Authors: Bernadette Gardner
Faulkner is responsible in either case."
"It's okay, Ray. Jidar is right."
"Caleb—"
"Silence, Dr. Danson. There is nothing more to say. For the
crime of negligent murder, I must sentence Caleb Faulkner to
one mating cycle of exile."
The research staff murmured their disapproval, and the
Icarian delegation, dozens of males and females from
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surrounding islands, all knelt in submission to their leader's
decree.
The guards restraining Caleb let him go. Though still in
their custody, he would be free to fly under his own power to
a distant island. There, the longest feathers of his wings
would be removed by force, a painful process that would
leave him unable to fly for most of the ten-year term of his
sentence while the damaged areas re-grew. He would be fed
and provided with other amenities, but he would not be
permitted to return to Icarian society until the beginning of
the next mating cycle.
Somewhere among the research team, a woman cried.
Caleb ignored the sound of grief and set his gaze on the
horizon. Ten years in exile might not be long enough for him
to forget.
In the brightening sky, a winged shape appeared then,
likely on some pre-arranged command from Jidar. Caleb
assumed this new arrival would be another one of his escorts.
One by one, all heads turned in the direction of the
approaching Icarian, and once again a curious murmur circled
through the assembly.
Arilani was the first to cry out. Her voice broke with what
sounded like stunned surprise. "It's Zara!"
Everyone scrambled now. Human and Icarian alike ran
toward the breakers where the winged woman descended.
Only Caleb remained in his spot, rooted in the soft sand, too
shocked to believe what he saw. A golden-haired angel, her
naked form perfect from head to toe, had landed among
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them. She shook drops of ocean spray from her silvery blue
wing tips and folded the regal appendages against her back.
Before Zara could answer any of the breathless questions
hurled at her, Arilani took flight, launching herself frantically
into the air.
"Stop her!" Zara gestured to the fleeing Icarian healer.
"She tried to kill me."
Caleb's guards wasted no time. As though Jidar himself
had given the order, the two males jumped into the air.
Stronger and faster than Arilani, they overtook her easily and
within minutes had wrestled her back to the ground.
She screamed and struggled against their grip for a
moment, falling silent only when Jidar approached her.
"Is this true, Arilani?"
"Of course not! The human lies. She wanted Caleb for
herself. She
mated
with him. I saw it happen. She did this to
destroy the breeding program before it could even begin."
Caleb still could not force himself to move. Instead, he
stared in awe as the woman who held his heart marched
across the beach to confront Arilani.
"She poisoned me with some of the tranquilizer meant for
Caleb's symbion, and she dropped me into the water."
"How did you survive?" Namara's voice seemed small and
distant. The leader's mate rushed up to put a soothing hand
on Zara's shoulder, the Icarian equivalent of a hug.
"I'm not sure. I fell between the rocks and I think the
symbions nesting there helped me climb out onto an old
alor
net. I was dying ... and then they saved me."
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She gestured to her magnificent, blue-gray wings. "This
one sensed I needed help."
"Are you in pain? How do you feel?" Danson's questions
were drowned out by Arilani's screams.
"She will not bear his child. She will not become Icarian.
Take the symbion from her. She has no right to it!"
Ignoring Arilani's outburst, Zara addressed Jidar. "I feel
fine. There was no pain at all. Whatever happened to Caleb
seems to be unique. The symbion healed my injuries and it
obeys my commands.
We are one
."
"No. It cannot be permitted." Arilani continued her
struggles, but Jidar ordered the guards to hold her more
tightly.
"It cannot be undone. The symbion has chosen its host.
We may not interfere."
"My liege." Zara dropped to her knees in front of Jidar and
assumed the submissive position. "I pledge my loyalty and
my life to you, if you will accept me as a member of the
tribe."
Namara clapped her hands. "Yes! Of course."
Jidar made a noise, similar to clearing this throat and
raised a brow at his mate. Namara bowed. "Forgive me, my
liege."
Jidar smiled at Zara. "As Namara says, yes. Of course."
Someone cheered, whether human or Icarian, Caleb
couldn't tell, but every voice in the crowd followed suit.
Finally, he found the strength to move, and he ran to Zara.
The group parted, and he offered his hand so she could rise
from the sand.
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"My liege," he said. "I know I made a commitment to the
breeding program, but I respectfully request that I be offered
to this female as her mate."
Zara broke into a wide smile and threw herself into Caleb's
arms. "I will accept, my liege."
Jidar seemed overwhelmed for a moment and he frowned.
"I ... cannot make that decision right now. At the moment, I
must deal with Arilani."
Namara cast her husband a pleading glance, but he
dismissed her silent question with a flick of his wing tip.
"Later, my love. We will discuss mating later."
Jidar stepped back and addressed Arilani as the guards
holding her forced her to her knees.
"You have been accused of violence against one of our
tribe. Do you confess or deny this charge?"
"She is
not
one of our tribe. She is a human who stole my
mate."
"Arilani, do you confess or deny?"
"I deny her accusations."
"My liege, the symbion healed my wounds, except for this
one." Zara stepped forward and bared her neck to Jidar.
Caleb fought to control a surge of irrational jealousy as he
watched his leader lay curious, probing fingers against Zara's
skin. "This is where she injected me with the tranquilizer."
"She found Zara's clothes," someone said, and a rustle of
whispers surrounded them. "Did she take them when she
attacked you?"
Zara glared at Arilani. "No. She stole them while I was
sleeping, didn't you? Then she came back when Caleb was
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gone and told me he was dying. She convinced me to fly back
here with her, but instead she drugged me and dropped me
into the ocean."
Jidar reached for Arilani and clamped his hand tightly over
her shoulder. At first, from the pained expression on her face,
Caleb thought Jidar might have been trying to snap her neck.
Arilani began to sob. Finally, Jidar released her. "Her
symbion confirms this. Together they plotted to remove Dr.
Abbott as a rival for Dr. Faulkner's affections." The Icarians
arranged behind him gasped and wings ruffled in indignation.
"For the crime of violence against a member of your tribe,
compounded by the crime of denying your actions, I sentence
you to one cycle of exile, to begin immediately."
Arilani bowed her head. "I only wanted a child, my liege. I
wanted to save our race."
For a second, Caleb almost felt sympathy for her. She
seemed bereft and broken.
Then she raised her head and snarled at Jidar. "But you
were too cowardly to accept an easy solution from the
humans. Your stubborn insistence on the old ways drove our
race to extinction. When the last Icarian dies childless,
you
will be to blame, Jidar. You have destroyed our race!"
"Take her away now." Jidar's voice was low and
preternaturally calm, though even Caleb could see the spark
of pain in his eyes. Arilani's accusations had struck a raw
nerve, and the leader couldn't hide the fact that deep down,
he did hold himself responsible for the dire situation his
people faced.
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Guilt washed over Caleb. He should have offered then to
mate with any willing Icarian female, but he couldn't. He had
Zara in his arms, and she was the only woman he wanted,
even if it meant giving up his wings.
Rather than allow Arilani to fly herself, her guards drew
her to her feet and launched themselves into the air with her
limp body dangling between them. All heads turned to follow
the progress of the three through the air.
When they had disappeared among the towering nearby
islands, Jidar sighed and turned to Caleb and Zara. "I will
consider your request. Until I have made a decision about the
breeding program I ... will not forbid you from spending time
together."
Though Caleb understood the gravity of Jidar's statement,
he planned to enjoy every moment he had with Zara.
Together they bowed their heads to their leader and, after
fending off the anxious questions of their colleagues, he
steered his woman away from the crowd and down the beach.
Once they'd left the group of researchers and Icarians
behind, Zara stopped walking. She turned to him, her eyes
sparkling with unshed tears. "By rights, Jidar should assign us
both to Icarian mates now."
Caleb took Zara's face in his hands and brought his lips to
hers. She tasted of the ocean and sweet desire. "I know, but
he can't stop us from loving each other. No matter what
happens, Zara, I will love you forever. Come home with me
now. Even if you'll only be mine for a day, I don't want to
waste a minute of it."
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Zara smiled and kissed him again. "Your bungalow is in the
other direction."
"That's not my home anymore. Let's go where we belong."'
"I belong with you, Caleb. I love you and I always will."
Together they leapt into the air and let their wings carry
them on the warm air currents to the distant aerie they would
always call home.
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Zara lowered herself to the
alor
down pallet, careful to
spread her symbion wings to the side to avoid crushing the
delicate feather shafts.
Above her, kneeling between her thighs, Caleb spread his
wings as well. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever
seen," he whispered, gazing at her. "How will I ever keep my
hands off you if you're going to be walking around naked all
the time?"
She smiled and reached for him, eager to pull his muscular
body down over hers. "Let's talk later about how you'll keep
your hands off me. Right now, I need your hands on me."
She sighed and guided his searching fingers across her
flesh. Sparks of arousal drew her nipples tight and made her
clit pulse for attention as he ran his hands up her thighs, over
her belly and up to her breasts. He caressed her, rubbing his
rough palms over the puckered tips until the friction made her
squirm.
Her wingtips fluttered, and moisture pooled in the soft
folds of her pussy. If she didn't have him soon, she'd die. Her
symbion demanded fulfillment and made her desperate for
control. Now she understood Caleb's urgency and why, when
they'd been here in this abandoned aerie before, he hadn't
been able to control his desires.
The need for release consumed her. "Caleb, please!"
"Patience, both of you." He grinned wickedly. "You need to
learn to master your symbion."
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"Later. Fuck me now. I want you—have to have you."
He laughed and fell upon her. Everywhere his hard body
touched her, her skin tingled. She shuddered with the wanton
pleasure of just having him stretched over her, his chest
rubbing her sensitive nipples, his thighs spreading her and his
erection nudging her weeping slit. She slid her arms under
his, enjoying the feel of his wings against her arms. With a
sigh that became a gasp, she used the movement of her hips
to guide him inside her and she groaned when he seated
himself deeply with one long thrust.
"Caleb!"
"Shhh ... easy, my angel. You'll get what you want." He
reached up to brush hair from her eyes and placed a deep,
sensual kiss on her mouth.
"I already have it. I'm not sure I can give it up."
"We'll stay here like this as long as we can. Jidar will have
to come and get us himself when he wants to assign us to
other mates."
Zara's throat constricted at his words. She couldn't bear to
think of the man she loved in someone else's arms. "Don't