Just a Kiss [The Tiburon Duet] Read online

  "Love shouldn't be a factor in deciding the next Queen of Tiburon. You aren't even a citizen. You will never be qualified to rule. The best you can hope for is conjuxtrix. Why do you wish to be only the conjuxtrix to the king of another planet?"

  "What's a conjuxtrix?” Gabrielle thought it sounded slightly dirty. Like mistress or whore.

  "It means unsuitable life partner of the king.” Lena's lips curled with disgust.

  "Does this happen often? Kings choosing unsuitable mates, that is?"

  "Almost never. It's only used when a regent is already married and ascends to the throne, like a second or third child taking power when the firstborn is killed or dies unexpectedly."

  "Well, I don't care if I become queen or conjuxtrix. I just want to be with Keller."

  "I do not understand you at all. You do not wish to be queen, yet you will prostitute yourself for the king's pleasure. You should be sent away. I am the best choice to be Keller's queen.” Lena took an offensive step closer as the last word of her tirade escaped her lips.

  The over-warm liquid in the cup Gabrielle held sloshed over the rim and onto her hands as she took a step away from Lena's advancing form.

  "Stay back! You may be taller, but I know karate."

  Lena's perfect eyebrows curved up into a questioning stare. She obviously didn't know what karate was or the accompanying threat.

  Gabrielle rolled her eyes. Hard to threaten someone if they didn't understand what was said. Yet, Lena retreated a step and eyed the cup in Gabrielle's hand again.

  The chime sounded once before the outer door slid open and Crag came in. He was holding an identical steaming cup.

  "Lena, you should not be here,” he said as he crossed over to where they stood with battle lines drawn.

  "I was just leaving.” Lena gave Gabrielle one last, contemptuous, head-to-toe appraisal, still finding her lacking, if her sneer was any indication. Her eyes rested a couple of beats on the cup again, then she stiffened her back and turned to go.

  Gabrielle watched her leave without comment. She then promptly traded cups with Crag.

  "I wouldn't drink that if I were you,” she said. Crag looked thoughtfully at the brew Lena had brought as if contemplating Gabrielle's unspoken accusation. He then smiled slowly as if very amused by her statement, but he didn't respond. He took the cup Lena brought her and placed it in the bathroom. He then returned and posted himself at her door like a sentry.

  Gabrielle took a single, relaxing breath and sampled the spicy orange brew. The warmth of the tea spread down her throat into her chest and down to her stomach. She relaxed measurably and went to sit on the edge of the slab bed.

  She got comfortable and took another long drink of the tea. Soon, the notion of a nap became very appealing. Her day had been strange, long, and fraught with drama at every turn. It was a wonder she wasn't comatose.

  "I wanted to ask you about my dog, Skippy."

  "What's a dog skippy?” His arms were crossed over his massive chest as he stood guard and watched her closely.

  "He's my pet. Keller said you were responsible for trips to Earth. Maybe you could get him for me, or find him a good home there."

  "Perhaps. Is this important to you?"

  "Yes, I don't want to leave him alone.” She couldn't stop the big yawn that came on all of a sudden.

  "You look like you need to rest,” Crag said. He wandered closer to her seated position on the bed.

  "I am a little tired from my day,” she said as a wave of dizziness came over her. She held up her cup and sniffed it. Damn, did this tea contain alcohol or something? She was getting a great buzz.

  "The cup Lena brought you was not poisoned, you know."

  "What? How do you know?"

  "She does not have the means to acquire any drugs. Amusingly, I do. My uncle is a healer.” Crag stepped dangerously close to her wobbly position on the bed.

  Gabrielle tried not to panic when she realized she couldn't feel her legs anymore. She looked at Crag and then at the cup she'd nearly finished as the horrible realization came over her.

  She was too stupid to live after all.

  "You poisoned me?” she croaked.

  "No, it's something to make you fall into a deep sleep for travel. You will remain in suspended animation on your journey back to Earth. I'm sorry it has to be this way."

  "I love Keller. Why would you do this?” The numbness she experienced traveled from her hips to waist and continued ascending rapidly.

  "I was directed by the Queen, but I agree with this plan. Our planet has been at peace for over a hundred years. Before that, we spent five hundred years of fighting, strife and war. I will not see Tiburon plunged into civil unrest because Keller was forced to take an alien vita parcere, especially because I left you alone with him while his barrier was down. I am doing my duty by protecting my future king.

  "Do not worry. You will return back in time to the exact moment you jumped on our platform. If you have memories of Tiburon, I hope you come to believe they were only dreams."

  "How can you put me back in time?” Gabrielle's arms went weak. He grabbed the cup from her right before it fell. She slumped backwards onto the bed, staring at the plain, white ceiling above. She could no longer move her head, and her face was numb.

  "We have the ability to manipulate time as long as we take care to avoid paradoxes. Our race operates on a different time space reality than yours, making it even easier for us to come and go from Earth and other planets we survey. You should also know—the Council of Elders will not authorize Keller to come back to Earth for you, so don't wait for him. Lena is going to be his life partner now. One day, he will be king, with or without a queen who loves him."

  "But I was running for my life from a bad man right before I jumped on your platform. Now, he'll get me and...” unspeakable things will take place.

  She finished silently because she could no longer speak. Tears spilled down her face until she could no longer hold her eyes open. Her last vision was of Crag and the troubled look slanting his harsh features.

  I love you, Keller, was her last conscious thought before the lights in her brain went out.

  Chapter Ten

  After leaving Gabrielle, Keller sauntered back to his private quarters to wait for the Council to grant his appeal. It was only a formality. He was certain he'd win.

  Sybille had found the pretext appeal he'd used. They couldn't send her back if she were in imminent danger and could die upon her return. A probability of outcome would be established. If Gabrielle were about to die from an attack as she indicated, then she could remain on Tiburon and life partner with him. His confidence propelled him to his desk to further plan their future. There would be much to do in the coming weeks.

  Keller resigned himself long ago to the fact he would be king, but until now, he never looked forward to it. His mother would retain power until her death, but going forward, he would further immerse himself in matters of the kingdom, taking on more responsibility as time marched on. Gabrielle becoming his queen added a colorful future element to his reign.

  Unorthodox, perhaps, but exciting nonetheless.

  His thoughts drifted back to her parting gesture as Sybille pulled him out of the visitor's quarters. By pressing fingers to her lips and directing her breath to send the suggestive touch to him across the room was the highest form of affection and fidelity one could express to a lover.

  Whether she understood or not, she'd told him he was the only man for her. The literal meaning said she'd rather die than have any other but him for a mate forever. He'd been taken completely by surprise. He knew he should have returned the gesture because it was exactly his feeling for her, but Sybille slammed the adjoining door before he could reciprocate.

  However, he had time. The next time he saw Gabrielle, he'd respond in kind and make sure she understood the meaning. That would be the first lesson in a long line he'd take great pleasure in teaching her. He would show her she was not only his life pa
rtner but also his vita-matia. His life mate.

  Being life mates meant theirs was a love match. If he lost her, there would never be another for him for the rest of his life.

  The bell rang, signaling someone at the entrance to his quarters. Keller crossed the room and opened the door to a stern-faced Crag. He looked past his friend for Gabrielle, but she wasn't with him.

  "Is the Council ready to meet?” Keller asked. Perhaps she was already waiting in the council chambers.

  "There has been a development. I volunteered to speak to you about it."

  "Has the Council of Elders reached a verdict on my pretext appeal?"

  "Not exactly,” Crag said evenly. “It remains undecided, but something has happened to make the decision irrelevant."

  Keller watched the strange actions of his lifelong friend. A gut sick feeling pummeled him low and deep. Something was wrong. “Where is Gabrielle?"

  "Keller, please listen to me..."

  "Where is she?” His voice rose to a shout.

  "She's gone."

  "What? Where could she go?” Keller's mind flashed on her exiting the space station environment the planet of Tiburon existed in, wondering if she wandered out in their harsh, mountainous terrain, lost and cold and all alone.

  "She asked me about her pet ... Scrappy."

  "Skippy."

  Crag grunted. “She wanted to go back for him, so I sent her."

  "What have you done?” Keller was beside himself with fury. “When is she coming back?” Even as he asked, he knew in his soul she'd been banished forever. He forced his body to remain upright as the rage and the feeling of loss engulfed him.

  "I'm truly sorry, Keller. She will not return. The Queen feels it's best. With all due respect to you, but I concurred with the Queen's assessment in this matter."

  Keller was at a total loss for words, and yet, a single word bounced around in his mind over and over again. Betrayal. He'd been betrayed not only by his best friend but also by his mother.

  "Send me back to Earth."

  "The Council of Elders has forbidden any further trips to Earth pending consideration of—"

  Keller launched himself at his lifelong friend, intent on maiming him. Crag deflected his rush, and he missed crashing into a wall.

  "Keller, please do not do this. You are more a brother to me than my own flesh and blood."

  Keller righted himself and leaned against the door. “She is my vita-matia."

  "An alien vita-matia."

  "Send me back or else—"

  "I beg you to reconsider. Do not test the patience of the Queen or the Council further. I do not want to hurt you, but I am compelled to ask you to see reason."

  "Ask me to see reason? Any life without Gabrielle will be meaningless for me. Leave me. I do not wish to be disturbed by you any further.” Keller pushed himself from against the closed door and strode angrily towards his desk. Inside, he tried to keep himself from slumping to the floor in an undignified heap as he loudly grieved his loss.

  "How can you say that to me?” Crag seemed at a loss for a moment. “I spent my whole life to serve you. How long have we spent together in training for your birthright and ascension to be king? Yours has the potential to be the greatest kingship in history. I do not wish to see you discard it to make up for the disgraceful actions of one alien female's horrendous error of judgment.

  "Please understand. It would have been a huge, tactical mistake to force her into being your queen. Beyond that, I do not wish to see you, my Crown Prince, being made a laughingstock in your future kingdom."

  "I do not care about being a laughingstock if it saves her life. How could you send her back to her death?” Keller took a forceful step in Crag's direction, closing this short distance between them.

  Crag did not look him in the eye. His hands, still at his sides, clenched once and released. “She does not die. I checked the probability of outcome data."

  Keller stepped aggressively forward. “How did she escape the attack?"

  Crag remained silent.

  "Tell me.” Keller growled and grabbed the front of Crag's uniform, pulling him closer.

  Crag broke from his hold and took a step back, piercing Keller with a sharp gaze. “She does not escape the attack, but she survives it. She was discovered before her attacker...” Crag looked down at the floor and sighed, “...killed her."

  "What aren't you telling me?"

  Crag raised his eyes to Keller's solemnly. “She was hurt very badly, but as I told you, she survives. The Council will vote against your pretext of appeal since she will not lose her life. I took the liberty of polling the Elders before coming here."

  Keller wanted to die. Gabrielle would survive, but without him. “She deserves a better fate than mere survival."

  "Let it go, Keller,” Crag said softly. “Let the alien go. You have responsibilities here, and with utmost respect, it's time you focus on them."

  "Leave me."

  "The Queen has requested I bring you to join her so you may announce your life partnership to Lena today. The Queen felt it would be best to avoid further scandal. The citizens are in an uproar over the alien's presence."

  "Her name is Gabrielle, not alien.” Keller sent a warning glance to Crag who was completely unmoved by it. His face remained even and reflected a quiet determination.

  "Please come along. Tame the masses with your engagement to Lena, and then all will be as it should. You'll see. Everything will work out."

  Keller didn't respond to Crag. He turned away from his future commander at arms and exited his quarters, fighting the tumultuous struggle that raged within him. He was beyond devastated over the fact that he'd never see Gabrielle ever again. His vita-matia. His life mate.

  I love you, Gabrielle. Don't ever doubt my feelings for you. The words rang in his mind repeatedly, gaining strength with every step he took.

  I love you, Gabrielle. Don't ever doubt my feelings for you...

  Chapter Eleven

  For one second, Gabrielle found herself groggily waking up on the slab bed looking at a serene canopy of dark, star-strewn skies ... and in the next moment, her heart was slamming in her chest in full-sprint mode, legs pumping, muscles burning trying to escape the evil man chasing her.

  Instead of diving for a blue light and an alternate future, she barely dodged the blue marble, sarcophagus-shaped monument in the center of the courtyard surrounded by endless brick buildings. Her pursuer wasn't as lucky. He crashed into the low, flat sculpture going full speed. Gabrielle heard his head crack on the surface of the stone. Hoping he was knocked out cold, she glanced over her shoulder and was disappointed to find him still fully conscious.

  Now, he was bleeding from his head as well. One of his hands dripped blood from bashing in her car window, and he was still intent on catching her. His face now registered rage as though he blamed her for his collision. Nothing seemed to slow him down.

  "You're mine now, bitch. Stop running from me, or I'll punish you!” he screamed. “You will bow before me. I'll fuck your whore's mouth and make you mine forever!” Then he threw his head back and laughed. It was one of those crazy, sick, cackling hyena laughs meant to frighten and subdue all prey for miles around. It made Gabrielle even more determined to get away. He was truly insane.

  She had slowed to a jog and looked around urgently for an escape. There were no other passages out of the clearing. The only crack of an opening was the one she'd come through, and the maniac lumbering after her had blocked her only exit.

  She searched left and right for a weapon, a door, a window—damn it—anything to help her escape, but there was nothing. She was fast running out of clearing and wondered if it would be better to propel herself into a brick wall to avoid a fate worse than death at the hands of the pervert behind her, but she wasn't the type to give in, nor did she have any suicidal tendencies. Besides, slamming into a brick wall would hurt like a bitch.

  Gabrielle caught sight of a ladder of sorts against a build
ing ahead of her. It dangled precariously lopsided from the decrepit fire escape above. It was her only chance. She kicked in some reserve strength and sprang forward, catching the rusted bottom rung with both hands.

  She heard the screech of metal rubbing against metal as she hauled herself up, kicking her feet out, pumping her legs like on a bicycle as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels. She got momentum enough to reach and grab the next rung as she pulled herself up further away from the threat below.

  Before she could gain her balance and get her other hand up to the third rung, her pursuer grabbed her from behind and yanked. She lost her hold on the second rung. Her other hand bit into the eroding metal of the lowest rung. Metal splinters embedded in her hand painfully before the entire ladder groaned under the pressure of their combined body weight and detached from the fire escape.

  Gabrielle's stomach wrenched painfully as she went airborne for a moment before crashing onto her back several feet below. She landed on the attacker who still had a death grip around her waist. The ladder crashed next to her face, missing her head by mere centimeters. She kicked back and tried to get the pervert to release her. Fingernails now chipped and broken off, she scratched at his arms as her legs flailed, trying to connect with any part of him to inflict pain.

  He rolled over and took her with him. Suddenly, her face was pushed down into the grit on the ground, and his substantial weight was pressing into her back, holding her down. She clawed her hands forward blindly, trying to get some leverage to break his hold. She kicked out and managed to connect with a part of his body, making him grunt and release his grasp.

  She scrambled forward on hands and knees, kicking back at him when he tried to grab her ankles. Two steps later, she was wobbling on unsteady legs as she headed towards the monument and the now unguarded open door across the clearing. This was her only salvation for escape. She took a few more staggering steps before tripping over the metal ladder they'd pulled off the building. She pitched forward, bruising her knee on the edge of a metal rung as she fell. Too terrified to feel the pain, she leaped right back on her feet as if her life depended on it, because it did. She ran on a trajectory around the monument and headed for the door.