My Chameleon Loves [Galactic Nuptials 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (7 page)

“I made the right decision. Carl would have found a way to get to me if I’d stayed on Earth no matter where I was.” She grabbed a towel and wiped the tears from her eyes.
Linda, where the hell are you?
She’d searched everything in their offices, but there was nothing to tell what happened to her friend.
Did you find out what their business really is? Did you see something you weren’t supposed to see? I can’t feel you anymore. What did they do to you?

Sighing, she released the stopper and stood up, reaching for a fresh towel. Quickly she dried off and went back to the bedroom. She snickered. “Guess Zin forgot about leaving me something to sleep in.” Yanking back the blanket, she crawled onto the fresh, crisp sheets and collapsed, pulling the covers over her naked body.
I’m gonna make this relationship work. I’ve been given a second chance and I’m not gonna blow it
. Reaching over, she touched the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. In moments, she drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

“How’s that breakfast coming, Zin?”

Zin glanced at Kernz and turned his attention back to the stove. Slowly he stirred the eggs in the bowl, waiting for the pan on the cooking unit to heat. “As far as I can tell it’s going well. I’m glad you suggested bringing back some of the foods familiar to Jeni, but to be honest, these little white balls look somewhat disgusting when you break them open. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat this.”

Kernz chuckled. “You don’t eat them raw. It will all change once you put it in a hot pan. The mixture becomes fluffy and quite tasty.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Are the others coming in for breakfast?”

“Yes. Tenik said they’d be here in about a half hour. Do you think we ought to wake Jeni up?”

“Not necessary. I’m already awake.”

Zin turned to look at his mate standing in the doorway. Her dark-brown hair hung loose, falling in gentle waves over her shoulders. Her green eyes twinkled in the morning light. “Good morning, flower. I hope we didn’t wake you. Did you sleep well?”

Jeni nodded and moved toward the table. “I slept like a log. It was probably the longest I’ve slept since I went to work for Gracely Investments. I can’t believe how much at peace I feel here.”

Kernz moved forward and placed his hand on her face. “We want you to feel at peace here, love. We want you to think of this as your home.”

Zin watched as a blush spread across her fair skin. “Are you hungry?” Her stomach growled loudly in response. Zin laughed. “I guess that answers that.”

“I’m starving.”

Zin nodded toward the table. “Then have a seat, and we’ll have you some eggs and bacon in no time.”

Jeni peered over the stove and grinned. “Really? Bacon and eggs?”

Kernz dropped his arm across her shoulders. “We thought you might like to have something familiar, so we brought some supplies back from Earth.”

* * * *

Jeni watched as Kernz flashed a smile before he moved away. The clink of glasses echoed loudly as he placed them on the table.

“Jeni,” said Zin. “We thought we’d take you on a tour of the area today and maybe pack a picnic.”

“That sounds like fun. Is there a lot to see? I mean, is your farm really big?”

Kernz pulled a pitcher of juice from their fridge. “We have a pretty good-size piece of land we’re responsible for. We were hoping to take you over and show you our version of the ocean.”

“Oh, I love the ocean. Is it anything like the ones on Earth?” She frowned when she heard the oil sizzling in Zin’s pan.

“It’s similar in size, but ours is fresh water, so the fish and flora are different.” Zin poured the egg mixture from the bowl into the hot pan and jumped back when it sizzled loudly.

Jeni frowned and moved closer. “You need to turn down the heat.”

Zin reached over to obey and jumped back again when a loud whistle sounded from the kettle at the back of the stove. “Kernz, the water is boiling. Why don’t you make Jeni a cup of tea?”

“You got me tea?”

Kernz blushed. “Yes, your lawyer told us how much you like a good cup of tea. He picked out some of your favorites and got us the kettle.”

Jeni turned away and brushed at the moisture in her eyes. No one had ever gone to the trouble to find out what pleased her before.
They really care about me.

Zin tapped the spoon against the side of the pan and then poured the eggs into a bowl. He looked up and grinned. “I think everything’s ready. Kernz, why don’t you call the others to come eat?”

“Will do.” Kernz moved toward the door but stopped when it opened.

Rmantk walked in, followed by his two friends and the men from Earth. “Are we too early for a morning meal?”

Kernz slapped him on the back. “Not at all. Please come in and take a seat.”

Jeni watched the men file in and then noticed Rich staring at her, a smirk on his face. She glared back and raised her chin a fraction. “As you can see, your presence wasn’t needed. I didn’t run off last night.”

“You couldn’t have. We made sure to guard around the house last night.”

Zin turned from the sink and looked at Rmantk. “Is this true? They watched our home during the night?”

Rmantk shrugged. “I didn’t see the harm in letting them stay outside all night. If they wanted to freeze their asses off, who was I to stop them?”

Kernz snickered and placed a second pitcher of juice on the table.

Rich yanked out a chair and sat down, shooting Rmantk a harsh frown.

“What is that?” asked Tenik.

Jeni turned to see what he was looking at. “It’s bacon and eggs.” When he gave her a questioning look, she smiled. “They’re from Earth. The eggs come from chickens. They lay the eggs or you can eat the chicken itself.”

Zin placed the bowl on the table. “Andon and Tarik have a similar animal on their farm. They call it a tenndrat. It also lays eggs that can be consumed called waents. He says they’re quite tasty although I believe they are much larger than these.”

Kernz grabbed the bowl to put some eggs on Jeni’s plate. “Wait until you meet their Fidelius, Jeni.”

“Who’s Fidelius?”

Zin snorted. “You should be asking what Fidelius is.”

“Okay! What is Fidelius?”

“He’s their pet. They tell me he’s similar to a dog, but somewhat larger with different characteristics.” Kernz handed Jeni a fork. “He’s really friendly.”

Jeni grinned. “I love dogs. Maybe we could get a pet.”

Zin set a plate filled with bread on the table and sank onto a chair. “Maybe we can. Everyone, eat up.”

Quenk poked at the meat on his plate. “You said this was bacon. What is bacon?”

“Bacon comes from pigs.” Jeni grinned and took a big bite.

“Think of a baboy only smaller,” Zin said.

Quenk nodded and placed several strips on his plate.

“What are your plans for the day, Zin?” asked Rmantk.

“We want to take Jeni on a tour of this area and maybe show her the ocean.”

“Absolutely not.” Rich got to his feet so quickly his chair toppled over backwards.

Jeni grabbed Zin’s arm and gasped.

“What in the world is wrong with you now?” Zin softly caressed Jeni’s hand where her fingers dug into his arm. “What possible harm could there be in showing her around the farm?”

Danny picked up Rich’s chair. “There’s nothing wrong. I think we’re just conditioned to object when our prisoner is going to be out of our sights.”

Kernz growled. “She’s not a prisoner.”

Danny held up his hands and smiled. “I’m sorry. Bad choice of words. What are your exact plans for today?”

Jeni picked up her fork and sighed. “Zin said we’re going on a picnic.”

Tenik looked up. “Picnic. A meal you take with you and eat somewhere outside. Yes?”

She smiled and nodded. “That’s right. Are you guys coming with us?”

“No!” Zin cleared his throat. “I mean, no, they’ve got to make some calls while the wormhole is still open.”

Kernz scowled at Rich. “I suppose you and your partner will need to come along.”

Rich glanced at Danny and then shook his head. “I guess I don’t see the need since the shuttle is scheduled to leave for a maintenance run this morning. The only shuttle left is the private one owned by you, and we know she can’t fly it. I figure we’ll take the day and get some rest while we can before we have to start home.”

Jeni narrowed her eyes. His complete turnaround seemed out of character. “I thought the shuttle only stopped here every three weeks.”

Zin poured some more juice into Jeni’s glass. “That’s right.”

“That’s true,” Rich said. “Normally the shuttle would leave for a new run and not return for three weeks, but it’s time for them to do maintenance. They told me they would leave here and run maneuvers to check all their systems for the next week and then land back here to load up on supplies. After that, they start up their normal runs again. We’ll take the shuttle back to Earth when it returns in seven days.”

“You told me I was on probation for two weeks and you had to stay at least that long.”

“Are you complaining?” asked Rich. “Danny and I talked last night, and we both decided it was pointless to stay here an extra week. Basically, we were to deliver you to your permanent home and make sure you were going to stay here as per your plea agreement.” He shrugged. “It’s pretty easy to see this is where you want to be, so there’s no reason for us to hang around.”

“That’s very generous of you.” Zin placed his hand over Jeni’s fingers where they’d begun to drum against the table. “You’re welcome to stay here until you leave, but please confine yourself to the guest house. I’ll make sure it’s supplied with whatever you need. There’s a small cooking area where you can meet your own needs.”

Danny put down his fork. “You want us to stay out of your house?”

“Is that a problem?” Zin released Jeni’s hand and stood. “It’s not like you’re an honored guest here. Your very presence brings pain to our Laan Asawa.”

Danny nodded. “Does the guest house have a communicator? We’re supposed to check in with our superiors back on Earth every three days.”

“Yes. There’s a terminal in the main bedroom of the cottage. Feel free to use it as often as you need to.”

Rich pushed back his chair and stood, his body tense and rigid. “Very well. If you’ll excuse us I’d like to call in our report and maybe take a walk to look around. This is my first time off-world, and I’m interested to see what I can find.”

Kernz chuckled. “That’s fine, just be careful. We do have some interesting wildlife here that you might not be too happy to meet.”

“Like what?” Danny asked.

“The main one that comes to mind is the kolichiwah. It’s a rather small animal that sprays a dreadful oil when frightened or disturbed. The substance can make you feel as if your skin is burning, and the smell is quite unpleasant.”

“Sounds like a skunk.” Jeni giggled.

“Don’t worry about us.” Rich placed his hand on the weapon strapped to his hip. “We have our guns if we need them.”

Zin growled softly. He stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “Be careful of shooting your weapons on this world, Earther. You’re not at home anymore, and we will be very upset if you damage anything while you’re here.”

Rich moved toward the door. “And you be careful, Ms. Montgomery. You make sure you stay with these gentlemen and don’t cause any trouble. I wouldn’t want to have to take you back with me when I leave in one week.”

Jeni held her breath as Danny rushed after Rich, slamming the door behind him.

“What’s with the other fellow?”

Jeni glanced at Zin. “You mean Danny?”

He nodded. “Yes. He’s barely strung two sentences together before this morning.”

She sighed. “I don’t think he’s very happy with their choice for his partner. Rich has made it pretty clear which one of them is in charge.”

Kernz stood. “Well, personally, I can’t wait for the two of them to be on their way back to Earth.” He smiled and took Jeni’s hand. “Are you ready to see a little bit of the farm?”

“Absolutely! Just give me a minute to freshen up, and I’ll be right back.”

* * * *

Zin watched Jeni’s hips sway back and forth as she walked down the hall.

Rmantk chuckled. “Come on, Zin. Get your mind on the business at hand.”

He turned around and frowned. “I want you three to stay here and keep an eye on Rich and Danny. I don’t trust them, and I don’t want them in the house. One of you shift and get as close as you can to see what they’re up to. It’s a little too suspicious to me that he suddenly decided he’d leave a week early after making such a big deal about her probationary period.”

“Do you think he’s going to try and take Jeni back with him?” Kernz gripped the edge of the table, his canines dropping low enough to be visible.

“It’s possible he’s thinking along those lines, but it’s never going to happen.” Zin placed his hand on Kernz’s shoulder. “I swear to you we’ll keep her safe. They won’t be able to take her anywhere.” He looked at Rmantk. “If you get a chance, see if you can access the monitor in the guest house and see who Rich communicates with. He won’t be able to erase anything because you need a code to get into the system.”