Companion's Dilemma Read online

  Isabella gasped, and Iktabi laughed, but Sarah kept moving.

  Sarah blocked them both out and closed up her pack. She had one more stop on this floor, and she would be on her regular rounds.

  She paused outside Lekorh’s office and knocked. She didn’t need to. He knew she was there.

  “Come in.”

  She opened the door and stepped inside the dim office. Lekorh was kneeling with a glowing stone mounted in the wall in front of him. His third eye was open and staring into that light.

  It would have been less disturbing if Lekorh had been wearing more than trousers. His shining grey skin and golden hair made him look like he was carved of metal. The design on his skin had to be some sort of tattoo, but she had never heard of tattoos on Rrassic before.

  “What are you in the mood for today?” She bit her lip as soon as she said it. Her fascination with his physique hadn’t diminished since she first saw him two months prior.

  His lips curved in a slight smile, and he got to his feet. “What do you have to offer?”

  She squelched her focus on his abs and opened the pack. “A little of everything.”

  He stood next to her and peered into the bag. “One of the cream buns and one of the cheesecakes.”

  She blinked. He always chose the ones that she had made as if he knew. She sighed and reached in; he probably had read it in her thoughts. Passive information was something that he picked up on, and the Saya-Rrassic couldn’t help it.

  She set the treats on small napkins, and she raised her gaze to meet his. “On the desk?”

  He smiled slowly.

  Her mind was filled with an intimate image of her lying back across the desk while he parted her thighs.

  She stifled the image and smiled at him. “Desk or do you wear them for that little stunt.”

  He laughed. “On the desk is fine. I have another hour of meditation to get through.”

  He didn’t admit to inserting that image in her thoughts, and to be honest, she couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t her own work. She set the pastries down on his desk. Sarah packed up her bag and closed it. “Serene meditation to you.”

  He nodded and returned to his spot on the cushion he had on the floor. “I will see you soon, Sarah.”

  There was an implicit threat in his tone. She grabbed her bag and left his office without looking behind her. When the door was closed, she exhaled slowly, and she could swear that she heard a peal of laughter from behind the door.

  She recorded the sales in her portable tablet, and the administration accounts paid out. She went to the floor below and wandered through each of the offices, offering the Rrassic and the human administrators some of the pastries before she finished making her way through the building.

  Sarah had half a dozen pastries left, so she headed to the market. The tailor that she was heading for had been supplying some of the new and exotic workout gear for the human women. There was one lady mated to a Zjin, and Sarah had heard a whisper that there was going to be a human presence in the peacekeeping occupation.

  All rumours ran through the teashop, and she kept her ears and mind open.

  She walked into the marketplace and smiled at a few other humans as she went. The clothing shop was quiet, and she entered it with a smile. “Yoris, I have some pastries if you are interested.”

  The massive Nool came out, and he grinned. “Anything savoury today?”

  She peeped in her collection. “Three wrapped eggs, two poultry envelopes.”

  “Can I have them all? I skipped lunch.”

  She nodded and brought up the bill. He swiped his band, and she unpacked her food onto the tray he provided. The food was whisked to the back, and she closed up her pack.

  He brought out a folded pack. “These are really popular. I need this sent to Niiva at the Breeder compound.”

  She placed the pack under her bag and pressed down. The secret compartment folded around the parcel and the pack disappeared.

  “I will take it. Anything else?”

  Yoris looked her over. “You are looking a little worn. Maybe a new tunic and leggings for you?”

  She looked down at what she would have called a long-sleeved t-shirt dress. “What is wrong with this?”

  “You should wear more colour.”

  She was wearing blocks of black and grey on her dress. “Why? This lets me do my job.”

  Yoris sighed. “There is more to life than jobs.”

  “I know, but I haven’t found out what there is yet.” She grinned. “I will see you tomorrow.”

  He blinked. “Are you empty?”

  “Of course. I saved the last five savouries for you. See you tomorrow.”

  She left with her hidden burden and walked back to her apartment building where she got her cycle. Having her own independent transport was one of her favourite parts of the delivery-person job. It got her an extra few credits per day and let her go out and see the countryside that was open for viewing.

  She got onto her cycle and activated it. The parcel was strapped on the back, and her helmet was in place. Sarah entered the street with its sparse traffic and headed for the outer limits of the city where the Breeders were separated from the rest of the population.

  The edge of the city gave way to wilderness for a few minutes, but then, she was pulling up to one of the most secure facilities on Imrahl.

  She pulled up at the gate. “Delivery.”

  The guard looked at her, and she removed her helmet. She extended her band, and he scanned it.

  “Proceed.” She nodded and drove through the gate after she put her helmet on. Safety first.

  She parked and removed the parcel from her bag. She tucked it under her arm and kept the helmet on.

  A scan at the door gave her Niiva’s address, so she headed up the steps with her helmet still on.

  Her scan at the main door had shown her that Niiva was not in the building, so Sarah was free to walk up to her door and use her clearance to enter Niiva’s private quarters to drop off the clothing. She folded the underwear and placed it in the wardrobe before leaving the apartment as silently as she had entered it.

  It was part of her after-hours work that she was able to walk into any level of any building in Imrahl. She wore the helmet to keep her anonymity. If any of these ladies saw her in the city, she didn’t want to be questioned about what she had been delivering. Frankly, it was none of their business.

  Chapter Three

  Vedder’s approach to transformation made the teashop a little tense. The replacement baker was good, but there was a little more resistance to the human delicacies than she had been counting on.

  Sarah was out front discussing traditional pastries with one of their customers when she heard a tremendous crack from the kitchen.

  Vedder was standing there, his muscles twitching and a deep blue colouration under his skin in definite stripes.

  “Vedder, what is it?” She reached out to touch him, and he swatted her away.

  Sarah flew through the air and thudded into the wall, smacking her head rather hard. The patrons from the shop ran in and confined her friend.

  Eegan had control of Vedder. Melor helped him ease Vedder out the door.

  Rokin touched the back of Sarah’s head, and he winced. “You both are going to medical.”

  Sarah grunted. “Sommin, the new baker. He was here before the noise.”

  Rokin quickly looked around the table. “He’s out cold.”

  “Make sure he isn’t dead, get some more help from out front, and call some transport medics.” She was clutching her head.

  Rokin did a quick triage, and Sommin groaned and got to his feet, clutching his jaw.

  Rokin nodded and said, “Close shop and report to medical.”

  Sommin nodded. “Yes, Hunter.”

  Sarah asked, “Are you okay, Sommin?”

  She swayed, and Rokin caught her.

  Sommin lunged toward her. “What happened?”

  Rokin headed
for the front of the shop with her in his arms. “She tried to intercede on your behalf. Vedder lost control.”

  Sommin nodded, scowled, and followed them to the door.

  Sarah felt that everything was in hand, so she let herself pass out.

  The med centre was usually calm, but she heard shouting from down the hall, and it was not helping her headache. She glanced at the scanners and checked the time. She had lost six hours.

  Sarah sighed and tried to feel for the people around her, and her sense took a sudden surge.

  She found her friend’s mind in a riot of hot hormones, and she decided to intervene. “Vedder! Calm the fuck down!”

  She felt his senses grapple with her presence, and he began to slowly cycle to a normal state. His final maturation into a Zjin had begun, and it was going to be stressful. Thankfully, Vedder already had the physique that the Zjin were known for.

  Her skull throbbed, and she pulled the monitor over to where she could bring up the details of what had happened. Sarah’s skull had cracked, and she had ruptured blood vessels in her brain. If she hadn’t gotten immediate treatment, she would have been dead. The portions of her brain that had been exposed to blood were no longer properly functioning, and with stimulation, her brain had begun to reroute its function.

  “Damn it.”

  She felt a cool sensation in her mind, and she looked away from the monitor to see a hooded figure in her doorway.

  She cocked her head. “Lekorh?”

  He stepped into the room and walked toward the bed. “When you did not arrive for your customary delivery, I knew that something had happened. I have been waiting for you to wake. How are you feeling?”

  “Like my head was boxed with.” She grimaced.

  “May I?” He held out his hand.

  “Um, sure.”

  Lekorh moved in close, and he ran his hand through her pixie-cut hair. Wherever he touched, a cool relief ran through her skull.

  She leaned into his touch and asked, “Why did you come here?”

  “I heard you, so I was here as fast as I could be.”

  “Heard me?”

  “Yes, you are rather noisy in the psychic sense.”

  She could see the outline of his smile in the shadow of his hood.

  His hand was her favourite thing in the world right now.

  He chuckled. “I know.”

  She looked toward where his eyes should be. “Can you go and see Vedder? He isn’t doing well.”

  He grinned. “You told him to ‘calm the fuck down.’ That seems to have had an effect.”

  “I just yelled at him. You can actually do something. Don’t worry about me. I will be fine.”

  Lekorh kept his hand on her skull. “You are still in pain.”

  She sighed. “And he is in agony. I am doing triage. Please, go and see him.”

  Lekorh eased her back to the bed and took the monitor away. “None of this until I return.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes. She felt the soft brush of lips against hers, but before she could open her eyes, he was gone.

  She counted the number of people in the med centre, and she hoped that the sixty-three people who were in the building were having a better night than she was.

  “Sarah Wilkerson, you are awake.” The Nool medic smiled.

  “I am. Is Vedder all right?”

  “Saya Lekorh is helping him now. How are you feeling?”

  “Sore. A bit battered but otherwise fine. I am more concerned about Vedder.”

  “You should be concerned for yourself. You nearly died. Your brain had ruptured vessels, and we patched up what we could, but it is unknown if you will recover full function.”

  She held up her hands and flexed them. “My coordination is fine.”

  “The monitors will tell us how you are actually doing. You are no judge of your own health.”

  Sarah blinked in surprise. She tried to touch the Nool’s mind and was exposed to a fascinating situation. “Sommin still has a job if he wants it. He just has to accept that there are also human clients and Rrassic who want insight into humans via their food. If he wants to put in the work, I want his help to keep the teashop as one of the highest earners for the snack shops.”

  Medic Cwin blinked and stopped in place. “How do you know that?”

  “I just know.” She sought out Sommin’s mind in the med centre, and she found him, wallowing in regret. “Tell him that things are fine. Vedder is adjusting to his transformation.”

  The medic looked at her with wide eyes. “Your brain. There is no register for this activity.”

  She gave him a bland look. “They are looking for Rrassic brain waves. It has taken me months, but now, I can move my mind between the species.”

  A shadow moved behind him, and Cwin froze in place. She felt the last few minutes leaving his mind and a more benign concern for Sommin taking hold.

  The medic left her room, and Sarah was pretty sure that he didn’t remember her.

  Lekorh walked into the room. “You can’t remain here.”

  She frowned. “Okay. Great. Where do I go while recovering from a cracked skull?”

  He stepped toward her and touched her forehead gently. She felt cool darkness surround her, and everything went soft and black.

  Recognizing minds was something new, but they were too far for her to hear their voices, so she simply listened in.

  Isabella was perturbed. “You stole her.”

  Iktabi was wary of his mate, so he wasn’t saying anything.

  Lekorh sighed. “I stole her. Her mind has awakened, and she is seeking out other minds.” His voice got stern. “She is wrecking privacy and breaking protocols the moment she wakes. Her brain is a new shiny toy, and she is playing with it.”

  “Geez, Lekorh, why are you shouting?”

  “So that Sarah will listen to my words. She is awake and listening in.”

  Sarah blinked and she sat up in bed. They were coming her way.

  Lekorh came in first, and behind him were Iktabi and Isabella with a physician behind them. Dr. Lem. He was a Sthik-Rrassic, and his serpentine gaze was fixed on her when he came through the doorway.

  She waved to the group. “Hello. Sorry this is creating such a fuss.”

  The physician came to her and sat at the edge of her bed. “Hello, Sarah.”

  “Hello, Dr. Lem.”

  The gasp that came from Isabella echoed the shock in Iktabi’s mind and the smugness in Lekorh’s.

  “So, you have been listening in to conversations.” Dr. Lem smiled and took out a scanner. He pressed two pods to her temples, and he continued to ask her questions. “What do you last remember before waking up?”

  “Lekorh put me to sleep.”

  “Before that?”

  She blinked. “He undid something that I did to Cwin.”

  “What did you do to him?”

  “I told him that I could read his thoughts, and then, I found Sommin in the med centre and read all of his insecurity and guilt. I told Cwin to go to him and reassure him.”

  Lekorh’s mind was bristling with the rush of vindication.

  She gave him a look, and his mind stilled, and a silvery curtain covered his thoughts. “That is neat.”

  He smiled and nodded for her to keep speaking to Dr. Lem. It was hard to answer what he was asking and not what he was thinking.

  “Why aren’t you shocked by your new situation?”

  She looked at the scaled Rrassic. “I have always had some touch with those around me. It makes me a better server. I can deflect or deflate irritating clients. Of course, now, that would be bad. I see too much. Damn. I am going to need another job.”

  Her forthright answers were coming from the small pods. They were acting as a mild intoxicant and taking away the care she normally took with her speech.

  She frowned at the doctor, and he smiled. “You are also a quick study. Excellent intuition.”

  He sat back. “Now, tell me what you have learned since
I sat down.”

  She ticked things off her fingers, “Isabella is pregnant again, Iktabi is hoping that the flight didn’t take because he wanted to do it again. Lekorh can put a muffler on his mind, and you were requested by Lekorh to do an assessment on me because he has been sensing my awakening for the last few months.”

  She looked at Dr. Lem. “You are a psychic specialist who wrote a monograph on finding Saya in other species. Your theory is that every species develops a version of those who are mind-sighted. You also have interviewed Lekorh for a number of other articles as you two were decanted on the same day and share a genetic donor. Huh. You are brothers.”

  She looked at the folks surrounding her. “More?”

  Lekorh shook his head. “That is enough. Dr. Lem?”

  Lem grinned. “That is fine. I will remove the inhibitors, but I will say, you operate on a frequency that we can’t even measure. Lekorh can feel it, but I didn’t feel a thing. I thought he was nuts at first, but there is no doubting that you have the ability to pull deep details out of a Rrassic.”

  She blinked at the use of the word nuts in his expression. “You aren’t stationed here, but you use our phrasing. Ah, you were on an assessment team embedded on Earth to figure out how we work as a society. You designed Imrahl to match an average of what you found.”

  Lekorh stated, “Sarah, stop.”

  She looked at him, and his eyes locked with her gaze. All three of his eyes. She felt the cool touch on her mind, and it soothed the bits that had gotten overheated.

  Lekorh sat on the other side of the bed, and he cupped her head as he soothed all the pieces of her mind that had burning embers in it. “Easy, Sarah. You are pulling too hard.”

  Dr. Lem cleared his throat. “Well, I can confirm that she has Saya skills. Will you send me reports, Lekorh?”

  “Yes, Lem.”

  Isabella cleared her throat. “What do you need from us?”