Goddess's Saga 1: Touch of the Goddess (5 page)

“
Really? I make a mess?”

“
Yep.”

“
Just you wait until I try to actually
cook
something.”

He laughed.
“You don’t have to. Having you watch is about all the help I can take.”

She stuck her tongue out, and he dropped a piece of chocolate on it.

“That ought to shut you up for a second or two.”

Unexpected. Clever.

After dinner, Maria lingered in the kitchen, and Stephan didn’t seem in a hurry to leave it either. It was the friendliest room on the ship, and staying was safe. It was late though, every surface shone, and she couldn’t think of anything to talk about.

Eventually, he leaned against a counter, but kept his eyes averted.

“I’ll go make up a room for you. I don’t suppose you need to sleep either, but at least you’ll have somewhere to go.”

Why am I so nervous? Must be my human side betraying me.

A part of her stated that nurturing this much desire for someone almost human was beneath her. Her human half was louder than the cool and calculated side; it wanted him so much it made her physical body shiver with expectation. His eyes held an almost hypnotic grip on her, and she felt a peculiar tug towards him every time he came close.

What if he doesn
’t want me? No, I can’t think like that. I’m too old to be afraid, and if one never takes an initiative, one never gets anywhere.

She walked up to him and rested the palms of her hands against his chest.

“I’d like to stay with you, if you don’t mind.”

His eyes lit up and he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek.

“I’m trying to give you space.”

I
’ve had four thousand years of space. Being alone is overrated.

Stephan
’s arms around her were heavenly, and when he ran a hand down her back, she pressed herself against him and kissed him hungrily.

The next morning, Stephan woke up
early, worrying the previous day might have been a dream.

Maria was still there, sleeping in his arms.
He didn’t need much rest, at least not when he was good to his body, and he felt rejuvenated.
Better
than rejuvenated, actually: ready to take on the world. Even his normally keen senses ran on overdrive, making every dab of colour brighter than normal, the low hum of the air recycling perfectly distinguishable, and the sweet smell of the woman in his arms irresistible.

Her long dark hair
flowed out over both the bed and him, and her shoulder sticking out from the comforter was so white, soft, and perfect it astounded him.

There had been many opportunities for him to hook up more permanently with some of the girls he met in different ports around the galaxy
. Many of them would gladly have followed him, and some even tried.

One
girl declared it wasn’t good for him
to travel around all alone in space. She tried to hide in the cargo bay, and he set record time for a planet where he could dump her. The very thought of having someone around all the time, every day, was appalling, and he always found ways to get rid of them. They had all been unsuccessful attempts to escape the demons that haunted him.

T
his was different. He lifted a lock of her hair to his face and smelled it with a smile playing on his face. Then, he caressed her arm gently, not wanting to wake her up, but unable to keep his hands away from her.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she smiled.
“Hi.”

She leaned on an arm and glanced around the room before meeting his eyes.

“I slept. Longer than you. So weird…”

“
Yes you did. Good morning.”

Hers was a smile to live and die for. Not to mention the feeling of her lips against his and a slender hand running over his chest.

It took another couple of hours for Stephan to persuade himself to leave the comforts of sheets and magically created bread and coffee. He needed a workout to at least
try
to clear his head.

Maybe she put a spell on me. Oh well, if she did, it doesn
’t matter.

No reason not to beef those old muscles up, especially since she seemed to enjoy them.

After that, he remembered a repair he’d been putting off and decided to get to it. Maybe she would stay for a while if he could show the best side of both him and the ship. Once he returned to the bedroom, he was well aware of being both sweaty and dirty.

Maria sat in bed with a pile of pillows behind her back and a cup of coffee balancing on her knee.

If anyone else did that, we’d have a lot of cleaning to do.

In front of her, a large hologram of a planet hovered in mid air, but it couldn
’t be a hologram; there weren’t any holo-projectors in the room. He walked around the sphere and crouched next to her to get a better look.

“
I’ve decided I owe the universe some creation. I’m making a planet. The first step is the most difficult. One must be careful not to disturb the gravitational constant of the universe, or it will have terrible consequences in the long run. The next step is to design the continents and then populate them and the oceans. I don’t know yet if it should have moons. They also affect the balance, you know…”

She paused with a small frown.

“Back in the day, we used to go to the planets we were working on, but I think this is easier. It gives a better overview.”

Stephan
pretended this was a perfectly normal morning discussion.

“
I see.”

She pulled a hand through the air and the image disappeared.

“It’ll still be there. I’ll show you later.”

Her eyes burned on his skin and he flexed his muscles a little extra.

“Care to join me in the shower, babe?”

She looked offended, but
the laughter in her voice revealed it wasn’t sincere.

“
I’m a Goddess. I’m always clean, and I always smell good.”

“
Yeah, but I don’t. Come on, humour me.”

Maybe I could toss her over my shoulder and just bring her along. Tempting…

The ship was built for a crew much larger than just one or two people. It had plenty of water and over-dimensioned recycling tanks. He rebuilt the sonic shower to use real water years earlier, and with a treasure like her… Well, he could think of all sorts of fun things to do in there.

Maria rolled her eyes and pretended to be exasperated. She got out of bed, stark
naked, covered only by long, dark hair cascading down her back. When trotting off towards the restroom, she wiggled her butt a little extra, clearly just to torment him.

Seeing first those round breasts, so perky and unaffected by gravity, and then those little buttocks right in front of him made it quite difficult to think coherently.
Temptation.

She dashed for the door, and when he caught up she sprayed him with the shower, giggling wildly.

*****

During the next few days, Stephan worried she’d disappear as quickly as she came. As much as
he
appreciated every day, she
would
probably get bored, and going back to life alone held no appeal. For the moment, she seemed preoccupied with her planet, but that wouldn’t last forever.

He tried to take an interest in it, leaned his shoulder against the wall, and watched.

That’s pretty amazing.

“
Maybe we can go there after I drop off the cargo.”

That sounds too presumptuous, like I
’m assuming she’ll still be here. Dammit.

She seemed oblivious of his inner torment, patting the seat next to her, urging him to come over.

“I’d like that. Look here, we have to determine how the coastlines should be designed to work with the oceans, so the waves flow right, and how high and where the mountains should be.”

He took a seat next to her
and folded his hands in his lap to keep them away from her.

“
It all affects the eco system, doesn’t it?”

“
Very good.”

“
So with this mountain ridge here, that side will be protected, and this side, towards the ocean, will get a lot of rain, right?”

“
Yes. The climate there will be mild, but rainy.”

He didn
’t really want to go to the space station anymore. Once there, she might find something or someone more entertaining. It was a pointless line of thought; she could leave whenever she wanted to and she was still there, but he was obsessed and couldn’t stop worrying. Every part of the ship already echoed with memories of her; her scent, her face, and the feeling of her skin. He could look at a light and see her eyes instead.

Funny how a pair of green eyes can contain the answer to everything I ever wanted.

He told himself there were many women, an abundance of them even, and if he wanted company after she left he could always find another. Great plan, but it wasn’t true. No one else could ever do.

His worries increased as the station came closer, and finally, he wasn
’t able to hide the restlessness anymore. He wandered around the ship, or sat in the kitchen with his head in his hands, telling himself to snap out of it.

Maybe I should stop stalling, pick up some speed and get it over with. We could be there tomorrow.

Maria’s hand on his shoulder made him jump.

“
Don’t sneak up on me.”

“
I wasn’t sneaking, I teleported. What’s wrong?”

“
Nothing.”

“
Yes, something.”

She came around the table and took his hand.

“Do you want me to leave?”

What? No, no, no…

He wanted to shake his head, but his gaze was caught in hers. Could she see the anguish on his face?
Say something.

The truth fell out of his mouth.

“Please don’t go.”

“
Why would I go?”

“
How would I know? I don’t even know why you’re here.”

Way to make sense.

She sighed and climbed up on a stool.

“
Would you make me a cup of coffee?”

What? Coffee? What
’s that got to do with anything?

He obeyed anyway, of course. There was no way
not
to, and going through the motions made him feel a little better. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her frown and chew her lip. When he put the steaming cup in front of her, the frown turned into a smile.

“
Thank you, lover.”

“
You don’t really want that, do you? You just wanted to give me something to do.”

She shrugged.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You make excellent coffee.”

He lifted an eyebrow and she sighed.

“You got me. Look… I stay here because I want to, because you’re here. I know I can reassure you until you grow old and you still won’t believe it until you figure it out for yourself, but unless you
want
me to leave, you’re stuck with me.”

But why?
Me loving you is not a mystery, but what do you want with me?

She patted his hand.

“You’ll figure it out.”

A large space station loomed outside their little ship, and Stephan docked effortlessly. It was a well-known procedure he must have done hundreds, or maybe thousands times before.

Strange that Maria didn
’t come to see, I’m sure she knows we’re here. Should I go look for her?

He waited until he couldn
’t stand waiting anymore, and found her sitting cross-legged on their bed, scrutinizing an entire solar system.

“
Babe?”

She didn
’t move, and he ducked under a miniature sun, zigzagged between planets, and slowly made his way through the room, careful not to disturb anything. His bumping into something might not change things in real life, but he didn’t want to risk it.

When he came closer, she lifted a hand without looking away from her work, and motioned for him to wait, so he froze in place, watching her adjust a planet into orbit a millimetre outside of its old one.

That little nudge would make an enormous distance in the real scale.

“
I made this when I was very young. I must have miscalculated the size of the moon; it has slipped out of orbit. I’m making it a little smaller and putting it back where it belongs.”

“
Okay…”

She finally ripped her eyes away from the model.

“You docked, right? Why don’t you go on ahead and I’ll catch up in a few.”

I guess. I
’m not all that interesting anymore, am I?

He
was used to her ogling him when he changed clothes, but now she seemed so preoccupied with her four-thousand-year-old error she didn’t even remember he was in the room. He sighed and pressed his lips against her cheek.

“
I’ll go wait for you in the bar. It’s to the right in the corridor from this docking bay. Okay?”

She nodded
without looking at him.

The environment was well known to him and usually seemed cheery, but this time, the bright billboards lining the corridors made him grimace. His Goddess would see them, and their messages of sex and shopping seemed vulgar.

The walkway wound towards the centre of the station with a gentle slope and wouldn’t normally pose a challenge. This time he had to pause after just a couple of minutes, leaning against the cold wall, waiting for a sudden attack of vertigo to disappear. His shirt suddenly seemed too tight and he opened the top button. He was feverish and his heart pounded hard.

“
What the hell?”

Besides the occasional hangover he hadn
’t been sick a day in his life.

I know I haven
’t been drinking since she came on the ship. Eh, some scotch will kill off whatever it is.

Taking a deep breath, he urged his feet forward, and made his way to the pub without even knowing he walked there. Sitting by the counter, he slammed down drink after drink. The alcohol made him feel better physically, but did nothing to elevate his dark mood.

Now I’m drunk, sick, and miserable. What a fucking great day.

He want
ed to be back out in deep space alone with his Goddess, but they would be stuck here for days at best, or weeks at worst. The dizzier he became, drinking even to forget all his worries seemed an even better idea. A part of him knew it didn’t make any sense, and that little voice of reason annoyed him. Maybe some more booze would make it shut up.

*****

On the ship, Maria worked on saving her world.

He doesn
’t look happy. I need to hurry up.

Despite her best intentions time slipped away, and it took a good couple of hours before she roamed over to the wardrobe.

He probably knows people here, maybe other women. I need to look gorgeous. Should I have my hair up or down? What should I wear? Red? Black?

When finally dressed and ready, she didn
’t know where to leave the ship. She teleported onto it and never left. Looking for the exit would take time, and she teleported into the corridor on the other side of the hull. An old man swept the floor and almost fell over with surprise when she appeared in thin air. She gave a little wave and pretended that she had indeed come through the door.

The corridor had pale grey walls filled with colourful posters encouraging visitors to buy, buy, and buy.

Funny. Currencies might differ, but the base sentiment is the same. You should have less so I can have more. Tedious.

Many of her relatives slept for centuries at a time, bored with the world. The approach made more sense the older she became.

I won
’t do that, though. I’m in love. Who would have thought? Guess there’s a first time for everything. It’s my human side, it’s gone all emotional on me. I might just as well enjoy the ride, right?

She took an undignified skip-step, making two blue little aliens turn their many eyes in her direction.

“I’m in love.”

Deeming from their snorts and the ripples shivering through their thick skin, they either congratulated her or pitied her. She preferred to believe in the former.

Few people were this close to the docking bays, and she only passed a few shops before arriving at the bar. It
had
to be the right place; it was the first room with people in it.

“
Not bad.”

She didn
’t mean to say that aloud and started at the sound of her own voice.

The contrast between the pub and the corridor was as big as the one between Stephan
’s kitchen and the rest of the ship. Overhead lights dimly lighted the room, and the walls were covered with wooden panels, books, old shields, and various other knick-knacks. Furniture made from dark wood and leather complemented a thick, dark green carpet.

Humans never cease to surprise me.

Stephan hunched over the bar, and she felt a sting of bad conscience when she realized how long she’d made him wait. It disappeared quickly when a pretty girl sauntered over to him. She took a couple of steps closer, both jealous and curious. If her human part was in love, the Goddess portion claimed he would have to be hers, all hers, and nothing but hers.

*****

Stephan didn’t even notice the person approaching until a female voice said his name.

He turned to squint at the face belonging to the voice, and someone slapped him.

Dammit all to hell, I forgot all about her.

He felt his jaw humorously, as if checking it was still in the right place, raised his glass in greeting
, and mumbled, “Charlene.”

She
was pretty in a way, and he spent many a night in her bed when visiting the station. It was good entertainment, but this day he just wanted her to leave him alone. After meeting his Goddess, Charlene held as much appeal to him as a brick wall.

“
My lucky day.”

Please leave me alone.

She yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me you were here? I have to stumble over you by accident? Hey, how many other times have you been here without telling me? You have another girl here, don’t you?”

He shrugged
and hoped indifference would make her disappear. He probably owed her an explanation, but wasn’t up to it.

Before he could react, she threw her arms around him,
squealing.

“
It’s okay sugar-bunny, I love you. You probably just forgot and I won’t be mad anymore.”

“
What are you doing?”

She almost tipped his drink over, kissing his face and trying to get to his lips.

Great. The way this day is going, Maria will come in right now and see this fiasco. If she isn’t planning to dump me already, this will do it.

He
tried to push the woman away. He took her wrists in his hands and tried to shove her arms off him, but he didn’t want to hurt her and didn’t do well with freeing himself.

“
Look, Charlene, we’ve had good times in the past, but I’m with someone now. I love her; she’s my life. Charlene, you have to stop this.”

The more he tried
, the harder she clung to him.

“
No, no, no, I love you, no one else can love you like I do. Dump her, baby, and stay here with me. I’ll take care of you. You know you want to.”

Stephan
gave up, leaned his elbows on the counter and buried his face in his hands.

I
’m not up to this. What am I going to do?

“
Don’t make me shoot you. Hey, I need another drink.”

*****

Maria watched with a lifted eyebrow and her arms crossed.

It
’s not really his fault; he’s trying to get rid of her. Persistent little thing, though.

His
not entirely sober but sweet explanation about her put a goofy smile on her face that rhymed poorly with her dress and look.

He loves me. Good thing he doesn
’t know how close I’ve been to prying to find out… Okay, enough of this. This might be your bar, lady, but I’m the queen bee around here.

She touched her hair, just to make sure it was perfect, straightened her back and walked the few steps to the counter. All eyes were on her, except for Stephan
’s and Charlene’s.

He slumped over his drink, whispering,
“Why didn’t I stay on the ship?”

Charlene clung to him, murmuring,
“You know I’ll treat you better than whatever slut you picked up. Throw her out, I’ll come with ya if you want company.”

Maria rolled her eyes.

“That’s enough, he gets the point. Get off him and leave with a little dignity, if you have any.”

Her voice rang deceivingly soft, and she put a hand on Stephan
’s shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. He was the only man in the room who hadn’t noticed her already, but now he raised his eyes and smiled.

“
Babe.”

Charlene looked uncertain, but didn
’t move.

Wow, she
’s standing her ground. Against me? Really? I guess she does love him.

“
Scoot. If you stick around I’ll turn you into something unnatural, and you’re probably a nice girl who wouldn’t deserve that.”

The other woman still didn
’t move. Worse; she held a hand on him.

He
’s mine, back off. How ‘bout I set fire to you and this wicked place? I could level it to dust with a thought.

It took an effort to fight down the impulse; the part of her that belonged to her father
’s people was a dangerous predator on the verge of waking up. Stephan had to be hers and nothing but hers.

The fire inside must have shown in her eyes. Charlene backed up a few steps, spun around, and ran for her life.

Everyone’s watching you. Keep it together, do not set her on fire!

Stephan touched her cheek and pulled her back to the present
. Everyone watched them, watched
her
, and she could not afford to lose control.

Glancing into his calm eyes soothed her.