Waking up is rarely a pleasant experience, but today I hurry to get ready. Standing in front of the closet, I wish Grace was here to give me a wardrobe opinion. I settle on a blue satin blouse under a black jacket, paired with sleek dress pants. I finish the look with some wedge-heeled ankle boots. My hair is another battle. Though I like the way it falls down my back, it’s a snare trap in the wind. With any luck, Vand will take me on another ride today. I really enjoyed the wind whipping past me on the last one. I give the weather outside a passing glance before braiding back half the front. Look at me, compromising in all my adult glory.
I’m ready by nine o’clock. Is that early or late? Seeing Vand is inevitable—it was his hotel—but I have no idea when it’ll happen. I’m also unsure how he’ll react to what I learned from his sister last night. Will he consider her interference cheating? She did offer me a phone a friend option, which I didn’t use. I wish I understood the rules of this game. While I could keep it to myself, I don’t want to. His secretiveness makes me want to be all the more open. I’m set on not hiding things. He needs to get on board with that too, or this visit will be a short one. I want answers. No, I need answers.
I drag a chair over to the window. Peeping will have to suffice for entertainment. The atmosphere isn’t rushed here. Steps are taken at an unnaturally slow pace. At least they seem unnatural to me since I’ve spent the largest portion of my life with phasers, who regardless of their ability to act human, have a tendency to speed things up in private. These steps are different. Leisurely. They take the traveller somewhere they want to go.
It isn’t difficult to pick out the tourists scattered amongst the locals, with their wide-brimmed hats shielding sun-screened noses. Guess they’re headed to a beach. I wouldn’t mind some sand with Vand. We have a beach at home, but it’s private by design. The cliffs are too steep for general access, and the reef keeps boaters away.
A child passes by, hands gripped strongly by her parents. She reminds me of a miniature version of Tessa. Guiltily, I wonder how many trips she’s made to the main house to get a status update on me for Jack, forced to endure the presence of my family without anything to show for it. Phasers make her skin crawl.
I continue window watching until there’s a knock at the door. The peephole confirms it’s Vand, and he’s holding a bouquet of lilies. The bond pulses in my chest cavity, taking on a life of its own in competition with my beating heart. The reminder is constant. Everything’s out of sync. Ugh. I crinkle my nose when he holds them out to me as I swing open the door.
He lifts a brow. “Aren’t pretty women supposed to want pretty flowers?”
My cheeks heat. I open my mouth to explain the thoughtful gift inflamed the fusion bond, but he cuts me off.
“Maybe cacti next time,” he considers. “To match your prickles.”
“I don’t need you to romance me, Vand,” I mutter. “Honestly, I’d rather my presence doesn’t completely throw off your routine.”
“You want to see a wild animal in its natural environment?”
I crinkle my nose in distaste.
“A ringmaster in a circus?” he tries again.
I shake my head. “Just a regular Vand doing regular Vand things.”
His smile is wolfish when he runs his hand along the side of my cheek, a tingling sensation remaining on my skin where his fingers travel. While not as intense as prior contact, it’s no less impactful, liquefying my knees. I lean into him for support, which was undoubtedly his intention. I feel the heat from his body. The smooth muscles in his chest tighten under my hand, but it isn’t a stiffening of dread. He doesn’t cringe in disgust or attempt to move away in the slightest. We stand still for a moment, his pulse quickening along with mine. Why does every contact with him feel like I’m sticking my finger in a light socket?
“You ready to feel some power between your legs?” he poses, breaking my reverie.
I choke on air. “Excuse me?”
He chuckles, his hand sliding up my back to clamp around my neck. Guess I’m about to be steered again. “Just my bike…for now.”
I inhale sharply, and he chuckles again, leading me out the door toward the elevator. I stop us before we step inside, turning to face him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a hybrid?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
His jaw clenches, along with his fingers on my neck. I can’t tell whether he’s annoyed with my direct question, confused by it, or impatient to take me for a ride where talking won’t be an option. After an awkwardly long silence, his grip loosens, but his ocean-hued gaze continues to bore into me. The dark flecks swirl around the blue, exposing unsettled waters. “What difference does it make?” he challenges me.
“A huge difference. If I hadn’t found out, I probably wouldn’t still be here,” I admit.
He bites his lower lip, and I track the movement, jolts of electricity shooting from my neck through my body like flashes of lightning. He frowns when I flinch away. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the physical experience, but I don’t exactly appreciate my emotions being messed with. That’s what he’s doing. Messing with my emotions. Same as Jarek, except I don’t trust him, so this isn’t appreciated.
“That’s why,” he answers simply. I stare blanks, and he sighs. “You were bound to make assumptions if you knew I was part dark water phaser. For the record, I can’t manipulate your emotions, little bird. Like you, I project. All hybrids project. Only, where you share images, I share my feelings. If it makes you uncomfortable, block it out.”
Now it’s my turn to sigh. “Block it out how, Vand?”
I’m not expecting him to kiss me, or the instant tingles to branch out from where our lips are connected. Pushing past my initial shock, I follow the path of each current shooting through me, stamping on them like wayward sparks from a contained fire igniting nearby grass. While the pleasant buzzing sensation persists at my lips, it’s entirely because I want it to. Not because it’s being forced on me. The dull throb in my chest steadily increases until it hurts. I hesitantly pull back.
A crease forms between his brow as he searches for something in my expression. “Better?”
I nod, rubbing at my chest. “Until it wasn’t.”
He scowls. “You can block that out too.”
My eyes snap up to his. “How?”
He shrugs. “Kill him.”
There’s no emotion in his response. No hint of humour, dark as it’d be if that were the case. He’s absolutely serious, and that’s seriously problematic. There’s no way I’d resort to such drastic means to disconnect myself from Jack. I have a hard enough time swallowing my guilt for fusing us in the first place. There’s zero percent chance I’d be able to live with knowing I wilfully hurt him. I’d never wilfully hurt anyone, least of all him.
“That’s not happening,” I clip.
He shrugs again, unperturbed by my refusal. “Then you’ll have to stop with the midnight snacking.”
My impulse is to glower, but I refrain. He put me in that room, full with human food, purposely. That’s not the snack he means, though. He’s talking about my trip to the reception desk where Kella gave me canned air. “I’m not a fan of human food,” I grumble.
He takes hold of my chin, keeping my focus on him when I try to look away. “Those are your choices for bypassing the bond. Get rid of him or go human.”
“I can’t just go human, Vand.”
“We can,” he disagrees. We. Someone exists having the same limitations and basic biology. We’re the same. Something in between two worlds. “The fusion bond is phaser exclusive. Maintaining a human diet puts your phaser side to sleep. Subsequently, it puts the bond to sleep.”
This is why I’m here. Not for how he makes me feel. For his insight. What I have are all theories, derived by the brilliant minds of Pete and Rick, but still just theories. Vand has real world experience I’m obviously lacking.
“Human or phaser,” I murmur. The irony isn’t lost on me. Vand seems to love a good coin toss with two clear sides. Me? I feel the pressure of the vice creating the coin, moving closer until there’s no room to go one way or the other. I’m being crushed.
Again, his fingers zap me, shocking my senses in an effort to regain my attention. “It’s only permanent if you make it permanent, little bird.”
I swallow hard. “Is that the end of the game? Permanence?”
His fingers tighten on my chin. “There is no end to the game.”
When I try to jerk my chin away, his grip becomes borderline painful. “Someone has to lose,” I remind him.
He smirks. “I never lose.”
I roll my eyes, and his jaw clenches again. Apparently, he doesn’t appreciate a dismissive facial response. Unfortunately, for him, I don’t particularly care if he likes it or not. Sweet Vand is enticing, Mysterious Van is tolerable, but Manhandling Vand is a hard no from me. “Let me go,” I demand, placing my hands on his cheeks.
His smirk transforms into a full-on smile, exposing all his teeth. “If I don’t?”
I blow out an unsteady breath. “I’ll make you forget you were ever playing a game in the first place.” I’m not scared of him. Despite being in a strange place, with this strange man, I’m not helpless. Even if he lied saying he was no danger to me, the fact remains I could very well be a danger to him. “Your move,” I chirp.
His eyes widen. He’s excited. “You’re so much more than I thought you’d be.”
When he lets me go, I rub at my chin. “What did you think I’d be?”
The elevator lights indicating movement to our floor draw his eye. “A pawn.”
“I’m not a pawn,” I counter.
He shakes his head, his attention still on the panel. “No, little bird, you’re not a pawn,” he agrees. “You’re a queen.”
I scoff, but the sound is drowned out by the dinging of the elevator, followed by the opening of the door. My jaw drops at the same time Vand moves to stand directly in front of me, blocking the view of someone I wasn’t sure I’d ever see again. In fact, I was fairly confident I wouldn’t. The fusion bond ignores his attempted shielding, funnelling right through him and into the man who reeks of bonfire.
“Come on, Rory,” Jack barks. “It’s time to go home.”