Await (2 page)

“My name is Xeric, and I am one of the Nameless.” His voice rumbled over her, and it brought to mind the bellow that was her last memory of the wake.

He continued, and she listened with rapt attention. “The Nameless are a group of folk selected by a universe that no longer exists to watch history as it happens or to give it a helpful shove. We are chosen by seeds sewn in our ancestry that come to life within us at the moment that we die.”

“Even for you?”

“Even for me. I was pulled forward in time when I died fighting over a woman. I ended up six hundred years in the past of your timeline, and my people were long gone.”

Part of her heart sank when he mentioned another woman. Men who were in love once rarely found it again. “Did you love her?”

He shook his head. “It did not work that way. She was in heat. I was in rut. The men around me suffered from the same, and so, we fought. I was gored and I woke up here, at Home.”

“What is this place?”

“It is a place out of time and away from the current universe. When the old universe died, it pulled a piece of itself into this existence. This is where our Home was built and where we come when not doing the bidding of the Orb of Time.” His nostrils flared and his lips twitched.

She had seen that look in some of the more predatory species she had visited, he had just scented her, and with the moisture her body was generating, her musk was probably sending him clear signals as to her physical readiness to mate. Right now, she was thinking that five minutes of foreplay and she would be ready to go.

He pulled his hands away from hers and got to his feet. Her vantage point gave her a good look at his body from mid-thigh to waist, and she had to admit that the view was riveting. Brown leather clung faithfully to every inch of him, and there were quite a few inches.

Before she could continue her assessment, he walked away to return an instant later with something that he draped over her. He helped her slip her arms into sleeves, and when he helped her sit up she moved her aching limbs to close the robe that he had fetched. “Thank you, Xeric. I was getting a bit of a draft.”

He chuckled and helped her tie the wide belt into a sash that lifted the edge of the robe slightly. She continued to sit on the table while he slipped leather slippers onto her feet. “Do you think you can stand?”

She nodded and slipped from the table. Her back ached when she jarred herself on the floor, but she righted herself and stood looking up at him. She was right. Standing, the top of her head barely reached the start of his neck. He was a true forest lord in every sense of the word.

When he held his hand out to her, she took it, inhaling deeply of his musky scent. Pine needles, wind and male were the primary components. It was a heady blend, and it ratcheted up her arousal until she was regretting the lack of underwear under the robes.

Her inner thighs were slick as they walked out of the medical area and out into the illumination of ten thousand stars. “Oh, wow.”

“Come this way. We are walking to the council hall.” His hand was so large that she did not fear falling off the bridge despite the lack of safety rails. “Once you are a Nameless, you will be able to transport yourself wherever you or the Orb will. You only need to have the image in your mind.”

She blinked, “So, what is the etiquette for visitations?”

He chuckled, “You call before you visit, and you transport to the front of the council hall instead of popping up in front of the Council of Seven. Dropping in unexpectedly here is just as rude as anywhere else in the universe.”

“Good to know. Manners are so important.” She chuckled as she walked and her chest ached. Pressing her free hand to her healing injury, she asked, “How well do we heal?”

White light started in his hand and moved up her arm, circling and concentrating around what had been a hole in her sternum. “We heal well, but I have no problem accelerating the process for you. How is that?”

“Better.” She inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Much better. Thank you.”

He inclined his horned head. “It is my honour.”

As they walked in verbal silence, Orphia heard a peculiar clicking, so soft as to be almost inaudible. When she looked down, she noted that her companion had hooves. Xeric had wide deer-style hooves that appeared out of leather wrapping on his legs, which mimicked boots. She blinked a little and kept walking.

In the distance, she could make out small figures, all walking at a steady pace wherever they were going. Singles, couples, groups, they all walked as if they had all the time in the worlds, which, she supposed, they actually did.

A huge building rose into the sky ahead of them, bringing a gasp from her. “That is the council hall?”

He nodded. “The Council of Seven sit and hear our concerns as well as induct new Nameless.”

She smiled, “Do I fall under concern or inductee?”

He laughed, the noise echoing as they approached the stone structure. “Orphia, I believe you are a bit of both.”

Chapter Three

There were indeed seven people waiting within the council hall. One man had a strip of cloth tying his eyes shut, but there was a glow emanating from under his lids.

“Gwetho doubted the resolve of the Orb of Time. It is having a conversation with him.” A woman with braided hair and black cosmic eyes smiled at her.

“I am getting the hint, Ravikka.” The man scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

The woman grinned, “Good. As soon as the Orb is convinced, it will let you go. Now, back to business.”

Ravikka straightened. “Welcome, Orphia Kardin, Walker for the Dead, Volunteer of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra. We are the Nameless, the Avatars of the Orb of Time. You have been selected to join our ranks far before you were born. The seeds of the Orb were deep within you and all of your ancestors.”

Orphia nodded. “I understand. Xeric has filled me in on the majority of the theory. I am still working on the details, however.”

“The details will come to you without difficulty, Orphia. Now, come with us and join our number.”

Images of bad Earth horror movies that involved the heroine being led into the basement by a cult rang through her mind, but she straightened her spine, winced at the soreness and followed the seven men and women down the steps that curved against the wall.

Even Gwetho was moving as if he could see, and he took a position along the wall next to an icon, as with the other members of the Council of Seven.

Following an instinct she didn’t know she had, Orphia ignored the inner voice screaming
it’s a trap
and walked the stone spiral until she was standing in the centre of it.

Space, glittering, full of stars and empty at the same time, was beneath her. At a silent signal, all of the seven pressed their icons, and in the distance, a glittering orb split from the rest of the stars and came toward her.

When the light surged up and hovered in front of her, Orphia smiled and extended her hand. “I am glad you are done waiting too.”

A small piece of the Orb separated itself and snapped into her. The burn was far less than she had felt during the healing, but as it spread through her body, her knees buckled. She had never been this aroused in her entire life.

The Orb spun back into the darkness so Orphia walked the spiral and exited up the stairs. Three of the men of the seven turned their heads, but she ignored them. The Orb had triggered what would have been heat in another species, and she was doing her best to pretend that nothing was happening.

Ravikka touched her arm. “I will give you your knife, and then, I think it would be better if you could find some privacy. Even I am attracted to you right now, and I have to admit it is disconcerting.”

They entered the council chamber where Xeric was waiting. He scented the air, and she could have sworn she saw him paw the ground.

“We need to assign you a tutor, Orphia.”

“I will take her.”

Ravikka looked over at Xeric. “You will wait until she makes the first move, Xeric, or we will see how you like being trapped in the past of Barrothiaka, but yes, you can be her tutor.”

To Orphia’s surprise, Xeric’s ears flicked back when Barrothiaka was mentioned, but he inclined his head. “It is acceptable. You know that I will keep any others from coming near as well.”

Ravikka nodded and opened a chest. As a few of the council members approached, Xeric stepped up behind Orphia and wrapped an arm around her waist.

The shock of being backed into a rampant erection confined only by leather caused Orphia’s blood to heat another notch. She breathed in deeply, but it only served to press her more firmly against him.

Ravikka handed her a belt with a dagger on it and inclined her head. “This is the badge of our office. Use the knife when you have need, it will be your last line of defense.”

“I will take her to get her a meal.” Xeric’s voice rumbled through his body, and she could feel it on every point of contact.

“Keep an eye on the others. You might want to stay on alert. If I can pick up on her pheromones, others may be all over her.”

Orphia looked up, but there was a flash of light, and they were in another location. The scent of food was overpowering, and she realized that she hadn’t eaten since before the funeral.

Her robe was still securely fastened, and the variety of clothing that she could see through the open archway made her feel moderately better.

“Stay close to me, Orphia.”

The scent that he was suddenly putting out overwhelmed her, and she reeled against him, images of herself licking her way up his chest, caressing that column of a neck and taking those sensual lips with her own were suddenly the only things behind her eyes.

Blinking rapidly, she noted his smile. Those sharp white teeth cooled her jets but only barely. “A meal I think.”

He nodded and escorted her into the huge space that was a quarter filled with Nameless. A plethora of buffet tables waited for her selections, and she didn’t waste a moment.

She filled a tray with mac and cheese, meatballs and vegetables that she recognized from her travels.

There were a series of statues on one side of the refectory, and when she sat next to them, Orphia was a little surprised to see her own face looking back at her. Three other statues nearby also wore Terran characteristics, and she asked Xeric when he sat, “Where are the other Terrans?”

He grinned and pointed to an object behind her. “They are in the tower. The rules of the Nameless have restricted them, but I believe it is simply to keep them out of the sight of the regular population. Most of us are assigned to witness history, but the Terrans have been called to intervene in differing ways.”

Orphia ate some of her food before asking, “So, what do you think I am in for?”

He grinned, “Since your body is putting out pheromones that males are sensitive to, I believe that you might be some kind of bait.”

She blinked, “Bait?”

He inclined his head, his horns flashing in the bright illumination of the dining hall. “I know I would follow you into a trap. I expect that others might as well.”

She raised a brow and he winked. It was peculiar to have it translate through the emotionless black eyes with swirling stars, but somehow, he made it seem the most natural thing in the world.

“Flattering and frightening at the same time. Few men can manage it.”

He laughed. “I was always an advanced student when it came to verbal sparring.”

“Go to the head of the class.”

He reached out and took her hand and wrist in his hand. His thumb caressed her pulse point over and over in a slow pattern, and she finally came to the realization that the reason that she wanted to be close to him was that his skin had the texture of suede. Each caress on her skin made her wish they were naked and alone but being in public suddenly seemed the safer option.

“Why do you keep touching me?” She bit her lip when the words were out. She really did not want him to stop.

“It seems like the thing to do. Do you know why my people died out?” He raised a brow.

“No. Was it war, disease?”

“No. It was refusal to dilute our bloodlines. A few of our people broke free and ran to the stars, blending the Hirn with a dozen races. The rest of us stayed home and gradually dwindled to nothing. Each female in heat cause riots and a marked drop in the population.”

“I would have thought a female in heat would have increased your population, not decreased it.”

“That would have been the case if we didn’t fight to the death for the few available females.”

She nodded. “That would tend to have an effect.”

Based on what Orphia had heard, the Hirn were not monogamous. Any woman was fair game in every sense of the word. The peculiar thing was that this Hirn only seemed to have eyes for her.

Chapter Four

She was just finishing a cup of tea when the most peculiar thing happened. Her skin began to glow with a strange, translucent light.

“It seems you have a call, Orphia. What do you see in your mind?”

The image that she saw shocked her sensibilities. Even though she had attended a number of nude funerals, she had never had to put on clothing that made her look like a sex worker.

“It is a seraglio. A number of women are lying around, nearly naked, and a man is sitting and having a conversation with what appears to be a Negotiator.” She closed her eyes and concentrated.

“There is a woman glowing and looking miserable. She is the topic of the discussion. Someone is trying to buy her, and her owner is mulling over the plusses and minuses of the sale.”

“What is our assignment?”

She looked up at him. “I don’t know. I just know I have to be there.”

He nodded. “It goes that way sometimes. Come along. I will show you to the Acquisition Centre.”

They got to their feet, and he wrapped her in his arms, inhaling deeply as he transported them.

The Acquisition Centre was milling with people, but the line parted the moment that she stepped forward.

Xeric filled her in, “All those on active assignment are given priority. You need to let the system scan you, then select the clothing you need for the assignment. From there, we will go to the change room and prepare yourself.”