Storm of Arranon Fire and Ice (8 page)

“Yes. I promise. But do you know where Jaer
has gone and why?”

Cale glanced away. He pushed up from the
floor and perched on the corner of his desk. “Jaer has a family
issue that needs his attention.” His head swiveled slowly to face
her. “Just let it go, Erynn. When Jaer comes back, he’ll
explain.”

Erynn nodded vaguely and stood to leave.
“Thanks for telling me about Jaer.”

He walked with her to the door. “Remember,
call me.”

“I will.”

ZACH KEPT PACE WITH ERYNN through the tunnels
after the training session ended. She smiled as she walked along
the cold, dim corridors. The improved Interceptors would be more
responsive and faster, just the way she liked. The new weaponry
increased the speed of firing on the target after acquisition. A
lethal combination, added with the new engine design. The quick and
agile Interceptors would possess a rapid reaction and a deadly
accuracy much greater than before. Her smile faltered.

Dad would have appreciated the
enhancements
.

Erynn rounded the corner into the bright open
space of the dining hall. The aroma of freshly baked breads,
seasoned meats sizzling on a hot grill, and the sweet scent of
sliced, ripe fruit filled her nostrils. Some of the DVSLs showed
the sunny day outside, while others scanned the tunnels.

Tam waited at a table and motioned for Erynn
to join her. Zach went to a seat just across from them, his
attention on his meal.

“So, how was training?” Tam frowned. “Am I
going to like the changes?”

Erynn nodded, glancing around the room.

If Jaer is back, he will come find
me
.

Erynn returned her gaze to Tam. “The
improvements to the Interceptors are going to make a big
difference. I can’t wait to fly and test them out.”

Tam’s frown morphed into a smirk. “You mean
they may have a fighter you can’t out-fly.”

Tam and Erynn both laughed.

New arrivals filled a table behind Zach.

A tall, shapely brunette talked with a petite
blonde woman on her right. The brunette rolled her large dark eyes
and smiled. She lifted a fork to her wide mouth and paused. “Can
you believe it? Jaer is the Fayn of the Anbas. That’s a powerful
position for him, and for me, as his committed half. Add to that,
he’s second in command here.” Her eyes narrowed and she glanced
around, her gaze on the multiple DVSL views of the base. A slow
smile turned her full lips. “Did you see Jaer’s face when I kissed
him outside his parent’s home? It was just the surprise I hoped
for.” She chuckled, but there was no mirth in her tone.

The blonde shook her head. “Oh, he was
surprised. I still think you should have let him know you were
coming, to ease him into this happy reunion with a little more
discretion.”

“There wasn’t time. Besides, I learned long
ago that it’s best to keep ahead of Jaer, if you can.” A pout
shaped the brunette’s full lips, and she set down the fork, staring
at the blonde. “Not an easy task. Besides, he’s
my
sworn
half. Why should I have to warn him? I’ve known of his affairs.
They don’t mean anything. I’m the one he committed to. I’ve always
accepted the way he is, and he knows I don’t judge him.” Her large
brown eyes hardened. “He’s mine and I’m his. Forever. Nothing will
change that.”

With a shaking hand, Erynn pushed her plate
away. The once appetizing aromas now turned her stomach. A stabbing
ache in her chest made it feel as if her heart had stopped
beating.

Zach dropped his fork and turned in his seat
to glare at the two women behind him.

Tam spun to Erynn, her eyes wide. “There must
be—”

Erynn jumped up and hurried out of the dining
hall.

Tam followed, catching up to her in their
common room. “Erynn, wait.”

Erynn turned on Tam, glaring at her. “What?
It’s nothing. He never said I should expect him to stay
forever.”

Kipa. My heart, my life, my soul
.

His words hung in her memory, clouding over
her feelings, making her stomach roll and her head swim. She bit
her lip. Jaer’s words screamed through her mind.

Jaer called me his Kipa. He lied
?

Tam threw her arms in the air, her voice an
octave higher. “Jaer loves you. It’s obvious.”

Erynn snapped back, “He’s committed. He’s
done this sort of thing before. You heard her. Besides, did you see
her? Why would he want me, now that
she’s
here for him?”
Erynn turned down the hall, went into her room, and locked the
door.

Erynn wanted to run away, to not face anyone.
She could go to Korin. Rejoin her old unit. She was needed there
and would be useful. General Brayton wanted her back. No one there
would know about Jaer, about their relationship. Her hands fisted
at her sides.

Would Cale let me go
?
More
important, would Arranon let me go
?

Cale couldn’t stop her if she put her mind to
leaving. There were ways.

No. I am not weak. I’m not a quitter. I
took this duty here on Arranon. I made a promise to Cale. He’s
counting on me. I will survive. I always have
.

She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking the
tears, and the rip in her heart split open another centimeter.

Erynn had COM duty that night. If she could
stay away from Jaer until that time, she would deal with him then.
Her shift would be quiet with no one around, at least not as many
as in a day shift.

Erynn took over from the evening
personnel.

“It’s been quiet, Erynn.” The man pushed his
lanky frame out of the chair in front of the console and smiled.
“Should stay that way.”

I know his name. What is it
?
Doesn’t matter
.

Erynn stared at the screens lined up over the
long curved desk and nodded. “Thanks.”

“You’ll have a crewmember in the hangar doing
reports, and a computer tech in here watching the monitors.” He
frowned. “You okay?”

She shook off her inattentiveness and gave
him a slight smile. “I’m fine.” She hitched in a ragged breath,
forced her smile to widen, and plopped down in the vacated seat.
“Go. We’re good.”

The tech watched her from the chair next to
her, sneaking a quick glance.

He knows. They both know. Everyone
knows
.

There would be little to do, little to keep
her mind off Jaer and…
her
, the one he’d committed to.

Not good. Too much time to think. Find a
way to keep busy
.

Erynn didn’t have to sit in this room her
whole shift. She only had to be available if something happened.
She decided to check her Interceptor from top to bottom. She turned
to the tech at the same time she stood up from her seat. “I’ll be
in the hangar if you need me.”

He nodded and returned his attention to the
monitors.

Her boot steps echoed down the stairs,
ringing in the massive cavern of the hangar.

Even with the bay doors closed, the space was
cold. Her breath fogged out as she went over the schematics of the
fighter’s new weapons system, tracing each wire, making sure they
were intact.

The woman on duty for maintenance worked
alongside Erynn, tightening fittings and smoothing blemishes in the
fighter’s body. The snarl of the sander muffled the scrape of the
doors activating on the far side of the large hangar.

Jaer strode up, took her arm, and spun her
around. “You will listen to me.”

She jerked out of his grasp. “It’s not
necessary. You don’t owe
me
an explanation.
I’m
not
the one you’re committed to.” Erynn turned away and faced the
stairs to the COM. She took two steps and froze. Her vision
blurred. The grinding screech of metal against metal faded to
silence. She swayed.

Jaer’s form moved to stand in front of her.
“Erynn, what?” His voice was distant, slow.

Erynn felt as though she floated, her body no
longer heavy enough to stay connected to the stone floor. She
drifted above the transport bay, watching Kira move through the
half-light, in the shadows far beyond the on-duty crew of two. Deep
in a recess behind the backmost transports, a man laughed with
quiet seduction. He beckoned to Kira. He was tall and lean, but
indistinct past a basic shape.

Erynn sucked in a rasping inhalation. Her
vision returned to a sharp clarity. She ran.

“Erynn. Wait. What is it?” Jaer rushed after
her.

In her mind, she could hear Kira
screaming.

Or is it in my mind
?

Jaer raced past her. He must have heard the
screaming also. He tapped the side of his head behind his ear.
“Code red, transport bay!” he yelled. He turned the corner leading
to the massive space, bright lights bursting over the scene.
“Where, Erynn?”

She pointed to the back.

Jaer sprinted ahead.

Kira lay curled in a ball. Blood poured from
a large gash on her forehead.

Erynn’s stomach lurched, and she gasped.

No
!
Was I too slow
?
Is Kira
dead
?

Jaer knelt next to Kira and checked her
pulse. “She is alive.” He tapped the spot behind his ear. “Medical
team, transport bay, STAT.”

Erynn stood in front of Cale’s desk in his
office. “There was no warning this time,” she said in a shaky
voice.

Because I was too wrapped up in my own
feelings
.

Cale held up his hand. “Erynn, stop. This is
not your responsibility. It’s
my
job, and Jaer’s, to keep
the base safe. Just tell me what you saw.”

Jaer stood back by the door like he had that
day in Glaskra in Leathan’s office, before she knew of the children
in hiding, kept safe in the city there. Children like her, with
mixed parentage. That was before she and Jaer had shared that first
kiss, revealing their feelings for each other.

Jaer’s pain sliced at her, bombarded her,
left her soul torn and bloody.

From his not stopping another attack? Or
because
—

“Erynn,” Cale called, jerking her from her
reverie. “What did you see?”

Erynn started, pulling air into her aching
lungs. “A tall man. His build was lean. His face was hidden in
shadows.” She blinked, squinted, and rubbed a hand over her
forehead. “He laughed, urged Kira to come with him. That’s all I
saw before I ran.”

Cale’s eyes narrowed. “How did you know it
was happening in real time?”

“I don’t know. It just felt…now. Maybe I
didn’t know. I just needed to see if the attack was or wasn’t
happening.”

Cale stood up and stepped around his desk.
“Kira is alive because of you. We have a killer among us, or like I
said, an alien agent trying to do more damage.”

She sensed movement behind her. The door
glided open and Jaer left. Her body tensed and her brow furrowed as
the door slid shut with an ominous certainty.

“Jaer needs to secure the base and try to
find out what is going on. He takes these attacks as a personal
affront.” Cale stared at the floor.

Erynn’s voice cracked. “He has his job to do.
I’m sure he’ll find the killer. He’s very good at what he
does.”

Cale’s gaze rose slowly. He stared at her for
a long moment. “Yes, I know. That’s why I sought him out to join
us.” He sighed, the weight of his burdens evident in his exhaled
breath.

“I’ll go back to the hangar bay. My shift
isn’t over yet.”

“Sean took over for you. You need to go to
your quarters. Get some rest.”

Erynn opened her mouth to protest but stopped
the words from coming. The last thing she needed was to return to
her quarters alone. Countless what ifs would only pull her down
under waves of rejection. She nodded to Cale. When she left his
office, instead of her quarters, she went to the Medical Unit.

Doors slid open into a clean, white, well-lit
space. An older man with a kind face glanced up from a computer
station. He wore a security uniform and a smile. “May I help
you?”

“I’m here about Kira. How is she?”

“They’re working on her now. It looks like
she’ll be okay. Are you a friend?”

Erynn grimaced. “No, not really. I met her
once is all.”

A door behind the man slid open. Nev gestured
her forward. “Erynn, come in. It’s all right, she’s with me,” he
said, glancing at the man.

“Yes, sir.”

Erynn stepped past the small desk and joined
Nev.

He gave her that charming smile of his. “I
would like to think you came in part to see me, but you’re here
about Kira, aren’t you.”

“Yes.” Erynn’s tone turned to a whisper in
the quiet space. “Is she okay?”

Nev nodded. “She’ll be fine. You should come
visit her tomorrow when she wakes up. I’m sure she would like to
see you.” He guided Erynn into a cramped office. “She’s sedated
now. I hope she’ll be able to give a description of her attacker
when she’s awake.” He gestured to an empty chair next to a desk
piled high with disks.

“Don’t count on it,” Erynn mumbled, staring
at the disk-filled shelves behind the desk.

Nev tipped his head. “Why?” He pulled a chair
next to Erynn and sat.

Erynn shook her head. “I don’t think she saw
her attacker.” She couldn’t help but believe that her initial
impression of a Shifter committing these attacks was accurate.

Nev frowned. “He attacked from behind? How do
you know this, Erynn?”

“No,
it
didn’t attack Kira from
behind. They were talking and laughing.” Erynn settled into the
chair and gazed up at Nev. “It—he—didn’t wear his true face.” She
glanced away for a moment, realizing what she told him must sound
crazy.

Nev stared at her. “
It
wore a
disguise?” There was skepticism in his voice and his
expression.

Erynn bit her lip. “Maybe. You’re right. Kira
will be able to identify it—him.”