Alien Me (17 page)

The tiny bit of water hit my fingertip like a jolt, and within it I felt Sean’s essence, his masculinity, his strength, his growing affection for me. My palm became hot. Fear that I would drain him poured over me. I felt a grasping hunger, an intense desire for more of him. I jerked my hand back because the intensity wanted to overwhelm me.

“You won’t hurt me,” Sean whispered into my hair. “The missusan in you is greedy for the energy. But you can keep it under control and back that part of you off. I can help you channel the energy. Relax and let me show you.”

The bead of water trembled and sparkled on his fingertip an inch from my hand. I watched in fascination as tendrils of pink and green and gold flowed from my palm toward Sean and around the droplet. Sean pulled away and left the droplet hovering above my fingertip. It threw out bright red light. I laughed and broke the spell. The water collapsed onto my finger like a bit of rain.

“What else can you do?” I asked.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“No. Really. Do you trust me?”

My heart shivered. “Yes.”

Sean pulled me into his arms and catapulted us both over the side of the waterfall. I gasped, expecting to fall fast and hard into the pool below, but instead we slowly rode the droplets down, so softly it was as if we were standing on mist. Finally we reached the pool at the bottom so gently it was as if the water had come up to meet us. Sean released me underwater, and I swam to the top.

“I have one more trick,” he said after we had swum to the side and pulled ourselves up on the sand.

Sean closed his eyes and held his hand out toward the waterfall. It began to snow. The mist at the bottom of the waterfall lost its heat and became fat snowflakes that drifted down over us. I stood up and let them touch my face with their little tingling shots of ice.

“Do I even need to ask how you did that?”

“You know how. I drew back on the heat.”

“Can you do any of this on the surface?”

“Not this easily, but once at the Mall of America I saw some jackass really tearing into his kid, so I made his cell phone battery heat up in his pocket and burn his leg. He was like jumping around and swearing because he kept burning his fingers trying to grab the phone. Just about the time he pulled off his jeans, the mall cops showed up. I cooled the cell phone down so when he gave it to the mall cops, it was cold. They thought he was making it up so he could flash people and arrested him.”

I laughed. “Burning cell phones? I’ll have to remember that.”

“You’ll do something better. Your talents are way beyond mine.”

I shook my head, afraid of that thought. “They’re not. Without you during the battle, I would have been killed by those soldiers. The way you jump into action, I could never do that. I’m not that kind of person. And the way you saved me, I could never have saved you without being a missusan.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. You tried to save me even before you knew you were a missusan.”

We stayed silent and watched the waterfall. The quiet wasn’t weird or strained, but comfortable as we watched and listened to the sounds of the water. I thought about his words, but I didn’t believe them. It was too much to think about myself as changing. And our quiet moment wasn’t to last.

“My lord, my lady,” said a footman. “The Lord Methany awaits both of you in the courtyard near your apartments. Lord Amin and some others have come from the House of Picard. Your presence is requested in the throne room.”

“Who is Lord Amin?” I asked.

“Amin came here?” Sean said, clearly surprised. “He’s the First Shaman of the House of Picard.” Sean stood up and offered me his hand. “I’m guessing we’re being summoned to a meeting. Maybe we’ll find out what major decree His and Her Majesty are gracing us with.”

My stomach gave a jolt. “Are you thinking that we’ll be extinguished?”

“That won’t happen. Killing us risks losing all the other missusans of our generation.” He looked at his clothes and mine. “We can’t show up in the throne room sopping wet. These people eat, think, and breathe protocol. We’d better get back to our apartments and change.”

Our maids and footmen, all stepping carefully as if the sand was somehow toxic, followed us off the beach. Methany waited for us in the courtyard by our apartments. He wore a long robe trimmed with blue fur at the hem. His bald head seemed to be blushing as it reflected the pink sky. I wondered if he might not be afraid of us after what happened with the Second Mechanic. As we drew close to him, I sensed a nervous excitement, but no fear.

Methany gave our damp clothes a pointed look. “My lord, my lady, a delegation from the House of Picard has arrived and is waiting in the throne room.”

I felt a wave of consternation in the jumping hearts of my maids. Then my heart lurched. What if they were here to take Sean back? The thought of Sean leaving me alone here in this rose-lighted world scared me.

“A delegation from the House of Picard fell through with the permission of His and Her Majesty and Lord Sylvan and Lady Naomi,” Methany went on. “They request the presence of both Sworn Assets. You two have apparently shredded certain parts of the Treaty.”

Sean and I exchanged a long look. These two Great Houses were at war just a little while ago. Sean and I had fallen into their battlefield, and I hadn’t forgotten how I ended up with an arrow sticking out of my arm. Both of us had been beaten by the soldiers. I didn’t believe the two Great Houses who called themselves Sworn Enemies could resolve their differences this quickly. Were we being invited into an ambush?

“Are Lord Ramsey and Lady Leslie here too?” Sean asked, clearly suspicious.

“They are, my lord,” Methany said, not troubling to hide his disgust at the sight of Sean’s and my dripping clothes and hair.

“Have His and Her Majesty decided whether Darcy and I may live?” Sean asked.

“Your questions will be answered in due time, my lord.” Methany jammed his hands higher up his sleeves. “Perhaps the two of you would like time to make yourselves presentable.”

“That might be best,” Sean said.

I wondered if it was sarcasm I was hearing when Sean and I went up the stairs to our respective apartments. Circle had a towel and a change of clothes ready. She had me slip off my wet things and put a robe over my shoulders while she used some sort of device I’d never seen before to dry my hair and redo the wilted curls. The other maid presented an outfit that matched my jewelry. This time I didn’t refuse the gloves. In five short minutes Sean and I were walking down the steps to join Methany. Knowing that our fate rested in the hands of our Great Houses made me anxious. I wanted to go and get it over with, but I also feared Sean’s leaving me behind in this enormous palace. With every step I took, my fear increased, and I realized how much courage it had taken for Sean to come here to the House of Beck with me.

Methany led the way through numerous courtyards, hallways, and atriums before finally getting to the vast hallway that led to the throne room doors. Once again a throng lined the walls outside the throne room. Today the citizens’ agitation showed in their jerky movements and tight faces. They paced and gestured wildly, apparently unconcerned with decorous behavior. When we came into view, they froze, letting their hands drop by their sides as they stared. Their revulsion pulsed against the bare skin of my neck and I felt a stab of fear for Sean’s safety. I was glad when the guards pulled open the massive doors of the throne room.

Methany stepped aside to let Sean and me enter first. A group of twenty from the House of Picard awaited us. I knew which ones they were without being told. Their clothing was slightly different, and as with Sean, I couldn’t feel their energy the way I could with members of the House of Beck. All turned to watch us as we approached, but none said a word. Their cat’s eyes were balanced and cool. Sean seemed calm and assured, his steps even and measured. Lord Sylvan and Lady Naomi, still and unblinking on their thrones, said nothing as we drew near. I looked up to see if archers were in the gallery, but I could neither see nor sense anyone there.

The lord and lady from the House of Picard were seated on bejeweled, brocade chairs one step below Sylvan’s and Naomi’s thrones. Everyone else was standing. Unconsciously my hand sought out Sean’s arm. When we got to the thrones and stopped, I felt a strained and broken energy flowing around us.

“Lady Darcy,” Methany said to me. “This is Lord Ramsey and Lady Leslie of the House of Picard and Lord Amin, the First Shaman of the House of Picard.”

“My lord, my lady,” Sean said politely to them and Sylvan and Naomi.

I nodded to them but said nothing.

Sylvan returned the greeting with a frosty nod. “His and Her Majesty have allowed an exception to the Treaty so that our two Great Houses may resolve this unfortunate incident. Thus far they have determined that the Houses will resume their status as Sworn Enemies once terms have been reached. In the meantime Lady Darcy and Lord Sean will discontinue all contact both in Geminay and on Earth.”

I could feel Sylvan’s frosty distaste at being made to host the Picards, but I also sensed an undercurrent of excitement, as if he were slightly pleased by this stir of the ordinary. Naomi, on the other hand, seemed to have a wall around her that defied my senses. Suddenly she met my eyes. I looked away, embarrassed at having been caught staring at her.

“Geminay is best served if both Sworn Assets follow protocol long established,” Ramsey said, his eyes briefly touching on me as he spoke. “This relationship the two of you have established is no longer appropriate or desirable. On Earth’s surface both of you have been provided approved friends for social congress. Once the two of you have been taught correct deportment and educated in the Treaty you will understand why things are the way they are. Your touch has already caused the deaths of many Sworn Assets and brought down the wall between the Great Houses of Beck and Picard. Both Houses will remedy your ignorance so this unfortunate incident won’t be repeated. Do the both of you understand?”

“We hear your words,” I said in as strong a voice as I could manage. My fear of losing Sean, the only person in this whole realm that I trusted, forced me to muster the courage to speak up. “But we can’t just start pretending we don’t know each other anymore.”

“And how is that possible, dear lady?” Naomi asked in a wheedling sort of voice. “You didn’t meet Lord Sean until this Earth morning.”

“We’ve been through a lot in that time.” I squared my shoulders and raised my chin as if to make myself bigger. “We’ve exchanged energy and saved each other’s lives. We can’t just forget that any of those things happened.”

Ramsey’s brow lowered. “Lady Darcy, let me be clear. You are too young and too new to our ways to understand that things are the way they are for a reason. In Geminay we don’t randomly change the rules for an adolescent friendship between two creations. Any feelings you currently have for Lord Sean will soon be forgotten. What you are experiencing now is the vulgar human side of you and those emotions are fickle.”

A pause fell over the throne room. I wanted for Sean to say something, a few words of support, but he didn’t speak. I gave his sleeve a little tug and got no reaction. I elbowed him slightly, but he was looking at the Picard contingent and wouldn’t acknowledge me. The man who had saved my life and made me snowflakes now acted as if I wasn’t there.

Ramsey turned to the members of House Picard. “Lady Leonie, if you will.”

The most beautiful girl that I could imagine stepped out of the group. She gave a small curtsey toward Ramsey and another toward the thrones before turning to face Sean and me. She had turquoise eyes that were fringed in silver as if her lashes had been touched with frost. Her white-blonde hair had been elaborately braided and decorated with many fine gems and threads of platinum. The pale blue tunic and pants she wore were striped in black, brown, and white diamonds. Her movements were decorous and pretty, as if she had trained her entire life for this moment.

“Lady Darcy, this is Lady Leonie, Lord Sean’s betrothed,” Ramsey said.

I felt the air leave my lungs in a gush. Without my asking, my feet took a couple steps away from Sean. The word
betrayal
bounced back and forth in my head even though I had known of his betrothal and she had never been a secret. Irrationally I thought that Sean should have told me that Leonie was so lovely. Irrationally I blamed Sean for being so attractive and charming that it allowed me to forget the reality of Leonie. Irrationally I wanted to think of Sean as a cheater even though I had conveniently forgotten about Judah.

“Lord Sean,” she said softly. “It is my pleasure to see you again.”

She acknowledged me with a shy smile before stepping into the space I had created when I moved. I wanted the floor tiles to open up and let me fall between them. This was worse than walking onto campus this morning. An awkward silence filled the room. I took deep breaths to maintain my composure.

Naomi set her eyes on me with smug satisfaction. “You understand now, my dear lady, that there can never be anything for you with Lord Sean. Not here or on Earth. Lord Sean has Lady Leonie and you have Lord Judah. Whatever relationship you may have had with Lord Sean is no longer appropriate.”

“Already the two of you have caused a disruption in the harmony of our society that we haven’t experienced in ten thousand Earth years, if ever,” Methany said to no one in particular. Then he turned to me. “I know Sworn Assets believe that we lack feeling when arranging these marriages. Be advised, my lady, that in the House of Beck there is no family—and I mean no family—who would choose to have a beloved child marry a Sworn Asset. And especially a missusan. And especially a missusan who has broken the Treaty and consorted with a Sworn Enemy.”

Everyone in the room, including me, looked to Judah, but whether it was from courtesy or pride, he kept his gaze on the far wall of the throne room, as if he were thinking of something else. Leonie’s face became set and hard. Then I felt Judah’s embarrassment and something else that I could only describe as horror, as if Methany had revealed a mortifying secret.