Ugh! So far behind right now. I’m seriously just *ugh* Over it right now. I’m only at 22,804. I’m supposed to be at 26,6667. Ugh! I’m almost 4K behind. I know I can catch up and all that, but this seriously sucks. I hate being this far behind. I don’t even know what to write. 
I have several plot points I need to hit but no idea how to get there. I’ll do it, I know I will. I just need that swift kick in the ass to get there.
Their world was not like our own. They lived on a dual sun planet. They had races that only those who were of the non-Human world knew about. There was an unknown ruling force for their universe, which only a few knew about. It was the kind of knowing that if one spoke a word of it to someone who was not to know, it would be the signing of a death sentence.
There are humans. They were boring and basic. Everyone knows about them.
There are Vampiric Humans. They were allergic to the sun, and had fangs. They, unlike their Full Blood Vampiric cousins, did not need blood to survive. They also did not possess the strength of their cousins.
The Elven Humans were almost ethereal in their beauty. They both were tall and slim. Both male and females were of similar size. Males were usually taller, but on average, only by a few inches or so. They were more fragile than most normal humans were.
The governing world of the Spirits Council, which most of the humans, including Vampiric and Elven, knew not a thing about. They were clueless on the existence of them.
The unknowns are also the Magickals and the Faeries.
The Magickals keep the Faeries under control. There are two types of Faeries: The Good and The Bad. The Good usually, for the most part, work with the Spirits Council to keep the The Bad under control. There, like in any society, are those that claim to be The Good but working for The Bad. The Spirits Council does the very best that it is able to keep that to a minimum, but nothing is ever completely done away with.
The Faeries, no matter Good or Bad, are fiercely loyal. They will kill for those they care about, whether the one they care about is wrong or right. Faeries also have the choice of going Good or Bad. They have the option of switching sides, easily, and usually without too many complications. If they are forced to “go after” the ones they previously worked for, they are able to pull back and use previous obligations as the reasons, but if are found to feed information to the other side, they are immediately killed, no questions asked. A few have died under false information, but it was a price to be paid for switching sides.
The Magickals are usually humans, including the Elven and Vampiric. Around the time, they turn sixteen, they will either develop magical powers or they do not. If they do, they are taken to special schools to learn how to control and use their magic, along with train to become part of the Spirits Council “army”. If they do not develop any powers, then they do not enter the special school. At times, this can and does cause problems for families if one child develops the powers required and another does not. The one that does not is not to know anything about the Spirits Council nor why their sibling is going to a special school and they are not. The most common excuse is that the Magickal child is having problems at the school and needs special lessons, or whatever is needed to be said to make the non-Magickal child not feel not included.
The Magickals that are deemed strong and fit are used as “foot soldiers.” The strongest and toughest are sculpted into the perfect assassins. Some assassins ended up switching sides, which can make for a very dangerous opponent, but one that the Spirits Council assassins are used to dealing with.
Other Magickals were used to help protect the humans. The Faeries, as the Spirits Council told the Magickals were jealous of the humans. They were always of the same size, and did not have to deal with any of the problems that the faeries have to. As most anyone knows, though, most things are not done out of jealousy but for other reasons. The Spirits Council just has decided not to share the real and true reason with the Magickals and everyone else who happens to be involved with the ongoing conflict.
There are a few select few Magickals who are chosen to be molded to become future leaders of the Spirit Council. They are chosen at a young and tender age. Some are because of who their family just happens to be. Some are chosen because of their achievements. Some are chosen because their family greases the pocket of certain members to guarantee a place for their child. As with all systems, there is a way to corrupt it and there are those who are willing to do whatever they must to get what they feel that they deserve or what they desire.
Along with developing magical powers, Magickals’ bodies also begin to slow down the aging process. At sixteen, a Magickal will look sixteen, but at forty-six, that same Magickal will look to only be about twenty-six. The average age for a Magickal to die at, from old age, is around three hundred.
When they find the Mate of their choice, they are able to share the ability to slow down the aging process. There is one major downfall to doing so, though. The person, no matter how the relationship works out, will retain that ability. There are also a maximum number of times that it can be shared. No Magickal has yet found that exact number in the recorded histories of the Magickals.
Her red hair glinting in the sunlight, Alestra Silvergust quickly steps inside her store, The Griffin, to avoid being burnt by the bright sun. As she closed her door, she glances up, towards the sun, and sighs, wishing that she could be out there, more often, with fewer consequences.
Alestra was a member of the Vampirian Human race. The legend states that, at one point, her ancestors begged of the gods to remove their blood requirement from their biology. The gods allowed this change to occur but not without some requirements. In giving up the requirement that they survive on the blood of their own kind, they also gave up many of their strengths: their stronger than most humans’ strength, their ability to move nearly at the speed of light, and their ability to flash through space and time. They gained the ability to be out in sunlight but not for extended periods of time. Some of them retained the ability to have control over locks and lights, as well as the mental ability to erase the memories of certain peoples, but that is a trait that is few and far between with the current generation of Vampiric Humans.
Alestra turned around with a sigh. She loved who she was but sometimes it would be nice to be able to be outside. She had craved that since she was a child. Today was a day that she wished she was able to take a stroll. The sky was a beautiful grey blue color, the color of a beautiful day. There were few to no clouds floating across. She hated being forced to stay inside when everyone else was able to walk around freely.
There was a tinkle clink sound, one that carried through the store, and she looked up. A broad smile spread across her face as she recognized the person coming in. It was her best friend, Trellyn Firebrand. Her gorgeously tanned skin glowed in the reflection from the sun through the glass door. Her grey, sharp eyes sparkled with humor.
"Hey, Alestra, what is shaking?" Trellyn asked, with a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Hey there, Trellyn, how is it hanging? Nothing too much is going on here. Just the normal ‘woe is me, I have to stay inside always’ self hate."
Trellyn rolled her eyes, as Alestra expected her to do. “Girl, you have got to stop hating on yourself just because you cannot walk in any sunlight. Come on, Girl! You got a great store and you gots one hell of a great friend.” Trellyn said the last line with a laugh. She then posed a little, and pretended to fan herself for her awesomeness.
Alestra laughed, lightly, and prettily. She could not help it. Her friend always had a great way of making her laugh. The way that Trellyn voiced things, and how she spoke so bluntly never failed to surprise Alestra, nor did it ever fail to make her laugh right when it was supposed to.
“I know, Trell, I know. I have got to stop this ‘my life sucks because I cannot worship the sun’ mentality. Just stopping it though is harder than one might think,” Alestra said with a sigh. Her almost silver eyes shined a fraction with unvoiced thoughts.
Trellyn wrapped her arm around Alestra’s shoulder and gave her a bit of a squeeze. “Buck up, Girl. I think you just need to have a little fun. Actually have a life instead of just pretending you do.”
This was the same old line Trellyn had given Alestra. Over and over, she heard about how she needed to just get a life, and the rest would fall into place. Alestra had no idea who Trellyn figured that, but since Trellyn always seemed so happy, and full of life, maybe there was more to it than just empty words and promises of hope.
“Maybe, Trell, just maybe, I will take you up on your offer. One of these days, I might just have to. I definitely need to get a life. I am not getting any younger, and eventually, I would love to have a family, some kids, maybe.”
Trellyn laughed gaily. “Girl, if you are goings to do it, you are going to have to do it now. Do it now. Grab the life by its horns and live your life. You might only be twenty-six, but do you want to start having those kids in your forties? Nah, no one does!”
Before Alestra could respond, the bell tinkled and clinked, signaling the entrance of someone else. She looked up and smiled broadly. Trellyn’s brother, Temper, had walked into the store. He was almost like a brother to her. She loved him like a brother that much was true.
Sometimes, she wished she had some sort of non-platonic feelings for Temper. It would have made her life a lot easier. She knew their family. She loved their parents. Her family got along well. Sadly, it was not meant to be, because those feelings she had hoped to develop never came to fruition.
She spun away from Trellyn swiftly and easily and launched herself towards Temper. He opened his arms, his dark green eyes sparkling. Unbeknownst to Alestra, Temper did have feelings towards Alestra. He felt more than just brotherly/sisterly love towards her. He would never act upon those feelings, knowing that Alestra did not feel the same. That and he would have had to explain what he really was, as well as whom and what he worked for. He did not think that her mind could wrap around that subject.
Alestra reached her face up and kissed his cheek. She was not short by any measure but she always felt petite and dainty next to Trellyn and Temper. Trellyn was a couple of inches shorter than her brother, but still at least six inches taller than Alestra, who was five feet, six inches, or so. Temper also had muscles on top of muscles, or so it seemed to Alestra. She knew he was a very active man, but she wondered how much work he had to do to maintain that physique.
Easily stepping out of Temper’s arms, Alestra looked at him, with a smile on her face. When she smiled, her face lit up. She smiled carefully though, refusing to show off the fangs that she was born with. They, in her mind, were something she had to hide, not something, she should have any sort of pride in. She even refused to show them off to Temper and Trellyn, even though they both knew of them, and had seen flashes of them. Temper looked at Trellyn with a shrug who shrugged back. It was something they were used to by now with Alestra, and since they both had their own secrets they kept from her, they did not usually call her out on it.
“Hello there, my friend, Mr. Firebrand. What brings you to my humble shop?” It was the line she used most of the time that he showed up, which was not very frequently.
Temper grinned at her, his white, nearly perfectly teeth almost sparkling. There were only two teeth out of place, which Trellyn liked to say that she knocked loose to keep him from being too perfect. Who liked a perfectly perfect smile anyway? “Nut tin’ much, my darlin’ Alestra. Nut tin’ much. Just wan tin’ to see the woman of me dreams,” he said, with an accent nearly identical to Trellyn’s. It made since they were siblings, but most of the time, that was the only thing that they had in common. Trellyn came off as sarcastic but with a kind heart and a strong mind. Temper came off just as his name suggested: easy to rile and hard to calm.
Alestra snorted, as she did each time he pretended, in her mind, to be attracted to her. She refused; no, she was just in denial, that he, or any man, would have feelings for her.
“Whatever you say, Dude, whatever you say.” She looked at him, with a concerned look on her face. He hardly ever showed up in the middle of the day, let alone just a couple hours after she opened her store, and never during the week, like today. Something was up. Either something was on its way to going down, or it had already happened. She looked his face over, checking and double-checking, scared that she might be right, but wanting so hard to be wrong. “Something happened, has it not? What happened? What is it? Please, Temper, just tell me.”
Temper gently gripped her arms. They were trembling from her fear. She was scared to death that something had happened to her family. She had already lost one family member; she was so scared that she was going to lose another one again.
Temper held her arms and looked at her, looking deep into her eyes. "Allie, it’s not your family. Not yet at least," he added.
Alestra looked up at him. "What do you mean? Not yet?"
Temper sighed, and dropped her arms. He took a step away and began to pace a few steps, just going a few steps forward and then a few more back, for a few seconds. It felt like hours to Alestra before he spoke again. "There have been threats. Numerous, since the passing of your father. Your mother decided to keep you and your siblings out of the loop on that issue." One could hear the disgust and disagreement with that choice in Temper’s voice. Obviously, he would have made a different decision if it had been him to make it.
Alestra’s jaw literally dropped, and she took a few steps back, until her rear end hit the side of her counter with the register. She reached back, gripping the marble tile that covered it, gripping until her hands were white with the strain. "There have been more? Why would I not be told about this? Why was I not told about this?" She looked at Temper, then Trellyn, and back at Temper. "Should I not have been notified? Should I not know that my life, the lives of my family, the life of those I love have been threatened."
Trellyn walked over, carefully, to Alestra’s side, and put her hand over hers. "Just listen to him, Honey. Just listen to him. Trust me; I think you are going to want to listen."
Temper nodded at Trellyn. "I have wanted to let you know for the longest time, but no one felt that you supposedly were not able to handle the news that your life, and other’s lives might be in danger."
Alestra looked at Temper. "What do you mean?" She attempted to take another step back but was stopped by the counter. "How do you know this? How do you know any of this?"
Temper sighed, a long, deep, obviously troubled sigh. It was obvious that there was an answer he wanted to give but was not allowed to. "Alestra, I cannot answer that question right now." When her mouth opened, as if she was to question him, he held up his hand. "Please. This is not some game that I am playing. This is a life or death situation. Your life and the lives of your family’s, all of them, they are all in danger. I am not fucking with you. You know that I would never lie to you, purposefully, nor would I deceive you, unless I had a damn good reason. True?"
Alestra nodded, and sighed. "Okay, fine. I will accept that. So, why am I now learning of this? Why am I just hearing about all of this now? Why, after all these years, am I deemed worthy enough to find out that my life is being threatened; that it is still being threatened? For the love of the gods, my *father died over ten years ago. If I, or my family, have been threatened since then, how could I not know?"
Temper stepped closer, but stopped when he saw her eyes go wary. This was all coming as a shock to her, and she was not completely ready for the whole truth, even if he was of the ability to give it to her. "I do not know why your mother decided to leave you out of the loop, but *he* did. You need to know now because you have been named as their next target."
"Their? What the hell does that mean?" Alestra was getting angrier with each word, and it was showing in the grip of her hands, and the look in her eyes. They were blazing fire.
"I cannot tell you the whole true store, but I can tell you that the ones after you, and your family, are dangerous. Very dangerous, in a way that I cannot begin to make you comprehend. I, and my team, have been charged with keeping you safe."
"Your team. Your TEAM? What the hell does that mean? You have no team. You are an out of work bum, according to Trellyn and your family."
Trellyn coughed. "Um, no, Girl. That is just the story that he and I give."
Alestra jerked her hand away. "You!? You are in on this now? So, now I cannot trust you either?" Alestra seemed to sink in on herself, mentally and emotionally, though the only outward sign that she was truly affected by what was going on was her eyes. The color was not as bright as it was when she was angry. It was a duller, muted color.
"Gods damn it, Temper! You had to bring my ass into this. I am not a part of this, but no, I have to deal with your bullshit too. What is next? Telling me that Cullum will be there?" Trellyn’s eyes widened as Temper’s eyes tried to avoid hers. "You know how well that kind of crap will go down. You know how he feels about certain humans."
"What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean you are not a part of this?" Alestra was getting similarly confused and angry, angrier than before. "Would someone tell me what the fuck is going on already? I have the right. TELL ME NOW!"
"Basically, Princess, you have to leave with me and Temper. If not, you risk the life of yourself, that of every member of your family, and anyone that has ever been exposed to you, even if it was an accidental run in. That is what is going on."
Alestra spun around at the voice that spoke behind her. It was a man, tall, and dark. He had black hair, and bright green eyes that did not even seem real. He had muscles. There were not as many as Temper’s but they suited his physique perfectly. He had a sneer that was framed by a pair of kissable lips. Alestra shook her head at that thought.
Who was this man? Where had he come from? How had he gotten into the shop without her seeing? Her back door had a very sophisticated alarm that was claimed to not to be able to hacked or broken into. She guessed she was going to have to call that manufacturer and demand her money back, or some sort of compensation, because this man was not supposed to be here.
She looked at Temper, who seemed almost relieved to see the man show up. She looked at Trellyn, who was avoiding eye contact and looking around the room.
"Okay, and who the hell are you, may I ask?"
"Oh, you are such a prim and proper Princess. In addition, yes, you may ask, but no, I will not answer who I am. However, Trellyn over there does know me, as well as Temper. He’s a partner of mine."
Alestra looked at Temper. "Well, I guess it is a good thing that I never had a thing for you, huh?"
Temper just glared at her. "Ha ha, Allie. Ha ha. You know that I am not gay, no matter how much certain people," he said with a glare at Trellyn, "would like to make other believe that to be true."
Alestra shrugged, still annoyed with Temper. "Okay, fine. I do not really give two figs whom you think are. I just want you to use that exit right there," she told the man who had arrived from the back, while pointing at the entrance / exit that Temper and Trellyn had used to come into the store, "and show yourself out. Just make sure it actually does hit your back end on the way out."
"Oooh, a temper does she have. A fiery Princess will do you good but not at this moment." The contempt on the man’s face and in his voice was undeniable.
"Okay, seriously. What the hell did I ever do to you? I have never seen you in my life. I have no idea who you are, yet you talk to me like I am a piece of gum off the bottom of your shoe."
"That is extremely astute of you, Princess. I did not think you would have the brains to be able to figure that much out."
"Cullum, Dude, back off. Okay just back off." Temper’s temper was flaring but it did not seem to ruffle the man it was directed at. Alestra lifted up her hand, in an attempt to calm him down. "No, Alestra, this is one fight, no matter what, will I back down. This man might be one of the best I have ever had, but I will not allow anyone to talk to you like that. You do not deserve that. Not from him, not right now."
"Oh, now you get protective over a female? Since when do you let anyone of these," he said with such disgust that Trellyn gasped a little, when hardly anything ever affected her. "You are one to talk about protecting someone. Show me Trinity Jolansa, and then I will see you at your best, I guess."
"Fuck you, Cullum, fuck you," Temper said, the temper immediately falling flat, and the fight leaving his eyes, leaving them dull and almost lifeless. Alestra had never seen him like that. She immediately walked over to him, and put her hand on his chest. When he turned away, gently pushing away her hand, Alestra control on her temper snapped. She spun around, and stalked over to the man who had hurt the one who was as close to her as a brother, if not closer.
"You are a bastard. I do not give a flying fig what you have to say about me, as I have no idea who you are but you hurt my friend, and that was uncalled for. You hurt him, just because you have no idea what friendship truly is. Temper called you a friend, and you treat him like this? You fucking bastard! You are the one who is not worth the slime that a slug uses to slither along. You are not worth the effort one would need to wipe shit off one’s shoe. Just leave." She pointed to the door, anger forcing her to make it a stabbing motion. "Just get your ass out of my shop before I call the authorities and have you escorted out."
"Sorry, Princess, but I am not going anywhere. Not until the threat against you is eliminated or you are. Either way works for me."
Trellyn gasped, and reached for Temper before he could make a move. It seemed that her actions were not needed because Alestra had already made a move. She reached up, and slapped Cullum’s face, leaving a bright red hand shaped mark on his face. Before he could react, she delivered a well-aimed punch with her other hand to his solar plexus. She smiled brightly when he made an audible oof sound when her hand connected with his solar plexus. "Now, get the fuck out. I will take my chances against whatever is out there, but I will not be going anywhere with you. Not now, not ever."
Cullum turned on her, with a look so full of fury that she took a step back, and then another, just to be safe. She was not easily frightened of a man but the look he gave her was enough to send chills of alarm up her spine, and make the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Temper walked over to Alestra, and pulled her away.
“Alestra, you need to just back off. Trust me, Love, just back away.”
Alestra would have normally fought against the hold, but for once in her life, she listened to reason, and just stayed back. She did not completely listen, though, and snarled, “Why the hell are you not listening? LEAVE!”
Cullum moved towards her, each move of his legs carefully controlled. He stopped just inches from her and Temper.
“Cullum, do not say what is sitting on the tip of your tongue. I am still pissed as hell at what you just said, and the wrong word to the best friend my sister and I have ever really had will just set me the fuck off.”
Cullum looked at Temper, and then at Alestra. A look of disgust caused his lip to curl, showing off a bit of canine. It was not a long tooth, nor was it a short one. Alestra’s eyes widened when she saw it, and her mouth dropped, slightly. Cullum rolled his eyes at her.
“What is the matter, Princess? Have you never seen a half breed at all? Did your daddy keep you hidden away, and protect you? Are we too good for your lily white presence?”
Alestra gasped. She looked at him, eyes a bit scrunched, her nostrils half flared, a seriously confused look on her face. She had absolutely no idea what this man was ranting and raving about. She was quite vocal in how she told him that, as well.
“I have no flipping clue in hell what you could even begin to be talking about. No, I have never met a half-breed. I was told that they were not possible. I was told that Vampiric Human and Human had incompatible DNA. That they could never create a child, no matter how much they might desire one.”
Cullum scoffed. “Great lessons in life you were given there, Princess. I wonder how many lies your mother filled your head with.”
Alestra struggled against Temper’s hold. She struggled hard, and with all her might. “My mother never lied to me. If she told me that, it was either what she believed or it was what she had been told. She and my stepfather, who was Human, tried for years to have a child and could never conceive. Trust me, if she could have had a child with him, especially now that he is gone, do you not think they would have done so.”
Cullum shrugged. “Your step father was an idiot who thought that your mother hung the moon, and believed everything that she said, no matter what. She had her children through her beloved Vampiric Human mate, before he was killed. Why would she want more?”
Alestra struggled more against the hold Temper continued to have. “Temper, let me go, okay. I will not do something stupid.”
Temper shook his head. “Sorry, Love. I know you extremely well. Your brain does not always connect with your heart, and I know this man. He will set you off, purposefully, just to put you back down.” He looked at Cullum. “While I do know why you are acting like this, pissing her off will not achieve the goal of keeping her safe. I know you do not care if she lives or dies, but I do.”
Cullum sighed, and looked at Temper. “Whatever, Man, just whatever you have to say. Let her rot for all I care. If she is coming, she needs to be on the ship in no less than three hours. Anything after that, and she will be left behind. You, as well, if you fail to show up at the appointed time, will be left behind, friend or not. There is too much going on for us to lolly gag around. Do not forget to show up, Temper. I would hate to have to leave you.”
With those words, he disappeared. Not walked out the door and disappeared, but literally just poofed out of the room, leaving no sign that he had ever been there in the first place.
Temper dropped Alestra’s arms and she looked at him and at Trellyn. Neither one seemed surprised at all that he had just disappeared like that.
“Okay, what the hell is going on? Who was that? Why was he so hostile? And how the hell did he just disappear like that?” She expelled the questions with barely a breath between each sentence.
Trellyn looked at Temper and threw her hands in the air. “Do not look at me, Bro. You know I was all for telling her the truth from the beginning. The whole truth, leaving absolutely nothing out, is what I want to hear.”
Temper rolled his eyes. “No, even with Cullum being a freaking moron, she will not be able to handle the whole truth. Not yet, not now.”
Exasperated, Alestra reached up and smacked Temper on the back of his head. “Will you stop talking like I am not here? Now is not the time for that. Just stop!”
Reaching up to rub the spot that Alestra had smacked, he looked down at her, with resignation in his eyes. “Oh for the sake of the gods, Alestra, I cannot tell you this! I cannot. It is forbidden.”
“Forbidden? I just saw a man, who was flesh and blood, and half-Human half Vampiric Human that just disappeared. Literally, he was here and then he was not. How do you explain that? Do not give me this ‘It is forbidden’ bullshit.”
Temper laughed lightly. Alestra was definitely not reacting how one would have expected her to react. She wanted the answers, and would think on them later, dwell on them sometime in the future, but for now, she just wanted those questions to be laid to rest.
Trellyn looked at Temper. “For the love of the gods, Dude, just tell her. Tell her something. Let her know something that will explain anything.”
Temper rolled his eyes at Trellyn. “Fine, then you can be the one to take the blame for this!” Trellyn just shrugged, as if she did not have a care in the world. “Okay, Alestra, you want some form of the truth? Are you serious on this? If I tell you, and you freak out and tell someone else, you will literally be signing my death sentence. This is not a joke. This is more life and death than your own situation.” At her nod, he continued. “Okay, Cullum Katara is technically my boss. He is what is known as a Magickal. He, in the most basic of terms, has magical powers. He can poof anywhere. He can pretty much do whatever he wants to do. Like most everything, there are limits, but not too many, considering what he does for a living. He is what is known as a Protective Assassin. He has been assigned to protect you, along with our team of Lasiandra Colorns, Jamerly Mackonal, and myself. While Cullum says that he is willing to let you just die, he would never actually follow through with that, because it would be risking death himself. That, and what we are fighting, he refuses anyone to be hurt by them. He has lost enough to them.”
Alestra looked at Temper, almost as if in a daze. “’What we are fighting’? What does that mean? Who is after me? Who wants to see harm come to my family? Explain this to me, please, Temper.”
Temper took a deep breath, and looked her right in the eyes. What he was going to show her was absolutely going to blow her mind. He signaled, covertly, to Trellyn to come behind Alestra, just in case.
Alestra looked at Temper, and felt her mind empty and become relaxed. Then, Temper disappeared. Alestra gasped, and looked around. Where did he go? Why did he disappear? What was going on? Then she felt something brush up against her ear, and the flutter around the back of her head to the other ear. She attempted brush it away, but felt a small poke on her finger. She looked to the left, at her shoulder, and sitting there, was Temper. He had gone from six feet six inches to only around six inches in height. He was sporting a pair of green and black wings, which sparkled in the beams of light from the filtered skylight above. Instead of the clothing he was wearing previously, he was wearing a loincloth, and not much else. Catching her eyes, he snapped his fingers. He instantly appeared before her, in all of his six foot six glory, including the clothing he had been wearing before.
Temper cursed as Alestra’s eyes rolled back into her head, the whites the only thing visible before her eyes closed completely and her body collapsed in on itself. Thankfully, Temper and Trellyn had expected it, and Trellyn was there to catch her, and slowly bring her to the floor.
Temper dropped to his knees next to Alestra. He looked up at Trellyn with a scowl on her face. “I knew this was going to happen. I just knew that this is what would happen when she found out the truth. Now how the hell do we tell her that it was someone in our family that ordered the hit on her father, all those years ago, and that that person is also the reason that her step father was killed and that her mother is still missing?”
Trellyn looked down at the face of her friend, the very best friend that she had ever had. “I do not know, my brother, I do not know, but I do know that we will find a way to make her understand. But until we figure that out, and before she completely comes to, please, can we get her to Cullum’s ship, so we can get out of this situation before it becomes more than either one of us can handle alone. When we get onto the ship, I will contact someone to take care of things here, so that she will have one less thing to worry about.”
Temper nodded at her, and took them all to the ship, using a similar piece of magic as Cullum used, but also different, at the same time. When they arrived on the ship, he carried Alestra into a room that was decorated in colors similar to what she would find in her own house. Temper was thankful that she would at least have that comfort, since it might be a long while until she actually will have the chance to see her house again.
He left the room, and ran, literally, into Trellyn. He nodded at her. “She is still not conscious. I do not know when she will awaken, but if you could, stay with her until she does. I need to check in with Cullum and the rest of the team.” At her nod, he kissed her cheek and went off in search of Cullum.
Cullum was standing at the cockpit, with Lasiandra Colorns. He had his back to the entrance door, though a slight stiffening of his spine showed that he had heard the approach of Temper, even before the door slid open.
Cullum was bent over one of the controls, reading some of the readings. Based on the white knuckled fist he had sitting on the side of the controls, either something was going on with the ship that was not good, or he might be regretting how he acted in Alesta’s store earlier.
Temper took a deep breath and stepped inside the cockpit. Cullum turned around, his mouth tight. “So, the Princess is aboard, and it seems, unknowing that she is.”
Temper growled to some extent, but kept his displeasure in check. “I know you hate Vampiric Humans. I know you have very good reason too, but you also know that Trellyn and I have every reason to hate them as well. Yet, you notice that we both love and adore Alestra. Do you not think there might be a reason for that? Do you not understand that maybe, just maybe, there are some Vampiric Humans who are not that bad? Who do not suck? Who are not out to rid the world of the ‘half breeds’ and the rest of us who are not like them?”
Cullum rolled his eyes. “You are thinking not with your brain but with another part of your anatomy, Temp. One does not have to look very hard to see that you find her desirable, and that you want to be with her, and claim her.”
Temper flexed his hands, attempting to keep a reign on the outburst that wanted to come forth. He knew that Cullum’s reasons for hating Vampiric Humans were good and legit ones, but he was not happy hearing him discuss and talk about Alestra like she was the worst thing that had ever been born on the planet.
“Okay, I am not going to discuss this any further at this moment, but can you lay off of Alestra for the time being. She had no part in the death of your family, no matter how much Vampiric Human she has in her. She also has no idea where to find your sister. Trust me, with this girl, if she did, she would tell you.”
"Whatever, dude. I do not care if her precious little feelings are hurt, but for now, I will not say a word to her, because you asked me not to. For now," he added with great emphasis on the last sentence.
"Thanks, Cull. Seriously, if you ever take the time to get to know her, you will realize that she is not as bad as you most likely would like to believe that she is."
Cullum shrugged and looked back at the instrument panel he had been concentrating on before. "Anyway, we have bigger problems than if Princess’s feelings are hurt. According to this, we are losing our shield power. We are more than losing it. We are hemorrhaging it like a stuck pig with a slash in its throat."
Temper gagged a little at the picture the description brought up in his head. "Ugh, could you not have found another analogy to use? That is just absolutely disgusting. Nothing else could be more totally and completely nasty."
Cullum laughed at Temper’s discomfort. "If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you were disgusted by something, my man. You are a trained assassin, for the sake of the gods. Why would the image of a dead bloody pig bother you at all?"
Temper groaned. "You know me well enough to know the answer to that. I am so not going into that right now. Anyway, any idea what the problem with the shield power is? It is not like we have been hit any time recently, and if we had, it would have long been fixed. Regular maintenance rules out wearing out."
Cullum nodded. "That leaves sabotage, but who would be dumb enough to sabotage my ship? There is not a one that I can think of."
"I do not know of anyone that stupid. Then again, I do not know that many stupid people. I meet someone stupid I force myself to forget them."
"Yet you still remember the Princess." He held up his hand at Temper, warding off the voicing that he was bound to have. "Last one, for now, I promise. It was just one of those things that I could not resist letting slip."
Temper growled slightly. "Just stop. I count you as a friend. You continue to dig on her, and I will be forced to count you as an enemy, okay."
Cullum mockingly saluted Temper, while Lasiandra just rolled her eyes. "You two boys make me wish I had joined the convent like my mothers had desired of me," she drawled with a lilting, sexy accent.
Temper’s eyes flashed to her, with a slight hint of annoyance. "Just stay out of this, Aria. You might like to claim female as your gender, but no one here really believes any of it."
Lasiandra ‘s fist drew back, and Cullum grabbed her arm. "Not on the ship, Baby Girl. You know that. You can kill him on your own time, but for now, we need him alive so that I do not kill Princess, okay?"
Lasiandra looked at Temper, and rolled her eyes. She quietly got out of her seat, and most likely for the first time in her life, walked away from Temper without giving into the desire to lay a man flat. Her Elven Human form in its all of its glory. She was a gorgeous six feet three inches, with long silvery blonde hair that reaches almost to her rear, and usually braided loosely. Her lavender eyes usually flashed with fire, but as she left the cockpit, they were dull and almost lifeless.
Cullum watched as Lasiandra left him and Temper alone, a strange look on his face. He looked at Temper and saw a pained expression on his face. It seemed his friend was not as unaffected by Lasiandra as he liked to pretend. It was going to be a rough situation for them, if they ever attempted something. Lasiandra, being an Elven Human was part of the Spirits Council. Her family was also all but royalty, which was ironic considering Cullum counted her as a friend but was so distrustful of Alestra who’s family was nowhere near royalty. Taking into account that Temper was a Faery, even though he was a Good Faery and his family has always been in the trust of the Spirit Council, relationships between the Faeries and any other species was frowned upon. It was more than frowned upon, it was almost against the law. It was, in fact, actually against the law in some areas of the world. There were some groups attempting to change those laws, but like with any sort of secularism, it was slow going, if ineffective at best.
Temper looked up and caught Cullum’s eyes and saw the speculative look he was giving him. He shook his head. “No, man, do not even think about it. There will not be anything happening between Lasiandra and me. There is just absolutely no hope of anything becoming of that.”
Temper sounded so defeated that Cullum wanted to say something, but what could he say to him? Nothing would truly fix the situation, unless Temper and Lasiandra both wanted to attempt a relationship and see where it went from there. Cullum nodded at Temper, in total understanding. It might not show but Cullum did have some experience in wanting what he could not have, or what he should not.
Cullum was twenty-six, and fresh out of the Spirit Council training becoming specialized in space flight, armed protection and covert operations, when he met one whom he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life. Her name was Rokta Tailmark. He thought she was perfect, but he found out too late the truth about her.
Shaking his head, blocking out the past, Cullum focused on Temper. He placed his hand on the man’s shoulder, in understanding, and then dropped it. Temper grinned at him.
“Getting all touchy feely on me, are you, Cull? Wow, you must really be hurting for a lay,” he said with humor in his voice.
Cullum reached up and smacked Temper on the back of his head, something he knew the other man hated, which mean he took great pleasure in it all the more.
“Okay, whatever, Temper, back to the shields. We need to get them fixed as soon as possible, or we risk becoming sitting ducks out there.”
Temper nodded in agreement. “I will get right on it. Maybe I will see if Lasiandra if she would be willing to offer me some assistance.”
Cullum laughed at the good humor of his friend. No matter what happened in Temper’s life, he never let it get him down. He always found a positive in everything. To have that sort of mentality was something that made Cullum envious of his friend.
“You do that, Temper. Personally, I am going to make sure that The Princess is awake and relatively unharmed.”
Temper looked at Cullum, whose eyes held a mischievous glimmer. “Cull, take it easy on her. She is not in any way related to the death of your family. You have the right to hate her because of what she happened to be born but do not let it completely shroud your ability to be at least civil to her.”
“I remember my promise, Temper. I will not break unless forced to. You know me a hell of a lot better than that.”
Temper emitted a small sigh, and walked out in search of Lasiandra. Cullum watched Temper’s retreating back, and looked back at the instrument panel, a small frown on his face. Something was up with it, and he was going to get to the bottom of it, but first, he had to check on the newest passenger of the ship.
Alestra woke up, and looked around. She did not recognize anything at all. She opened her mouth to scream when Trellyn walked into the room through an automatic sliding door. Alestra quickly sat.
“Where am I, Trellyn?” Alestra was not nervous. She had a feeling of where she most likely was, whether she wanted to be here or not.
“You are on Cullum’s ship.” She held up a finger and waved it at Alestra. “No, there will be no arguments. You need to be kept safe. Besides you being my very best friend, Temper’s job and life depend on you staying alive.”
Alestra looked at Trellyn, head slightly cocked, face confused. “Why would his life depend on my life?” She understood that his job relied on her. That part he had made most abundantly clear.
“If you ignore the fact that he has feelings for you that are more than brotherly, the organization that he belongs to, if you die on their watch, will kill this whole team. Your family has that much power.”
The mention of her family brought the whole shop incident back with vivid clarity. She remembered Cullum’s animosity. She recalled his literal disappearance. Then her recollections dredged up the transformation of Temper, and she looked at Trellyn, her eyes wide.
“So I see you now remember that. I wondered when you would recall that.” Trellyn took a deep breath, and sat on the edge of the bed, close to Alestra. “Okay, first you need to understand that you can never tell anyone what I am about to tell you. There are too many lives at stake for you to tell the wrong person what you know.”
Trellyn waited for Alestra to agree. Alestra thought that it must be something she was never going to believe, but was something she was just going to have to trust Trellyn was the truth. She loved Trellyn as a sister, and trusted her with her life, so she gave her that trust. “You are completely understood, Trellyn. Under no circumstances will I share what I know.”
“Good, because I am so not supposed to be telling you any of this, but for your sake, I think you need to know.” Trellyn took another deep breath and began.
“Temper and I are Faeries.”
“What do you mean Faeries? Do you mean like that stupid cartoon for girls that happens to involve little flying creatures?”
“Yes, we are basically like that. Nevertheless, our species, and yes, it’s a species, have the ability to be at full human size if we desire to be. We can easily go back to Faery size if we desire, yes, but most of us prefer to be in the human form.”
“Okay, this is hard for me to understand, so bear with me. Why do you prefer human form? I would think being able to fly would be the best thing in the world.” Alestra leaned forward a little, relaxing, and for some reason, completely accepting this. It was not too hard to believe. She was a Vampiric Human, but her Vampiric brethren still existed, though most non Vampiric Humans did not know that. Why should the existence of Faeries be any different than that?
“I personally hate to fly. If I have to be totally honest, I’m scared of heights.”
Alestra laughed lightly at that, because she knew it was definitely the truth. Her friend would not even climb on a ladder that would bring her higher than her six foot three inch height. “Okay, that makes sense for you, but why for others? Why does Temper prefer it?”
“Okay, the reason for Temper brings me to the reason you are here. There are two types of Faeries: The Good and The Bad.”
Trellyn laughed lightly as Alestra’s eyes got huge at that. “What is the look for? It is not much different than the fact that all humans have good, bad, and those in between. With Faeries, we cannot ‘ride the fence’, so to speak. It is also a free choice.
Those who choose The Good, like my family, tend to work for the Spirit Council. That is whom Cullum and Temper work for. That is who was sent in to keep you safe. The Good Faeries and the Magickals, they both work together to keep the world safe from The Bad Faeries.”
She looked carefully at Alestra. “Cullum is a Magickal. He is considered a rare breed. Besides being half Vampiric Human, he is also a half-breed with the Magickals. His mother, who was a full-blooded Human, was a Magickal. His father was not, and was the Vampiric Human. I will seriously be killed if I told you this, but his family was killed by The Bad Faeries and a clan of Vampiric Humans. That is why he is so hostile towards you.”
Alestra gasped, understanding written on her face, along with pain. She could completely relate to his hatred of her. She represented the family that was cruelly taken from him.
Trellyn watched the play of emotions on Alestra and wondered how she could be so forgiving of Cullum’s attitude. Then again, Alestra’s father had been brutally murdered when Alestra was only a young child, and she had been the one to find the body, which was something very few people knew about. It was not something that was ever really released, for the sake of Alestra who had it mostly blocked.
Alestra looked up at Trellyn. “You are wondering how I can be so forgiving, are you not. It has to do with my father, but it has it is more than that. To have lost your family so cruelly, and then to have the kind that had assisted in that murder, and be under orders to keep that person alive, I do not think that I could do that. Can you imagine if someone murdered Temper and you had to keep them safe and alive?”
Trellyn nodded in understanding, and her fists clenched and unclenched at the thought of losing her brother.
“Okay, now, can we get back to what you were telling me about? What exactly are Magickals, and why do Good Faeries and Magickals have to work together to keep the world safe from The Bad Faeries?”
“The reason for that, Princess, is that The Bad Faeries are one of the most corrupt types of beings there could be. They will steal, kill, rape, whatever they have to do to get whatever it is that they want. Most of the time, it seems that what they ultimately want is to see everyone else dead, including their own kind, Good or Bad.”
Alestra’s head jerked up at the sound of Cullum’s voice. He was lounging in the doorway, and it looked like he had been there for long. She wondered if he had heard what she had said about being able to forgive because of what happened with his family. Judging by the banked fury in his eyes, he had. She looked worriedly at Trellyn, who was also watching Cullum’s face.
“Yes, Princess, I did hear Trellyn tell you about my family, including what you said after. It matters not to me, because I do not request your forgiveness. I do not care if you let me off for what I have said. It has no bearing on me.”
Alestra’s dropped her gaze, looking at the bedspread that she was lying on top of. She was not surprised to hear him say it, but for some reason, it hurt her to hear him say it.
“I understand, Cullum. As well as that you are stuck with me. I will do whatever you want me to do. I will stay out of your way.”
Cullum looked at her bent head, a frown on his face. He hated her, right? He could not stand being in the same breathing space as her, yet he felt a small stab of pain in his chest at the thought of her avoiding him. He shrugged it off, assuming it was just that he enjoyed the pot shots, even though he promised Temper he was no longer going to make them.
“Is that’s all you have to say, Princess? Just make sure that you do. In addition to staying out of my way, make sure you stay out of the way of my crew and my team. They have better things to do than to cater to your every whim and need. There is a chow hall, a couple of game rooms, and a few replicator stations. Anything you need, you get yourself, just like everyone else on this ship.”
Alestra stared angrily up at him, with fire in her eyes, leaving no doubt to the fact that she had a spine, even if she did not always show it. “Where the heck do you get the impression that I need someone to wait on me, hand and foot?”
Cullum snorted mockingly. “Well, let us see. You show up on my ship, unconscious. You were unconscious because you passed out. Where would I get that idea?”
Alestra made an objection angrily. “Excuse me, Mr. High and Mighty. I just watched a man disappear, after never having seen that before. In addition to watching my best friend’s brother goes from six foot six to about six inches in the span of a heartbeat. No, no way should I have a reason to react by falling into a faint. No one has ever reacted that way.”
Cullum leaned away from the wall to clap mockingly. “Bravo, Princess. Good show, great show of sprit.”
“Oh fuck you, Cullum, seriously, just fuck you. I really do not care what you think of me. I am not some spoiled princess like you think I am. I have what I have because I worked for it. I am who I am because of what I have had to go through.”
Cullum leaned back against the frame, with a contemptuous look on his face. “Are you sure about that, Miss Princess? What have you really gone through? Have you really gone through that much, besides the loss of one parent?”
Alestra gasped at the gall of the man. “It was more than the loss of a parent. It was my father, the man who cared for me when I was sick because my mother could not be arsed to do a thing for me or my siblings. It was the man who taught me to read, who helped with my homework. It was the man I worshiped with all that I am.”
Alestra brushed angrily at the tears starting to fall down her face as she forced herself off the bed to stalk towards the man standing there, so scornfully looking at her, like she was a rock stuck in his shoe.
“It was not just the loss of my father that has made me who I am. It was finding his body the morning after he was murdered, by Faeries, it seems, as I have just found out. It was the sight of his blood all over the bed and the floor. It was seeing his eyes wide open, staring at nothing. It was the fact that he never made a sound so that he would not alert me to the fact that something was going on. It was the fact that, even in the last moments of his life, he protected me. That is what made me who I am. The money my stepfather has is not mine. The money that my mother has is not mine. My father was penniless when he married my mother, and was technically that way when he died. My money is only what I have made.”
Alestra looked at his clothes. The dark blue shirt was well cut and obviously made just for him. The pants, in black, were of similar make, and fit like they were made just for his legs to slide into. While they made for an impressive look, the cost just screamed out.
“At least I do not judge those, based on who they are.”
Cullum growled, and leaned his face close to hers. “Princess, while I feel for what you had to endure, it does not change my opinion of you. You and your kind take for what you can, regardless of the consequences.”
Alestra nearly screamed in frustration. She shoved her hands against his chest, and pushed. She was rewarded for her efforts to hear him laugh derisively.
“I am leaving Princess. Do not worry about that. I will not be back, unless I hear that you are disturbing my crew.”
“I will not come anywhere near your crew. I have better things to do than to do anything that might cause you to darken my doorstep again.”
“It is technically my doorstep, Princess. It would do you good to remember that.” With that, he spun on his heel and left Alestra and Trellyn alone.
Alestra spun around and dropped in a nearby chair. “Oh my god, that man is impossible.”
Trellyn laughed. “You two were spitting off fireworks like something I have never seen. I have never seen Cullum take such an instant dislike to anyone like he has you.”
Alestra sighed, and pushed her vibrant red hair back, the braid having come loose at some point. “Well, right now, the feeling is more than mutual. I have never been that insulted in my life.”
Trellyn laughed harder. “You are forgetting when you first met Temper. He called you a snooty snotty brat who needed to pull her head out of her ass. You proved him wrong, and now he absolutely adores you. You just have to win over Cullum. You just have to show how awesomely amazing you are. Just show him what you show the rest of the world, your bubbly beautiful self.”
“I do not care what he thinks of me. That man is insufferable. He is an arrogant buffoon who thinks he knows everything about everything. If I never see him again, it will be too soon.”
Trellyn snorted lightly with amusement. “If you say so, Allie, but I think you are protesting way too much. You do have to admit the man is pretty cute, right? He has those muscles in all of the right spots.”
Alestra attempted to hold in a laugh but failed miserably. “Okay, yes, I will admit that he is a fine specimen of the male gender, but that is about all he has going for him. A female would have many problems looking past the ego the size of a large mountain.”
Trellyn laughed again. “If you say so, Alestra, if you say so, but I still think you might like him, and hate that fact.”
Alestra said something extremely unladylike to Trellyn, annoyed by the fact that she had guessed something that Alestra refused to acknowledge to herself.
Cullum re-entered the cockpit area of the ship, and took a deep breath. He could not believe that he was having any sort of reaction besides deep disgust and hatred towards Alestra, but the defense of herself had added some respect for her, in his opinion, though he refused to recognize it. Her telling him about finding her father’s body, and the fact that she was able to do it without breaking down, added even more points in her favor. He could only begin to imagine what she had found. He had been spared finding the bodies of his family, since he had been away at school.
He shook his head, as he flopped into a nearby seat. He leaned his head against the back of his chair, closing his green eyes. He looked both stressed and relaxed, something that only he seemed to be able to pull off easily.
He jumped up when he heard someone approaching the door, eyes flying open. He had not been startled but he was just very uncomfortable with having someone see him showing any sort of stress or weakness, as stress was too him.
“At ease, Cullum, it is just me,” Temper said with a smile on his face. When Cullum visibly relaxed, Temper continued, “Well, Lasiandra kicked me out of the engine room. It seems that I might be ‘too stupid to be able to even touch something so infinitely precious’ or something like that.”
Cullum snorted in good humor. “Only Lasiandra can say something so eloquently. Does she have any idea why it is reading as having little to no shields?”
Temper seemed to shuffle his feet, as if he did not want to answer the question. It was an unusual reaction for him to have, which made Cullum a little suspicious and also worried at the same time.
“Can you please just come out with it and tell me what is going on?”
“Okay, the truth is that the shield reading was correct. The problem is that when we were supposed to get it fixed, it seems it was not. It was not the fault of the shop, it was …” Temper seemed to not want to continue the sentence.
“It was the fault of whom? Was it you? Was it me? Was it someone else? Whose fault is it, Temper?”
Temper forced out a long-suffering sigh. “It was my fault. I was distracted by something going on with Lasiandra. Do not ask me what it was, Cullum, because I promised her I would tell no one. Let us just say it is one of the reasons she cannot stand to be anywhere near me, and the reason she threatened to quit a month ago.”
“I know she’s pregnant, Temper. I also know that you are the father. She actually already told me. Well, I forced her to tell me when she told me she wanted to leave the team.”
Temper sank into the seat that Cullum had vacated earlier. He dropped his hands into his lap, and his chin hit his chest. The way his body was held screamed frustration of not knowing what to do.
He lifted his head and leaned it back against the chair, closing his eyes briefly. He lifted his head off the chair. “I do not know how it happened. Okay, I know how it happened, just not how if that makes sense. We were protected. We took precautions. Shit, we used several types.”
“You know what they say about being over-protected. Something always tends to break through those defenses.”
“How would you really know? You are Mr. Perfect in which nothing ever bad happens to you.”
Cullum laughed, out loud, and almost uproariously. “Yeah, sure, Temper, nothing bad ever happens to me.”
“Dude, you are crushing on my emotional upheaval. Let me mope and groan already.” He looked over at Cullum, who had plopped down in another chair and was in a very relaxed pose. “What the hell am I supposed to do? She wants nothing to do with me, and she seems to think I want nothing to do with her. She has this ridiculous idea that I want her to just disappear, along with the baby.”
“I have no idea what you should do, Man, but all I can really suggest is do not let her disappear. Do not let her just walk away. Do not give up on her. If you really want it to work, just be there for her, until she is ready to listen. If that fails, fall on Plan B.”
“Okay, so what is Plan B?”
“I have no freaking idea man. I hope that if it comes to that, you have one. Better hoping would be that it you never have to deal with it.”
“I guess that is just what I am going to have to do. I have no idea how I am going to go about it but I will make her listen to me, and I will make her see that I do want her, and that I do want the baby.”
He looked at Cullum worriedly. “I just realized something, though. She is an Elven Human. I am a Faery. How the hell are those genetics going to work out. As far as I know, there has been no Faery to Human, of any sort, cross breeding.” He sighed deeply. “Good gods, man, I am scared to death. I cannot lose her, or the baby. I refuse to even consider the chance.”
“That is probably a smart move, Temper. She and the baby will be fine; you know that. Oh, have you at least told your sister? Considering we are now stuck with her being on the ship as well as The Princess, she is going to either hear about it or figure it out. It might be smart to just tell her.”
Temper shook his head. “Oh hell no, I am not telling my sister that I got Lasiandra pregnant. No way can I tell her that. She will kill me and join Lasiandra in the battle.”
Cullum laughed, realizing that Temper was most likely correct in his assumption about Trellyn. “What about The Princess? Are you going to tell her?”
“Why would I tell Alestra? Why does she need to know?”
“Oh, I do not know. Maybe it would be because she is in love with you?”
Temper laughed loudly. “Alestra is not in love with me. She has never been in love me. I am nothing more than an older brother to her. I am the brother of her best friend, and that is all that I am to her. There was a time when I might have wished that she had more than those feelings, but at this point in time, I do not want that. I want to see her happy, but I know that her happiness does not depend on me.”
Cullum thought on that, though he pretended not to. “Well, she is a friend of yours. It might help to have a female’s opinion, even if I do not think much about her. She might be able to give you some insight into the female psyche or whatever.”
“No, I will not tell Alestra. That would just weird me out too much. I am more likely to tell Trellyn than I am Alestra.”
“Why is that, though? Why would you refuse to tell her, if you are so close to her? If you trust her so much, why would you not tell her?”
“I cannot tell her because she would not understand. She believes in love with sex. She believes that a commitment must be made. She’s extremely old fashioned when it comes to things like that.”
“Whatever you think is right man, but I still think you should find someone to talk it over with. It might do you a world of good. Or you know, something like that,” Cullum added with a grin.
“Maybe I will, but for now, I am more worried about these shields. Lasiandra is thinking that she can fix them, and while I have no doubts in her ability, I do not know if she will be able to finish it fast enough. I know our time line and I know she knows it, but will she finish in time?”
“Temper, you need to take a deep breath and relax. It will be fine. If Lasiandra says she can finish in the time frame we need her to finish, then I have no doubts in her abilities. You never used to have any doubts where she was concerned either. I guess being pregnant hinders her ability to finish a task.”
Temper snarled at Cullum. “She can do anything and everything. She is a damn fine mechanic. She is absolutely amazing at everything she tries. There is no one to compare to her.”
Cullum held up his hands in surrender, with a laugh. “Well, that answered that question. You definitely have some sort of feelings for her. Honestly, I think you two are perfect for each other. Both of you are extremely pig headed. You both want everything your own way, and think that it is the only right way.”
Temper laughed, relaxing visibly for the first time in awhile. “I don’t know who you are thinking of, but I think that just described you perfectly as well.”
Cullum laughed good naturedly. “Yeah, man, that I will happily admit to. I am always right. Thank you so much for noticing that. You will do good to remember it as well.”
Cullum and Temper laughed together at what Cullum said. It was something he always assumed people would just follow and believe.
Alestra walked into the “chow hall” as Cullum had called it, with Trellyn next to her. Thank the gods that Trellyn knew her way around the ship, because Alestra did not want to have to ask someone else. She did not want to have Cullum breathing down her neck.
He might be a very good looking male specimen but his attitude ruined everything. While she understood, to an extent, his animosity, she did not want to have to face it again. She had more important things to deal with.
“So, Alestra, what are you in the mood for?” Trellyn’s voice shook her out of her thoughts.
“I have no idea. I have a craving for something sweet, but I also want something that will fill me up.”
“Then I have the perfect thing for you,” a quiet and almost voice said. Alestra looked up to see a beautiful female, with pale pink colored hair with dark purple streaks, flowing past a face that had the most gorgeous almost lemon colored eyes, and a Cupid’s bow mouth. The woman’s skin was an olive color, and looked soft and was completely flawless. She smiled at Alestra, showing off perfect teeth, and a set of fangs. Alestra sensed, as all Vampiric Humans would have been able to, that this woman was not a Vampiric Human, but a full blooded, tried and true Vampire. Their bloodline relied on the blood of their own race to survive.
“Trellyn!” The woman exclaimed happily, coming from behind the table she had been at, and wrapped her arms around Trellyn.
“Trinity! What are you doing on Cullum’s ship? I thought you had opened up a restaurant on the main land?”
The beautiful woman, Trinity Atestranda, smiled happily. “I have underlings to keep an eye on things. When Cullum offered me a chance to feed his ship for a few months, I figured I could not turn him down. I did not realize that you were going to be on the ship as well.”
Trellyn looked at Alestra, nodding her head. “Yeah, I am here at Temper’s request. It seems that Cullum was ordered to keep Alestra here safe. Oh, Alestra! Oh my gods, I am so rude! Alestra, this is Trinity. She and I, along with Temper, grew up together. She is one hell of a fine cook.”
Trellyn looked at Trinity. “This is Alestra. She is the one I was telling you about, the one with the amazing shop full of too perfect clothes, and the attached café.”
Trinity held out her hand to Alestra, who shook it politely. Alestra was a little nervous because she had never met a pure blooded, True Vampire. Her family had always told her to keep away from that, that one bite from them could covert her to a True Vampire. There were all sorts of stories related to the True Vampires.
“How do you do, Alestra.” She smiled brightly, an obviously happy and effervescent person. “I can just imagine what you are thinking. We have stories about the Vampiric Humans as well. I suspect that your stories are just as out there as the ones for my kind. I promise you, I am not going to bite you, nor if it did happen, accidentally, you will not convert and start craving blood. The same as, I suspect, if you bit me, I would not longer require blood. They are just stories to keep little children in line.”
Alestra smiled, instantly charmed by Trinity. One could not resist being pulled into her charismatic personality. “I guess you are most likely right. The things that are told to children, and the things that are hidden.”
Trinity nodded, in agreement. “That is too true, Alestra, too true. I think every culture has that, though, no matter how you look at it.”
Trinity walked back around the table, and picked up a plate of food. It contained a nice helping of pasta covered in a delicious white sauce, that looked to contain mushrooms, one of Alestra’s favorite things to eat. On the side was a jelly-like substance, something that made Alestra’s stomach growl in anticipation. “I do believe this will wet the palette and satisfy your hunger,” Trinity told her, handing it to Alestra.
Alestra’s face lit up with pleasure. The food was something her father would have had prepared for her, before he was killed. Tears of happiness in her eyes, she looked at Trinity. Trinity smiled back, genuinely pleased to have exactly what Alestra was wanting, even though Alestra had said nothing. “It is my pleasure, my dear. You just enjoy it. No thanks are necessary at all. Just enjoy your dinner.”
Trellyn grabbed a plate of something she would like. It involved many types of meats and pastas. She always said that she needed more protein than the average female because she had to have the balls her brother never had. She always said it with a laugh, but it was something that Temper had never found amusing. Alestra now wondered if it had to do with her Faery digestive system, since Temper also ate a great deal of meat.
Trellyn and Alestra grabbed a seat at an empty table. Alestra opened up the silverware, and immediately began to dig into the pasta. She nearly sighed out loud when the taste hit her taste buds. It was so amazingly delicious.
She held her hand up to her mouth, as she chewed, and said, not caring if someone found it rude, “Oh my gods, Trellyn, your friend … can cook! This has got to be the best thing I have ever had in my life. I have never tasted anything more delicious.”
Trellyn laughed. “She has had a lot of practice. When I said we grew up together, I do not mean that she grew up with us. She was considered an adult when Temper and I were born.” She waited until Alestra had swallowed before she continued, because she knew what she said next was going to make her choke if she had not swallowed. “And, if you want an idea of how old she is, Temper and I lived near her over three hundred years ago.”
Alestra dropped her fork to her plate with a clatter. Her jaw wide open, and face reddening, she picked her fork up. Closing her mouth, she looked around quickly to make sure no one had noticed. No one had, thankfully.
“You are three hundred years old? You sure do not look like you are.”
Trellyn laughed gleefully. “I am actually a bit older than that. An exact number would be three hundred twenty six.”
Alestra placed her hands on the table, bracing herself, so that she did not fall out of her chair. She looked at Trellyn with an extremely incredulous look on her face. She was not sure if Trellyn was just pulling her leg or if she was being completely serious.
“I am perfectly serious. I am over three hundred years old. Why would I want to lie about that? You know how we females are. We love to lie our age down, not up. So why would I lie about it this way?”
“I do not know, Trellyn, but holy shiz. All the stuff you must have seen in your life. I cannot even begin to imagine.”
Trellyn looked at her, a small frown on her face. “I would advise you not to ask or wonder. Some things are just not worth remembering, and some incidents are ones that I do not want to recall.”
Alestra nodded her head in understanding. She scooped up another bite of the pasta, making sure she got a few mushrooms. She exhaled such a sigh of divine pleasure that Trellyn could not resist laughing out loud.
“Sounds like to me that The Princess at least enjoys my favorite chef’s cooking. At least I know she will not be complaining about that any time soon.”
Alestra gasped, and sucked in her food, choking. She started coughing, hard. She winced as she felt a smack on her back, and carefully swallowed. She picked up her glass and took a few big gulps of water, in between coughing fits.
“Are you okay?” Cullum asked her, worriedly. He might not like her, but he sure did not mean to startle her and cause her to choke.
Alestra put her hand to her mouth, coughing painfully. Her face red, she looked at Cullum, who had sat in the chair next to her. She nodded, coughing on last time. “I think I am okay,” she told him, hoarsely.
“I did not mean to startle you. I have just never heard someone enjoy food quite in that way before. It must have really been good.”
Alestra laughed. The red blush had been fading but returned to full bloom knowing that Cullum had heard her reaction to the food. She was beyond doubt a woman who appreciated her food, but it sometimes embarrassed her when someone overheard her intense reactions to some foods.
Cullum laughed softly. He looked at her for the very first time, really looked at her. Her noticed her eyes, which he had thought they were just a boring grey, but now he noticed that they were more of an almost silvery color, which gold flecks swimming through the sea of silver. Her nose had a slight upturn, and when she was embarrassed, little freckles seemed to almost flash across her nose. Her mouth, while small, was perfectly shaped, her bottom lip perfectly plump, and almost kissable.
He shook his head slightly. He should not be thinking of her mouth as kissable or noticing the color of her eyes. He should be ignoring her, but he just could not bring himself to do so any longer. In a very short amount of time, she had wormed herself under his skin, without even trying. The fact that she did not try and did not have to grated on him, but not enough to make him move.
Neither one of them noticed when Trellyn quietly got out of her seat and snuck back to the room. She wondered how soon she could find Temper and tell him about what was going on between Alestra and Cullum. She was also unsure how Temper would react. Maybe she should not tell him. She shook her head and decided that, yes, she was going to tell him. He needed to know as soon as possible that he had no shot with Alestra, unless she missed her guess.
Alestra twisted a bite of the pasta, and offered it to Cullum. “Here, try this, and you will see why I could not avoid making some sort of moment over it.”
Cullum opened his mouth, and took the bite, looking deep into Alestra’s eyes. As he chewed, he watched her. He saw her eyes fall to his mouth and smiled inwardly. At least he knew that he was not the only one whose feelings might be changing, one way or another.
Alestra watched Cullum’s mouth chew the food. She stared at his mouth, wondering how it would feel on hers. The thought of it made her warm and tingly, a feeling she knew but rarely felt. She had never stayed around a man long enough for the feelings to develop, good or bad. She tended to avoid relationships with the opposite sex, except as a friend to friend basis.
Closely watching Cullum’s mouth, she did not see his eyes flicker at the intense stare she was giving him. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers. When he heard her sigh, he took advantage of the situation, and gently pressed his tongue into her mouth. She gasped slightly when she felt him flick his tongue lightly against her fangs purposefully. She gently put her hands on either side of his face, and returned the kiss.
Cullum gently removed one hand, and hooked it around his neck. He gently pulled her closer. They were so completely wrapped in each other that they did not hear the sound of someone clearing their throat.
When Cullum felt someone tapping on his shoulder, he softly pulled his mouth from Alestra’s and glared at the person tapping. His eyes widened when he realized it was Temper, and he did not look too thrilled.
Cullum removed Alestra’s arms from his neck, attempting to ignore the soft, glassy look that was in her eyes. He was just thankful that his pants fit just the right way, so that no one would see how affected he was by that single kiss. He stood up, and faced Temper’s anger, knowing how protective he was of Alestra.
He braced for the fist that he saw that Temper had raised and prepared. It never connected because Alestra had stood up and stepped between Temper and Cullum.
“Temper, cool it please, and do not do something you will regret, eventually.” Alestra had her hand resting on the fist, trusting and knowing that Temper, no matter how angry he was, would never harm her in any way.
“You have no idea about the things he said, Alestra. You trust too easily; you are too sweet, too kind. He is not one you want to be getting involved with.”
Alestra dropped her hand as Temper’s arm relaxed. “I am not getting involved. A kiss does not equal attachment. It never has, or you and I would be much more involved than we are, would we not?”
Cullum’s face darkened at the mention of any sort of involvement of the romantic kind between Alestra and Temper. He might not completely want her for himself but he sure did not like the idea of anyone else kissing, or being together with, Alestra. He most definitely did not like the idea of that person being Temper.
Temper noticed the look in Cullum’s eyes when Alestra mentioned being involved in some way with Temper, and he seemed to relax visibly. The man definitely did not like the idea of Temper and Alestra being involved, which meant that there were deeper feelings than Cullum was willing to acknowledge. In addition, if one took into account, the still flushed cheeks, and slightly swollen lips of Alestra, it would seem that Alestra also might have some deeper, hidden feelings about Cullum.
Temper gently grabbed Alestra’s hand, and held it closely to his heart. She tried tugging it back, but Temper refused to let go. Cullum growled in an almost sinister way. He reached around Alestra, and pulled her fingers from Temper’s hand. He then pulled her to his chest, and held her there. He smiled when she relaxed against him, in a very unquestioning style. Temper held up his hands in false admission of defeat. With a broad grin on his face, he walked away, in search of his own woman; the one who was carrying is child.
Alestra slowly pulled herself out of Cullum’s arms, assuming he only did it to convince Alestra that it was okay to trust him with her. She did not think it could have been because he actually wanted to hold her.
Cullum slightly protested her leaving his arms, but realized that she was right, and that they did need to break up their little ‘party’.
Alestra turned around and looked at Cullum. She was not sure what to say or what to do. All she knew was that she wanted to feel Cullum’s mouth on hers again.
Cullum saw the flash in her eyes, and knew immediately what she was thinking. He was thinking the same thing but they needed to slow down. While he would love just to jump into bed with Alestra, he also wanted to get to know her. Maybe Temper was right; maybe he did need to give Alestra a chance. Maybe he would actually like her.
Alestra stretched as she woke up. She had one of the best slumbers she could recall ever having had. She smiled broadly, as she remembered how her night had ended.
She and Cullum had finished eating. He shared a few bites of the plate he had chosen, which had been a seafood medley. One bite had gotten a little sloppy, and had caused some melted butter to drip on the tip of her chin. Cullum had reached towards her, and wiped it off with his thumb. He had then licked his thumb, almost making Alestra melt.
After dinner, he had walked her back to her room. He had given her the sweetest, most romantic kiss that she had ever experienced in her life. Just thinking about it made her feel all warm and fuzzy. She felt hot all over when she thought of Cullum’s mouth on her, in any way, form, or fashion
She wondered, though, how Cullum could from hating her one moment to kissing her the next. Then again, she had to wonder why she herself was actually behaving the same exact way.
She shook her head, and headed towards the in suite bathroom. Flipping on the light, she headed towards the sonic shower stall. She loved baths more than anything, but she was in the mood for a sonic shower. The bathroom quickly filled up with steam as Alestra deftly removed her clothes. She stepped into the stall with a deep sigh. The sonic showers never failed to rejuvenate her spirit and take away so much of her stress.
When she was finished, she walked to the sink. Grabbing some towels off the counter top, she wrapped one around her hair, and another around her body. With one of the available small hand towels, she wiped a spot on the mirror, so she could look at herself. She did not look any different, though she did feel that something had changed in her. She smiled, and proceeded to brush her teeth.
When she finished in the bathroom, she headed towards the closet. She opened it and smiled happily. Her clothes were all there. She was grateful for that, because she did not want to continue going around in the clothes she had been wearing yesterday.
She pulled out a pink and grey plaid designed button down shirt. She also grabbed a pair of dark wash jeans. She slipped on a pair of plain, solid colored underwear and a lacy bra, and then added her clothes on top, leaving the shirt unbuttoned.
As she was brushing her hair, she heard a knock on the door, and then it slid open. She turned around, smiling at Trellyn as she walked in.
Trellyn laughed when Alestra grabbed her shirt closed, and quickly buttoned it up. “Let me guess. You were expecting someone else to show up? Someone with, oh, let me guess, black hair and dreamy green eyes?”
“Oh, just you shut up, Trellyn. No, I was not expecting anyone, especially not Cullum.” She could not keep the blush from blooming on her cheeks nevertheless.
“Okay, if you say so, Allie, but I’m guessing by the bra, that you are at least hoping he will see you in it later.”
“Whatever, Trellyn, because you know as well as I do that most of my bras are like this. Even if no one sees me in them does not mean that I cannot be hot and sexy, even if it is in my own mind.”
Trellyn smiled, looking Alestra up and down. She was dressed casual, with her hair pulled up into a neat ponytail, but she still looked like sex on a stick. Trellyn had always been a little jealous with how easily sexiness came off for Alestra. For Trellyn, who believed herself to be on the unattractive end of the attractiveness scale. In her around three hundred years of “hooking up”, she had yet to really meet anyone who was worth her time, or really wanted her for her, instead of getting him in contact with her brother or someone else in her family.
Alestra smiled at Trellyn. She was dressed as she normally did. She was wearing a plain black tank top, which, as always emphasized that she had large breasts that never failed to make Alestra a little envious of her friend. She was also wearing a pair of grey colored camo cargo styled pants. Instead of her normal combat style boots, she was wearing a pair of plain black thong styled sandals, showing off her black painted toe nails. She had her short hair spiked, as normal. When she lifted up her arms to stretch a little, a little horned devil tattoo was exposed on the left side of her abdomen. It was Trellyn’s one and only tattoo and the one she was the most proud of. She always flashed it when she was in an evil mood. Alestra wondered if the flashing of it meant that she was in one now.
"So, any reason you are stopping by my room so early in the morning? I do not ever seem to recall you being up before the crack of lunch," Alestra asked with a laugh.
"Oh, you are the regular comedian this morning, are you not, Allie?"
"Not really, not that I know of. I am just wondering what you wanted this early."
Trellyn looked at her sheepishly. "Okay, if you must know the actual truth, I wanted to see if you and Cullum had decided to knock boots, or whatever."
Alestra burst out with a small laugh. "No, Cullum and I did not have sex. Oh, it could have definitely lead that way, but no, we both abstained. I am not sure that I wanted to stop, but I am glad that he did. I think," she added with a small laugh.
"You think? You are not sure if you wanted him to stop or not? Good gods, Girl, you need to get a fix on those priorities of yours."
Alestra stuck her tongue out at Trellyn. "Oh, just bite me. So I am not completely sure. I want to be sure before I take that step. I want to make sure that it is right. I want to know that I am not making some stupid mistake all over again. I do not want to rush into anything that I am not sure that I am ready for."
Trellyn held up her hands in surrender. "I give. You win. I will shut up on this issue, for now. For now, I will leave you alone on that subject, but not for long. Now, let us go and get some breakfast. I am starving. I need food, like now."
Alestra shook her head, and followed Trellyn out of the door.
Alestra and Trellyn walked into the dining hall. It was more crowded than it was before, and Trinity was not there. There was a wide selection of pastries, such as donuts, rolls, biscuits, and the like, out for those who preferred those. There were also a bunch of cereal boxes, and bowls, along with a mini refrigerated bowl holding single servings of milk products, as well as a wide assortment of fruit and vegetable juices. Alestra happily went to the cereal boxes, each one of individual size, and chose one. It was a childish choice, one chocked full of sugar and lacking in anything of substance, but it was a favorite of hers, one she did not usually partake in very often. Grabbing up a bag of milk, a bowl, a spoon, she stood to the side, waiting while Trellyn filled a plate stacked high of pastry goodies. She decided, when they got to a table, that she might just have to snag one of the donuts dripping in chocolate and covered in nuts. If she was going to be stuck on this ship, she might as well learn to enjoy it a little.
"Alestra, Trellyn, come sit over here."
Alestra looked around, and spotted Temper at a corner table. She grinned broadly when she noticed that Cullum was sitting at the table as well. Trellyn looked at her, and cocked her head towards Temper. "So, do you want to sit with the guys?" At Alestra’s small nod, they headed over to the table.
Cullum, when they came to the table, stood up, and pulled out a chair for Alestra. He would look absolutely amazing no matter what he wore, but he wowed Alestra with how great he looked. He was wearing a almost skin tight black long sleeved shirt with pockets on the sleeves, and a pair of black cargo pants, similar to Trellyn’s, but they hugged his thighs like a lover would. His feet were decked out in a pair of black combat boots. He was definitely a man who could pull off the color of black as if it was made just for him. Smiling at him, she thanked him. She grinned shyly, though, with a full on blush blooming, when he kissed the top of her head before he sat back down.
"So, did you sleep well?" Temper asked the girls.
Trellyn snorted unhappily. "It was weird. I am too used to having my own bed, and my own room, and my own crap."
Alestra rolled her eyes at Trellyn. That woman never had been able to sleep anywhere but her own space.
“Personally, I slept amazing. I have to say, though, the best part was the sonic shower this morning.” She looked at Cullum. “I have never felt a sonic shower that worked that well in my life.”
Cullum laughed. “I am glad you enjoyed it. I worked with the designer. It actually has three extra jets to make the cleaning more efficient and more pleasurable. You have to make sure you try the bath, if you enjoyed the shower that much. I have a feeling you might never want to get out once you do.”
Alestra sighed at the thought of a bath, but she never noticed one in the bathroom. “Um, there was not a bath in the bathroom.”
Cullum laughed softly. “You did not do much investigating. To make the ship more efficient, certain things become ‘fold-away’. In the bathrooms, they are hidden through the showers. The shower transforms into a tub. Maybe I can show you later on how it works,” he added softly.
Temper cleared his throat. Alestra laughed, and opened up her box of cereal. She dumped it into the bowl, and then easily tore open the milk and poured it on top of the cereal.
Temper, pointing at the cereal, asked, “You still eat that crap? Good gods, I thought you quit that shit.”
Alestra took a bite of her cereal, chewing deliberately at Temper. “Mmm, this is just oh so good,” she said after she swallowed.
Cullum laughed, watching Temper roll his eyes. “Well, at least she gives as good as she gets with you, Temp.”
Temper flipped off Cullum smoothly. Then looked at his sister, who was pretending to innocently eat her donuts. Reaching over, he snagged one, and took a bite. Trellyn’s eyes narrowed. “Boy, that had better be the last donut you steal, or it will be the last thing you ever eat. You know I do not tolerate people taking my food.”
While she was telling Temper this, Alestra slowly slid her fingers across the table, and slipped a donut off the plate. She quickly took a bite, knowing that the only thing Trellyn hated more than people taking her food was eating something people had already taken a bite of.
“Alestra Seraphim Silvergust, you rotten sticking bitch just stole a donut!”
Alestra laughed as she swallowed. She loved to work up Trellyn by stealing some food. She knew that if there was one person or being that could get away with it, it was her, but it was still so much entertaining.
“Ooh, say it again, please. I love it when you use my middle name. I feel like a little girl in trouble.”
Alestra laughed harder at Trellyn’s growl of frustration. She took another bite of the donut and then offered it back to Trellyn.
“Would you like it back?” she asked.
Trellyn made gagging noises and shook her head violently, making Alestra snigger some more. Just as she had thought, Trellyn definitely did not want the donut back after a bite had already been taken out of it.
“Just fuck you all. You guys are just serious shit heads, you know that right?”
Alestra attempted to sober up and soothe her friend. “Oh, come on, Trellyn, I am only kidding, you know that. I would never deliberately do anything that would hurt you. You are just so easy to tease. You leave yourself open with your lack of variation.”
“Oh, now you are going to call me boring,” Trellyn asked with a very un-Trellyn like pout.
“No, I would not go that far. Considering you are pouting, and I do not believe I have ever seen you pout since I have known you.”
Temper piped up with a “She has never pouted in her life,” which made Trellyn pout even more. Her pouting actually got the table to laugh more, which did not make Trellyn any happier.
Alestra stopped laughing, and reached over and touched Trellyn’s hand. “Hey, hon, we are just joking. The ability to know exactly what makes you tick is what makes us great friends. Come on, you know you like to pick on my strange personality quirks. Including the one we were discussing in my room when you showed up.”
Trellyn smiled and laughed lightly, remembering their discussion on the subject of Alestra’s bras. “Yes, I do believe you are right. It is still not nice to take someone’s food though. How would you feel if I started stealing your bras?”
Alestra laughed lightly. “Truthfully, I do not know why you would want to do that. You without a doubt would not fit into them. You are several cup sizes larger than me.”
Cullum rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pretending to mentally measure the size of each woman’s breasts. “Yeah, I will have to agree. Trellyn definitely has the gift of larger breasts.”
Alestra looked at Cullum with a mock glare. “Oh, now you are looking at another woman’s breasts, and comparing me to them? Wow, you are a very finicky man,” she added with a laugh.
Cullum held his hands up in mock surrender. “Hey, I was just adding a male’s perspective. If Temper would have said something, you both would have been running away, because that would just be super creepy.”
Alestra laughed, thinking that what Cullum said was most likely true. Temper commenting on the size of Trellyn’s breasts would just be insanely weird.
“Okay, I will give you that,” she told Cullum with a smile. “But, next time, if you are going to comment on another female’s breasts, you might want to try doing it a little better,” she added with a laugh.
Cullum leaned back in his seat, and laid his arm across the back of Alestra’s chair. He was enjoying this moment between his friends, and really seeing Alestra in a new light. He was starting to see how completely and totally wrong he was about her. She might be a Vampiric Human, but she was not like the Vampiric Humans that killed his family. She was more than just her breed. She was sweet and kind. She had a sense of humor. She had a sense of honor and she was extremely loyal to her friends. He would be lucky to be on the receiving end of that loyalty. He in some ways wished he could take back what he had said, what he had thought, but he could not. He hoped he would at least be given the chance to make up for the things he had done and said.
Temper and Trellyn finished eating quickly and left the table. Temper headed towards the front of the ship, to get things prepped and ready for their leaving. He had to work with Lasiandra some more, so he was hoping that that time together would force her to at least listen to him. If all else failed, he would at least have a chance to spend some time with her. He was worried that she was doing too much and taking too much on, and he did not want to risk her health or the health of their child. He just had to find a way of doing so, without her really realizing it, or else he would be in for a world of hurt and pain.
Trellyn headed back towards her room. She had a few work related things that she had to do. She was a freelance writer, and had a few assignments that she was able to pick up. She preferred to have them completed before they left the planet, just in case they ended up out of range for her to send them off. It was not likely, but there was always that chance, and Trellyn was never one to leave a thing to chance.
Alestra had also finished her breakfast, and leaned back against the back of her chair and Cullum’s arm. She smiled brightly at the young teen that had come around and picked up the used dishes. Cullum chuckled quietly at the young man’s quick flush that was brought on by Alestra’s smile. He had been on the receiving end of that smile a few times already and he knew what the boy was feeling. That smile was powerful, and could knock a person off their feet if they were not paying attention.
Cullum began to fiddle gently with some strands of her gorgeous red hair. It was the color of fire, and Cullum had almost expected it to burn him. It suited her personality though. She looked quiet and innocent on the outside, but she was definitely a wild card who possibly could be incredibly unpredictable.
Alestra turned her head and looked at him. She blushed at the look in his eyes. He was looking at her as if she was the juiciest desert, and he was a starving man. Well, starving man might be an apt description. She definitely understood completely what he was feeling. She wanted to be anywhere but in this room. She wanted to drag him to somewhere more private. She wanted to peel off his clothes, slowly removing each article and kiss and lick each and every inch that was exposed.
Cullum watched Alestra’s eyes flare, and had a feeling on what she was thinking. He wanted to just flash them to her room, his room, an empty hallway, anywhere, and strip her down. He wanted her naked, and he wanted her now. He could not remember the last time he had wanted a woman as much as he wanted this woman. He would kill to have her, he knew. He would die to protect her.
Cullum quickly stood up and grabbed Alestra’s hand. Getting out of her seat, she followed where he lead. They made it to an empty hallway, and he stopped. He released her hand, and then he reached up and cupped her face. Pressing his lips to hers, he gently forced her back towards the wall. He easily pried her mouth open, and speared his tongue in, flicking it against hers. She moaned and reached up her arms, locking them around his neck, and driving her hands into his hair.
He released her face, and slid his hands down her neck, to her shoulders. He slid them down to cup her breasts through her shirt. She jumped slightly, releasing another moan, as her skin goose bumped from the sensations. He tore his mouth from hers, and placed them on the side of her neck. Her head fell back, resting on the wall as she pulled gently on his hair, and his fingers moved to the buttons on her shirt.
When he had worked a few buttons loose, he reached down and cupped her hips. Gently, he lifted her up against the wall, and held her up with his hips. He pressed his lips to the swell of her breast over the bra cup. Alestra gently grabbed his hair, pulling his head up towards her.
“I think we should head to a room before this gets too far. I am all for public places, but this is a little too public for my tastes,” she told him, gently kissing his lips.
Pressing his lips to her, Cullum willed himself, and her, to her room. They landed gently on the top of her bed, with the covers already pulled back.
She withdrew her lips from his with a gasp. “Those are some powers you have there,” she told him with a grin. Her grin broadened when her clothes completely disappeared, along with his. She gasped at the feel of his naked body against hers, loving it.
Cullum slid his hands under her hips and gently lifted her against him. At her sigh of intense gratification, he grinned broadly. He pressed his lips to the nipple on one of her breasts and suckled gently.
Alestra cried out slightly, overcome by the sensations of his mouth on her. She was not sure how much more she could take.
Cullum released her hips, slid his hands up, and released her breast from his mouth. He slid his hands up to cup her face. He pressed his lips to hers, nibbling on her bottom lip lightly. She lifted her body gently off the bed, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Cullum growled lightly, loving the feel of her pressing her body to his. She felt just absolutely amazing, and he could not believe how freely she gave of herself.
Alestra focused on the sensations that Cullum was creating in her body. He never kept his mouth in the same place for long, and the sensations of his mouth moving was driving her completely insane, or so she thought. He continued to drive her crazy, working her up, and slowly bringing her back down before she could complete a single thought.
Finally, she felt herself starting to slide over the edge. Finally, she felt him gently nudge her opening with the tip of his arousal. He stopped, and looked at her, a question in his eyes. She smiled at him, in reassurance. “I am safe. I am protected. You have nothing to worry about with anything like that,” she told him with confidence.
When she said that, he slid completely in, and she almost screamed at the sensation. She focused on the feeling of him gently rocking her. She felt the pressure building and buried her face in Cullum’s neck. As the pressure continued to build, she opened her mouth, and gently bit his neck, and then alternately licking where she bit, soothing the spot. Cullum growled, rocking harder.
When the pressure culminated into a fierce orgasm, Cullum followed her over, both of them shuddering in the aftermath of an explosive reaction.
Cullum collapsed onto the bed next to Alestra. He pulled her to his side with a sigh. She wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest. She kept her chin on his chest and looked up at him, with a wide smile on her face.
“Oh my gods, wow,” she said with a sigh, and a hint of a laugh. Her brain could not quite function after such an intense reaction.
Cullum laughed gently, and lifted his hand to gently brush her hair out of her eyes. He loved her hair, but he did not want it blocking his view of her beautiful green eyes.
Alestra laid her cheek down on Cullum’s chest, just listening to his heart beat in her ear. She could not believe that she was here, in this bed, with him. She could not believe that she had slept with him after what he had said, and what he had believed, but she knew, deep down in her heart, that he no longer believed the things that he had said. She knew, without a doubt, that he definitely regretted what he had said, and that given the chance, he most likely would apologize and ask for her forgiveness. If nothing else, she knew that he would at least not say something of the same ilk to her again. If he did, it would be out of another emotion other than the ones he had felt when he had said them to her the first time.
Cullum looked down at the top of Alestra’s head. He could not believe they had slept together. No, they had not slept together. They had not had sex. It had been more than that. It had not just been absolutely amazing sex. It had been making love. There was no other way to describe what had happened. They had made love. They had become one person in that moment of fulfillment.
Cullum slowly slid up the bed, sitting up against the headboard. He pulled Alestra with him. She rested comfortably against his side. He bent his head down and kiss the top of her head. She sighed contentedly, and snuggled closer against him.
Cullum cleared his throat, and Alestra sat up a little straighter. She started to pull away from him, but he held her to him. “No, do not leave. I just need to say something.” He took a deep breath. It was obvious that he was not quite sure how to begin.
“Cullum, please, just say whatever you need to say. If you want to leave, feel free. I will not hold you to any sort of commitments.”
Cullum growled, and turned his head towards her. “No, that is not what I am wanting to say. I am wanting to apologize for what I said when we first met. I want to apologize for the things that I have said since. You did not deserve to have any of that said to you. You did not deserve the way I treated you.”
Alestra shook her head. “While the things you said were completely cruel, I do understand the reason you were so hostile to me. As you know, Trellyn did tell me about your family. I am so sorry for what happened to you, and to them, and for the Vampiric Human part in them. The only thing I did not understand was why you hated me for it, but you were friends with Temper. That was the only part that had me confused.”
Cullum leaned his head back against the headboard. He took a deep breath and thought about his answer carefully. To be truthful, even just to himself, the reason he had acted with such hostility towards Alestra was because of the instant attraction that he had felt for her, and his dislike of it. Looking down at her, he wondered why he had hated the attraction. Considering where it had led, maybe if he had not acted like a complete fool when he had first met her, maybe they would have ended up here a lot sooner, a little faster.
“I do not really understand it either. I have no idea why I acted as I did. Okay, I need to be honest, completely honest. I acted like an ass because I was instantly attracted to you. I wanted you so badly I could not see straight, and I do not understand why, but it bothered me. It pissed me off. I know I am an idiot but that is the totally honest and complete truth.”
Alestra leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “As long as you never treat me like that again, I will not hold it against you.”
Cullum lifted his hand and held it her cheek, holding her to him. He was amazed at how forgiving and generous Alestra could be. He had no idea what he had done to ever deserve to even breathe the same air as someone as generous as she was, but he was not going to do anything to knock it. He was just going to accept it, and relish in how fortunate he was.
He happened to look up and gasped at the time. He had to get up to the front of the ship, because they were going to be leaving the space dock in less than three hours, and he had a large number of prep work things that he had to do, along with making sure the rest of his crew had everything set and ready to go.
“I do not want you to take this the wrong way but I have to go. As you know, I will not be going far, but I do have to get things ready for us to take off.”
Alestra eased her body away from him, shivering slightly when the cool air of the room hit the parts of her that Cullum’s body had warmed. He leaned over and kissed her lips. She slid down the bed, lying completely down. Cullum climbed over her, his body hardening again, and rested his body onto hers. She wrapped her arms around him, and lifted her hips, nearly begging him to enter her, and to bring her another amazing release.
Cullum groaned as he heard the pager device in the pocket of his pants, which had materialized on the floor when he had removed them. Grumbling under his breath, he climbed off the bed. Alestra leaned on her elbow, watching him walk, gloriously naked, to his pants.
Flipping open the device, Cullum responded, harshly, “What the hell do you want, Temper? It had better be so fucking important that it happens to involve someone dying. If not, it will be you that will be wishing that you had been dead.”
Alestra heard Temper clear his throat through the earpiece but nothing else. She watched Cullum attempt to put on his clothes while talking to Temper. She wondered why he did not just poof them on like he had poofed them off, but she figured that he had a good reason. On the other hand, it could be possible that he just was not thinking completely clearly.
“Yes, Temper, I will be up there soon. I am hoping that you would have enough brains to be able to figure out how to walk through the pre-flight shit. You are always telling me that I should let someone else do something. Well, now is your chance to prove me wrong that I am the only one who can do it correctly. Prove to me that I do need to take a step back and maybe, just maybe, I will let you have some more power.”
He closed the device and looked back at Alestra, who had not covered herself. He visibly shuddered as he looked her over, the burn of lust bright in his eyes, and visible in his well cut pants.
“Good gods, Alestra, but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
Alestra blushed and sat up in the bed, breasts proudly exposed, and nipples tight. Cullum groaned in frustration. All he really wanted to do was strip his clothes back off and climb back into the bed with Alestra. Sadly, though, he had things he had to do. He had to do his job, and he had to get Alestra to her assigned destination.
“Gorgeous, you are a temptation that I can just barely resist. I really do not want to leave your sexy self but I have to. I might have given Temper the impression that I trust him with the pre-flight stuff, but he has a few things on his mind that just might make him a little forgetful and I cannot risk anyone’s safety on a half assed pre flight plan.
Alestra slowly slid the sheet up to cover herself, with a broad smile on her face. No man had ever even hinted that she was practically irresistible, and she enjoyed it.
Cullum walked over to her, and leaned down. He kissed her quickly on the mouth and practically ran for the door, as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. On the other hand, as if he did not leave, he was going to continue what he had started before Temper had interrupted them.
Alestra leaned back on the pillows and sighed happily. She was amazed at how well she felt. She could not believe how relaxed she felt. She also could not believe how completely turned on she was still was. She closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion begin to take hold. She must have been more tired than she had thought because within minutes, she was out, sleeping hard and sleeping easily.
She looked around, wondering where she was. This was not the room she had fallen asleep in. She looked around again, trying to figure out if she recognized where she was. It looked like her room before her mother had redecorated her room after her father’s murder. She had loved the way that room had been decorated, but her mother had hated it. Her mother had hated everything her father had done. She had honestly believed as a child that it was her mother’s fault that her father was murdered.
She sat up quickly when she heard two voices outside of her room. It was her mother’s, but the other voice was not her father’s. Her mother and her father were the only ones who were supposed to be home at this time of night, and her father was not at home, because he was out of town. Who was out there with her mother? All Alestra knew and understood was that it was male, and he was speaking the language of the Elven Humans, something her mother had said Alestra was too young to learn, though other classmates had been taking courses in it at school.
She slowly and quietly climbed out of her bed, and tip toed to her door. She cracked it open, and quietly gasped when she saw her mother. She was wrapped around a male who was not her father. She had her legged wrapped around the male and he was pressing her to the wall.
She heard her mother say, “Oh, yes, there, push right there,” and Alestra quickly closed the door. She had heard things in her school, and she knew what her mother was doing. She was cheating on her father. She was going to break his heart.
Alestra climbed into her bed. She huddled under the covers, crying. She soaked her pillow with her tears, and had teeth marks on her hands from shoving it in her mouth to muffle her tears.
She awoke, completely aware that she needed to tell her father what she had seen, but he was not going to be home for another three days. He was away on business, and would only be home early if it went better than expected. Since that happened very rarely, Alestra worried that he would actually be home later than expected rather than early.
She went over to her desk and pulled out her laptop. She loved that her family was able to let her have one, especially since it was an easy way for her to keep in contact with her father during his very frequent business trips.
She frowned as her computer turned on. She opened up her contact mail program, and frowned when it said it was blocked. She considered throwing it, because she needed to contact her father, but throwing it would do nothing. It was not the computer’s fault.
Why could she not contact her father? Did her mother know what she had seen? She had not thought so, but it was possible.
Alestra was woken from her dream with a knock on the door. She had not dreamt that dream about the life that she had had before her father had died often. She tended to block out that life, because it seemed to bring her nothing but heart ache.
She walked to her closet, naked, and grabbed a robe out of it. Quickly walking to the door, which the person on the other side was still knocking at insistently, she opened it. Standing on the other side was Trellyn, with tears in her eyes, and they were swollen and red.
Alestra gasped at the sight of her friend, especially the condition that she was in currently. She had never seen Trellyn cry. She had sometimes wondered if she actually ever did.
Trellyn walked into the room, and flopped in the chair right inside the door. She looked at the bed, noticing the disarray of the sheets, and correctly guessing what had occurred.
Alestra sat on the floor at Trellyn’s feet, taking great care that her robe stayed closed. “Trellyn, what is wrong? I have never once seen you cry. Seeing you doing so really scares me, and I do not like the idea of something bothering you enough that it makes you cry.”
Trellyn hiccupped and then the story poured out of her, almost tripping over the words as she forced them to come out.
“I do not know what is wrong with me. I find a guy that I like, and instead of flirting, I attempt to kick his ass. I always have to act tough and strong. I never let him feel like he wears the pants. I always treat them as if they wear skirts. I always treat them as if they are morons.
“Okay, maybe most men are morons, but I should not treat them all like that, right?”
She did not let Alestra say anything and instead just plowed on through, and continued talking. She was continuing to surprise Alestra time after time, because Alestra had never seen Trellyn show emotion, nor had she ever seen her act like her lack of a relationship with a male bothered her, or that she was unsure of how to do anything to make a relationship work.
“I have no idea what to do. I have no idea how to be ‘female’. I am an idiot when it comes to that. As you know, I grew up with all males, minus Trinity. Trinity was just, well, she was Trinity. She was there, but she was much older, and was not really an example for being female. Anyways, I do not know what to do. I feel like an idiot when I am around a male of worth, one that I want to be around for any significant amount of time.
“I do not know what to do, at all.”
Alestra rested her hand on Trellyn’s knee, in comfort. “But why are you stressing on this now? Did something happen that I do not know about? Did you meet someone that you might want to spend a significant amount of time with; someone you deem worthy?”
Trellyn nodded sadly, more tears trickling out of her eyes. She looked so defeated that Alestra wished she could just wave a wand and make her more comfortable around males.
“Do you know anything about him? Maybe you can find some common ground on things you both like to do. It helps to start things off a little slow. You do not want to rush into something.”
Trellyn looked at Alestra, eyeing the robe and nodding at the bed. “Do you mean how you and Cullum took things slow?”
Alestra laughed, as Trellyn had intended. “Cullum and I probably should have taken things a little slower, but I do not regret how things ended up. I think that might be the difference between us, and what has happened with you. Speaking of, what did happen to you?”
Trellyn closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. “That is the thing. Absolutely nothing has happened. I met him after we arrived on the ship. He is a friend of Temper’s and I had seen him before. Temper told me that he was a great man, and very loyal. You know the kind of male that a brother would want his sister to date. I thought maybe he was hinting that I should check him out.
“Well, I did that when I finally met him. The man blew me off. He took one look at me, and literally just walked away. I have no idea why he did that though. I want to know why he did that.”
Alestra slowly and carefully stood up. Trellyn lifted her head and opened her eyes. She looked at Alestra, who had a smile on her face. Trellyn knew that smile and smiled one of her own back. She got up, and quickly hugged Alestra, surprising her. Another thing Trellyn was not known for was being affectionate. She definitely was not a hugger.
“I am going to find this bastard and find out why he walked away. If he does not like me, that is perfectly okay, but I want him to tell me to my face. I want him to tell me why he walked away, and I will not leave him alone until he gives me a reason. Not until he gives me the real and true reason.”
With that, Trellyn left the room. Alestra shook her head as her friend left. She was glad that she, even without saying much, was able to help her friend with her problem. She hoped that Trellyn would get the answers that she wanted, or that she would at least get the truth she so desired.
Alestra walked over to the pile of her clothes and picked them up. Placing them on the bed, she slipped off the robe, and placed it on the bed as well.
She quickly pulled her clothes back on, and stripped the sheets. She tossed the down the laundry chute that was in the room. She rummaged around the room, and finally found a drawer that had sheets and the other necessary bedding items.
She quickly made up the bed, smiling as she did so. Her mother would so just be having some sort of conniption fit if she saw the work that she was doing that her mother always considered ‘beneath’ her. She shook her head. Her mother had always been a stuck up bitch. She was glad that she had taken after her father. She was thankful for the influence of her grandmother.
Her grandmother had been level headed. She had taught Alestra how to be self sufficient and how to do things that her mother would have flipped if she knew that Alestra knew how to do them. Courtesy of her grandmother, Alestra was able to cook. She knew how to do her own laundry. She did not have to rely on paying someone to do her cleaning. She could do whatever she wanted. She was proud of her what she had accomplished.
Her grandmother had left her money when she had died, which was how Alestra was able to open her store, including the café. Her grandmother had been the only one who had believed that she could make it work. Thinking of her store, she wondered what would happen to it. She had no idea how long she was going to be gone, and she worried about how hard it would be for her to recover when she came back from the lost business. If she happened to be closed for too long, even her repeat customers would be reluctant to come back, considering she disappeared without a trace, pretty much.
She sighed sadly as she thought of the idea of losing her business. She did not want to think of it, but she did not have much of a choice. Something was going to happen, and not in a good way, if her worst fears were realized.
She thought of her store. It was her pride and joy. She spent most nights there, instead of her house, because it was a lot of worthwhile work. Everything basically revolved around the store and the running of it, and at the time, she did not mind. She hated that she sometimes had to cancel plans with Temper and / or Trellyn, but her business was all she had. She had no real relationship with her siblings. They wanted nothing to do with her because she worked for her money, instead of relying on someone to hand it to her. She had nothing in common with them, because of that. Trellyn and Temper understood, though, at least they claimed to have. She sometimes wondered if they were only saying that to just ‘keep the peace’ but she doubted it. They also worked for their own livings, so they did at least understand that.
She looked around the room, thinking about her office at the store. They were both painted in similar colors. Even the bed had a similar bedding and sheet set as what she had at home. She was actually amazed at how well suited the room was to her. She wondered who had decorated the room, and she wondered if it was colored and done in a way that suited her tastes so perfectly for a reason or if it just happened to be one big coincidence. She did not dwell too hard on it. She was not too worried about a painted wall and some bedding. She had other things she was worried about that were more important.
She could not understand what she was going to do while she was on the ship. She had nothing really to do. She did not want to just wonder around like an idiot, but she did not want to just hang out in the room all day. She remembered seeing the door for the gym on her way to the mess hall this morning, so maybe now would be a good time for a work out. She was used to working out on a daily basis, even when she was at the store, courtesy of a treadmill and a shower in her office.
She quickly stripped off the clothes that she had put on twice already, quickly folded them, and placed them on the bed. She found a pair of her folded top, black and pink yoga pants and slipped them on. She stripped out of her bra, and found the matching pink and black sports bra. While putting it on, she went on the hunt for a basic tee to toss over the bra, so that she was not walking around the ship in just a bra and pants. Finding it, she tossed it on the bed. She grabbed a pair of socks, and slipped them on quickly. She almost did a happy dance when she saw that her running shoes had been brought aboard, along with her cross trainers. Trellyn always mocked her for her having several pairs of tennis shoes, but she had her reasons. They each had a specific purpose, and she was not about to risk injury just because it was easier to have one pair of sneakers.
Slipping on the shoes, making sure they had been tied tightly, she grabbed up the shirt, and headed out the door. Slipping on the shirt as she walked out the door, she headed towards the gym. Before she left, she made sure she grabbed her music player. There was nothing worse than having to try to run without having something to listen to, or some sort of beat to keep one moving.
She walked into the gym and proceeded to drop the music player on the floor. Standing between two treadmills was Trellyn, and a male. At least Alestra thought it was a male. Trellyn was so wrapped around the person that Alestra could not tell the exact sex. Considering that Trellyn and the person were kissing, Alestra just assumed it was a male. She was not going to stick around and find out for sure. She quietly picked up the music player and backed out of the door.
Alestra wondered what she should do, since the gym could now be considered occupied. She shrugged her shoulders and headed back towards her room. She had no idea how to keep herself entertained. She was already completely and totally bored out of her mind.
She arrived in her room, and nearly screamed from fright. Standing in the room was Temper. What was the deal with the Faery siblings coming to her today? She wondered what he wanted.
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Argh! I hate how it cuts off when I’m really getting into it! You’re torturing me, you know that, right?
Twitter: SarahCB1208
says:
That just means you have to tune in next week
Alestra slowly pulled herself out of Cullum’s arms, assuming he only did it to convince Alestra that it was okay to trust him with her.
I think you mean Temper, not Alestra the second time.
Twitter: SarahCB1208
says:
Probably, but no editing until Dec. 01