Reclaiming Mystique (SpaceStalker Saga Book 2) (26 page)

Naria blushed. “Shh, Jace, lower your voice,” she said as a few passersby grinned at them. “No, I did not. Were I that worried about you sending me back I’d simply escape from you.”

“Oh?” he asked easily. He hugged her tightly to him and continued their walk back towards the pleasure center. “You may be very mentally gifted, Naria, that I grant you. But you will never escape from me undetected,” Jace smiled, his eyes hard as he unleashed a portion of his power for her to see.

He watched with satisfaction as Naria frowned. “Yes, Naria. I’m not as weak as you seem to think I am. No, don’t argue. I realize you and those of your planet have mental gifts unsurpassed by those you have encountered, up until me, that is. You don’t know power until you see a Psi in true anger,” he said softly.

She glared at him and Jace found his lips curling into a grin at the sensual picture of Naria in anger. Her skin glowed around the skimpy Vembite scraps she wore, her breasts heaving under his shirt. He smiled fully as he realized that Naria wore his clothing, his scent. And only he had possessed her body last night. Only he knew of her passionate cries and the tight feel of her body as it encased him deep within her.

“Jace?” Naria asked and swallowed loudly.

“I just wanted you to know that there will be honesty between us now, Naria. I will not harm you, nor will I allow harm to befall you. But I cannot let you go,” he said. Not wanting to further pursue that line of thought, he caught a glimpse of Koneru and set off with Naria to meet him.

“Koneru,” Jace said loudly causing the Rovi to turn in surprise.

“Jace. I hadn’t expected to see you so soon. Naria.” Koneru nodded pleasantly, grinning at her kiss-stung lips and rumpled clothing.

“Where are the others?” Jace asked.

“Castor and Mikhel are gathering some supplies before heading back to the ship. Though truth to tell, I think Mikhel is going back to visit a few friends.” He cleared his throat and looked down at Naria.

Jace coughed to cover a chuckle. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Koneru said exasperation. “I don’t know what you did to heal him but that man is pumped full of excessive male energies.”

“Yes, well,” Jace paused. “Naria and I will be returning to the ship. Come along with the others. I’ve got some news I think it’s time the lot of you heard.”

Koneru didn’t look surprised, merely nodded and bowed to Naria before he left.

“I like him,” Naria said with a smile.

“Good, as long as you don’t like him more than you like me,” Jace answered with a playful growl.

They boarded the ship and found Nesham arguing calmly with Carinna upon their return. The two sat comfortably in the galley, Nesham watching Carinna with a strange glint in his eyes while Carinna tried in vain to persuade him to let her go to the planet.

“But Nesham,” Carinna pleaded. “I have never been to Vembi before. This could be my only chance.”

“Have you a need for more pleasure?” Nesham asked softly. Jace and Naria exchanged an amused glance. “Did you not find bliss as I lay deep inside of you? When I felt you melt around my—”

“Naria!” Carinna exclaimed loudly, blushing a becoming pink as she noted her sister and Jace standing in the doorway staring at her.

“Carinna,” Naria said huskily and threw her arms around her sister. Jace watched the two with sharp eyes, noting the similarities he’d missed earlier. Though Naria was much taller than her sister, both possessed an indefinable quality that would set them apart from the other Dark Worlders easily.

“You know?” Jace asked Nesham.

“Yes,” Nesham said, explaining without words that he knew of Carinna and Naria’s relationship.

Carinna and Naria stepped back, both smiling tremulously. “It feels good not to have to hide it anymore,” Naria said softly.

“Yes.” Carinna nodded. “Though I think Nesham knew of our relationship from the beginning.”

Jace saw Naria turn a surprised glance towards the Fenturi who shrugged nonchalantly.

“It was obvious to me,” he said and tugged Carinna down into his lap. “As was this little demon’s attraction to me,” he said grinning as he leaned down to nip at her ear.

Jace laughed and saw that Nesham’s heart had indeed finally begun to heal. Jace saw the loving way Carinna snuggled into Nesham’s embrace, thinking that he would soon be losing a crewmember. He frowned then. Perhaps it would be best if he didn’t tell Nesham of his plans for Mystique. The man had lost so much already in his life and had just begun to recover. He didn’t want to see Nesham back as the shadowy man he’d once been.

“Jace?” Nesham’s grin faded as he stared at his captain.

“Nothing, just a few rambling thoughts,” Jace said and smiled at Nesham and Carinna. “Naria and I have some talking to do. We’ll all meet tonight in the study. Tell the others when they return.” Nesham nodded and Jace took Naria by the hand towards his bedroom.

They reached his bedroom and Jace pulled Naria into the lav. “Bathe with me, Naria,” he said, sighing as he watched her disrobe. No matter that Jace had possessed her body throughout the long night prior, or that he felt tired from the conflicting thoughts of his future and that of those depending upon them. His body reacted to Naria as if programmed to do so.

Both naked and sighing under the pleasing rays of the solar bath, Jace lifted Naria and wrapped her around his body.

“Jace?” Naria asked, her eyes fixated on his mouth. She slid her body against his and he sighed into her mouth.

“Yes, Naria. I need you again, love,” Jace said and spent the next few moments showing her how much.

Later that night after the crew had returned and gathered in the study, Jace stared over his friends with worry in his eyes. He knew more than any of them just what the Cazeth could do to a man. His mind showed him again just what they had done to a Psi, let alone his less mentally gifted crew.

“Jace?” Castor finally broke the tense silence surrounding them all. Carinna and Naria had joined the crew, at Naria’s insistence. Apparently his little demon refused to be left out of anything of importance. “I think it’s time you told everyone what you’ve been searching for this past year.”

“Yes, Jace, tell us,” Koneru added in a deep voice.

“It’s time you all knew,” Jace sighed and paced before the small crowd nervously. “Many years ago I barely managed to escape with my life from my homeworld. My people had been content, isolated from the rest of the System and living happily so. Then we were invaded by the Cazeth.”

Startled murmurs sounded through his audience.

“The Cazeth!” Carinna exclaimed with wide eyes. Jace stared at her and nodded. So she too was acquainted with the evil creatures. He had anticipated such after reviewing Naria’s words in his mind.

“Yes. The legendary and nonexistent Cazeth invaded my lands and ravaged my people. They made slaves of everyone save myself and my sister,” Jace said, closing his eyes at the memories.

He could see his blond haired sister cursing their captors, could see her fall under a strong mental blast of fire that consumed her body until Jace could see nothing but that hated Orsan grinning down at him, mocking his helplessness.

Jace opened his eyes and ignored the pain consuming him. Instead he found Naria’s soft purple gaze holding him, seeking to give him a measure’s peace. “I escaped. And I planned. For over a decade I have been building my strength and looking for answers to defeat this hated enemy.” His gaze turned to Naria and he smiled, his eyes dark with hatred as he thought of his enemy.

“And I have finally found an ally that can help me to defeat them,” Jace said quietly. All eyes turned to Naria as he continued. “Naria and Carinna are sisters. They are half demons from Dark World, and my invited guests on board this ship.”

Instead of looking surprised, his crew merely nodded.

“Told you,” Koneru said to Mikhel and waited while the Fenturi grumbled, placing a few beks in his palm.

“You knew?” Naria asked in confusion.

“Knew you weren’t from Seven, and that’s a fact,” Castor muttered. “But there’s more, Jace,” Castor urged him to continue. That said, everyone again turned to Jace.

“Yes, well,” Jace felt uncomfortable. “Naria and Carinna are Dark Worlders, rather,
were
Dark Worlders,” he said and received a gratified smile for his thoughtful words. “And I am a Psi.”

Naria and Castor already knew, but the rest of his audience stared at him in awe. Jace paced feeling like a creature at a zoo, something to be stared at and even frightened of.

“A Psi?” Mikhel scoffed and leaned back against the wall. “Prove it.”

Castor frowned but Jace smiled. Trust Mikhel to demand proof. Jace stared at Mikhel and blinked as he saw some of Mikhel’s earlier memories of the night before. Jace thrust the memories back into Mikhel’s mind’s eye, holding them there while he spoke into Mikhel’s mind quietly.

“Holy five Hels!” Mikhel swore and straightened in astonishment. “How did you do that?”

“That would have been my question,” Jace answered him sardonically. “Five women, Mikhel? Really…”

Mikhel flushed. “That’s not the point. How could you not have told us that you are a Psi?”

Jace shrugged. “You didn’t need to know before. But now, well, I’m set on this course of action that must be taken. Mystique is falling,” he began, only to be interrupted this time by Koneru.

“Mystique? That planet does not exist,” he said emphatically.

“No? Tell it to my people the Psi,” Jace replied.

“Thirteen Nearworlds?” Koneru shook his head.

“Really?” Naria asked. “On Dark World we know much of the System and its inhabitants. But even I did not know that Mystique was real.”

“It’s real enough,” Jace said grimly. “And has been under Cazeth control for ten years. Orsan, that miserable slime, has my people in his clutches.”

“Orsan?” Naria asked weakly. “You did say Orsan, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Jace answered warily.

“He escaped from Dark World many years ago,” Carinna answered him. “He in fact killed the Lord of the prison, enabling our father to take over.”

“Your father?” Jace asked and stared from Carinna to Naria, seeing the apologetic look in Naria’s eyes.

“Lord Demise,” Carinna said, looking from Naria to Jace. “I thought you knew.”

The others stared at Naria and Carinna in amazement, Mikhel the only one appearing confused.

“Lord Demise is your father?” Jace asked through clenched teeth. Hadn’t Naria agreed to tell him the truth from now on?

“Yes,” Naria sighed. “And I have to tell you, Jace, that if you want to defeat the Cazeth, having Father on your side definitely wouldn’t hurt.” At her words a cacophony of ‘no’s’ burst out.

“Absolutely not,” Castor denied.

“No way in hel,” Koneru said at the same time.

“Over my dead body,” came a growl from Nesham.

“Naria.” Jace gave her a look that promised they would speak more later. “Gentlemen,” Jace said loudly to recapture his crews’ attention. “The reason I have finally explained all of this to you is that the time is at hand to stop the Cazeth. I can’t, in good conscience, take any of you with me.”

He held up a hand to stop Castor’s immediate protest.

“No, I won’t take you men into a battle where it is almost a fact that many of you will die.”

“By the Stars, you can’t stop me,” Castor said baring his teeth.

“Nor me,” Koneru stood suddenly, hulking over Jace.

“I’m not giving up a good fight.” Nesham shook his head.

“And you’ve no one better in a fight than me,” Mikhel added, ignoring the frowns thrown his way. “Well, it’s true,” he said humbly. “Besides, Jace. You owe me for not killing you when I had you prisoner on Fentra.”

“That’s planet Fenby now, you Fenturi rebel,” Castor said glaring at Mikhel.

“The point is,” Jace bellowed. “I don’t want to see any of you hurt at my expense.”

“Jace,” Naria said suddenly. “They are your family. Surely you wouldn’t abandon Castor or Koneru if they needed you. And look at what you did for Mikhel,” she said softly.

“What does she mean?” Mikhel asked.

Jace flushed and the crew stared at him in awed surprise. “That’s not the point,” he grumbled.

“That’s exactly the point,” Castor interrupted. “And that’s why I won’t let you go into battle without me.”

“The same goes for the rest of us,” Koneru added in a deep voice.

Jace closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Don’t think about it, Jace,” Naria warned. “You won’t manipulate anyone’s mind while I’m here,” she said firmly.

The others stared in astonishment at Jace, then smiled as Naria’s words penetrated.

“Stars, you can really do that can’t you?” Nesham asked sounding impressed.

“Okay,” Jace said, shaking his head. “Fine. But I warned you what was coming,” he said and left the room in a hurried stride.

Everyone watched him leave and stood for a moment in silence, pondering everything they had been told.

“Naria,” Castor said finally, “tell us about the Cazeth, everything you told our young hotheaded captain.”

-16-

“My lord, the party has returned,” Ceck said quietly to Lord Demise.

Devel Keep Krital stared suspiciously at the two in silent conference but said nothing. Master had expressly forbidden him to attempt an overthrow of Demise while this hunt continued, an order Demise was no doubt aware of.

“Ah, Krital, you seem so uncomfortable,” Demise said smoothly, his dark eyes flashing in humor and suppressed excitement. It wouldn’t do to have Krital learning of his daughter’s whereabouts. He waved Ceck away.
I’ll join you for a full report as soon as I lose this devel
. He watched as Ceck bowed and left the room.

“I would rather be visiting the lovely Xeche or even one of your irresistible daughters than standing here with you,” Krital smiled, the bite of his insult clear. Demise clenched his teeth. As if a demon would ever lie willingly with a devel!

“Yes, well, Ceck has brought me some news,” Demise began slowly. “Apparently the
SpaceStalker
has been seen in the vicinity of Yanvi,” Demise said blandly. Actually, the ship had passed Yanvi a few days past and had only now left Vembi. But keeping Krital occupied might give him a chance to confront his daughter sooner than later.