Determinant -Guardians of Vesturon [3] (20 page)

“Yes, I’d love that!”

In seconds I had taken off the fluffy robe and threw on some clothes and we were heading outside. The day was beautiful. It was late September and the weather was changing. The sky was bright Carolina blue and the sun was warm on my skin. The mountains in the distance rose before us and I ironically thought I had never been happier in my life. It scared me though because the last time I said that was right before things went south at work and I ended up becoming deathly ill. But in the whole scheme of things, if I hadn’t contracted smallpox I would never have met Rykerian. Fate has a strange way of showing itself sometimes.

“It was meant to be January. You do realize that don’t you?”

“Were my thoughts that loud again?”

He nodded, smiling.

“How can I keep them quieter?”

“There is a shield within you that needs to be activated or turned on, if you will.”

“Okay, now I’m totally confused.”

“Let me explain. Deep within your mind there is a shield. It is not something you can feel unless you seek it out. You need to recognize its presence and then put it to use. But first you must concentrate.”

We made our way to the back terrace and he indicated that I sit.

I took a seat on one of the sofas and he sat next to me.

“Close your eyes,” he said. “Now envision a shield like maybe a glass partition or a window. You can see out but it is totally soundproof. Now raise the partition bit by bit. Hold it steady there. Keep your eyes closed. Can you feel that?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it feels like a filter or something.”

“Exactly! Now relax, yet keep the partition up.”

I sat there with my eyes closed when I began feeling something probing the filter. I felt tentacles moving around, much like a soft tickle. I angled my head, trying to grasp what it was I was feeling when I heard Rykerian chuckling. I opened my eyes to see him grinning and shaking his head.

“What’s so funny?”

“Not funny at all. I am amazed at how quick you were able to accomplish that.”

“Accomplish what?”

“I’ve been tele-communing with you...or at least attempting to for the past few minutes with no response from you. You completely tuned me out. I landed on a blank slate. Tell me, what did you feel?”

“Do you mean I was blocking you?” I asked incredulously.

“Oh yes. And very effectively I might add. Could you feel anything?”

“Yeah, I could. It was like more of a soft barrier or something. I felt the brush of something moving on the opposite side, but didn’t know what it was.”

“January, you were feeling my thoughts...my mind trying to probe yours.”

I looked at him as my chin dropped to the ground. “Seriously? Is that what that was?”

He nodded, beaming, “Oh yes. I was very insistent too, yet you allowed me no quarter. That was excellent!”

“Rykerian, how can I do that though without concentrating so hard?”

“Ah, that will come with practice and experience. Once you master the technique it will be much like...how do you say it? Oh yes, it will be much like riding a bike. You will do it like second nature, without thinking about it,” he explained.

“Will that take a long time?”

“That depends on several things. First, how strong your ability is. Second, how much you practice. And third, how badly you want it.”

“Do you think my ability is very strong?”

“Most definitely. You have been hearing thoughts your whole life. Most telepaths don’t develop until they are appropriately trained. That you managed to block me after one attempt is undoubtedly impressive. The other thing that is extremely spectacular is over the years, you have learned to tune the thoughts of others out. Albeit they were human thoughts, and even though humans don’t have the ability to probe, you accomplished that without being taught. You are very talented where Telepathy is concerned.”

He sat there grinning at me and I felt myself smiling in return.

It was surreal sitting there with Rykerian, looking at the beautiful scenery when people were dying in massive numbers across the globe. I told him as much because I couldn’t get the feeling out of me that we should be doing something.

“Yes, but do not forget, the Guardians are currently implementing their tactics. They are getting the vaccine where it will benefit humanity the most and in doing so, will stop the pandemic from worsening. Besides, you need to recover and regain your strength before you can do anything. I do not want you to have any more episodes like you recently had.”

I nodded, agreeing with him.

I was looking at him, admiring him beneath my lowered lids, when I heard the first strains of music reach my ears. Rykerian began smiling, and when he did, it felt like the sun shining down on me, with his amazing aura, coupled with his unreal looks. It felt weird describing a boy as beautiful, but that’s what he was. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone that could come close to matching him in the looks category.

“Maddie must be at the helm of the sound system,” he remarked.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because she loves Adele, and that is what is playing now. January, dance with me.”

“Uh, I don’t know how to dance,” I said as my face flushed with embarrassment. “I never learned.”

“Oh, it is easy if you let me lead. Come, I can teach you,” he said excitedly. He held out his hand and I had no choice but to take it. He pulled me to my feet and took my left hand and placed in around his neck. He held my right hand in his and encircled me with his left arm, pulling me close against his body.

“Mmmm, you smell so wonderful,” he said as he bent to nuzzle my neck.

“So do you,” I replied as I laid my forehead against his chest. We swayed to the sounds of Adele as she sang, “One and Only.”

He moved with the grace and rhythm as if he had been born to dance. When he bent his head and began whispering words to me, I didn’t initially recognize them. I lifted my head and our eyes met and then I realized he was whispering the lyrics of the song.

You’ve been on my mind I grow fonder every day

Lose myself in time just thinking of your face

God only knows why it’s taken me so long to let my doubts go

You’re the only one that I want

I don’t know why I’m scared, I’ve been here before

Every feeling, every word, I’ve imagined it all

You’ll never know if you never try

To forget your past and simply be mine

I dare you to let me be your, your one and only

Promise I’m worthy to hold in your arms

So come on and give me a chance

To prove I am the one who can walk that mile

Until the end starts...

I know it ain’t easy giving up your heart

I know it ain’t easy giving up your heart

Nobody’s perfect

Trust me I’ve learned it

Nobody’s perfect

Trust me I’ve learned it...

Come on and give me a chance

To prove I am the one who can walk that mile

Until the end starts...

My eyes widened at the realization of what he was saying as the song came to an end. This man, who looked like a Ralph Lauren model, was telling
me
that he wanted me to be with him always. He, who could have anyone in the universe, wanted
me.
I bit my lip and tasted blood as I struggled with the emotions rolling through me.

We still swayed together as if the music were still playing and a sad smile tugged at his lips.

“Don’t be sad,” I whispered.

“I am not sad January for the reason you may think. I am sad for the life you have led until now. It grieves me to think of you as a small child with no one to love you. My heart swells when I am near you and I cannot fathom how anyone can be near you and not feel the good that emanates from you. You are a very special person, my dear sweet girl and as long as there is breath in this body of mine, you will never feel as such again! My most fervent desire is for you to ‘forget your past and simply be mine.’” His voice was filled with so much emotion I felt my eyes tearing up.

My heart sang when he said those words. I knew deep in my heart I was lost to him then only I wasn’t quite ready to admit it.

“I did not intend for my words to make you cry, love.”

“Oh Rykerian, they are not sad tears, but happy ones. You’ve touched my heart with your sweet words.” I placed my palm on his cheek and smiled. He placed his hand over mine and turned his face into my palm to place a kiss on it.

Right at that moment, as we stood in each other’s arms, Maddie bounded down the stairs of the back entrance.

“Rowan is on his way to give us an update on the status of things. He’s asked for you to join us January.”

“Me? Why me?” I asked. Maddie shrugged and Rykerian shook his head indicating he didn’t know either. He grasped my hand and gave me a gentle tug and we followed Maddie down to the Compound.

The Command Center was massive—like an underground city. We went through corridor after corridor and ended up in an area that looked like a loading dock of sorts. It was filled with all sorts of crazy looking things, including what I believed to be space ships. The last time I was down here was such a blur. We were in a hurry to get our plans underway that it wasn’t possible to take all this in. Now, I didn’t know if I should laugh or scream.

“It is quite a bit to comprehend and yes, you are correct in your assumptions, January.”

Rykerian spoke to me through telepathy.

“Depending on their size and function, they are known by several names: Space Transporters, Space Travelers, Star Fighters and Star Freighters. We normally use them for long-term visits or when we need to get large amounts of supplies somewhere. Please do not be afraid.”

He looked at me and grasped my shaking, sweaty hand, lacing his fingers with mine. I immediately felt comforted. I gave him a tentative smile in return and I watched his eyes soften as he stared back at me.

“Why do you think they want me down here?”

“That I cannot answer but I think it will be to thank you for helping us. Please do not worry.”

I kept thinking how unsuitably dressed I was.

“Do not be concerned about that. It is unimportant.”

“I suppose I’m not doing such a great job of blocking my thoughts, am I?”

He winked at me and Maddie turned to me and said, “Isn’t this place unreal? I can remember the first time I came down here. I was shocked because I had been living in the house for months and never knew any of this existed!”

We finally came to a room with a set of double doors and we went inside. Seated at the table were Rayn, Rowan, who was an older version of Rayn and Tesslar.

Rowan rose to his feet and hugged Maddie, and next approached me. He was tall, like Rykerian and Rayn, had those unbelievable emerald eyes so like Rayn’s and was wearing a full-length white robe belted with a gold rope.

The last time I was down here, I didn’t pay as much attention to Rowan, but now I was immediately aware of the man’s power and commanding presence. He bowed to me and held out his hand. I rubbed my palm on my pants before placing it in his and smiled.

“Ms. St. Davis, it is nice to see you again. I would like to thank you for assisting us in getting the vaccine transported to the proper locations. We owe you a huge debt of gratitude for what you have done for us in our attempts to curtail this pandemic we are facing on Earth. Consider the Guardians at your service for all time. If there is anything at all that we can do for you, please let me know,” he said with a flourish.

“I was glad I could be of help, sir. And please call me January. May I ask you something?”

“By all means,” he responded.

“Will I be able to travel to Vesturon?”

“Certainly and anytime you wish, our Space Transporters or teleporters are at the ready. Have you an interest in going to Vesturon?”

“Someday I think I would like to see it,” I said.

“Then I hope it will be sooner rather than later,” he said as his eyes lit up.

I turned to Rykerian and he had a goofy little grin on his face. When I saw it, I couldn’t stop a tiny bubble of laughter from escaping.

“What is so humorous?” he wanted to know.

“Rykerian, you’re an open book for all to see,” I whispered as I leaned into him. His smile grew even bigger.

As we sat around the conference table, Rowan explained the decision he and the Council of Elders, the governing force of Vesturon, made regarding the Guardians on Xanthus. Apparently the situation had become critical and it had escalated to the point where everyone’s safety was at stake.

“We are underway with our evacuations as we speak,” he concluded.

Maddie jumped to her feet all but screaming, “Are Therron, Xarrid and Saylan okay?”

Rowan calmed her by saying all was fine and that by the month’s end, everyone should be safely back on Vesturon.

“Whew, I’ve been so worried about them,” Maddie exclaimed.

“As are we which is why we made this decision,” Rowan concluded.

Rykerian had leaned toward me and explained that Therron and Xarrid were his brothers and that Saylan was a Guardian that gone through the Academy with Maddie and was one of her closest friends.

“Father, what will happen on Xanthus if no one is there to establish a new government?” Rayn asked.

“The rebels have caused such extreme chaos we fear that this will advance to another war,” his voice edged with dread.

Rykerian was shaking his head as he further explained to me how the Xanthians had been attempting to raid other planets for fuel resources. They were a species of ruthless abusers for not only did they abuse each other, they had also stripped their own planet of most of its natural resources, leaving Xanthus at the mercy of other planets. But instead of trading fairly, they would invade other planets and cause great annihilation in order to obtain what they wanted.