Fallen Star (11 page)

“I get it.” She smoothed her hair back from
her face and squared her shoulders. “This is only the
beginning.”

“And how shall we handle it if my energy has
the same effect on you that it did last night?”

She shrugged again and her lips twitched
with the hint of a smile. “As long as we’re clear that it’s just
for fun, I’m not opposed to letting you ‘help me through it’.”

As if of their own volition, his arms pulled
her against his chest and his mouth angled over hers. She gasped,
tensed, then melted into his embrace. It took a moment longer for
her to respond, but her arms wrapped around his neck and her lips
parted beneath the gentle probing of his tongue.

He pushed his fingers into the back of her
hair and made a loose fist. She tasted faintly of coffee and her
scent fueled his desire. He tilted his head, fitting his mouth more
firmly to hers. This was what he’d wanted all morning, what he
couldn’t stop wanting. His tongue moved with slow, thorough stokes,
memorizing every hollow and surface of her mouth.

His other hand found the hem of her T-shirt
and slipped beneath. Her skin was so soft and warm that he moaned.
He wanted her naked and spread beneath him as he slowly tasted
every inch of her amazing skin.

“I don’t want a relationship,” she whispered
when his mouth freed hers and trailed along the underside of her
jaw. “You have to accept that.”

“I know.” Which didn’t mean he agreed; it
just meant he’d go slowly until he convinced her that she had
nothing to fear. He nipped her chin then continued down the side of
her neck.

She eased her hands between them and pushed
against his chest. “I thought you were going to explore my mind,
not my body.”

He loosened his hold without letting go.
“Can’t I do both?”

Jillian trembled in his embrace, but it
wasn’t fear that made her shake. If any other man had pounced on
her the way Odintar had, she would have shoved him away. So why had
Odintar’s aggression made her melt? The man knew how to kiss. There
was no denying that. Still, the overt hunger in his gaze should
have been enough to warn her away. And still she stood there
staring into his blue-ringed eyes.

“We’re here for a reason and it’s not this.”
Her body clenched as if in protest of her sensibility.

He closed his eyes and slowly released her.
When he raised his lids again, the blue rings were gone. “I
apologize.”

“Why?” She smiled, hoping to ease the
tension arcing between them. “I enjoyed it. Didn’t you?” His eyes
narrowed and he reached for her again, but she twisted sharply to
the side. “Work before play, you naughty boy.” He chuckled and for
an instant ruby-red rings appeared in the depths of his gaze. “What
the…” She moved closer and touched his face just below his left
eye. “Now the rings are red.”

He laughed and the rings burned brighter.
“That doesn’t happen very often. Rodytes have blue rings in their
eyes while Bilarrians have red. Mine are triggered by emotion.
Primal emotions like anger and passion bring out the Rodyte blue.
Lighter emotions like amusement and joy turn the rings red.”

The color scheme seemed backward to her, but
she couldn’t argue with the facts. Each time she’d seen the blue
rings he’d been aroused or annoyed. It was only his laughter that
turned them red. “I’ll do my best to keep them red.” She took
another step backward and motioned to the wide opening leading to
the rest of the house. “Should we go back to the living room?”

“Wherever you’re most comfortable.”

She snickered. “I’d be most comfortable in
my apartment.”

“For the time being, you’re stuck here with
me.”

Rather than belabor the point, she walked
into the living room and sat in the chair facing the sofa. She
expected Odintar to move to the sofa, but he pulled the ottoman
slightly back from her legs, then sat down. He held out his hands
and she slowly took them, dreading the helplessness that surged
through her whenever he touched her mind. Powers like his were
supposed to be fiction, yet he moved through her mind as easily as
she could cross a room. He didn’t need to tell her to close her
eyes. With the first brush of his energy, she lowered her lids and
braced for impact.

“Jillian.” When she didn’t open her eyes, he
squeezed her hands. “Look at me.”

She opened one eye and then the other,
feeling rather foolish.

“We don’t have to do this. Now or ever. I
thought you wanted to learn your true potential.”

“I do.”

“Then why are you preparing for battle?”

With a sigh, she drew her hands out of his
and scooted back in the chair. “I’ve always had a thing about
personal space. Unless I’m onstage, I don’t like anyone getting too
close to me. When you enter my mind, it feels like the worst sort
of invasion.”

“Is there a reason you’re this distrustful?
Were you traumatized in some way?”

Her gaze narrowed and she folded her hands
in her lap. “Do you know about Angie’s attack?”

“Yes. Were you—”

“No. It’s not physical with me.” She sighed.
It was hard to explain without sounding petty and she fought daily
not to be defined by her mother’s attitudes. “I spent my childhood
listening to my mother rail about how I couldn’t trust anyone.
According to her, friends would always disappoint me and men would
use me then throw me away. I didn’t want to believe her, tried not
to let her attitude shape my personality, but too many of my own
experiences reinforced her position.” She shrugged with an
indifference she didn’t feel. “Even after years away from her
influence, I find myself pushing people away.”

“What about Tori and Angie? Have they
disappointed you?”

“No, but that doesn’t keep me from being
cautious. It’s really hard for me to let anyone get close.”

“All right. How about if you get close to
me?”

She stared at him, unsure what he expected.
God, the man was gorgeous. He wasn’t classically handsome. His
features were too bold, his manner too assertive. But he appealed
in that rugged, outdoorsy way that always weakened her knees. She
licked her lips and opened her hands against her thighs. “What do
you want me to do?”

“Whatever you want to do.” His gaze narrowed
for a moment and a tingly itch erupted in her mind. “Can you feel
that?”

“Yes.” It was a little hard to miss.

“It’s the link I anchored last night. Close
your eyes and follow it into my mind.”

Shocked by the offer, she closed her eyes.
Was this what Tori meant when she’d asked if Jillian had seen
beyond his shields? Tori made it sound incredibly intimate. This
must be something else. Rather than ask for clarification, she
focused on the sensation and found the link. It looked like a
shimmery thread stretching out into the distance. This delicate
fiber had allowed him to pull her onto the metaphysical plane? It
must be a hell of a lot stronger than it looked. Instinctively, she
reached out and touched the cord. The image inside her mind was
incredibly clear. It was like watching herself on video. She gently
plucked the link, like an instrument string, and vibrations
reverberated through her entire body.

“That’s right,” Odintar encouraged. “Now
follow the strand.”

“I don’t know how.” She didn’t know how to
do any of this and yet she’d managed to find the link.

He gently took her wrist and guided her hand
to his face. His skin was warm and smooth. He must have shaved
while she was sleeping. The image inside her mind focused as well
and the sensations intensified. She scooted forward, easing her
knees in between his. Yet in her mind, she stood beside the thread,
her face lit by the fiber’s silvery glow.

“Can you see where the link goes?” His tone
was hushed and his fingers remained around her wrist.

“Yes.”

“Picture yourself walking along beside it.
Come closer.”

She reached for the cord again, but her
fingers sank into the strands this time. Energy rippled around and
cascaded through her. She shivered, using the resulting
restlessness to propel her forward, along the flickering
thread.

She could sense him more clearly with each
step, feel his strength and the astonishing scope of his power.
Emotions pulsed from him and images flowed, detailed yet
disordered. Like a high-speed montage, events inundated her mind.
She saw a boy with curly dark hair and sad, watchful eyes; then a
petulant youth sneaking down a shadowed corridor; followed by a
young man locked in a passionate embrace with a blue-haired woman.
Emotions accompanied each scene, yet they seemed random. These were
not pivotal events in his life, just snapshots in time.

Too often he stood apart, an observer to the
happenings around him. At first she couldn’t tell if the separation
was by choice or if the others wanted no part of him. Then bursts
of anger and determination wove through the loneliness. He might
appear indifferent, but his heart ached to belong.

Compelled by the memories, Jillian pushed
deeper into Odintar’s mind. She knew what it was like to be an
outsider, to hunger for acceptance. The only time she felt truly at
peace was when she was utterly lost in a dance.

Jillian saw the woman again. She was older
now, her black hair only streaked with blue. Odintar stood beside a
rumpled bed wearing only a pair of pants. Trying not to be
distracted by the sculpted perfection of his body, Jillian assessed
his expression. He clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared, but
she saw only pain in his eyes. The woman hurriedly dressed as she
shouted her frustration and disappointment at her
soon-to-be-ex-lover. She stormed from the room and Odintar cursed
then his image morphed into the sad-eyed little boy.

Compassion squeezed Jillian’s heart and she
blindly reached out of Odintar.

He caught her wrist and guided her hand back
to her lap.
Don’t pity me,
gennari
. That lonely boy is
long gone.

Gennari
? Why did that sound familiar?
Had he called her that… She’d heard his voice inside her head! Her
eyes flew open and she gasped. “I knew it! You’re telepathic.”

As are you
. His lips only moved to
form a lazy smile.

“Really? Then why is your voice the only one
I’ve ever heard?”

Your mind is heavily shielded. Push a
thought across our link. The connection makes it easy. It’s a good
way to practice.

Can you hear me now?
She felt foolish
echoing the familiar commercial, until he responded.

Loud and clear.

She stared at him in stunned wonder for a
moment, unable to believe it was really happening. Being told that
her father was likely an alien and actually finding a resulting
anomaly were two very different things.
Can I do this with
anyone or just you?

His smile turned predatory and he scooted
closer, placing his hands on the armrests of her chair. He still
wasn’t touching her, but she was basically caged by his body.
Depends what you mean by ‘this’.
Before she could respond he
chuckled and waved away her answer. “Work before play. I keep
forgetting. If you’re finished looking around, draw me into your
mind.”

Like a child with a new toy, she wanted to
explore.
Can I look around a little longer? Please.

He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers.
It wasn’t really a kiss, just a tantalizing caress of skin against
skin.
I have nothing to hide. Take as long as you like.

She raised her other hand and framed his
face, then reluctantly closed her eyes. Looking at him was a
constant temptation. Still, she couldn’t afford to squander this
opportunity.

Easing back into the churning energy stream,
she took a moment to familiarize herself with the sensations. Her
senses felt overstimulated, making each impulse slightly painful.
This must be what it’s like when a baby learns to walk,
exhilarating yet terrifying.

She drew his energy inward, mixing it with
her own until she couldn’t distinguish between the two. Rather than
searching out his memories, she opened herself to the information
and the images began to flow naturally. His youth and teenage years
had been shaped by routine and discipline. Apparently a magical
“conservatory” wasn’t all that different from a school for the
performing arts. Any talent, be it physical or metaphysical, was
made better through hard work and endless practice. Jillian’s
favorite instructor liked to say, “Practice does not make perfect;
perfect
practice makes perfect. Imperfect practice only
reinforces bad habits.” Their talents might be vastly different,
but their adolescent years had been remarkably similar.

You’re about to witness my first sexual
experience,
he warned.
Are you sure that’s what you want to
watch?

She pulled back as heat spread across her
cheeks. “Thanks for the warning.” There was only one person she
wanted to picture Odintar having sex with and he couldn’t remember
something that hadn’t happened yet.

“What else do you want to know?” He shifted
on the ottoman, clearly restless. “This will be faster if I guide
you.”

Suspicion tingled down her spine and she
lowered her hands to his shoulders. “Can you manipulate what I
see?”

“I can if I send the images to you, but
you’re inside my shields. What you see is what you get.”

She wasn’t sure what she wanted to know. And
she was starting to feel guilty about the exchange. If she didn’t
want him digging around in her mind, why should he allow her to
rummage through his? “Show me your best friend.” That seemed like a
neutral enough topic.

“I don’t have a best friend. I have several
close friends who have moved in and out of my life for decades. Lor
is one of them, but the others are just as important to me.”