. Rachel stared at the door, wishing someone would come back. She didn't want to be alone. What was she thinking? She didn't even want to be here.

Rachel walked over to a window and watched the Earth pass by.

There was no hint of a com-web, that invisible menace. Was Gilgamesh right about the grid? Was it hurting them? She had to reach him somehow. And she needed to stay in Jessit's good graces. If the com-web was responsible for their illness, they'd need his help.

Rachel yawned, stretching her arms and eyeing the large bed in the center of the room. It was late. Senit had collected her at nearly midnight, and she was tired. Perhaps even Jessit had gone to bed by now.

The man was full of surprises. Despite the rocky reunion, he had been sweet and gentle. Her
na'hala
wanted desperately to join with his and so did she, but in hindsight it was for the best they didn't take it any further. He might not have given her a choice, but she would avoid it if she could. Even with a soul cord, he was still mortal, and she didn't want to hurt him.

Her mind retraced his well-sculpted form. He was handsome—broad-shouldered and trim at the waist. And the extra appendages near his penis were remarkably useful. All the more pity for
coitus interruptus.

She sighed. That was the hormones talking.

Heat could still be days away, and Rachel hoped she wouldn't be trapped here when it happened. She needed one of her own kind to quell the madness. She didn't want to have to go through another heat cycle alone. Gilgamesh must have arrived in the United States by now. He'd find some way to get her back down to Earth.

The servants provided her with an entire wardrobe, donated clothes from the females on board. Rachel rifled through her closet and changed into something that looked like a nightgown. It was soft, delicate and very sheer. The room was far too hot for anything else.

She climbed into bed and let her body melt into the soft cushiness of the mattress. It was warm here, and humid. Once again her thoughts slipped back to Jessit. She licked her lips. There were other ways to please one another, without initiating union.

Despite her growing sexual anxiety, her real problem was the Alturians. How accurate was that clicking device? Jessit had mentioned they could detect their gods' essence from space. Did it detect her as well?

True believers, Gilgamesh called them. Just like the old humans.
Not likely.
The ancient humans could be excused. They were primitives, easily led by things they didn't understand. But the Alturians were sophisticated star travelers. How could they possibly believe the Nephilim divine? What had her ancestors done to produce such devotion?

Rachel tried to sleep but it seemed useless. Her groin ached for a man. She ached for Jessit and the sex they almost had.

She got up and walked over to the lone window. Her hand glided against a bulkhead, the subtle vibrations of the ship reverberating against her flesh. It had a familiar resonance, operating on electromagnetic energy. She tiptoed over to the door and listened. Nevar was still there, snoring like a buzz saw.

What would it hurt to see Jessit once more?

Rachel slipped back into bed, and with one deep breath found that quiet place in her mind, a terminal of sorts where she could break from her physical form.

Inside her ethereal well she felt the giddy tremble of shifting. It tugged at her solar plexus like a contraction, pushing hard for release. A primal craving motivated her actions. She needed to see Jessit again, if only to watch him sleep.

The room's lights faltered and winked out as she vibrated the atoms within her immediate space. Like a tendril of smoke, her energy ebbed out of her body and hovered above it in midair.
She lit to the ground and reemerged into a recognizable form. Rachel gazed back at her body. It looked enough as if she was asleep.

Her essence vibrated through the door and ventured outside. Nevar snoozed at his post. She smiled at him. “Pleasant dreams, old man. Don't let anyone disturb me.”

He seemed to nod in assent and mumbled something under his breath.

Rachel drifted in and out of rooms. Most people were sleeping; one man was having sex with a woman while another was having sex with himself. She backed out of each room quickly. She was only interested in the occupant of one bedroom.

When the priest, Kalya, took her to her room, they stayed on the same floor. Jessit's quarters couldn't be far. A central hub yawned up ahead and she chose the corridor on the left to investigate. This one had a guard posted at the entrance. She wisped by him, pleased when she sensed familiarity.

Jessit's wing. A thrill weaved through her when she became aware of his presence, as well. That was strange. That had never happened with a mortal before. Perhaps Gilgamesh was right. Maybe he was a distant cousin of sorts.

Jessit had to be asleep by now. That tempered her enthusiasm but it didn't dampen her purpose. She was used to hunting mortals while they slept. They were much less inhibited if they thought her presence was part of a dream.

Her spirit vibrated through the door and into Jessit's room. As her vaporous form took shape once again, her eyes grew wide from a sight she hadn't expected. Jessit lay on top of the blonde vixen she had seen in his room earlier. With a throaty grunt he climaxed and then rolled off her, a look of coarse satisfaction on his face. Rachel stood there in shock, her heart breaking in more pieces than she could count. She tried to back away, but it was too late. Whether by chance or by design, Jessit opened his eyes and saw her there.

His jaw slackened and he scrunched the covers over his torso. “Rachel,” he whispered.

The poor little naked girl must have asked him what was wrong, her long, slender hands begging to be of service, but he pushed her away.

“Rachel.”

Rachel shook her head and ran through the closed door, dimming every light in the immediate vicinity.

She returned to her body and shook it back to life. When she awoke, there were tears on her face.

***

Jessit ordered Ajula out with a gruff bark. The poor girl withered before his eyes, thinking she had displeased him. He kissed her on the cheek and told her to get dressed. He didn't mean to frighten her. But truth be told,
he
was frightened.

He thought quenching his lust on Ajula would cure him of his need for Rachel, but it only made it worse. What was it about her that kept him caged? Did gods put spells on mortal men?

Jessit didn't understand. Rachel looked ready to disembowel him. Was she upset that he was with another? Surely she wasn't expecting him to take
her
to his bed, not now that they knew who she was. Maybe she wanted him celibate. Jessit groaned at the irony. He was doomed!

When they took his gonads, he prayed the priests would use anesthetic. He dressed in a hurry, throwing on the uniform that lay rumpled in a chair. His first thought was to go to her at
once, but this was a god. Whatever his sins, he wanted to make sure she understood he was repentant.

He was also no fool. He needed an alibi for being able to see her. Jessit rifled through a drawer and pulled out a cube of
menze.
He lit it and let the hallucinogen's smoke waft through the air. Jessit waved the fumes at his clothes while holding his breath. When he could stand no more of it, he bolted out the door and ran to Kalya's quarters.

He banged on the door, rousing the attention of the guard on duty in this wing. If the old man didn't answer soon, Jessit was going to key in an override code and drag him out of bed. Kalya came to the door, still in bed clothes and half asleep.

“Get dressed,” Jessit ordered.

“What's happened?” Kalya asked, more annoyed than cooperative.

“I need your intercession. I have displeased the Lady.”

“You what!” Kalya ran to his closet and rummaged out a freshly pressed robe. He threw it on, not bothering to give it the blessing it required. “What did you do?” he grumbled and hurriedly buttoned his cassock.

“I'm not sure, but I saw her—or rather she saw me. She looked displeased.”

Kalya stopped, his fingers frozen on one of the top buttons. “What did she see?”

“It doesn't matter. All I want you to do is vouch for my piety.”

“Piety is measured by the generosity of the penitent,” Kalya said wryly.

“Name your price, priest. Only hurry.” Jessit eyed a scanning monitor that his search teams used to detect the gods' radiation signature. He picked it up and ran a diagnostic on it while Kalya finished dressing.

Jessit wasn't sure what he hoped to prove with it, but he had to show Rachel that he would never do anything to displease the gods, especially her. And he hoped to do it without letting Kalya know that he had seen her in her ethereal form unaided. If Kalya discovered the truth his career would be over.

They rushed to Rachel's quarters. A servant dozed at his post. Jessit snarled at him, nearly snapping the pitiful steward's neck off his shoulders. “What kind of ship am I running here, Nevar?”

“It won't happen again, sir.” The old man blanched in fear.

Kalya too, cursed him. Nevar would be lucky if he closed his eyes at all for the next two days. Jessit knocked on the door and waited. It seemed an eternity before she answered.

“It's your ship. Come in, or don't,” she yelled through the door.

Nevar looked sheepishly at Jessit, but remained mute. Jessit entered with Kalya right behind him. Both men hesitated at the doorway.

Rachel sat on the bed and fumed at them. She seemed a little surprised to see Kalya, but every fiber in Jessit's body was sure that
he
had been expected. She fitted herself with the translator.

Her nose looked red and her face flushed and moist. Had she been crying? He wanted to hold her, comfort her. If only he could be sure she wouldn't hang him by his intestines for his trouble. Despite the flash of fury, she looked helpless and fragile, as if she could break at any moment.

Jessit bowed his head and asked for permission to speak with her. She waved them in as she sat cross-legged on the bed, the bedding rumpled beneath her. Her silk sleeping gown clung to her body like a moist kiss, leaving nothing to the imagination.

She caught his gaze, forcing him to look away. “Well, what is it?”

Her voice cracked. She
had
been crying.

“My Lady, a little while ago I witnessed your essence in my room.” His eyes fell to the monitor in his hands and measured his words carefully. “You seemed upset.”

Kalya, wily and sharp-eared as always, snapped to that confession. “You saw the Lady in your room, Commander?”

Jessit cleared his throat, hoping he was as good a liar as he was a sinner. “I was with Ajula. We had a cube of incense smoldering on my dressing table.”

“
Menze,
Commander? Why would you use
menze
in your room?” Kalya narrowed his eyes at him.

Jessit shifted uncomfortably. “My lord, everyone knows
menze
heightens sexual endurance. I…uh…needed the help.” That last part caught in his throat, but he needed to sound convincing.