Astral Read online

  He stood and pulled her to her feet. He stared down at her for a full minute before he spoke. “Once I knew you existed, how could I not?”

  Chapter Five

  The medical bay had her reports ready and it proved what she had concluded. Her body had been infected by Arci’s energy and it was rewriting her DNA. Estimated time to visible signs was two days.

  “Well, at least he is being gentle.” She pursed her lips and jerked her head back. Fish swam in front of her eyes.

  “What is it doing?”

  “I have an incoming request from the surface. I did promise them to assist with any matters requiring my attention. Duty calls.”

  He blinked. “May I come with you?”

  She chuckled. “I am not going physically, but if you want to meet me down there, you are welcome to do so.”

  He smiled. “Then, I will see you there.”

  He caught her around the waist and pressed his lips to hers. The smooth, silky stroke of his mouth against hers had her stifling a sigh in seconds.

  Just as quickly, he was gone.

  Fish blinked urgently and she headed off to her pod. She loosened the seals of her suit as she walked and prepared to drop herself to the planet below.

  With Fish watching her every move, she plugged in all-important hoses and descended into the gas clouds of Yeshkin.

  With eight hours of negotiations for fertilizer rights under her belt, Dina was exhausted, but Zakkar had kept her spirits up. The petty squabbles had been quickly squelched with the presence of a stellar avatar. The negotiating parties had been so star struck that they had spent two hours offering Zakkar food and beverages as well as flattering every move he made.

  It was amusing for Dina to watch her clients as they tried to get Zakkar’s attention. The down side was that she was waiting for them to let her get on with her work. When Zakkar finally got the negotiators under control, Dina took over and six hours of gruelling negotiations later, they had a ratified treatise.

  “Thank you for helping them keep their minds on their work, Zakkar.”

  “Go back to your body, Dina. You are exhausted.” He ran his knuckles down the side of her astral projection.

  To Dina’s shock, she felt his touch, even without her body. The same tingle that ran over her when they physically contacted was running through her now. With a gasp, she pulled away from Yeshkin and back into her body.

  Fish was swimming urgently in front of her as she used her unusually weak limbs to remove the plugs and tubes. As she lay still, staring up at the chronometer, she noted that while she had spent eight hours on Yeshkin, twelve hours had passed on the ship. She must have been unable to wake and Fish had used the protocols to jolt her up. A steady thump at the door got her attention and her skin blazed with energy that lit up the dim room.

  “Whoa. That’s new.” Illuminating the room, she walked to the door and acknowledged Zakkar’s worried expression. “Unlock.”

  The door clicked and rolled back. Zakkar caught her in his arms and quickly carried her to the medical bay.

  “I am sure that I am fine. I have come out of a projection feeble before, this is just a little worse than normal.” If her voice had been stronger, it would have been more convincing.

  He set the scanners and stood at her side while Fish hovered next to him.

  She heard a few alarms beeping and wondered what the problem could be. When she tried to sit up, Zakkar put his hand on her chest to hold her in place. “Stay still. You are changing far more rapidly than Arci anticipated. Your body has begun to put out a lot of radiation, but since you are not completely through your transmutation, there is no way to contain it.”

  She grunted. “Yes there is, sort of. I can stay in the pod.”

  “Do you have supplies there?”

  “I can use the intravenous feeds. I will be fine.” She tried to smile brightly, but her head spun and she wasn’t even moving.

  “We will get you through this. I promise.” The worried tone in his voice did not inspire much confidence.

  She chuckled. “You can try and I will follow along as best I can.”

  Light was still pouring out of her and she couldn’t stop it. Her body was limp, her joints weak and she was completely helpless.

  He lifted her from the scanning bed and carried her back to her pod, settling her carefully on her chair.

  She relaxed and felt his hands slide over her in both comfort and containment.

  “Just rest, Dina. I will take care of everything. Just rest.”

  Sighing, she slipped into a deep sleep, taking the image of Zakkar leaning over her with Fish flitting urgently above his head.

  Dina felt hot, cold and then a persistent tugging that brought her out of her endless night. “Wha?”

  “Your containment suit arrived from Morganti. I am putting it on you and then you are sitting up so we can get some soup into you.” Zakkar’s voice was calm and amused as he worked the tight suit up her thighs and over her hips.

  She let him tuck her into the bodysuit and smiled at the gentle compression that she felt as the suit moulded to her body. Her throat was dry, but the loose feeling was gone from her joints, leaving a slight ache and a peculiar energy.

  As soon as he had the suit sealed, he tilted her upright and then he rotated the chair he was sitting on to take a bowl of soup into his hands.

  “Fish has been very cooperative and the Alliance has given me full access to the systems.”

  She frowned, but she opened her mouth when he held the spoon to it. The soup was chicken noodle and it was hot enough to drink but not hot enough to scald. Like an infant, she waited for the next spoonful with her lips parted.

  He was incredibly patient as he fed her and by the time she was finished, her energy level was through the roof.

  “What was in that soup?” She could feel power flowing through her.

  “A little of Arci’s power in a chicken-flavoured base.” He laughed at her expression.

  She looked down at her suit, expecting to see her standard uniform colour and laughed out loud at the nude colouration.

  “Arci had it designed so that you could wear clothing appropriate to your station, whatever that means.”

  A bright giggle started in her belly and spilled out of her throat.

  He had a quizzical smile on his face, but the pleasure in his eyes was genuine.

  “So, where can I get these clothes?”

  “Some were delivered with the suit. All are designed to withstand radiation and a variety of hostile environments.”

  She tilted her chair to ease her rise to her feet. As she thought about rising, she floated up out of her chair.

  “Holy crap!” She dropped with a thud back onto her chair. Looking at Zakkar in shock, she had to ask, “What the hell was that?”

  His lips twitched in amusement. “You were flying or hovering. Gravity will have little pull on you if you don’t wish it to.”

  “Why don’t I feel Arci in my head?” She checked her mind over and over.

  “He thought it would skeeve you out. He got that word from your mind.”

  She tried to get out of the chair again and managed to stand on her own two feet.

  Fish was happily frolicking around her head, his colours brilliant and his attitude perky. He seemed quite chipper and that gave her a bit of relaxation that she had desperately craved.

  Arci had been rummaging around in her thoughts. It was less upsetting than it should have been.

  “Where are the clothes?”

  He smiled. “Right here.”

  The box was sitting on one of her prep tables. She took the few steps and opened the box, gasping at the contents. “Wow. These are…wow.”

  She slipped the gown on over the skin-matching bodysuit and smiled as the red fabric flattered her body and flowed to the floor. A cloak went over one arm and buckled over the opposite shoulder, the bare arm had a gold and red band while a thick, matching ribbon for her neck completed th
e ensemble.

  She twirled happily, noting the slit on her skirt that exposed her left thigh became invisible when she was holding still. “What do you think?”

  “It is lovely. Now, you have nine messages waiting for you at your com unit.” Zakkar wrapped an arm around her waist and with gentle force, he steered her out of the pod and into the station.

  Fish kept her company, frolicking in front of them and leading them to her quarters where the com light was indeed blinking incessantly. She sat in front of the com and authorized the messages to play.

  The first was from Refaol. “Dina, the council is meeting on the request for your person. I just wanted you to know that it will be decided today.”

  The second was the follow-up. “Dina, they decided against your petition for freedom. I am sorry, but you are being given to the avatar of Arci.”

  The third through sixth messages were from the Alliance Council letting her know that the petition filed by Arci for a mate for his avatar had been accepted and she was to surrender herself to Zakkar’s custody when he appeared at the station. At that point, she would no longer be in the employ of the Alliance but under Arci’s purview.

  Messages seven through nine were frantic calls from Refoal.

  “I think I should call him back.”

  Zakkar chuckled. “That seems like a good idea. I didn’t want to upset him by letting him know I was already here.”

  She laughed and dialled Refoal’s location. It took five minutes, but it was picked up by a very stressed-out Ontex.

  “Dina, thank the stars! Where have you been and why are you glowing?”

  She looked at her hands and noted the muted glow. “Transformation into an avatar, Refoal. I know about the declaration and am at peace with it. I also met with the star and negotiated a few demands of my own.”

  “You did? How?” Refoal looked deflated. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

  She chuckled. “Well, Arci kind of snuck up on me, but he was very determined and quite convincing. I agreed to give Zakkar a chance and he has been nothing but pleasant and a good companion. Also, an excellent caretaker.”

  “Caretaker?”

  “I needed some time to adjust to the changes Arci was making in my system. Zakkar kept an eye on me.” She caught a glance at herself in the reflection of the screen. “And apparently braided my hair into a coronet.”

  “You are fine with all of this?”

  “I am. I am sorry to have made a fuss, but this isn’t the kind of thing I could have guessed at.” She smiled at her oldest friend in the Alliance. “Be happy for me, Refoal. At least I will be doing something new and different.”

  “You will have a star lodged in your mind.”

  “And I have met him and he is charming and polite.” She was getting a little irritated. “I will pack up my things and leave this station.”

  “Accepted. Keep in touch, if he will let you.” Refoal disconnected with a sharp jab to the console and Dina was left blinking in surprise at the space where her friend and dispatcher used to be.

  She turned to Zakkar, “Do you have a shuttle?”

  He grinned. “Not exactly. This will be fun.”

  Chapter Six

  In space, no one can hear you scream, which Dina personally thought was a good thing, because she was cursing a blue streak as Zakkar flew them through the star system to the jump ship.

  She had never been in the blackness of space without a ship before and while her body registered the cold, it didn’t touch her flesh, merely her senses. They passed asteroids, planets and she waved at a shuttlecraft as they approached the jump ship.

  The ship opened a door for them and they flew into one of the shuttle bays. Within, there was no atmosphere, so they simply hung onto the edge of the ship while it started to move. The thrum of the ship’s engines ran through her feet and rattled Dina’s teeth.

  Mentally communicating with Zakkar was an option, but she wanted to experience everything that the changes in her body could offer. Silence seemed the best way to do it.

  He had propelled them through space, tiny objects in the vastness, at a speed that rivalled most commercial shuttles. A star’s power was gravity and radiation based, so, as long as there were objects nearby to push away from, speed could be increased almost indefinitely.

  Dina could hardly believe it. In a week, she had gone from a minor specialized mediator to bride of an avatar. It was peculiar, but her life had suddenly gone out of control and she was actually getting used to it. If she really thought about it, she was kind of liking it.

  The bizarre feeling of jumping without a ship made her clutch at Zakkar for support. The moment that they came out of the jump, a door opened and he flew them out, using his legs to gain momentum.

  Arci was suddenly a warm presence in her mind and Dina knew that they were in his system.

  Zakkar flew them to one of the planets nearest the sun, carefully switching his grip on her so that he was cradling her as he landed them on the surface.

  “Welcome to Dakri, your new home.”

  Arci blazed in the sky and the surface was completely barren. The only relief to the flat surface was the house that was conspicuously placed on the flat plane they stood on.

  “Wow. It is really…flat.”

  He laughed. “There are plenty of worlds in this system where you can have a second home built, but this one is the closest to Arci and inhospitable to other races, so there is no demand for it.”

  Dina looked around her. “Can I try flying here?”

  Zakkar threw her up into the air for an answer.

  Dina kicked her legs and squealed but thought about floating and her descent halted.

  “This is so cool.” She tried to move forward and ended up hanging with her head down, but a little flailing and she was upright again and moving toward the house.

  Zakkar followed her at a distance, ready to help her if she needed it, but allowed her to wobble along under her own steam. She had a fairly good grasp of keeping herself moving in the right direction, but every now and again, she listed to one side.

  By the time she wobbled to the ground in front of the only building on the planet, she felt pretty proud of herself. “I did it!”

  He laughed and gave her a hug. “You did.”

  She returned the hug and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the hard physique under her cheek. He seemed made of stars, rocks and heat.

  When he ceased the hug and wrapped his arm around her waist, part of her howled in complaint. He had made her cum once with just the touch of his hand on her arm and she was desperate to see if he could do it again.

  As the door to her new home opened under his touch, she braced herself for whatever overtly masculine decorating he had engaged in.

  Chapter Seven

  As they stepped into the dim interior, Dina gasped in pleased surprise. Cool colours made up for the hot exterior. A humidity that belied the environment outside filled the air and plants lined the walls.

  Dina stared at the bot that cruised past doing maintenance on the vegetation.

  “This is amazing. It is so welcoming and comfortable.” She walked out of the circle of Zakkar’s arm and toured the entry area before she wandered into the living space. Blue-grey stone lined the floor and the walls and more plants provided oxygen to the interior.

  “I am glad that you like it. Arci had to employ nine different designers to complete this last year. Drilling the well was important and something that the star had not considered.”

  She listened and clued in to what he had said. “This was renovated just for me?”

  “Of course. Arci would stop at nothing to make you comfortable. Having his avatars happy is a major concern for him.”

  “When did he tap his first avatar?”

  “Ten thousand years ago. Merwil was a good man, but he wanted a life of his own. He asked Arci to free him and lived a short and happy life on Valoi.”

  She sat experimentally on a couch. “So,
all of his avatars have been from Valoi?”

  “He prefers Valoi, but he has used several other races for short-term vessels.” Zakkar chuckled. “The Valoi just lasted longer and were easier to adapt to his purposes.”

  He sat next to her on the couch. She reached out and took his hand.

  “I am sorry that your race faded and left the universe, Zakkar.”

  He quirked a smile. “I have come to terms with it and I find myself dwelling more on the future than the past at this precise moment.”

  He leaned forward to kiss her and she responded with heat and enthusiasm. Her skin felt as if sparks were shooting out of every nerve ending and instead of pain, a warm pleasure was blooming across her flesh.

  He backed away so that there was an inch between their lips. “I think you need to finish your tour.”

  She blinked rapidly, the glow of her skin reflected in the darkness of his. “Where should I start?”

  The husky tone of her voice made him swallow heavily, but when he opened his silvery eyes, threads of red trailed through them in lazy vortexes. “I think you should check out the bedroom, yes, I am certain that that is the place to start.”

  She fought her smile. “It sounds like a good idea. Which way?”

  He stood and took her hand in his, drawing her gently from the couch, down a hall and up some stairs. She gasped again as the entire upper floor was exposed to her. It was a wide-open space that ran the entire width of the house and skylights let the daylight stream into the space. In the centre of the space was a bed and on either side were two wardrobes.

  Curious, she went to one of the wardrobes and saw a selection of clothes for Zakkar made of the same material as her bodysuit. Tucking her lip between her teeth, she walked around Zakkar and around the bed to the other side to open the second wardrobe. Three more nude bodysuits were hanging in place as well as four gowns similar to the one she was wearing.