Kai lay still in his bed, wings stretched out on the Bezchian-sized mattress, head turned to one side. Exactly the same position he had been in when he had woken up from Nixy’s dream. If he did not move, then perhaps time would not either.
But, the dark of night had given way to the morning light now glowing around the edges of the black-out shades of the Silverstar traveler’s nest. And the numbers on the nightstand clock moved forward another minute.
About the only good thing about being back in the suite was that Prime Advisor Rol seemed to have disappeared. Ah, the freedom of having no one to distract him from his ever-present crippling sense of doom.
A long, low groan rose up from the deepest trenches of his being. They had had sex. In the dreamwalk. But phoenixes could not copulate with anyone but their soul mate. So, what did it mean?
She is my soul mate.
But, it was a dreamwalk, and she is human, so that was not possible.
Am I sure about that?
He was not.
Yet, the evidence of his body’s response was stuck to the sheet under his belly. There was no denying that what happened in the dreamwalk had been mimicked in reality. So, again, what did it mean?
It means I failed my clan again.
That knowledge did not seem as mortifying as it had before. But Uri would want to know, so what would be the best way to present it to him? Greetings, Most Esteemed. I had sex with a human in a dreamwalk, and enjoyed it. I want to do it with her again, but in reality next time. By the by, has this ever happened to a phoenix before?
The answer of course would be no, followed by a lengthy monologue about the duties of a mate-matcher. At this point, the only thing that might save him was to prove Silverstar was a sham…which was something he no longer believed.
He squeezed his eyes shut, then blinked a couple of times. Besides, there was no way he could hurt Nixy.
Ah, and Nixy…. The memory of her soft body moving under him, the taste of her full, coral-tipped breasts on his tongue, the way her female parts had clamped down on him as he had exploded inside her. It had been glorious, exquisite, intimate. Life-defining.
She would be preparing for her work day by now. This, possibly her last full day at a job she was passionate about. It would crush her to be terminated, and that was something he could relate to, having been denied the privilege of mate-matching for at least as long as she had been alive.
Wait. If that was right, his matching problem started around the time Nixy was born. Coincidence?
The clock numbers advanced again. Now he understood what an Earth minute was. It was all at once a short increment of time, and it was an eternity. More so when it seemed like he would have to choose between his heritage or Nixy.
He turned his face into the soft pillow and let out a howl. The release of his inner turmoil in this manner brought his thoughts into sharper focus.
What he needed was a plan. First, seek counsel from the most esteemed elder. No, wait. First get out of bed and clean up, then see if he could reach Uri on the deep space communicator. And this time he wanted to see the most esteemed’s face. After that, make a plan based on that discussion. Not a perfect strategy but it was a start.
He levered himself up with his arms and stared at the wet mark on the sheets. If the situation had not been real enough before, it certainly was now. Something was happening between him and Nixy, and the only one who might confirm it was Uri.
A gentle feminine chuckle came from his left and he snapped his head up. Fya stood at the side of the bed, a bemused expression on her face.
This was an unexpected development. He sat back on his heels. “Another timeslip, Most Esteemed?”
“Aye, youngling—the last one, I promise. And I am not your most esteemed elder any longer.” Her gaze flicked to the sheets, then back to him. “It seems you are at a crucial point in your life, Kai.”
He lowered his gaze to the wet spot. “It is difficult to comprehend what any of this means.”
“I know. And I cannot make the choice for you.”
“Can you advise me?” He gave her a pleading look.
“If you ask the right questions.”
This would be more difficult than he had hoped, but there were so many unanswered questions that had haunted him for too long. “Why have I failed in my duties?”
“You have not failed. Your calling is higher than just the mere duties of a phoenix mate-matcher.”
“I suppose coming to Earth is part of that?”
“Aye, it is.”
All right, that helped, a bit. “Strange things have been happening since I came here. I have formed an attachment to a human female—a forbidden attachment.”
Fya sat on the bed, but the mattress did not dip under her weight. “What do you remember overhearing in the meditation garden the day you listened in on my private conversation with Uri?”
All of it, much to his continued shame. “You said you knew Avok was your soul mate because of the way your body responded to him, and because you dreamwalked with him.”
She lowered her chin and gave him a knowing look. “Sound familiar?”
“Aye.” He choked out the word. “But with a human…?”
“Last time we spoke, I told you that change was coming, and you would be at the center.”
“But, this is…scandalous.” And had he not caused enough of that in this incarnation?
“No, Kai, this is change, and there is no reason to fear it, for you are Bezchi. Tell me, what did you feel when you were in the presence of the new monarchs of the Raptorclaw clan?
He drew his brows together. “I sensed respect, honor, and passion. A level of commitment I have never sensed in the matches I have made. And intimacy.”
“Love is indeed rare.” Fya’s smile turned wistful. “It is a spark that makes a match truly special.”
“But we do not match for love, why?”
“You will ask Uri that question. It is time he come up with an answer to that one.” She patted his hand. “Now, I have one more question for you: what do you feel when you look at Phoenix Vogel?”
Phoenix who? Wait, did she mean, Nixy? Phoenix was Nixy’s given name? And the emotional mess that had bubbled inside him since he had met her was…. “That is love?”
A gentle emotion shimmered in Fya’s eyes. “What do you think, youngling?”
Confusion, joy, fear, awe; it all flooded into his heart, filling it to near bursting. He placed one hand over it and lowered his gaze. His cock was hardening, and it was because of Nixy. Just the thought of her now did this to him.
“Soul mate.” He murmured the word, but it was not enough. “Soul mate!”
His shout echoed in the empty room. Fya was gone, but she had guided him well. Nixy was his everything, he could see that now. Could accept the wonderous gift of her, of love.
Nixy strode off the elevator like a woman on a mission. Not a saving all humanity/fireworks and glory kind of mission; more like a self-preservation mission. A mission to keep her dreams to herself.
Especially last night’s dream. Just thinking about it was as bad as having a hot flash. Good God, give her an air-conditioner cranked to full arctic blast mode.
Mom always said I had a vivid imagination.
Adam looked up from whatever he was doing on his computer. “Happy Monday, boss. You’re in early.”
“If Elder Kai shows up, do not let him in.” I can’t face him now.
She stepped into her office and the door slid shut behind her. Alone, finally. And she’d made it without getting grilled by Adam.
Swoosh.
“You can’t just do that.” Adam swept into the room.
Crap. So much for a clean escape. “Do what?”
She shrugged off her jacket, slid it onto a hanger then hung it in the tiny closet.
Oh, look. The fire extinguisher.
Ack. Was everything going to remind her of him?
Adam placed his hands on her desk and leaned forward. “I’ve known you long enough to figure out when something’s going on.”
Yeah, something was going on all right. Heat rose in her cheeks.
Adam inhaled an exaggerated gasp. “You didn’t have sex with him, did you?”
The heat flamed to something just a degree or two shy of a fireball.
“Oh. My. God.” He did the I’m-stunned-beyond-belief, slow sink into one of the client chairs. “It’s just you and me here, and we’re not on the clock for another fifteen minutes. Besides,” he shrugged. “I have something to talk to you about too. But you go first.”
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, ah, ah.” He shook his head like a disapproving parent.
“Fine.” She raised her hands in an I give up gesture and plopped her butt into her own chair. “There’s not much to tell. We had a nice dinner, he walked me back to my car, and kissed my hand like a gentleman. Then I went home and had very intense and explicit dreams about him.”
“Ooh.” Adam waggled his eyebrows. “No wonder you don’t want to see him.”
Oh, she wanted to see him all right. Clothes on. Clothes off. In nothing but his flying leathers.
Can I get one of those in my size?
Nope. No way. None of that was going to happen.
She cleared her throat and folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “Your turn. What’s up?”
His smile dimmed a fraction. “Well, I have good news and bad news—”
“Stop.” She raised one hand. “Most important thing: Are you leaving me?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Not yet.” He did a full-face grimace as if bracing for her to go nuclear.
Dammit. “A-dam.”
“Okay, okay. Here’s the deal.” He shifted in the chair and licked his lips. “My thirty-fifth birthday is coming up this year, and it hit me a few months ago that I’m not getting any younger and maybe I should think about settling down. So, I submitted an application to the NebulaX Agency.”
“The intergalactic LGBTQ matching agency?” Not a direct competitor, per se. “That’s really smart.”
“Not really.” Adam’s shoulders sagged as though he’d deflated. “I think that’s why Ms. Jones is coming to talk to you.”
“What? Because of you?”
“It’s one thing to apply to NebX, and another now that they’ve found half my triad match.”
Well, yeah, that could be a problem. “Triad mate unions aren’t recognized on Earth.”
“Not yet. And I have a little time, at least.” He grinned. “Korob, my male mate, is due to arrive on Earth next month.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“That part is. But the part that Ms. Jones might have found out, not so much.” He sighed. “I suppose getting fired would leave me with plenty of free time to get to know him while we wait for our female partner match. But being unemployed isn’t the most ideal way to begin a relationship.”
Definitely not. “You know I’ll always have your back.” Even if she wasn’t still around. She leaned back in her chair. “But I don’t think you’re going to have to worry. I’m pretty sure you and your triad are not the reason Jordan is visiting.”
Adam frowned. “Why? What’s going on?”
Time for some truth. “I accidently submitted a false application with all my personal info on it.”
“To Silverstar?” She gave him a nod and his eyes went as round as she’d ever seen them. “What the hell, Nixy? How did that happen?”
She explained the situation as succinctly as she could, then shrugged. “So, now do you see my point?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the blond scruff on his chin. “Want me to take a look at it?”
“If you were a techie, I would’ve asked you months ago.” There was no one else she’d trust to handle this more than Adam, if he had the IT skills. “Besides, if Jordan knows, it’s already too late.”
“Right, there is that.” Adam sighed. “Well, if you think of anything, I’ve got your back too, you know.”
“I know.” Most reliable guy in the universe.