Dominated By Desire (28 page)

Storm stood on the other side of the room. She could tell by his silhouette.

Then the room changed. It filled with people. So many she couldn’t see him anymore. Her mind couldn’t handle the overload. Everything shut down.

****

She opened her eyes once again and found herself back at the medlab on Earth. Looking around she couldn’t figure out how she got there so quickly.

The head doctor smiled at her. “Good to see you awake.”

“What happened?”

“You took a hard blow to the head when those men attacked the embassy. You’ve been in a coma for several weeks.” Coma? Nothing made sense to her. “What about the ambassador?”

“He’s fine. Heading back to Vespia tomorrow.”

She wanted to ask so many questions but decided against it. Her mind felt like it was filled with fuzz. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Sorry.”

“You were assigned to protect the ambassador. On your first evening you found the embassy under attack and you stopped them. In the process you were hurt which landed you in here for the last few weeks.”

“What about the treaty?”

“It’s still being worked out. You putting your life on the line really helped move it forward.”

She slid her legs to the edge of the bed.

“Oh, no you don’t.” He pushed her legs back onto the bed. “You are still under my control until I clear you. You’ve been unconscious for over two weeks. There is no way you’re getting out of this bed.”

“Yes, sir.” She leaned back against the pillows on her bed. Now what?

****

“She’s been gone for twenty hours now. We have to find her now or we’ll never find her.” Storm felt trapped. He didn’t know what to do and very little to go on.

His uncle sat in a chair opposite of him. “You have no faith.”

“What should I have faith in? My mate is gone, just like you predicted.

Yet you can’t tell me where she is. What should I have faith in?”

“Your ability to find her.” One of the servants sat a glass in front of him.

“I know she would be able to find you if the situation was reversed.”

“Are you saying I’m not as strong as my mate?” Storm stood in anger.

“Heather believed in her dreams. She understood what fate is. Are you saying you aren’t as strong a believer as your mate?” He watched Storm’s anger come to a boil. “That is your decision.”

“I don’t know how to find her without help.”

“And that was what I was waiting for.” Hynna got up and moved to the area where his sister had been found. He picked up Heather’s diamond ring and sat it on the table. “Just how close did you and your mate get in your time together?”

“Why?”

“It’s the only way to find her.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

****

Heather had finally been released from the medcenter. She never knew true boredom until now. Her conversations with the head doctor and the physiatrists had her questioning everything. According to them, none of what she remembered happening was real. She never went to Vespia, or married Storm. Yet it seemed so real.

She sat in her room, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn’t.

The door chimed and she hit the button to allow whoever was there entrance. Her boss walked in.

“How are you feeling?” he sat on the edge of her bed.

“Not sure, sir.”

“You sound back to normal. The doctor has cleared you to get back to work.”

“Thank you.” She was happy to hear that. Maybe she could get her life back to normal. Figure out where she got the crazy idea that she married the man. Marriage wasn’t something she ever thought would happen to her so why would she fantasize about it?

“You can start back whenever you’re ready. Should I expect you in the morning?”

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded and left the room. She stood and walked to her closet.

Pulling out her uniform, she set it out for the next day. It had been too long since she had worn it.

****

Storm sat at the table his uncle had directed him to. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to admit that there is more to this than what you can see and touch.”

“Right now I can’t see or touch my mate so that is a hard question to answer.” He wanted to take his uncle and shake him. What did the man want?

“How intimate have you and your mate been?”

“What kind of question was that? As intimate as any couple would get.”

“No, no.” He shook his head, acting like he was searching for the right words. He wanted to ask something beyond what he had. “Have you and your mate shared intimacy beyond that of a normal couple?” Storm looked at his mother. “Do you understand what he’s asking because I’m just not getting it.”

“He wants to know how deeply entwined you and Heather are. Has anything happened that goes beyond the bond of mates?”

“Like what?” He looked from his mother to his uncle. “I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

“Have you and Heather shared thoughts?”

“No, but we have shared other things.”

The man just stared at him waiting for more info.

“Fine, the last few times we’ve had sex we’ve shared each other’s orgasms.” He didn’t like revealing something so intimate.

“Then there is hope. You need to connect with her. Find her through her mind.”

“And how am I to do that?”

He placed the ring she dropped on the floor on the table. “This will give you something of hers to bind to and you will have to go through some rituals that will help you bond to her once you find her. Understand we don’t know what is going on where she is so the first time or two you will only see what she sees.”

“No wonder why my mate thinks you’re crazy.”

“If I help you save her I don’t care what anyone thinks of me.” He stood and headed toward the door. “Coming?”

Storm stood. He was willing to do anything to get his mate back.

Chapter 17

Heather stared at the computer screen and pinched her nose. This was by far the dullest thing she had done in her entire career. So far they had her cataloging all the new files that had been streaming in from the Vespian society so it could be analyzed. The weird part was when she went to read it she already knew it. This was information she had learned from Storm’s sister. Yet that hadn’t really happened so how did she know all of this?

Could she have read this before her injury and forgot?

The more she thought about it the more confused she became.

Her boss walked into her office to check on her.

“Sir?” She stood, knowing her next request could be denied without a blink of an eye. “I wish to be put back on active duty. Working behind a desk is not what I feel I should be doing.”

“The doctors felt you needed it to recuperate totally.”

“And I feel I have done that.” She stood at attention. “The doctors have said as much too.”

“I know. I received a clean bill of health from them about an hour ago.” He leaned a hip against the desk she had been sitting at. “So you want a new assignment?”

“Yes, sir.” She let go of a mental sigh of relief.

“Alright.” He handed her a hand written note. Not something normally used now days. “The ambassador from Vespia will be marrying the human diplomat assigned to him and we have been told we are to attend.” She looked at the invitation and felt a little sick to her stomach but showed no reaction. “Of course.”

“You feel up to it?” He studied her face.

“Yes, sir.” She couldn’t tell him how confused she was. How she was having problems keeping this reality and the one she thought was real apart.

If she did that they’d probably want to keep her for more observation.

Something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Good.” He nodded as he filled out paperwork. “I will see you here at eighteen hundred hours.”

She nodded.

****

Storm held her engagement ring, wondering why she had taken it off.

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Drink this.” His uncle pushed a drink in front of him. “It tastes horrible but will help you clear your mind so you can find hers.” Storm downed the contents. The bitter bile threatened to come back up.

He gagged a little before he could speak. “Now what?”

“Focus on the ring and her essence. Have it take you to her.” Storm rubbed his head. He wasn’t sure if he could do as his uncle asked but if it would bring her home he was willing to try anything.

He cleared his mind, not really knowing how he was going to find her.

It just didn’t make sense. He found the drug taking control of him, guiding him though many dream states. He felt pulled toward one in particular and as he entered it he found it familiar.

He saw himself standing up at the altar, saying his vows, except this time it wasn’t Heather up there with him. She stood in the back with other Earth officers. The woman he stood with he didn’t recognize at all.

He felt disembodied, floating amongst the guests but not really there.

Heather watched the ceremony with a detachment he didn’t know she was capable of.

Didn’t she understand this was all fake?

She stood with her commanding officers, her face devoid of emotion as she watched the proceedings. When the Storm at the wedding took his bride in his arms and gave her a knee weakening kiss he saw the lack of emotion from Heather crack just a little. One tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away before anyone else noticed.

Storm did. Her reaction told him she still hadn’t accepted this reality one hundred percent yet. He had a chance. He hovered nearby, waiting and watching for any hint on who created this fake world.

****

Watching the ambassador marry affected her oddly. Heather blamed it on the coma. She had been married to the man in that dream and watching him marry another hurt her deeper than she thought possible. A tear slipped down her cheek but she was able to remove it before anyone else saw it.

What she needed was a drink. Too bad she could drink all night long and not feel any effects. Once the ceremony was over they were allowed to mingle while the governments set up a receiving line. Something Heather wasn’t looking forward to. It was hard enough from standing in the back of the room, how was she going to remain professional that close to him?

The line started and they were one of the first groups after the Vespian high council. Heather kept her eyes averted so she wouldn’t accidently catch the gaze of Storm’s mother or the people who told her she was their daughter.

Her head started to swirl. This was a lot harder than she thought it would be. Claiming to have a headache and begging permission to seek medical attention for it she raced out of the reception and leaned against the wall. Why was she having such a hard time trying to keep reality and her dreams straight?

Everything she had been through seemed so real. Now she knew it was all in her head so she should be relieved. Why wasn’t she?

Heather did go to the med center. She knew her boss would be checking up on her if she didn’t.

“Lieutenant? What brings you here?”

“Got a slight headache at the reception.”

“I told your boss I didn’t think it was a good idea for you to attend that thing. You’ve just started working again and knowing about your fantasies it would be hard on you.” He took a scanner and ran it over her.

She didn’t like the fact he called her alternate reality a fantasy, but she took the shot he gave her and headed back to the reception. On her way she heard her name being paged and went to the nearest communication panel to answer it.

“Lieutenant, I have a new assistant looking for you.”

“Assistant? I didn’t ask for an assistant.” She rubbed her head. Was there something she had seen on this, long before the coma?

“I believe you were to pick one before you were hurt and declined. Since you’re better the admiral has assigned someone to you to start immediately,” a female voice informed her. “I’m sending him to you now. Be nice.”

“Great. Make sure he’s in his formal uniform.” She shut off the communication and walked back into the reception.

“Feeling better?” asked her boss.“I was until I found out I had to babysit someone.” She nodded to a young man looking all flustered. “My new assistant?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He was all smiles as he settled himself beside them.

“Assistant?”

“Yes, sir. As per the admiral. Tried to get out of it before my accident but it looks like I have to train him anyway.”

“You’ll be fine.” Her boss touched her arm. “You still need to pay your respects to the ambassador. He did ask about you.”

“Yes, sir.” She swallowed hard and tugged on the jacket of her uniform.

Heather headed to the now dwindling line, new assistant in tow. “You don’t have to follow me everywhere.”

“Yes, Ma’am, I know, but after everything you’ve been through I thought you’d like the company.”

Heather looked at him. Young, handsome, he was going to turn a lot of heads. What caught her attention the most was his eyes. A vivid gold with an amber ring. Just like Storm’s.

She needed to get a grip on herself. They reached the ambassador pretty quickly.

“Lieutenant, I’m glad to see you back on your feet.” He smiled at her and she smiled back.

“Thank you, sir.” She shook his hand, confused by the sensations when she touched him. There was no thrill she had felt before and when she looked him in the eyes she only saw the gold of his eyes. The amber ring was missing. It was like he wasn’t really the ambassador, but some imposter. She puzzled over this as she headed back to the table they had been assigned. Heather thought about asking if the ambassador had a standin this evening, but decided it was probably her, not the ambassador, that was wrong and her question would only raise more questions about her sanity.

Everyone took their seats with one vacant one next to Heather.

Her boss picked up the place card. “Who is Myh Eart?”

“I am, sir.” Her assistant responded as he sat down beside her. “I guess my name had been added to the invitation list when the admiral realized I’d be here by the wedding.”