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  Alsa piped up. “She is a good bodyguard and an excellent nanny. I learned a whole bunch of words that father said I would never have learned with anyone other than a Terran as my nanny.”

  Mae blushed. “I did apologise to him for that.”

  Alsa just grinned.

  Inside, Nothven took her hand. “Well, then, here we part ways, though I know it will not be for long.”

  Mae smiled. “I hope not. Good journey to you.”

  He looked as if he wanted to say or do something more, but the small child next to her seemed to dampen his ardour most effectively.

  With a soft sadness starting in her heart, she turned her back and walked Alsa up the stairs. It was time for dinner then a bath and then bed.

  Maeryn knew a good example when she saw one. Tomorrow, she would take off in one direction, the ambassador and his daughter would go off in another and Nothven would take a third. The odds of any two of them getting back together were astronomical, but Mae kept an image in her mind all night, every night.

  Nothven was her destiny but not the one she had met on Dinray. Somewhere in his future, he gained scars that he currently did not have. That Nothven was hers, and she was going to have to wait for him.

  Chapter Three

  Two years later.

  Mae stood at the entrance to the cavern and watched the wave of insects as they climbed toward the archaeological team.

  “Agent Lassiter, do something!” The professor in charge of the Creyar dig twisted his clawed and scaled hands together nervously.

  At the moment when it was appropriate and not before, Maeryn lifted a quartz bead from the braids on her head and dropped it down the mountain. With the bead dispatched, she turned and walked into the cavern.

  Professor Thop looked back at the incoming horde and then back to her. “What are you doing? They are still coming.”

  In Mae’s mind, she saw the path the bead was taking, and as it tumbled small rocks loose, those rocks slipped and slid against each other until a landslide took the bugs to the bottom of the rise. The loose rocks combined with crushed bugs and the quartz bead the combination caused a fire.

  Whistling gently, she returned to the temple within the mountain to help the students, Minski and Wellor, as they dealt with archiving the finds of an ancient Oefric colony.

  “How is it going, guys?”

  Minski looked up, and her owlish eyes blinked several times. “It would be easier if the Oefric would help us with identification. Why do they not have an interest in their past?”

  Wellor cleared his throat, his feathers ruffled gently as he cocked his head. “Their interest in their past is contained to their home world. These colony worlds that are now being repopulated are part of a failed experiment from eons ago. I do not believe that they enjoy failure.”

  The Tuulor were the natural creatures of Creyar. They allowed the Oefric to occupy the plains, as their ancestors were forest folk. The Tuulor welcomed the newcomers. Any new trade was always appreciated.

  Mae smiled when Thop came running back in.

  “They burst into flame. All of them.” He ran up to her and gave her a hug that lifted her off her feet.

  “Yes, I know. The yinka birds in this area will be skinny this year, but there are other mountains and other bugs.” Mae wrinkled her nose as the professor’s feathers tickled.

  “You are very good. First, you helped me find the door and now this. You will definitely be credited in the journals.” He put her down and patted her head.

  “Please no. You know that I do not wish to have my name appear in the journals.” She ran her hand through the braids that held her hair back.

  “I still don’t understand that.”

  Mae winked, “I had a misspent youth. It is not appropriate for me to seek any kind of recognition for my work.”

  Professor Thop shook his head. “It isn’t natural.”

  She chuckled. “So, do you want me on recording or retrieving?”

  Thop jerked his head in an affirmative. “Retrieving, you have such peculiar luck in finding things.”

  Grinning, Mae took a light and walked into the depths of the under mountain structure. It wasn’t a temple per se, it was more of an experimental habitat than something used for special occasions.

  As she looked over the areas they had already discovered, she closed her eyes to think about what she could possibly find in this room. Over the last two years, she had gotten a grip on her talent, and she was now able to not only wait for a situation, but she could bring it to pass with direct influence instead of the old roundabout way.

  The Oefric had not been consulted when the Tuulor decided they wanted an Enforcer agent on the dig. Since the Oefric had put in a request for any and all available Terrans to be offered to them, Mae had made it clear to Thop that she did not want folks to know she was there. Her name was on the manifest but not her species.

  Being hauled into the new city for endless introductions to possible suitors scared the crap out of her. She knew that Nothven was the lover in her dreams, but she also knew that he had not been on Creyar when she landed.

  Whistling softly, she continued to explore the interior of the building within the stone. Being a security agent on an archaeology site was not a bad gig. It came with plenty of opportunities to hone her skills.

  * * * *

  Officer Skell turned to his superior. “Sir, we have sighted a flash fire at the base of the Nokki Mountain.”

  Commander Harring looked at the readout. “Who is up there?”

  “A Tuulor archaeology team.”

  “Is the fire getting close to them?” Harring stared at the image and frowned as his instincts began to jump up and down within him.

  “No. It seems to be burning out. Shall we send a patrol to speak to them?”

  Harring stared at the image on the screen and shook his head. “No. If it is burning out, it is not necessary. Keep an eye on the area in case of spreading fire and keep me posted.”

  “Yes, sir.” Officer Skell continued his viewing of Creyar via the satellites, and Harring walked to his office.

  He fiddled with a few documents before he sighed and brought up the team manifest for those working in the old city. There was one professor and two students of Tuulor persuasion and one bodyguard provided by the Alliance.

  Harring acknowledged that he was a glutton for punishment as he brought up the name of the agent provided by the Enforcers. The kick to his gut was followed by a surge of blood to his cock as his erection pressed fiercely at the mere thought of her name. Agent Maeryn Lassiter was on Creyar, and she would be his.

  * * * *

  Mae shivered. Somewhere nearby someone was thinking about her and their emotions were powerful. She suffered a light-headed wave of sensation and stumbled to one side, her hand slipped over a wall panel, and the next thing she knew, she was on her ass in total darkness. Damn it.

  Closing her eyes to bring on a flash of insight didn’t help. Everything was dark, so she couldn’t see her own actions.

  “I guess I have to do this the old fashioned way.” She touched the walls looking for a way out. “Why did I have to drop my light?”

  Mae sighed and set up a methodical examination of the walls and floor. Across from the spot where she tumbled in, she pressed another patch, and when that door opened, a dim light came on.

  She hummed quietly to keep herself calm and explored the room she was in. She could make out a terminal and a chair, so she immediately took advantage of the seat.

  A display came up when she caressed the monitor, and she groaned in surrender. Ancient Oefric was not a language that Alliance Common training could translate. She idly flipped through pages and looked at images of what she could identify as ancient Creyar landmarks.

  Once she was convinced that she couldn’t get anything out of the machine beyond pictures, she left the terminal and reached for the door panel. It was at rib height on the left so it was understandable that she had not
found it the first time she looked.

  With a little effort, she pressed it and found herself inside the antechamber once again. Now, she just needed to find the release that would allow her back into the main hall. How hard could it be?

  Chapter Four

  Commander Harring parked his private skimmer and surveyed the charred mess of the insect apocalypse.

  Harring’s lips quirked in a smile as he spotted a small, shining bead. He had no idea why he was drawn to the small object, but he suspected that Agent Lassiter had something to do with it.

  As he lifted the shining bead in his palm, the impression of Agent Lassiter was definitely with him. Without another thought, he began the climb to the cavern that allowed access to the ancient Oefric station.

  It was a weather station, but no one wanted to tell the Tuulor that. The Oefric home world was curious as to what another species could figure out on its own.

  The moment that he made it to the cavern opening, his body shivered in recognition. Maeryn Lassiter was here. He could feel her in the air.

  The professor and his two students were crouched over some artefacts.

  Harring cleared his throat as he approached them. “Lady. Gentlemen. Good afternoon. I am Commander Harring of the Oefric colony in Litsik city.”

  The professor stood up and blinked rapidly. His feathered scalp was fluffing in alarm. “Commander? Welcome to our site. To what do we owe the honour?”

  Harring smiled politely. “The little fire at the base of the mountain caught our attention. I decided to come out here and have a word with your security specialist. Where is she?”

  The professor frowned and looked around. “She said she was going on retrieval, but I believe that was a few hours ago. It isn’t like her to not report back on a regular basis.”

  Harring’s senses went on alert. “I will locate her.”

  The young female lifted a light. “Do you need illumination?”

  He shook his head. “No. I will track her by scent.”

  The professor frowned. “How?”

  He grinned, “I will simply track the scent of the only non-Tuulor in the site.”

  The gathered feathered beings nodded, and Harring moved past them, following the scent of Maeryn.

  For the last two years, every night had been filled with memories of her in his arms. The rich scent of her skin was embedded in his mind, and his body would have followed that scent no matter what his mind thought. He wished that he was coming to her unblemished, but he had been through over a dozen battles since they parted, and he wore the scars of time on Brokhan.

  Harring walked through the open chamber of the research centre’s commissary and followed Mae’s scent to the wall. It took him a few minutes, but he managed to find the trigger, and as the door slid open, the woman of his dreams was crouched over in front of him with one hand lifted to block the brighter light.

  “Thop? Is that you?” Maeryn stepped forward and touched his chest. Her body stiffened, and funnily enough, so did his.

  “This isn’t Thop. It is good to see you again, Agent Lassiter. Welcome to Creyar.”

  Harring watched her face grow pale by dramatic increases until she wilted against him in a very un-Lassiter-like manoeuvre.

  * * * *

  Mae couldn’t believe that Nothven rescued her. The fact that he stood still and let her grope him was a disturbing turn of events.

  Her fainting fit was not characteristic, but when she touched him, her body flooded with a thousand memories and emotions that she hadn’t experienced yet. Her mind shut down at the overload, and when she came to, he was cradling her in his arms, stroking her hair back from her forehead.

  This was the man she had waited for, claw marks edged down the left side of his face and his neck. She swallowed hard before she spoke. “Hello, Commander Harring.”

  His pale eyes looked at her with concern. “Are you all right?”

  “Just a little overloaded. What are you doing here?” Her voice was low and husky, even to her own ears.

  He paused, and she could almost see him formulating a reasonable excuse. “Do you mean here on Creyar or here at the site?”

  Mae struggled to sit up, but he held her securely. “Either, both.”

  “I was shipped home after the battle of Brokhan. My family helped with my recovery, and the colony offered me a security post.” He continued to stroke her hair absently. “How is it that you are here but the colony council was not apprised of a Terran in their vicinity?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t want to face endless rounds of flirting with men who can shift into something and tear me in half. Some folks don’t like to take no for an answer.”

  He blinked and a smile crept across his features. “I suppose that would be right. We can be very determined when we finally find the female for us.”

  Mae squirmed against him. “Can you let me up now? This is not really appropriate.”

  He sighed and released her so she could get up. “I believe that I am the better judge of what is appropriate on Creyar.”

  She took a few steps away from him, and her knees wobbled as another wave of memories of things that had not yet happened washed through her. Mae leaned heavily against the wall.

  “What is wrong with you?” Commander Harring was next to her in an instant.

  “It’s exceedingly embarrassing. I am not sure that it is something you want me to share.” She ran a hand over her hair.

  “You always do that when you are thinking about sex.” He leaned against the wall next to her.

  Mae jolted as if he had shocked her. She didn’t realize that it was that obvious.

  He chuckled. “I was only with you for a few weeks, but I watched you carefully.”

  She licked her lips nervously. “Why?”

  He shifted, and she was pinned between him and the wall. He leaned down until his mouth was next to her jawline, and she heard him inhale sharply. After his inhalation, he groaned low and pressed his forehead to her shoulder.

  “You know, I thought I had imagined it.” He pressed a hand to her waist and tightened his grip. “I like the new suit.”

  She chuckled weakly. “Thank you. It is a living design provided by the Sector Guard. It is easier to move in than standard enforcer leathers.”

  “Are these branches?”

  She smiled as his hands ostensibly explored the exterior of her suit. “They are. Green installed them. They provide more resilience when I fall from heights.”

  His scowl could have peeled paint. “Why are you falling from heights?”

  She licked her lips again out of nervous habit. “I have gotten more of a grip on my talent. A properly started fire in a mountain range can save a city, a rock placed in the right spot on a road can trigger the cascade of progress that sends a civilization to the stars.”

  “You control the destiny of planets now?” He moved his face to the other side of hers and inhaled sharply.

  “Not unless I see that I need to. At every point in time, there are a minimum of two ways that the future can travel. My talent lets me see what would benefit the most people over the longest period of time, and that is the action that I take.” It was hard to concentrate when the light touches on her neck were driving her to distraction.

  “That is impressive.” His lips grazed her neck just above her collar.

  “What are you doing?” She tried to keep her words light, as she really didn’t want him to stop.

  “Reminding myself how amazing your scent is. I had begun to think I imagined it.” He raised his head, and there was a distinct level of arousal visible in his face.

  Mae clenched her hands together and tried to smile brightly. “It must be my hanging around with the Tuulor, they do smell nice.”

  Nothven leaned in, and with his lips an inch from hers, he whispered, “No, this is all you. Every time you shake under the weight of your own mind, you give off pheromones that call me in and urge me to take you.”

  “I h
adn’t realized that I was so chatty on the molecular plane.” She blushed, and her chin jerked up a half inch. Breath was the only thing between them, and as the heat from his mouth spurred her to rise up, her arousal jerked to a halt as footfalls came running toward them.

  “Oh, Commander Harring, you found her. Agent Lassiter are you all right?” Thop’s voice was urgent, and it was the excuse Mae needed to duck out from under Nothven’s body. Her hormones screamed a denial, but she pasted a pleasant expression on her face and showed Thop the hidden room.

  It gave her the distraction she desperately needed, because Commander Harring wasn’t showing any signs of leaving.

  Chapter Five

  The Tuulor were delighted to have a Commander of the Oefric join them on the site. Thop’s feathers were fluffed to impress the other male.

  Commander Harring smiled as he explained the purpose of the majority of the devices that they saw. The data and images contained recordings of weather systems for the last two thousand years. It was valuable information.

  Wellor came up to Mae, “We were worried.”

  She stroked his head feathers lightly. “I was just in the dark for a while. If I ever miss dinner, then you can worry.”

  Wellor ducked his head down, and she stroked the soft surface of his forehead. Among the Tuulor, it was a gesture given by a parent to a child. It showed respect to his concern on her behalf and proved his trust in her at the same time.

  He chortled low in his throat. It was a noise that the Tuulor made when they were happy and relaxed.

  “Professor, do you mind if I head out and get myself some rations?”

  She smiled as the professor flapped his hand at her. Commander Harring gave her a narrow-eyed look as she turned to escape, but she ignored him.

  She made her way back to the camp and dug out a pack of rations for herself and one for the Oefric. It was hot enough to eat by the time he joined her around the fire in the entrance cavern.

  “Very slick, sneaking out like that.”

  “What is this about sneaking? I was hungry.” She snorted and stuck her eating prong in her ration pack.