Lord of Capra (13 page)

They sped past
several other riders on their way to wherever she was heading. He’d forgotten
to ask. He really didn’t care at the moment. Could anything top the fun of
riding a skimmer? He had serious doubts. Watching Evana riding in front of him
only added to the pleasure of the experience. Long, black hair whipped across
her back as she stretched out atop the vehicle, giving the illusion that her
shapely body seemed joined to it. Given a view like that, he could ride all day
and never get bored.

He was still
enjoying himself immensely when she pointed ahead and slowed down. He backed
off the throttle to match her speed until they rode side by side.

“What’s there?”

“Beginnings of the
sliding grounds.”

All he could make
out were sand dunes. As they came closer, he noticed several vehicles parked in
the area right before the dunes. A parking lot, he figured.

Evana skirted
around them and approached the dunes on the edge of the parking area. After reaching
the top, she stopped and turned off her skimmer’s engine. He did the same and
then gazed out over what looked like a milk-glass, slick lake. There were
groups of aliens gliding across the surface.

Some looked more
proficient at it than others. Many were downright hilarious as they tried to
stand upright for a few seconds before falling. Youngsters zipped around their
parents, who either threatened or chased after them. At least that was his
impression of the scene. All in all, it looked like great fun.

One very young-looking
D’Lyrian child caught his attention. The little cat-person was purposefully
speeding directly toward the barrier dune that surrounded the slippery lake
area. Drake cringed as he slammed into it. Powdery material exploded from the
impact, but the young Evel Kneivel wannabe emerged unharmed. He seemed
extremely pleased with his daring feat. It had to be a universal thing with all
kids, no matter what planet they came from.

“I thought you
might like to see the regular tourist area first,” Evana told him as he
continued to watch.

“What’s it made of?”

“A mineral called
veramite. Here, on the surface of the planet, the mineral is not in its purest
form, but it’s still quite slick. The pure deposits are found deep underground
and are very valuable. Taneth is rich in veramite so the Alliance has vast
mining interests here.”

“What’s so special
about veramite?”

“The simple
explanation Nemesis gave me is that it’s used to eliminate the heat caused by
friction, mostly in machines.” Evana paused as if remembering something before
laughing. “I could’ve used it on the fish cart I pulled every day to the
market. The wheels were always binding.”

Drake chuckled with
her. It was hard to imagine Evana as a fish peddler.

“So Earth…”

“Doesn’t have this
mineral, at least in this form.” Evana answered his unfinished question. “Nemesis
says our planet’s surface changes too often so veramite never formed.”

“That’s too bad,”
he murmured, thinking how things could have been different on their home
planet.

She nudged him,
bringing him back to the present. “Are you ready to try?”

Drake gave her a
brave half-smile. “Hell yeah. Looks like a blast.”

“Good! This area is
mostly for visitors and beginners. I’d prefer somewhere less crowded, and I
know of a place.” She started her skimmer and jetted off once again with Drake
close behind.

After maneuvering
around and between several mounds of veramite powder, Evana came to a stop on
top another dune. Below was a smaller white lake area that seemed deserted at
first glance. He saw a couple Novyr males come sliding across at an extremely
fast pace. They quickly disappeared down a white trail off to the side. After a
few seconds, more sliders zipped past.

“This area has
several small circular areas joined by sliding trails. It goes on for a great
distance and is used by more experienced sliders,” Evana explained. “It’s more
challenging.”

With a calculating
frown, he took in the scene. All of a sudden, he wasn’t sure if his brief
experience with ice skating in the past was going to help him very much with
sliding.

“I’m not an
experienced slider.”

Her gaze slid up
and down his body, deliberate in her admiration of him. “You have an
experienced look about you, my love. Don’t worry. Sliding is easy.”

“I’m not so sure,”
he replied, still not very convinced even after all her flattery.

She shut her
skimmer down completely and hopped off after it settled to the ground. He did
the same and walked over to stand beside her, letting her take the backpack and
remove their gear while he continued to study the sliders.

She handed him his
gloves and boots. “Oh, stop fretting. Looking good in the suit is more
important, anyway. You win!”

He tried not to tap
into his power as he swatted her butt and then chased her down the side of the
dune toward the slippery surface below. He stopped inches from the edge.

She was already
sitting on the ground, pulling off her boots and then putting on her gloves and
sliding boots. “The gloves,” she indicated the palm area, “are chemically
treated with a material that grips the surface that helps slow you down. The
boots have the same treatment on the top edge of the toe area, but the soles
are made to be very slick.”

After settling down
beside her, he shed his boots and grabbed the sliding ones. They were actually
more similar to heavy duty socks that fit tight. The gloves were no different.
It was all for the best, he decided. Stopping might come in handy, and he
certainly didn’t want to lose them. He shoved his feet and hands into the specialized
sliding gear before realizing she’d left his side.

He spied her on the
white surface, sliding around easily, pirouetting and leaping like a gazelle.
Show
off,
he grumbled to himself.

“Come on.” She
beckoned to him.

Unable to delay any
longer, he took a couple tentative steps out onto the surface and was suddenly
gliding toward her. Trying to maintain his balance, he slid one foot in front
of the other and picked up speed. So far, so good. He was encouraged to try a direction
change. At first, when he turned his foot the way he wanted to go, he just
continued sliding sideways. He remembered the built-in grips on his “socks” and
used them with more success. After a few tries, he discovered he could change course
quite effortlessly.

He believed he was
doing okay, for a beginner, and was quite content until Evana grabbed his hand
as she whizzed by him. She pulled him along behind her at a blistering pace.

“Hey! Slow down!”
He pulled hard against her hand. It was a mistake. His speed increased.

“Follow me!” She
picked up speed while keeping a tight grip on him.

“You’re crazy!” He
yelped out a strangled curse before trying to mimic her movements in a frantic
effort to stay upright.

We’re going to die,
he thought as
their speed increased to over seventy miles per hour by his estimate. Well,
maybe they could just crash into something soft, like the barrier. It’d still
hurt.

While he ran a few
different scenarios through his mind of how they might come to an eventual
stop, his body actually started to get the feel of sliding. Before he realized
it, he slid solo beside her, maneuvering around curves and switching directions
with ease. And he was having a blast.

“Still think I’m
crazy?” she asked when he came even with her after taking a curve.

“Yes, but I won’t
hold it against you.” Drake noticed her eyes were glowing a nice brilliant
green. “Cheater.” He pointed an accusing finger at them.

She laughed and
pointed back at him. “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

Crap.
And he’d thought
he was doing so well.

They must’ve been
thinking alike as together they slowed to a pace that matched most of the other
sliders. Not seeing any suspicious looks aimed at them, he figured their high-speed
trip along the trail had gone unnoticed.

No longer traveling
at breakneck speed, he relaxed into a smooth rhythm and paid more attention to
the sliders they passed. Most were D’Lyrian. A few Novyr and human types made
up the rest of the groups. Some of the humans nodded politely as he and Evana
slid past them.

He lost track of
time as they skimmed over the course, sometimes sideways, sometimes backward,
and on one occasion, they had to leap over a downed male D’Lyrian slider who’d
wiped out just in front of them. Drake was relieved he kept his own balance
after landing back on the surface. An image of him splayed across the ice like
a downed cartoon character popped into his mind.
No.
That would be too
embarrassing, especially in front of his mate. She was the picture of elegance
and grace as she seemed to glide effortlessly over the surface. It was hard to
keep his attention on the twisting course when all he wanted to do was watch
her.

She pointed toward
a side route coming up along the course, and they veered off, taking the
smaller trail. It snaked and turned, leading them away from the main area and
finally came to an end, spilling out on to a small circular white lake. He
followed her across the open area. Before reaching the edge, she quickly slowed
her speed, using the top grips on one sock-covered foot.

Misjudging, he
tried to brake, but knew he was too late. He didn’t even have time to shout out
a warning. He zipped by her, grabbed Evana around the waist and carried her
with him, smacking them both into the dune barrier. A cloud of sand-like
material erupted all around them. In a tangled mess, they came to a stop buried
beneath a light covering of slippery powder.

Drake remained
motionless and sucked in a deep breath to replace the one that had been knocked
out of him. “Sorry.” He immediately tried to apologize, then realized he had
his mate trapped beneath him and his arm was pinned under her squirming body. “Hey,
be still.” He gazed at her with pretend concern. “You might be hurt.”

She froze and
looked at him. Her eyes narrowed threateningly. No matter how hard he tried, he
couldn’t suppress a slight grin.

“You know I’m fine.”

Her expression
blanked, and he couldn’t tell if she was angry with him or not. He took his
chances and kissed her quickly before she could protest. When she pulled him closer,
he knew he was forgiven.

“Yes, you’re fine.”
He kissed her in earnest, molding his body even closer to hers. He realized his
mistake before it was too late and broke away.

“Damn tight suits!”
Drake growled his frustration.

“We should return
to Nemesis soon.” Her voice was soothing, calming him. “Night comes fast on
Taneth, and we’ve already stayed too late to make it back to the city before
dark.”

She lifted so he
could reclaim his arm and then relaxed on the ground again. He rolled to his
back, and they rested side by side, watching the daylight fade until the first
stars were visible.

“This has been fun.
Thank you.”

She slipped her
hand into his and squeezed lightly. “I hoped it’d be enjoyable.”

He sighed,
satisfied to relax for a while. The stars became more numerous by the minute,
and he tried to locate a pattern that looked familiar. He didn’t see anything
recognizable. In that instant, the alien nature of his entire surroundings
threatened to crash in on him.

He closed his eyes
and held Evana’s hand a bit tighter, feeling the need to reassure himself of
their connection. She responded by snuggling closer. They belonged together
now, mated in a way he still didn’t completely understand, but he did know one
thing for certain. He’d never think of Earth as his home ever again.

It was an odd
revelation. Could he really not miss anything from the planet of his birth?
Admittedly, he’d been a little concerned, at first, about missing some things
from his former life. His Harley, for one, was something he loved to ride, but
he wouldn’t miss it at all now. The skimmer had taken its place. It was just
another addiction to add to his collection.

“Evana, do you ever
miss anything from your life before? You know, before Nemesis?”

When he didn’t get
an immediate answer, he shifted to his side to study her face. She appeared sad
before she turned her attention to the stars.

I’m an idiot
. He rolled to his
back. He’d had no right to ask her something so personal.

“Yes.” She spoke
the word softly.

“No, Evana, I
shouldn’t have asked.”

“You should know.”
She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “I’ll always miss my
children.”

Shocked speechless,
Drake waited for an explanation. He wasn’t about to push her. The only question
he could think of was how could Nemesis have taken Evana away from her
children?

“I had two children,
a boy, five years old and a girl, only three. They were taken by the plague the
day before Nemesis came to me. I was alone, delirious with the fever, unable to
crawl from my bed. I couldn’t even comfort them during their last hours.” Evana
fell silent.