Strange images flooded her head. People, places, conversations she"d never had were being stuffed into nooks and crannies of her mind. The room around her began to spin, colors that weren"t present bled into her vision. Smells that were strange yet surprisingly familiar a.s.saulted her senses.
As quickly as the sensation was there, it was broken when Sara pulled Haylie"s hand away.
"Are you okay, Haylie? Amba.s.sador?" Sara didn"t release Haylie, her grip vise-like.
Haylie found herself staring at him a moment longer than she should, before Kamran finally gave his head a sharp shake.
"I"m fine. You should let your friend take you to med bay. s.p.a.ce travel can make some humans quite ill." The amba.s.sador tried to keep his tone light and smiled at her.
She tried, but Haylie"s voice didn"t work. She nodded her agreement. Thankfully, Sara spoke up again.
"That"s our first stop after induction."
Kamran hesitated, but then turned and made his way down the hall with the administrator. Haylie kept her eyes on him as Sara led her to where the rest of the new colonists stood. They were quite a distance behind him, but Haylie could still feel where he"d touched her, smell his scent as if he were with her now.
They entered a vast room bright enough to make Haylie cringe. The chairs were large, the white plastic smooth and shiny under the LED light strips. Haylie flopped thankfully into the cool seat and let the tension in her body relax for a moment. She still sensed Kamran"s presence, even though she couldn"t see him any longer. He was waiting impatiently in the outer hallway. She didn"t know how she knew, but she was right. When she closed her eyes, she pictured him pacing back and forth.
"Now I know what gerbils feel like in a pet maze." Sara didn"t try to lower her tone and her comment elicited several snickers from around them. But not from Haylie. She couldn"t focus on anyone or anything but Kamran.
A hush descended on the room as Kamran and the administrator entered and made their way along the front of the room. Kamran"s gaze quickly homed in on Haylie, which sent a wicked thrill through her. His face tightened and he averted his glance.
The administrator moved to take his place behind the podium. "Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to colony XT7799. Those of us who have come to love it here have chosen a more appropriate name, Eurus, for only the Greek G.o.d of the East Wind could create the powerful sand storms that are generated on the planet"s surface."
The crowd broke out in applause, though she doubted it was because they had an appreciation for ancient mythology. But being the first colonists in over a year was very special indeed. If she could get a handle on her raging hormones, she"d be able to appreciate it too.
14.
"My name is Sean Donaldson and I am the administrator of this colony. While it is true that we are an outpost sponsored by Earth, we live by our own rules and have developed several of our own laws."
Haylie tried to concentrate on Donaldson as he reviewed the history of the colony, the successes and disasters that the first people of the planet had to endure. She desperately wanted to pay attention to the rules and regulations of the colony. Even more so to the background of how the Briel began to help the humans on this world establish their home.
But she couldn"t.
Every thought, every glance, every cell in her body demanded that she see only Kamran. Her attention was so fixated she almost missed it when Donaldson introduced him to the crowd.
"Without further ado, I would like to introduce the Briel representative of the Elder Council on our little world. Please welcome Amba.s.sador Kamran."
Amba.s.sador Kamran. Haylie watched. She watched Kamran swallow strongly as if to clear away a blockage in his throat. She watched him push his body up from the chair as if the effort were too much for him. Finally, she watched him try to avoid making eye contact with her as he attempted to speak.
"Thank you, Administrator Donaldson. I realize that you colonists have traveled for quite some time and would like to rest. So, I will keep my comments brief."
Haylie felt the pull of his body and it took great effort to sit still. She didn"t think anyone would appreciate her rushing the podium and tearing his clothing off. Or maybe they would. She didn"t know what pa.s.sed for entertainment on the colony yet.
"The Briel people respect humanity and all you have accomplished in your few hundred years amongst the stars. Our purpose on this colony is to help you establish yourselves within the larger community of the universe. This is the farthest into the galaxy humans have ventured and we hope your people will continue to grow and expand to many additional worlds. We are here by the invitation of your government and of Administrator Donaldson. If there is anything my people can help you with as you begin your new life, please let me know."
His words were smooth, confident. His voice made her insides quiver, making her wish she could be alone with him for five minutes to relieve her growing desire.
Haylie felt his gaze on her skin. Tentative at first, she shivered at his contact against her neck. He caressed her collarbone lightly and dipped for a moment to touch the hollow of her throat. He shook his head. She realized it may have been Kamran"s thoughts but it was her hand that caressed her skin. In the last hour, they"d formed a connection.
And from the look on his face, he knew it too.
15.
Chapter Two.
The hiss of the closing hydraulic door echoed in their temporarily a.s.signed room. A quick look around the single room told her she wouldn"t be able to find any place to hide. She knew the single hallway led to a small shower room and storage closet. Any attempt to hide in there wouldn"t go over well.
The door hissed open again and Haylie heard Sara groan. Figures, she wouldn"t be impressed with this place. They didn"t even have a window, being stuck in the inner block of rooms in the living quarters. She would have loved a chance to see the alien stars at night.
Keeping her back to Sara, Haylie needed a moment to compose her thoughts before the inevitable barrage of questions. Perhaps if she unpacked, Sara would leave her in peace for a few minutes. Just long enough for me to figure out what the h.e.l.l is going on.
"Okay, Bond. What"s the matter with you?"
Nope.
"I wonder when they will be finished with our permanent rooms? I mean, I love you and all, but you"re a slob."
"Haylie!"
"I know they"re still finishing the final touches on the new wing, but that shouldn"t take any longer than a month according to the reports I"ve read. I mean they only have to brave hurricane-force winds to get it done. Easy enough." Haylie tried to keep her tone light in the hopes of dissuading Sara of her interrogation. She wasn"t ready for this conversation. Doubtful she ever would be, considering the topic.
"You can try and avoid the question all you want. I"m not going anywhere until you give me an answer."
Haylie heard a familiar rustle of clothing and she knew Sara"s arms were now crossed in defiance. She sighed as she turned around to face her inquisitor. "Sara, I honestly have no idea."
"That"s c.r.a.p. I"ve known you far too long to believe that you haven"t at least formulated some sort of theory. So, let"s hear it." Sara tossed her travel bag into the back left corner of the room and plopped down upon the firm mattress of the bed closest to the door.
Never the easy road when it comes to dealing with Sara.
"I take it you"re laying claim to that one?" Haylie wagged her finger in the direction of the bed while she slowly sank down upon her own.
"Yes, I am, and you"re changing the subject. Again." Sara frowned. "What"s going on?"
16.
Haylie fell back against the bed. She closed her eyes and feigned disinterest. Every thought in her head for the past two hours had been fixed on Kamran. But she didn"t understand what was going on and when that happened she preferred to keep her mouth shut. There was no way to explain it to Sara in realistic terms, anyway.
"Do we have to do this now?"
"Yes."
"I think, well, I mean. s.h.i.t." She took a deep breath and forced the words. "Okay, I think that the reason I got so h.o.r.n.y was because of the Briel amba.s.sador."
"The amba.s.sador? Why?"
At least from Sara"s tone, Haylie knew she wasn"t about to jump up and call the psychiatry experts or whatever the Eurus equivalent was.
"It"s really hard to explain."
Haylie rolled onto her side, resting her head on her arm. When she opened her eyes, she didn"t focus on anything in particular. She could still picture his face. Not the vague recollection of feelings and impressions, but a crystal-clear image of every detail. It was almost like he had imprinted himself on her. She shivered at the thought.
"When I saw Kamran coming toward us in the bay, it was like every cell in my body recognized him. Somehow, I think he felt the same. I don"t know, maybe I"m reading too much into this."
Haylie turned her head toward her friend. Sara nodded with a faraway look.
"I don"t know, but I think you"re right. He was obviously disturbed. His eyes were on you the whole time. And I got the impression that his speech wasn"t what he had intending on giving. The look Donaldson gave him was pure shock."
It was Haylie"s turn to frown. "I didn"t notice."
"That doesn"t surprise me. If it"s any consolation, I don"t think anyone else did."
"Except you."
Sara grinned. "Well, I have my professional reputation to live up to. They hired me for my powers of observation and my ability to form hypotheses based on strange facts.
Plus the administrator is pretty good looking himself. Can"t blame a girl for noticing."
Haylie managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Sara thought most men were pretty good looking.
"So what is your prognosis, then, Doctor?"
"You need to get laid."
They burst into laughter.
"Well, I think you"re in good enough health for your doctor to disappear for a few moments. I need to take a shower before I visit the med bay," Sara said as she took a whiff of the front of her jumpsuit. "I"ve built up quite a stink lying around for the past two years."
17.
"I can"t believe you"re going to work already. We haven"t even had time to settle or eat something."
Sara shrugged. "I"m not going to work-that would be crazy. I just want to pop in and say hi. Introduce myself."
"Mark your territory," Haylie said.
Sara knelt down and rummaged through her duffle bag. "Hey, I"m the only human doctor. I want to make sure the Briel know who the boss is."
Haylie smiled as Sara swore under her breath and stuck a finger with a now broken nail into her mouth. The apparently more than proper Briel doctors were in for a surprise. They both stayed silent for a few moments. Sara moved quickly around the room, gathering bits and pieces she needed for a shower. The conversation continued only once she reached the bathroom.
"I never understood why they didn"t bring in a human doctor sooner." Sara spoke loudly enough to be heard through the half-closed door.
"Probably for the same reason they"re only now getting a new security chief.
Politics. They"ve only re-established communications with Earth in the last two months."
Sara"s only answer was the hiss of the shower. Haylie relaxed. She loved her like family, but Haylie always felt exhausted after one of Sara"s interrogations. The only way to stop her was to bore her with facts and figures. Not that this one was bad but with all that had happened in the past two weeks she was played out.
No, it"s been longer than two weeks. Hard to believe several years had gone by in the blink of an eye. Haylie sighed and stretched her arms high above her head. She prayed nothing was wrong with her because she"d go nuts if they said she had to be cooped up in one of those d.a.m.ned cryo pods again. This was a one-way trip-end of story.
Haylie swung her foot over the side of the bed and stuck her toes into the gap between the zipper and the end of her bag. It took an awkward jerk of her foot to force the hole wide enough to be able to fish her notebook out of the end pocket. Despite all the technology out there she preferred to use old fashioned paper and pencil for her sketches. She was able to connect on a more primal level with her art this way.
With one smooth motion, she picked up the edge of the book with her toes and pulled it onto the bed. G.o.d, she loved doing that-throwback to her youth.
She rested the notebook on its spine and let go. The covers fell open, the bend naturally falling to the page that held her charcoal pencil. She should really follow Sara"s example and check in on her new security office. But an empty room and some quiet was too much temptation.
She ran her index finger along the smooth wood, the smell of it reaching her nose.
With the tip of her nail, she tipped the pencil so it balanced on the lead. It hovered for a second in the air before it fell gently back into her hand.
18.