The Krinar Chronicles Read online

  “Even so,” I replied, deflecting her curiosity, “you should rest.”

  “If I really need to stay here, shouldn’t I remain under medical observation?”

  I smiled. She was too damn smart for her own good…or should I say for mine?

  “You will be, just in more comfortable accommodations. Let me show you.”

  With a slight nod, she acquiesced.

  As we stepped out into the corridor, Charlotte paused and looked around. I could see that she was struggling to take in everything at once.

  Scanning the profusion of trees, shrubs, and flowers, she said a little dazedly, “You must really like plants.”

  Relieved that she had focused on something I could safely talk about, I said. “We prefer not to be too far removed from nature.”

  Her gaze lingered on a nearby bush with bright green leaves and large pink blossoms.

  “That’s a hibiscus. It’s not from Krinar.”

  “We’re not picky. The flora on this world is amazing and much of it co-exists happily with our own specimens.”

  “Is that why you came here, because of our plant life?”

  I appreciated that she wasn’t giving up her quest for information. Had our circumstances been reversed, I would have done the same. But I still couldn’t answer her, not in the least because I wasn’t entirely sure myself why we had chosen this moment to make humans aware of our existence.

  The official story among the Krinar was straightforward enough: Earth was our refuge against the inevitable extinguishing of our sun. We had to step in before the humans did irreversible damage to the planet we might one day need to call home. But there was something more lurking beneath the surface. I was certain of that; I just hadn’t discovered it yet.

  When I didn’t reply, Charlotte turned and looked at me directly. “Or is it that you’ve been here all along and just decided that it was time to let us know?”

  My respect for her perceptiveness increased yet further. With each passing moment, I resented not being able to be more honest with her.

  Instead, I shrugged and tried to make a joke of it. “Let me guess, you’re a fan of ‘Ancient Astronauts’.”

  Her delectably soft, moist lips parted in surprise. “You’ve heard of that show?”

  Only in the sense that it had been mentioned in the pre-arrival briefing as an indication that humans had at least some idea that we’d been there before. It was intended as a cautionary reminder that they weren’t anywhere near as primitive or oblivious as some Krinar still wanted to believe.

  Unable to mention any of that, I said, “Are you kidding? It’s fantastic. Besides, we’ve always kept track of what was going on here.”

  “As in checking on the kids from time to time? Or are we more of a lab experiment?”

  I winced and cast her a quick look. “Trust me, you’re neither. I’m also fully aware that you in particular are not a child.”

  Her blush sent a ripple of pleasure through me. “I should hope not. I’m almost twenty-four.” Returning my glance, she boldly asked, “How old are you?”

  “In Earth years, which are just slightly different from Krinar? I’ll be eight hundred and nine on my next birthday.”

  Her eyes widened but otherwise she did admirably well controlling what had to be profound shock. I’d have just as soon skipped the age discussion until we’d had a chance to get to know each other better, as I was determined that we would. But too much was already off-limits between us. I wasn’t willing to add to that.

  “Seriously?” she asked. “You don’t look a day over seven hundred and fifty.”

  I snorted but her teasing came as a pleasant surprise. However alien my age might make me, she was taking it in stride.

  Solemnly, I said, “Thank you, I try to take decent care of myself.”

  “I can’t fathom living so long,” Charlotte said on a far more serious note.

  And I couldn’t fathom her dying in just a handful of decades. The very thought struck me as obscene. Before I could dwell on that, we arrived at the guest suite she would be occupying.

  “Here we are,” I said, touching a hand to the wall. It dissolved at once, allowing us to enter.

  As we stepped inside, she looked around with the eager, open curiosity that I was already coming to associate with her. The far wall opposite us was transparent, at least to one standing inside the suite. It provided a view out over the embassy garden to the river beyond. As for the interior, aside from plants, it was as uncluttered as images I had seen of traditional Japanese rooms, spaces with a minimum of furnishings that could be easily transformed and repurposed.

  I heard the swift inhalation of her breath a moment before she asked, “Is that…whatever it is…floating?”

  “It’s a couch and yes, it is. Don’t let that bother you. When you sit down on it, it will reshape to whatever position is most comfortable for you.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  Relieved that she didn’t appear frightened of what for her were such alien surroundings, I said, “If you require anything, a drink, something to eat, just tell the room.”

  “You mean room service?”

  “No, the room. Just speak what you want and it will be prepared. The same technology that keeps the couch floating will deliver it directly to you.”

  She tilted her head to one side and shot me a look that went straight to my groin.

  “So theoretically…I could lie in the bath tub-- Is there a bath tub?”

  “There is a soaking pool.”

  “I could lie there soaking and strawberries or champagne or a cucumber mask for my eyes or anything else I can think of will just float through the air to me?”

  Thinking of her naked in the pool and wearing a mask of any sort made my entire body tighten. I had to fight to control the urge to take her in my arms then and there.

  With difficulty, I cleared my throat and said, “That’s exactly what will happen.”

  “You know I’m going to be up all night trying it out. If I’m very good, will the room bring me a pony?”

  My own laugh startled me. “I’m afraid not. Nothing alive.”

  “That’s a relief. At least there are some things you can’t do.”

  Determined to leave her with no misconception about my own nature, I said, “We’re not supermen, Charlotte. And we’re definitely not godlike in any way, shape or form. There’s a great deal we still have to learn. It’s just that we’ve been at it a lot longer than humans.”

  “So you don’t just look down on us as a primitive, backward species?”

  I hesitated. It was bad enough that there was so much I couldn’t discuss with her. I refused to add lies on top of that. But I also had to be cautious about what truths I shared, including the fact that some Krinar continued to be biased against humans. The panicked, violent response to our arrival only served to reinforce their view. That was yet one more reason why the situation had to be calmed and quickly.

  Carefully, I said, “I have no doubt that humans possess the potential to be our equals in every way.”

  “Potential? But we’re not there yet?”

  “As a species, no, not yet.” Although I had to wonder if closer contact with humans in general would change our view of that. At least it might once the Panic subsided and we had a chance to interact with them in calmer circumstances.

  “However,” I went on quickly, “as individuals, that’s an entirely different matter. There is as much variation among humans as there is among Krinar.”

  She thought about that before she nodded slowly. Apparently my answer had satisfied her…for the moment.

  I was congratulating myself on successfully negotiating that particular hurdle when she glanced around the suite again. “Will I be locked in here?”

  Did she honestly believe I would do that? Save her only to take away her freedom? The thought horrified me.

  “You aren’t a prisoner,” I assured her. “I’ve programmed the suite to open for
you.”

  To prove it, I took her hand and lightly guided it to the wall. At once, a section of it dissolved, creating an opening that she could pass through.

  Her muted gasp delighted me. So did the warmth and softness of her skin against mine. But I was also vividly aware of how delicate her hand felt compared to my own. I had to get myself under control or risk hurting her.

  Letting go, I took a quick step back.

  “You should know that if you do decide to wander about, I’ll be notified.”

  She cast me a quick glance from under the thick fringe of her lashes. “And then what will happen?”

  Hearing the challenge in her voice, I unthinkingly responded with my own. “I’ll have to find some way to persuade you to stay in here.”

  Her flush threatened to undo all my resolve. Quickly, I tried to move on only to trip over my own unruly thoughts.

  “About the bed…”

  Her start of surprise made me regroup with all speed. “You should know that the bed will sense your physical state and adjust to accommodate it. Don’t be concerned about that either. Also, in the extremely unlikely event that you need medical attention the bed will summon it immediately.”

  I knew for a fact that it wouldn’t be needed but I couldn’t very well tell her about the nanocytes still in her bloodstream, monitoring her recovery.

  They would finish their job and be gone before she left the embassy, thereby assuring that they couldn’t be detected by the testing I was certain would be done as soon as she was back in human hands.

  With a faint laugh, she said, “Intelligent bed, got it. Now I really will be up all night.”

  The thought that I should be the one keeping her sleepless reared up in my mind before I could deflect it. Proof, if any more was needed, that the self-control I had worked so long and hard for was developing serious cracks.

  I should have been doing everything possible to resist that. Instead, I told myself that what I had felt from the first moment I saw her had to be a mirage. She was merely an Earth woman. Beautiful to be sure and with other attributes that I couldn’t help admire but nothing to make me forget decades of dedication to the discipline of kusakhina.

  One taste of her would be enough to convince me of that.

  I should have known better and I probably did, I just didn’t care. Before I could stop myself, my fingers were wrapped around her small chin and I was backing her up against the nearest wall.

  Her eyes widened, pools of that amazing blue that I could easily drown in.

  “Jarek…”

  If she had said ‘no’ or ‘stop’ or made even the smallest sound of protest, that would have been it. Every sense of honor I had would have reined me in. But the way she said my name--breathed it, really--sealed her fate. And mine.

  Slowly, still giving her time to refuse, I bent my head. Holding her gaze, I brushed my lips over hers. So soft, so warm…so enticing. I had to have more.

  I shouldn’t have done it and I knew it. But the tip of my tongue found its way between those succulent lips and drove deep, claiming her. She tasted of sweetness and sunlight, warmth and promise and something more that I instantly thought of simply as Charlotte. Whatever it was, that taste, the essence of her, hit me with more power than I would ever have thought possible. I wanted to drink from her--her mouth, her pussy, her blood…

  At the thought of taking her blood, I groaned. My arms tightened around her. She couldn’t be close enough, not when I so desperately needed to be inside her. I was rock hard, my cock straining against the soft trousers I wore. There was almost no barrier between us--

  If that weren’t enough, Charlotte herself made it worse. And incredibly better. Her slim arms twined around my neck. She raised herself on her toes, her breasts rubbing against my chest and met the full fury of my kiss with her own.

  The realization that she wanted me just as much as I did her almost undid me. I had never been with a human woman. On the few visits that I’d made to the planet before Arrival, I’d steered clear of them. Any woman would have been a complication that I didn’t need, a human female all the more so. But I was aware of Krinar who had enjoyed such women and even some who had made lifetime commitments to them. Arus himself had done the second. From everything I had seen, his relationship with his charl left nothing to be desired.

  The mere fact that I was thinking in such terms rang an alarm bell in my mind. I had seen Charlotte for the first time little more than an hour ago and already I was thinking of her in the same breath as a charl? That was nothing short of insane.

  What was she doing to me?

  What was I letting her do?

  With the greatest of efforts, I released her and stepped back. The moment I was no longer touching her, I felt bereft. My chest clenched as though in a vise. My breathing was ragged.

  Only once before in my life had I stood so near to the precipice of losing all control. The consequences of what had happened after that still haunted me. This time the emotions involved were entirely different but all the same, I couldn’t take such a risk with Charlotte.

  And I couldn’t let her go.

  Some way would have to be found to keep her with me and at the same time keep her safe. But I was in no state right then to figure it out.

  Gruffly, I said, “Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Before she could reply, I turned, opened the wall and left.

  Chapter Five

  Charlotte

  After a night of being massaged by the intelligent bed--with which I was now officially in a relationship--and jerking awake from XXX-rated dreams about Jarek that left me clawing the sheets, I stumbled into what I had figured out was the bathroom. Fortunately, making use of it was mostly intuitive or maybe it just knew better than I did what I needed. Good thing that something did. In addition to the bed, of course. Oh, my god, that bed. The only thing that could have made it better was sharing it with Jarek.

  What was happening to me? Never, ever, not in my most secret fantasies had I imagined responding to a man the way I had to him. To my utter amazement, the question of whether or not Charlotte Hughes was one hot mama had been answered once and for all in the affirmative. He’d lit me up, turned me on, made me ache and then he’d walked away. Damn alien bastard.

  Was that some Krinar thing? Torture the earth girl? Or was it possible that he’d been as surprised as I was?

  If he hadn’t stopped when he did, I would have gladly let him fuck me up against the nearest wall. The f-word made me wince; I just didn’t think that way, the legacy of diplomat parents for whom resorting to profanity was an admission of professional failure. But I refused to kid myself, fucking was exactly what it would have been. We didn’t know each other. How could we when we were on opposite sides of a literally interstellar divide?

  But sweet heaven, how I wanted to know him. In every sense of the word.

  The sudden light of understanding struck me. By sheer dumb luck--stress on ‘dumb’--getting my head rammed into a wall had resulted in my discovering the Krinars’ real plan for world domination. They weren’t going to rip our heads off or even just wipe us out with impossibly high-tech weapons; they were going to seduce us. We’d curl up in damp heaps of happiness and let them do whatever they wanted with us and the planet.

  Clearly, I was losing my mind. Before there was nothing left of it I had to get out of there. To my pleasant surprise, my clothes were waiting for me, freshly laundered or whatever it was Krinar did--in the main living area of the guest suite.

  Something unfamiliar rested on top of them. When I picked it up, I discovered that it was a very thin, flexible screen about the size of a piece of note paper. As soon as I touched it, words came into view.

  Charlotte, please join me for breakfast. Turn left out your door, go two floors down and turn right. I’ll be on the veranda. Jarek

  He’d be there? But how would he know when? I could have slept the morning away.

  I took a quick loo
k around, trying to spot any cameras, until I realized how foolish I was being. The Krinar would never use anything so primitive. The bed could easily have told him that I was up. Blabber bed; see if I told it any more secrets.

  While I wouldn’t call his note an invitation exactly, he had said ‘please’. Besides, my stomach was rumbling. And then there was the small, insignificant fact that I was embarrassingly eager to see him again.

  So fine, I needed to eat anyway. Turn left…go two floors down… Uh, how? There were no staircases and no sign of an elevator. Just a vertical shaft that looked as though someone had cut a really big tube in half down the long axis and embedded it upright in a wall.

  As I watched, two Krinar men emerged from another hallway, walked up to the shaft, stepped inside one after another and disappeared. When I didn’t hear any screams or the thud of bodies hitting the ground, I ventured closer and took a look.

  Nothing, not even a sound that could indicate any sort of machinery. Just a fuzzy, shimmering whiteness. Tentatively, I extended my hand into the shaft. Still nothing. Did you have to be Krinar to use this thing?

  Only one way to find out. Feeling not a little like Alice, I took a breath, held it, and stepped into the rabbit hole. Shaft, that is. Whatever I expected, what I got was a letdown. Absolutely nothing happened. I stood there, somehow not falling, staring right out at where I’d come from.

  Until I wasn’t. A blink of the eye and I was looking out onto the main floor of the embassy. Through the high windows, I could see the tree-lined entry leading to the gates and the Washington street beyond. The large black trucks that had tried to crash through those gates were gone. From what I could see, no sign remained of what had happened the previous evening.

  Gingerly, I stepped out of the shaft and turned right. A short distance farther on, I found the veranda overlooking the beautifully tended garden. Jarek stood from one of the floating tables as he saw me approach.

  With a faint smile, he said, “You got here, good for you.”