My Chameleon Loves [Galactic Nuptials 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (8 page)

Tenik cleared his throat. “One of us should go with you, Prince Zin.”

“Don’t call me prince, Tenik. At least not until we have a chance to tell Jeni everything.”

“My pardon, Zin. I meant no disrespect.”

“I know, just try and keep it together for a few more days. I promise we’ll tell her everything soon.”

“He’s right, Zin.” Rmantk clasped Tenik’s shoulder. “One of us should go with you for protection.”

“Nonsense! The only thing we need protection from are those two men, and you’re going to be watching them. You’d be able to see if any shuttles land, and there’s only a handful of people staying at the station right now. It’ll be perfectly safe. Besides, we want some time alone with our Laan Asawa. We’re going to let her know what we are today and that’s going to require total privacy.”

Rmantk frowned. “You’re going to shift?”

“Yes. At least into some rudimentary forms. We don’t want to show her everything at once.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Rmantk motioned Tenik and Quenk toward the door. “You don’t want to scare her off.”

Kernz scowled. “It’s better she knows sooner than later. We need to know how she’s going to react.”

“She seems like a pretty open individual,” said Quenk. “She’s going to be fine with your secret.”

“What secret?”

Zin turned to see Jeni standing in the doorway. Her arms were crossed, her foot tapping on the floor, while a frown tainted her beautiful face. He grinned. “Come on, flower. Let’s go take a ride, and we’ll tell you our secret.” He walked over to the open door and held out his hand.

* * * *

Jeni eyed Zin’s hand and bit her lip. There were enough secrets in her life. She didn’t need any more. She hesitated for a moment and then thought about how drawn she felt to the two brothers.
Goddess, I feel like I need to be with him.
Slowly, she took a couple of steps and put her hand in his. She shuddered when his warm skin closed over her fingers. She allowed him to pull her outside, Kernz following close on her heels.

“We have a land cruiser big enough for three people.” Zin pointed toward the barn. “We thought we’d take it and head over to the ocean if that’s okay with you.”

“It sounds great. What happened to the picnic you promised?”

Kernz grabbed her hand. “I already packed it in the cruiser’s cooler.”

She looked around as they walked toward the barn. “Where are all the animals? I know you said you were still evaluating this place, but nothing looks new. There had to be someone living here before you, so where are all the animals?”

“I don’t understand,” Zin said. “What animals?”

“Exactly! On my grandfather’s farm there were chickens, horses, and hogs. Hell, he even had cats and dogs.” She flung her arms out. “I don’t see or smell any sign of animals around here.”

“Well…Um…” Zin glanced at Kernz. “Remember we’d just moved here when that business with the Castir family went down. We were several months on Earth just for that trial and then several more waiting on yours to end. It’s already late in the growing season now, so we thought it’d be better to get our bearings this year and plant and stock the place next year.” He shrugged. “I don’t honestly know who lived here before us, or what kind of livestock they had.”

She frowned. “I finally got around to looking at all those pamphlets you gave me this morning. I thought you only had a couple of years to make a go of this place or the Federation would replace you.” She didn’t like the uneasy looks the men exchanged.

Kernz smiled and pulled her closer to his body. “They gave us an extension because of the special circumstances.”

The grating sound of Zin opening the barn door captured her attention. She moved forward and strolled into the dark building. The strong scent of animal assaulted her nose. “Well, there were animals here at one time.” As her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she made out several rough wooden stalls, their doors standing wide open. “I wonder what happened to the livestock.”

Zin shrugged. “There’s no way to know. This place has been closed up all this time, so the smells didn’t have time to dissipate. Whatever was here has been gone a long time.”

Jeni took a couple more steps and let her fingers trail across the prickly surface of a stack of hay bales. Dust seemed to coat her tongue as she surveyed the empty food troughs.

“This is where we’ve been storing the cruiser.” Kernz pulled a canvas cover off a large mound, revealing something similar to a large adult tricycle with four distinct seats. A large spider web with an intricate pattern covered the ladder to the loft behind him.

She wrinkled her nose. “You really need someone to clean this place out.”

“Are you volunteering?” Zin laughed.

“Well, not alone I wouldn’t, but I’d be happy to help someone get things in shape for the animals to come.”

“We’ll keep that in mind.” Zin held out his hand. “Come on and hop on. We’re going to take a short ride.”

She walked over and let him help her up onto the seat. Kernz moved to get behind the wheel while Zin slipped into the seat directly behind her. His thick, muscular arms moved around her sides to grip around her waist like a living seat belt.

Kernz glanced over and smiled. “Are you ready?”

“Where’s the picnic?”

He laughed. “I’m beginning to think you’re still hungry. There’s a container on the very back that I stored the food in. It was easy to stuff it in without removing the protective cover. I didn’t want to take the cover off too soon so the cruiser wouldn’t get too dusty.”

“Then I’m ready. Let’s go.”

The engine roared when Kernz turned the key and they started forward at a slow pace. “We’ll head toward the tree line for now. The ocean’s about a two-hour drive. It’ll be kind of noisy, so if you want to ask questions about anything, just tap my arm.”

Jeni nodded and grinned. Bright-pink flowers lined the dusty road, their heads nodding in the wind like a cheerful welcoming committee. The twin suns were bright, their heat causing sweat to roll down her neck. The smell of dust kicked up by the cruiser mixed with the scent of warm earth filled her senses. The heat of Zin’s fingers burned through her clothes as if he were branding her as his own.

Thirty minutes later Zin leaned in close and put his lips over Jeni’s ear. “The small forest we’re about to enter runs between our farm and the Castir place. They should be home sometime next week and you’ll get to meet Caleigh.”

Jeni turned around as far as she could. “She’s from Earth, isn’t she?”

“Yes. She’s only been here a short time. They met her through Galactic Nuptials.”

Kernz touched Jeni’s arm. “Look.”

She glanced toward his left and studied the trees. The branches swayed majestically against the blue sky, leaves dancing their way down to mingle in the grass.

Kernz slowed the transport and stopped beside one of the large tree trunks. “Let’s get out for a minute.”

Zin’s hands tightened for a second and then moved away as she slid from the seat. She could hear the groaning of the trees as the wind whistled around the trunks. “I keep expecting to see a deer or a rabbit on the trail.”

Zin walked over and placed his arm around her shoulders. “We don’t’ have anything like that here, but we might get permission to bring some in.”

Raising her head, she inhaled deeply. “There’s a wet scent on the wind. Are we near the ocean?”

“No,” Kernz said. “But there is a small pond off to your left. It’s not much to look at, mostly stagnant water and rotting wood. The stench is pretty bad, so I was taking a route that would avoid it.”

Jeni giggled. “Good thinking.” She watched as Kernz walked toward a small, flowering tree, the leaves crackling under his heavy tread. He raised his hand and caressed several of the yellow buds, trailing his fingers along the slim branches. “What are you doing?” She started to move forward, and Zin pulled her into his arms, her back pressed firmly against his chest.

“Watch him carefully, flower, and remember the tree.”

“Why?”

Zin leaned down and pressed a kiss against her ear. “I promise we’ll explain when we get to the ocean.”

Jeni sighed and watched Kernz lovingly touching the small tree. He turned and smiled brightly. “Okay, let’s get out of here and go check out the ocean.” She carefully maneuvered over the uneven ground, tripping over a knobby tree root, and letting her fingers trail over the rough tree bark.

Zin grabbed her arm. “Are you uninjured?”

“I’m fine. I just need to watch where I put my big feet.”

He glanced down and laughed. “You’re feet are positively tiny.”

Kernz pushed the two of them forward. “Come on, guys. Get aboard. We’re wasting daylight.

Jeni took her seat, accepted her live seat belt, and the cruiser took off. A little over an hour later, they came out of the forest, and she got her first glimpse of the ocean. Sea green white caps whispered toward the uneven shoreline grabbing at the dry sand with frothy fingers. The purity of the blue sky and warm sunlight soothed her, scattering her worries about her current situation. Kernz parked the transport and hopped out onto the sand, beckoning her to follow him.

Jeni allowed Zin to take her hand, and together they trekked across the warm sand. As they neared the water’s edge, she saw fish leaping in the churning surf. “You said this was a fresh water ocean, right?”

Zin nodded. “Yes. Everything on Kilara is fresh water. There aren’t many indigenous animals here, but there are literally hundreds of species of fish.”

She reached down and pulled off her shoes. Smiling, she ran toward the waves, laughing at the feel of the water against her bare feet.

“What are you doing?” asked Zin.

“I’m gonna wade in the ocean.” She turned toward him and bit her lip. “Is it safe?”

Kernz stepped forward. “Go ahead, little one. There is nothing in the water that would harm you.” He glanced at Zin and then peeled off his own shoes. “I’m coming with you.”

Jeni bent and ran her hand through the wet sand, letting the waves cleanse her fingers. She noticed something shiny in the water and moved to pick it up, finding a small, colorful shell. She started when Zin put his hands around her waist. “What did you find, flower?”

She showed him her treasure and then turned to look out over the water. She didn’t know where to look first. Schools of turquoise blue fish danced in the water currents, while lacy fans of algae chased each other toward the shore. Something resembling a crab scuttled across the sand near a rocky part of the shore. “It’s so beautiful here.” Jeni bent down as the waves slid over her feet and then looked up as a dark shadow passed over her head.

Kernz held out his hand and smiled. “Come and sit with us, Jeni. We have something to tell you.”

She took his hand and stood, throwing a questioning look at Zin. He merely smiled and took her other hand. They led her to an outcropping of rock and urged her to sit on one of the warm surfaces. Zin squatted in front of her and took both of her hands into his. “Jeni, there are things about my people that we don’t let outsiders know about.”

She tilted her head to the side and studied his face. “What kind of things?”

“Things that could hurt us and make it possible for other races to exploit us if they knew.”

Kernz settled on the rock beside her, his arm going around her waist. “We want to share everything with you because we want you to be happy as our mate. Try to keep an open mind and don’t be afraid. There’s no way we would or could ever hurt you.”

“You’re our Laan Asawa, flower, and that makes you the safest person in any world.” Zin pressed a kiss against her wrist.

Jeni felt her mouth go dry, and she swallowed hard. “Okay, guys, you’re scaring me. What is this deep, dark secret?”

Zin took a deep breath. “We’re Moriphites.”

She frowned. “You’re what?”

“A Moriphite. I guess you would call us shapeshifters.”

Jeni snorted and rolled her eyes. “Good one, guys. You really had me going for a minute.”

Kernz took her chin in his fingers and stared into her eyes. “We’re not kidding, Jenilyn. We’re shapeshifters.”

She shook her head and pulled her hands away, clasping them over her knees. She struggled to speak. “You mean…I don’t…You mean like those romance books I like with the werewolves and vampires?”

Zin frowned. “I’m not sure what books you speak of, and I’ve never heard of a vampire.”

“What do you shift into?”

Zin shrugged. “Anything we want.”

She studied his face for a moment. “You mean you don’t just shift into some kind of animal. You can shift into any animal?”

“Not just animals,” Kernz said. “We can shift into anything we’ve touched, even other people.”

Jeni lowered her gaze, her nails biting into her palms.
Do they think I’m some kind of fool?
Why would they do this when I already said I’d stay with them?

Zin sighed and gave a mirthless laugh. “She doesn’t believe us, brother. Why don’t you give her the demonstration now?”