Grounding Gracus (First Wave Book 6) (14 page)

Amun nodded his head. “You’re right,” he said, trying to shake the bad feeling in his stomach.

“What do you think about this cave and what do you know of Fiorn Erikson?” Decano asked, curious about the importance of the place and the man.

Amun rested one arm on his raised knee. “I’m not sure about the cave. The things I’ve seen since we came to this planet… there’s really no telling and nothing would surprise me at this point. Now Fiorn, he’s a legend. He was one of the greatest warriors and minds on our planet.”

Amun leaned his head back and continued. “He was an unusual man; a very smart man. He had been in many situations that were certain death, yet using his mind, he not only survived he saved many other lives. No one ever knew why he volunteered for the lead security position on the outpost, but with his decorated past, no one would tell him he couldn’t go. Our world mourned his loss.”

“Damn, sounds like a hell of a guy. Someone Grai could get along with,” Decano said with a chuckle.

Amun couldn’t help but smile at the comparison. “They would either get along really well or butt heads to the point of killing each other, there would be no middle ground between two men like that,” Amun said.

Decano nodded his head and grinned. “You’re right on that…”

Decano quieted at the first sound of warning from the cats. He and Amun jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons as they listened to the pounding steps coming at them through the woods. They sent out warnings to Gracus and Grai that they were under attack and moved behind the trees and readied their pulse rifles.

They could hear the cat’s frenzied attack and the screams of their victims as the pounding footsteps came even closer to them.

Gracus heard the warning moments before he heard the cats and then the screaming. He was already on his feet and opened Rebecca’s tent flap just as she looked out at him wide-eyed and panicked.

“What the hell is happening?” she asked as they heard gunfire erupt and more screams.

Gracus didn’t bother lying, there was no point. “The Relians have attacked my friends, we need to leave. Now!” he said as he helped her to her feet.

While she stood there, in shock, Gracus grabbed her packs and his own and slung them over his shoulder. Noting she had slept in her hiking boots, Gracus took her hand and pulled her towards the mountain they had planned on reaching in the morning.

Rebecca allowed him to half drag her at a brisk pace, her mind was a little heavy and she was exhausted. But, she could feel the danger around them like a thick fog.

Then she heard the voice in her mind again. “You must pay attention! Grab your weapon and stay alert. Use your senses and shoot to kill!”

Rebecca started to pant, not from the pace but from the overwhelming thoughts and energy running through her body. Until she opened her mind and willed it to clear, allowing only one thing to remain. That she had to keep them from getting killed. No longer feeling like she couldn’t concentrate, she pulled her hand from Gracus and ran passed him, whispering, “Follow me.”

Rebecca set a moderate pace, thankful that the full moon enabled them to see the forest floor so they could avoid tripping and injuring themselves.

She tried to ignore the voice in her mind as it said, “You know it isn’t just the moon, your senses are stronger now that we’ve almost completed our bond.”

The screaming and gunfire was far behind them now and had stopped, but since Gracus didn’t seem to want to slow down, Rebecca continued to run towards the mountain and the cave. She couldn’t stop thinking that it was the safest place for them to go and headed there instinctively, as if being guided.

As much as she wanted to try and quell what she thought were crazy ideas running through her head, it was hard to ignore the fact that Gracus did have friends protecting them. And she had heard the cats pacing and the voices before she’d fallen asleep. Which meant that at least part of his crazy story was true. Including the part that someone was hunting them.

Rebecca ignored the shiver that ran through her at the thought and tried to shake the fear that came with it. She knew it wouldn’t do them any good for her to have a breakdown right now. The crazy going on in her head was bad enough and she was determined not to let whatever was wrong with her, get Gracus killed.

She thought about slowing down to at least grab her packs from Gracus, but when she’d turned to get them, he wasn’t even breaking a sweat and the look of determination on his face was intense.

She heard the voice in her head say, “Gracus is well trained and strong. He can carry the packs and would not want you to stop or slow until you tire.”

It was then that Rebecca realized that they had been running for at least twenty minutes and she wasn’t tired at all. She wasn’t even breathing hard. Neither was Gracus, who was carrying all four of the heavy packs. She was so startled she started to stumble but was quickly able to right herself and continue running, barely breaking her stride.

That was odd too
, she thought. Normally, that would have caused her a bad fall. How the hell had she moved quickly enough to avoid it?

She wasn’t surprised when the voice responded. “It’s your heightened senses. Sight, hearing, speed, reflexes and energy have been increased since we began the bonding process between us.”

Rebecca had to stop herself from laughing hysterically. She really was beginning to think that she’d lost her damn mind.
What was it they said…
, she wondered. Oh yeah, it was ok to talk to yourself as long as you didn’t answer back. Having entire conversations couldn’t be a good sign.

She felt a distinct sigh in her mind before the voice said, “You must accept this. We will need our bond for us to survive. There are many more Relians out here hunting us all. Your lack of acceptance is preventing you from using the full extent of your power.”

Rebecca did smile at that. Leave it to her crazy mind to turn herself into a superhero or something.
This whole damn thing was crazy
, she thought. All of it. The one thing she couldn’t deny was the screaming and the gunfire. The sound of the cats attacking something and someone screaming. Men shouting.

Maybe it was just a group of campers being attacked by a mountain lion. Damn, maybe they were running for nothing and they should be going back to see if anyone needs help. What if she’d let the story affect her so badly that she’d fled when she should have gone back and tried to help.

As her doubts grew, her pace slowed until she finally stopped and turned to Gracus. “We need to go back,” she said, worried that they’d left behind injured people.

Gracus had sifted her energy when she started slowing down to see if she was tiring and knew that she was having doubts. Clatz was speaking to her beast and trying to help him assist in convincing her that what was happening was real. He knew he had to help get through to her.

“Listen to me, Rebecca. They are fine. There were only two that that attacked. One got past the cats and was taken out by Decano. But, there are more out here. They were testing our defenses. Grai wants us to get to the cave,” Gracus said, hoping the urgency in him was vibrating through her energy.

It was. Rebecca looked at him curiously. “Uncle Shy?”

Gracus shook his head, wondering who the hell her Uncle Shy was. “Who is Uncle Shy? What does he have to do with this?”

Rebecca grinned. “Uncle Shy… I couldn’t pronounce Grai when I was little and I ended up calling him Uncle Shy. And don’t give me the look I know you’re going to give me! At least it rhymed with Grai!” Rebecca said with a smile, thinking about the huge, but gentle man.

Gracus finally understood and chuckled as he pushed her forward, putting as much distance as they could between them and the camp. “Yes, Grai is out here with a team. He’s the one who wants us to get to the cave,” Gracus said, grateful that she knew who Grai was and was willing to listen now.

Rebecca moved forward, still a little doubtful of the way it fit too well into his story, but willing to listen if he knew Grai. He’d spent a lot of time with her and her grandfather when she was young. The older she got the less she had seen him, but he’d been there at her grandfather’s funeral and she was there after the birth of his son.

A thought occurred to her and she wanted to test him. “Tell me about Grai,” she said.

Gracus sighed, feeling her suspicious energy beating against his own. “He’s the leader of the Alien Earth Alliance on the planet. Mate to Tricia, father to Tristan and one hell of a guy. When I had my temporary breakdown on the ship, he was the one who suggested I come here to get away,” Gracus said with a smile.
He would be forever grateful to the man for that.

Rebecca laughed, she couldn’t help it. Everything he’d said had been true, except for the crazy Alien Earth part. That was just a little too crazy, even for her.
And she was currently crazy enough to judge crazy
, she thought.

And right on time, her voice decided to prove the crazy part to be correct. “He’s telling you the truth. You can feel it in his energy. If you paid attention,” the voice said sarcastically.

Oh, this was bullshit!
“You’re the one chattering away in my head and you’ve got attitude?” Rebecca muttered angrily.

She was getting damn tired of feeling like she’d been dropped into a fantasy realm somewhere along the path and was the only one who knew it.

Gracus chuckled. “Your beast is a pain in the ass too huh?” he asked, pretty sure her comment wasn’t meant for him.

Rebecca turned to glare at him before her curiosity got the best of her. “What the hell is a beast? Another imaginary alien?”

Gracus grinned.
Damn she was stubborn
, he thought. “Yes, in a way it is alien. It is a parasitic entity that resides in your brain. It gives you enhanced sight, speed, agility, hearing and stamina. It is the energy conduit that allows you to communicate with others through a universal energy path we call the Shengari’.”

Gracus knew he had her attention and rushed on. “They are a voice in your head. A living and sentient entity inside of your brain. It seems strange, but our people and many others have lived in sync with them for tens of thousands of years. Most people I know have very friendly and kind beasts. Mine happens to be a sarcastic asshole,” Gracus said the last affectionately. Even though he and Clatz rubbed each other raw sometimes, he still cared for and appreciated his beast.

Rebecca had listened to his words carefully and unknowingly she pulled his energy, and like the voice had said, she felt the truth of his words ring through her and it would have startled her if the words themselves hadn’t put her mind in shock.

“You’re saying there’s a parasite living in my brain and it’s causing these hallucinations?” Rebecca asked, wondering if it could be true.

“Oh, you wish. Besides, it would have to be a group hallucination since Gracus, Grai and the other Valendrans are in on it too,” the voice said, sounding irritated.

If Rebecca wasn’t mistaken, there was also a tinge of disappointment in the voice this time. For some reason, that bothered her. Not that she planned on admitting it.

Gracus sighed, wishing she’d picked a better time to prove how stubborn she could be. “Rebecca, I have no reason to lie to you. And you know you’re hearing the voice. It already created the communication path between us. I could speak in your mind and prove it,” Gracus said, daring her to let him try.

Rebecca just snorted. “Yeah, right,” she said sarcastically.

Gracus spun her around and looked into her eyes. “I already did,” he said.

At least Rebecca thought he’d said it. But she’d been watching his mouth the whole time and his lips never moved. What the hell was going on?

“Don’t pretend you can’t hear me. I know you can. You can feel the energy vibration in your mind as I speak to you,” Gracus said in her mind as she stared at him wide-eyed.

“It isn’t possible,” Rebecca whispered.

Chapter Twelve

Rebecca stared at Gracus and ran through the stories in her mind again, trying to come up with any other explanation for what was happening that didn’t include aliens. And her. But her mind kept drawing a blank.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in aliens, she did. She just believed that they were three feet tall with big eyes, big heads and small bodies. Not six foot something, gorgeous men with incredible bodies.
And Uncle Grai too?

“Uncle Grai is an alien too? Did my grandfather know?” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Gracus turned her around and gently pushed Rebecca forward to get her to start walking again. “Yes, Grai is also an alien. And yes, your grandfather knew. It’s why he put the code in the journals and never told you about the cave. Grai said it is written in our language, in some kind of code. It’s why your grandfather never wanted it found, until you were ready to learn about your heritage,” Gracus said gently in her mind.

Rebecca again felt the truth in his words and her mind struggled to believe it all. Things like this just didn’t happen to boring people like her. And this was pretty damn far out there. At the same time, it made too much sense to discredit it.

She felt the strange vibration in her mind, like a fight or flight urgency, right before a large black cat bounded in front of them. She stopped short and just stared at the cat, holding her arms out to stop Gracus from moving past her.

The cat grinned and suddenly bowed. “I am Gibly. Grai has asked me to personally aid in your protection to the cave. I am pleased to meet you, Rebecca Carson, mate of Gracus.”

Rebecca began laughing so hard she had to kneel down and stared right at the smiling cat. Who had spoken to her! She studied the cat and couldn’t help but notice the glittering green gem collar that it wore.
Of course
, she thought with a snort,
talking cats always wore such awesome bling.

“Is she alright?” Gibly asked as he cocked his head at Rebecca.

Gracus moved to the side of Rebecca and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Gibly and the Sibiox were still a shock to some of his people, it certainly wouldn’t be any less surprising to Rebecca, who was already dealing with enough to process.

“Thank you, Gibly. Did you note the Relian locations?” Gracus asked, needing to know where the enemy were.

Gibly winked at Rebecca, causing her to chuckle before he turned to Gracus. “You aren’t being followed and there is no Relians up ahead. Grai is tracking a group, but there are a few unaccounted for that Amun and Decano are trying to find,” Gibly said with an adorable twitch of his whiskers.

Rebecca giggled. “Aliens have talking cats?”

Gibly padded quietly to Rebecca and laid a paw on her knee. “I am a Sibiox, from the planet Valendra. We are a sentient species that can communicate telepathically. It is the collar, made for me that allows my words to be heard aloud. A gifted hybrid, much like you, created it for me. You may touch it if you like,” Gibly said, his black eyes never leaving Rebecca’s stunned ones.

Rebecca couldn’t stop her fingers from reaching out and touching the beautiful collar. She could feel the tickle of the cat’s soft fur as she did so and gave it a small pet to see how it would react. It was so soft!

“Are you pets?” she asked.

Gibly bristled and his fur poofed out for a second before he calmed down. “We are not pets. We are equals,” Gibly said.

Gracus smiled. “He’s right. His people are invaluable to our mission here. They are excellent trackers and hunters. Killers too, if need be.”

Rebecca looked at the deadly looked claws and teeth on the cat and knew that was true without having to feel it in his energy. The only thing different about this cat and a mountain lion was that the cat was just a little smaller.

The cat nodded at her before it turned around and started walking away. “We must leave. Grai thinks that your female will be better protected at the cave,” Gibly said as he disappeared ahead of them.

Gracus reached out his hand to Rebecca and he was surprised when she accepted it. He helped her stand and allowed her to begin walking in front of him. He could feel the questions in her energy and was waiting for her to ask them. He didn’t have to wait long.

“You’re supposed to be a Valendran then?” Rebecca asked as she followed where the cat had disappeared.

Gracus grinned, glad her first question was about him. He ignored the tingles that gave him and answered her, “Yes, I am First Commander Gracus Adrastor, of the ship, Adaria. Gibly is the first Sibiox cat that we knew to be sentient. We found out through another hybrid, Cari, who was the first to communicate with them.”

Rebecca grunted. “You, the cat and that damn voice keep talking about these hybrids having gifts. I don’t have any gifts! I’m just me. No talents… hell I can’t even figure out what most of the buttons on the remote control do! I can’t be one of these hybrids,” Rebecca said defensively.

Gracus could feel her irritation and tried to keep his tone gentle and relaxing. “Grai, said your father had the gift of psychometry. And before you deny it, those symbols in that journal don’t exist except for you. No one else can see them, unless you are touching them. So, I think Grai, is right,” Gracus admitted, immediately feeling her denial in her energy as he spoke.

Rebecca snorted. “What the hell is psychometry?”

She was surprised when it was the cat, Gibly, who spoke in her mind. “It is the ability to know details about someone or something, simply by touching an object. Some emotions are so intense that they bleed their energy into whatever they may be holding at the time. Such as a parent grieving their lost child by holding a toy or blanket, therefore saturating the item with that grief.”

“Someone with the ability could see the events by holding the item. If your grandfather suspected that was your ability, then he would have concentrated on a symbol while touching a page in the journal, leaving the symbol imprinted on the paper in a way only you could discover. Your grandfather was a very smart man,” Gibly said with a grin, as if happy to have cleared that up for her.

Rebecca couldn’t even muster up a laugh or snort. It just seemed too ridiculous to respond to at all. She didn’t dispute that her grandfather had been an intelligent man, it was the rest of it that she was having trouble with.

“If I had this… psychometry thing, wouldn’t I have known it before now? I mean come on guys, talking cats, talking parasites for the love of God!” Rebecca threw her hands up in the air and stopped suddenly.

She turned quickly and glared at Gracus. “Did you slip me some of that candy? Is this your way of getting even with me because of how I found you?” she asked suspiciously, not really believing it now that she’d said it out loud.

Gracus shook his head. “You know better than that and I’m not going to answer such an offensive charge that you don’t believe to begin with,” he said as he gently turned her back around and she started walking again.

That voice in her head decided to add in its two cents next. “If you would stop fighting it and accept it, you would be able to piece it all together much faster and with a lot less histrionics.”

Rebecca stopped abruptly. “Histrionics? Is that the best you can do? You’re a damn parasite, so shut up!”

Gracus couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve tried to tell my own beast, Clatz, that being a helpful asshole, isn’t really helpful. Sadly, he doesn’t care.”

Rebecca turned to look at Gracus in surprise. “It has a name?”

Gracus smiled. “Yes, it does. You are the one who is supposed to name it,” he said, feeling sorry for her beast when he saw the evil gleam in her eye.

He quickly added, “Most of us ask them what their people call them and shorten it to something we can easily pronounce and deal with.”

Rebecca snorted. “Fuck that,” she said quietly.

Gracus chuckled at her attitude, not really blaming her for it, but knowing he still needed to help her accept what was going on around her.

“Your beast is what gives you the ability to rapidly heal. Even in a dormant state the beast protects the host, through healing and a more developed sense of danger. Once bonded, it also gives you enhanced senses and allows you to communicate through the Shengari’,” Gracus said, trying to help her accept her beast.

Rebecca groaned, her brain a little numb from all the information. But, her curiosity was killing her. “What exactly is a Shengari’ and why do I want to communicate with it?”

Gracus grinned and shook his head. She was fighting it, yet still trying to figure it all out. His mate was more complex than he anticipated, but he loved the challenge. Or he would have if her life wasn’t in danger.

Gracus thought of the best way to explain it. “There is energy all around us, some strands of energy remain on your planet, and others travel through infinite realms to other worlds. The beast allows for a bridge between your mind and that energy. You can create energy bonds between you and other people and when you want to speak to that person, your beast will tap on the energy strand that binds you together. That person’s beast, will then allow or decline the communication.”

He could feel her confusion and continued. “Hybrids are a little different. Your ability comes from a part of the brain that even our advanced civilization, does not use. Little is known about it. Except that because it is generated in your brain, your body’s own electrical power station, the energy and enhanced abilities given by your beast, magnify your gift exponentially.”

The voice in Rebecca’s head interrupted, “What he means is, a regular human could have your same gift, but the additional energy,
created by me
, makes yours much more powerful.”  

Rebecca really didn’t need to be beat over the head with it. “I got it, already. It’s a super parasite that does super-duper things. Yay me.”

Gracus chuckled at her sarcasm, but felt a chink begin to form in her energy. He knew that she was finally beginning to accept it and couldn’t help but feel elated. He couldn’t wait for the bonds between them to strengthen, wanting and needing that closeness between them.

“You could be a little less of a bitch,” the voice said, irritating Rebecca.

“Yeah and you could be a parasite sucking out someone else’s brain. Shut up,” Rebecca said out loud, causing Gracus to choke on his laughter. Even Gibly could be heard snickering up ahead.

Rebecca was oblivious to their humor, her mind was busy trying to understand what was going on. As much as she hated to admit it, she believed the beast was in her head and that it was speaking to her. It was hard to deny it. Even harder to deny was that Gracus had spoken to her in her mind and that she’d been able to run, in the dark, miles through the forest in a very short period of time without breaking a sweat. She was in great shape, due to her lifestyle, but that was a bit much, even for her.

Rebecca sighed, sucked up her pride and asked the one thing in her head, she never thought she’d say. “What do your people call you?”

She could feel an intense tingling for a moment and excitement overcome her before it was gone and the beast spoke, “They call me, Lanzedomecanium.”

“Yeah, fuck that. You’ll be Lanze,” Rebecca said in her mind.

Moments later, a wave of energy overtook her that was so strong she stopped and grabbed a tree for support. Gracus pulled her into his arms and held her while her body adjusted to the final bonding energy.

Rebecca’s head felt like it was swimming in energy and pieces of her mind were clicking into place. She felt more grounded, more connected to the world and life around her. She was stunned by what felt like an openness, an expansion in her mind that wasn’t there before. She felt mentally invigorated, as if she finally understood what it meant to feel like one with the universe. It was intense and humbling at the same time.

Several minutes later, Rebecca calmed down enough to realize that she was being held by Gracus, who was gently stroking her hair and saying, “It’s ok, just breathe through it. It will be over soon.”

Rebecca took a deep breath and sighed at how wonderful he smelled and reveled in the warmth of his body as she wrapped her arms around him. She kept her mind blank, not wanting to think of anything but how incredible it felt to be so close to him.

She wasn’t sure if she felt or heard the crackling around them, but somehow she knew it was their combined energy that was sparking and melding together. A part of her was terrified of the thought of what might be happening, while the rest of her was filled with excitement.

“We must get to the cave,” Gibly said, interrupting the moment.

Rebecca blushed and jerked back from Gracus, letting go of him. The look of need in his eyes made her want to jump back in his arms, but she could tell by the urgency in Gibly’s voice, that they needed to keep moving. She turned from him with a small smile and continued following Gibly. 

She heard Lanze in her mind. “I apologize, I was unaware of how intense that finally energy bonding would be. But, it is over now,” he said happily.

“Well, thank goodness for that. I’m over being electrocuted for today,” Rebecca muttered sarcastically.

She was serious though. She’d had about enough for one day and the day hadn’t even begun. Rebecca was quiet, running the stories Gracus had told her through her mind over and over again. It all sounded so strange, but it felt so right to her.