Alien Attachments (21 page)

Next to her, Ria popped a winged creature into her mouth. Her eyes slid shut as she savored the flavor. “Morvian chocolate,” she sighed. “The same planet the material from your dress came from. I haven’t had this stuff in months.” She snatched a small tree off a passing tray and bit it in half.

Once the meal was at an end and coffee served, Rucon and Mara excused themselves and wished everyone a good evening.

A few of the couples moved to the dance floor. Dani didn’t recognize the music but it was something like a waltz. A breeze blew in from the open doors, and she wanted some air. And some distance from Ian.

Balastar nodded in the direction of the patio. “Care to join me? Perhaps we can squeeze in some alone time after all.”

His cool blue eyes held her captive. She’d talk to him tonight, then if need be, she’d go to Rucon tomorrow and explain Balastar was on their side.

“Love to.” She told Ria they were stepping out for a bit. Ria checked her watch. “Storms coming. Forty-five minutes, maybe an hour.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll just be on the patio,” Dani said.

“All right, I think I’ll call it a night.” Ria stood and turned to Balastar. “It was nice getting to know you tonight.” She extended her hand. “You’re not what we expected.”

He took her hand and kissed it. “Pleasantly surprised, I hope.”

“I think so,” Ria said. “Time will tell.”

No one missed the serious undertone of the exchange.

Balastar handed Dani her drink. “Time will tell a great number of things in the coming months.”

Dani and Ria exchanged glances before Ria departed.

Outside the wind toyed with Dani’s hair. The room had become quite warm and the cool breeze was delicious on her skin.

“How did you know?” She asked without preamble. She rested an elbow on the balustrade, enjoying the city view below.

Balastar leaned his back against the stone. He swirled the wine in his glass and scanned the balcony. “The first time I saw you fighting with Ria, I was mesmerized. You were absolutely captivating, but I couldn’t figure out why.” He took a sip of wine. “One of my abilities, Dani, is being something of an empath. I watched. I opened my psi like a sponge, and imagine my surprise to experience your amazement and glee at psi itself. Something we live with our entire lives, yet there you were—all grown up and psi was brand new to you. Amazing. Your sense of being the outsider was very strong. Given the Cavacent’s relationship to Earth, it didn’t take much to surmise your origin.”

The wind kicked up, whipping Dani’s hair across her face.

Balastar reached up and swept it off her lips. Her psi pulsed against his. So very different from Ian yet so very nice. And safe.

“I wasn’t certain, of course, till tonight. All I knew for sure was you weren’t Sandarian. Jared sealed it. You have a sense of belonging with him.”

Dani nodded, letting it all sink in. “So, you don’t so much read people as…”

“Get impressions of emotions. Feelings.”

“That must come in handy,” she said.

“It does, but I would ask a favor of you.”

Dani tilted her head to the side.

“Aside from my mother, no one knows of this.”

Dani studied Balastar’s face. It was a huge risk for him to tell her. He’d asked her earlier for honesty, and she decided to take him seriously. “I will never volunteer that information, but…”

“But,” he continued for her, “if you feel I am a threat to your people—Cavacents, humans, then you will do what’s necessary.”

“Exactly.” Dani was relieved he didn’t appear angry.

“I can live with that. I assure you I have no intention of working against any of you. It is intriguing, though. There are rumors of psi emergence on non-psi planets. Oddly enough, one of them is your supposed home world of Mitah.”

Dani didn’t know what to make of the information.

“Well, I’m glad to hear you want to help.” Ian’s voice made them both jump. He and Armond approached, and as usual, Armond looked like he wanted to throttle her.

“You two,” Ian said, low enough not to be heard by others, “should be more careful. Unless I’m mistaken, neither of you knew we were so close.”

Dani glared at Ian. That was not the way to address a councilman. “Ian—”

“No.” Balastar raised a hand. “He’s right. We were careless. It’s just that I find this one”—he motioned to Dani—“truly captivating. I will be more cautious in future.”

“Thank you, councilman, for your graciousness.” Ian said. “We have a great deal at stake here. Such a slip could be deadly.” Ian appeared tense, every muscle wound tight.

“Agreed,” Balastar said.

“We didn’t come out here to listen to a private conversation,” Ian said. “My father and I would respectfully request a meeting with you, councilman.”

Balastar sounded relieved. “I am of the same mind. I’ll contact you in the morning and we’ll set a time.”

“Good. Now, I have work to do. Please, stay as long as you like.”

Dani watched him leave with Armond a few steps behind, then turned back to Balastar.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “You have a complicated relationship with Ian.”

Dani burst out laughing. Too loud. She stifled it. “You have no idea.”

“I enjoyed tonight very much,” he said.

“As did I. You’re a funny man, Balastar.”

He bowed. “I do my best. Can I see you again?”

Dani thought about Ian, about Rucon, about the crumbling empire and Gordat Prayda. Ian may desire her, and she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t mutual, but the intensity scared the shit out of her.

“You should know, I don’t want to cause trouble with Ian, but—” He swept an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “I will not let this go until we find out where it leads.”

Pleasure and anticipation rippled through her. Nice, normal, uncomplicated attraction. “I’d like that.”

“Good, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning and have you back by two.”

The air around them seemed to flicker, and a blast of wind whipped Dani’s dress around her ankles.

“Time to go inside,” Balastar said. “The storm is coming.”

Dani had the impression those words had more meaning than the obvious.

* * * *

Ian stood in his dark bedroom watching the storm rage outside. Lightening tore through the upper atmosphere. With each strike, the green and purple clouds were visible. Swirling around in a violent mix that never blended, an appropriate metaphor for him and Dani. For now.

He wore nothing but cotton pants and found a perverse pleasure from the ice cold of the marble window frame he leaned against. It helped ground him. Another flash, closer this time.
The storm is here.

He remembered Balastar’s finger on Dani’s lips. It took everything he had to maintain his air of calm. Watching her with him, easy, relaxed, laughing. It should be him.

He forced his thoughts to the other problem of the night. Prayda’s behavior had surpassed any previous insult. His confidence and arrogance didn’t bode well. When the emperor fell, they needed to get off Sandaria quickly. And what then? Ian pondered the blue planet that would be their home, far away from the politics of this world
.
He closed his eyes, allowing an image of him and Dani together. She laughed like she did with Balastar tonight. He ached at the thought. But, he had to wait. Wait till they were out of reach of Prayda.
How long?
Would it be too late? Would a partial bond fade? Could he even fully bond with a human? What if she was able to bond with Balastar?

Frack.
He didn’t know what was possible. Ian let out a growl and downed his drink. He turned and went to pour himself another.

The next day Dani stepped outside into the sun. She let the heat warm her a moment before following Balastar. She wore a blouse with shorts and strappy sandals. After weeks of standard EP gear of boots and jeans it was odd to have so much skin exposed.

Balastar also looked out of character. In Bermuda shorts and a pressed white shirt, he was ready for a cruise. She smiled at him. The man was uncomplicated and gorgeous. It was a good combination.

“What is that?” she asked, coming to his side. In front of them stood, or more accurately, hovered, a vehicle that appeared to be made of glass. “Ah, like your mega structures. It bends light.”

“Yes, and then some.” He opened a door for her. “Get in.”

“Whoa.” The interior features, such as seats and a control panel, were outlined in a faint blue light, but you could see through everything. She stepped in and moved to the far side. She sat slowly, unable to squelch the fear of falling through. The cushion held and she let out a breath of relief. Unlike the cruisers on Earth, this had soft plush seats, more like a sports car than a bench.

“It’s a sightseeing pod,” he said, taking the seat next to her. “Very fast and perfect for our day,” he said, closing the clear hatch. “Cameras on the exterior project the view inside. We have until two. My mother is leaving at two-thirty. I want to see her off, then I have the meeting with the Cavacents.”

“Where is she going?” Dani heard the sadness in his voice.

“She’s from Dirkon, and has chosen to move our entire estate there. I, on the other hand, have decided to see what life on Earth is like.” He looked at her with a disconcerting mix of sadness and desire.

“It must be difficult to pack up and leave like that.” She placed a hand on his arm.

“It sucks, as you would say.” He waved his hand and the vehicle rose into the air.

She looked around the small, perfectly clear space.
It’s a bubble. We’re in a fricking bubble.
“This is a little disorienting,” she said, running her hands along nearly invisible seats. They had the same texture as leather. Were it not for the iridescent outlines, she wouldn’t know where anything was. She glanced down to the ground beneath her feet. “I mean, logically, I know it must be safe and all. I just don’t feel it in my gut. My gut thinks, sixty seconds from now when we’re a hundred feet in the air, it’s going to be having a panic attack for all the world to see. Not my world maybe, but a world none the less.”

Balastar flashed his million dollar smile and waved a hand toward the console. “It’s perfectly safe, and don’t worry. If you do panic, no one will see. Except me.” He winked at her. “We have a three-sixty degree view out, but no one can see in. Best to keep you out of sight.”

“O—kay,” Dani squeaked out the last bit when the bubble shot straight up into the air.

Balastar gave her a funny look and slowed their ascent. “Oh. Of course.”

“Of course?” Dani asked.

“You don’t have gravity modulators on Earth.”

Dani nodded, starting to get the hang of it. “Yeah, so when we go really fast, we feel it. It’s the whole inertia thing.”

Balastar grinned and flicked a finger. The bubble dropped, but again, there was no sense of free fall. No sense of any movement. Except the mind expected it, like the feeling you got stepping onto an escalator that wasn’t moving. You know it’s not in motion, yet somehow when you hit that first step, your body wants to respond like it is.

Dani laughed. “This is really weird. If it’s an antigravity field, why aren’t we floating around inside here?”

“Good question. Gravity isn’t totally blocked. We’re in a bubble. A gravity bubble. Constant force on the inside, not the out.”

“So we’re in a gravity bubble, inside a bubble car. Most excellent.”

Balastar guided the craft out into a gorgeous sunny morning sky.

“We can get around the entire planet in this, Dani. There’s a list of places and animals I want to show you.”

“This is awesome.” She knew the Cavacent compound was large, but this view gave her a whole new appreciation for it. “Thank you so much for doing this,” she said, locking eyes with Balastar. His eyes so much like her own—it was like looking into a mirror. Dani sighed. She wasn’t sure what she was doing with Balastar. Ian was a constant background noise in her head and her heart. She reminded herself Ian freaked her out and Balastar felt normal. Safe. She returned her attention to the surroundings and soaked it all in. “God, I wish I had a camera.”

“You’ve got your com, right?” Balastar asked.

“Yes.”

“Well?”

“Of course, it’s a camera too, right?”

Balastar didn’t respond.

Dani laughed and reached for her com. “If you give me another ‘she’s the stupidest being I’ve ever seen’ look one more time today, I’m going to have to hurt you. Not from here, remember?”

“It’s charming. Here, let me show you how to use the camera.”

They spent the next three hours covering the planet. Literally. With no gravity to slow them down and a serious propulsion device, they moved. Fast. Dani saw beasts and plants that blew her mind. Sandaria was a great deal like Earth in terms of air and gravity, so many forms were familiar, but the abundance of violet and the purple and green clouds made it undeniably alien. In the farming regions, Balastar pointed out massive herds of Sandarian Boorgs. They were the local version of cows, only larger, short-tailed, and maned. Most were a light brown, but some had pale white patches covering their bodies. Balastar took them down for a closer look.

Dani leaned against the side. “Are they hairy? I can’t tell.”

“More like fuzz. A very fine, soft fuzz.”

“Temperament?”

“Totally docile. Sounds harsh I guess, but they’re bred for food and hides. They have a good life till their death.”

“I hope it’s better than on Earth. Our meat industry is known for some pretty horrific practices.”

“Sandarians are nothing if not compassionate toward animals, especially their food sources. These guys are genetically bred to die a year after reaching maturity, or earlier if they have an untreatable illness. When it’s time, their brains simply stop. No pain. No violence. They drop. The farmers are alerted by chips in their bodies and harvest them immediately. Most of them.”

“Most?”

“As you can see there’re no fences. There are also wild animals here that need to eat as well. The farmers are tasked with feeding not only our people but balancing the local wildlife. Farming on Sandaria entails a bit more than on Earth.”