Destined (5 page)

Sure, the entire house shuddered every time the wind blew. It was still better than being in a dim, cramped apartment in the city. Studio space was hard to find.

“I think a walk is in order.” She checked her body for paint and took a shower before she changed her clothing.

Her hair dried as she walked down the path that took her through the public park and into the suburbs of the nearest city. The farmer’s market was always a fun place to explore new foods and examine the locals. Despite the fact that her portraits paid for everything and her lifestyle, she really enjoyed painting scenes of ancient cities as she imagined they had been. It was a hobby that she rarely got to indulge in.

She met a few vendors, smiled at some of the children who came to ask her what she was and she picked up some necessities before she turned toward home.

Prince Drehl was walking down the street toward her, and he had a scowl on his handsome face.

Rhoda sighed and lifted the bag with her purchases on one hip. “Good afternoon, Your Highness.”

“Rhoda. Are you here alone?”

She smiled. “Of course. What brings you here?”

“I thought that you might enjoy having me sit for a second session.”

She looked into his red and black eyes. “Once was enough. I was just heading home if you would like to come with me.”

“Certainly. Where is your vehicle?”

“I walked. I don’t have a vehicle. I had to give it up three months ago.”

He took the bag from her and walked beside her. “How can you live so far from the city without having a vehicle?”

“I had one until I had to sell it. The bribes are growing exponentially. I am guessing that someone out there wants me off this world.” She shrugged. “They will eventually be successful. I can’t keep this up indefinitely.”

His lips tightened as they walked. Finally, he said, “That is unacceptable. We are destined to be together. I will not have us parted before that comes to pass.”

Rhoda laughed. “Destiny and fate rarely work together.”

They started the climb to her home, and she noted the ease with which he kept pace with her. He moved easily across the uneven ground with the grace of a dancer.

She tried to distract him. “No one will give me an answer. What are the Genarans?”

He laughed. “Few bother to ask. It is a public matter, but it makes folk uncomfortable.”

They walked a few more steps, and she asked. “Well?”

“We are the original inhabitants of Yacaro. During a period of unstable tectonic activity, a mutation entered our population, and a distress call was put out to find a cure or treatment. An ancient Avari scientist name Genar came and introduced his cure to our people, changing our physiology and restricting our families to Yacaro.” He shrugged. “That is about it.”

“What was the mutation?”

“It was a reaction to the ash in the air, a lung problem. Our population was reduced to five percent of the original inhabitants in the space of ten years.”

She thought of the rampant spread of asthma in children and made the connection in her mind.

He broke through her thoughts, “How often do you make this trip?”

“Once, twice a week. I do it more for the exercise than the shopping.” She chuckled. “And I like to see faces that aren’t staring into mine with fixed eyes and desperation. They may stare at me, but they leave me alone to do my thing and go.”

He remained serious. “You should not wander the countryside alone.”

“I have no choice. I go when I need to. It isn’t like I can call on Jemyalli. She only makes it up about once a month or when she wants to tell me about someone she pimped me out to.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence until they were at her door. She opened the door and stepped inside.

He sighed. “You don’t even lock the door?”

“There is nothing here to steal.” She shrugged and took the bag from him. Rhoda unpacked the shampoo and conditioner, tucking them into her bathroom. The pumice-style soap went into her studio, and her bottle of brandy went into the cupboard.

Drehl left her home and went out to his transport. He returned with a box and several small parcels. “Under is a security specialist. I will ask him to take a look at your home.”

She blinked. “That isn’t necessary.”

He cocked his head. “I am aware of that, but I will sleep better if I know you are safe.”

He placed the box in her studio, and she peered around him. “What is that?”

“A present for you. Open it.”

She flicked the latch of the box loose and opened it. Neatly slotted inside were blank canvases. “How did you know I was running out?”

“I checked. Open the bags.”

She opened the bags and couldn’t fight the pleased smile as high-end pigments filled each bag. “Thank you. It is so thoughtful…thank you.” She got to her feet and hugged him.

His arms came around her, and he sighed. “I want to do more.”

She inhaled his unique scent. “I know you do. I just want you to know—”

A knock at the door broke into her sentence.

She scowled. “Remain here please. There are usually only two types of people who come up here. Clients are one.”

She didn’t tell him who the other was, but as the banging sounded again, she winced. Rhoda opened the door and inclined her head in greeting. “Hello.”

“Rhoda Evergreen?” The immigration officer scowled down at his clipboard and looked up again. His red eyes were cold.

“Yes.”

“I am here to inspect your property and assess your employment status.” He smiled coldly. “Of course, I could be persuaded to skip the inspection.”

She groaned, and to her shock, Charm walked out of her studio and looked down at the official. “What is going on here?”

The official panicked. “I am here on a routine greeting, Guardian. Nothing more.”

“It seems like considerably more. This sort of thing is illegal even by Yacaro standards. I will be speaking to your superior, and his, about this. This artist has saved the lives of thirteen citizens of our world and deserves to live her life without fear of losing her home.”

The immigration official was backing away as Charm moved forward until he stumbled off her porch and ran for his one-man grav sled.

Rhoda was shocked as she watched the official leave in a spray of dust and gravel. Charm turned, and as she watched, his suit slowly folded away from him until he stood in the same clothing he was wearing earlier.

She blinked. “You are always in uniform?”

“Technically, yes. Now, I have a proposal that will cease your worries about being thrown off Yacaro.”

He put an arm around her waist and escorted her into the studio. He prodded her to sit on the stool she kept for clients. Drehl walked out and returned with two glasses of wine. “Here. Drink. You need it.”

Rhoda sipped at the wine, ignoring what it was going to do to her hormones. “What is your idea?”

“Marry me.”

Her head swam from more than just the wine. “What?”

“Marry me. You will become a citizen, a Genaran, and be invulnerable to the machinations of the politicians and officials.”

“How will marrying you make me a Genaran? Isn’t it a species?” The wine must be working, because she was considering it.

“It is more a state of infection. We adapted so well to the nanobots that Genar used to treat us that our bodies generate them constantly now. Mine are slightly more aggressive and I am able to control them after they leave me. That is what gives me my place as a Guardian.”

She blinked and gulped some of the wine. “So, I would be infected and therefore get the Genaran classification if we married? How do you manage with other women?”

“I use protection. The nanites only leave when requested to.”

“So, that is how your talent works?” She licked her lips and set her glass aside.

“To a certain extent. Every once in a while, the Genaran population has a person born who contains a gland, which creates an abnormal amount of the nanites. I can send them out and control them via my voice.”

She blinked and shifted toward him, her body starting to rev into high gear. “I do like your voice.”

He leaned toward her, and his belt chirped again. He groaned and gave her a swift kiss. “I want an answer when I return.”

Drehl put on his armour on the way out, and when he left her home, he took off. Her com unit flared to life and Drehl’s voice hissed at her. “Lock the door, Rhoda.”

Smiling, she latched the door and leaned back on it as she fought to control her breathing. When a knock brought her out of her daze, she smiled and turned to open the door. “Did you forget something?”

Five immigration officers were standing on her porch, and she only vaguely saw the fist that came at her face before everything went dark.

Chapter Eight

Cold water sluiced over her, and Rhoda gasped as she woke up. Her hands were shackled together, and she was in a minute cell barely big enough for her to pace her own body length. “What the hell?”

The department head stood in front of her cell door. “It would have been easier for you if you had not refused to pay, painter.”

She winced and touched her eye. “I didn’t refuse to pay.”

He scowled. “You refused to pay the officer this time.”

Rhoda shook her head, watching his posture go from smug to aggressive. “I didn’t refuse the officer. The Guardian that was in my home refused to allow me to pay and sent your officer on his way.”

“What Guardian?”

“Charm.”

Uncertainty changed his posture again. “Charm was in your home? Why?”

“Because I was involved in a hostage situation yesterday. I had been injured, and he was coming to check on me.” It would be easy enough for him to confirm that she had indeed run into the Guardians the day before. “He took offense to your officer’s suggestion that I should pay to remain in my own home as a participating part of Yacaro society.”

The department head disappeared from her cell door, and she continued to sit in the holding cell. Based on her assessment of the change in light across the hall, she estimated that an hour had passed.

An officer stood in front of the cell and said, “You have a visitor.”

“How could I have a visitor, no one knows I am here.”

She got to her feet and stood with the dried blood of her split cheek itching. A man with elaborate clothing and the skin cast of a Genaran stood in front of her. His eyes wore the same tattoos as Drehl, and his face was so familiar to her that she gave a graceful bow. “Your Highness.”

He smiled grimly. “It seems my brother has declared himself to you.”

“That depends. Who is your brother?”

He chuckled. “Drehl. He is away on…business and asked me to check on you. Imagine my surprise when your home had been ransacked and your studio destroyed.”

“They…” She dropped to her knees at the thought of her work in tatters. “Everything?”

He frowned. “Most of the canvases that were on display were sliced to ribbons. It was the seizure notice on your door that gave me a clue as to your whereabouts. How much did you fight?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t. I opened the door and was greeted by a fist. How bad does it look?”

“Half your face is a disturbing colour that I am guessing is not normal for your species.” He gestured, and the officer unlocked her cell door. “Our first stop will be a physician.”

She cleared her throat. “What is our second stop?”

“My home. You will remain there until Drehl returns from his business. It is safe for you, unlike your current situation.” He offered her his arm, and she placed her cuffed hand on his.

They walked out of the holding area, and he paused while the officer outside the holding area removed her cuffs. The harsh red bands on her skin made her frown and the frown made her wince.

“So, Rhoda Evergreen, how is it that my brother knows you are the one for him?”

She cleared her throat. “I sketched his destiny, and I was in it. It was the first time I have ever appeared in my own work.”

“So, you convinced my brother that you were his destiny?”

“No. He insisted that the original sketch was correct despite the fact that I was trying to destroy it.”

The prince signed documents at the front desk, and the officer cringed away from him.

She cleared her throat. “What is your name?”

“Kebril. Prince Kebril if you want to be formal.” He ushered her into a transport, and his driver took off.

He spoke clearly. “Ysmas, take us to the Genaran medical centre.”

They elevated above traffic, and the jolt of speed pushed her back into the comfortable seat, as well as caused an ache in her head.

Rhoda looked down and saw the capitol under them as they increased in speed. “They were going to deport me.”