Icarus Unbound (2 page)

I'm an adult now, and that's all behind me
, she had to remind herself. In truth though, her fully human heritage was no secret among the Icarian hybrids. It had been decades since anyone had held it against her, considering almost everyone in her age group was half-human themselves. While 12

Icarus Unbound

by Bernadette Gardner

it didn't erase all the bad memories, a few moments of rational thought now and then did help to put her life in perspective.

"Lara! You're finally here." A familiar voice squealed her name and, grateful for the distraction from her cloudy thoughts, Lara halted and waited for her friend Kiala to catch up to her.

The half-Icarian female had been one of the few children not influenced by Jaran's ridiculing. As a result, the two had forged an enduring friendship. Lara hugged her friend, their wingtips brushing momentarily.

"How long have you been here, Kee?"

Today, Kiala would receive her mate assignment as well, and unlike Lara, the statuesque, white-haired Icarian woman was thrilled about it.

"I've been here for
hours
. I could barely sleep last night, so I came here to watch the sunrise."

Lara tried to keep a hint of derision out of her response. "I couldn't sleep either. I worked all night."

Seemingly unaware of Lara's bad mood, Kiala linked arms with her and urged her toward the aerie buildings. "Just think, this time tomorrow, you'll be flying off with your mate to choose an aerie of your own. I plan to head south. There are still a lot of empty islands in those chains and I want lots of privacy."

Lara tried to keep her false smile in place, but by the time she and Kiala had reached the main thoroughfare leading into the aerie's largest archway, she could no longer hide her scowl.

13

Icarus Unbound

by Bernadette Gardner

Kiala's expression fell when she noticed. "What's wrong?

You were so excited about the new mating cycle beginning.

Don't you want to have a child?"

"Well, yes, but I'm worried about who I'll be paired with."

"Well, you shouldn't be." Kiala dismissed Lara's anxiety with a wave of her hand. "I heard that both Lian and Soren have asked for you. Either one of them would make a wonderful husband."

"Hmm." Lara tried to muster enthusiasm for the two handsome Icarian men Kiala had named. Lian was a builder.

Tall like Kiala, with golden eyes and excellent muscle tone, he was a perfect specimen for breeding. Soren had dark hair and stately, gray-feathered wings. He worked at the research station in the medical center. Patient, reflective and intelligent, he would likely make a great father. Lara should have been excited about the prospect of being paired with either male, but she wasn't. While she understood and accepted the long-standing Icarian tradition of arranged bonding based on genetic compatibility, she'd always held out the remote hope that one day she'd fall in love, the way her parents had, and that like in the case of Caleb and Zara thirty years ago, the Icarian leader would be forced to pair her with the mate she'd chosen for herself.

After today, that dream would never come true. She'd be assigned a husband, provide him with a child, and together they would spend ten years preparing their offspring for joining with his or her own symbion bird. If they were lucky, when the next mating cycle rolled around a decade in the 14

Icarus Unbound

by Bernadette Gardner

future, they might be able to conceive a second offspring and start the process of child-rearing all over again.

That was how Icarian society worked, and at least on the outside, Lara was Icarian.

Deep down, though, she knew, just as her childhood playmates had never tired of reminding her, she was and always would be fully human.

Kiala squeezed her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Don't worry. You'll be so happy once you have an aerie of your own and a baby on the way, and Lian or Soren would be lucky to get you. They'll treat you like a treasure."

Lara nodded absently, then her insides turned to cold mush when Daralei, an administrator to the Icarian leader, strolled out of the aerie to greet them.

"Kiala and Lara, it's good to see you both." The older female squeezed each of their shoulders, the Icarian equivalent of a friendly hug. At seventy, nearly the end of the Icarian life cycle, Daralei was not eligible to participate in the current mating cycle, but both women knew she had some influence over the choice of mating pairs.

"Our liege is ready to see you, and the men are already inside. Which one of you would like to go first?"

In deference to Kiala's bubbling enthusiasm and eager to hold off the inevitable, Lara nodded to her friend. "You go. If you don't stop bouncing, your wings will fall off."

In defiance of the fact that she, like Lara, would be thirty years old before the current mating cycle even began, Kiala squealed like an excited child. "Wish me luck, Lara," she said as she fell into step behind Daralei. "I'll wait for you when I'm 15

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by Bernadette Gardner

done so our mates can greet each other. I can't wait to see who you will be paired with."

"Me neither." Lara sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Me neither."

"Send in the next female, Daralei." Jaran hated this part of his duties. Despite centuries of Icarian tradition, he couldn't understand why one person should have to play matchmaker and choose whom each Icarian would mate with. His people were educated, kind and intelligent and perfectly capable of making wise decisions about whom to bond with for the purpose of producing healthy offspring.

Instead of letting them decide for themselves, though, he had to spend the better part of two months prior to the beginning of mating season pairing off all of the thirty-year-old males and females.

At least he was almost finished. There were only a few dozen more matches to be made, then he could get on with the more important business of ruling his tribe. Fortunately so far, everyone seemed pleased with their mating assignments.

He figured that was due to the fact that he had employed Daralei and several other administrators to mingle around and collect information on which couples would make the best pairs. He made no secret of the fact that he would gladly consider recommendations and requests from anyone who had a particular preference for a mate.

Unfortunately there was one of his subjects in particular who had proven very difficult to match. Himself.

Having inherited his position as tribal leader four years ago after Jidar and Namara, well into their seventies, had passed 16

Icarus Unbound

by Bernadette Gardner

away, Jaran had now reached the obligatory age of mating. It should have been an easy decision. After all, as leader, he could choose any female he desired, but the one he desired, the
only
one, hated him.

And now the time had come to choose a mate for her.

Jaran drew in a deep breath and made the decision he'd been putting off for so long. He knew how he would pair Laramee Faulkner. He only hoped he wouldn't regret his decision.

Daralei swept into the room, her outstretched wings momentarily hiding his next guest from view. "I present Laramee Namara Faulkner, my liege, for your decree."

The elder Icarian folded her wings and stepped gracefully aside, revealing the vision that never failed to make Jaran's heart beat double time.

Laramee stood before him naked, as most Icarians preferred in the tropical climate of the equatorial islands. Her white wings made a perfect contrast against her tanned skin, and her brown hair and blue eyes, rare among his people, contributed to her striking appearance.

For a moment he permitted himself to stare, taking in the perfection of her round breasts tipped with large, dark nipples, her supple thighs and the enticing triangle of black curls that hid her sex.

If not for her disdainful expression, she would have been a sight worthy of a commemorative statue in the royal aerie's meditation garden.

"Laramee Namara Faulkner," he repeated Daralei's announcement, and his guest cringed slightly. She hated her unwieldy name, even though, by human tradition, it 17

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by Bernadette Gardner

represented a tribute to many important people in her life including the mate of Icarus's previous leader who, as the story was told, had helped Lara's mother give birth.

"My liege." Lara dropped to one knee before Jaran, assuming the proper submissive posture, wings folded against her naked back, arms straight at her sides, head bowed. He wondered how much it pained her to demonstrate fealty to him when she despised him as much as she did.

"You may rise," he said, breaking protocol. Traditionally the subject was to remain kneeling until the leader had concluded the audience, but Jaran wanted to look at Lara, all of her, not just the top of her head.

His command clearly surprised her, but she obliged, rising with a singular grace that nearly left him gaping in awe. She was so beautiful and so ... prickly. Once standing, she maintained a subtle air of defiance, one luscious hip jutting forward. After a moment under his scrutiny, she crossed her arms over her succulent breasts.

Jaran commanded his own body to obey, carefully controlling his biochemistry to avoid becoming erect during official business. He did notice Laramee's smoldering gaze fall to his cock, but she looked away too quickly for him to gauge any type of reaction on her part other than annoyance at having to stand before him and await his every word.

"If I may request brevity, my liege, I had to leave several vital experiments back at my lab, and I'd like to get back to them as soon as possible."

Jaran should have been offended by her impatient tone.

Had anyone else implied that he should rush through an 18

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by Bernadette Gardner

official decree to accommodate their work schedule, he might have considered a year's banishment to teach them some respect. Lara, however, enjoyed some immunity to the rules where he was concerned.

"For you, I'll dispense with the pageantry, though Daralei will be disappointed." The administrator had left the room, but Jaran knew she often lurked nearby because she enjoyed hearing the joyful exclamations of newly bonded couples.

Instinctively, Jaran knew there would be no such outburst this time.

Laramee waited, holding her breath, it seemed, for him to decide her fate. Jaran's heart began to thud, and his throat constricted a bit. This should have been easy, wickedly easy.

Instead he stood with sweating palms and quivering wingtips.

"It was a difficult decision to choose a mate for you, Laramee. I did have to take into account your human heritage and that any child you produce with an Icarian hybrid would be three quarters human rather than only half."

Lara pursed her lips and Jaran forced himself not to let his gaze settle on her mouth as he continued. "I also considered pairing you with an older mate. Daralei's son, Mikal, is one of the last of his full-bred generation and is mateless since Cariana died of blood fever last year."

"He's forty—" She murmured as if doing mental calculations. "He would have only this one mating cycle left."

"Yes, but an offspring of your pairing with him would be a proper hybrid."

Laramee closed her eyes. Clearly she would not be happy with Mikal as a mate, even though the older male was kind, 19

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by Bernadette Gardner

generous and hard-working. Jaran held up a hand. "It has also been brought to my attention that both Lian and Soren have expressed interest in having you as a mate."

Lara shifted her weight from one bare foot to the other and managed now to appear extremely disinterested in the proceedings. Jaran knew just how to regain her attention, and the time had come to wake her up.

"After careful thought on the matter, I've decided the best possible choice for your mate is ... me."

Lara's eyes snapped open, and she glared at Jaran. "My liege," she said through clenched teeth. "That is not funny."

"It's not a joke, Laramee Namara Faulkner. I have paired you with me. We are compatible in age, temperament and DNA category, and once the mating cycle begins I have no doubt we will be able to produce a healthy child."

"You ... I can't ...
why
would you do that, Jaran? Didn't you torture me enough when we were children?"

Jaran's pulse thundered in his ears now. He'd known Lara would protest, but he hadn't been prepared for how much her rejection of his radical choice might sting his pride. "Yes, I believe I did. It's time I made things up to you."

"By making me your mate?" Lara shook her head and her wings. In fact, her entire body seemed to be quaking with rage. "You must be out of your featherbrained mind!"

Jaran raised a brow, and at the distant archway to the room he saw Daralei peeking nervously around the corner as Lara's outburst echoed around the room.

"No, I believe I'm completely rational. My decision makes sense, Lara. You pose a problem as far as the Icarian gene 20

Icarus Unbound

by Bernadette Gardner

pool is concerned. You've shown no interest in any other Icarian males, and in order to serve my people, I need to choose a mate for this cycle. You are ... convenient."

"I'm
convenient
?"

Jaran immediately wished he hadn't used that particular word, but proximity to Lara always affected his mind. His thoughts seemed to skew, and his frustration at not being able to touch her manifested in insults and incoherent ramblings.

"Convenient!"

"Perhaps contrary is a better term."

"How is it an informed, logical decision to choose a mate based on convenience?"

Jaran considered for a moment. Nothing he could say at this point would please her. "It seems perfectly logical to me, and since I don't have to justify my decisions to anyone, my choice stands. You and I are matched as of this moment."