The Bond That Ties Us (17 page)

Sara pulled back the curtain to reveal a large Briel. “Haylie, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Ray. Ray, this is my friend Haylie, our diligent security chief. And there’s something not quite right about her.”

“I’ve been telling you that for years,” Haylie said and smirked.

“An honor, Chief Bond.”

Ray was easily as tall as Taber, but much slimmer in build. His onyx hair was slightly longer than Kamran’s and an errant bang hung near his eyes. From the look on Sara’s face, this was the mysterious Briel who had caught her eye.

“Ray’s going to give me a hand. Double check a few things for me. Now lie back and relax.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Haylie said and swung her feet onto the bed.

She hated physicals almost as much as the freeze-dried food her father had made her eat growing up. Sara began to rub a gooey gel into her hair and attach sensors to her scalp.

“Lord, I’m going to look great after this.”

A chuckle from down the hall reached her ears. Kamran was laughing at her.

“Sit still, will ya?” Sara turned Haylie’s head so that it was facing straight again and pushed a sensor firmly onto Haylie’s temple.

Haylie sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. “What are you hoping to find?”

“I’m not sure—that’s why I want to run the tests. But what happened to you last night isn’t normal. There, all set.”

Sara took a step back and gave Haylie a once over. Wires protruded from most of her upper body, especially her head which was now itching like mad.

“The computer is calibrated and ready to go, Dr. Fergus.”

Haylie jumped when the Briel doctor spoke. How could she forget that he was in the room? It’s not like he could hide anywhere. Haylie gave him another quick glance.

She’d frowned. “Dr. Ray doesn’t sound very Briel.”

He gave a small shrug. “My full name is Raylinq. Your friend had difficulty pronouncing it.”

“I told him nicknames are very popular on Earth.” Sara blushed.

Haylie smiled.
Very interesting
. There was something very charming about Dr. Ray and they both picked up on it quickly.

“So what are you here to observe?”

107

“I’m here to learn more about human physiology. Dr. Fergus has been kind enough to allow me to spend some time with her today.”

“Why do I have the feeling I’m not going to get my interview with the ambassador anytime soon?”

Sara patted Haylie’s arm before pulling up the blanket. “No worries. These tests only take a few minutes. I’ll have you out the door before anyone on your team misses you.”

“My shift already started and I’m sure they are all trying to find me.” But she wasn’t in much of a hurry. Kamran was a short distance away. Despite what she’d said to him earlier she had to admit they
did
have a connection. Being close to him somehow eased her edginess.

She hoped that they wouldn’t have company the whole time.

After a few minutes of silence, Sara began to engage Ray in conversation. Haylie’s eyes grew heavy, the light noises coming from the computer lulling her to sleep. She fought to keep her eyes open but it was pointless. If she didn’t know better she would swear Sara had given her a sedative. Unable to resist any longer, Haylie drifted off.

She slipped into the dream easily. As she spun around the room, she saw the simple surroundings. A window drew her attention. The landscape beyond was lush, the sky full of colors as the sun set. She knew this was Breil, it felt right. No wonder Kamran was anxious to return home. She couldn’t imagine a better place to raise a family.

“This is my home.”

She turned to see Kamran lying in a large bed, a sheet pulled up enough to cover the lower half of his body. He was naked and she was overcome with the desire to yank the sheet away.

“Beautiful,” she said with a smile, completely forgetting about the landscape.

“Maybe someday you will come here with me,” he said and patted the empty mattress beside him.

Without another word, Haylie walked silently across the room and joined him beneath the sheets. It was only then she realized that she was naked too.

“Whose dream is this?” she asked before kissing the hollow of his throat.

“Mine, I think. Though I’m glad you’re here.”

He tipped her head back and returned her kisses. Haylie relaxed into his touch stretching her legs out as far as they would go. He reached down and cupped her breast. His thumb rubbed and teased the nipple until it was hard.

Haylie arched her back in invitation. He dipped his head down and captured the peak in his mouth. She slid her fingers through his hair, encouraging him. He lifted his head after a minute, desire etched across his face.

“How can you say we don’t mean something to each other?”

“I never…”

108

The words died in her mouth. She couldn’t lie to him. He did mean something to her. But exactly what that was, she didn’t know. Not yet.

“Make love to me.”

His legs nudged her knees wide. The weight of his body was a welcome distraction from the thoughts he’d generated. This was easier, to show him what she was feeling.

Haylie wrapped her legs around his back and drove her pelvis hard against him.

Kamran growled and thrust into her in one swift motion. They both stopped for a moment, trying to regain control over their bodies. She caressed his cheek, his skin smooth under her touch. It was his eyes that sent a shiver through her. His intensity and passion were there all for her.

Slowly, he began again. The gentleness of this steady thrusting quickly faded into urgent need. She gasped and moaned each time he reached her inner core. Each thrust designed to win her over. To prove to her this was all they needed. Her body agreed, melting against his, meeting his every movement with one of her own. Her lips found his and kissed him greedily. His mouth tasted sweet, like his cinnamon scent. She devoured him, refusing to pull away until she was drunk on him.

Her body began to tingle as her release rushed toward her. Kamran broke their kiss to bend his head once more and take her nipple between his teeth. His tongue circled around the tip. The added sensation proved too much for her and pushed Haylie into a mind-blowing orgasm.

He grinned at her like a conquering warrior and kissed her with amazing intensity.

She responded to his every move, arching desperately trying to get closer. She thrust her pelvis once more in time with his. He was close to the edge and she felt the tension in his body. Mimicking his earlier action, she bent her head and licked his nipple.

Kamran gasped, his thrusting pausing for a second before he cried out. Haylie loved the way he clutched her, as if he were holding on for life itself. He pumped hard against her several more times before he collapsed. The sweat from their bodies mingled together as they lay wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Now this is a sweet dream,” she said against his chest.

The room began to darken. Haylie blinked a few times, hoping her vision would clear. When she sat up and looked out the window, the sun was as high in the sky as it had been a short time ago. So why was it getting dark?

“Haylie?”

When she turned to look at Kamran, he was gone. The empty bed beside her was cold.

“Kamran?”

She slid from the bed and looked down. She was now clothed in a white linen nightgown. It looked like the one her mother wore when Haylie was a child. The room had fallen into a state of disrepair. Her body still clung to the feelings of pleasure she’d shared with Kamran only moments ago. She immediately sensed something had changed, that she was no long in Kamran’s dream.

109

She ran to the window to look out. She no longer recognized the landscape. The air stank of sulfur and it was foggy out. From far in the distance she could hear a sound that reminded her of the chattering of teeth.

“Hello?” She called out to the dark.

Suddenly, a child ran to her from the corner of the room. She barely had time to turn around when he buried his face into her stomach and began to cry.

“Hey, hey, hey. Shhhh. It’s okay.” She bent down and cooed soft words into his ear.

He looked up, his face streaked with tears. “They’re going to get me.”

“Who is? Where are your parents?”

“Help me.”

Haylie hugged the little boy tight. The urge to protect him was overwhelming. He clung to her, trying to get closer, all the while trembling with fear.

The chattering had turned into a low buzzing sound, coming from the dark corner where he’d been a moment before. The boy whimpered.

Sean.
The voices called to him.

“Sean? Is that your name?” Then it hit her. “Donaldson?”

“Go away!” he screamed and pushed away from Haylie, knocking her to the floor as he ran out the front door.

She didn’t have time to think further. The buzzing was getting closer, moving toward her like a black shadow across the floor. She tried to move backward, but her feet got tangled in the nightgown and she landed with a thud.

The shadow moved inch by inch toward her, almost close enough to touch her. The buzzing was now in her ears and her skin itched. She couldn’t breathe. She gasped for air and tried to get the buzzing sound out of her head.

Wake up!

With a huge gasp of air, Haylie sat up on the hospital gurney.

“Haylie? Are you all right?”

She was looking into Kamran’s eyes. His hands were about her shoulders. The sensation grounded her back in reality. Her heart rate was setting the computer off and she had to take several deep breaths to bring it back to normal. It took a minute but she managed to get herself under control.

“I think so. Where’s Sara?”

“She and Ray left a while ago. The test is long finished, but you had drifted off to sleep. They didn’t want to wake you.”

“I was—” she shook her head and tried to clear the fog from her brain. “I was dreaming.”

“I know.”

Their eyes met and she knew he
had
been there.

110

He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair. “What happened? One minute we were together, the next you were gone.”

Haylie could feel her body trembling. She closed her eyes until she was able to relax enough. Somehow in the back of her mind she knew if the darkness in her dream had reached her, she wouldn’t have woken up.

Ever.

“I think…I’m not sure, but I think I was pulled into someone else’s dream.” Even as she spoke the words, she knew it was true.

“What? That’s impossible.”

“According to you, we shouldn’t be sharing dreams either. But we are.”

He didn’t respond at first. Slowly, he slid his hand into hers, lacing their fingers. “I always assumed that we had bonded. I still think we have, but it is possible there is another explanation.”

If he was feeling anything, his face didn’t betray it. The diplomat’s mask. Haylie leaned in and brushed a kiss across his lips. She didn’t want to lose him, not after everything they’d gone through.

“We don’t know anything at this point. We could be bonded and these other dreams are totally unrelated. Once we both get out of here, we can investigate. Okay?”

He nodded his agreement.

“You better get back to your bed. Hey, wait a minute, you’re out of your bed,” she said and smiled.

“Briel can recover from injuries quickly, and I still feel terrible, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt. When you disappeared, I feared the worst.”

She ran her hand along his cheek. “You didn’t look this good when I arrived earlier.

It’s amazing you’re even on your feet.”

“I have an attractive incentive to get better,” he said. Kamran then gave her a kiss of his own before standing. “I hope to be out of here later today. We need to meet and talk.”

“Agreed. Contact me when you can. I’ll be working on your files.”

He bowed slightly and left her makeshift room, dragging some sort of IV behind him.

Once she was alone, her body began to shake. What the hell was going on with her?

She wiped a lone tear from the side of her face and began to dress. She had to get out of here and figure out what was happening on this station.

She’d worry about her situation with Kamran later.

* * * * *

Kamran had been drowning. Every time he’d tried to reach the surface, someone pulled him back down. It wasn’t until Haylie arrived that things began to focus.

111

At first, he couldn’t make out the words, but he knew it was really her. Not some phantom that had been chasing him for…however long he’d been trapped. He was finally able to start to claw his way back to the surface of reality.

He opened his eyes and knew he’d been dreaming again. This was insanity.

Sara came in a few minutes later, “How are you feeling, Ambassador?”

“Better.” His voice still felt strange, like he hadn’t used it in a long time.