Kai strode into the living room area of the penthouse, the sand-color silk of his leggings swishing pleasantly around his legs. “I will be going to meet Ms. Vogel now.”
Fyad turned away from whatever he had been staring at outside the panoramic windows, and frowned. “I advise covering yourself with a nayar, Elder.”
Kai frowned and looked down at his chest, bare except for his red flying leathers. “I see no problem.”
“As Monarch Kyzel discovered, human females seem to appreciate a suitably clothed male. At least, when going to dinner.”
“They do?” This was news to him.
“Very much. And Monarch Robyn once claimed to prefer Monarch Kyzel’s light blue nayar because it matched his eyes.”
How interesting. “I do have one in dark purple.”
“That would work well.” Fyad nodded, a gleam of approval in his eyes.
Purple it was, then. “Thank you for your advice, Fyad. I shall go cover myself.”
Never in all his lives had he considered dressing to match his eyes. But, if Nixy might like it, then why not?
I am not supposed to care.
Yet, there was something agreeable about being appealing to her—for her.
I have a mission to complete.
Worms of descent squirmed in his belly as he reentered his bedroom. It was wrong to play with her emotions, but how else could he get the information he needed to protect the ancient traditions of the Firewing clan? What a quandary. Perhaps he was not the phoenix for the job after all.
I dare to question the most esteemed’s orders?
Uri was wise, had many hundreds of sun migrations of experience and knowledge. Had the welfare of Bezchi in his heart. Knew things Kai had not yet learned. And then there was the matter of earning back the honor of being a phoenix. Had he not failed his clan enough?
He waved his hand over the closet door sensor and the maroon panels parted. Uri and the clan were lightyears away. Tonight, he would wear purple. For Nixy. What could one time hurt, especially if it lowered her guard?
He quickly draped the nayar over his head and laced up the sides. Then he hurried back to the living room.
“I am ready.”
“Very good, Elder.” Fyad indicated at the door with one hand. “I will remain out of sight.”
What a pain in the wing that the bodyguard insisted upon going, but the youngling did have his orders—as he had made abundantly clear the day Kai had attempted to sneak away from the Silverstar suite. “Aye, then, let us go.”
The Silverstar building was only a three-minute fly from the hotel. They entered through the rooftop access and took the elevator down. Kai exited the front doors alone the same moment Nixy approached the building, a vision in her red dress.
Her color choice could be intentional, or not. Either way, the dress hugged her voluptuous curves, stopping at her knees. The matte black shoes on her feet had tall sticks attached to the heels, which gave her extra height and accentuated the beautiful shape of her calves.
If red had not already been his color of preference, it certainly was now.
He brought his gaze back up to her breasts, round and full. A tremor ran through his hands in response to his inexplicable desire to touch her there. This was the behavior of one who had never seen a beautiful female before, which was not true in his case. Many of the females he had met had been quite lovely, but had never captured his attention. Ever. No female would except his soul mate. His body was for her and her alone, because that was how it always happened.
These reactions to her must be a fluke caused by…something. Perhaps a contaminate in Earth’s atmosphere.
Weak.
“Hi, Kai.” Nixy smiled at him, her lips as red as her dress, and his mouth turned dry as the desert.
“Hello, Nixy.” He ran his tongue over his lips and inclined his head. “I appreciate you allowing me to use the roof to come and go this evening.”
Breathe and focus.
That was the only way to recapture some semblance of sanity over his body’s inappropriate responses.
“You’re welcome. Are you ready?” She gestured toward the street with one hand. “The restaurant is just a couple of blocks away. Walking distance.”
“Aye, I am.” He stepped smoothly to her side.
“Let’s go then.”
Nixy gazed over the top of her menu at Kai. “So, what do you think?”
He pursed his lips in an adorable way, his full attention had been riveted on her as she’d read the menu to him. “I believe I will have the prawn vindaloo.”
“Wow.”
“Do you think that is bad?” He seemed anxious.
“Not if you were serious about loving spicy food.”
His anxiety melted into a warm smile. “I am. Besides, you have already read the menu to me once. I do not wish to inconvenience you again.”
“Oh, bosh.” She set her menu aside. “I don’t mind at all. Sorry your visual language translator is on the blink. Has that happened before?”
“Only once, when I first arrived. I will have Fyad look at it when I get back to the hotel.” He patted his hand on the backless bench under him. “Thank you for making sure I was accommodated with a comfortable perch.”
She grinned at him. “No problem.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d taken an off-worlder out to explore Earth. Although, this was the first time she’d been attracted to her guest. And wasn’t that an interesting turn of events?
The waiter picked that moment to pop in and take their order, then he collected their menus and hurried away.
“So.” She took a sip of ice water, swallowing it down before continuing. “You must miss home.”
He nodded. “I do.”
She held his gaze waiting for him to go on, but he didn’t. Okay, then. It was on her to kick start this conversation. “What’s it like on Bezchi, especially where you live? Anything like SoCal?”
“Not like this town, but where the spaceport is, it is similar.”
“You mean the desert?”
“Aye.” He picked up a papadum appetizer she’d ordered for them and spread a little of the chutney on it.
She made a rolling motion with her hand. “And…?”
“And what?” He seemed surprised by her interest.
“What’s it like? Hot all the time? High desert, or low? Are there seasons? What kind of plants grow there?”
Mirth danced in his eyes as he bit into the crispy food, chewed, then swallowed. “Firewings do not usually talk during a meal.”
“Well, you’re on Earth, my friend, and you’re with me.” She patted her palm against her chest. “So we’re going to talk.”
He was probably pulling her chain about that anyway.
Kai chuckled. “Yes, my clan and colony live in the desert regions of Bezchi. We thrive in the heat. One of my favorite plants is the ember-berry bush, which produces the most delectable and spicy berries in the summer. We eat them right off the bushes as snacks.”
“Wow, that’s neat. I used to do that with the raspberry plants in my mom’s garden when I was a kid.” And still would be in her own garden if she’d inherited half her mother’s green thumb. “I thought about living out in the direction of the spaceport, but the commute is longer.”
“It is a fair distance, even when flying.”
“When I found my cottage on this side of the mountains, I decided the desert just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe after I retire, I’ll move there.” She leaned forward. “What’s the difference between a clan and a colony?”
“A clan encompasses all phoenixes, wherever they live. A colony is a smaller enclave.” His gaze drifted to her cleavage, then snapped away to study the flat-bread in his hand instead.
“I see. And do you have a monarch too, like the other clans?”
Kai raised his gaze to meet hers, but didn’t say anything. Had she overstepped herself? It had seemed like an innocuous question, but the shuttered look in his eyes suggested otherwise.
“I’m sorry, Kai. You don’t have to answer that.”
“We do not have a monarch.” He murmured the words as though they were for her ears only. A secret he shared with her, and no one else. “We have a leader we call Most Esteemed Elder. That person is always the oldest member of the clan.”
“Wow. Your most esteemed elder must be ancient, then…and oh my God, I can’t believe I just said that.” A wave of hot embarrassment rushed to her face. “I’m sorry.”
He really wasn’t that old. Boy, she was having to apologize left and right tonight.
Kai’s lips twitched, then he tipped his head back and laughed in a way that made her heart want to laugh along.
After a moment, his laughter tapered off, but his grin didn’t fade. “Yes, there are several phoenixes who are older than me. And I am all right with that.”
“That’s probably smart. Politics sucks.” She ran her finger around the rim of her water glass. “My dad was in local and state politics, and I hated being the child-prop of his ‘picture perfect family.’”
Kai frowned. “It is difficult being the fledgling of a public leader. As a rule, our monarchs keep their heirs separated from their duties.”
“Heh. I can certainly appreciate that.” Nothing like a scandal to convince anyone to stay as far from the lime-light as possible. “That’s why I became a nice, quiet, boring accountant. You said you didn’t have parents, so who took care of you?”
“The simple answer is the female who was the most esteemed elder when I arrived.”
Her mouth popped open. “Your leader does that?”
“It is the traditional duty of the most esteemed when a new infant arrives.” His grin was borderline charming. “You could say that Fya was my mother figure, though many others were instrumental in my education. She left us all too soon.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. I still miss my mother, and she’s been gone thirty years.”
“I am sorry, Nixy.” He pressed his lips into a flat line and furrows appeared across his brow. “Fya left the colony to be with her soul mate. It was a time of joy for her and I do not begrudge her now. When she passed to the Great Aerie, she was very happy.”
He appeared startled at his own words, as though he hadn’t meant to be so candid with her.
She reached across the table and patted his arm. “I’m glad for her. And, I’m glad you had her in your life for the time you did.”
The waiter returned with their food. She spent the rest of dinner in utter amazement at Kai’s ability to practically inhale his super-spicy meal without breaking a sweat. Indian food was one of her favorites, but even she had to dab her upper lip and wipe away her tears a lot.
It was full dark when they made their way back to the Silverstar building. They came to a stop next to her car and she smiled up at him. “Still can’t believe you wolfed all that down without any problem. I can’t even imagine how hot food is from your home.”
“I may have to take a sample of curry back with me. It is the most amazing spice, and should be added to everything,” he announced.
She blinked, then a laugh burst out. “Well, okay then.”
“You do not agree?”
“It’s good and all, but I’m not sure about curry in cheesecake.” Which sounded seriously gross.
“Maybe we should try it.”
“Maybe.” Or not.
An awkward quiet settled over them. The moment of transition that always happened, when it was time to go, but no one wanted to be the first to say so.
She cleared her throat. “Um, what does soul mate mean?”
He blinked a couple of times, appearing to be considering his words. “I believe the best way to define it is the finding the other half of our souls.”
“You never did, though? Find your soul mate, I mean.”
He shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Kai.” Her hand twitched, and she gave in to the desire to reach out to him.
He met her halfway, wrapping his warm fingers around hers. The touch was natural, comforting, and set her girly bits to aching.
“My life has been good, and I have no regrets.” His smile was slow, but genuine. “And tonight has been one of my favorite life experiences.”
A pleasant warmth rose to her cheeks. “Mine too.”
“Good night, Nixy.” He raised her hand and pressed his lips to its back.
“’Night, Kai.”
He released his hold on her and strode toward the building. Without her. No invitation to fly her to his hotel room for a nightcap, or anything. Not that that was what she wanted, but she’d be lying to herself if she said she hadn’t expected something. Was dating etiquette that much different on his world?
Kai paused at the door like something had occurred to him, and hope glimmered in her heart.
He turned to face her. “Nixy?”
“Yes, Kai?”
“I hope we can do this again.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Me too.”
And with that, he stepped through the doorway and the door closed, blocking her view of him. That was it, then. She blew out a long gust of air, let herself into her car, then drove home.