Fallen Star (9 page)

She stared up at him with impossibly blue
eyes. “And how does this help me talk to Tori?”

A guilty smile crept across his lips. He’d
nearly forgotten why he formed the link. Apparently, she wasn’t the
only one who’d been distracted by the kiss. “Mystic energy emanates
from and is most easily controlled in a place called the
metaphysical plane. The connection I formed will allow me to take
you there and we’ll see if Tori is available to join us.”

“You’re going to take me to another
dimension?” Fear sparked across their link even though she
maintained a calm expression.

He should probably warn her about the
empathic nature of their connection. “It’s not a physical
dimension, though it can be manipulated so it seems that way. For
our purpose, a simple visualization should suffice.”

“And this is less dangerous than stepping
outside and using a cell phone?”

He chuckled. “I can create extremely dense
shields on the metaphysical plane. It also gives me direct access
to Mystic energy which I desperately need right now.”

“I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll take
your word for it. If Tori doesn’t respond, can we try Angie? I’d
really like to chat with someone I knew before this all began.”

“Of course.” He started to warn her that he
could sense her emotions, then decided to compress his end of the
link instead. If her emotions spiked for some reason, he needed to
know about it. Otherwise, she should be protected from casual
curiosity, namely his. He sat up, so he wasn’t arched over her, but
remained between her legs. “Give me your hands.” Again the
suggestion was for her benefit rather than his need for physical
contact. “Now close your eyes again.”

He activated their link, ensuring that her
consciousness followed him. Then he launched them toward the
metaphysical plane. Quickly scanning her mind, he found an image
that seemed familiar and nonthreatening. The building was easily
recognizable as a neighborhood coffee shop. Rather than return to
her mind for details, he added the rich aroma and cozy ambiance
shared by such establishments then drew her into the
visualization.

She grasped his arm and swayed, clearly
unaccustomed to the slightly unfocused sensations. “It feels way
more real than I expected. It even smells right.”

He smiled. “It takes decades of practice to
achieve this level of control, but basic access is a simple
skill.”

“Decades.” She looked him over with bold
assessment. “You must be older than you look.”

He laughed. “How old do I look?”

“Thirty, maybe thirty-five.”

Why would she care about his age if her
interest were purely professional? His pulse leapt and the
possessive hunger he’d been battling all afternoon pushed even
closer to the surface. “I’m older than I look.” He didn’t offer any
more information and thankfully she moved on.

“So how do we reach Tori?”

He motioned toward one of the round tables.
“Have a seat and I’ll see if she’ll respond to a telepathic
ping.”

The subtle signal had barely left his brain
when Tori flashed into view. Lor appeared half a second behind her.
Jillian stood and the women embraced. Odintar motioned Lor away
from the table. “They need to catch up.”

Lor followed him to the other side of the
coffee house. The move was a courtesy. Either Mystic could amplify
their hearing at will and make out what the women were saying.
Rather than sit, both men chose to stand with their backs to the
wall so they could anticipate any danger.

“How is Jillian reacting to—well, to
everything?” Lor wanted to know.

Odintar felt Lor’s energy reinforce his,
doubling the strength of the shield surrounding them. He hadn’t
needed to request the support. They’d worked together often enough
to anticipate each other’s actions. Their relationship was
comfortable, almost effortless. “I’ve managed to repair the worst
of her injuries, though regeneration will continue for several
days, perhaps weeks. I’ll assess her abilities, if she has any, in
the morning.”

Lor shot him a speculative glance. “Isn’t
that fast, even for you?”

“It is. I’m not sure if my nanites are
becoming more effective each time they repeat something they’ve
done before or…” He wasn’t ready to vocalize the other
possibility.

“Or?” Lor prompted, but Odintar just
shrugged.

“There might be another possibility, but
it’s too soon to tell one way or the other.”

“These women were basically bred to be
compatible with our species. We shouldn’t be surprised that we find
them appealing.”

He didn’t agree with or pose an argument
against the conclusion. He needed more information before he formed
an opinion.

Lor’s expression turned thoughtful. “If the
healing is basically complete, we can move her to the Bunker
tonight. She might be more comfortable—”

“The original schedule makes more sense.”
Odintar’s insistence inadvertently tipped his hand. Not that Lor
needed help seeing through him. They knew each other too well. “We
still have a lot to accomplish.”

“All right.” Lor flashed a knowing smile as
amusement gleamed in his turquoise eyes. “I’ll give you a few more
days alone with her, but you can’t keep her isolated forever.”

“That’s not my intention,” Odintar grumbled,
yet forever had never sounded so tempting before.

Jillian reached across the table and
squeezed Tori’s hand. “If this is all in our minds, how can it feel
so real?”

“Odintar is controlling the visualization
and he’s extremely skilled. Speaking of which,” she motioned toward
Jillian’s unencumbered leg. “How are you feeling?”

“Apparently, my leg is the least of my
worries.” She shook her head, struggling even to find a place to
start. “The whole time I was lying in that hospital bed, all I
could think about was how empty my life would be if I could never
dance again. Suddenly I’m on my feet again, but my life is still a
disaster. Are you sure we can trust these guys?”

“Absolutely.” The sincerity in Tori’s eyes
left no room for doubt. “I was suspicious too, but everything they
do supports their story. Lor threw himself in front of a pulse
pistol for me. How do you argue with that sort of loyalty? Besides,
my gift allows me to sense deception. They’re really here to
protect us and stop the Shadow Assassins.”

“Your gift? Yesterday that would have made
me laugh. Right now, I’m not even surprised.” She rubbed her
forehead, elbows lightly resting on the tabletop. “How can this be
happening? It’s all so…unbelievable.”

“Actually this isn’t the first time you’ve
met an alien.” Tori’s smile was warm and patient. “The clues have
been there for years. It was just more comfortable to ignore
them.”

Intrigued by the semi-cryptic comment,
Jillian said, “All right. I’ll bite. When was the first time I met
an alien?”

“Angie ran into Aria Myer on a planet called
Bilarri. Aria wasn’t murdered like so many people thought. She’s
alive and well and happily married to a Bilarrian nobleman.”

Jillian felt her eyes round. “Angie has been
to another planet?”

Tori laughed, obviously pleased by Jillian’s
easy acceptance of her claim. “That’s not what was supposed to
surprise you, but yes. So have I, if you’re wondering.”

“I was Aria’s understudy, so I spent more
time with her than most. I wasn’t sure what she was, but I was
pretty sure she wasn’t human. I’m glad she’s okay. She was, or is,
a sweetheart.” Jillian couldn’t drag her mind away from Tori’s
other revelation. “Where did you go when you left Earth? How did
you get there?”

“Lor took me to Ontariese shortly after we
met. The original leader of the Mystic Militia switched sides, so
Lor needed to know what his supervisors wanted him to do about
it.”

“What was it like? Are sci-fi movies even
close to how it really is? How long were you there?” She suddenly
wished Odintar had built a bar instead of a coffee shop.

“It was similar to Earth, yet totally
different too. It’s hard to explain. They have two moons. One is
dead, like ours. But the other is like a little planet. There are
still trees and flowers, rivers, lakes and oceans, but they’re all
uniquely Ontarian. I met Lor’s mentor and Odintar’s boss. They were
both extremely impressive.”

“It’s hard to picture these guys with
supervisors.” Authority generally came with power and Jillian
wasn’t ready to picture a being more powerful than Odintar. Instead
of tying herself in knots, she focused on mundane details. “And how
did you get there?”

Tori paused and her gaze shifted to
something in the distance. Jillian followed the direction of Tori’s
stare and found Lor looking at Tori intently. Were they speaking
telepathically? “Are you telling secrets?”

“Just asking permission to reveal some of
their secrets,” Tori assured. Lor must have agreed because Tori
said, “They can open a portal that allows them to move from one
dimension to another. That’s how Lor took me to Ontariese. On the
way back we came in a spaceship.”

“If they can create transportation portals,
why do they need spaceships?”

“Not all Ontarians can Summon the Storm.
That’s what they call it when they open an interdimensional portal.
And trust me, the phenomenon is well named. When we returned, we
had soldiers and all sorts of equipment with us, so the portal
wasn’t an option.”

“Wow.” Jillian slumped back in her chair,
feeling rather stunned. “Let me soak all that in for a minute.”

Tori looked around as she said, “Take all
the time you need, but the smell of this place is driving me
crazy.” Two tall mugs of steaming coffee materialized on the table.
Tori chuckled then raised her mug toward the men. “Thank you.”

Jillian picked up the other mug and inhaled
the steam. It not only smelled like coffee, it smelled like a
cinnamon latte. She tensed. There was only one way Odintar could
have known her drink of choice. He had to be reading her mind.
Despite the disconcerting thought, she took a sip and sighed. The
rich, spicy flavor rolled across her tongue and warmed her belly.
Even so, knowing how he’d created the scene made her feel
vulnerable.

With the mug pressed between her palms, she
leaned slightly forward. “Odintar formed a mind link so he could
bring me here. What will it allow him to do?”

Tori started to speak then hesitated.
Indecision spread across her features as her expression turned
grim. “I know you’re confused, but I’ve never been good at blowing
smoke. I’m a realist and I think honest information will do more
good than hollow reassurance. You’re safe with Odintar because he
chooses not to harm you. He’s honorable and dedicated to the
mission. The mission at the moment is keeping you safe and
equipping you for the realities of your new life.”

“My new life.” She set down the mug and
tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I guess I need to look
at it like that. Don’t I? The life I knew before is over and I need
to adapt.”

“It doesn’t need to seem so ominous. You
have access to possibilities now that you never would have dreamed
of before. This can be really exciting if you let yourself embrace
the possibilities.”

“And if I don’t want to ‘embrace the
possibilities’? What if I just want to dance?”

“Then you’ll dance.” Tori reached across the
table and squeezed Jillian’s hand. “As soon as the danger is over,
your life can be anything you want it to be.”

“Yeah, there’s just that tiny little
obstacle.” She blew out a shaky breath then finished her latte, or
the magical representation of the latte. The distinction made her
smile. “So tell me about your powers. Are you like a super hero
now?”

Tori snickered. “More like a human lie
detector. I’m what’s called a sensitive. I can sense deception and
Mystic abilities. I’m still learning to control it, so the
impressions can be pretty confusing.”

“What do you sense about me? Odintar said I
probably have latent abilities.” Tori closed her eyes and Jillian
felt an itchy sort of tingle deep inside her mind.

“There’s definitely something there, but I’m
not sure what it is. That’s odd. My impressions are usually more
specific.”

“That’s basically what Odintar said.”
Jillian tapped her thumb against the side of her empty mug. “How
serious have things gotten with you and Lor?”

“I know I’ve only known him for a couple of
months, but—”

“Six weeks,” Jillian corrected. “It hasn’t
even been two months.”

“You said Odintar linked your minds when he
brought you here. Has he allowed you to see beyond his
shields?”

“No. He’s been focused on healing me. What
does that have to do with you and Lor?”

“Mind-to-mind links allow Mystics to share
thoughts, emotions, even memories. Humans can spend years, even
decades, together and never know each other as well as I know Lor.
I’ve seen into his mind, shared his feelings and experienced the
forces that formed his personality. It’s an intimacy most humans
will never know.”

“Odintar is just my doctor. There’s no
reason for us to exchange those sorts of things.”

Tori chuckled, clearly not convinced. “You
don’t find him attractive?”

“He’s easy on the eyes, but that doesn’t
mean I want to have his babies.”

“If you manage to keep it professional,
you’re a stronger woman than I am. Not only are these men
physically attractive, they’re smart, protective, and they come
from a planet where men greatly outnumber women. Being treated like
you’re the most precious person in the entire universe is a little
hard to resist. If Odintar decides to pursue you—”

“He won’t.” Her response was a bit too
emphatic to be believable. “He knows my life is too chaotic right
now for even a casual fling.”

“These men don’t do casual flings.”