Mage, Page 3

  He guided her out of the vortex and Emily finally stepped back. His hands clung and he swayed unsteadily, drawing her gaze back to his face. He’d squeezed his eyes shut, as if in pain, and the color had drained from his face. “Are you okay?”

  His eyes snapped opened and his shoulders squared. “I am perfectly all right.”

  “Are you sure?” Lexie sounded even more suspicious than Emily. “You paled right after we arrived too. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

  He released his hold on Emily as if she were electrified. “I would never intentionally endanger others, nor would I risk my own life unnecessarily. If I were not capable of utilizing my abilities, I would have told you.”

  “We’ll have to take your word for it. We don’t really have a choice.” Lexie stared at him a moment longer, then reluctantly moved on. “We’ve got work to do.”

  “‘We’ being you and Vox?” Emily dragged her gaze away from Vox and focused on her cousin.

  Lexie shot her a playful glare. “‘We’ being you and me.”

  Emily glanced at Vox, still concerned about his apparent weakness, then back at Lexie. “I already have a job.”

  “Your focus, your passion is wildlife. You love showing aspects of life in the wild that civilized people don’t understand. Correct?”

  “Just cut to the chase, Lexie. What’s this about?”

  “I’ve been hired to introduce the battle born to the people of Earth. AG Nox’s message didn’t work the way the battle born had hoped, so they want me to try again. I can tell their story, but I need someone to help with visuals. We’ve done this before and we were both pleased with the outcome.”

  “We’ve done this before?” Emily felt her brow arch and consciously relaxed her expression. “I’m pretty sure I’ve never photographed aliens.”

  “You know what I mean. Stop being difficult.”

  Vox lightly touched Lexie’s upper arm. “If she hasn’t watched Garin’s messages, she isn’t aware of the importance of the battle born struggle.”

  Lexie nodded and Vox immediately moved his hand. With such hesitation in his touch, it was unlikely they were lovers or even romantically involved. Emily wasn’t sure why she cared, but the observation pleased her.

  “Can we sit down somewhere and talk, maybe find Vox something to eat?” Lexie looked around the tent, but there was only one rickety, folding chair. “It’s hot as Hades outside and not much better in here. Why don’t you leave a note for your crew? Tell them you went for a walk or you’re going to explore something more completely. Make sure they don’t worry if you’re gone for a few hours.”

  “And why would I do that?”

  “Because Vox—as long as he’s up to it—is going to take us to Stargazer Ranch. I can’t show you anything else until you agree to take the job, and you need to understand the job before you can make your decision.”

  Emily hesitated. This was all so strange. But she’d known Lexie her entire life. Trusting her was automatic. Besides, people had been studying leopards for decades, more like centuries. Lexie was offering her an opportunity to photograph aliens.

  She wrote a quick note then placed it in the other tent, on top of Stan’s laptop so he’d be sure to find it. Lexie and Vox had stepped out of her tent while she delivered the note and appeared ready to depart.

  “How long will we be gone? Should I grab my gear or—”

  “We’re just going to talk,” Lexie assured her. “If you’re interested, we’ll need to come back and explain your absence to the others anyway.”

  “All right.” She always kept identification and emergency contact info on her, as well as her satellite phone. “I guess I’m ready.” She looked at Vox. “Are you?”

  His annoyed expression said it all, still he added, “If we were teleporting to another galaxy, I might hesitate. These distances are nothing to me.”

  He could teleport from one galaxy to another? The concept was so staggering, she couldn’t think of a reply.

  Vox motioned them closer and clasped each of their wrists. “Please move toward each other.”

  They did, and Emily braced for the sudden nearly violent sucking that accompanied this form of transportation. Take off felt the same as it had the first two times, but they seemed to hang in nothingness forever, lost to everything but the mad rushing of energy all around them.

  When they emerged from the vortex, Emily groaned and put her hands on her knees, steadying herself. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” She gasped in a breath then another before she even tried to focus on her surroundings.

  Vox seemed completely unaffected by the ordeal this time. He noticed her assessing stare and said, “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

  Emily accepted his assurance with a nod then looked around. They stood in the middle of a horseshoe-shaped grouping of buildings. In the center of the oblong ring was a large stripped log house and the other end of the ring was bordered by tall pine and aspen trees.

  “Where are we?” Seeing the mischievous gleam in Lexie’s eyes, Emily headed off the smartass remark. “I know it’s Stargazer Ranch. What’s the exact location of this facility?”

  “We’re about twenty miles west of Boulder, Colorado,” Lexie admitted.

  “And the purpose of the ranch?”

  Before Lexie could answer, a middle-aged woman stepped out onto the large railed deck jutting out from the largest building. “I have cool drinks and finger food waiting when you’re ready,” she announced, then went back inside the house.

  Lexie chuckled. “That’s Rachel. She owns the place and isn’t happy unless she’s playing hostess.”

  “Is she…”

  Lexie shook her head. “Sorry to disappoint. She’s human.”

  “Actually, she’s one-fourth Tandori, which makes her a human/Rodyte hybrid,” Vox corrected.

  That was as good a place as any to start. “Then aliens and humans can produce children together?”

  Vox and Lexie exchanged a strange look, but Lexie answered the question. “‘Alien’ is an extremely broad and semi-derogatory term. You might want to be more specific from now on. Both Rodytes and Bilarrians are able to produce offspring with some humans.”

  “Isn’t that unusual?” They crossed the rolling lawn that separated the buildings as they spoke. “Similar species on Earth can mate, but the offspring is sometimes sterile. Is that a problem with Rodytes and Bilarrians?”

  “It can be, but medical advancements have made infertility correctible in most cases.”

  Again Vox spoke of a fantastical concept as if it was nothing special. Emily might not have believed him if they hadn’t just teleported from one continent to another.

  They climbed onto the deck where Rachel had made her appearance. Tree-covered hills surrounded the entire area and higher, rugged peaks were visible beyond the hills. The air was crisp, cool, and lightly scented with pine. The scene was very different from the unrelenting heat and vastness of the African savannah.

  Emily shivered as she stepped into the air-conditioned living room. It had been nearly three years since she’d visited a climate-controlled environment. From the outside it had been obvious that the house was big, but she hadn’t expected the understated luxury suddenly surrounding her. With exposed timbers and bold angles, the interior was open and welcoming.

  “Over here.” Rachel motioned them toward a massive, rustic dining room table that had been laid out with a small buffet.

  Lexie appeared as surprised by the bounty as Emily. “I commed you twenty minutes ago. How did you accomplish all this so fast?”

  Rachel waved away the praise, but a telling blush rose on her rounded cheeks. “It was nothing. Anyone can make sandwiches and cut up fruit.” Rachel walked up to Emily and stuck out her hand. “Rachel Tandori. And you must be Emily. Sorry, no one told me your last name.”

  “It’s Jenson.” She shook Rachel’s hand, liking the friendly woman immediately. “Your house is beautiful.�
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  “Thank you. Stargazer Ranch is my life.” She made another motion toward the food. “Please, help yourselves. If you need anything else, I’ll be in my office.”

  Emily felt a bit greedy as she piled food on her small plate. The spread might be meant as a snack, but all she’d had to eat all day was half a stale bagel. They congregated at one end of the table, Lexie on one side, Emily and Vox on the other. Vox’s plate was nearly as heaped as Emily’s.

  Lexie watched the two eat for a moment, a half-smile on her face. “Don’t they have food in Africa, or on Bilarri for that matter?”

  “Energy must be replenished,” Vox reminded. “I still need to return you each to your destinations.”

  “Well, we need to determine Emily’s destination before you can take her there.”

  Emily quickly cleared her mouth and asked, “How do we do that?”

  “Let’s start with a very brief history of the conflict,” Lexie took a sip of coffee, then dove right into her explanation. “Rodymia and Bilarri have been at war for a very long time.”

  Emily froze with a crustless sandwich wedge halfway to her mouth. “But Vox is Bilarrian.” She looked at the mysterious male, even more curious about him than before. “Why would you help the enemy?”

  “Empowering the battle born to resist their elite masters could eventually end the war. By restoring magic to the bloodlines of Rodymia, we unravel the driving principle behind the war.” He shrugged then tossed a grape into his mouth. “I find war as a whole ineffective and barbaric.”

  Shifting her gaze back to Lexie, Emily asked, “I guess you better start at the beginning. Who are the battle born?”

  Lexie sighed. “I’ll explain it, but you need to understand that these events happened to the battle born. I’m not defending any of it.”

  “Got it.”

  Lexie took a deep breath, clearly preparing for a long, unpleasant explanation. Vox reached over and nudged her arm. “I’m a bit more objective. Let me try.”

  Emily focused on Vox, her interest in the Bilarrian growing with each passing moment. He was calm and diplomatic, yet she could sense authority smoldering just under his surface reserve.

  “The war comes down to magic,” Vox began. “Bilarrians are able to control magic and Rodytes are not. For many generations, Rodytes tried to substitute technology for genuine magic. They were somewhat successful, but the instinctual need for magic wasn’t satisfied by the substitution.”

  He started to move on, but Emily was so fascinated with the concept that she stopped him. “Everyone on Bilarri can utilize magic?”

  “To one extent or another. Abilities and level of control vary greatly, but we are fortunate in that regard.”

  Lexie made a scoffing sort of cough that drew an annoyed look from Vox. “Most Rodytes would argue that fortune had nothing to do with it. You have systematically rid your planet of anyone without magic powers.”

  He tensed but didn’t argue. “History is no kinder to Rodytes than to Bilarrians. I am not responsible for the actions of my ancestors.”

  “Okay, I get the picture,” Emily hurried the conversation onward, hoping to defuse the argument. “Rodytes were driven off because of their inability to work magic and eventually the resentment built to all-out war. Is that what battle born means? Are they simply born during wartime?”

  Lexie shook her head. “This is the part Rodytes would like to forget. At one point during the war it became popular to capture Bilarrian females. It was the warriors’ hope that the captives, or war brides, would pass on their magic to their battle born children.”

  “It was a despicable practice,” Vox stressed, “but it worked—with one major complication. Battle born sons were born with magic energy. They were just unable to access it.”

  “That’s why the battle born have come to Earth.” Lexie paused, waiting for Emily to look at her again. “They’ve developed a process that allows them to unlock their magic, but it requires that they bond with a human female.”

  Emily had followed along with no problem until Lexie added the last statement. “Wait. Why does it take a human female to unlock their magic? Humans can’t work magic, or at least the vast majority can’t.”

  Lexie started to answer then looked at Vox. “I don’t understand it that well myself. Can you explain?”

  “I’m not a geneticist, but I’ll do my best.” He smiled at Lexie, then his gaze shifted to Emily and lingered. “Human DNA is unusually resilient. It tolerates recoding that would be rejected by most other species. So as I understand it, the needed changes are created in the female, then she transfers them to the male during the bonding process.”

  Lexie nodded “That’s consistent with what Kaden told me.”

  “And because the bonding process is naturally occurring, the male’s body accepts the changes when they would be rejected if introduced directly.”

  Just the thought of genetic engineering left Emily cold. History had proven that screwing with nature’s designs was asking for trouble. Spontaneous mutations and devastating complications were far more common than satisfactory results.

  “None of this will be forced on anyone,” Lexie stressed. “They’re asking for volunteers.”

  Vox took up the tale and Emily started to feel like a volley ball, being tossed back and forth between the two. “Unlocking battle born magic is extremely important, but it’s one small element in the rebellion. The practices and attitudes they’re attempting to change are not unlike your country’s War for Independence. They’ve been demeaned and subjugated by the society that created them. Now they’re demanding equality and freedom.”

  “Those are principles Americans can get behind,” Emily agreed. “But tell me more about the ‘bonding with human females’ part. What exactly does that entail? It sounds a little creepy.”

  Lexie shook her head, her expression turning pensive. “I think it will make more sense after you’ve seen Lunar Nine and met some of the battle born. There are also a couple of women living there that I’d like you to meet. They’ve already gone through the transformation program, so their perspective is unique.”

  “The higher-ups don’t want anyone brought to Lunar Nine unless they’ve signed the six-month contract,” Vox reminded.

  “I know, but Emily won’t be able to resist once she sees what’s going on up there. It’s also unlikely she’ll agree until she sees for herself.”

  Vox tilted his head as speculation lit his gaze. “That could be more of a problem than the leaders anticipate. Most humans require concrete evidence before they’ll agree to anything.”

  Lexie’s brows shot up at the sweeping generalization. “How many humans do you even know personally?”

  He chuckled. “It’s a valid point. My exposure to humans is limited.”

  It was Emily’s turn to chuckle. “You make humans sound like a disease.”

  “He can’t help being a snob.” Lexie concluded in a stage whisper, “He was born that way.”

  Chapter Two

  Vox tensed, afraid Lexie was about to tell Emily his title. He didn’t want the pretty photographer to know he was Crown Prince of the Fire Islands. At least not yet. To Emily, he was just another alien working to help the battle born rebellion. And he wanted to keep it that way as long as possible.

  He sat across the overly large table from Lexie, which put him beside Emily. Repeatedly opening the vortex had depleted his energy more than he cared to admit, but food and a short period of inactivity should sufficiently replenish his strength so he could continue playing chauffer to the humans. The role was so far beneath his station that he should find it insulting. Instead he felt liberated and intrigued.

  His father had given him three months to continue his adventure and he intended to enjoy every hour of the reprieve.

  “I’ll return you to Lunar Nine,” he told Lexie, “but you must deal with Raylon. He doesn’t like to be ignored.”

  Lexie shrugged, clearly unconcerned with the impendin
g conflict. “I’m not battle born, and Raylon is governor, not God.”

  “Someone needs to tell him,” Vox muttered. “I’ve never met a more arrogant warrior.”

  “Your opinion might be a tiny bit skewed, sweetheart,” Lexie said with a playful wink. “I know about you and Chandar.”

  Her flirtatiousness was harmless, but it still caught him off guard. She was newly bonded to a battle born warrior. If Kaden saw her behaving so boldly, he’d be most displeased. “There was never anything romantic between Chandar and me. I was her teacher, one of many, and nothing more.”

  “If you say so. Raylon is obviously not buying the line.”

  Emily scooted her chair back from the table and stood, looking decidedly uncomfortable. She moved behind her chair and pushed it in, inadvertently putting her breasts at eyelevel. He tried not to stare, but her clingy tan T-shirt and well-worn cargo pants weren’t making politeness easy. She was lithe and athletic, sleekly muscled, yet undeniably feminine. Her torso narrowed to a trim waist, then flared to womanly hips and a nicely rounded ass. Barely grazing her shoulders, wavy blonde hair framed her face, rather than distracting from her delicate features. Her mouth looked soft and rosy without benefit of cosmetics, and her bright blue-green eyes were surrounded by the longest lashes he’d ever seen. She was doing nothing to make herself attractive and still he found her stunning.

  “Do you guys call it Lunar Nine for the obvious reason?” Emily included him in the question, but her gaze was on Lexie.

  “Yeah, it’s on, or actually inside, the moon.” Lexie scooted back as well, but didn’t seem to be in a hurry to stand. Her gaze shifted to him and then narrowed. “Will it help if you take Emily, then send a shuttle back for me? That’ll use up half the energy, won’t it?”

  “I don’t need ‘help’,” he insisted. The last thing he wanted was for Emily to see him as weak. “I am perfectly capable of teleporting both of you to Lunar Nine.”

  Lexie didn’t look convinced, but suddenly slyness erupted in her eyes. “It’ll give her time to explore the outpost on her own, maybe talk to Indigo and Raina without me coaching them.” She shrugged, illustrating indifference he was certain she didn’t feel. “Emily has always liked doing things on her own.”